Sitting
so
close
to
her,
Dare
could
feel
her
tension.
He
also
felt
her
uncertainty.
“In
other
words,”
he
said
softly,
“they
think
I’m
trying
to
win
you
over,
find
favor
in
your
eyes,
in
your
heart
and
in
your
mind
and
break
down
your
resistance.”
Shelly
nodded,
although
she
didn’t
think
Dare
needed
to
break
down
her
resistance
since
he
had
successfully
done
that
a
month
or
so
ago.
“Yes,
that’s
it.
That’s
what
they
believe.
Isn’t
that
silly?”
Dare
shifted
his
position
and
draped
his
arms
across
the
back
of
the
sofa.
He
met
Shelly’s
gaze,
suddenly
feeling
hungry
and
greedy
with
an
appetite
that
only
she
could
appease.
He
studied
her
face
for
a
little
while
longer,
then
calmly
replied.
“No,
I
don’t
think
there’s
anything
silly
about
it,
Shelly.
In
fact,
their
assumptions
are
right
on
target.”
She
blinked
once,
twice,
as
the
meaning
of
his
words
sank
in.
He
watched
as
her
eyebrows
raised
about
as
high
as
they
could
go,
and
then
she
said,
“But
why?”
Keeping
his
gaze
fixed
on
hers,
he
asked.
“Why
what?”
“Why
would
you
waste
your
time
doing
something
like
that?”
Dare
drew
in
a
deep
breath.
“Mainly
because
I
don’t
consider
it
a
waste
of
my
time,
Shelly.
Other
than
winning
| 
