Dare to Touch (Dare to Love 3)

He possessed an edge, one that was apparent even when he wore a suit and juggled the schedules of dozens of players and team management. It was that edge that appealed to her. She liked the guy who’d taken control and dragged her across the room, then kissed her senseless. She was drawn to the man who called her sunshine and gave her this gorgeous necklace. It showcased a softer side of him, and that was the side that scared her. Because she could fall for a man like Dylan. So hard. Which meant she’d be open and vulnerable … and

experience told her that kind of pain didn’t go away easily. She preferred dating men with whom she didn’t have a chance of getting in too deep.

She placed the delicate necklace into the box and snapped it closed just as a knock sounded at the door.

She dropped the box onto the desk. “Come in.”

The door swung open and Dylan strode in. Speak of the devil, she thought.

Today was casual, no meetings, meaning he wore a pair of black slacks and a white collared shirt open at the neck, revealing a sprinkling of his dark—mouthwatering—hair. His sleeves were rolled up, and she found that even his forearms were muscular and sexy.

“Morning, sunshine.” He treated her to a heart-stopping smile.

She swallowed hard. “Good morning.”

“Got a minute?” he asked.

She nodded.

He shut the door behind him. “You look sexy in those glasses.”

With shaking hands, she pulled them off, suddenly self-conscious.

“You’re sexy without them too.” He started toward her desk, where his gift sat front and center.

It was too much to hope he wouldn’t notice.

The big grin on his face told her she was out of luck.

He sat on the corner of her desk and folded his arms across his chest. “So?” he asked, his knowing gaze on the incriminating box.

Better to face it head on, she decided. “Thank you, Dylan. It’s beautiful.”

“But you’re not wearing it.” His lips turned down, and she suddenly felt awful and didn’t want to disappoint him or hurt his feelings.

“I was just about to put it on.”

His gaze held hers for more than a few seconds before he picked up the velvet box and took out the necklace. “Turn,” he said in a gruff voice.

She stood and pivoted around. He stepped up behind her, his body heat already testing her resolve.

“Hair.”

She tilted her head forward and raised her long hair off her neck, allowing him to slide the necklace in place and engage the small hook. Instead of him moving away, she suddenly sensed him closer.

His breath fanned her neck, warm air causing a wave of arousal to nearly knock her off her feet.

“What are you—” She couldn’t continue, not when his lips skimmed her neck, and her words morphed into more of a moan. His mouth was warm, and he lingered, inhaling her where she stood. Her nipples puckered beneath the silk of her tank, and she grabbed on to the desk for support.

“Do you want to know why I gave this to you? Why I call you sunshine?” His words vibrated against her skin, but he didn’t give her a chance to reply. “It’s because when I come in to work every morning, seeing you lights up my day.”

Oh God. “That’s—”

“Corny but true.” He grasped her shoulders to keep her steady and rimmed her outer ear with his tongue.

He lit a fuse that ran straight to her core. Suddenly that was all she was aware of, the pulsing of her sex, her damp panties, and her heavy breasts, all three achy and needing his touch more than her next breath.

She wanted to turn, throw herself into his arms, and kiss him for all she was worth. Wrap her legs around his waist and—