The Dare (The Bet 3)

I laughed.

"Two, I can run for president some day then have the CIA handcuff him to a bed with stuffed animals and a few pornographic magazines ending his political career for good."

"And three?" I leaned into his warmth.

"Three's my favorite one," Jace whispered. "Care to know why?"

I nodded, drunk off his scent.

"Because it involves you and me, lots of kissing, possible drugging, and a hell of a good time. What do you say?"

I kissed his cheek. "I say it may be a good thing we have Grandma here, since she seems to be her own pharmacy."

"Excellent," Jace whispered, his gaze roaming my face then resting on my lips. "I'm going to kiss you now."

"You don't have to." I leaned in anyway. The draw he had on my body should have been illegal. Either that, or they should somehow bottle it up and sell it to single women.

"That's the problem, Beth." His lips grazed mine. "I don't have to, but I really, really want to."

"Oh." That was all that escaped my mouth before our tongues tangled together. I gripped his long hair in my hands and jerked his body closer to mine as he growled low in his throat, his hands fumbling with the wet linen shirt that was still plastered to my body after being pulled into the pool.

I wrapped my legs around his body and hovered over him as he pulled my wet shirt off and threw it onto the ground, attacking my lips with renewed fervor.

"You're beautiful, Beth."

"Jace, just kiss me. You don't have to compliment me and—"

He reared back his eyes, nearly black with desire. "Don't tell me what to say or what to do. If I pay you a compliment, you say thank you. I don't do that often to women. I do it enough in day-to-day life. Hell, it's my job to make people feel good. But you? It's not my job to make you like me. It's my job to make you like yourself, and damn if I'm not going to try to get you to see how gorgeous of a person you are inside and out before these six days are up."

He threw off his own shirt and grabbed me by the waist, lifting me up onto the side of the pool. His lips met my neck and then my shoulder as he pulled down my bra strap and kissed the skin near my collarbone. His kisses were a mixture of sweet softness and urgency. I couldn't get enough of the way his lips felt against my skin and decided that even if I only had twenty-four hours with this man, I'd take it. Id' take it all, and I wouldn't regret it.

How could you regret something you've been dreaming about your whole life?

His hands moved to my thighs as he pulled me closer to his body, grabbing my legs and wrapping them around his waist as he rocked against me.

"Yoohoo!" A voice yelled.

Jace swore and reared back.

"Knock, knock!" the voice repeated.

"Dr. Z." Jace's eyes narrowed. "If we ignore her, she'll leave."

"Right," I said breathless as Jace kissed me again.

The knocking stopped and then suddenly a form appeared on the other side of the privacy-fence by the plunge pool.

"There you are!" Dr. Z's head bobbed up and down in relief. "I have your luggage!"

"From Grandma?"

"Grandma?" she repeated, sounding confused as her eyebrows pinched together. "No, this luggage is from a Travis Titus?"

"Ass!" Jace splashed the water with his hand again.

I laughed. "Thanks, Dr. Z. Just leave it at the door, and we'll grab it."

"Alright, and perhaps you should make use of the bathing suits rather than your undergarments." She winked and disappeared.