Dare to Kiss (The Maxwell Series Book 1)

by Alexander, S. B.

  “Get him, Kelton,” one boy shouted.

  “That’s it,” another yelled as Kelton drove his fist into Greg’s gut.

  Everyone started talking and shouting, a few betting Kelton would win.

  Buster and Kade yanked Kelton up by the arms. He struggled to get free while Greg pushed himself to his feet. Blood trickled out of Greg’s nose as he brushed off his jeans, as though it was just another day at the office.

  Buster waved at his partner. “Take Kelton inside.”

  The bouncer jogged over and wrapped his fingers around Kelton’s biceps.

  Kelton jerked his arm away. “I can walk on my own, man.” He raked a hand through his disheveled hair.

  “I’m not going to say this again,” Buster announced. “Either go home, or get back inside. If not, I will take names and you won’t be allowed in the club anymore.”

  Several teens scattered back into the club. Buster’s directive was my sign to go home. I started to push off the edge of the truck when Becca grabbed my arm.

  “Where are you going?”

  “There’s nothing more to see out here,” I said.

  A wiry-looking boy who walked past the truck said to his friend, “It would’ve been cool to see Kade lose it on Sullivan.”

  “Nah, dude. That wouldn’t have been pretty,” the other boy said.

  Would Kade have killed Greg?

  “Yes there is,” Becca told me, ignoring the boys. She released me. “Pay attention.”

  To what? The fight was over. Or at least I thought it was, until I shifted my gaze.

  Aaron was pointing in my direction. “I hear the new girl is good. She yours?”

  Kade turned his head. As though someone had control of my body, I waved. What was wrong with me? I was trying to avoid attention. I am such an idiot.

  Anxiety curdled in my stomach. I should’ve listened to my damn intuition and gone home.

  Turning back, Kade grabbed Aaron by the shirt. If anything was said, I couldn’t hear it.

  “Man, step off,” Buster said to Kade.

  Kade hesitated before letting go of Aaron.

  “You two leave the premises before I call the cops,” Buster said, waggling his finger between Aaron and Greg.

  Without another word, Aaron sauntered over to a black BMW.

  “It’s good to be back. It’s going to be like old times,” Greg shouted as he joined Aaron.

  The few remaining spectators dispersed. Car doors slammed. Engines roared to life. Time for me to leave, too. Buster hung around for a few minutes, making sure Aaron and Greg had left, and everyone else did as he’d said.

  Becca hopped down from the truck and I wasn’t far behind her. I started for my car.

  “I’ll call you tomorrow,” I said. With the eerie feeling I’d just gotten from the Aaron-and-Kade interaction, I was ready to get on a plane to California. I didn’t want anything to do with anyone else’s problems. I had enough of my own.

  “Wait,” Becca said. “The band is still playing.”

  “I’m not feeling good.” It wasn’t a lie. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  Becca frowned as she turned back to the club. I was surprised she didn’t protest more. Maybe she had Kelton on the brain.

  Buster and Kade were still talking behind Kade’s truck. “Can you check on Kelton for me?” Kade asked. “I need to take care of something.”

  “Sure thing, man.” He spoke as though Kade was the authority and not him.

  Uh-oh. He’d told me not to leave. Don’t look. I picked up my pace, digging for my keys in my purse. Vehicles trickled out of the pebbled lot across the street, their headlights putting me on display. Just what I needed—a beacon for Kade to find me. I scurried into the lot, walking past the last car waiting to exit.

  A halo ringed the moon. The field beyond the open lot shimmered under the bright night sky. The night dew was settling in. I was no more than a foot away from my car when I caught the sound of gravel crunching under heavy footsteps.

  “I told you not to leave,” Kade said from behind me.

  I closed my eyes and stilled. So close to making a run for it. I opened my eyes and was about to turn when his lips landed on my ear. He really had a thing for ears, apparently. “If you value your sex life, you’ll let me go. I’m sure your girlfriends or Tammy would be disappointed.”

  He laughed, nibbling on my ear for the second time tonight. “There are lots of ways to please a woman,” he said, low and husky.

  Oh, crap on a cracker. The guy was going to make me take off my clothes right here. “I would like to go home,” I said, trying to keep my voice from shaking or my body from melting into his.

  “We have some unfinished business.” He grasped my hips, drawing me to him, my back to his front.

  I almost kicked and screamed, but decided not to. I was beginning to like our little interactions, and frankly, I loved his strong hands on me. Plus it was time to hear what he had to say. Maybe then he would leave me alone. “If you want to talk, then talk.” I took in a deep breath. The fresh night air was a welcoming relief as it breezed over my heated skin.

  His tongue licked my earlobe, his hot breath making me squirm against him. “I don’t want to talk,” he whispered.

  Tingles rushed along my spine. “Kade?”

  “Shhh. No talking.” I could imagine a night of wild pleasures listening to his husky voice.

  The guy was torturing me. If pleasure was his form of punishment, it was definitely working. So do I push him away or give in to temptation? Before my brain caught up with my body, temptation won out. I turned in his arms, and my hands snaked around to his tight butt.

  He groaned. “Be careful, you might like how this ends.”

  “Nah, I know I would hate it,” I lied.

  He chuckled as he rested his forehead against mine.

  “Is this your way of talking?” I asked hoarsely.

  “Maybe.” His hands slid around to my lower back and began tracing circles as he had earlier on my hip.

  We stared at one another. If he knew my tragic past and how seriously screwed up I was, would he still try to lure me into his seductive web?

  His gaze dropped to my lips. My pulse jumped. He gently eased me toward the back of my Mustang.

  “I need to go home,” I said in a pathetic voice.

  “Do you want to run, Lace?”

  He never kept a girl for very long, Becca had said, and I wasn’t in the market for a one-night stand, no matter how good-looking he was. Heck, I wasn’t even ready to date yet. Sure, Kade made my body react in a way that was new for me, and every fiber in me knew he wasn’t gay. If I were wrong, I’d introduce him to Brad myself. Still, my focus had to be baseball and school, nothing else. Then there was Tammy. Where did she fit into Kade’s life? I didn’t need trouble.

  “Cat got your tongue?” he asked as his hands reached up to frame my face.

  My breath hitched, and heat spiraled down to settle between my legs. Damn body. He slowly lowered his head as his eyes darkened, desire flashing. Heat met cold along my arms, and I didn’t know whether to shiver or melt. As his lips drew closer, mine prickled in anticipation.

  He stopped just as my tongue darted out. A deep rumble rose from his chest. Then his lips wandered teasingly over mine, and my legs were like warm saltwater taffy. Yep, I was done, fried to a crisp, and he hadn’t even kissed me.

  Then he sucked my lower lip, in a slow sensuous tango.

  I whimpered.

  Groaning low, he eased back as though he were trying to get control of himself. His breathing was ragged, his gaze never wavering from mine. I reached up and curled my hands into his hair. Heaven. I ran my fingers back and forth, feeling the softness of the brown strands. I moaned softly. As if tha
t little noise was his cue, his lips slammed into mine as he pressed his chest against me. Hard against soft. His tongue plunged into my mouth, desperately searching for something as though I had what he needed to survive. When our tongues collided, jolts of pleasure slithered down my belly, and I mashed my hips into him. He groaned again, taking, tasting, teasing as he bit and sucked. Then he gentled the kiss, with nips to my top lip then my bottom one before he grinned.

  “Something funny?” I asked, breathing heavy.

  “I’ve never tasted anything as sweet as you.”

  “You mean I’m still sweet after those things that I did to you?”

  His hands roamed underneath my shirt, one sliding down, the other sliding up close to my bra. Then his lips found my ear, nibbling. “Those things were only foreplay, for me.”

  My muscles tensed; my body stiffened.

  “Don’t freak, Lace.” His lower hand met the other that was now on the clasp of my bra. “Kiss me again.” His tone was demanding yet gentle.

  I grabbed hold of his face and followed his command. Not because he told me to, but because I wanted to. I didn’t know what to make of his foreplay statement except that he was crazy, but so was I.

  After a long, slow, wet kiss that had my insides screaming for release, I let my fingers roam over his face. The moonlight hit at just the right angle, illuminating his handsome features, even with the black eye. I loved his mile-long eyelashes, the flecks of amber in his copper eyes, his dimples that made me squeeze my thighs, the softness of his honey brown hair that I just realized had streaks of blond on one side, and I absolutely loved his lips. I wanted to kiss them all day long.

  “I’m happy to see you two finally sucking face,” a male voice said in the distance.

  My brain had forgotten where we were. Kade pulled away. I bit back a whine.

  “What do you want, Kel? I thought I told you to go home.” Kade growled as he leaned against my car.

  “I hung out with Becca.” Kelton took long strides into the lot from the road.

  “I should get home anyway,” I said in a throaty tone.

  Kelton shoved his hands in his jeans pockets in front of us, grinning as though he knew how Kade had affected me.

  “Wipe the smirk off your face, ass-wipe,” I snapped. At least this time my voice was normal.

  “I love it when you talk dirty to me,” Kelton said snidely.

  I rolled my eyes—something that was becoming routine for me around these brothers.

  “Go home, Kel,” Kade barked.

  “Chill, bro. I saw your truck. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t need my help. But I can see you have it under control.” He waggled his brows.

  “I’ll be right behind you,” Kade said. “Now go.”

  “Night, girl. Don’t drive my brother too crazy.” He winked at me then sauntered away.

  “Don’t let him bug you.” Kade wrapped his arms around me.

  “Kelton is fine. I can handle him. I need to get home,” I said, staring at his lips.

  He rubbed his thumb over my cheek. “I know.” Blowing out a breath, he let go of me.

  I didn’t want to go home. I wanted to go anywhere he was going. Christ. What had he done to me? Shaking the thought of Kade’s lips on me, I circled around to the driver’s side. The two large trucks that were parked on either side of me were gone.

  He waited, not saying a word, while I opened my door. “I’ll be fine, Kade,” I assured him.

  “I know. But I’ll wait to make sure anyway.”

  I climbed in, inserted the key into the ignition, then turned it. Click, click, click.

  Seriously? Again? If my father didn’t fix this car for good, I was going to take out one of my panic attacks on him. I tried it one more time. Nothing. Shit! I jumped out, slamming the door. I wanted to kick the tires.

  Kade was shaking his head. “I’m going to tell your father to let me work on that car,” he said, frustrated. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home.”

  I froze. Several thoughts flitted through my brain. Him and me alone in his truck, and after that kiss? I should call my dad. Or maybe Becca can give me a ride home. I glanced at the Cave.

  “I see your mind working, Lace. It’s just a ride.” He pulled his keys out of his front jeans pocket.

  “Can’t you check? Last time the battery cable was loose, according to my dad.”

  “I’m sure he was right, but sometimes the terminals can get corroded. If that’s the case, we’re not going to fix it tonight. Better to check it in daylight, anyway.”

  “You know, I’ll ask Becca to take me home.” I plucked my purse from the Mustang, checked for my phone, then locked the car.

  Turning, I plowed in to his hard chest and stumbled. “Geez, dude! A little warning!” What was it with the Maxwell brothers and their stealthy nature? Why was I even worried about the car? I should be praying that someone would steal it. Maybe then Dad would get me a new vehicle. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it.

  “Becca is probably helping her dad. You might have to wait for her. Didn’t you say you needed to get home?” He cupped one of my elbows.

  I did want to go home. I didn’t want to wait. I threw caution to the wind. We walked the short distance to his truck. I was grabbing the handle to step up on the shiny running board when he palmed my butt.

  “Do you mind?” I asked, slipping onto the leather seat.

  He had that impish grin on his face again. Not saying a word, he closed the door, circled around, and jumped into the driver’s seat. We didn’t say much as he maneuvered out of the parking lot.

  “So, I live—”

  “I know where you live.” He turned left onto the main road.

  I gaped at him. “You do?” I didn’t know what to think other than that he was stalking me.

  He laughed as he ran his fingers through his hair. My fingers itched to replace his with mine.

  “Of course. You didn’t think I wouldn’t find out about the girl who pulled a gun on me.”

  “Yeah, about that—I’m sorry.”

  “What were you doing with a gun, anyway?”

  “I’d forgotten to leave it at home. My father and I joined the Ashford Gun Club.”

  “Why?”

  I wasn’t ready to tell him the real reason. I’d just met him, and while he was a fantastic kisser, I wasn’t sure I could trust him. I didn’t want my life to be the focus of every kid’s conversation at school. I didn’t want to hear the gossip, or whispers, or pity. I’d had enough of that at Crestview. “Aside from baseball, I like to fly planes and shoot guns.” It was the truth. I had taken flying lessons in LA and was a few classes away from getting my pilot’s license—for small planes, of course. I loved the rush, the freedom I got when I was thousands of feet in the sky. I hadn’t flown since we moved.

  “Mmmm. You are something else, aren’t you, Lacey Robinson?”

  “What does that mean?”

  He shook his head as he drove through the streets of Ashford. There weren’t many people out. I didn’t expect to see any. After all, it was almost midnight.

  “So do you think you’ll make the team?” he asked.

  “Maybe. What was all the fuss about in the parking lot with Aaron and Greg?”

  “Old history.”

  An uncomfortable silence filled the truck as I waited for him to elaborate. When he didn’t, I spoke up. “That’s it? You don’t want to give details?”

  “Not tonight.”

  There was a lot of old history around here. First Becca and Tyler, then Becca and Grace, now Kade and Greg. Regardless, I didn’t push. I had my own secrets locked up that I didn’t want anyone to know.

  As he drove, I leaned back and relaxed, breathing in his masculine scent. I’d been replay
ing the kiss between us when he pulled into my driveway, and everything around me disappeared, including Kade. Suddenly, I struggled to breathe as I stared at the dark, ominous house. There wasn’t a single light on. I remembered turning on a few lights before I left. Then my breathing grew shallow, and the sides of my vision darkened as I took hold of the truck door with a shaky hand. A buzzing sound whirred in my head. I tried to get oxygen into my lungs, but it was like someone had cut off my airway. I couldn’t stop the panic attack or the visions. I shook my head several times as I tried to escape my memories, but it was too late.

  The large house had been dark as I got out of my car. Not one light glowed. Even the lights on the outside of the garage were off. Something was wrong. Mom’s Audi was in the driveway and the garage door was open. Mom never left the garage door open, even when she was home. Julie’s Volvo sat in the driveway, too. Why was she home? She wasn’t supposed to be home from her friend Melissa’s house until tomorrow. As soon as I stepped into the bay of the garage, a strong odor penetrated my nostrils, a mixture of sweat and a man’s cologne. It wasn’t my dad’s cologne, either. He didn’t even wear the smelly stuff—it irritated Mom. I covered my nose with my hand as my brain suddenly became fuzzy.

  I climbed the few steps to the door leading inside the house. I turned the knob, pushed the door, and tentatively walked in. I flipped the light switch next to the door, but nothing came on. I hesitated before going any farther. I took out my phone and hit the button so the backlight on it would help guide me. As I headed down the hallway, bile rose in my throat. Unlike the smell in the garage, the scent inside had a strong metallic odor. Every hair on me stood up.

  “Mom,” I called out, but I didn’t get an answer. “Mom,” I called again, but nothing. Where was she? Why wasn’t she answering?

  Suddenly, someone was calling my name.

  “Hey. Lacey. What’s wrong?” a familiar-but-scared voice asked.

  Pain seared from my right elbow up through my shoulder, and I screamed.

  “Lacey? Lacey? Can you hear me?”

  My vision blurred, then a flash of light blinded me before a hot wind breezed over my face. I blinked a few times. On my last long blink my vision cleared a little, my breathing still shallow. “K-K-ade?”