The Dare (The Chronicles of Katrina One)

by Karin Tabke

  He cracked a smile. “So are you.”

  “But I threw up all over myself.”

  “And you wiped your snotty nose on my shirt. And hand.”

  She hiccoughed. “Sorry.”

  “I have a dozen more.”

  He notched her chin up to look him in the eye. “That guy was an asshole. He was always going to leave you because he’s married.”

  She shook her head as the warm sting of tears filled her eyes. “No, he couldn’t handle the fact that I went there with you. That I liked it better with you than with him.” She rubbed her forehead against his hard chest. “I really liked having sex with you, and it’s his fault I had two orgasms with you and I’ve never done that with him.” She sucked back a sob, and looked up at Simon through her tears and the shower water that he must have adjusted because it wasn’t nearly as strong as when she turned it on. “No, that isn’t the whole story. I could have declined his dare. I didn’t. So it was my choice. He didn’t force me. He didn’t have to, because if it had been anyone but you, I wouldn’t have done it.”

  She nodded to herself. “It’s true, but—if Evan hadn’t asked, I wouldn’t have. I mean though, we never talked about it, I thought we were in a monogamous relationship. Except I was the only one being monogamous! He just used me! And I let him,” she wailed.

  “Why are you taking the blame for his dishonesty?”

  “I’m——” She grabbed his collar with two hands and whispered, “Simon, I think I’m a secret slut.”

  His lips tightened as if he were trying not to smile. She didn’t see what was so funny.

  “Don’t laugh at me. I’m being honest here. Telling you my deepest darkest secrets!”

  “I’m not laughing at you, Kat. I’m enjoying your candor.”

  “Well, I enjoyed being with you last night. A lot. I’ve never had one orgasm like that much less two! Ev-er. And there are things I—crave, Simon. Things I shouldn’t. Things I never told Evan or any man. Things I shouldn’t want to do.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like—things …” Heat flushed her cheeks.

  “Like golden showers?”

  “No!”

  “Like with animals?”

  “God, no!”

  “Like with girls?”

  “Ha, wouldn’t you like to watch that?”

  “I might once or twice.”

  “Pig.”

  “I’ve been called worse.” He nudged her. “Like what things?”

  “Like, I think I like to be dominated,” she blurt out. God did she really just say that? Blame it on the tequila!

  He shrugged. “So?” Then his eyes narrowed. “Are you into pain?”

  “No, not like whips and chains pain, but—”

  He nipped at her cheek, and then licked his tongue across it, soothing the sting. “That kind of pain?”

  Katy’s body shivered with warmth. “Y-es.”

  “When you say dominated, do you mean like master slave kind of stuff?”

  “No, I just—like to be told.”

  “What did you like most about last night?”

  She shivered and dropped her gaze to his lap and let the tequila tell the truth on her behalf. “That it was you. That Evan was in control, and that made it okay for me to do what I secretly wanted to do.”

  “Which was?”

  “Enjoy you.”

  “What if I had said no?”

  “Then that would have been the end of it.”

  He nudged her chin up to look at him. “Why did you pick me?”

  “Because after we bumped into each other, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  He grinned. “Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal.”

  She slapped at his arm. “Why did you say yes?”

  “Because after we bumped into each other, I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

  She grinned. “Yeah, I’m kind of a big deal, too.”

  His smile widened. “You are. I had to pull rank on those dogs down there to keep them off your scent.”

  “Yeah? What are you, a sergeant?”

  “Captain.”

  “Are captains allowed to—do what you did?”

  He traced a fingertip along her bottom lip. “Captains can do whatever the hell they want.”

  “Oh.”

  He plucked her lip and said, “I’d lay a big sloppy one on you, but you need to brush your teeth.”

  “Ugh!” She pushed out of his arms and tried to stand. As she swayed backward he reached up and caught her. Standing with her, he handed her a bar of soap.

  “Take a hot shower, you’ll feel better, there’s a robe in the closet.”

  He set out a toothbrush and toothpaste on the sink before he left her to her privacy.

  When she emerged some time later she was shaky on her feet but she felt miles better than she did when she dragged herself into the shower.

  imon was barefoot and dry, except for his damp hair, and half-dressed in a pair of low slung jeans that lovingly hugged his hips and thighs. He was just pulling down a black T-shirt when she caught a glimpse of his washboard abs. She sighed. Evan looked good, but he’d never looked like that. She remembered the feel of Simon’s smooth skin and hard muscles against her. Her body warmed as it remembered other parts of him touching her more intimately.

  “I, ah, need to go to my room,” she stammered. His room was much too small for the two of them and the way she was feeling.

  He pointed to the trays of covered food. “Try to eat something first. And hydrate. There’s plenty of bottled water.”

  Her empty stomach gurgled, but she was too tired to do anything about it. She yawned, too exhausted to do anything but sleep. “Thank you, but I’m too tired to eat. I’m just going to sit down for a minute, then go.” Gratefully she sunk into the massive recliner between the bed and dining table.

  He nodded and walked past her to his laptop on the desk and booted it up. She watched, with swollen, burning eyes, the way his muscles played along his back, and the way his bicep flexed when he clicked the mouse. His fingers were long and thick, and—she squirmed in her chair—talented.

  Her cheeks flamed with heat and she was suddenly overwhelmed by what she had done the night before. How she’d let go completely with this man she didn’t know. How was it that she’d never been so uninhibited with Evan until last night?

  “Stop thinking about how much you want to jump my bones,” he said without turning around.

  She gasped. “Don’t flatter yourself,” she defended

  He turned and speared her with those blazing green eyes. “Your cheeks are as red as your pretty little ass was last night.”

  “Don’t say that,” she whispered, forcing herself not to squirm in her chair.

  He turned back around and hit the keyboard, but asked, “Why can’t I talk about last night?”

  “Because, I—feel foolish.”

  He turned on her then and she could see he wanted to get up and come near her but he instinctively knew she would back away. And she would. She didn’t trust him. Not to not hurt her, but herself with him. He would use her, she would let him, and then he’d be gone.

  “Why? Didn’t you enjoy it?”

  Her cheeks flamed again. “You know I did.”

  “We were consenting adults. No harm, no foul.”

  “You saw me at my most …” she struggled for words. Sex infused? Stupid? Exposed? The woman last night was not the woman she was. She wasn’t like that. She was a poised, controlled, educated scientist who spent more time looking through a microscope and monitoring lab rats than interacting with humans.

  “Vulnerable?” he offered, hitting the nail on the head.

  She swallowed hard and nodded.

  He turned to his computer and said, “If you were my girl, Kat, I would never have put you in that situation.” He turned back to her flashing her a fierce possessive look. “Ever.”

  “I believe you, but why did you really come upstairs with Eva
n and me?”

  His lips twitched before settling in a firm line. “I guess I wanted to see what kind of guy it took to snag a girl like you.”

  She dropped her gaze to her hands. “Not much of one, apparently.”

  “You were lied to.”

  “But I agreed to the dare! He didn’t force me.”

  “I’m glad you did. That was the best sex I’ve had in a long time, maybe ever.”

  “Me too,” she admitted before looking up at him. “I wish you had stayed.”

  “You told me to go.”

  “I’m glad you came back.”

  He smiled. “Me, too.”

  The response unnerved her because she wanted to believe that he was a good guy, but she had a lousy track record when it came to men. “I’ll never trust another man.”

  “Because of one selfish bastard?”

  Evan wasn’t the first man to betray her. Her first love, her father, had gone to the store for a gallon of milk when she was five years old and didn’t return until she was fourteen. He’d brought a new wife and two daughters he doted on with him. Her high-school sweetheart left her for a full ride to Columbia and returned after his first spring break with his fiancé. After he told her he wasn’t the marrying type. Then there was James in medical school, who’d told her she was frigid. She’d believed him because, in her limited experience, she’d never had an orgasm. Then along came Evan. After months of his relentless pursuit, and his promise he wasn’t like other men, she relented and they became lovers. But like his predecessors, he became frustrated when she could not orgasm. Even so, Evan had been patient with her and generous in bed. And then, her heart skipped a beat—there was Simon. She’d had her first orgasm ever with him last night.

  “I don’t do relationships very well.”

  “Maybe you’ve just picked the wrong guys.”

  Her lids had grown heavier as the exhaustion took over. “Maybe,” she said and thought perhaps he was right. Every man in her life that she’d had a relationship with that included sex blamed her lack of orgasm on her frigidity. But the thaw had cometh with Simon. He barely had to touch her and she was flying. Snuggling into the chair, she smiled and closed her eyes. She bet a psychiatrist would have a field day with that.

  When her eyes fluttered open, Katy was confused and disoriented. Early morning sunlight peeked through the semi-drawn drapes. She glanced at the clock. Six-thirty A.M. and her flight didn’t leave until noon. The muffled sound of running water came from the bathroom. Her head pounded, her mouth was dry and she was famished.

  “Oh my God!” She sat up and memories of the night before immediately came flooding back. She was in Simon’s room! She was still wrapped in the robe from last night but was in the bed, under the covers. She looked at the pillows beside her and they were still fresh and plump. Her eyes traveled across the room to the large recliner with a rumpled blanket and mashed pillow sitting on it. He’d slept in a chair? As big as he was? He must be sore as hell!

  She noticed her yoga pants, panties, bra, tennis shoes, and a sweatshirt neatly folded on the nightstand beside her. She ran her fingers through her hair and winced at the knots and the chunks of dried vomit she’d missed. Gross. She slid from the bed, grabbed a bottle of water, and chugged it. She opened the curtains and immediately spied two sets of handcuffs on the desktop next to an empty leather shoulder holster and Simon’s laptop.

  Despite everything she wanted to erase from her mind, the image of her cuffed to the headboard as Simon made love to her shimmered through her. Her nipples pebbled and she wondered if he would think she was kinky. She picked them up and slid her fingertips along the cold metal. Oh the things he would do to her and she’d have no choice but to let him. And she’d want it all and more.

  “Have you ever been restrained?”

  She cried out and turned around, guiltily putting the cuffs behind her back. “That’s not what I was thinking!”

  She gulped as she beheld the sight before her. He only had a towel wrapped around his narrow waist. His chest was a smooth plane of contoured muscle with several intricate tattoos she’d love to trace with her fingertips. And his skin was glistening, with drops of water running lazily from his damp hair. Her gaze dropped as it followed one drop sluicing down his belly to his happy trail. Oh to be that drop of water. She blinked. Oh my, he was aroused. He didn’t make a move toward her. Her gaze rose back to his and she felt like a doe in the crosshairs.

  “Don’t be afraid of me, Kat. I would never hurt you.” He grinned. “I might spank you if you deserved it, and you would like that, wouldn’t you? But never hurt you.”

  “I’m not into bondage.”

  “What about it don’t you like?”

  “The trust part.”

  “The trust part? As in hurting you?”

  “The physical hurting, the emotional blackmailing that can come afterward …”

  “I would never intentionally hurt a woman and never resort to emotional or physical blackmail to keep her under my thumb. Only a coward would resort to that kind of bullshit.” He reached out a hand to her. “Trust me.”

  he swallowed hard and shook her head. “I don’t even know you.”

  “Trust your instincts then.”

  Her instincts screamed to take wild advantage of this man before she had to leave.

  “I have to wash my hair, there’s stuff in it.”

  He stepped away from the door. She hesitated, not knowing what to do with the handcuffs, so she thrust them into his hands, ran into the bathroom, and shut the door. She leaned against it, breathing heavily. Oh dear Lord, how she just wanted to let him have his way with her. She swallowed hard and winced at the rawness of her throat. She would never forget this trip for so many reasons. She needed to get her mind off the hot captain, take a shower, wash her hair, get dressed, and forget she ever met him. As she stepped into the shower she wondered why she was showering here. Why didn’t she just get dressed and go back to her room?

  Once she had washed her hair, she stood beneath the warm blast of water, allowing it to sluice over her body and cleanse her skin. She wished she could cleanse her troubled soul as easily.

  She felt a cool draft of air and knew the door had been opened. She stood still, wondering what he was going to do. Long minutes passed before she opened her eyes and gasped.

  Simon stood at the opening of the walk-in shower, the towel still wrapped around his waist, offering the handcuffs to her.

  If she took them … Her gaze met his and she saw the fire raging in their green depths. He wanted her as badly as she wanted him. If she took the cuffs—she would—oh hell. She would never see him again after this. No one but the two of them would know and her instinct told her she could trust this man not to harm her.

  “All you have to say is yes, sweetheart.”

  She swallowed and backed up toward the showerhead, and slowly raised her arms, crossing her wrists.

  “Jesus, Kat,” he said huskily, stepping into the shower. Gently, he cuffed each wrist with the one set and cuffed them to the showerhead with the other, pulling her body taut, forcing her back flush against the cool marble wall.

  He yanked his towel off and she caught her breath. He was swollen hard, the red head of his beautiful cock glistening with pre-cum.

  “Are you always so ready?” she breathed.

  He reached out and traced his fingers along hers before entwining them as he moved in and lowered his head to her lips. “Only with you.”

  Katy’s body shook violently beneath the warm spray of water. She’d never met a man like Simon. He was not only 100 percent testosterone driven, but he was way out of her league in the beautiful people department. She was a lab rat to his Adonis.

  The anticipation of what he was capable of doing to her sexually was so overwhelmingly thrilling, her stomach flip-flopped as if she were riding the Big Dipper on the Santa Cruz boardwalk. And she knew he could, would deliver. Accepting the handcuffs wasn’t about emotional trust; th
at was something she doubted she would ever give a man again. This was about pure, unadulterated lust. She wanted to experience that same kind of womb-shattering orgasm she had experienced when he’d been fucking her into oblivion two nights ago.

  She was a wanton and she had no desire save for him to take her there again. When she had what she wanted, they would say their good-byes and that would be that. If that made her bad, then she wanted to be bad to the bone. At least once in her life. While the threesome had been epically amazing, what made it that way was Simon. He was the high-water mark of her sex life to date and would most likely hold that honor until the day she died. This was the gold medal round. She’d be a fool to pass it up.

  He pressed his big hard body against her smaller, softer one, pushing her flush against the tile. “Katrina,” he said softly, an edge of want clinging to her name. The way he said it, all deep and slow and sexy, conjured up long breathless nights of tumultuous lovemaking on the beach. Oh, my …

  “Yes, Simon,” she gasped as his teeth scraped lightly along her jugular and his tongue licked over her throat. She closed her eyes as a long low moan slipped from her lips.

  “Tell me what you want.”

  “I want you.”

  He chuckled low, nibbling her neck. “You have me, now what do you want to do with me?”

  She hung helpless, at his mercy, and he wanted to know what she wanted? She didn’t know. She’d never been asked what she liked by a man. Evan had been on a single-minded mission to get her to orgasm. Maybe because they both tried so hard, they had missed something. All along the way, she had been too inhibited to ask. The previous night had blown the top off her sexuality. She’d come so easily with Simon and then Evan right afterward, but only with Evan because she was so primed from Simon. It was all Simon. It had been amazing and if there was one thing she knew for sure—“I want you to take me to the place you took me the other night.”

  His eyes blazed possessively as his hands tightened around her fingers. “I told you I would never share you.”

  “No,” she gasped when he nibbled her chin. He had yet to touch her body with his hands and all she wanted was him all over her. “The orgasm.” Shocking herself that she admitted it, she would not take it back. She wanted what only Simon had been able to give her. “I don’t care how you do it, just take me there again.” She opened her eyes to his brilliant gaze. “Please.”