The Dare (4 page)

van lay sprawled on his back. Katy wanted to snuggle up to him and talk about what just happened between them. But she’d learned the first time they’d had sex that he wasn’t much of a cuddler afterwards. “It’s not you, Katy,” he’d said when he gently pushed her away. “I just like space.”

She curled up alongside him, but after what just happened on this bed, she wanted a connection, even a small one. Reaching out a hand to run her fingers through his damp hair, Evan tensed. She stopped inches away from him, feeling rejected. And a little angry by his rejection. She tried not to think about Green Eyes, and the things he had done to her body and how it made her feel. Even as she tried not to think about him she couldn’t help it. Her body warmed, and her sensitive nipples tingled as she wondered if he was a cuddler.

Dragging her thoughts back to her boyfriend, Katy waited patiently as Evan lay quiet for long minutes staring at the ceiling. Finally, he loudly exhaled.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, hoping they could talk this out.
Wanting
to talk it out and move on to the next phase of their relationship.

He turned and faced her, his eyes serious. “I’m having some trouble understanding what just happened here, and how I feel about it.”

She rose up on an elbow. “Okay.” She bit her tongue to keep from blurting out that it was okay, they could work through it. But she knew it wasn’t okay with Evan. Not now anyway. But it would be. She was patient.

“One minute I’m getting off watching you getting fucked by some stranger; a fuck you were thoroughly enjoying in case you didn’t think I noticed. And from my perspective enjoying more than any time we’ve fucked, and it pissed me off that you came for him in less than ten minutes when you hadn’t come for me in six months.”

Uh, what was she supposed to say? ‘I’m sorry you dared me to invite that stud into our bed and that I liked it?’

“Fuck,” he cursed under his breath.

“Yes we did,” she softly said, trying to lighten the mood.

Lifting up on an elbow she gazed intently at him. When his dick twitched, her lips slowly parted. “I think someone wants to go again,” she teased.

He turned and fully faced her. “You’re beautiful, Katy. I’ve never seen you more stunning then you are at this moment.” He traced a finger across her tender lips. “Your lips are still swollen from my kisses.” He brushed a strand of hair from her cheek, his fingertips trailing across her skin. His dick swelled.

She smiled softly. “You’ve never said those things to me before.” She moved into him.

“Evan, I don’t want to hide our relationship anymore.”

Swallowing hard, he moved away avoiding her gaze. “You know the rules, Katy, no fraternizing.”

“I can move to another lab, Evan, and besides, it’s not like I’m going to get fired. I want you to meet my family. It’s time.”

Shaking his head, still avoiding her gaze, he said, “I’m not sure if we’re there yet.”

Scooting closer to him she touched his shoulder. “If we aren’t just fuck buddies, why not?”

He jammed his fingers through his hair and loudly exhaled. Stiffening, Katy sat up and looked pointedly at him. “Or are we?”

Rising up on his elbows, Evan looked up to the ceiling as if he would find his answer there. Alarm bells sounded in Katy’s ears. Intuitively she knew his issue wasn’t with what just happened in this room, it was something else entirely. “Katy,” he sighed and looked at her. “I can’t give you any more than I have been.”

She grabbed the sheet, pulling it around her. “Why not?”

“I just can’t,” he said, sitting up presenting his back to her and dropping his feet to the floor.

Shaking her head, she slid from the bed on the other side and moved around the room picking up her clothing, awkwardly getting dressed.

She was shaking. Afraid she was on the verge of losing him for something
he
wanted and she did to please him. “Man up and tell me the truth, Evan. I can take it.”

He looked past her to the mirror, scowling at the man staring back. “I’m married,” he said.

The words didn’t register. Married? Like to his job?

“I’m
married
, Katy,” he repeated. “I have been for twelve years.”

Ding.
Message received. Married as in two people legally bound as spouse and spouse.
“What?”
she demanded, whirling around.
“You’re what?”

Dragging his eyes from the mirror, Evan dropped his head into his palms and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. “I’m married,” he said, refusing to meet her eyes.

Jaw agape, she stood rooted to the floor too stunned to move, to even think of how she was going to kill him.

He looked up at her with pleading eyes. “I didn’t mean for things to go this far, Katy. But I—I became obsessed with your research. Do you have any idea how brilliant you are?” He stood and jammed his fingers through his hair. “And Jesus, when I saw you in the gym almost a year ago, and what you keep hidden beneath your lab coat. Call me a fucking dog, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted you so badly I couldn’t concentrate on anything except finding a way to have you.”

Dropping her clothes, Katy grabbed her five inch stiletto and whacked him on the back of the head. The loud crack of the leather smacking his skull gave her immense satisfaction. She raised it again. “Get out.”

The bastard nodded and quickly dressed. As he made it to the door, he turned to her and said, “I know it doesn’t matter, but I’m sorry.”

“That and a dollar will get you shit. Now leave.”

When the door shut behind him, Katy stood staring at it for several long minutes. Stunned was the only word to describe what she felt at that moment.

Stunned.

She hadn’t seen that bomb coming.
Oh, but Katy, you had to have known
… What a stupid fool she had been! How did she
not
see the signs? Oh, my God! They were all there! They kept their affair secret from the people they worked with. They only met on the weekdays, he always had to be somewhere on the weekend. He never spent the night at her place and they never went to his place. The rare times he had his phone turned on he guarded it like it was Fort Knox. And at work? How had it never come up?
Why didn’t she know this?
Because she was a lab rat and so were her coworkers. They were scientists who kept to themselves, never discussing personal matters. The perfect environment for living in a fucking bubble!

She jumped into the shower and scrubbed every inch of Evan Scott from her body. God she wanted to hurt him. She had believed his lies. Every last one of them! What a naive fool she had been!

Even after scrubbing her skin raw she still felt dirty. Naked and dripping wet, Katy paced her room. She couldn’t decide if she was more angry, embarrassed or hurt. Hell, why not the trifecta? She was furious she had been led on to the extent that she had developed feelings for Evan. Angry with herself for being so damn naïve. Embarrassed didn’t begin to describe how humiliated she felt. Not so much for being used, but trusting Evan enough, wanting to please him so much she had agreed to sex with a stranger!
Who did that?
Why had she allowed herself to be manipulated into such a tawdry scenario?

She was a brilliant scientist for God’s sake! Her IQ 175! Pharmaceutical companies threw obscene amounts of money at her to simply mention their name in her research papers or AMA articles. For one so brilliant, how could she be so dumb?

Her chest ached. She didn’t love Evan. She didn’t know if she was capable of such an emotion. Not in the romantic sense. She loved her mother and she loved her best friend Rosie. She even loved Rosie’s hubby Elliot. She had a cat once and loved him until he ran off abandoning her like every other male in her life. But she dealt. She had her work. She had her charities and she had her foundations. It had been enough before Evan walked into her life, it would be enough after. With that understanding, Katy grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her damp body. The only problem with all of this logical deducing was that it didn’t fill her new need. Because up until just a few hours ago, her life didn’t consist of one orgasm much less multiples. And she kind of wanted another one. Or two. Or ten.

But that meant a man. And men were public enemy number one.

The next morning she strode into the conference room as if nothing had happened, when in reality, she was dying inside. She couldn’t help it. Embarrassed heat rose in her cheeks as she caught Evan’s impassive gaze. How nice for him that he could look right through her as if she were as insignificant as a fly on the wall. Her pride kicked her bruised ego in the ass. He wasn’t worth her time.
Married bastard.
She deserved a man who chose her and only her. And she sure as hell deserved a man who wouldn’t lend her out for free fucks.
Fuck you,
she mouthed, then strode past him to the podium.
Eat your heart out Evan Scott. It took a stranger to do in less than ten minutes what it took you over six months to do.

Today was her day to shine as she presented her groundbreaking studies on a new breast cancer gene study. And she was damned if she was going to allow anything or anyone take the spotlight off her and her crowning achievement thus far in her skyrocketing career.

With that focus, she made her presentation with calm, dignified grace. It gave her great satisfaction to watch Evan go from uninterested observer when she walked into the large meeting room to captive audience by the time she gave her summation.

She was swarmed by her colleagues after she wrapped up, and was glad that Evan had left the room. She let out a long sigh of relief.
Good riddance.

Almost an hour later, after an impromptu Q&A session, Katy stood by the elevator door, ready to return to her room on the fifth floor, and caught her breath when it opened. The stranger she had invited into her bed the night before nearly plowed into her. Her face flushed hotly. No longer the confident scientist, she was a nervous as schoolgirl. Even more than Evan, Green Eyes was the last person on earth she wanted to run into! He must think she was a tramp of the worst kind. Oh God, why had she allowed Evan to goad her into such a scandalous encounter? If she had one wish it would be to disappear. To her horror, he stopped when he realized it was her.