by Laurie Roma
Stalling, Dare bent down and picked up a stick. Pulling back his arm, he let it fly and watched as all four dogs gave chase. “First, I want to say I’m usually not such an idiot around women. I think it’s just you.”
“Lucky me.”
He shot a look at her. “Why don’t we write it off as my stupid moment of the day and forget about it?”
Evie paused, considering. “Do you have many of those?”
“What, stupid moments? I’m male, so that would be yes. I think we have a quota each day or we just don’t feel right.”
“Hmm.”
He heaved out a sigh. “You...disturb me.”
That had her stopping in her tracks. Offended to her core, she glared at him with her hands on her hips. “Excuse me?”
“See, even the way you glare at me. That shouldn’t turn me on.”
“It...I...” She lost her ability to speak. Did he really just—
“Damn it, Evie,” he said as he took a step closer. “I shouldn’t have missed seeing your face today.”
Her mouth opened, then closed as she struggled to form a response. She took a step back, then another. “No. You said—”
“I know what I said.”
“Then we should probably just avoid each other from now on while you’re here.”
Dare took another step forward, closing the distance between them again as he slowly shook his head. “I’ve tried that. It doesn’t seem to be working.”
“Well, try harder,” she snapped. She started to take another step back, but stopped when she realized he had her retreating.
He burst out laughing. “Damn, woman. You sure do know how to stomp on a man’s ego.”
“That’s not all I’m gonna stomp on.”
Still chuckling, he wrapped an arm around her waist and jerked her to him, making her gasp. “Why don’t we try this instead?”
Dare’s mouth came down on hers, hot and hard. A low moan tore from Evie’s throat at the pleasure of feeling him against her. She knew she should protest, push him away or something, but her hands simply grabbed onto his shirt, needing something to anchor her as he took her under, into a sea of sensation.
Evie gasped again when he pulled her closer so she felt the steel hard spike of his erection again her stomach. It seemed to burn her through their clothes, and made her ache for more. He took advantage when her lips parted and pushed his tongue deep, stroking and tasting. Not to be outdone, she gave up fighting and met his desire with her own. She took the kiss deeper, tilting her head to the side, fitting them together like two pieces of a puzzle.
She lost herself in the kiss, taking and giving in equal measure. His other hand delved into her hair, tugging her head back and the small sting made her shiver. Time seemed to stop while they were locked together. Her hands slid under his shirt of their own volition. Feeling the hard contours of the muscles on his back made her knees go weak and another moan of pleasure broke free. She wanted to touch all of him, to stroke her hands over his hard body until he was as mad for her as she was for him.
This was passion.
This was wild, lust-driven need.
This was...insane.
Gasping, she pulled back. Sweet Jesus, what was she doing? Here she was, making out with Dare out in the open where anyone could see, and she didn’t even like the man...did she?
Dare’s grip on her tightened, holding her firmly in place when she tried to move away from him. “Hey, princess? You think you can tell your boys to stand down?”
“W-what?”
Evie blinked in confusion. God, his kiss had practically fried her brain. Shaking herself to focus, she quickly realized that all four of her dogs were issuing low, menacing growls. Looking down she saw they were all fixated on Dare, waiting for her command to attack.
“No, babies. It’s okay. Dare is a...friend.”
“You wanna try to say that a little more convincing? I’d like to keep all my body parts where they are,” he said wryly.
She repeated her words, resting her head on his shoulder and smiled at the dogs so they would understand she wasn’t being hurt. Three of the dogs relaxed, their tails wagging as they sniffed at Dare’s shoes, but Gawain still seemed to eye him suspiciously. “Smile,” she ordered, keeping her voice soft and calm.
Dare glanced down and tried to smile, although he was pretty sure it came out more like a grimace. A few seconds ago, he’d been damn close to dragging Evie down onto the grass with him. From the moment he’d touched her everything else had simply disappeared. She’s felt so right in his arms, and the taste of her was even better than he had imagined. Then he’d felt that itch on the back of his neck right before he’d heard the growls.
It had been a mistake to kiss her like this, without planning or preparation, but he just couldn’t help himself. And now he’d had a taste of her he wanted more. So much more. It would have been better if he’d walked away before he’d touched her, because now he wasn’t going to be able to.
He was a damned man now.
Fate sealed.
Evie tried to break free of his embrace, and he let her go after she let out a growl of her own. He watched as she bent down and stroked her hands through the soft fur of her dogs. Dare’s muscles clenched as he imaged her stroking her hands over his body, and his hard cock throbbed in the confines of his jeans like a wicked ache.
Reassured that everything was okay, the dogs started wagging their tails again and two of them trotted over to seek attention from Dare. He obliged and bent down to pat their sides. “Good boys,” Dare crooned. “You guys are going to have to get used to me touching your owner.”
“No. This can’t happen again,” Evie said as she stood back up, that impassive mask back in place on her face. It didn’t bother him, as he found he got great pleasure shaking her up and getting past that guard of hers.
“Sorry, princess. Now that I got a taste of you, I want more.”
“Stop calling me that!”
“Like that’s any better than Dr. Hottie?” Dare laughed as her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassment. “I figure now we’re even.”
“Don’t flatter yourself,” she said coolly. “I didn’t give you that nickname.”
He grinned as he shrugged, her prickly temper not bothering him in the least. “Oh, well. I know the people at the center call you boss, but that ain’t happening. So, you’re stuck with princess. If I have to deal with it, so do you. Now, are you going to lie and tell me you don’t feel this attraction between us?”
“I—it doesn’t matter. We can’t be doing this.”
“Too late.”
“You stubborn, idiotic...” She shot him a furious glare then spun around to leave. Her exit lost its effect when she nearly tripped on one of her dogs. “Boys, we’re going home.”
“Is that an invitation?” Dare called out, his voice teasing as her dogs bounded after her.
“No!” Evie whirled around and pointed her finger at him. “You...you stay right there!”
Dare bit his lip to keep from laughing, and stuck his hands in his pockets as he watched her stomp away. He kept his pace slow as he followed her in the direction of her house and waited until she was safely inside before he let a laugh rumble out.
Things would be interesting now that the gauntlet had been thrown down. As far as he could tell, both he and Evie were controlling personality types. It was going to be so much fun to see who came out on top. Grinning, Dare walked back toward his bike and got on.
God, he felt good.
Dare started up his bike and drove the short distance to the parking lot next to the boarding house. Instead of going inside, he walked onto the terrace and sat down on the porch swing. He sat there for a few minutes, simply enjoying the quiet night. Something Evie had said early kept weighing on him until his curiosity refused to be denied any longer. He hesitated for a moment, then pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.
“Yo,” the deep voice said upon answerin
g.
“Toro? It’s me. Dare.”
“How you doing, buddy? Ready to come back to work already?”
Dare scowled into the dark as he pushed the swing into motion. “I told you, I’m out.”
“Yeah, we all say that at least once a day.”
“I mean it. I...can’t do it anymore.”
There was a long pause over the line, then Toro’s voice grew serious. “I’m sorry to hear that. It’s a shame we’re losing you, but you know we’ll always have your back.”
“Thanks, man. About that...I was hoping you could pull some background intel for me.”
“Sure thing. Might be a few days until I can get back to you. Is it urgent?”
“Nope. A few days is fine. You at home?”
“No, I’m out on recon right now.”
“Anything hot?” Dare stopped the swing from moving and sat up straight.
Toro’s chuckle was clear over the line. “Not yet. I’m actually pretty bored right now, but things should be heating up soon. I’ve been stuck out near Vancouver for two weeks now. People are just so...nice out here in Canada. It’s starting to freak me out a little.”
Dare laughed at that. “I’m sure you’ll be dealing with plenty of assholes soon enough.”
“True. So, what do you need?”
“Any background info you can pull on Evelyn Beaumont of Breakers, Texas, and her immediate family, now deceased.”
“She a suspect for something?”
“No.” Dare paused for a moment before he admitted, “This is personal.”
“Got it. I’ll get back to you. Is your phone still secured?”
“Yep. This is the phone I took with me when I left.”
Toro let out a snort. “You know we can track you with that, don’t you?”
“I figured as much. You’d be able to find me if you wanted to anyways. It’s a nice phone, plus I don’t have to pay for it this way.”
“Good point.” Toro said with a laugh. “Think of it as an insurance policy in case you are ever in trouble. We take care of our own. It’s how we roll, brother.”
“Speaking of, you know who is living in Breakers? Nikita Nuria. You know her?”
“Shit, Flame is there? Dude, try not to piss her off if you wanna keep your balls attached to your body.”
“Yeah, I’ll try and stay on her good side.”
“Smart. I’ll be in touch.”
Dare put his phone away, then pushed the swing back into motion. Talking to his old friend made Dare miss him, but he realized that he didn’t have to break ties with anyone just because he longer wanted to do the work. He felt a moment of guilt about digging into Evie’s past, but he needed to know what she was hiding. It was better to do it this way then to involve any of her friends and ask them to betray her trust. Hell, he knew he’d probably end up apologizing for it later, but it was better to know. He was a man who worked better with a plan. Now that he had one, it was just a matter of time before he had her in his bed.
Operation Seduce Evie was a go.
Chapter Six
Dare found himself back at the rescue center early the next morning.
He liked helping out and spending time with the dogs, but the truth was he was really there to see Evie. His excitement stalled when he discovered she was out on an adoption for the day. He was told she should be back later that day, but no one knew exactly when. After a few hours of work, Dare saw a large school bus pull up in front of the center. He watched in horror as a small group of kids bounded off the bus, gathering in a group around two adults who were obviously their teachers.
“Fuck. I forgot the field trip was today,” Hunter muttered as he came to stand besides Dare.
“Field trip?”
“The local middle school has a class that’s doing a volunteer project. They’re here to help socialize the puppies.”
“Ah...I think I’m going to—”
“Yeah. Me, too.”
Without another word, both Dare and Hunter turned and walked away from the center, heading back toward the boarding house. Pulling out his keys, Dare got on his bike once they reached the parking lot. “I’m heading into town. Maybe get something to eat, then over to Fight Hard.”
“I’m going in to the shop,” Hunter said as he got on his own Harley. “I’ve got some work to catch up on.”
“Seriously?”
“I’ll find something to do, damn it. I’m not staying here with those kids.”
Dare laughed. “I don’t blame you. By the way, I went into the shop yesterday.”
“Really? What did you get?” Dare raised the sleeve of his shirt and Hunter nodded. “Nik does nice work. She matched it perfectly.”
“She did.”
They started up their bikes and Dare followed Hunter out onto the road. It felt good being with a friend on the open road, and Dare realized how much he missed the company on a ride. They pulled into town and both pulled into the parking lot next to gym. When they shut off their engines, Dare turned to Hunter. “Sure you don’t want to join me?”
“Naw, I’ve got a late lunch thing with Nik and the two other guys who work there to talk about shop business. Thanks, though.”
He and Hunter tapped fists and went their separate ways. Dare walked the few blocks down to The Fox Hole, nodding to the various people that smiled and said hello to him on the street. The people of Breakers were a friendly lot, and he wasn’t exactly sure if that was a plus or a minus in his book.
The fact was he didn’t seem to be sure about much these days.
Dare pushed open the door to the bar and walked inside, glad to see it was still early enough not to be too crowded. He walked over to the bar and took a seat at the far end so he could see the entrance and have his back to the wall.
Old habits die hard.
The man behind the bar turned and grinned when he saw Dare. “Well, hell. I was wondering when I was going to see you.”
Dare returned the grin. Dante Fox was the owner of The Fox Hole now that his father, Malcolm Fox, had retired. Dante was a good man. They had met each other in the Army, and had stayed friends over the years. Anyone looking at them could have thought they were related, since they both had midnight black hair, but where Dare’s eyes were dark-grey, Dante eyes were ice-blue, so pale they almost looked inhuman.
“I heard you were in town. Was wondering when you'd stop by instead of hiding up at the boarding house.”
“I wasn’t hiding...bastard.”
Dante snickered. “Seemed like it to me. What can I get you?"
“Burger and a beer.”
“I'll set you right up.”
Dante placed Dare's order into the system, then turned back to ask, “Bottle or glass?”
“Whatever is on tap is fine.”
“Got it.” Dante held a glass under the tap as he poured the beer. “Must be nice, drinking already and it's not even noon.”
“It's noon somewhere.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” Dante laughed and set the full glass down in front of Dare, then picked up his own glass and raised it in salute.
Raising a brow, Dare said, “I see you’re starting early, too.”
“If I’m here this goddamn early, I deserve a beer.”
“I'm surprised to see you here. I thought you usually close.”
“Yeah, I do, but I’m covering for Zoe. She took the day off to go on an adoption with Evie. I think they’re doing some girl spa thing on the way home.”
Dare couldn’t help but scowl as he took a sip of his beer. There she was again, invading his thoughts when he least expected it. Damn the woman. He was still annoyed she hadn’t told him herself that she wouldn’t be at the center today.
Dante frowned at him. “Hey, you didn’t come by to see Zoe, did you?”
Amused, Dare held up his hands. He knew Dante had a thing for the pretty Asian bartender that worked for him. Last time Dare had been in town Dante had all but pissed circles around her, and evident
ly that hadn’t changed. “Dude, relax. I came to eat. That sweet lady of yours still making you crazy?”
Dante’s expression darkened. “Fuck you.”
Dare laughed. “I take that as a yes.”
“Zoe works for me. That’s it.”
“So, you’re saying she’s available?”
“God damn it! No!”
Dare had to bite his lip to stop from laughing. “Man, you’ve got it bad.”
Leaning his forearm on the bar top, Dante huffed out a breath. His big shoulders slumped dejectedly. “I know. I’m a fucking mess. Look, I can’t talk to Hammer about this. He’s just too…happy...”
“I know what you mean. But you’re pretty fucking possessive of that woman despite the fact you say she isn’t yours. You’re like a rabid dog when it comes her.”
“That’s because she’s not mine. Yet.”
Dare scoffed at that. “If that’s what has your knickers in a twist, do something about it.”
“I tried.” Dante frowned down at his glass, then picked it up and downed the contents.
They stopped talking as a waitress brought out Dare’s food to him. He thanked her and the pretty brunette winked at him before she walked away. “I told her to bump you up, so some other poor bastard will have to wait for his food.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Seems like Cheryl is interested. I can introduce you.”
“Naw, I have my sights set elsewhere.” Dare picked up his burger and took a large bite.
Damn that was good.
“You haven’t been here that long, who do you have your eye on?”
“None of your fucking business.”
He picked up a fry as Dante looked around as if to make sure no one could hear them. Lowering his voice, Dante said, “Damn it. I have to talk to someone about this. But if I tell you, I’ll have to kill you if you say anything to anyone.”
“I don’t talk to people.” And why the hell did that make everyone else want to tell him shit, Dare thought with a sigh as he took another bite of his burger. Clearly he needed to try and put off a bigger fuck off vibe.
“I haven’t touched a woman in two months.”
“You…” Dare choked. At a loss for words, he just blinked. “Dude, I may be a doctor, but I don’t think I’m the right person you should be talking to about this.”
