Dare to Play (Dare Nation 3)

Despite his father’s treatment of him in the past, as he told Hannah, he’d always had his siblings. His mom. His uncle. A large family he could always turn to. Macy hadn’t had that, and as a result, she was tangling with an angry teenage girl alone.

Well, no more. “Hannah needs to understand the value of what she has in you. She doesn’t now but she will. Right now, she has her mother’s voice in her ear, presents filling the hole that her absence created. Just keep being there. That’s the one thing you can give Hannah over time that her mother can’t.”

“Or won’t.” Macy toyed with the fork she hadn’t used but had set the table with anyway. “It sounded like you understand what it feels like to be an angry teen.”

“That’s because I do.” Instead of the shutters coming down behind his eyes, he allowed her to see the hurt left by his father’s words. Letting anyone in was new for him, something he hadn’t done since Katie.

“I’m so sorry,” she murmured. “No child deserves to be treated as less than anything or anyone.”

He rolled his shoulders, telling himself he’d long since accepted his past. “It made me who I am today. And I can’t say I’m thrilled with everything I’ve done, but I know going forward I’m going to get it right. Starting with helping you.” His words took even him by surprise.

He’d thought of this spur-of-the-moment marriage as a fix to his problems, but he wanted to help her, too.

Her soft gaze met his. “I’m really grateful. I know Hannah has an attitude, but she’s my sister, and beneath the hard exterior is a hurt little girl.”

His heart squeezed because he knew how Hannah felt.

“I’m going to make it up to you,” Macy said. “I’ll be there for you as much as you need. Public appearances, anything that shows your management you’re making an effort to change.”

Leaning forward, he kissed her forehead, wishing he could turn it into a real, heated make-out session, but not now. Not with Hannah nearby.

Which brought him to another thought he’d had. “So, if Hannah can stay either with her mother or a friend, I want to take a quick weekend honeymoon. Let us really get to know one another,” he said in a deliberately husky voice because he couldn’t wait to get her naked again.

Macy’s eyes opened wide, her pink lips parting in surprise. “Where did you want to go?”

“Our cousin Asher Dare–”

“Why does that name sound familiar?” she asked, wrinkling her nose adorably.

“He owns Dirty Dare Vodka with his brother, Harrison–”

“The movie star?” The shock in Macy’s voice amused him. The Dares were an eclectic family owning a variety of businesses, from sports to Dirty Dare Vodka to nightclubs all over the world and more.

“Yes, that Harrison Dare. I like to call them the Dirty Dares. You know because of the vodka company name.” He grinned.

“Yes, I got that.” Macy laughed.

They were cousins on his New York family’s side. “Asher has a private plane and a house in the Bahamas on Windermere Island, which is connected to Eleuthera. Anyway, I gave him a call, and the place is free this weekend. We can leave any time we want after the wedding and come home a day or two later. What do you say?” He hadn’t realized how much he wanted her to say yes until he’d asked her to go.

Time alone with Macy in a sexy bikini, with white sand, blue water, hot sun, and cold drinks, away from everyone and the stress of daily life. Once they returned home, responsibilities would keep them busy, but a day or two alone? He wanted that badly.

“I’m not sure I should be leaving Hannah with her mother lurking around right now,” Macy murmured.

“We could leave Saturday after the wedding, spend all day Sunday and Sunday night on the island, and we’ll be home by the time Hannah gets back from school Monday. Then we’ll use the week to move you guys in and everything will be fine. I promise. You deserve at least twenty-four hours to yourself before you come back to reality.” And the custody fight she had to deal with kicked in.

She paused and gave it some thought. “Okay.” She treated him to a smile that lit him up inside.

“Yeah?”

She nodded.

Unable to resist, he leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, his tongue sliding over her mouth and slipping inside. She moaned and twisted her tongue with his, the kiss deepening. Desire filled him, his cock coming to life, and he knew he wouldn’t be getting up from the table any time soon, so he pulled back before they got caught.

“Once we’re alone, I’m not stopping.” He threaded his fingers through her hair and tugged on the long strands.