Nothing But a Dare

by Molly O'Hare

  After moving, he never stayed in contact with anyone, he’d never heard about any rumors or… wait a second. As Hunter recalled the day after the kiss, he remembered going into the locker room to clean out his stuff. There was a group of boys with Troy all laughing. When he walked by them, some of the guys had even given him high-fives and said stuff like, legend, and I can’t believe it. Hunter hadn’t thought much of it.

  Actually, truth be told, he thought it was some sort of goodbye thing since the coach had announced his leaving earlier that day.

  But now, that he really thought about it, he remembered Troy giving him a weird smile.

  That’s when everything started to fall into place. Troy was not only the teammate that caught him and Abbie, but he was also the school’s primary source of gossip. As everything pieced together his fists clenched. “If I see him again, I’ll rip out his throat.”

  “What?”

  “Abbie.” Hunter jumped to his feet causing his dangly bit to flop around, but he didn’t give a shit. He was pissed. “I take full responsibility for the shit I said to you in your driveway and after the kiss. If you need to keep on hating me for that fine, I will do everything in my power for you to learn to forgive me. But I never once spread rumors about you at school but I know who did.” Fuck Hunter wanted to punch something.

  No wonder Abbie hated him. It wasn’t just what he’d said, no, it was way worse than that. She had to endure spiteful teenagers. Damnit, he was pissed. Pissed at himself. Pissed at the situation, and pissed at Troy. If he ever saw him again, he’d break him in two.

  “Who?”

  “Fucking Troy,” Hunter growled as he paced.

  “Oh,” Abbie said.

  “I will hunt him down and bury him.”

  When Hunter heard Abbie snort with a laugh he stopped pacing and turned toward her. She had this huge smile on her face.

  What the fuck?

  “No need,” Abbie announced squaring her shoulders with pride. “Troy and I actually ended up at the same college.”

  “You did?” Hunter cocked his head as he walked back to the bed before sitting.

  “Yeah, although, since I graduated early I was ahead of him.”

  “Okay…”

  “One day I was walking around campus and I just so happened to hear the words Abbie and flabby together.”

  Hunter saw red.

  “Down, killer.” Abbie held up her hands. “I took care of him.”

  “What did you do?” The only answer he would accept at this point was murder.

  “When I turned I saw who it was. I didn’t know he went there, but the second he saw me Troy tried making me the butt of the joke around his friends. I had my calculus book in my hands. I smacked him so hard across the head with it, I knocked him out for a few seconds.”

  Hunter’s eyes widened as his jaw hit the floor. “I’m impressed.”

  “Don’t be,” she laughed. “If it was my economics book, then you can be impressed, that thing was big. I swear it’s the reason I had back problems in college.”

  Hunter let out a small laugh. “Okay, so what happened?” Holy shit.

  Abbie shrugged. “When he came to, I had his shirt in my fist. I warned him if he ever said another word about me to anyone I would hunt him down and gut him and do it with a smile on my face.”

  A chill ran down Hunter’s spine. “I see your violence has always been an issue. You really ought to talk to someone about that.”

  Abbie winked. “What can I say, after the incident with you, I decided no one would ever make me feel less. And if that meant a couple of five knuckle sandwiches, I was fine with that.”

  That got Hunter’s attention in more ways than one. He hated he was the cause of her distress, but he was damn proud she stood up for herself. Seeing Abbie’s half-smile, he cocked his head to the side. “Abbie, did you ever hit anyone else?”

  “Me? No. Of course not,” she innocently said.

  “Abbie…”

  “No.” She shrugged. “After I knocked him out with the textbook, rumors got around and people left me alone. That was the way I liked it back then. I didn’t need anyone’s approval, friendship or anything anymore. I was only focused on one thing, being the best I could be and you didn’t need people crowding around you to do that.”

  His heart broke for her. The Abbie of their younger years would have made it her mission to find a friend in anyone. Hunter ruined that for her and he vowed at this very moment to stop at nothing to fix all that he’d done.

  “Nothing happened to me thankfully,” she said interrupting his thoughts. “I kept my head down and worked my ass off to get to where I am today.”

  Hunter knew that. Well, he didn’t know about the rumors or that she knocked the fuck out of Troy… he should reward her for that.

  Maybe with his tongue, he thought. He shook his head, getting back on track. “I know,” he announced storing the idea in his head for later.

  “You do?”

  “Yeah. After I stopped being angry, I looked for you. I kept tabs on you the whole time. I was just waiting for the right moment to come back.”

  Abbie’s eyebrows shot to the ceiling. “Instead of sending an email like, “Hey how have you been?” you decide to show up on one of the most important career days of my life and be a dick? You planned that?”

  “Oh, my dick did something that day. But no, it just so happened to work out the way it did. Why did you walk in with your tits hanging out, anyway?”

  “I didn't do it on purpose, okay?” Abbie shook her head. “I was mortified at the sequence of events that morning but at that point it was either pull up my big girl panties and kill it or run away and cry. A Collins never backs down and never surrenders. So, tits out it was.”

  They both shared a laugh as the room once again fell into silence. Hunter didn’t know where to go from here. And as Abbie was locked in her own thoughts he doubted she did either.

  But something changed between them, Hunter could feel it.

  The tension was still there, but not like before. And as soon as everything settled, he was going to stop at nothing to prove to Abbie he was here for the long haul. No matter how long it took.

  Taking a chance, Hunter glanced at Abbie. That’s when he realized she was staring at him.

  The tension built as her mouth hung slightly opened. “Hunter,” Abbie’s voice pierced through the room. “I dare you.”

  “You dare me to what?” His heart sped as his breathing increased.

  “Kiss me.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Abbie’s heart raced as she sat in her seat on the plane. She should have been expecting it, but the thoughts of imminent death still crept through her.

  One safe flight did not mean she could cheat death twice. She wasn’t stupid.

  Abbie looked out the window. Yeah, the window. Hunter had insisted she sit on the inside this time. Sure, there was a part of her that liked the security of the wall and Hunter on either side, but that meant if the plane was falling to a fiery death she was trapped.

  Not that she would survive it either way, but she at least liked the option of not being wedged between a hunk of metal and a hunk of man meat.

  She smacked her hand to her forehead. Did she really just compare Hunter to a hunk of man meat?

  Freaking great.

  What had the last thirty-five hours done to her brain? Sex made her stupid.

  As the plane moved from the gate, Abbie’s hands shook. That’s when she felt Hunter pull her left hand to his lips lightly kissing the back. Her eyes followed their movement.

  It was still kind of surreal to her.

  Actually, all of this was surreal. How had she gone from years of pent up anger at Hunter to now banging his brains out? Although, that anger did make for some killer passion, but the more she thought about it the more her head hurt.

  Her mind wasn’t fully wrapped around everything yet, but she was getting there.

  Hell, her hear
t had already decided to give Hunter a chance and even though her mind sometimes fought against it, she was willing to try.

  After all, the sex was phenomenal. Angry sex was the best sex. Abbie couldn’t count the number of times he made her come while the storm raged on. That being said, angry sex she understood. It was the painfully slow, tender sex that now played a part she couldn’t fathom.

  Hunter explored every inch of her body, and he did it in such a way, she would be a fool to deny his feelings for her. She didn’t really know how to make sense of it. The parts of her body she hated he’d spent extra time on, the parts she loved, he spent extra time on.

  It was like he wanted all of her. Every last bit, and that was a new concept.

  Who the heck went around thinking people were whole just the way they were? Not with TV and movies shoving crap down your throat.

  With a sigh, Abbie looked back at Hunter. Gahhh, what was wrong with her? See, sex did make her stupid. Any other time she’d be off in her own little delusional world but no, Hunter brought her to this weird reality and she wasn’t sure she liked it.

  Abbie shook her head to remove the thoughts. No use in thinking about it now. She had to make a list of the people she planned on haunting once the plane crashed.

  Bill.

  Troy.

  The mailman who always gave her the wrong mail.

  Hunter.

  Abbie wanted to drive back, but no, big headed Hunter insisted they fly. Once the storm was over, and they got the all-clear to check out the area. There were trees down and debris everywhere, it would have been a mess to try and navigate through. So, Hunter said.

  Abbie was all ready to pull some sick ass maneuvers around fallen trees, maybe show off some of those newly acquired ninja skills. Before she could convince him though, the jerk bought two tickets on the next plane out, once the airport opened.

  But in all the mess she at least got to see Doug the driver again. In some weird twisted sense of humor from the Universe, he was the car that pulled up to take them to the airport.

  A wicked smile appeared on her face.

  Abbie would never get the look of amusement Doug had or mortification Hunter sported after she proudly announced Hunter did not have gross hairy balls.

  Highlight of the trip so far.

  And Hunter’s promise to get her back once they got home sent a wave of excitement through her. She’d never admit it, but she liked when Hunter pinned her down.

  She’d take that to the grave, though.

  No need to inflate his ego any more than it already was.

  Plus, ninety-five percent of the time she still wanted to throat punch him. The other five percent she wanted to fuck him, is this what a relationship was? Oh, god, she swallowed. Did this make Hunter her boyfriend?

  Her head spun.

  Abbie, this is one of those times you don’t put a label on things. Instead, you’re just gonna tuck all this away and deal with it later. Right now, you have more important things to worry about anyway. Like recalling all movies and tv shows were people ended up stranded on desert islands and take notes on how they survived.

  The plane ran over a bump causing her stomach to bottom out. “Oh god, it’s happening again.”

  “Why don’t you read the book you just bought?” Hunter interrupted her panic as he nudged her with his shoulder.

  With her free hand, Abbie held up the book. “This is for when we’re in the air, not taking off. Taking off is for completely irrational and overdramatic thoughts of impending doom. Didn’t you get that the first time?”

  “I’m glad we’ve reached the level in our relationship where you show ‘your’ crazy.”

  Abbie smacked the book with his chest. “Hey!”

  “Kidding. Kidding.” Hunter shook his head with a chuckle. “You’ve always shown ‘your’ crazy. It’s one of the things I love about you. No pretending, instead I’m getting the real deal upfront.” When he smirked at her, Abbie’s eyes narrowed which only caused Hunter to lean over and plant a kiss on her lips.

  “Besides from the cover it looks like someone’s about to take off, if you know what I mean.” He waggled his brows as he snatched the book from her hand. “Hank and his Fireman’s Hose by Quinn Sparks.” Hunter chuckled as he flipped it over. “Look at the praise: Hank knew exactly what to do with his hose to send shivers down my back! Quinn Sparks has done it again with this five-star read. Oh, and there is a cat the size of a human child that stole the show. I’ve never laughed so hard in my life.” Hunter looked at Abbie. “Is this the blurb that made it say buy me?”

  There was pure amusement in his eyes. It made her want to uppercut him. However, with her promise to be less violent when it came to Hunter, instead she snatched the book out of his hands. “No, it’s this pantie dropping dude on the cover. You see the way he’s holding that firehose? Makes me want to set fire to my kitchen.”

  Hunter’s eyes darkened as a low moan escaped him. “Say the word and I’ll find a fireman’s costume. I’m not opposed to role play.”

  Abbie shook her head. “Pig.”

  “But I’m your pig,” Hunter said with a laugh as he puffed out his chest.

  “Don’t remind me. I’m still trying to figure out how we are now in some sick and twisted relationship.”

  “We’ve always been in a sick and twisted relationship. Now there’s just sex involved.”

  She rolled her eyes so hard she thought she’d give herself a migraine. That’s when she realized exactly what Hunter was doing.

  He was very good at distracting her.

  “We’re clear for take-off.”

  All the color drained from Abbie’s face as chills ran through her body. She quickly placed her book in the pocket in front of her before pulling on her seatbelt for the five thousandth time.

  Being next to the window did that mean there was some possibility for negative pressure? Am I going to be sucked out? What if there is a crack in the window and no one noticed it? That was a thing, right? People getting sucked out of windows. She swore she’s seen it in at least three movies.

  However, the second she felt tears prick the back of her eyes, something was placed over her lap. When she looked down she saw a black blanket over her legs and a toothy grin coming from Hunter. He then lifted the armrest between them before scooting his lower half under the blanket with her.

  “What are you doing?” she snapped. “This isn’t a time for a nap. We’re about to die.”

  Hunter barked out a laugh before giving her his famous smirk. The one that still made her want to punch him. “No. What I’m about to do is distract you.”

  “By tucking me in? Newsflash, Hunter, my ass is not going to sleep.” She stared at him in disbelief. Maybe venturing into a relationship with him was not the smartest idea. The sex be damned.

  Hunter’s hand snaked under the blanket before landing on Abbie’s thigh. He gave it a firm squeeze as he looked her in the eyes. “I have no intention of you going to sleep, babe.”

  What?

  The moment Hunter’s hand trailed up her leg and to the waistband of her leggings her eyes bulged. He was not about to do what she thought he was? No, way, no way in—

  “Relax.” Abbie’s eyes widened as she felt Hunter’s hand move to the top of her pants.

  “Hunter…” she warned.

  “Shh, no talking from you.” Before she could say anything, Hunter’s hand slipped between the material.

  Oh god, he wasn’t serious, was he? No, there was no way—

  Hunter’s hand stroked up and down her panties. Yep, he was doing this.

  “Relax, baby.” He leaned over kissing the side of her neck. “Let me distract you. I wanted to do this for you the first time. Let me do it now.”

  “People will see,” she whispered right as Hunter pushed aside her panties touching her now swollen lips with his fingertips.

  “No, they won’t.” He kissed her neck. “Everyone is in their seats and my body is blocking the view.
Plus, there’s a blanket.” He flipped the blanket up with the top of his hand.

  “Is this why you wanted me to sit by the window?” She clenched her teeth as his finger grazed her clit.

  “That was my plan.” Before Abbie could say another word, Hunter brought his lips to her neck and bit causing her to let out a tiny gasp.

  “Open for me.”

  And the hussy inside of her did.

  Abbie scooted her butt forward on her seat as she let her legs fall open. Holy crap on crackers, this felt wrong.

  He slowly spread her lips seeking out better access to her pussy. “Shimmy your pants down,” he whispered into her ear.

  “Are you insane? Heck no.”

  “Yes.”

  “Yes, you’re insane? Good, we’re in agreement.” She glanced behind him, but thankfully didn’t see anyone looking their way.

  “Lift up and pull them down a few inches, Abbie,” he demanded. “I won’t tell you again.”

  “What do you mean you won’t tell me again, are you threatening me?” She cocked her brow. “What do you think you’re gonna do, ‘cause I will rip off your dick and make you eat—”

  A gasp escaped her lips the second Hunter pinched her clit. Her hand shot to her mouth as she tried her best to keep herself quiet.

  Holy shit.

  Her body hummed as he worked her. Oh, god, oh, god, oh, freaking god! Abbie held her eyes tightly closed as she fought her body. There were people less than a few feet from them. This was the stupidest thing she’d ever done.

  A wave of desire ran through her as he continued to stroke her core.

  Could she do this?

  That’s when Hunter’s fingers pushed between her folds.

  Yeah, she could do this!

  Abbie pushed on her heels giving her butt extra room. Hunter then grabbed the waistband of her leggings before pulling them down her thighs a few inches. He slipped his hand inside her panties again seeking out her center.

  “Hunter,” she panted as two of his fingers slid inside her, while his thumb found her clit.

  She bit the bottom of her cheek so hard Abbie swore she tasted blood.