Dare Me Again

by Alexander, Shelly

  Ack!

  She drew in a breath to calm her racing heart and glanced around the garage.

  Not one of the Labs looked sick. Not in the least. Whew.

  Her gaze snagged on Elliott, who must’ve snuck in through the side door. He was hidden away in the corner, lounging against the wall with his arms folded and his feet crossed at the ankles. The temperature had dropped another few degrees, and he’d added a knit slouchy cap to his casual hired-hand wardrobe.

  It only made him look ruggedly handsome and hot as hell.

  Her girl parts sighed. So did her heart and her mind and every other part of her anatomy.

  She pressed the clicker to get everyone’s attention. “Feel free to go exploring for a few hours. Practice what we’ve learned, then meet me back here for our next session.”

  As the matches filtered out of the garage, she went to join Elliott.

  “How long have you been standing there?” She leaned a shoulder against the wall to mimic his stance.

  “Long enough to see how amazing you are.” Fire ignited in his eyes.

  She must’ve blushed like a schoolgirl because the corners of his mouth turned up into a cocky grin.

  But then she had to be honest and tell him how totally amazing she really wasn’t. She rubbed the back of her neck, letting her smile fade. “Dr. Shaw called. Bogart has kennel cough.”

  Elliott’s brow scrunched. “What’s that?”

  She couldn’t hide the weariness in her voice. “It’s a contagious respiratory infection. Basically, he’s got the canine flu.”

  “Are any of the others sick?” The lines across Elliott’s forehead deepened.

  “No,” she said. “Rem’s had the vaccine for it, but I’m not sure about the other dogs. If I ask, it might set off an alarm with the sponsor.”

  Elliott thought a second. “Since they’ve already been exposed, I say we wait and see if the other dogs start showing symptoms. No sense causing alarm unless they get sick too.”

  “Dr. Shaw is going to keep him at the clinic just in case.” She waved a hand in the air. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about. Did you get caught up on your office work?”

  Something flashed in his eyes. “Yeah. For now.” Then the smoldering look was back. “Listen.” He reached out and fiddled with the zipper on her jacket. “I was thinking we could take a break, if you’re done.”

  “You have a dirty mind,” she teased.

  “Absolutely filthy.” He tugged her to him, and her breaths came quicker and shallower from the excitement of just being near him. “But that’s not the type of break I had in mind.” He squinted and looked up. “Although I could probably be persuaded.”

  She poked his ribs with a finger.

  He grabbed her hand with a laugh and held it against his chest.

  A soft sigh feathered through her.

  “Would you go on a walk with me?” he asked.

  “A walk?” She could hardly wait to see what he really wanted.

  “Yep. A walk.” He went to one of the supply boxes and took out a new fleece blanket. “This is meant for the campers, but it won’t hurt for us to use it first.” He motioned to Jax, who was across the garage sweeping up the morning’s dog hair with a large broom. “Hey, man. Can we leave Rem with you for a little while?”

  “Sure,” Jax said, and called Rem over with a handful of treats.

  When Elliott and Rebel were outside, he extended his hand, and she laced her fingers with his. He led them along the path toward the dock.

  “Thanks for coming.” He pulled her to his side to drape an arm around her shoulders. “It’s important.” When they got to the dock, they passed the pier and veered left around the boathouse, which was under construction and roped off with caution tape.

  Elliott still hadn’t offered up an explanation, but she kept letting him lead her through the thick overhanging vines and overgrown trees that formed a canopy. “You’re being very mysterious.”

  He stopped cold, pulled her to him, and laid the most electrifying, thigh-clenching kiss on her that had her body humming like a teakettle. His tongue—lots of tongue—commanded her. His hands conquered her. When her toes curled at the tips of her hiking boots, she sighed like she was surrendering.

  In a way, she was, because she could no longer deny how much he meant to her.

  When he broke the kiss, he let his lips linger over hers. “Mysterious would involve a blindfold.”

  Her sharp intake of breath communicated her surprise.

  He chuckled against her mouth. “And whipped cream.”

  A shiver raked through her, communicating her curiosity.

  Which egged on his sensual teasing even more.

  “And maybe a black lace thong and stiletto heels.” He nipped at her bottom lip. His teeth closed around her bottom lip with just enough pressure to make her gasp.

  “That . . . sounds . . .” Her voice was small and wispy as his tongue moved to her neck, suckling and nipping. “Interesting,” she finally finished between pants. “But not that mysterious.”

  “The mystery is in the whipped cream and where on your body I’d put it, since you’d be blindfolded.” He swatted her on the rump. “Come on. We’re almost there.”

  With his erotic needling session over, he grabbed her hand again, and they followed the dirt trail until it ended at a KEEP OUT sign hanging across the path by a single chain. He held up the chain so she could pass under. “Watch your step. It’s muddy from the last storm.” He crossed under the chain and dropped it back into place.

  They followed the trail until a copse of maple trees came into view.

  Mystery solved. She knew where he was taking her, and she pulled him to a stop. “Elliott, are you sure you want to do this?” In high school, he’d avoided the cove where his mom had drowned like it was a toxic waste dump.

  “I’m sure.” He tugged on her hand, and they cleared the trees. The landscape opened up into a sandy beachhead that gently sloped to the water.

  Not one muscle in his tall frame so much as twitched. His expression blanked, then filled with sadness as he stared at the smooth water.

  She came up behind him, her chest pressing into his back. Her chin rested on his shoulder. “It must’ve taken a lot of courage to come here.”

  When she slid her hand around to the front of his chest, he covered it with his. Drew her fingers to his lips to drop sweet kisses over the tips.

  “I got that courage from you,” he said so softly that she barely heard him. “Watching you. Seeing the amazing woman you’ve become. Your grit convinced me to stop hiding from my past too.”

  He turned and pulled her against his chest. “Until a few months ago, I hadn’t been here since I was a kid. There was an incident with Ben and his duck. I realized then that I’d have to deal with my mom’s accident eventually. It’s time.” His warm breaths washed over her face, heating her against the cool early-autumn air. “I wanted you with me.”

  She went up on her toes and kissed him with the gentleness and love she felt in her heart. “Thank you for letting me be with you. It would’ve broken my heart for you to do this alone.”

  “Really? Because I’ve been alone for a long time, Rebel.” He leaned his forehead against hers. “Ever since you left.” He caressed an open palm over her hair. “Until lately. When you and Rem and Bogart aren’t with me, I miss you. It’s like part of me is gone when you’re not around.”

  “Oh, Elliott,” she whispered, snaking her arms around his head to pull him into the notch of her neck. “You’ve always owned a piece of my heart.” And he always would, even though his career stood between them. She leaned back and gave him a lusty look. “You’ve officially passed the hot test, by the way.”

  He gave her a teasing frown. “That’s all it took? I’ve wasted a lot of valuable time trying to wow you with my brainiac routine and all the window-shattering orgasms.”

  She tilted her head. “I see your ego has surpassed your massive IQ.” />
  He placed the edge of his index finger under her chin and tipped her face up to his. Seriousness replaced his playful expression. He filled his lungs with fresh air like he was gathering courage. “It’s my fault my mom died. And I was too chickenshit to tell anyone the truth.”

  Rebel’s lips parted, because of all the things Elliott could’ve said, that was the last thing she’d expected. It would seem she wasn’t the only one who’d been harboring a deep, dark secret.

  She cradled his head with both hands, and he buried his face in the nook of her neck.

  “Tell me, babe,” she whispered against his ear.

  He took her hand again and led her to an old dried-out log that had fallen on its side. He shook out the blanket and laid it on the sand so they could sit, using the log as a backrest. They snuggled together with her nestled into his side. With one arm circling her shoulders, he brushed a thumb back and forth across the back of her hand as it rested in his lap.

  “I was jealous that Trace and Dad went on a campout without me. A friend of mine called and said his dad had taken him out fishing on the south side of the island around Devil’s Point. That’s not too far from here, and the steelheads were biting.” He hesitated as though to keep his emotions in check.

  Rebel rested her cheek against his shoulder, the rhythmic rise and fall of his labored breaths telling her how difficult this was for him.

  “I wanted to have a trophy to rub in Trace’s face when he and Dad got home from the campout.” Elliott let out a hollow laugh. “Childish, right?”

  She molded her palm against his cheek and turned his face to hers. “You were a child, Elliott. You shouldn’t beat yourself up over acting your age.”

  Rebel wished she could’ve acted like a child when she really was a kid. Instead, she’d had to be the adult as soon as she started walking and talking because of her mother’s irresponsibility.

  “Most children aren’t selfish enough to cause a parent’s death.” His voice cracked, and he took a moment to regroup. “I told Mom I wanted to go fishing. She said no because a storm was rolling in.” He kept stroking the back of her hand, staring out over the cove. “I snuck down to the boathouse and got a life vest.” He pointed to an old oak to the left. “I dragged one of the small rowboats here so she wouldn’t see me launch from the dock, but Spence ratted me out.” He shook his head and sighed with sorrow. “He was mad because I wouldn’t let him go with me. How fucked up are we?”

  “Oh, Elliott.” Rebel snuggled closer.

  “Mom caught me just as I was pushing off, but I refused to pull the boat out of the water. She said the storm might sweep over the island quicker than expected, and we couldn’t risk it.” He scrubbed a hand down his face. “I threw a pity party and wouldn’t get out of the boat.” He bent a knee and draped an arm over it. “Mom made Spence stay ashore, but she waded out to the boat in waist-deep water and climbed in because she didn’t want me going out alone. When we were alone, I accused her of not loving me as much as she did my brothers. Trace was the oldest and most responsible. Spence was the youngest and needed more of her attention. I was the middle child, constantly squeezed out of the limelight.” With a thumbnail, he traced an imaginary line along the center of his pant leg. “I guilted her into going out on the water with me when I knew it was dangerous. Essentially, I killed her.” His voice cracked.

  Rebel closed her eyes against the heartache in his words because she knew what was coming. She molded both of her hands around his.

  “Mom was right. The storm rolled in quicker than expected, and our little boat didn’t stand a chance. We started taking on water.” His words were strangled. “I paddled as fast as I could, but the wind blew us against the far bank.” He nodded in the direction of the cove. “The boat broke up, and Mom didn’t have a life jacket. She yelled at me to swim for shore. She kept yelling for me to keep going and not look back.”

  Rebel placed a hand over his chest, and his heartbeat hammered into her palm.

  “So I did what she said.” His voice was gravelly and strained. “I made it to shore, and she didn’t. And I never told anyone she drowned because I was throwing a childish tantrum.”

  Rebel moved onto his lap, showering his face and neck with gentle kisses. “I’m so sorry you’ve had to keep it bottled up for so long.” A feeling Rebel knew far too well. “No child should have to live with that.” She wanted to tell him it wasn’t his fault, that it was an accident, but she knew he wouldn’t accept it.

  She also wanted to tell him she’d move to San Francisco just to be with him, if that was what he wanted. She’d take the long hours alone and the empty apartment if he promised to always come home to her bed and no one else’s. But she had nothing to offer him in return. At least nothing that would help his career.

  A woman who was usually covered in dog hair and ate like the homeless person she’d once been didn’t exude the image of a partner’s wife.

  Wrapping her arms around him, she held him for a long time. When he smoothed both hands up her back, she smothered his mouth with a hot and heavy kiss. Before she knew what was happening, he’d tugged her pants down, so she toed off her shoes. She got up just long enough for him to shuck his shoes and jeans too. He pulled her back down onto his lap so she straddled him.

  “Can you handle the cold?” She lifted a brow, glancing down to where their bodies connected.

  “Baby, things are about to get so hot you won’t notice that you’re bare-ass naked in this weather.” He took off his knit cap and pulled it onto her head to cover her ears. “But since I’m a gentleman and all, I’ll give you my hat.”

  He grabbed his pants to search the pockets for a condom. As soon as he was covered, he eased two fingers between them.

  “Jesus,” he hissed. “You’re already so wet.”

  Slowly, she unzipped her jacket, then went to work on the buttons of her shirt. “I get excited just looking at you.”

  He let his head fall back to rest against the log and enjoyed the show.

  When her shirt fell open, exposing a pale-yellow satin bra, he moaned and sat up to kiss her tingling flesh.

  “Elliott,” she whispered. “I do need your help with something.”

  “Anything, baby,” he said. “Just as soon as I make you orgasm.”

  She gasped when his hot mouth closed around a nipple, and he suckled.

  She lifted, then eased down onto him, his hard shaft filling her so completely. So perfectly. She shimmied and shuddered, which made him groan.

  He grasped her hips and moved her up and down, grinding into her.

  She rode him fast and hard, with him guiding her hips until they both climaxed, and she collapsed against his chest.

  Their heartbeats intertwined and intermingled, finally slowing.

  She wrapped both arms around his head. “I love being with you like this.”

  “Then let’s find a way to stay together,” he murmured against her neck.

  A strange sound roared to life inside her head, ringing in her ears. It was the snipity snap of her self-control. The crisp crackle of her composure. The pop, pop, pop of her perseverance. It was like the secret she’d harbored had kept her closed off and feeling as alone as she’d felt on the streets. Not anymore. Not after Elliott had just trusted her with his heart.

  “Will you come into town with me after we finish the next session with the campers?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Of course. What’s going on in town?”

  “I need to go see the Morgans.” She sighed. “That’s what I need help with.” She’d put it off long enough. Unfortunately, it was time.

  Chapter Nineteen

  #ADORBS

  After the afternoon training session, the service dogs needed a break as much as Rebel did. So she gave the campers the rest of the evening to bond, doing whatever they wanted.

  “Thanks for going with me,” she said to Elliott as he veered around a big puddle still there from the last storm. Unfortunately, her evening
break wouldn’t be as relaxing as the campers’ time off would be, since her destination was Morgan’s Market. “It was a good time to take a break, because when service dogs train as hard as we’ve been training, they get mentally exhausted and they need downtime just like humans. I mean, we all need downtime, right? Because—”

  Elliott reached across the console and gave her thigh a reassuring squeeze. “I’m going to be with you the whole time, baby.”

  Right. She was rambling again.

  His thumb stroked her thigh.

  Ladyland sighed at the safety she felt from his touch.

  “I couldn’t have faced Dan’s parents by myself.” She covered Elliott’s hand with hers. “Especially since I left Rem with Jax because he’s depressed without Bogart around.”

  “Do you think Rem’s getting sick?” The concern in Elliott’s voice was unmistakable. And adorable.

  If she had to caption a photo of him and the dogs with a hashtag for her Instagram account, it would be #adorbs.

  It made her fall a little more in love with him.

  Because she did love him.

  She always had.

  When he glanced at her expectantly, she realized she hadn’t answered his question and was staring. Memorizing. Because even though he wanted to find a way to stay together, she didn’t see how it could work. He was a highly educated, successful businessman with a prestigious position.

  She was a dog trainer who couldn’t walk in a pair of party heels if her life depended on it.

  And he’d mentioned how image and entertaining clients was a big part of making his career successful.

  “Rebel?” Elliott squeezed her thigh. “Do you think Rem is coming down with kennel cough?”

  “Um . . .” She shook her head. “No, he’s been vaccinated. I think he’s grieving because he misses Bogart.”

  “I miss him too. He’s like my family now. Rem too. And you.” Elliott let his gaze smooth over her face for a second before returning it to the road. It made her squirm with guilt all over again.