Fierce Shadows: Shadows Landing #4

by Kathleen Brooks

  “You okay?” Skeeter asked. Harper almost jumped with surprise. She’d been lost in sexual fantasies instead of paying attention to the real world.

  “Yeah,” she said a little too squeakily. She cleared her throat and then smiled at Skeeter. “I’m great.”

  Her whole body reacted when seconds later she heard the loud purr of a motorcycle engine turn off in front of the bar. Harper might have held her breath until the door opened and Dare strolled in.

  He stopped as soon as he saw her and his lips tipped up into a smile that sent a rolling wave of heat through her whole body.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine, Skeeter.” Harper’s voice came out sounding strangled and not fine at all.

  “Are you sure? You’re all red and you might even be sweating.”

  Harper clenched her jaw and forced herself to take a deep breath as she walked over to the far end of the bar and leaned across the bar top. “What can I do you for, stranger?”

  Dare’s grin widened as he leaned forward and let his eyes go slowly down to the ample cleavage she was putting on display in her scoop-necked dress. His eyes rose to hers and Harper smirked back. She already knew his answer and she realized she was having fun. It was fun to flirt verbally with him.

  “I think you know the answer to that question,” Dare said, his eyes never leaving hers. “I thought we could go to dinner at the Lowcountry Smokehouse.”

  Harper nodded as she made her way around and out from behind the bar. “Skeeter’s covering for me for the night. I’m all yours.”

  “I like the sound of that.” Dare rested his hand on the small of her back, but then lowered it just a smidge so that his pinky was rubbing up and down over the top of her butt cheeks. “Especially since I’m already yours. Now, you might want to come close. I’d hate for you to get wet right now.”

  Harper knew her face was red. The way he said it left her with no doubt that Dare wasn’t talking about the weather. He opened the door and Harper let out a burst of laughter. It was raining.

  Dare had covered his bike and reached under the cover to pull out a small pop-up umbrella. “You okay with walking in the rain?” Dare hoped so. It was just another reason to hold her close to him so that they could fit under the umbrella.

  “Of course. I love my town at night in the rain.”

  Dare stepped back to the door and lifted the umbrella over Harper’s head. He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He couldn’t fit under the umbrella all the way, but he didn’t care as one half of his body felt the pitter-patter of the rain. Dare looked down Main Street toward the restaurant. “I see why you love it. It suddenly feels as if you’ve been transported back in time.”

  The warm yellow glow of the antique-looking lamps combined with the buildings that were hundreds of years old made him think the possibility of running into a pirate ghost wasn’t so far-fetched.

  A blur of white crossed Dare’s peripheral vision. His head snapped to the left as his eyes slowly scanned the area.

  “What is it?” Harper asked as she looked across the street at the church.

  “I thought I saw someone in white.”

  Harper chuckled at him. “You believe in ghosts? Skeeter says they’re unsettled right now.”

  “You didn’t see anything?” Dare asked while his eyes kept scanning the area.

  “Nope, but Anne Bonny visited the bar. It was enough to cause shivers down my back, and they weren’t the kind that you give me. This was the feeling of someone walking on your grave. It’s why I texted you.”

  Dare pulled Harper closer to him. He’d keep her safe from men, women, or spirits. “How’s working with Roy Lee and Austin? I was hoping I’d be doing some deliveries here, but so far I’ve been paying my dues as the low man on the totem pole.”

  “They’re nice enough. Skeeter scared them to death with ghost talks. I’ve tested every bottle and every keg they’ve delivered, and there’s not a single sign of tampering, watering down, or methanol lacing.”

  “How are you testing for methanol?” Dare asked as they walked past her cousin’s museum. The soft glow of the window display lights lit up an old cutlass, a beautiful ruby necklace, and some gold.

  “I ordered a kit. I just dip it in a tiny sample and it’ll indicate if there’s any methanol present. Seemed more accurate than setting it on fire to see if it burns a different color.”

  “That’s so sexy,” Dare told her before placing a kiss on the top of her head.

  “What is?”

  “Your intelligence. So, the distributors are giving you the real thing. The question is, are they giving the real thing to the resort or is it the resort that’s cutting it?”

  Dare ran through all the options as they walked past the diner and looked to cross the street.

  “You’ll find the answer,” Harper told him as she leaned into him. “But tonight I don’t want to think about it. I’m just happy to have you to myself for the whole night.”

  Dare looked down at her and smiled. Her confidence in him was the best feeling in the world. “I believe I have some promises to live up to.”

  “You better believe I’ll hold you to them, over and over, all night long.”

  Dare slowed as he wondered if dinner was really necessary. The way Harper teased him back was better than any aphrodisiac. When he looked down at her, she winked and then laughed. Her head fell back as they laughed at each other. Here they were, adults, but so playful with each other. It was fun being with her because Harper was more than his girlfriend. She was his friend.

  Dinner was fantastic even if the owner, Earl, who strangely resembled Santa Claus, came out to stare in disbelief at the sight of Harper Faulkner out on a date. They talked, they laughed, and they told stories. The rain had stopped by the time they left. Dare couldn’t remember having a better night.

  As they walked by the bar, Dare heard raised voices of people having fun. He saw the smile stretch across Harper’s face and bet she didn’t realize she was doing it. “I love how happy your bar makes you.”

  Harper looked at him with surprise but then smiled again. “It’s my favorite place to be. It’s so much more than a place to drink. It’s where friends and family gather. It’s where town politics get hashed out. It’s where parties are held. It’s where people come to mourn. It’s the heart of the town.”

  “It’s not the bar that’s the heart of the town. It’s you, Harper.”

  “Me?” Harper asked, surprised.

  “Yes, you. You make them feel welcome, appreciated, and loved. You take care of them when they cry, when they need advice, or when they want nothing more than to cut loose.”

  Harper was quiet for a moment as she indicated he should bring his bike with him. He followed her behind the bar and then she stopped walking. “I’d never seen myself like that before.”

  “I see you, Harper. All of you. It’s one of the many things I respect about you.”

  She looked embarrassed, but Dare wasn’t embarrassed at saying it. He had a feeling Harper didn’t go around looking for praise. In fact, Dare was sure she’d run from it.

  “You can leave your bike there. My house is right through this gate.”

  Dare parked his bike and reached for Harper’s hand. Yes he wanted nothing more than to sink into her hard and fast, but what was more important to him was that tonight he showed Harper all the feelings he had for her that he wasn’t yet able to put to words. Dare was going to make sure he showed her how special she was to him.

  21

  Harper slid her key into the lock. This was big for her. She’d never invited a man she was seeing to her house before. She liked to keep her private life separate from her town life. Not with Dare. With Dare she wanted him to be a part of her private and public life.

  Harper pushed the door opened and flipped on the lights. “What the hell?”

  Harper stared down at the ground. Sunset orange and white gauze ribbons were twine
d together. She followed the path of the ribbons with her eyes as it wrapped its way around her banister until she lost sight of it upstairs.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I let myself in before I picked you up.”

  Dare was standing so close behind her that when she looked down, she saw his feet bracketing hers. His hands were on her shoulders, his breath on her neck, and his lips on the soft skin behind her ear. Harper shivered and burned at the same time.

  “Who let you in?” Please don’t let it be her brother. She’d never hear the end of it.

  “Sweetheart, my fingers are like magic. I can pick a lock just as fast as I can have you undressed and screaming my name. Now, the choice is yours. Follow the trail or turn right and we spend the evening with you in my arms watching movies on the couch.”

  Suddenly Dare’s hand was in front of her with three movies held like a fan between his fingers. He wasn’t just saying it. He was giving her control to pick. She didn’t feel pressured; it was the most romantic gesture he could make.

  Harper didn’t say a word as she took the movies from his hand. He smiled at her and settled his arm around her shoulder as he began to turn toward the living room. Harper didn’t move. Instead, she dropped the movies on the bottom step before she went up a few stairs. Harper turned and held out her hand to him in silent invitation. The smile on Dare’s face when he realized what she was offering had her smiling as everything in her felt . . . right. There was no question this was where she should be and who she should be with.

  Suddenly, Dare’s smile turned into a smirk. Before Harper could ask what was going on, she was in his arms. She wrapped her arms around his neck and laughed as he carried her upstairs.

  Harper saw the ribbons lead down the hall and stop outside her bedroom door. Dare carried her inside and found battery-operated faux candles flickering on each nightstand and three across a table that sat opposite the bed. Her eyes then moved to the bed and her heart filled. The bed was covered in orange rose petals. The smell from the petals floated around the room, caressing and encompassing them in their scent.

  “You do know I’m not a Clemson fan, right?”

  Dare shook his head in amusement at her. “This isn’t about sports, love. I learned that orange roses are unique, just like you. Giving orange roses to someone means you’re excited and passionate about what the future might hold. There’s nothing better to describe my feelings for you,” Dare whispered with his forehead pressed against hers. His lips were almost touching hers as he spoke. “When I’m with you, I feel like a new man ready to race into a new future with you by my side.”

  Harper struggled to find the right words. She ended up pulling his head to hers and kissing him with all the feelings she had for him. It wasn’t a frantic kiss, but a kiss so deep that she found herself falling deeper and deeper into it until she was frustrated when they couldn’t get any closer.

  She needed to feel his skin against hers. She needed to feel his weight on her as they became one. “Dare.” The panted word was a plea, and thank goodness Dare knew what she needed.

  He laid her reverently on the petals. The scent of them was stronger now that she was lying among them. In the flickering light of the candles, he stood and she felt the loss of his body so badly that she reached for him.

  His eyes didn’t leave hers as he pulled his shirt off. Harper rose onto her elbows to watch. She’d seen him without his shirt on before, but this was different. This time she knew she was going to run her fingers over his chest and down the peaks and valleys of his abs. Harper’s fingers bunched in the sheets to keep from reaching out to him.

  Dare kicked off his shoes before unbuttoning his jeans and then in one movement, his jeans and underwear were gone. Harper reached for him now and she sighed as she finally felt his weight on her. “Hurry,” she gasped when he moved his lips from hers and began to trail them down her neck. His stubble rubbed against her exposed chest in her scoop-neck dress that seemed to heat her body even more.

  “I have a promise to uphold, remember. I can’t take your panties off until—”

  “I know! And you don’t need to wait anymore.”

  “Oh, I think I need to make sure. I would hate to break a promise,” Dare said as he pushed up onto his arms and smiled mischievously down at her.

  Harper didn’t have time to protest before his lips were on hers, kissing her deep and hard. Dare didn’t break the kiss as he pushed her leather coat from her shoulders and halfway down her arms, trapping her hands at her sides.

  “Now I can take my time.”

  Harper’s mouth dropped open in shock, but he just winked at her. She was going to object, but Dare was sliding down her body, giving her a taste of what was to come. Her shoes hit the floor and then he slid back up to kiss her. She felt every ridge as he devoured her mouth in the best possible way.

  Her heart pounded. Her breaths came short and fast. The stretchy fabric of her dress straps followed the same path as her jacket. She strained upward, begging him to touch her.

  Dare’s hands reached behind her and freed her breasts. Harper’s whole body shook with anticipation as his hands cupped her a moment before he dipped his head and twirled his tongue around one nipple.

  Harper wanted to grab him. Wanted to clench her fingers in his hair. But her arms were still trapped as Dare’s mouth and hands went to work making sure he touched every inch of her, except the part she was dying to give him.

  “Dare!” she screamed and moaned when she didn’t think she could take it anymore.

  Harper’s eyes were closed. Her chest heaved with pleasure and anticipation when suddenly she was pulled forward. Her jacket was gone and her dress was pulled up and over her head. Finally she was free to feel Dare’s body. Her fingers delved into his hair as he trailed his lips from her neck, to her breasts, to her stomach, and then finally, to live up to his promise.

  Dare stared at the woman asleep in his arms. Rose petals were stuck all over their bodies after he fulfilled his promises over and over again. Nothing in his life had been so perfect. He was man enough to admit it scared the crap out of him. Once you had perfection, you didn’t want to lose it.

  He bent his head slightly and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll do everything I can to show you how much you mean to me.” It might have been an oath whispered in the dark and Dare intended to live up to every word of it.

  A change in the air had Dare suddenly alert. It was the sound of a car door closed with a quiet thud, as if someone didn’t want to be heard. Dare looked over at the clock. It was two in the morning.

  It had to be a neighbor coming home late. But then he heard a heavy thump on the front porch and knew this was no neighbor. His gun was on the table opposite the bed where the candles had been. The room was now dark, and he couldn’t remember where he threw his clothes when he’d stripped.

  Dare slid from the bed, grabbed his gun, and saw the robe that was near the door. He slipped the black satin robe on. It was short and he couldn’t even close it around his body. Dare heard another scuff of a boot. Not much he could do about the robe now. He needed to protect the woman he loved.

  He crept down the stairs with his gun in hand. A shadow moved across the porch and Dare aimed his gun as he took the last couple of stairs as quickly and quietly as he could. He was at the door when he heard another thud sound. His hand moved to the deadbolt first. He slowly turned the bolt when he heard steps walking away from the door.

  The sound of someone walking back to the house had Dare taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. In one motion he flung the door open and aimed his gun at the man in a hoodie carrying a hammer and making his way for Harper’s door. The man’s face was hidden under the hoodie, but he was muscular and if Dare hadn’t had his gun, it would be a tough fight.

  “Freeze!” Dare yelled as he stepped from the door, holding the man at gunpoint.

  “Don’t point that at me,” the man groaned.

  “Like hell I won’t point it at you. You
’re armed.”

  “Not the gun. Put your dick away. I don’t need to see that, man.”

  Dare heard Harper running down the stairs. “Trent! What are you doing here?”

  “I told you I was going to finish the two chairs for you. Can you tell your boyfriend to put away his gun and cover himself up? It’s looking at me.”

  Dare turned to look at Harper as he lowered his weapon. “Oh, so that’s where my shirt went.” Damn, it looked good on her.

  “For the love of everything holy, now it’s waving at me,” Trent groaned as he suddenly got interested in the sky.

  It was going to do a lot more than wave if Harper didn’t stop staring down at him and biting her bottom lip at the same time.

  “I’ll go get my pants.” Dare was pretty sure he heard Trent mutter a thanks while Harper suddenly realized her cousin was smart enough to put the peg in the hole, so to say.

  “Don’t you dare tell my brother!” Dare heard Harper threaten.

  “I’m pretty sure he knows about the birds and bees, Harp,” Trent told her dryly.

  Dare pulled on his pants and raced back down the stairs. “Yeah, but the idea of me having sex is an abstract thing so he can pretend it doesn’t really exist. He does not need the actual picture,” she was saying when Dare joined her again.

  “I didn’t need it either,” Trent said with a shiver as he made a yuck face. “At least I know he’s keeping you safe. I’m glad he takes precautions.” Trent froze for a moment and then muttered a curse word under his breath.

  Dare smothered a laugh and even in the dark he could see Trent’s mortified face at the double meaning. “I mean, I’m glad he practices safety. Shit. I mean I’m glad he didn’t shoot his gun too soon.”