Dare to Submit (NY Dares 2)

Amanda turned to him, pain etched across her face. “I can’t believe her. Well, I can, but still. I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

“It’s not me she verbally abused.” Not as much as she had Amanda. “What’s wrong with her?”

“Oh, that’s a long story.”

“One I want to hear, but let’s go inside first, okay?”

She nodded and he followed her inside and up the stairs. Once inside, she turned to him. “Listen, I’m going to change and call my dad before my mother gets back home and fills his head with more awful things about me. I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Does he have a heart condition?” Decklan asked.

She shrugged. “Not that I know of. And I figure if my mother could take the half hour to leave him and drive over here to lecture me, he must be okay, at least for now.”

He inclined his head. “Go. See what’s going on.”

“Thanks.” She headed into the bedroom.

He hated the mood and defeated tone her mother had instilled and was determined to undo the emotional damage the othe

r woman had caused.

While he waited, he couldn’t stop replaying the awful words her mother had spewed at her. Everything from her job to her dress, and worst of all, her weight—the woman hadn’t had one nice thing to say. If Decklan wanted a primer on what made Amanda tick, he’d just gotten one, and it made him furious.

He heard her low voice from the other room. He shrugged and walked around the spacious apartment, taking in her home for the first time. Just as he’d expect, the place was full of warmth and personal touches. From soft, muted pastels for color to landscapes hanging on the walls, to the occasional photograph, he felt welcomed. At home.

“Can I get you anything?” She walked back into the room, now wearing a light gray tee shirt trimmed with aqua blue and a matching pair of lounge pants with her bare feet peeking out.

She looked sweet and a little bit lost, and he held out his arms for her.

She didn’t step toward him.

“Is your dad okay?” he asked, undeterred. He felt certain he could break through these walls.

Her expression softened. “Yeah. It’s a precaution. He had chest pains. They ran some tests. It wasn’t a heart attack, but they want to do a stress test and check for blockage.”

He nodded. “Hopefully it’ll be okay.”

“Yeah.” She swallowed hard. “You know, you really should get out while the getting’s good. We were never supposed to be more than one night, and this is way more than you bargained for.”

She started for the kitchen. He took two strides and stopped her, grasping her hand and pulling her toward the couch in the main room of the apartment. “I should punish you for assuming you know what I want, but I won’t. Instead, we’re going to talk.”

She looked up at him, her eyes wide and uncertain. “I think I’d prefer the punishment.”

He bit back a grin. “I wasn’t giving you a choice.”

He settled her in his lap, her curves lush and full against him. He ordered himself not to react to her body when he had to work on her mind.

“You are not going to shut down on me.” He shifted her so he could see her face. “We’re going to talk like adults, and you’re going to tell me everything. You can start with why your mother is a raving bitch, and I’ll end with showing you exactly what’s wrong with everything she thinks by worshipping your body for hours. Sound good?”

She shook her head, her hair falling around her face.

“I’m not going to deny we have something good, Decklan, but I come with baggage.”

“Who doesn’t?”

She frowned. “My baggage feels like it could sink the Titanic.”

He allowed himself a laugh at that. “Baby, your mother isn’t someone I want to see often. But she’s your mother. It is what it is. She’s not you. And we both know she’s wrong about everything she said. She just got inside your head tonight, that’s all.”