Dare to Take (Dare to Love #6)

by Carly Phillips

  Now he wanted to delve deeper, but Tyler promised himself he’d take the time to be very sure of himself, of her … of them, before stepping up in a way that’d hurt Ella more than she’d already been hurt.

  Sex, he knew how to handle, and there was no doubt he meant to sweet-talk his way into her bed. She wanted him as much as he did her. But even if he didn’t understand all the reasons why, he knew he needed to be more careful with her heart.

  Chapter Four

  Ella was exhausted, and though she wanted nothing more than to take a long, hot shower and crawl into bed, she understood she needed to talk to Avery first. Her friend had gone above and beyond for her, she always had.

  “So, now that Tyler’s gone, want to tell me what’s up with you two?” Avery asked as she headed for the kitchen and then poured them both a glass of orange juice.

  “Where did that come from? My refrigerator was empty when I left,” Ella said, accepting the glass and taking a refreshing sip.

  “I know you like to empty out when you leave, so I stopped by the grocery store on the way here today.”

  Ella shook her head, the tears she kept trying to hold back returning again. She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with her free hand. “You’re too good to me.”

  “And that’s your problem. You really believe that.”

  “I have good reason,” Ella muttered, but she really didn’t want to get into deep conversation. “I love you, I’m grateful, and if I don’t get some sleep, I’m going to pass out on you anyway. So would you be insulted if I—”

  “Ask me to leave?” Avery asked with a grin. “Of course not. But I mean it when I say I’m going to be checking up on you.”

  “You’re the sister I never had.” Ella pulled her friend into a tight hug.

  “You’re my second sister,” Avery said. She eased back and grinned. “Can’t get rid of Olivia as much as I used to want to.”

  Ella laughed.

  “I’m glad things seem more normal between you and Tyler. Usually when you two are together, you’re bickering like … siblings.”

  More like sexually attracted adults, but no way was Ella going there. She had no doubt that Tyler had made his promise to check on her just to get Avery off both of their backs. No doubt, come tomorrow, she’d be back to her normal life, and Tyler would have forgotten all about a promise to his sister.

  * * *

  The next day, after an uneasy night’s sleep, a combination of jumpiness after her experience on the island and discomfort from the bump on her head, she woke up still tired. She showered, careful not to jostle her head too much since the bruising and swelling were still evident to the touch. But as she’d learned, the best way to deal with life was to push through it. So after Avery checked in as promised and Ella wished her a safe trip to L.A., she called her boss, grateful she had a home phone because she’d lost her cell in the mugging.

  Angie answered on the first ring. “Darling, I’ve been so worried about you!” she said, because Ella had called her from St. Lucia, downplaying her situation but letting her know about the mugging and room break-in.

  Although Angie had an affectation in her speech, so the word sounded more like dahling, the older woman had always been warm and caring toward Ella, and she heard the concern in her voice now.

  “I’m home and I’m safe,” Ella said. “I know you told me to take some time off, but I’m ready to work.” To get back to normal. “Are you in the office today? I’d love to see the shots we took on the island.”

  “I have a meeting in the Keys today, so I won’t be in. But you can meet me first thing tomorrow, and I’ll bring the pictures in. In the meantime, I insist you see a doctor here. Make sure you’re really all right.”

  “It’s just a concussion,” Ella promised her. “But since you won’t be in today, I promise to rest.” She crossed her fingers behind her back, knowing she’d use her day off to run errands. “How’s that?”

  “Sounds like it’s as good as I’m going to get, so I’ll take it. So … do you have the amulet?”

  “Yes. I told you, I kept it in the hotel safe with the other pieces, so it wasn’t in the room when it was broken into. Don’t worry. I’ll bring everything with me tomorrow.”

  “No!” Angie said, her tone sharp. “I mean, don’t worry about it for now,” she said, her voice back to normal. “Keep it somewhere safe. When we need everything for another shoot, you can give it back to me then.”

  Ella shrugged. “Okay, I’ll do that. Have fun in the Keys.”

  “Yes, wish me luck,” she said cryptically.

  Ella had no idea what she was referring to. “Good luck,” she said, rolling her eyes, knowing her boss could be eccentric as well as temperamental.

  “See you tomorrow, dear.”

  “Bye.” Ella disconnected the call, then spent he next hour or more canceling credit cards and calling the bank. She locked the amulet in the safe in the closet in Avery’s old room.

  Then she headed out, starting at the bank for a new debit card, then to the Department of Motor Vehicles to get a new license, and a trip to purchase a new cell phone. More than once, she had an uneasy feeling she couldn’t shake. She’d think she heard someone, look over her shoulder, but no one was there. Or look in her rearview mirror and think she was being followed. After St. Lucia, she felt paranoid and ridiculous, and she tried to push her unease out of her mind.

  With the dreaded chores from the mugging complete, she made her way to the Dollar Store, where she bought colorful beads and necklaces for the kids at the hospital to replace what had been stolen when she was attacked. She caught sight of a dark-haired man staring at her at the store. She glanced at him and he waved and walked away. Crazy. She was losing her mind.

  She refocused on the children, who would be excited to get presents, and it wouldn’t matter to them whether or not they came from the Caribbean. She also bought some cupcakes, because who didn’t like a special treat? And she needed one herself after the crazy couple of days she’d had. She had a special affinity for these kids, not because she’d ever been sick like them but because she’d spent time in the hospital. Despite her dislike of everything having to do with hospitals, first because of her mother and then thanks to her bone marrow donation, she never wanted another child to feel the fear that she had.

  Her father had spent his time at his wife’s bedside, praying for her to get better. She’d been alone during and after the donation, more so when she’d gone home afterwards and Janice had remained hospitalized. Ella had been left in her stepbrother’s care, and while Drew had never abused her, he hadn’t paid attention to her either. He’d resented having to look after her when he could be with his friends or at the hospital with his mom. Ella might as well have been alone.

  While some of the kids Ella visited today had parents who were there for them twenty-four seven, others were alone while their mom or dad worked during the day. Ella liked to fill in those gaps, and she spent the better part of the afternoon watching TV and telling stories about the Caribbean island and the hurricane she really hadn’t experienced and making up tales about the amulet necklace the clerk had told her about, which the kids were fascinated by.

  Finally, exhausted and head pounding from overdoing it too soon, she stopped at the supermarket so she could add to the items Avery had purchased for her, including buying sushi for dinner.

  She returned to her apartment to find Tyler waiting outside her door, foot tapping, eyeing her with a combination of concern and annoyance.

  * * *

  Tyler had been standing in the hallway for a good half hour waiting for Ella outside her apartment. Her cell had been stolen with her purse, and he couldn’t call her to ask where the hell she was. Hadn’t he told her he’d be checking in after work?

  Finally, the elevator doors opened and she walked out, wearing a lavender tank top and a soft white skirt floating around her thighs, casual as you please, grocery bags in hand. He was worked up, torn between worry an
d frustration.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, seeming genuinely surprised to see him.

  Which pissed him off to no end. She hadn’t believed he’d be here for her. “We agreed I’d be checking in on you after work today.”

  “You said you would but—”

  “You didn’t think it was important for you to be here when I did?” he asked.

  She blinked up at him, giving him his first real glimpse of the exhaustion lining her face and the dark circles under her eyes, causing much of the anger to seep out of him. Instead, he wanted to take her in his arms and ease the strain she was obviously under. And when had that ever happened? When had he ever wanted to take care of a woman who wasn’t family? She’d gotten under his skin, that much he knew.

  “Of course not. I just didn’t…” She trailed off, and he had no problem filling in the blanks.

  “You didn’t think I was serious about stopping by,” he said, unsure whether to be more hurt or annoyed that for the second time in as many days, she hadn’t taken him at his word. Another first, that he cared what she thought of him.

  “I’m sorry. It’s just that—”

  “Don’t worry about it.” He’d deal with her trust issues later, because it was clear to him she had many. Just as clearly, he intended to be the one to fix them. No, that hadn’t been his intention in coming over here. But one look at her and all his priorities had shifted. He hadn’t seen her since leaving yesterday, hadn’t heard a word. And other than Avery thanking him again for looking after her best friend, his sister hadn’t given him any more information about Ella either.

  Not knowing how she was, whether she was in pain from the concussion, whether she was scared because she’d been mugged and her room vandalized left him edgy. He wanted nothing more than to park himself in her apartment and just be there for her, merely cementing what his gut had been telling him from the minute he’d walked into that hospital room and seen her lying there, helpless and vulnerable. He cared. A lot.

  He might not be able to commit to anything long term, but he knew he could fix the emotional damage he’d done to her when they’d slept together last, and that suddenly became his goal. But getting past her defenses was going to be more difficult than any op he’d faced while in the Army.

  He’d have to start slowly and gain her trust, especially after the way he’d shattered it all those years ago. Get her to open up to him. First he had to get her relaxed and settled, because she looked dead on her feet.

  “Give me the bags,” he said, not waiting but taking the plastic sacks from her hands. “Open the door and let’s get this stuff put away.”

  “Tyler, it’s not that I didn’t believe you,” she said, sadness in her tone.

  As crazy as it seemed, he understood. “You didn’t have reason to believe me, and I get why, but that’s going to stop now. When I say I’m going to do something, I always mean it. And I’m telling you, I’m here to help. You clearly aren’t taking good care of yourself and need a keeper. I’m taking on that role.”

  “Why? Because Avery asked you to?” This time, she sounded pissed off as she fished through her purse for the key to her apartment. “I don’t need you to look after me. I’m not some obligation you need to take care of.” She shoved the key into the lock and opened the door, letting it slam against the wall. “I can take care of myself. I’ve—”

  “Been doing it for a long time, yeah, I know. I got the message.” And he wanted to strangle the parent who’d left her so alone and vulnerable.

  His chest hurt at the matter-of-fact way she believed this was how things had to be. He pushed past her and headed inside, hearing the door shut behind him as he put the bags on the counter.

  Drawing a deep breath, he turned back to face her. She’d come into the kitchen and leaned against the counter, arms folded across her chest as she studied him, uncertainty in her wide-eyed gaze. Uncertainty he was determined to erase for good. Drawn to her, he stepped closer, until he was in front of her, invading her personal space.

  Her eyes widened and her breath hitched at his nearness. His was coming in shallow pants, and the urge to kiss her, to taste her, was almost overwhelming.

  He knew he was moving too fast, for her, for him, but he couldn’t stop himself or the words that came next. “Maybe you have been on your own for a long time, but you don’t have to be anymore. Not if you open yourself up and trust me.”

  She narrowed her gaze, her soft lips lifting in disbelief. “Trust you. Because you rescued me after your sister asked?”

  God, she was stubborn. And that defiance turned him on even more than he cared to admit. “That’s not why.”

  “Really?” she pushed, clearly trying to keep those emotional and physical walls erected between them. “Look, I’m not ungrateful, but so far everything you’ve done for me has been because Avery begged you to help me.”

  “Yes, it seems that way—” But he was here because he wanted to be. And from the way his heart pounded hard in his chest, he needed to be.

  “Well, I’m not some charity case and—”

  He shut her up with a kiss. A hard, long, tongue-dueling, dick-hardening kiss. She braced her hands on his shoulders, and he prepared himself to be pushed away, but instead, she curled her fingers into his skin and gave in, her lips and body softening beneath his onslaught.

  He didn’t let up, sliding his lips back and forth over hers, his tongue learning all the deep secrets of her mouth. He didn’t want to leave her with a single doubt that he was here for her and only her, because he wanted to be, not because she was some obligation he had to fulfill. Because not only did he want her but he needed to show her how different things could be between them. Replace the bad memories with good ones, so when they inevitably parted this time, she wouldn’t doubt herself, how desirable she was, or her ability to please a man. Not that he wanted to think about other men when she was in his arms.

  At the thought, he grew more possessive, angling his head for a deeper kiss. She slid her hands up his shoulders to his head, her fingers tangling in his hair, her lips warm and supple beneath his. He hoped like hell she was getting the message, because his cock was throbbing and his heart pounding hard in his chest.

  He tipped his head, coming up for air for a brief second before diving back in for another kiss that lasted until she hit her head against the cabinets above her head.

  “Dammit.” She sucked in a breath, and he jerked back, catching the tears filling her eyes from pain.

  “Sorry, sweet girl.” He reached up and cupped the back of her head in his hand, gently massaging the area around the bump. “You okay?”

  She slid a tongue over her now puffy lips and nodded, those hazel eyes wide and hazy with desire as she studied him.

  “Did that feel like you’re some charity case to me?” he asked, stroking her cheek with his knuckles. “Like I didn’t want you with a desperation?”

  “No.”

  Her eyes were glassy, but her expression had softened, and he liked the dreamy look on her face, knowing he’d put it there.

  “I don’t understand what’s happening between us,” she murmured.

  Join the club, he thought. All he knew was that in the twenty-four hours they’d been apart, he couldn’t stop thinking about her, wondering how she was doing, if she was thinking about him too. Quite a change from the guy who’d had to have his arm twisted to face her and their shared past.

  “How about you quit overthinking things and just … be?” And he’d do the same.

  She hesitated, then finally nodded. “I’ll try.”

  He’d take it, he thought and grinned. “Good. Now what’s for dinner?”

  She smiled, seemingly taking his advice to just let things between them happen naturally.

  “Sushi from the market, but I only brought enough for me.”

  He shrugged, unconcerned. “That’s what delivery is for.”

  Satisfied he’d broken through her walls, at least for now
, he turned his attention to food. He ordered in Chinese in addition to the sushi and instead of eating in the kitchen, they settled in around the low table in the living room.

  “So what did you do today?” he asked, pushing the last container of moo shu pork aside.

  “Made all the calls to replace my stolen credit cards, hit up motor vehicles, replaced my cell—”

  “Thank God,” he muttered. “At least now I can reach you.”

  She smiled shyly, and he liked knowing he had the power to affect her emotionally as well as physically.

  “Then I went by the hospital to see the kids. I felt bad my gifts were stolen, so I picked up beads and other things at the Dollar Store instead.”

  “You’re amazing with those kids,” he said, unable to hide his admiration.

  When Avery had been in the hospital donating her bone marrow, seeing all those sick people had made him uncomfortable. He’d never thought about it after that except when he’d finally gotten to know Sienna, his half-sister, who’d been the recipient. Only then had he realized how lucky they all were she’d survived. But he hadn’t been driven to volunteer or give back the way Avery and Ella did. For someone who wasn’t given much in the way of love or emotion, Ella gave back selflessly, making him want to show her what it was like to be on the other side. He wanted to give to her and plug the doubts that always seemed to plague her.

  She shrugged. “They make it easy. They just want to be loved and get healthy.” She rose to her feet and began collecting the dishes.

  “I’ve got that. Why don’t you relax while I finish up? You’ve had a long day.”

  “I can help. It’s just a bump on the head, and I’m getting better,” she insisted.

  He stood, pleased he towered over her so he could make his point with an advantage. “Sit. Rest. And let me do this for you. My mother didn’t raise any slackers.” He winked at her as he spoke.