by Joya Ryan
More like if I’m ever ready to come home.
She hung up the phone, flipped to the green To Do list, and added, Stand up to Daddy. She’d just dotted the last letter when a knock came at the door.
Now she was really going to be late.
She walked over, looked through the peephole, and—
“Crap,” she whispered to herself. Then looked again. “Double crap.”
It was Dex. He was standing on her stoop, in the same clothes he’d been in last night, looking a bit rough and dirty and a whole lot of sexy.
She hovered in front of the door, not sure what to do. Maybe if she stayed really quiet—
“I can hear your breathing, princess,” he said casually.
She took several steps back and knocked into the small table near her sofa. She hit her knee on the corner and barely stifled a curse as she steadied the vase that almost toppled to the ground.
“Now I hear you panicking,” he called out again.
She could hear the smug smile in his voice.
She stood up straight, ran her hands down her perfectly tailored pencil skirt, and tried to gather herself. Time to be practical. This man affected women, and even though he had “affected” her very much last night, today was a new day. She was a composed, professional woman on a mission to take control of her life.
That heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach disappeared.
Yup. She was in control.
She took a few deep breaths and opened the door.
“Good morning,” she said in her best delighted tone. As if she hadn’t just had this man buried deep inside of her less than six hours ago.
“Indeed it is.” He looked her over. His hand was braced at the doorway, and he was leaning casually, looking her over. “You clean up well, princess.”
Those hot eyes raking over her made her think of what else this rugged man was capable of. Actually, she knew exactly what he was capable of. And that made her shiver. She needed to stay strong. They’d had a good time. She was unfamiliar with the exact protocol, but surely him showing up at her home wasn’t part of the Survival Skills course.
“I’d say the same for you, but…” She looked over his slightly dusty pants and wrinkled black T-shirt. He smelled like…her. Just the faintest scent of her perfume wafted from him, and that made heat hit her cheeks. She’d been wrapped around him. Surrounding him. And hours later, when he should have showered and removed any trace of her, he still smelled like her. A thrill surged through her.
“I haven’t been home yet,” he said, standing up straight and taking a step inside. “See, I was teaching wilderness training to this woman, only to find out she took off on me and left me no choice but to search her out.”
“I took off because it was morning,” she defended.
“You could have gotten hurt or lost.”
“Not likely considering you never took me that far into the wilderness. I could see my car when I woke up.”
“You’re welcome,” he said.
She frowned. Remembering why this man was so irritating. “You’re welcome?” she repeated and crossed her arms. “You didn’t do me any favors. You tricked me.”
“I kept you safe, and you survived,” he said plainly. “Didn’t matter how far we went into the woods.”
“Well, then I should thank you, because getting away this morning quickly was much easier with my car.”
He raised a brow. “Oh, yeah? You were so excited to run from me, huh? Last night was too dirty for you, princess?”
She swallowed hard. Yes, it had been too dirty. Dirtier than anything she’d ever done, and she’d never felt more alive. And deep down, she wanted to get that dirty again. Instead of admitting to that, or answering his question, she went with, “I was just seeing through my end of the bargain.”
“Bargain?” he said. “Did you take notes on that, too?”
He reached down and picked up her notebook she dropped. When she tried to snatch it away, he lingered a minute. He got a good look at her sexy list and unleashed a full-blow grin.
“I may have jotted down a couple things,” she mumbled and shoved the book in her purse.
“It looked like to me you jotted down a few more desires you’re looking to fulfill.” He held out his arms. “Well look no further, princess.”
Great, between his sexy swagger and confidence, she was having a hard time remaining objective. Getting into any kind of repeat hangout session with G.I. Joe was not a good idea. She wanted experiences, but with the same guy? No, that would equal a relationship, and she wouldn’t make that mistake again.
She needed to stop staring at him though, because aside from adding to her list of fantasies, she couldn’t stop thinking about how her body had been on fire in the best way. What aspects of this frustrating man brought out the animal in her. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that.
“Did you come here to rehash last night? Or do you have a purpose?” she asked.
He frowned hard at her. She knew she was using her “snotty” tone. She wasn’t trying to be mean, but he was goading her. She had to get space from him, because he was all rough and sexy and God, she wanted to get dirty again. Really, really badly. Which meant he needed to leave before she threw herself at him.
“I came here to start our next six hours together,” he said.
“Beg your pardon?” she asked quickly.
He took another step toward her, and she held on to the door handle tightly as he got even closer. That scent, his masculine pine mixed with her lilacs danced around him, and she saw the small fingernail marks she’d made on his shirt.
“I have to provide training for eighteen hours to a novice. You made it twelve. So you owe me six.”
She laughed. “I owe you?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Now it was her turn to ask obvious questions like he had last night. “You’re aware you’re standing in my home right now, right?”
“Yes,” he said.
“And you just assume I’ll give you six hours of my time for you to train me?”
“Yes.”
“Have you lost your mind?” she asked honestly.
He looked at her for a moment, considering her question. “I think I’ve regained most of it.”
“Regained?”
He grinned, his lips hovering closer to hers. “Yeah, regained. Because last night my mind took off on me and I could only think with my—”
“I get it,” she interrupted quickly. She knew the feeling, because her mind had taken off on her last night, too, and honestly, she hadn’t regained it completely yet.
“Well I appreciate your diligence, but I’m fine forgoing the six hours.”
“I’m not,” he said. “Like it or not, princess, you’re stuck with me until your training is done.”
“Why? I don’t want to be trained. It was one night.”
“Well, I need to finish this so I can get recertified. So six hours of your time is now my time. When can you start?”
She shook her head, her mouth hanging open. He couldn’t be serious. But the look on his face was just that.
“I can’t start. I have a life. A store to run. I’m not going to give you my time so you can teach me how to—”
“Get dirty?” he said with a wink.
“Yes,” she said with barely any confidence. Because man oh man did another wild, dirty night sound fun. “I think you demonstrated your skill in that department last night.”
“And you were an exceptional student,” he whispered. “But I still need more.”
Her lips parted, and she leaned in just a little…
“Of your time,” he finished and took a step back. “And judging by that growing list of yours, you could use some more of my time and expertise as well. Think of this as a mutual exchange.”
“Maybe I’m looking for someone else to fulfill my To Do list on.” The moment she said that, she regretted it. Partly because his eyes flared in a
way she didn’t know was possible, and also because she knew deep down Dex could put her To Do list to shame.
“That right?” he said with a low rasp. “Tell you what then, princess. I’ll make a wager with you. If I’m right in my theory, you finish these six hours with me.”
She raised her chin, waiting for this theory of his.
“I get access to you, your body, and your studious mind for these last six hours of training…” he clarified.
“If?” she asked. Because there was always an if.
“If,” he said, his tone dark and sexy, “my name is somewhere in that book of yours.”
Her face fell, and her eyes shot wide. She’d been writing about him all morning. About how he moved, smelled, kissed. At least five pages alone had the name DEX scribbled on them. And yep, too late, Dex had seen them. He was grinning, victorious.
“Judging by your expression, princess, I’d say I’m right. You ready to tackle these lists of yours?” He tossed her a wink, then finished with, “Or you wanna back out and run away?”
She stifled a growl. He was playing with her. Like he had last night. Taking joy in watching her struggle with her “survival skills,” only for him to swoop in and save the day. Not this time.
“What I’m running is late. Good luck finding someone else to inflict those six hours on.”
“Sorry, princess, you’re the only one I can inflict that on. We’re already over half done. I’m not giving up on you. It’s becoming increasingly clear that you’re seeking independence and experiences. I’m the man for the job.”
She grabbed her purse and was ready to walk past him. “Like I said, I’m busy.”
“Well then, I hope you enjoy your new shadow because one thing about me? I don’t give up easily.”
She believed him. But she held on to her gumption and walked out, shutting and locking her door. She took off down the street toward her little boutique that she was now ten minutes late in opening.
One thing he’d said stuck in her mind. He didn’t give up easily. Technically, she hadn’t finished her training, and that bugged her. It was just another notch in the not so independent person she was trying to become. It also bugged her that Dex was annoying, cocky and way, way too sexy to be legal. She wanted to experience the extent of her sexy list with him, but she couldn’t commit to more than that. And with this arrangement, she’d be at his mercy for the most part. That didn’t sit well. A flash of him tying her up and dominating her body made a rush of wet heat hit between her thighs. Okay, the thought wasn’t all that bad.
Still…this was a bad idea.
She didn’t chance looking behind her, because one more run in with the sexy search and rescuer, and she just might cave and let him train her…all night.
Chapter Five
“Oooh, I love this one!” Natalie said and twirled in a little pink dress.
“I just got that in last week,” Michelle replied. Natalie and Chloe had made her feel welcome since she’d first moved to Beaufort. Now, a few months later, they were all great friends, something Michelle had never had before.
“It’s so pretty. And look!” Natalie did another twirl. “It’s all flowy when I spin.”
“It’s a great dress. You look amazing in it,” Michelle agreed.
“Yeah, I think I’ll have to get it.”
“Big date?” Michelle asked. “Dancing maybe?”
“No big dates,” Natalie said with a huff. Which was crazy because she was beautiful. “I’ll just bake cupcakes in it.”
Michelle laughed. “Well, you’ll look good doing it.”
“So…” Natalie sauntered to the counter and put her elbows on it to lean in and ask, “How was your wild time last night?”
Michelle’s heart stopped. She hadn’t told anyone about Dex. Then she realized what Natalie was really asking about. The class. “The wilderness training?”
Natalie nodded like, duh, whatever else would she be talking about.
Michelle took a deep breath. “It was good. Well, parts of it,” Michelle started.
“Which parts?”
Mostly Dex’s parts. But she couldn’t really say that. Not that it was a secret. In fact, she kind of wanted to confide in a friend since she’d never done anything like this before.
“Well…the night time was interesting,” Michelle said. “It was just Dex and me and…”
Natalie’s eyes went wide. “Ooooh! Don’t stop now! Tell me everything!”
Michelle gave a light smile. “We had sex. Outside!”
Natalie nodded. “Hot. And very nature-esque of you.”
“I’ve never done anything like this. I know Dex has.”
Natalie scoffed. “Yeah, he has. I think one night at a time is all he does actually.”
That made Michelle’s heart stutter, and Natalie must have sensed what was happening, because she suddenly backtracked.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. I just mean that I know Dex. We went to school together, and he has that bad-boy reputation that all the girls like. Problem is, he knows it.”
Yeah, Michelle figured that. “He’s confident,” she admitted. And capable, dominant, and fun, and sexy, and…fun.
“Do you like him?”
“Not really,” Michelle said. “I mean, yes, in some ways. But he irritates me like no one ever has.” And he wanted six more hours with her. Hours she was fighting against, because seeing him once was one thing, but multiple times? No, that was too easy to develop things like feelings, expectations, commitment. Even a six hour commitment to him would be too much. She could barely keep her panties on as it was in a single encounter with the man.
“That’s Dex. He’ll push your buttons. But he’s a good guy deep down.”
Michelle knew that. He’d played a nasty trick on her, but he was thinking of her comfort at some point. If she had wanted to throw in the towel early last night, the outpost had been right there, and he’d kept her safe and praised her willpower. But as much as that made her kind of happy, it also made her kind of pissed. She had tried last night. Done the training and ruined her favorite shoes trying to be adventurous and survive. But he’d walked her in circles, so maybe, deep down, he didn’t think she had it in her to execute her goals.
Oh, she could execute!
Part of her wanted to show him just how well she could hang on for the ride. But it was better to stay away. Tying herself to one man, six hours or not, was against her independence policy.
“It’s not fair that he looks even better in the morning,” Michelle mumbled.
Natalie piqued. “Oh, so you saw him this morning, huh?”
“Yeah, he came over.”
“That is interesting.”
“Why?”
Natalie shrugged. “Never knew Dex to chase anyone.”
“Oh, he wasn’t chasing me. He was demanding I spend six hours with him.”
Natalie smiled. “Uh-huh. So he didn’t chase you to your doorstep after you ditched him, only to demand you spend more time with him? Yeah…the guy clearly hates you.”
Okay, Natalie was being sarcastic. And yeah, she got it, but no, Dex didn’t like her.
“It was one night,” she reassured herself as much as Natalie. “And he has ulterior motives. I guess he has to train me for six more hours to get recertified.”
“That’s great.”
“No, it’s not. I did my training. I don’t need more.”
“Really? What about a different kind of training?” She winked, and Michelle was starting to wonder if she shouldn’t have disclosed her obsessive list-making habit to her friend. “You want experiences and to cross off some of those wild wants from your sexy list. Dex is your man. Besides, your douche of an ex made you feel crappy and contained all the time, right? This is the first time I’ve seen you act happy and confident. Maybe Dex did teach you a thing or two.”
Oh, he definitely had. But that didn’t mean she should keep seeing him.
“It’s not a good
idea.”
“I disagree,” Natalie said. “If Dex has ulterior motives, then so should you. He needs his hours? You need to be adventurous.”
There was that word again. But Natalie was trying to be supportive. And the truth was, last night with Dex had unleashed her inner wild side, and that was fun. Just like he was.
“Dex is a powerful guy, so use your power back. Maybe take this time to explore your wants and desires. Give in to all the things you want to be and feel. Why not?”
Michelle opened her mouth to argue that this was terrible, but nothing came out. Because…yeah…why not?
Dex knew what this was. Which was casual. He wanted something from her; she could get something from him.
Why not?
“Six hours isn’t really a commitment, right?” she asked for clarification.
Natalie just raised a brow. “Honey, six hours isn’t even a work day. It’s all about finding what you really want and using him to get it. Maybe six hours is the perfect amount of time.”
And wasn’t that like her training. Using the tools around her to make life better. He was using her to get his recertification. This could be an exchange of sorts. No feelings or promises or complications. She would have a chance to practice taking control and feeling alive. Getting a little dirty…like last night. And Dex was a perfect tool in a lot of ways.
She glanced around her small shop and thought of a few things she could use Dex for. Especially since he was using her for hours.
A light feeling spread throughout her entire body.
Maybe she could use this situation to her advantage after all.
It was nine o’clock at night, and Dex walked up to the one place he never thought he’d enter. A boutique.
Michelle had called earlier, asking him to come by after her shop closed and discuss this arrangement of “needing hours.”
He knew from the beginning this was a bad idea. When he was talking with Gage: bad idea. When he’d gone over to Michelle’s house to propose the plan: bad idea. But that damn list was driving him crazy.
It was bad enough that he knew a few desires she had. He could even handle knowing some of the kinkier ones. But when he saw that she’d scratched off some—the things they’d done—and then added more, something had clicked.
