“Why are you groaning? I’m the one who’s about to eat it,” Dustin said.
She groaned again.
“Bugs have protein.” He picked up a cookie. Stef averted her gaze. “No, no, no,” he said, capturing her chin and turning her face toward him. “The dare is that you have to watch me while I eat it.”
She’d already backed out of one dare. It wasn’t as if she faced them often; she couldn’t back out of another dare so soon.
The smile on his face was a mile wide as he opened his mouth and took a huge bite out of the cookie.
“Ugh,” Stef said, covering her eyes. “That is so gross.”
“It’s a bit crunchy.”
“Stop,” she said with a laugh. “You are so twisted.”
“Can’t argue with you there. I’ve always been a little weird. It’s what makes me who I am. I would have loved coming here when I was a kid.”
“So you’ve always been a daredevil?” she asked.
He took another bite of the cookie then set it back on the tray and dusted off his fingers. Stef tried not to lose the lunch she’d eaten earlier in the hospital cafeteria.
“Actually, I was a runt. A rather timid runt at that,” he said. “The daredevil didn’t come until much later.”
“A runt?” Her eyes traveled down his perfectly chiseled arms and chest. “I find that very hard to believe.”
“I’m serious,” he said. “You said Jacob is seven, right?” She nodded. “At that age, I was about forty pounds soaking wet and scared of my own shadow. My two older brothers thought I made a better punching bag than a little brother.”
Stef instantly sobered. “They hit you?”
“Not enough to leave bruises. It was more roughhousing than being malicious, but I was small, so it hurt a lot more than I let on.”
“And your parents didn’t say anything?”
“Nah. Both Sidney and Sean were pretty slick when it came to flying under my parents’ radar. And they also led me to believe that being a snitch was an offense punishable by death.”
“Sidney and Sean? Are they twins?”
He shook his head. “My mom is a big movie buff. She named us boys after her favorite actors. Dustin Hoffmann, Sidney Poitier, and Sean—”
“Connery.” Stef smiled. “That would explain why you think Pierce Bronson was the better 007.”
“You got it.”
“She really named you all after her favorite actors? That’s adorable.”
“That’s setting your kids up to be teased in school,” he said. “Ironically, my two older brothers protected me from bullies. They used to get their kicks out of beating the shit out of me at home, but if anyone dared to touch me at school they’d feel the wrath of the Patrick brothers. Nobody wanted that.”
“You’re still the younger brother. Do they still try to shove you around?”
“Hell no.” Dustin laughed as he shook his head and leaned his chair back on its two hind legs. “I could kick both their asses now. In fact, the first day I arrived back home after basic training, I threatened to give them both a taste of their own medicine. They pretended they didn’t know what I was talking about when I told them they deserved some payback for all the whippings I got.”
“Are there hard feelings between you guys?”
He shrugged. “I love them, but it’s…I don’t know…complicated.”
“I know a thing or two about complicated family relationships.”
“Yeah, Stefan has told me stories about growing up with your dad. He was never physical, was he?”
Stef shook her head. “No, but sometimes a blistering look from the Lieutenant Colonel could feel like a slap.”
“I definitely felt Sean and Sidney’s slaps; their taunts, too. In a way, I owe them a lot. They’re the ones who put this giant chip on my shoulder. It pushed me to become stronger, work harder. For a long time the driving force behind everything I did, both in the navy and with Hawk Transpo, was to show my brothers what this scrawny kid could do. I love seeing them eat crow.”
“I’m guessing they’re eating a lot of it these days,” she said. “Based on what Stefan has told me about Hawk Transpo, you’ve built one of the fastest-growing transportation companies the oil and gas industry has ever seen. Your brothers have to respect all you’ve accomplished.”
“They’re reluctant to admit it, but I know they do.”
He reached for the cookie again. Stef caught his wrist. “Please do not take another bite.”
“You want it?”
“No!”
“Come on,” he said. “I dare you to take just one bite. You may like the way it tastes.”
“I’m okay with never knowing,” she said.
A slow smile traveled across his lips. “There’s another way for you to see how it tastes.”
Stef’s brow creased, but then understanding dawned. He didn’t have to voice his dare for her to know his intentions. And even though a part of her told her to lean back as he leaned forward, a stronger part compelled her to meld her lips against his.
All thoughts of what he’d done with that mouth just a few minutes ago fled as she willingly sank into his slow, deep kiss. His warmth, his flavor, his incredible sensuality—they stole her ability to concentrate on anything but the intoxicating feelings rioting through her blood. With breathtaking slowness he eased his tongue into her mouth.
Something wickedly delicious started to build within Stef’s belly. It was slow at first, but the erotic sensations multiplied with every decadent swipe of his tongue.
Her head swam, awareness storming through her. The only coherent thought to make it through the sensual haze clouding her brain was an insistence to give in to this craving that had her on the verge of exploding every time he touched her. He was like a drug. Addictive. Hypnotic.
And she wanted him. All of him.
The reluctance in his groan when he finally pulled away echoed in her own head. With every taste she only craved him more.
“I love that you can’t back down from a dare,” Dustin said against her lips before finally releasing them.
She couldn’t help but laugh at his cockiness. “I’ve backed down from several dares already,” she reminded him.
“Yeah, but I’ve figured you out. You don’t back down from the dares you really want to do.” His voice dipped to a low, sexy-as-hell level. “And even though you’re fighting it, I know what you really want to do.”
A delicious shiver quaked through her. “You’re trouble, Dustin Patrick.”
He closed in on her lips again, causing tiny pricks of desire to shoot down her spine with his approach.
“Just remember,” he whispered against her lips. “A bit of trouble does the body good every now and then.”
This time his kiss wasn’t as fiery, but it still had Stef on the verge of spontaneously combusting.
Why did she crave him so damn much? Was it because she’d gone so long without feeling desired? Or was it because Dustin harkened to her inner wild child, that rebel who hungered for a taste of adventure? That girl who’d been the cause of so much pain on this very day twelve years ago.
Reality crashed over Stef like a bucket of icy water.
She pulled away from Dustin’s kiss. “We can’t do this here,” she said, glad for the easy excuse. She glanced over her shoulder and discovered that they were in fact the targets of several less-than-happy stares. “If I brought Jacob here and saw a couple acting the way we are, I would throw a fit.”
“Maybe we should get out of here before they call security on us,” Dustin said. “Anyway, I’m getting hungry. The cookies were pretty good. But I can use some real food. How about you?”
Stef had only one request. “As long as it’s insect free.”
~ ~ ~ ~
He begged Stefanie to let him take her to one of the many fabulous restaurants in the French Quarter, but of all the places she could eat, she wanted a hotdog from a street vendor.
“You’re g
oing to love them. I promise,” she said when Dustin protested. “These are legendary.”
“It’s a hotdog. How legendary can it be?”
She shook her head. “It’s a Lucky Dog. There’s a difference.”
If the long line for the hotdog vendor was any indication, maybe there was something to her choice. Once they got their food, they climbed a set of stone steps, past several street performers, to a small square across from St. Louis Cathedral. It held a large cannon with Washington Artillery Park etched into its base.
“You think Jacob would like to visit this?” Dustin asked.
“Oh, he’d love it, but I don’t have enough room in my house for a diorama of the French Quarter.”
He grinned. “Good point.”
They strolled across the park to the levee, where they found an empty bench facing the river.
After his first bite Dustin regretted buying only one hotdog. He quickly devoured his and tried not to covet Stefanie’s. She was killing him with her dainty little bites.
“You’re not getting my hotdog,” she said.
Dustin’s head flew back with his laugh. “Should I be freaked out that you can read my mind?”
“I don’t have to read your mind when you’re salivating.” She took another bite, then handed him the last piece.
“You’re giving me the last of your hotdog? You do realize that’s like a declaration of love in my book, right?”
Her laugh made her entire face light up. She might not be ready to declare anything, but he was falling hard.
The lack of panic he felt at the thought should have shocked him, but instead Dustin embraced it. His laid-back, carefree lifestyle had been the envy of many of his male friends for a long time, but lately he was the one who’d found himself fighting waves of jealousy as more and more of his buddies found love. He wanted that bliss he saw on their faces for himself.
“I just remembered…I forgot to mention the party I’m hosting at my place for Stefan and Callie weekend after next.”
“I was wondering if you were going to say anything about your little party,” she said.
“How do you already know about the party? I only came up with the idea last night.” He sat up straight. “Wait. You’re not really a mind reader, are you?”
“Callie stopped in to see me at the hospital earlier today,” she said. “It took you long enough to mention it. I was starting to think I wasn’t invited.”
“Not invited? I’m hoping you’ll help me plan it. It won’t be anything too big. Just a get-together so that Hawk Transpo can all celebrate with them. You up to playing party planner?”
“Of course,” she said. “I’d love to help you. Now, you do realize that most bosses don’t throw parties for the whole staff when there’s an employee wedding, right? This goes above and beyond what typical employers do. These days, most people are happy if there’s a potluck dinner at Christmas.”
“Stefan deserves it. He works hard. Everyone at Hawk Transpo works hard. The company wouldn’t be as successful as it is without the team that works there.”
“You built the team. Take some credit here, Dustin.”
He shrugged. “I was lucky. I made some really good investments early on, which gave me the capital I needed to get started, but it’s been a team effort.”
“The humble act is pretty sexy, but I’m not buying it. Luck can only take you so far. It’s more than luck. You have to be a savvy businessman and damn smart to accomplish what you have in such a short amount of time.”
Dustin rubbed his hands along his thighs before clamping them together. He rested his elbows on his knees.
“I don’t share this with everyone,” he started. “But I’m kind of a genius.”
“You’re kind of a genius?”
“You know, Mensa member, IQ nearing one-seventy.”
“Are you serious?” Incredulousness dripped from her voice.
“I was talking at five months. Started reading when I was two. That’s another reason Sid and Sean used to beat me up. Mr. Smarty Pants here garnered a lot of attention as a kid.”
“You’ve got an IQ of 170 and you decided to join the navy? You should be in an office somewhere making millions.”
“I am making millions.” Dustin chuckled. “That’s the coolest thing about my job. I get to make millions and do what I love.” He sobered. “Well, at least I used to.”
She cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean? You don’t enjoy your work?”
With another shrug he sat back on the bench, stretching his arms along the back. His hand automatically cupped her shoulder, and she snuggled closer.
“I enjoyed it better when I was actually flying. I don’t get up in the air all that much anymore.” He looked over at her and grinned. “Except when I’m flying you around so that you can break the law, that is.”
She pinched his arm.
“I would have thought you’d be okay working behind the scenes,” Stef said. “You’ve got pilots to do the flying for you. Someone has to run the business.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s the flying that got me into this in the first place.”
He exhaled a deep breath and dropped his head back. Thick, marshmallow clouds glided across the powder-blue sky, the occasional long-winged crane slicing through it.
“When I was a little boy, I would spend hours stretched out on the grass, looking up at all the planes in the sky. I’d count them as they flew overhead, picturing myself at the controls. Every year my dad would take us to Colorado Springs for the airshow at the Air Force Academy.”
“I’m surprised you didn’t join the Air Force, being so close to the academy.”
He shook his head. “It wasn’t far enough.”
“Stefan felt the same way about our dad.” She put her hand on his chest, her voice filled with sympathetic understanding. “Your brothers really gave you a hard time, didn’t they?”
“They thought they were making me tough.” Dustin waved off her concern. “I’m over it. And, in the end, I got the last laugh. You have no idea how much I rub it in their faces when they have to come looking for a loan. I’m not gracious at all. I make their asses grovel.”
“It sounds as if they deserve it.”
She scooted closer to him; the length of her thigh now touched the entire length of his. Dustin closed his eyes, reveling in the sensation. When he felt her head against his chest his body nearly went up in flames.
He had an hour—possibly two—until he gave up all pretense of being in control, dropped to his knees, and begged her to go to bed with him.
“I can’t imagine Stefan and I not getting along,” Stefanie said, apparently oblivious to the sensual storm raging inside of him.
Dustin focused his attention on the colorful barges drifting along the river in an attempt to bank that rapidly building fire.
“Stefan was my saving grace in the navy,” he said. “We became like brothers.”
“You helped him far more than you give yourself credit for.” She tilted her head up, her eyes filled with gratitude. “My brother was in a dark place when he was told that he would be medically discharged from the navy. I have no doubt finding Callie is what truly saved him, but that flight instructor job gave him purpose. From what Stefan tells me, you’ve done the same for quite a few of Hawk Transpo’s employees. That’s why they’re so lucky to have you.”
Dustin groaned and ran a hand down his face. “Please, just stop saying that.”
Stefanie’s head popped up. “What did I say?”
He decided to tell her despite the trepidation clawing at his throat.
“There’s this company, Global Offshore Drilling. They have several rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and off the coast of California. A few in Bahrain too, if I’m not mistaken. They’ve been sniffing around Hawk Transpo for a while now. They want to buy me out.”
“Wow,” she said, sitting up and turning to face him. “That sounds serious. I’m nosy by nature, so I have t
o ask—”
“Eighty million,” Dustin said.
“Eighty million dollars! I didn’t realize your company was worth that much.”
“It’s valued at just under sixty-three million, but based on the trajectory, it’ll be worth eighty million within the next few years. Global Offshore is looking to expand their business and Hawk Transpo is just small enough for them to swallow. I’ve laid the groundwork. I guess they figure it’s worth the extra so that they don’t have to reinvent the wheel.”
“So what are you waiting for to sign on the dotted line? How often is a company willing to buy another company for even more than it’s worth? This seems like a no-brainer. You’d never have to work again.”
“It’s not that simple,” Dustin said. “At least not for me. I’m not so sure another company—a company like Global Offshore—would have given Stefan a chance. I knew his work ethic. I knew he was a kickass pilot because I flew alongside him. And I knew he could get the job done, even though others may have given up on him.
“It’s the same for most of the people on my payroll. I make it a priority to employ veterans—people who other companies would pass over.”
“And you’re afraid if you sold the business that the buyer wouldn’t make it their priority to continue the tradition.”
“Bingo,” Dustin said. “Retiring at thirty-five with millions in the bank is more than most people ever dream of, but it’s not enough for me. I need to make sure my employees are taken care of.”
“My goodness,” she said in an awe-filled breath. She placed her hand on his cheek. “Do you realize how amazingly unselfish you are?”
Dustin moved her hand to his lips and kissed the inside of her warm palm. “Don’t nominate me for sainthood yet. I haven’t turned down the offer.”
“The fact that you didn’t run straight to that company’s headquarters to sign the papers the minute they said eighty million dollars puts you in the saint category. What has to happen for you to make the decision?”
“I’m still not sure,” he said.
“Have you talked to your employees?”
He shook his head.
“From everything Stefan has told me, Hawk Transpo is like a family.” She ran her hand along his forearm. “You should ask the people you trust the most what they think. Like Stefan. Talk over your options with him, let him be your sounding board.” She turned his face toward her again. “Or, if you don’t want to ask Stefan, you can ask me.”
I Dare You! (Moments in Maplesville Book 4) Page 8
