Dangerous

by Daniels, Suzannah

  My phone vibrated in my pocket, and I groaned as I released her and answered it.

  “Hey, Mom.”

  “Everything’s fine. Are y’all enjoying your trip to Italy?”

  “What? But Mom…I was going to…I know, but….”

  “Yeah, I’ll see you when you get back. Tell Dad I say ‘Hey’.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  Dara watched me as I hung up the phone. “Your parents are in Italy?” she asked.

  “Yeah. They were supposed to be back by the Fourth of July, but it looks like they’ve decided to stay two more weeks. So much for my Fourth of July plans….”

  “You can hang out with me and Granny, if you want.”

  I knew she didn’t understand my frustration, the reason why I was hoping they would be here, and I felt no need to clarify it at this point.

  “And what do you and Granny do? Knit socks? Bake apple pies? Make quilts?”

  She frowned at me. “My Granny happens to be very cool. She couldn’t knit a sock or make a quilt if it were the key to a man’s heart—not that knitting and quilting aren’t cool.”

  “Yeah, knitting and quilting are definite requirements if you want to sit at the lunch table with the cool kids.”

  She punched me lightly in the arm. “Don’t be mean.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  She punched me in the arm again. Then, she quickly added, “Not that being compared to your mother is a bad thing, it’s just….”

  “Dara, you’re way too nice for your own good. You’re going to pop a gasket worrying about everyone else’s feelings all the time.”

  “Well, I didn’t want you to think that I was insulting your mother.”

  I smirked and slightly shook my head. “The thought never even crossed my mind.”

  “It didn’t?”

  “No,” I responded while staring at her lips. “I was thinking about other things.”

  “Like?”

  I grabbed her hands and tugged her until she was pressed against my body. “Like this.” I bent down and kissed her. She tasted so good, like strawberries, and I wondered if that pink sparkly gloss she always wore was flavored. My hand moved up just under the back of her shirt, and I massaged the small of her back. Her skin was soft and smooth, and I couldn’t keep myself from wanting to touch her. My fingers skimmed just below the edge of her jeans, and I could feel her tiny gasp as we kissed. She responded to me in a way that excited me.

  Her arms were wound around me in another death grip, and I couldn’t keep the corners of my mouth from turning up in a grin. She was sweet. If I kept up this pace, I would push things too far. It wouldn’t be a problem with most girls that I dated, but this was Dara. I should’ve stayed away from her to begin with. I knew she wasn’t my type. She wasn’t the kind of girl who sought out relationships just for the physical aspects.

  I moved my hands to her face, splaying my fingers across her cheeks. I had to end this now. I kissed her a moment longer and pulled away just enough to break the kiss. My hands remained in place, holding her face close to mine. She watched me with wide, green eyes.

  “We’d best be getting back,” I said, my voice sounding deep and rough.

  I didn’t know what I had been thinking when I asked Dara to ride out here with me, but I had a feeling my impromptu actions were going to come back and bite me in the ass.

  Chapter 4

  Dara

  I rode to Awesome Sauce with Crimson and Scarlet. The juke box was booming as the bubble lights that arched around it glowed, and teenagers and twenty-somethings packed the restaurant in booths and at the long, red counter that lined part of the back wall.

  “Mike is sooo sweet,” Crimson cooed, as she recounted her motorcycle ride with him the other night. “I can’t believe I never really talked to him much at school. He’s pretty hot in a shy, quiet kind of way.”

  “That’s exactly the kind of boyfriend you need,” Scarlet said. “He won’t be offended by your loquaciousness.”

  “I don’t talk any more than you do,” Crimson snapped.

  “I never said you did, but when I speak, it’s because I have something intelligent to say.”

  “That must be why you’re not dating anyone,” Crimson said. “Who wants to date a brainiac?”

  Scarlet laughed. “Other braniacs. You know, those smart people who run the world, own the businesses, and make a lot of money.”

  “That shows how much you know,” Crimson smirked. “Those guys marry trophy wives. Intelligence is not a requirement.”

  I laughed. “She does have a point. I can’t picture too many powerful men who are married to ugly wives.”

  “Dara, stop drinking from her water fountain,” Scarlet urged, thumbing in Crimson’s direction. “Joke all you want, but we all know that beauty is not a woman’s most important quality. Besides, I never said I was talking about men. The point that I was making is that braniacs like to date other braniacs. Plenty of women are braniacs, and they are becoming increasingly more powerful. I have every intention of being one of them.”

  “You’re right, of course,” I agreed.

  “Now that you know you’re right, can we get back to my story?” Crimson asked Scarlet.

  She didn’t wait for Scarlet to answer. “Riding on the back of his motorcycle was so exciting.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said. “I rode on the back of Stone’s yesterday. He took me to the park at the top of Quail Mountain. He is such a good kisser.”

  “He kissed you?” Scarlet asked, her mouth dropping open as she stared at me waiting for details.

  I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face. It had been all I could do to wait until today to tell Crimson and Scarlet about our time together. I knew I would be meeting them today, and I wanted to see their reactions when I told them.

  “Mike didn’t even try to kiss me,” Crimson lamented.

  “Probably because you were too busy talking,” Scarlet poked.

  Crimson ignored her jibe. “Well, aren’t you going to tell us about it?” she asked, focusing on me.

  “Tell us about what?” Chance asked as he walked up to the red, vinyl booth and sat down beside me, forcing me to scoot over.

  Stone

  Dara had been off of work today, and I couldn’t decide whether I was relieved or slightly irritated. Everything about her felt so right, but the warning bells rang loudly enough in my head to crack my skull in two.

  I hadn’t trusted myself to say much to her once we had gotten back to the parking lot, so that she could pick up her grandmother’s car. I dared not touch her again, afraid that I would only invite her to spend the rest of the evening with me. And she would have. I could tell that she responded to my touch. She was sweet, gentle, and passionate, but she was also trusting and naïve. Other than her relationship with Chance, I didn’t think she had much experience with guys. And while I hadn’t questioned her about Chance, I knew enough to know that I was nothing like him, which wasn’t necessarily a good thing for her.

  It was almost closing time, and sales had been good today. I should have been relieved, but my thoughts were never far from Dara. And that was my problem, one that would have to be rectified.

  I locked the store and was just about to put on my helmet when I saw it—a white piece of paper rolled up and tucked between the handlebar and the clutch.

  I snatched it up and unrolled it, bringing the typed letters into view. Stay away from Dara.

  I had actually planned on staying away from her, but that was when it was on my terms. I’d be damned if Chance Murray was going to keep me away from her. Coward. If he wanted to deliver a message, he should’ve said it to my face.

  I crammed the note into the front pocket of my jeans and pushed the helmet on my head. I stood still a moment, gulping in the humid, late-afternoon air, trying desperately to abate the anger that was rapidly seething through my veins. Things never went well when I lost my temper. I breathed deeply, willi
ng myself to calm down. Right now, I needed to go home and take a hot shower, allowing some of my fury to roll off my back along with the water. I needed to keep my cool and think. The only way I was going to be successful was if I was alone.

  As my bike hummed along the road, I wondered why Chance would be so brazen as to order me to stay away from her. She wasn’t his property. They were no longer together, and that made her fair game for the taking. Why did it even matter? Hadn’t I been telling myself that I needed to let it end, to let the one memorable afternoon we had together be the extent of our relationship? I didn’t want to get serious with a girl like Dara. Chance would be doing me a favor if he got back together with her.

  When I thought about it rationally, I agreed with him. So why had I just decided to go find her?

  Dara

  I could feel Chance looking at me as I stared at my hands in my lap.

  “Well, tell us,” Chance prodded.

  “Oh, it’s nothing,” I said, waving my hand in the air, as if that would make the whole conversation go away. I had no intention of rubbing my kiss with Stone in Chance’s face.

  “No, I want to hear what’s been going on with my best girl,” he continued.

  The awkwardness was so thick I thought I was going to choke. And just when I thought it couldn’t get any worse, Stone walked up to our booth.

  Crimson’s eyes looked like they were going to pop out of her head and skitter across the table. A nervous giggle escaped my lips, and Scarlet proved her intelligence by being the only female at the table who had enough wits about her to actually speak. “Hello, Stone.”

  He gave her a charming smile and nodded in greeting. “Ladies, you all look lovely tonight. Especially you, Dara.”

  My eyes flew to his, and he had me pinned to the booth seat with his smoldering gaze. I glanced at Chance. His lips were drawn into a tight, thin line, making it obvious that he was unhappy with the current circumstances.

  I cleared my throat. “Thank you.” It came out little more than a whisper.

  Chance had been my only serious boyfriend, and I had no experience to draw on that might assist me in handling this situation tactfully.

  Luckily, Scarlet came to my rescue once again.

  “Chance, would you do me a favor and order me a strawberry shake at the counter? I haven’t seen our server in a while, and I’m going to turn into a beast if I don’t get my strawberry fix soon.” She handed him a five-dollar bill.

  He looked at her outstretched hand and reluctantly took it. His eyes found mine and lingered a moment before he shot a frown in Stone’s direction and excused himself.

  Stone immediately sat in Chance’s seat and put his arm around me. “Hey, babe,” he greeted before giving me a chaste kiss on the lips. He pulled back just enough to gaze into my eyes and whisper, “You look amazing as always.”

  I blushed and lowered my lashes, breaking his entrancing stare.

  “Where’s Mike?” Crimson asked.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t talked to him today,” Stone answered. “I’m surprised he’s not here.” Stone gazed around the restaurant.

  “I had a lot of fun riding with him the other night,” Crimson continued.

  “He had a good time, too,” Stone replied. “I didn’t think he was ever going to shut up about it. You should give him a call.”

  Crimson’s perfectly sculpted lips curved into a smile. “Maybe I will. Do you have his number?”

  Stone pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pulled up Mike’s number. He slowly gave the number to Crimson while she typed it in her contact list. Her thumbs worked wildly while she typed a message out to Mike.

  A few seconds later, her phone dinged with a reply. She squealed. “He’s in the parking lot. Said he’d be inside in a minute.”

  I watched her as she kept her eyes glued to the entrance, which was a few booths behind me. When she started waving wildly, I knew he had entered the building.

  She ordered Scarlet to squeeze into the wall, so that she could make room for Mike to sit on the edge of the booth seat.

  Stone and Mike bumped fists across the table.

  “Hey, bro. You ride your bike tonight?” Stone asked.

  “Yep.” Mike turned his attention to Crimson. “I was hoping you’d go for another ride with me.”

  I thought Crimson was going to melt into a puddle on the floor.

  “I was hoping you’d ask me to,” she replied.

  “Let’s go,” he said, standing up and offering her his hand.

  “How about you, Dara?” Stone asked. “You want to go?”

  “Yes, Dara,” Crimson urged in a high-pitched voice. “You’ve gotta come with.”

  I looked at Scarlet. “Are you going to be okay by yourself?” I asked, worried that she would feel abandoned if we all up and left.

  “Of course. Go have fun. Besides, Chance is coming back with my shake right now. I imagine that he could use some company, too.”

  Stone stood and pulled me to my feet as Chance arrived at the table.

  Stone glared at him. “Come on, Dara. Let’s go.”

  I gazed at Chance, and his eyes were on me. “See you later, Chance.”

  He nodded his head, unsmiling, and sat down in the booth across from Scarlet, pushing her strawberry shake towards her.

  Stone’s hand was on the small of my back, pushing me gently toward the exit.

  As we walked to his motorcycle, I gazed back at the restaurant. Bright light poured through the plate glass windows, spilling into the darkness. I could see Chance sitting across from Scarlet. She was laughing and motioning with her hands, no doubt entertaining him so that I would be all but forgotten. I knew that I had told him that our separation was for the best, but as I gazed at his profile, part of me wondered if I had made the right decision.

  I clung to Stone, my arms wrapped tightly around his lean, muscular body, as he rocketed into the darkness. I had no idea where we were going. He had spoken to Mike, but my mind had been sifting through its own thoughts, and their words had escaped me. I really liked Stone. In all honesty, I would’ve hopped on and ridden with him anywhere. That’s what scared me. Although I wasn’t necessarily a meticulous planner, I did typically try to make sure my actions would lead me to my end goal. But with Stone, things were different. When he was near, he consumed me. Everything else was shoved on the back burner, and I had difficulty even remembering what those things were. He accelerated up the mountain, and I tightened my grip, in awe of his rock-hard abs beneath my fingertips. I basked in his masculinity.

  When he slowed down, I started paying more attention to my surroundings. He pulled into a long driveway, and I glanced behind me to see the headlight of Mike’s bike glowing brightly. As we made our way along the driveway, a large, brick home came into view. I couldn’t see the home clearly, but the lights that glowed in the carefully manicured landscaping surrounding the house showed enough that I could tell it was enormous.

  As we rolled to a stop, I put my palms on his shoulder, pushed myself into a standing position on the pegs, and swung my right leg over the bike until my foot landed firmly on the driveway.

  I removed the helmet and handed it to him as I stared in amazement at the house. “Where are we?” I asked.

  “My house,” Stone answered.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said softly.

  “Not as beautiful as you,” he whispered in my ear as he wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me backwards into his embrace.

  Mike and Crimson, who had parked directly behind us, joined us in the driveway.

  Stone released me and grabbed my hand, pulling me behind him as he walked down the meandering sidewalk. He unlocked the front door and opened it, gesturing for us to enter. Once we all shuffled into the great room, he closed the door and flipped on the lights.

  My jaw dropped as I gaped at the shiny, hardwood floors, the cathedral ceiling, and the magnificent, floor-to-ceiling, arched windows at the back of the house.
>
  “Your house is amazing,” Crimson complimented from behind me.

  “Thank you.”

  Mike walked over to a black leather sectional and plopped down. “This is what the stock market can do for you.”

  “My dad has been fortunate with his investments,” Stone explained further. “He’s also a shrewd businessman.”

  “Let’s watch a movie,” Mike said, picking up the TV tuner and pointing it toward the large flat screen that hung above the fireplace.

  Crimson walked over and sat beside him.

  “Watch whatever you want,” Stone encouraged. “We’re going out on the patio.”

  I followed him to the stone patio. He took a seat on a chaise lounge, while I walked to the wrought iron railing and marveled at the mountainside shrouded in moonlight, which gave it an eerie, blue glow.

  “It must be nice to be able to look at such a gorgeous view every day,” I said, not taking my eyes off the trees below.

  “Most days I don’t even look at it,” he said.

  “Why not?” I turned to him, surprised that he could be immune to such beauty.

  He shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know. My parents have been in Europe for a while. My brother has been away at college, and now he’s spending the summer in Colorado with a friend of his. There’s never anyone here, so there’s no reason for me to hang around.”

  “Why didn’t you go to Europe with your parents?”

  “I needed to work.”

  At one point, I might have thought that his parents had fallen on hard times, but given the fact that he just said they had done well in the stock market, money didn’t seem to be a problem.

  “You needed the money?” I asked, a little confused.

  “No,” he answered, seeming a little agitated. “It’s not about the money.”

  “Then what’s it about?” I walked over to the chaise lounge. He was leaned against the back of it, his legs straddling it with one booted foot firmly on the ground on each side of it. I sat down on the edge of it, just past his bent knee.