Truth or Dare

by Anne Conley

  They talked and giggled as if they were besties, and something inside Jude ripped apart as he saw what he’d missed out on.

  Annette saw him, and the tinkle froze in her throat, but her smile remained. She whispered something to the women and started walking toward him. Katie winked at Jude, and the other woman squinted her eyes at him, but they ended up walking to the bar area, away from his view.

  God, the way she smiled at him …

  He felt his cheeks burn as he realized his own smile was probably a goofy, shit-eating grin, but he couldn’t help it. Jude was just so damn glad to see her and to know she wanted to see him. As she walked over to him, he admired the sway of her hips and the bounce of her hair.

  The restlessness faded. He hadn’t realized he’d been feeling that way until it was gone, but the calm and inner peace he suddenly felt was more telling than the warm, gooey feeling he had when she was around.

  Annette calmed his insides.

  Before they were done today, she would know she was his.

  “I’m so glad to see you’re okay, Jude.” She sounded relieved. Had she been worried about him? He knew there wasn’t a TV in her tiny room, so how had she even known?

  “May I sit?”

  “Of course.” Thank God he’d found his voice. He was coming off as rude but didn’t know what to expect from this conversation. He was afraid if he opened his mouth, he would say all the wrong things because he had a tendency to dirty talk around women, and he knew that wasn’t what Annette needed to hear right now.

  “I was worried when I heard what happened to you. Are you okay?” Her eyes held a sadness in the emerald depths.

  “Broken collarbone, but it’ll heal.”

  Jude stared at his hands, rubbing them on his jean-clad thighs. They were sweaty and left darker blue trails on his jeans as he slid them up the denim.

  They sat in an awkward silence for too long, and Jude couldn’t look up at her. Instead, he focused on their legs, the only thing in his tunneled vision. Their size contrasted, his large and muscular while hers were smaller, lithe and more petite. She had tucked them into some snow boots with fur sticking out the tops, while his were haphazardly tucked around his own snow boots he hadn’t managed to lace up with his collar hurting and arm in a sling. He was glad she was wearing something besides the sneakers he’d seen her trudging through snow in. These would protect her feet.

  “I watched the video online of you in that house. You helped save that little girl. You’re a hero.”

  Annette spoke the words as if it were a life-changing realization she’d come to, the awe and respect evident in her voice. He still couldn’t bring himself to look at her though. If she only wanted him because of some perceived station he had in life, she was no better than Everly. Everly had been enraptured with the idea of fucking a town hero, of molding the hero to fit in with her L.L. Bean idea of how their life would be. If Annette was thinking that, there wasn’t any more hope for her than Everly.

  And that stuck in his craw like dry bread.

  He swallowed thickly. “It’s my job. I’m no hero.” He’d hadn’t even done his job right.

  “But seeing the video made me understand something about us.” Her hands were in her lap, on top of her thighs, twisting with each other, her knuckles white.

  He risked a glance at her face. She was looking at him, her eyes big and bright, her mouth full and lush, and Jude clenched his fists to keep from grabbing a handful of hair and kissing the hell out of her.

  “Even knowing I was watching the video way after it had happened, my heart was in my throat for you. There was a legitimate fear you wouldn’t be okay after that fall, and I realized how much I care for you.”

  Something inside him lightened at her words, and he felt the lift from his shoulders. He wanted to hear what else she had to say though. If she was in this to change him, he would have to find a way to not love her.

  Love? Was that what this was? Yes. That’s totally what this was.

  He watched as she chewed on the inside of her lip in thought, scrunching it to the side adorably. She was at least being honest with him. With herself.

  His fists were aching from clenching them so hard.

  “The thought of never seeing you again was what did it. I realized this is you, Jude. You go out every day with the possibility of never coming back. At any moment, a beam can burn through and fall on you, or something else equally awful.” Her voice had gotten shaky and Jude realized she was about to cry. His fists unclenched themselves, and he reached for her face with his good arm. She dipped her head, and he cradled her cheek in his hand so he could watch her talk, as if touching her was the connection he needed.

  She was saying all the right things, but did she mean them?

  “I need to be with you when I can because the idea of not being with you is too damn hard.” Her words broke on a sob, and her eyes were bright with tears. “Say something. I feel like I’m just hollering into a hurricane.”

  Jude swallowed again. “I saw the little girl today.” His voice was rougher than he’d intended, thick with emotion he wasn’t used to showing he wanted her to see it, so he continued. “I talked to her, and it was, um … difficult.” He licked his lips, pressing them together while he gathered his thoughts. He wasn’t sure where he was going with this line of thought. It wasn’t the profession of love he’d planned when he’d opened his mouth. “I feel guilty because I couldn’t save her parents, and now she’s got to go move in with her grandma.” Annette’s eyes softened with understanding. “This is why I need you, Annette. I need someone who can listen to me, maybe understand, or if not, at least sympathize. I don’t have anyone else I trust to talk about this shit with. I gave her my card, and she’s going to call, and I’m going to talk to her, and then I’ll probably need to talk to you after that.” He took a deep breath. “Because it was so damn hard.”

  He pulled her face closer to his, breathing her in. She smelled crisp and feminine, like the winter sunshine. Annette’s breaths were ragged, and her breasts heaved, pressing against his chest with each intake of air.

  “You are mine, aren’t you? I can do that?” Eyes watery, she nodded at him, and joy rushed through him, leaving him lightheaded.

  Suddenly, Jude was kissing her for all he was worth. He wanted her to understand the depths of his feelings with this kiss, so he forced himself to be gentle, to not be needy and wild like he wanted to. He was conscious of the public setting, but he still needed to kiss her.

  Her lips were soft and yielding to his as the kiss started with a slow burn. Her whimpers and sighs made his cock jump with anticipation, but he didn’t want this to be about sex. That could come later. Right now, he needed her to know how much he missed her.

  So he held her close and made love to her mouth with his, closing it over hers, trying to memorize every aspect of her lips before moving on.

  When he finished, he broke the kiss but didn’t let her move away. His hand still wrapped around her, he leaned his forehead against hers.

  “You know what this means, right?”

  Her tongue snaked out, and his eyes were drawn to her plump, kiss-swollen lips. “What?” she breathed into his mouth. He couldn’t resist kissing her again, just a quick, possessive peck.

  “It means we’re together, Annette. I come home to you when I need to after my fires. You come to me with problems and let me help you. It means we’re in this together, none of this total independence bullshit.”

  “But—”

  He stopped her with another kiss, which melted her stiffening shoulders. “I’m not saying you can’t be your own person and have to bend to my will. I’m saying you have to let me in. You have to let me help you, support you when you need it, celebrate successes with you, and mourn your losses with you. All of it. Because while you’re mine, Annette, I’m
yours, so you’ll do the same with me.”

  He couldn’t tell her she was his everything, no matter how true it was. “I love you.” But he could tell her that. She needed to hear that from him, to know he was all in.

  Her eyes fluttered closed, and she inhaled a deep breath of air. When her eyes opened, flashing the brilliant green at him, there was a ripple of emotion in them, shifts of love and longing and lust, all at once. “I love you too, Jude.”

  One more peck on her lips because he couldn’t stop himself, and she was delicious.

  Kissing Jude was everything. The way he touched her showed her he meant what he’d said. He’d seemed sort of standoffish on the phone last night and when she’d first gotten here. But his kiss reinforced the words he’d spoken, and Annette knew she had her work cut out for her.

  She’d hurt him, and he was probably scared she’d run again, but she was finished with the running. Everything was falling into place right now. She’d gotten her show, she’d made some friends, and now she was getting Jude back.

  He was staring at her, his rough hand still holding her neck so their foreheads touched. His amber eyes bore into hers and filled her with something indescribable, but she liked it.

  “You take away this restless feeling I’ve been having lately.” He was whispering to her, his eyes roaming her face now. “You ground me or something. I can’t explain it because we don’t know each other that well, but I feel like I know you. These past weeks have been hell, Annette. Don’t push me away like that again.”

  She knew exactly what he meant. She didn’t feel restless per se, but she didn’t feel right unless she was with him. “I understand. I won’t.” Annette made the promise, and she meant it. She swallowed and licked her lips, watching his eyes track the movements. “Truth or dare, Jude?”

  One corner of his mouth lifted in a slight smile, and his eyes lit up from seriousness to a twinkle as he pretended to mull it over. “Truth.”

  “Did you mean it? You really love me?”

  A slow smile crossed his lips and melted his face from the hard angles of chiseled goodness into something so warm she wanted to look at it forever. “Absolutely. I love you. My turn.”

  “Truth.” Getting into the spirit of the game, Annette wanted to keep with the spilling guts portion of the evening. She would tell this guy anything he wanted to know.

  “Tell me a fantasy.” Or not. Clearly, he was over the spilling of the guts. She laughed. “What? Too far?”

  “No. Um …” She pretended to give it a lot of thought. The truth was, since she’d walked into the lodge and saw Jude decked out in a hooded sweatshirt, his heavy coat, jeans, and snow boots that weren’t laced up, she’d had one specific fantasy in mind. Jude looked yummier than a man had a right to look. “Your cabin.” She licked her lips again as his eyes lit up. “Your bed. The fire going with the door to the stove open, letting just enough light in, flickering around the room.” Moving her mouth to his ear so no one could possibly hear the next part, she whispered, “Your cock. My mouth.”

  His hand on her neck tightened to an almost painful grip, and the growl that came from his chest had her laughing more.

  “Let’s go.”

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  They rode to Jude’s cabin in silence. Annette was lost in fantasies about taking control with Jude and driving him wild the same way he’d done to her on many occasions. She didn’t realize she was shifting her thighs together until he spoke, low and grumbly, the voice that said he was about to do wicked things to her.

  “Will you please let me in on what you’re thinking about? I see how hot you’re getting, and I would love to be privy to it.” His voice sent bubbles of lust through her, pooling the need in her panties.

  She smirked at him. “I’m just thinking of ways to repay you.”

  They’d arrived at the cabin, and he put the Land Rover in park before turning to her. “Repay me? Should I be scared?”

  “Absolutely terrified.”

  Without a word, he got out of the vehicle and opened her door. Leaning forward, he grabbed her hair and planted a kiss on her that left no doubt in her mind as to his intentions. His tongue swooped in, conquering her mouth, reminding her of the thoughts she’d had at dinner about the invader who was about to steal her heart.

  “Get your sweet little ass inside that cabin. Now,” he growled before letting loose of her hair.

  Annette jumped out and slipped and slid her way to the door, Jude’s hand at her elbow as he chuckled to himself. It was just as cold inside as it was outside, but he went straight to the stove and got a raging fire going inside it. Before long, the cabin would be toasty.

  She could only stand there, watching him. His movements were stilted with the sling yet still effortless and efficient. She looked around, noticing nothing had changed since the last time she was there.

  “You haven’t been out here?” She’d thought he would spend as much time in his oasis as he could.

  “Wasn’t the same without you,” he whispered as he strode over to her and captured her with his good arm around the waist and tugged her closer.

  “I don’t want to do anything that will hurt you, so I think it’s best if you get on the bed.” An authoritative tone took over her voice, and Annette was pleased to see Jude’s eyes light up while simultaneously darkening. She had a lot of power here, and she was taking advantage of it.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He gleefully fell back on the bed, his knees and feet dangling off the edge.

  “Yup. Just like that.” Feeling like a princess, she stalked over to him and lowered herself between his knees. She ran her hands up his thighs, on the way to his button and zipper, but she couldn’t resist running them up under his shirt, feeling the ridges and planes of his torso. His breath hitched as her hands ran across the smooth skin.

  “Jesus, I’ve missed the way you feel when you touch me.” His voice was hoarse and breathy. More evidence of her impact on him.

  So was the growing bulge between his legs.

  Her hands stayed where they were, but she lowered her mouth to his jeans, blowing hot air onto his erection. Jude moaned, long and low, as he firmed up more under her lips. She mouthed him through his jeans before he moved his good arm to his button to open them.

  She carefully unzipped him, knowing he went commando, and his length fell into her hands. She stopped and admired it for a moment. Jude was long and thick and heavy and perfect.

  Annette looked up at him and grinned at the look of wonder in his eyes right before she lowered her mouth to his magnificent cock and kissed the tip of it, her tongue snaking out to outline the slit amid hisses of air from Jude. His hand clamped in her hair, moving it out of her face so he could watch her.

  She gave him a show. Fluttering soft kisses up the shaft, she licked the ridge underneath it like a lollipop. She knew her mouth was hot and the air in the cabin was still cool, so she tried to use that to her advantage. She sucked lightly on the tip, listening to his murmurs of approval. Saliva pooled in her mouth as she explored his dick, fondling his balls with her free hand. When she was pretty sure he was enjoying himself with what she was doing, she took as much of him as she could in her mouth, sucking hard.

  “Ah, fuck,” he hissed as his hand tightened on her head. His knees came off the bed as he curled in on himself a little. Annette sucked, swirling her tongue all around his shaft as she did, relishing the noises he made. Her other hand pumped his length while she used her free hand to fondle his balls. Then, relaxing her throat, she took him all the way, flattening her nose against his belly, smelling his musky scent that drove her wild.

  His murmured praises ceased as he held his breath. When she needed air, she came up and saw him staring at her, his neck crooked up off the bed, nothing but awe on his face. “Jesus,” he breathed. The hand on his balls went to her jeans,
and she unsnapped them, lowering the zipper and shoving her hand inside.

  She was wetter than she’d ever been. As her fingers slipped and slid, she went back to Jude’s cock, deep-throating him again. His hand on her hair tightened painfully.

  “Stop. Get up here,” he commanded, and she was helpless to resist him. Standing, she moved to get up on the bed, but his ragged voice spoke again. “Strip. I want you on my face. Now.”

  Wordless, Annette complied with the stripping—boots flying, jeans dropping, and her sweater over her head, as well as all the other clothes she had layered on. She was almost embarrassed at the amount of clothing she was wearing, but not so much to break the mood.

  When she was naked, she climbed on the bed and straddled him on her way up his body. He stopped her at her breasts, sucking one into his mouth, which sent a shock of sensations rioting straight to her core. Her pussy wept at the teeth nipping on her nipple, and she cried out. His good hand was buried in her pussy, swirling in the wetness, pumping in and out.

  “Get up here. I want to taste you.” The desperation in his voice left her no choice. She would do anything to please him at this point, especially if it meant letting his tongue work wonders on her.

  Annette crawled up to his head, gingerly placing her knees on either side of his shoulders, being careful of his injury. When she lowered herself, he attacked her with his mouth, sucking her clit between his lips and flicking it with his tongue. She saw blinding lights and slammed her hands on the wall in front of her for balance, her breath gone. His good hand slid up to her breasts and pinched a nipple between his fingers, intensifying the sensations.