Dare to Believe: The Gray Court, Book 1

by Dana Marie Bell

  “Double-dog dare ya.” Mandy chuckled wickedly.

  Aw hell. Here we go again.

  Ruby’s spine straightened, her eyes snapping with annoyance and determination. She seized his hand and practically dragged him onto the dance floor. She might not be able to dance in those heels but she could sure as hell stomp in them.

  He was grateful to his guardian angel back there, but what the hell was that all about?

  She turned in his arms in the middle of the dance floor and slapped her hands onto his shoulders hard enough to make him wince. He tried to get her to move with him, but her body didn’t bend. It was like dancing with an exotic piece of wood. Gorgeous but stiff.

  “Relax, Ruby. I don’t bite.” Much, he thought.

  She glared up at him. “Does your date?”

  He smiled, slow and hungry. “I came alone.”

  “Oh.”

  If anything, his answer made her tense up more. The only good part of the dance was the way her satin-covered breasts kept brushing against his chest. He saw the way her nipples beaded and his erection grew even more painful behind the tight leather pants. Thanks to the fact that he was at least a foot taller than Ruby he could see all that wonderful cleavage the corset displayed to maximum advantage. He had a hard time keeping his eyes on her face; hell, a saint would have peeked. She tried to control her breathing, but he could tell she was just as aroused as he was.

  And she was trying desperately to hide it.

  The music shifted into something low and sultry, tempting him into holding her even closer. He leaned down towards her and whispered in her ear on impulse, his voice deliberately low. “Relax and dance with me. I double-dog dare you.”

  She jumped. “Relax and dance with me. I double-dog dare you.”

  Shit.

  She stared up at him and saw the sexy male satisfaction teasing the corners of his lips. His expression was still heated, drifting lazily from her face to her breasts, the dare he’d just issued vivid in his gaze. He didn’t think she’d go through with it, and it showed. Warm curls of excitement unfurled deep in the pit of her stomach. Desire, so rarely aimed at her, held her in its arms. She felt an answering flame deep in the center of her being, challenging her to accept what he was so obviously offering.

  For once, just this once, she was going to go with it, and to hell with the voices in her head telling her he was only playing with someone like her.

  She allowed the desire she felt to unfurl deep within her. She felt it stretch itself, curling through her being like a sensuous cat, causing her nipples to tighten in anticipation. Her panties dampened in response to the heat in his eyes. Her muscles relaxed, caught up in the tingles moving through her whole body. She let her eyelids droop and looked up at him from beneath her lashes. “Like this?”

  Was that sultry whisper my voice? The sane accountant part of her brain was shocked. The wicked little devil that danced in Leo’s arms chortled gleefully as she let her inner sex kitten out to play.

  She began to move to the music. Her hips began to sway, causing her stomach to caress his erection. Oh wow. Is that for me? The feel of his desire only heightened her own. Her breasts rubbed against his chest in a sultry invitation. Her arms reached up languidly to encircle his neck, her fingers tangling in his dark hair, she moved. She closed her eyes, the better to enjoy the music, her face tilted up to his in unconscious invitation. She licked her lips, leaving them wet and pouting and ripe.

  “Damn.” The curse was a husky groan, and her lips curved. One of his hands began stroking up and down her back, moving her body in time to his. She opened her eyes when his hand caressed her ass. His head was tilted down over hers possessively. His other hand kept her firmly up against him, his fingers splayed in her hair. His normal suave mask was gone, leaving behind the look of a hungry predator.

  Holy shit. Her entire body was on fire. He moved one of her hands down to his chest, cradling it in his own. She couldn’t help but caress him, opening her hand to feel the muscles undulating against her palm. Those hard planes and wicked muscles were covered in the finest, warmest silk she’d ever been privileged to touch. His hair was soft, cool to the touch, an erotic counterpoint to the strength in his back and neck. When she felt him bend down to her it didn’t even occur to her to pull back. The thought of finally tasting his kiss was almost enough to bring her to her knees.

  The first brush of his lips against hers was the most incredible thing she’d ever felt in her life. He kept the kisses light, fleeting, brushing at her mouth the way his cock brushed against her stomach, teasing her with what lay beneath both his lips and the leather. The hand caressing her ass was both possessive and gentle. She looked up at him, stunned at the ferocious desire he’d managed to pull from her with just a few touches. The desire stamped across his features brought her to her senses with a jolt.

  What the hell am I doing? This is my boss!

  With a gasp, she pulled away. “The dance is over.” Turning on her heel, her cheeks heated with embarrassment, she practically ran off the dance floor and headed straight for the ladies’ room.

  She told herself it wasn’t that she was hiding from Leo. After all, she had to do something about her wet panties or she was going to wind up staining her expensive leather skirt. Right?

  Too bad I don’t believe myself. She threw open the bathroom door and bolted inside like the little chicken she knew she was, grateful she hadn’t broken her neck in her mad, stumbling, boots-from-hell dash across the room.

  Chapter Two

  What the hell is she doing?

  Leo watched as his little imp left him standing in the middle of the dance floor. His cock was hard and aching and his mind totally confused. “Shit.”

  “Ruby’s shy.”

  He turned towards Mandy, who was dancing with Dave from Marketing. Dave was currently dressed as a Viking, an easy choice with his blond good looks.

  Leo cocked one eyebrow at Mandy and received a glare in return. “Seriously. She’s shy. I had to double-dog dare her to wear that outfit. Do you think Little Miss Conservative would have worn it otherwise?”

  His gaze traveled back to his little devil just in time to see her disappear into the ladies’ room. Oh, no you don’t. No more running away. He looked back at Mandy, winked, and sauntered after his devil, determined that this time she wouldn’t avoid him.

  Before he got two steps, his guardian angel grasped his arm. “By the way, she doesn’t think she’s attractive.”

  He turned, astonished, and stared at her in total disbelief. Ruby was one of the sexiest women he’d ever seen. She shrugged. “There’s a history there, some stuff even I don’t know about, but it’s true. She thinks she’s short and fat.”

  She thinks what? The image of her in that racy corset, and that seductive skirt, with those sexy boots…how could she think she was fat? She wasn’t fat, she was perfect. He took a deep breath and let it out. “Thanks, Amanda. I appreciate all your help.”

  “No problem. But, just so you know, boss or no boss, you hurt her and I’ll hire some really burly guys to rip your head off and shit down your neck.”

  She smirked and danced off in the arms of the Viking, leaving Leo with a bemused expression on his face. Turning back to the ladies’ room, he stalked across the floor, dodging the social groups littering its edges. He side-stepped the rather blatant come-on of a slightly drunk redhead, hoping she was one of the employees taking advantage of the free rooms. With a wink and a shrug, he pointed to the ladies’ room. She sighed wistfully and headed for the bar, leaving him standing in shadows.

  Leo crossed his arms and waited for Ruby to come back to him. It had taken him weeks to put this plan into action. There was no way in hell he was letting her walk away from him tonight. Not until he knew for sure whether or not she was the one. But from the way his body and mind were reacting, he was pretty sure of the outcome. Now all he had to do was claim her. He grinned at the door, eager to confirm what every sense already told h
im was true.

  Ruby didn’t know whether it was possible to die of embarrassment or not. She was so flushed and hot from her erotic dance with her boss (her boss for Christ’s sake!) that she was literally shaking.

  “Hey, nice! We all wondered who would finally capture Leo’s attention.” Suzanne, the accounting department’s secretary, gave her a thumbs-up on entering the bathroom.

  Ruby bit her lip. “I haven’t captured his attention!”

  Suzanne laughed. “Wanna bet? He’s standing outside the ladies’ room, and I doubt he’s waiting for me!” With that she entered a stall.

  Ruby sighed.

  “Oh, by the way, he said you should come out, and he double-dog dares you.”

  Shit.

  He was watching the door, waiting for Suzanne to deliver his message. Ruby popped her head out long enough to stick out her tongue, darting back in before he could grab a hold of her. She could hear him laughing through the closed doors.

  He laughed. I stuck my tongue out at him like a ten-year-old, and he laughed.

  “Aw, c’mon, Ruby!” She could hear the laughter in his voice, could almost picture the bad little boy smile that would be on his face. “Come dance with me again? Pleeease?”

  Something inside her eased a bit. His laugh had been genuine, not the kind that hurt, but the kind that wanted you to share in it. She was tempted to peek back out but odds were good he’d be a little closer to the door this time. She wondered if she could just wait here until the party was over.

  No. Way too juvenile. Besides, with the way he was acting, he might just come in and try to fetch her. Or worse, send in Mandy. With a sigh she straightened both her horns, and her spine, and drifted to the door.

  “Good luck!” Suzanne stepped out of the stall with a smirk and headed for the sinks.

  “Thanks,” Ruby muttered, opening the door a crack and peeking out. She’d barely got the door opened when a strong, masculine hand snaked in, grabbed her by the arm, and yanked her out. Pulling her behind him, Leo headed back to the dance floor. Wrapping her securely in his arms, he grinned down at her. “Gotcha.”

  “I thought you were supposed to be the devil, not a caveman,” she grumbled, trying not to notice how good he smelled and failing miserably.

  “I’m not Lucifer. I’m just a very horny guy.”

  Ruby stared up at him, her jaw dropping in shock. She didn’t know whether to laugh or scream for help. “I can’t believe you just said that.” A wicked grin teased his lips. “Wait, scratch that. Yes I can.”

  He laughed, hugging her closer, his head bending over hers in a move that screamed possession. His hands roamed down her back, landed on her ass and squeezed. “Believe it,” he whispered, rocking her closer to his aching erection.

  He leaned down and kissed her. And not those light, butterfly kisses he’d given her earlier. Oh no. This time it seemed like he was intent on licking her toes through her mouth.

  Shock raced through her system. Oh my God, I’m being kissed by Leo Dunne! Either he’s lost a bet, his mind, or…

  He plundered her mouth and she lost her train of thought, caught up in the heat and wonder of Leo’s desire.

  When his tongue darted between her lips to dance with hers she moaned, and it was all he could do to keep his hands steady. Little flickers of light danced behind his eyes, his magic almost pulling out of his control. Something clicked into place inside him. His veins bubbled with joy, tenderness towards the petite woman in his arms filling him to damn near overflowing. Gods above, I knew it! She’s the one! He pulled away from the kiss, breathing hard, mind reeling from the knowledge that he’d finally, finally found the one woman born to be his.

  Ruby gulped, her face full of stunned heat. “Help?”

  He leaned down quickly and licked the tender joining of her neck and shoulder. He felt her tremble under his hands. Oh, a hot spot. I’ll have to explore that later. “Glad to.” He heard the hint of Irish in his voice and couldn’t care less. He had his woman in his arms and all was right with the world.

  The slow music they’d been drifting to gave way to something a bit more energetic. Leo lifted his head and looked around the room for a tall, blonde angel. Finding Mandy occupied with her Viking, Leo decided to make his move. He took his little devil by the hand and pulled her towards the ballroom door.

  “Where are we going?”

  He could hear the nerves in her voice but when he glanced back her expression was amused. She clutched his hand, trying to keep her balance in those sexy-as-sin four-inch heels. When she tripped and righted herself he frowned, resisting the urge to just pick her up and carry her. He didn’t think she’d go for that quite yet, although his inner caveman would be more than happy. “Somewhere private.”

  She yanked back hard on his hand, stopping him in his tracks. “Hold up there, buddy. I’m not sure this is such a good idea.”

  He turned and looked down at her, trying his best to look harmless. “I just want to talk, away from all the noise. Don’t you want to get out of those boots for a bit without worrying about getting your toes stepped on?”

  He saw the indecision on her face, the teasing light leaving her eyes. “You’ve got a certain reputation around the company, Leo. Let’s face it, I’m not exactly your type. Even if I was, I wouldn’t want to be another notch on the old bedpost.”

  He actually felt his cheekbones heat up. He cleared his throat, trying to figure out how to get her to agree to leave the party with him. “If I promise not to touch you without your permission, will you come with me?”

  She bit her lip, clearly undecided.

  “I give you my word I won’t do anything you don’t want me to do.” He held up one hand and pressed it against his heart, striking a theatrically wounded pose. “Don’t you trust me?”

  To his delight she lifted one skeptical eyebrow. He laughed, dropping the pose. “My word is gold, and you know it.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “Promise?”

  “Promise.” That my word is gold, darlin’. He caught a whiff of her wonderful scent and nearly groaned. His hand tightened around hers, daring her to make a break for it.

  “Well, all right.” She was frowning. He beamed angelically and pulled her along behind him, not giving her a chance to throw up any more obstacles.

  Once out of the ballroom he headed straight for the elevators. “I’m not planning on staying the night,” she muttered, biting her lip.

  He wasn’t surprised she’d said that, considering what she considered his reputation to be. The fact that his reputation was mostly exaggerated didn’t matter, only what she perceived it to be did. He’d have to figure out a way to fix that. “That’s all right. I wasn’t planning on it either.” Planning, no. Hoping, yes.

  She looked a little more relaxed, so he decided not to enlighten her.

  They stepped into the elevator and he pressed the button for the penthouse, resisting the childish urge to punch the sky and shout Yes!

  The penthouse was absolutely amazing, with gold-papered walls, rich, burgundy fabrics covering the sofa and chairs and a mahogany entertainment center. A small kitchenette was off to her left complete with a small table and two chairs. She assumed, the bedroom was off to the right. The entire back wall of the room was made of glass, affording her an incredible view of the city below, all lit up for the night like the world’s largest Christmas tree. The carpet beneath her poor, sore feet was soft and plush, a warm honey tone that complimented the walls.

  With a deep sigh of satisfaction, Ruby plopped down on the sofa and considered taking her boots off. Leo watched her for a moment, looking uncertain, like she might just up and run away from him. When she reached down and began easing down the zipper on her boot, she could have sworn she heard a sigh of relief. She looked at him, curious, but he had his back to her and was busy pouring them both a drink. She took both boots and set them under the end table, wiggling her toes in the thick, decadent carpet with a quickly muffled moan. Damn it f
elt good to get those stupid boots off.

  Leo handed her the glass of cola and sat on the coffee table in front of her. “I noticed at the last office party that you don’t drink very much, so I thought you’d appreciate this.”

  She was surprised he’d noticed her or that he remembered. The last office party had been about six weeks ago, a retirement party for one of the IT guys. She’d done her best to stick to the shadows, avoiding anywhere Leo was. She hadn’t wanted to make a fool of herself by drooling on him. Besides, he’d brought some blonde harpy with him. The woman had made faces all through the party, making it clear that she would much rather be somewhere alone with Leo.

  Ruby was absurdly pleased he’d noticed despite his date’s attempts to hold his attention. She saw he had the other half of the soda in his glass, and her smile turned to a grin. When he held the glass up in a silent toast, she tossed her hair back and clinked her glass to his before taking a sip.

  “So, tell me about yourself.” She tilted her head at him and he shrugged. “I know something about every single employee in the firm except you. You are a total enigma.”

  Ruby bit her lip and sighed. He was right. She’d gone out of her way to avoid him. “Let’s see. I’m twenty-four, never been married, have a bachelor’s degree from VSU, and, um, I live alone except for my cat, Cliona.”

  He choked on a mouthful of soda. “C-Cliona?”

  She pounded him on the back. She didn’t know many grown men who were willing to admit to liking fairy tales. “You like Irish fairy tales?”

  She could sense he was struggling with a laugh and wondered at it. “You could say that. My parents are both Irish. Why did you name your cat after a fairy queen?”

  “She’s a cat, therefore she’s a queen already.” Ruby shrugged, wondering why she was slightly embarrassed. “I liked the name, and the legend.”

  “She ran away from Tir Nan Og with a mortal lover, only to have the fairies steal her back.”