Dare to Succeed (The Dare 2)

He ignored her. His expression firm. His face tense as he held her with one arm and opened the truck passenger side door with his other hand.

Even that impressed her.

When he set her down and her leg hit the leather seat she gasped.

He cursed under his breath.

“Lean to the side and toward the driver’s side. You can lean on me.”

He carefully closed the door and she heard him mumble something as if he were talking to someone, she wasn’t sure. As he opened the driver’s side door, she tried pulling back to make room for him which only aggravated her thigh more. She couldn’t help but close her eyes to block the tears from falling. She’d really hurt her leg and scraped it up badly. She prayed it didn’t leave a terrible scar.

In her mind she thought about Tony. He would call her a klutz, say she was unladylike for working out, and he would yell at her for damaging her perfect skin. She lifted up on her elbow and cringed again.

“Quit moving around and lay on my thigh,” he ordered her.

“No. I’m fine like this.”

“Alicia, quit being stubborn and do as I say. Lean on me. I’m here for you,” he scolded her. She should have flipped out about the way he ordered her around, commanded her to do as he said, but then his last words lingered in her mind and played havoc with her thoughts.

Lean on me. I’m here for you. Really?

* * * *

Max was at his wits’ end. He was practically shaking. He nearly ran over and killed the one woman he and his brothers set their sights on as theirs. She was stubborn, distant, quiet, shy, unreadable at times and it drove him insane. So badly he wanted to look her up in the computer system to find out anything he could about her life, but he knew better. That wasn’t a way to start off a potentially promising relationship. He had trust issues. He knew that. He accepted it, but many people took offense to his hard ways and standoffish attitude. He really didn’t care.

Besides, he and his brothers were tough men to deal with. They expected respect, control, and authority. Monroe and Caldwell were businessmen, entrepreneurs who were always in charge and used to it. He was the sheriff of Chance. There was a lot for them to consider.

When Alicia moved to Chance he noticed her immediately. There was an instant spark and attraction, but she didn’t seem to feel the same way about him or his brothers. Then he found out through the grapevine that she left Dallas, had some bad relationship with some guy and left. It seemed to him that Alicia didn’t trust easily either. Perhaps this guy, whoever he was, hurt her, broke her heart, maybe gave her the impression that men couldn’t be trusted.

He and his brothers could be trusted.

He wasn’t sure, but he knew other men found her attractive and were interested. He and his brothers were ready to take action. Providing protection for her a couple of months ago gave them the opportunity to start gaining that trust. Things had changed between them, but right now it seemed Alicia would rather feel pain and discomfort than lean on him for support.

He glanced at her as he put the truck into drive and headed down the road.

“Stop being so stubborn. Lay your head on my thigh and take pressure off that leg.”

He gulped looking at her long, tan, sexy thigh and how she curled up on the seat. He imagined her like this on his couch, next to him and his brothers at their place, minus the cuts and bruises of course.

He licked his lower lip. Her scent was appealing, her shampoo alluring as it consumed his senses.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter the moment her head landed on his thigh.

He glanced down. So badly he would love to caress his fingers through her brown hair. Feel the softness of her skin on her cheek. He often thought about what her skin felt like to touch, to kiss, and of course explore.

His cock hardened but he wouldn’t shift no matter how uncomfortable he was. If she felt his erection she might panic and jump out of the moving vehicle. He exhaled.

“We’ll be in town shortly.”

“In town? Why? Just drop me off at my place. I’ll clean this up.”

“You may need more than just basic first aid. I saw the way you landed. You could have hurt your back.”

“I’m fine. I’ll be okay, don’t turn this into a three-ring circus.”

Her comment bothered him. Especially since he just texted Monroe, who was supposed to meet him in town to discuss some investors interested in relocating their stores to Chance from Dallas. As one of the lead board members, the sheriff was careful to not exploit the town and maintain its small town feel and attraction.

“What exactly do you mean by three-ring circus? You saying something about my brothers and me?” he asked.