If She Dares (Contemporary Romance)

by Tanya Michaels

  She hung up the phone with a smile on her face, but she couldn’t help noting the irony. After all of the shamelessly intimate things she and Jack had done to each other, some of which made her blush in the light of day, he’d shied away from the simple act of kissing her goodbye in front of her sister. That’s not who we are. But she couldn’t deny that part of her wished it were.

  * * *

  “LET ME GUESS,” Riley said, “we’re headed to the house with all of the balloons?” The house in question was at the end of the street, a white two-story with big columns in front. So many bright balloons had been tied to the mailbox that she wouldn’t have been surprised to see it floating away.

  “Yep. Tony’s mom lives there with her youngest, who’s in college, and his sister Anita recently moved back in with her daughter. Tessie’s the birthday girl. Anita’s going through a really rough divorce. Tony said not to be surprised if she bursts into tears at random intervals. As long as I’m handing out warnings, when Tony and his wife disagree about anything—and they will—they get loud. They’re good folks, but if you stand too close for too long, you’ll get a headache.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “So who would you recommend my being close to while you’re busy sketching the guests?”

  “Dave and Juliet. You already know her, and they’ve only been married since June, so they still like each other.”

  Was he kidding or was he really that cynical?

  “Plus, Dave’s about nineteen feet tall, so he provides shade from the sun,” Jack added as he parked along the curb.

  As she climbed down from the truck, a gust of wind caught the edges of her skirt, and she pressed the material against her thighs, wondering if a dress had been the right call. Since Jack’s only family was a seemingly estranged mother, meeting his friends might be the most personal glimpse she got into his outside life. She’d wanted to look nice. The black knee-length dress was made from casual jersey, and the red polka dots gave it a playful, ladybug feel she deemed appropriate for a kid’s party. Granted, the crossover bodice and deep V-neck lent itself to cleavage, but she’d handled that with a red sweater.

  Jack smiled at her. “Have I told you how great you look? Although, I still say your Halloween costume would’ve been better. Think of how happy the kids would have been to have a real live superheroine at the party!” He’d been lobbying all week for her to wear it.

  She just shook her head, trying not to encourage him by smiling. “You are incorrigible.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  * * *

  AS THE PARTY wound down, Juliet frowned at the pink plastic cup in her hand. “I think I need a drink—a real one, not fruit punch made with powder.”

  From the other side of the picnic table, her husband nodded. “Maybe fruit punch made with vodka.”

  Juliet turned to Riley. “Do you and Jack have plans after this?”

  Riley was watching Jack help load folding tables into the back of a truck, appreciating the way his muscles flexed. “Not that I know of.” Her only plans were to get him back to her apartment and have her way with him.

  “Dave and I know a piano bar with strong drinks and terrible acoustics.”

  “Sounds fun.” Maybe she could wait another couple of hours to get Jack naked. She’d really enjoyed meeting his friends today—even Tony and Marie. The couple bickered, but it was mostly bluster. Their affection for each other was obvious.

  Everyone was in agreement on the piano bar, and thirty minutes later, Riley found herself sliding into a booth that faced two grand pianos on a raised dais. Tony offered to buy the first round to thank everyone for their assistance at the party, and Jack went with him to the bar to help carry drinks.

  “Sorry I didn’t get to talk to you more today,” Marie told Riley. “Juliet told me how nice you are. And how surprisingly normal.”

  “Surprisingly?” Riley asked.

  Dave laughed. “Celeste had crazy eyes.”

  “Crazy everything,” Juliet corrected. “And, hoo-boy, did she come unglued when she realized Jack didn’t want a relationship.”

  That sounded like Jack all right.

  “The one before Celeste was perfectly sane,” Marie said. “I never understood why they didn’t stay together longer. She was sweet.”

  “To the point of being bland,” Juliet objected. “Jack needs someone who can give him a little hell.”

  “Well, there was the woman on the bomb squad,” Dave recalled. “She was tough as nails. But damn scary.”

  Riley smiled politely at his comical shudder. Yet deep down, she couldn’t help wondering how long it would be before Jack was introducing some new woman to his friends. What will they say about me?

  Out of nowhere, she recalled the reason Jack had given for not watching Titanic. Why sit through it just so I can be depressed when it ends? Was she setting herself up for an ending that would leave her in tears? Little late to worry about that now, Ry. She was already too invested in the movie to walk out.

  Thankfully, the topic switched to Juliet and Marie mocking Dave for his attempted balloon animals.

  “I think it’s safe to say, if you ever leave the force, balloon animals are not your fallback,” Juliet heckled. “But Jack could probably get a job at an amusement park tomorrow drawing people. Riley, did you know he was that talented?”

  She told herself it was too dim in the bar for them to see the blush climbing her cheeks. “I’ve seen some of his work before, yeah.”

  The piano players shifted from the rollicking country song they’d been playing to a slower recent hit, and Juliet’s face lit up. “This is the song Dave and I danced to at our reception!”

  Her husband grinned. “I may have dropped off a tip and a request on our way to the table. Care to dance, Mrs. Burke?”

  They didn’t seem to mind that they were the only two people on the tiny dance floor. Riley watched them wistfully. What would it be like to fall in love and build a future with someone?

  Slow down, you’re not even a full-time dog owner yet. She wasn’t ready to share her life on an intimate level. But if she was, it wouldn’t be with a serial dater who’d never even spent the night. She’d told Jack she wasn’t looking for a relationship, either, and she’d never once asked him to sleep over. So why was she suddenly annoyed he hadn’t?

  It was irrational, yet she caught herself scowling as he and Tony returned with the drinks.

  He raised his eyebrows in question, but then Marie distracted him.

  “I’m not taking no for an answer this year, Jack Reed. You always give Tony excuses for why you can’t join us at Thanksgiving, so this time I’m asking. You are not spending another Thanksgiving alone with microwaved food on my watch.”

  So Jack didn’t even spend Thanksgiving with his mother? That confirmed Riley’s impression that he and his mom were estranged. What had happened in the decades between her helping him scare away a bunch of bullies and his not even seeing her on national holidays?

  “I appreciate the invitation, Marie, but—”

  “Not taking no for an answer,” she repeated.

  “But Riley’s family invited me to spend Thanksgiving with them,” he said.

  Riley tried to mask her surprise. She hadn’t expected to be used as his alibi, although, technically, Wren had broached the subject. Jack shot her a pleading look and gently squeezed her thigh beneath the table.

  “That is correct,” she said with a nod. “Sorry to steal him out from under you.”

  Marie looked stunned but then smiled. “Oh, I see. In that case, you two have a lovely Thanksgiving.”

  When she and Tony began spiritedly debating whether or not to invite a crazy uncle, Jack pulled Riley against his shoulder.

  “Thanks,” he whispered. “I love them, but a day with Marie and her mother holleri
ng at each other about the proper consistency of mashed potatoes might be a bit much. I wanted to turn her down without hurting her feelings.”

  “No problem. And just so you know, you would be entirely welcome if you wanted to have Thanksgiving with us for real.” She blinked. Where had that come from? You didn’t invite the guy you were “shamelessly using for sex” home for a family holiday.

  And yet, it seemed she had. Nothing to do now but brazen forward. “You can be my deterrent against Mom inviting any ex-boyfriends. Plus, the food’s fantastic. Mom will spend the whole day in the kitchen, and Dad will sleep in the recliner, so you wouldn’t have to worry much about them. Rochelle and her husband will spend most of the afternoon on a jigsaw puzzle. Wren’s the only terrifying one, and you’ve already survived her. You don’t have to give me an answer right now,” she said, bracing for his instant refusal, “just think about it.”

  “I will.”

  “No pressure, just— Wait, what?”

  He gave her a full smile, dimples and all. “You’ll be there, right?” When she nodded, unable to find her voice, he said, “You and fantastic food? Tough combo to resist. I’ll think about it, and let you know.”

  Her heart felt tight in her chest—not in a painful way, more like it was really full. We are more than sex. She may not know exactly what they were, but he’d invited her to a kid’s birthday party to meet all of his friends, and she’d asked him to have Thanksgiving with her family. They were definitely more than just the sex.

  * * *

  RILEY GRINNED, HER GIDDY buzz fueled more by the handsome man next to her than the two potent cocktails she’d had. “You were wrong about today,” she told Jack as he punched in the code for the parking-lot gate. “It was fun.”

  “No, today was tolerable. The last hour and a half was fun.”

  When it had become clear that Juliet was the only one of them who could carry a tune, Dave had announced in a fit of mock jealousy that if they couldn’t sing better than her, they’d just sing louder. “Juliet was a good sport.”

  “She likes you a lot,” he said, parking the truck. “But I’m not sure we can trust her judgment in people. I mean, she married Dave, so...”

  She shoved his shoulder. “Your friends are great. You’re great. And you make me feel great when I’m with you.” Eagerness sizzled through her. Watching him drive, she’d been counting the minutes until his hands were on her. “But I’ve been thinking... I’m not sure I need your help to make me more daring anymore.”

  His posture stiffened almost imperceptibly, but he kept his voice light. “Getting tired of me already, gorgeous?”

  “Not at all. I only meant, I don’t have to wait for you to dare me to do something. I can make impetuous choices all on my own. For instance,” she said, slanting him a glance, “I could dare to go to a party commando.”

  He sucked in a breath. “You did not.”

  She flashed him a brilliant smile and hopped out of the truck.

  There was enough illumination from the parking-lot lights to make out the predatory gleam in his eyes as he advanced on her. “I’m going to need proof.”

  With a squeal of laughter, she darted into the building. She took the first flight of steps so quickly, her feet only hit every other stair. The echo of the stairwell door closing behind Jack reverberated in the emptiness, making her feel like they were the only two people in the building. She raced up the second set of stairs. Even though she was in shape from her martial arts classes, she knew Jack could have caught her sooner. He was savoring the chase.

  But on the third-floor landing, he spun her into his arms. He nipped at her lower lip. “You are the most delightful tease I’ve ever met. The wondering is fun, but I have to know...” Beneath the hem of her skirt, his fingers skated over the sensitive flesh of her thigh, and she squirmed, a little ticklish and a lot aroused.

  Encountering silk, he pulled back to give her a look of reprimand. “You lied to me. There should be some kind of consequence for that.”

  “Technically, I didn’t lie,” she objected. “I said that I could dare to go commando. And, who says it’s too late?” She wriggled away from him and reached under her skirt.

  Immobile except for the rise and fall of his chest, he watched her intently.

  She inched the panties down slowly, stepping out of them one foot at a time, then stuck them in the pocket of her sweater. “My reputation for honesty has been restored. Happy?”

  “Yes. You make me happy,” he said simply.

  Melting at his words, she stretched up to kiss him. Her unspoken thank-you quickly turned into something more carnal than grateful. Their tongues twined, their hands roamed with increasing urgency. She could feel Jack, hard against her thigh, and knowing how much he wanted her amplified her own desire. It wasn’t until her sweater—which she hadn’t even realized she’d shrugged out of—hit the hardwood floor that she regained a measure of sense.

  She turned toward the stairs. “Race you to the top?” She couldn’t wait to get him inside her apartment. Inside her.

  But he held her hand, stalling. “Ever fantasize about sex in public? Being so swept away that you’d risk getting caught?”

  “Wh-what? No.” He’d startled her with the question, yet the very idea of something so forbidden sent a flash of dark yearning through her.

  “Never?” he pressed. “Not even in a certain fitting room?”

  Heat bloomed in her cheeks as she recalled that day in the costume shop. Hadn’t she allowed herself to imagine what might happen if Jack was locked in that fitting room with her? The heat she felt in her face was working its way through the rest of her body, liquid and sinuous. “Maybe just that once.”

  “I knew it.” He backed her slowly toward the wall. “What kind of lover would I be if I didn’t fulfill your fantasies? I bet I can make you come right here.”

  “Jack.” Oh, she was tempted. It sounded wicked and wonderful, and she was so wet it might not even take long. But it was also crazy. She lived here! How could she face anyone if they got caught? She was running for building president, for crying out loud. Your first political sex scandal.

  His dimples appeared, a sure sign that she was doomed. “Dare you to let me try.”

  She was so hot for him her body ached with it. “Aren’t there public decency laws police officers have to enforce?”

  He dipped his head to the column of her throat, scraping his teeth over her skin and making her tremble. “Good thing I’m not a sworn officer.” When he raised his mouth to kiss her, he slid her arms up over her head, against the wall. Her heart pounded. Was she really going to let him do this?

  It was late, she rationalized. A lot of the tenants were probably tucked in for the night. If anyone opened a door to the stairwell, she and Jack would hear immediately.

  Holding her wrists in place with one hand, he used his free hand to tug aside the panels of fabric that criss-crossed her breasts. He stared down at the black lace demi-bra that barely concealed her straining nipples. “Perfection,” he pronounced, his voice hoarse. He edged a finger beneath the lace, teasing one already hard peak. She whimpered, rolling her hips against him.

  He brushed a thumb over the pulse in her wrist then released her hands so that he had full use of his. He immediately shoved down the cups of her bra, baring her breasts. Logically, she doubted the temperature in the stairwell was really that different than it would have been in her apartment, but, in her mind, because she was more exposed here, the cool air against her felt like a shock.

  Jack plumped her breasts together and lowered his head to lavish them both with attention, his tongue flicking from one tip to the other. Hunger burned through her body; she was practically shaking with it. If she wasn’t supported between Jack and the wall, she would have sagged into a puddle of need by now. He hadn’t even touched her be
low the waist, and she was teetering on the brink of an overpowering orgasm. Then he shocked her by drawing both nipples into his mouth at once. The decadent sensation was shattering, and her cry bounced off the walls.

  Jack quickly kissed her, muffling the involuntary sounds. He raised one of her legs against his hip as their mouths clashed in furious abandon. Then he slipped a hand between their bodies, never breaking their kiss as his talented fingers strummed over her clitoris. Pleasure rose within her, all-encompassing and undeniable. She couldn’t have stopped herself from coming against his hand even if she’d wanted to. Her hips bucked wildly, and she gripped his arms so tightly she wouldn’t have been surprised if she tore his shirt.

  As she slowly returned to earth, her vision spotty and her legs weak, she thought of her earlier reasoning that she would hear anyone about to enter the stairwell. Ha! She hadn’t heard anything but the rush in her own ears.

  Jack reached out and very gently tucked her bra and dress back into place. “There. Right as rain,” he said. His attempt at sounding proper was at odds with the very noticeable erection outlined against his jeans. “We kept it mostly decent.”

  “There was nothing decent about what you just did to me.”

  He gave her a lazy smile. “That must be why you liked it so much.”

  She’d liked it that much because it had been with him. “Come on.” She retrieved her sweater. “Let’s go to my place and find out how indecent we can really get.”

  * * *

  AS PAINFULLY HARD as Jack was, climbing the last flight of stairs behind Riley was torture—although he did appreciate the benefit of looking at her ass.

  Still, despite the great view, he nearly swore in relief when she unlocked the door to her apartment. He’d wanted her since the parking lot, when she’d teased him about going commando, but now, after her moans echoing through the stairwell and the way she’d writhed under his touch, he was desperate for her. He slammed the door shut and reached for her.

  She was already turning to meet him, face upraised for his kiss. Mouth locked on hers, he spun them around so that she was between him and the wall. The knowledge that she was sinfully bare beneath the modest, polka-dotted skirt made him crazy. He skimmed his hands beneath the hem, cupping her ass, loving the satiny feel of her. God, he could touch her for hours.