Taking a Dare - A Hellion MC Novel (29 page)

And just like always, the kiss they shared went out
of fuckin' control right from the first. And lasted
for-fuckin'-ever.

When he pulled up his head and gazed into her face,
he saw her eyes were hooded and her mouth was already swollen from
his kiss. God, she was beautiful and he knew that look. He'd seen
it time and time again as they'd played together. He'd turned her
on with nothing more than his kiss.

Christ!

"How important is the bar-b-que?" he rumbled, his
eyes moving over her features. She looked like she was coming awake
from a deep sensual dream. "Do we gotta fuckin' stay, sugar?"

"Uh-uh," she breathed. "Have another plan in mind,
cowboy?"

"Wanna ride, Ryley?" he asked. "Want to shake off the
club and the crowds and just be with you, girl."

She blinked and seemed to consider her words before
she answered. "You have more bikes, right?"

"Yeah," he drawled, wondering where she was going
with her question. "Have a Sportster and a Soft Tail in addition to
the Dyna outside, why?"

"Could I borrow the Soft Tail and ride beside you,
Dare?" Her question was offered almost hesitantly as if she was
afraid of his answer.

"You fuckin' ride?" he asked incredulously. That had
always been his dream. To be with a girl who could and would ride a
motorcycle. At her nod, he couldn't help the elation that bubbled
up inside him and he squeezed her tightly. "Then let's hit it,
Ryley!"

At her ear to ear smile, Dare couldn't resist another
deep kiss that he hoped told her how perfect she was to him.

And it wasn't long before they were at his place,
pulling out his 2009 HD Soft Tail from the back of his garage.

"Mine's a Pearl 2004 Soft Tail Heritage," she said as
she straddled his machine and adjusted the side-mirrors.

"Thought your old man doesn't fuckin' believe in
women riding."

The smile she wore beamed bright as she answered. "He
doesn't and he hasn't a clue that I have a machine. Much less that
I ride it."

Dare was fuckin' dazzled and everything within him
still with new knowledge of Ryley and how utterly perfect she was
for him. But within seconds, he found himself laughing long and
loud. So Gus didn't have as much control over his little girl as he
thought!

"I'm thinking you like that I know how to maneuver a
machine," she said with a chuckle, her eyes sparkling with her own
humor.

"And how you've kept it from your watch dog," he shot
back, bending low to capture her mouth. "You are so fuckin' perfect
for me, sugar! Say it again, Ryley. Please, girl. Just one more
time."

She seemed to know exactly what he wanted as she
stood straight up, a leg on each side of his second most favorite
motorcycle. Her arms encircled his shoulders as her lips came back
to his. "I love you."

Fuck! He'd never get used to hearing that.
Never!

"Then let's ride, sugar."

He took her up into the Lolo's where the forest
marched right up to the sides of the two-lane roads and were devoid
of traffic. At first he'd kept an eye on her, watching how she
moved on his bike. She was a natural and with the way she moved, so
relaxed in her seat, he could tell she was experienced.

And that she seemed to be having a motherfuckin' ball
riding next to him, if the ear-to-ear grin she wore was any
indication.

So they kept going, wandering the different roads,
riding over hills and down through gorges that cut through the
trees. They passed by cabins partially hidden in all the greenery,
only a glint from a window giving evidence they were there.

After about three hours, when the sun was just
starting is slow slide towards sunset, he turned them back towards
the freeway.

To take her home.

No, he corrected.
She
was his home. He was
just leading them back to his place.

*.*.*.*.*

It was later, much later, after we'd gone to his
apartment and had thrown together a meal that was consumed amidst
peals of shared laughter. After we'd gone to the couch where we'd
talked with foreheads pressed together more than they'd been apart.
And long after the talking had eased into kissing that morphed into
a physical need that couldn't be denied and was so achingly
satisfied.

It was when he'd flipped the afghan that was tucked
along the back of the couch over our naked sweating bodies that he
rocked my world completely.

I was laying half on him, my butt pressed into the
back of the sofa, his head on the arm as we both regained our
breath. "I want to marry you, Ryley," he whispered. "We could play
house for a time but that's not what I fuckin' want." I both heard
and felt his deep swallow. "I want to be tied to you, sugar, in
every way possible."

I slowly lifted my chin so I could look at him and
saw he was looking back at me with such love and such fierce
sincerity I found my eyes stinging and a lump in my throat.

"I told you when we were kids that you were my
forever," he rumbled. "And I'd kind of like that forever to fuckin'
start as soon as goddamn possible."

One tear, one lone tear slipped out of my eye and
rolled down my face which Dare caught with his thumb. "You crying
because you're happy or because you're gonna piss me off by saying
no?"

"Yes," I choked out with a hitch and then couldn't
help my chuckle at the confused look that crept over his face.
"Yes, I'll marry you, cowboy."

His face smoothed and his smile, that god-awesome
Dare smile spread over his face. "I don't have the ring yet. Si is
setting me up but it fuckin' occurred to me—I don't know what kind
of shit you like." He picked up my hand and stared at my fingers.
"You don't wear a lot of bling, girl."

"That's because I'm
not
a bling-girl," I
mumbled through my wet grin. "I like things small and on the quiet
side."

He stared at my fingers for a while before he kissed
my palm and then pressed my hand against the middle of his chest.
"Feel that?"

"Yeah."

"Know what that is, sugar?"

"What is it, Dare?"

"That's what love feels like," he murmured before he
slid down on the couch until we were nose-to-nose. "The kind of
love it takes to be a family." His dark eyes bored into mine.
"You're my family, Ryley."

I couldn't help the tears that were pouring down my
cheeks even as I nodded.

"And maybe someday we can have kids," he continued.
"Can you imagine that, girl? You and me having babies
together?"

I could.

I so totally could. And the thought left me
breathless, imaging a small, swaggering miniature of Dare that
would keep me on my toes and chasing after him. To protect our kid
from whatever high-jinx he'd get into. And as Dare's son, I could
guaran-damn-tee there'd be plenty of shit the kid would get
into.

"I hope she'll have your eyes and smarts." He wanted
a girl and my mental image changed to seeing Dare with a little
brown-haired girl on his lap as they laughed together.

"I love you," I whispered so overcome with emotion I
ached with it.

"But I love you more," he teased, his large hand
coming to the back of my head.

"No you don't!" I snapped as I reached up backhand my
tears away.

"Yep, I do, sugar. I loved you first, therefore I
love you more," he announced firmly but with a chuckle.

"I'm calling bullshit, Joshua Dare Gentry!" I yelled
pushing up from my position. It was hard to win an argument when
one was wrapped around one's opponent.

"Weak. So fuckin' weak, Ryley," he said, his dark
eyes flashing as he pulled me back against him, holding me captive
as he laughed. "Need a do-over, sugar?"

"Fuck you!" I yelled, thrashing against him in order
to get loose. God, the man was infuriating!

He shifted until I was underneath him, my body
trapped and unable to move. "A fuckin' excellent idea," he
breathed, his mouth only centimeters from mine. I felt his hard-on
grind against my belly, causing a clench of renewed moisture
between my legs. "I'm up for it. Are you?"

I was.

And it was, as usual, magnificent.

*.*.*.*.*

I had Dare take me to the Rosemont instead of back to
the clubhouse the next morning. Although he'd made it clear he
didn't want me to have the talk with my dad without him there.

"He's gonna be pissed, cowboy," I'd warned as we were
leaving Dare's apartment. "I don't want you in the cross-hairs of
that."

"All the more fuckin' reason for me to be there. Let
him take it out on me," Dare had replied with a cheeky grin and a
pat on my jean covered butt. "Don't like to think of you getting
that awesome, amazing ass chewed on account of me."

"You're out of your mind if you think my pops has
never chewed my ass out before. In fact from ages seventeen to
nineteen, I was convinced that my butt actually shrunk," I huffed,
waiting for him to climb on the bike so I could snuggle up behind
him. "For a while there I thought it was his goddamn hobby or
something."

That earned me a full-throated laugh that almost
rivaled the roar of his bike as he started the engine. And found
myself laughing along with him.

But I was rethinking taking my dad on alone as I
stood outside his motel room door, smoothing my hair and
readjusting the purse strap over my shoulder. I'd tried to plan
what I was going to say but knew his temper might be contagious.
Which I knew from experience could turn a simple conversation into
a war of words.

"We gotta talk, Pops," I started as soon as he let me
into his room. A room that was a disaster of scattered clothes,
empty bottles and take-out boxes. I cleared off one of the chairs
and sat down.

"Ain't got much time, girl. Trey's fuckin' called an
emergency meeting at the clubhouse." Something I already knew
because Dare had received a text message to that effect
earlier.

I'd hoped to build up to the subject but if my old
man was going to play the no-time card, I needed to jump in with
both feet. "What happened to our letters?"

His hands, which had been searching through a pile of
shirts, stopped moving and I caught sight of a fleeting expression
that flashed over his face. One I couldn't read. "What letters and
who is the other part of this 'our' shit?"

"The letters Dare sent me and the ones I wrote to
him." I kept my voice even and as calm as I could. I'd wanted to
accuse him, point the blame right where I knew it belonged but I'd
decided on a different tactic after seeing his mellow mood.

"Don't know nothing about no fucking letters," he
said but his tone was…off. Was there a guilty note in there
someplace?

"Okay. Then what about when he called me?"

"Fuck, Ryley!" he bellowed abruptly. "That was almost
ten years ago. I don't fucking remember any letters or phone calls
from some goddamn punk that far back!"

Too much emotion made it glaringly obvious he
did
remember and he'd done exactly what Dare and I had
worked out. "Rather than let us communicate, you left us both
hurting, Pops. Hurting so bad I had to go to a shrink!"

"You were too fucking young, girl! There's no way you
two could've connected in such short a time and with a boy like
that! No fucking way in hell!" It had taken him less than three
minutes to work himself up to the point where he was spitting as he
yelled. "How'd you find out about the phone calls? Huh, Ryley?
You've been sneaking around with that fucker while we've been here?
Is that it? A little pillow talk between the two of you after I'd
already told you to stay away from him?"

I stared at him trying to think of answer that wasn't
going to infuriate him further but couldn't come up with anything.
"I'm no longer a little girl, Pops, but an adult woman who loves
Dare. You can't tell me not to see him."

He pulled on a t-shirt, yanking it roughly into place
and I wondered what his next words might be. "You'd pick that
low-life over your own family?" Somehow I knew he was going to
bring his ultimatum into play.

"I shouldn't have to," I countered, pulling Dee's
assurances around me as protection. "You're the one making that
rule. Not me and definitely not Dare."

He glared at me, planting his feet and crossing his
arms on his chest. "When he leaves you, and he sure as shit will,
you'll have nothing. No club, no family and no goddamn job. Is that
what you want?"

I sighed, upset that he thought Dare and I were just
a flash in the pan. It was no different than his attitude had been
when I was fifteen, for god's sake. "I don't think anyone gets a
guarantee of 'forever' in any relationship. Dare could leave me or
I could leave him whether by our own two feet or through death
tomorrow. But, I don't need those kind of assurances. I just need
to be with Dare, Pops."

"Better get your fill then because we're back to
Spokane tomorrow," he announced with a chin lift. I wasn't sure if
he was serious or just announcing he was cutting our run short for
shock value. Either way, I ignored it.

But I couldn't close my eyes to the other. That my
own father had deliberately kept us apart, had single-handedly made
sure we had no contact in order to make sure Dare and I never got
together in any way, shape or form. And in doing so had sent me in
a downward spiral which had taken a professional to help me crawl
out of. "Why, Pops? Why can't you understand?" Even though I'd kept
my voice low, my questions still echoed around the small room.

But he never answered, never even acknowledged I'd
spoken.

I saw him glance at the clock on the nightstand.
"Great! Now I'm fucking late!"

"Can I catch a ride with you?" I asked hesitantly,
standing and draping my purse strap over my shoulder. I knew we
were nowhere near done, but it seemed, at that moment, our
discussion was well and truly over.