“Your underwear will be more than enough to make sure it doesn’t slip out and fall on the floor.”
“But surely someone will hear.”
“The remote’s louder, and I’ll be the one holding on to that.”
“And torturing me.”
“And pleasuring you.”
“But what if—” She blushed and didn’t finish that thought.
“What if what?”
Pepper turned to the stove and picked up a wooden spoon. She stirred a pot of pasta before scooping out a piece to test. I couldn’t decide if she was avoiding answering me or simply hadn’t decided what her answer should be.
After she’d strained the pasta through a colander, she met my eyes and said, “What if I come?”
I tried not to smile, because she was genuinely concerned about it and I didn’t want her to think I was laughing at her. “That’s part of the excitement, isn’t it? What if someone hears? What if you get too into it and can’t hold back? What if—”
“That kind of thing really excites you?” she cut in.
“It does.” More than I could ever explain to her. She needed to experience it for herself to be able to understand it. I never would have expected I’d be into things like that until that party when my ex had me spank her in front of everyone. That one night had opened up a whole new world of possibilities to me, however, and I’d never looked back.
Pepper transferred the pasta into a skillet full of fragrant sauce and stirred it all together with the same wooden spoon. She grated some fresh parmesan cheese over the top and stirred some more, then took out a small spoon and tasted her latest concoction.
When she came back to the bar, her eyes were full of conflict.
Which left me at odds with myself. I desperately wanted to broaden Pepper’s horizons and introduce new experiences to our sex life, but I didn’t have any intention of pushing her into something she was truly uncomfortable with.
But there was one thing I could do, one trick left in my arsenal, that could help my cause if it wasn’t something she intended to dig in her heels over.
“Dare you,” I said.
Her glare was filled with fire.
Ten
Pepper
Jackson didn’t fight fair. Not that this was news or anything, but reminding myself of his devious, underhanded ways was helping me get through this damn party. Turning it into a dare had all but insured that I would go along with his plan.
He did have a point, even if I wasn’t inclined to let him know he’d been right. The vibrator had been distracting me all night, which helped immensely when it came to dealing with all of these strangers, even though it brought on a whole new set of worries.
I glared across the snack-laden table in Jackson’s direction. He grinned and reached into his pocket, and I immediately wished I hadn’t done that. Within seconds, the vibrator buzzed back to life, and I had to bite down on the inside of my cheek to avoid jumping out of my skin.
“So you’re going to be catering?” Clara Barnes asked me, sounding both curious and interested as she filled her plate with more fruit and cheese. She was a leggy brunette, much like the women Jackson used to date, but his eyes hadn’t landed on her once the whole night, other than when he’d introduced me to Clara and her husband, who’d hosted the party. In fact, he’d hardly looked at anyone but me.
“Not catering. Making individual meals for athletes who don’t want to cook, or maybe who don’t have the skill or time to do it for themselves.” I squeezed my thighs together, wishing I were anywhere but here doing anything but this. No, that wasn’t entirely true. I wished I were back at Jackson’s house, with him, in his bed. Anything else at present would drive me absolutely crazy, just like this was. “People like Jackson. Guys who live on their own and only survive because of someone else preparing their food for them. It’ll give them more variety and better nutrition, but with convenience in mind.”
“You wouldn’t rather do something with gymnastics, like coach?” she asked.
“There’s definitely part of me that wants to still be involved in that world, but I think being around those girls would hurt too much right now. It’s too soon. I still want to be doing what they’re doing, but I can’t.”
“Too bad.” Clara took a sip of her wine. I was tempted to fix a drink for myself, but I’d promised Jackson I’d stay sober for later. Clara eyed me over her glass. “I’ve got two little girls who want to start taking gymnastics classes. They’ve been seeing it a lot on TV, with the Summer Games coming up.”
“I could recommend a program,” I said. I’d looked into it before flying down, even though I knew there wasn’t any point for me. Old dreams die hard even when new dreams come along to take their places. But I could help Clara get her daughters into the right gym, and it wouldn’t be any skin off my back.
“I’d appreciate that. And I’m sure I could help you find a few clients for your new business. Jason and I’ve been here for over a decade now.” She carried her plate and glass into her living room and took a seat on the couch, waiting for me to follow her.
I did, even though that took me away from the safety of the snack table and put me in the middle of the activity. Jackson smirked as we walked past him, but he adjusted the settings on the vibrator until it was down to a low hum. I sat carefully, overly aware of exactly how my changing position affected the angle of the vibe. Once I was fully seated, I let out a tiny sigh of relief.
I might not be on the verge of searching for a spork to gouge out my eyes, but I still hoped he’d come to collect me so we could leave sooner rather than later. Because once we got back to his place, I fully intended to jump his bones.
~ * ~ * ~
“That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Jackson said once we were alone in his car on the way back to his place.
I shot him a nasty look. “Drive faster.”
He chuckled, slipping his right hand over my bare knee. I bit my lower lip, torn between the urge to drag his hand higher and slapping it away in frustration. But then he nudged aside the hem of my skirt and inched his fingers into the space between my thighs, and it was all I could do to stay in my seat. The urge to forget we were in a moving vehicle and climb over his lap was almost unbearable.
I glanced over to the digital readings on the dashboard. He was going five miles per hour below the speed limit. Jerk. But at least the damn vibrator’s battery had run out, so it wasn’t driving me up the wall with need at the moment. Jackson had already done more than enough of that for tonight without needing any more assistance on that score. The instant he put his hands on me, I was sure I’d explode.
If we could ever get to that point.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he said, pulling out into traffic and—blessedly—picking up some speed.
“If it’s more kinky stuff—”
“I want you to live with me,” he cut in before I could get a full head of steam going.
“I already am living with you.”
“I know, but when you came down, it was only supposed to be temporary. You were going to stay while I helped you figure out what you were going to do, get your feet underneath you. Get a job, all that jazz, but then you were going to find your own place. But I don’t want it to be temporary anymore. I want us to live together. Hell, I want more than that, but it’s only been a few days since we finally admitted how we feel about each other, so I don’t think we need to rush into anything. But you living with me…I don’t think that’s rushing into anything. We already know each other better than anyone else ever could. It’s just the natural next step, the way I see it.”
“Oh.” I hadn’t expected that. I’d been thinking he was going to go back to the whole spanking thing or something else I had absolutely no interest in. His speech had robbed me of breath.
“Oh? That’s all you have to say?” He finally turned into the driveway at his house. Once he’d put the car in park inside the garage, he faced me, brows raised, lips upturned.
“Well, you threw me off! I expected you to reveal you had a secret room full of crazy sex toys or something—”
“I could arrange for that if you want. We could turn the room you’ve been sleeping in into a sex den. Actually, I was thinking about getting some special furniture—”
I held up a hand. “Stop right there. Special furniture.”
He stifled a laugh. “Pillows, to be more precise. Big ones. They’ve got these wedges and things. Considering our height differences, I thought they might make things a bit more comfortable for both of us.”
“Oh,” I said again. Good grief, I wasn’t used to running out of things to say to him.
“Back to oh again, are we?”
I punched him in the arm. Then I pouted, because it hurt my hand, and I had no doubt he’d barely felt it. Probably felt like a gnat, flittering around and annoying him instead of doing any sort of real damage.
Jackson laughed, and the next thing I knew, I was laughing along with him.
“So will you?” he asked. “Come live with me? We can talk about the pillows and whatnot—”
“I will if you’ll take me inside and finally finish what you started hours ago,” I cut in.
“I can’t think of anything I’d rather do.”
In no time, we were out of the car and in the house. Jackson picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder, holding my legs in place with one hand while my head dangled behind his back. He used his other hand to shove my skirt out of the way so he could knead my butt, and I groaned.
“Do you have any idea how hot you look?” he asked, kicking the bedroom door closed as the cats made their way out. “You were driving me crazy all night.”
“Driving you crazy? Who’s the one with the remote control in his pocket?”
“Too bad the battery didn’t last longer.” He laid me on the bed, and we both went to work, frantically removing bits of clothing and tossing everything to the side. When his finger hooked under both my panties and the vibrator at the same time, I nearly jumped out of my skin as well as my clothes.
“God, you’re so wet.” He tugged the final bits down my legs and reached for my waist to flip me around until I was on my knees facing away from him. He splayed both palms over my breasts, and I tossed my head back in ecstasy.
“Hurry,” I begged. I couldn’t seem to stop panting. I arched my back, pushing my bottom back toward him.
His cock pulsed at the contact.
Jackson’s hands roamed all over my body, rough and possessive. Most of the time, I’d be glad for him taking so much care in getting me ready. Not tonight. I’d been ready for him for hours. At this point, everything he did only delayed things. It felt more like torture than pleasure. I whimpered in protest when he dragged a fingertip through my slick folds and swirled it around my clit.
“Impatient,” he murmured, his lips pressed against my shoulder.
“You’re killing me.”
He pinched my butt cheek and backed away so suddenly I almost fell backward off the bed. “Don’t move,” he said. “And definitely don’t fall.”
“No promises.”
“Don’t I know it.”
I leaned forward and put a hand on the mattress to steady myself, glancing over my shoulder to see what was taking him so long. Not that it was all that long. He only needed a moment to take a condom out of his nightstand drawer and settle it in place, but that moment had me going out of my mind with need.
But then he was behind me again. He spread my knees apart, lowering me to the proper height. Then, placing one hand on my hip, he situated his cock at my opening. With one good thrust, he filled me completely. I moaned in pleasure, unable to maintain any semblance of sanity as he slammed home repeatedly.
Jackson fisted a hand in my hair and tugged me upright so he could kiss me hard and deep. Even after he broke off the kiss, he held me so that I had to look up at him, his other hand teasing my clit until I crashed headfirst into the most devastating orgasm I’d ever experienced. My whole body went boneless and I fell back into Jackson.
He caught me and held me close. He’d always been there to catch me when I fell, figuratively if not literally. And now he was there in a physical sense, too.
Maybe this was how things were always meant to be between us. Best friends, but with so much more. With everything, in fact.
He kissed me again, picking me up in his arms and settling me on the pillows before coming down over me. “I love you more than I could ever tell you, Pepper.”
I spread my thighs and accepted him inside every part of me—my body, my life, and my heart. “I love you, too.” I’d loved him for as long as I could remember. Now there was no reason to keep it to myself, and there never would be again.
About the Author
Catherine Gayle is a USA Today bestselling author of more than thirty contemporary hockey romance and Regency-set historical romance novels and novellas, with more than half a million books sold. She’s a transplanted Texan living in North Carolina with two extremely spoiled felines. In her spare time, she watches way too much hockey and reality TV, plans fun things to do for the Nephew Monster’s next visit, and performs experiments in the kitchen which are rarely toxic.
If you enjoyed this book and want to know when more like it will be available, be sure to sign up for Catherine’s mailing list. As a thank you for joining the mailing list, you’ll also receive ICE BREAKER, a Portland Storm prequel short story you can’t get anywhere else. You can find out more on her website, her blog, at The Sin Bin, at Hockey Romance, at Facebook, on Twitter, at Instagram, and at Goodreads. If you want to see some of her cats’ antics and possibly the occasional video update from Catherine, visit her YouTube account.
DREAMING UP A DARE is a novella by USA Today bestselling author Catherine Gayle, set in the Carly Phillips Dare to Love Kindle World.
Catherine also has two ongoing hockey romance series: the emotional Portland Storm series and the sexy Tulsa Thunderbirds series. If you enjoy this book, look for the following:
The Portland Storm Series
BREAKAWAY
ON THE FLY
TAKING A SHOT
LIGHT THE LAMP
DELAY OF GAME
DOUBLE MAJOR
IN THE ZONE
HOLIDAY HAT TRICK
COMEBACK
DROPPING GLOVES
HOME ICE
MISTLETOE MISCONDUCT
LOSING AN EDGE
GAME BREAKER
DEFENSIVE ZONE
POWER PLAY
There are also currently two boxed sets of books within the series, if you would prefer to purchase them in that way.
PORTLAND STORM: THE FIRST PERIOD (Contains Breakaway, On the Fly, Taking a Shot, and Light the Lamp)
PORTLAND STORM: THE SECOND PERIOD (Contains Delay of Game, Double Major, In the Zone, Holiday Hat Trick, and Comeback)
The Tulsa Thunderbirds Series
BURY THE HATCHET
SMOKE SIGNALS
GHOST DANCE
RITES OF PASSAGE
Want to join in the conversation? Join Cat’s House on Facebook to discuss Catherine’s books with other readers.
Interested in buying your own customizable Portland Storm and Tulsa Thunderbirds jerseys, T-shirts, and more? Find out how here.
Other Dare to Love Series July 2016 Releases
If you enjoyed Dreaming Up a Dare, look for these other July, 2016 releases in the Dare to Love Kindle World.
Do you Dare by Chris Keniston
Billionaire businessman Chancellor Winston can pay for anything he needs…or wants. When his college buddy, Ian Dare, challenges him to experience how 'normal people' live by posing as an employee at the South Florida resort Chance's company just acquired, Chance can't resist. But having it all doesn't mean he knows it all. Undercover and in over his head, Chance is learning money can’t buy everything—especially love.
Single mother Faith Gifford is walking on eggshells. The resort wher
e she's the Head of Housekeeping has sold. Sweeping changes are coming and her job might be on the chopping block. When she meets the new management trainee, the attraction is palpable and the heat undeniable. He's even great with her young son. Faith is falling fast, but when Chance's secret comes to light, will it prove to be the one bridge they can’t cross?
Daring to Win by Jami Davenport
One day away from living on the streets, former pro football player Jake Hudgins has sunk to an all-time low. When he's offered a job in a fledging program to transition athletes at the end of their playing careers, he jumps on it, even though the offer was made to the financially-sound man he'd once been, not the broke one he is now. Taxed with being a good example for young athletes, Jake is a fraud, and his co-worker is suspicious.
Aggie Hermann has come to terms with never being a size 6 or even a size 12. She's made peace with her body and avoids men who see women as objects instead of looking deeper. Her new coworker, Jake, appears to be the superficial variety, and he has a secret. Aggie's certain of that, even as she struggles with the irresistible attraction between them.
Working closely together to get the job done ignites Jake and Aggie's passion until the resulting fire is sure to burn them both. Can their love survive the fallout when Jake's secret is revealed, or will it be reduced to ashes?
Dare’s Wild by Parker Kincade
Hotshot tight end Tanner Wild gives new meaning to the phrase play hard. Living the high life in Los Angeles, he blew through clubs and women as fast as he took down a defensive end—until his antics off the field landed him on the chopping block. A wild card no team was willing to play, save one—the Miami Thunder, his hometown team.
Out of options, Tanner returns to Miami, bitter in the face of the ramifications brought on by his own behavior, not to mention the memories of his high school sweetheart. The only woman he’s ever loved. The woman he spent the last ten years trying to forget.
Dare To Love Series: Dreaming Up a Dare (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 8
