Dare to Take (Dare to Love 6)

And Ella, in her tipsy state, with her silly, girlish dreams, had thought it’d meant something to him. That she’d meant something. Sure, it’d hurt at first, and he’d been shocked when he’d discovered that barrier, but soon he’d been thrusting into her and she hadn’t cared about the discomfort. It was Tyler. Tyler, who she’d secretly longed for for years. It was a dream come true.

Until it wasn’t.

“Tell me you’re on fucking birth control,” Tyler had said, his handsome face contorted with anger.

She’d managed a nod, her hair hanging over her shoulder, and she was grateful for it, hoping maybe if she looked away, he wouldn’t see her tears. She’d been on the pill for period problems. She hadn’t been that stupid. Well, she had been. He hadn’t used a condom. God, what had she been thinking, crawling into his bed uninvited?

Sure, he’d had his own wing of the house, but still … his mother was on the other side, and so were his sisters. Horrific embarrassment flooded her.

“It’s okay,” she’d said, not wanting him to be mad at her. She’d been upset enough with herself.

She’d reached out and touched his bare chest, his skin hot to her fingertips. And she’d wanted to kiss him again, to go back to where they’d been when this had started.

Before she could try, his lips had curled downward in disgust. “No, it isn’t okay. It was a big fucking mistake. A mess and you better believe it won’t be happening again.”

Horrified, she’d scrambled off him with tears falling down her cheeks as she’d grabbed her clothes, pulled on her long shirt, shaking and trying not to lose it in front of him. Finally she’d gotten herself together and run, slamming the door behind her.

She’d silently cried herself to sleep next to an already passed out Avery. And when she’d woken up in the morning, Tyler had been gone. His mother had said he’d been called back to base, but Ella had known better. He couldn’t wait to get away from her and put that horrible sexual experience behind him. And she couldn’t blame him.

But she could blame him for how he’d handled it. On that, they agreed. Because Tyler Dare had been her first. He’d broken her heart and set the stage for every guy who came after him.

After Tyler, Ella had chosen men very carefully—and they weren’t handsome, sexy men from wealthy families with big egos and high expectations. She didn’t come from Tyler’s world and knew better than to think she was good enough to keep him or anyone like him. She kept her distance from the men she met through work, men with money and swagger, who asked her out. She didn’t want a guy who’d assume she was sexually experienced … only to be disappointed in the end.

Like Tyler had been.

“Hey.”

She shook herself out of the past and realized he’d knelt down beside her.

“What do you mean, when the sex sucks?” he asked in what sounded like disbelief. He looked up at her, his dark hair falling over his forehead, his navy blue eyes with hints of violet staring at her intently.

They were really going to discuss this? Hadn’t she been through enough today? She blew out a long breath. “I saw the look on your face after, Tyler. Not to mention, you called me a mistake. A mess. You couldn’t push me away from you fast enough. Believe me, I got the message.”

“Apparently you got the wrong one. I was pissed at myself. I was more of an adult than you were. Drunk or not, I knew better.”

She narrowed her gaze, unsure of whether or not to believe him. “I appreciate you saying that. Trying to make things right. Us being more civil will help when we’re with Avery and your family. It’ll be easier than trying to avoid each other.”

He blinked at her. “Ella, that’s not all I’m doing. I’m telling you the truth. I fucked up and I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. I’m glad we can move forward as friends.” They’d each apologized.

She could live with that. It was better than what she’d had before.

* * *

Tyler couldn’t believe his ears. He’d finally set the record straight and she didn’t believe him. Because you screwed her over after her first time. He’d hurt her, and somewhere deep down, she still hadn’t gotten over it. He’d seen it in her expression, and it broke his heart.

He watched in silence as she popped a grape into her mouth and chewed, followed by cheese and crackers. His gaze settled on her lips, full and puckered as she ate, and of course, all he could think about was those lips surrounding his cock.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts before they could travel any further. “I think we should talk about the mugging,” he said, changing the subject. “Any idea what people could be looking for?” he asked, hoping she didn’t notice his desire-filled voice.

“No. And I don’t even know if anything’s missing from my old room.”

“As soon as the police do their job there, we can go back in and you can check. I called the front desk, and someone should be by to take a look and talk to you.”

She shrugged. “They talked to me in the hospital. I don’t know any more now than I did then.”

He frowned, not liking being in the dark when someone was obviously looking for something and didn’t mind hurting her to find it.