A Little Dare

looking at him and thinking about sex.

Her body was doing a good job reminding her that ten

years was a long time to go without. She’d been too busy for the abstinence to cross her mind, but today Dare had

awakened desires she’d thought were long buried. Now

she felt that her body was under attack—against her. It was demanding things she had no intention of delivering.

Her breath caught and she felt her nipples tingle as she again thought about the kiss they had shared. Once more she prayed for the strength and fortitude to deal with

Alisdare Julian Westmoreland.

Seven

“D ad, Mom, I’d like you to meet, AJ. He’s Shelly’s boy.”

Dare knew his father wouldn’t give anything away, but he

wasn’t so convinced about his mother as he saw the play of emotions that crossed her features. She was looking into the face of a grandson she hadn’t known she’d had; a

grandson she was very eager to claim.

Luckily for Dare, his father understood the strategy that he and Shelly were using with AJ and spoke up before his wife had a chance to react to the emotions she was trying to

hold inside. “You’re a fine-looking young man, but I would

expect no less coming from Shelly.” He reached out and

touched AJ’s shoulder and smiled. “I’m glad you’re joining us for dinner. How’s your mother?”

“She’s fine,” AJ said quietly, bowing his head and studying his shoes.

Dare wondered what kind of docile act the kid was

performing, but then another part of him wondered if when taken out of his comfort zone, AJ had a tendency to feel uneasy around people he didn’t know. Dare recalled a

conversation he’d had with Shelly about AJ not being all that outgoing.

When Dare saw Thorn enter the restaurant he beckoned

him over saying, “Thorn, I’d like you to meet someone. From what I gather, he’s a big fan of yours.”

AJ’s mouth literally fell open and the size of his eyes

increased. He tilted his head back to gaze up at the man towering over him. “Wow! You’re Thorn Westmoreland!”

Thorn gave a slow grin. “Yes, I’m Thorn Westmoreland. Now who might you be?”

To Dare’s surprise, AJ grinned right back. It was the first look of happiness he’d seen on his son’s face, and a part of him regretted he hadn’t been the one to put it there.

“I’m AJ Brockman.”

Thorn tapped his chin with his finger a couple of times as if thinking about something. “Brockman. Brockman. I used to know a Shelly Brockman some years ago. In fact she used to be Dare’s girlfriend. Are you related to that Brockman?”

“Yes, I’m her son.”

Thorn chuckled. “Well, I’ll be,” he said, pretending he didn’t already know that fact. “And how’s your mother?”

“She’s fine.”

At that moment Dare looked up and saw his other brothers enter. More introductions were made, and, just like Thorn,

they pretended they were surprised to see AJ, and no one gave anything away about knowing he was Dare’s son.

When they all sat down to eat, with AJ sitting between Thorn and Dare, it was obvious to anyone who cared to notice that the boy was definitely a Westmoreland.

Shelly put aside the novel she’d been reading when she

heard the doorbell ring. A glance out the peephole

confirmed it was AJ, but he wasn’t alone. Dare had walked him to the door, and with good reason. AJ was half asleep and barely standing on his feet.

She quickly opened the door to AJ’s mumblings. “I told you I could walk to the door myself without your help,” he was

saying none too happily.

“Yeah, and I would have watched you fall on your face, too,” was Dare’s response Shelly stepped aside and let them

both enter. “How was dinner?” she asked, closing the door behind them.

AJ didn’t answer, instead he continued walking and

headed for the stairs. She gave a quick glance to Dare,

who was watching AJ as he tried maneuvering the stairs.

“That kid is so sleepy he can’t think straight,” he said. “You might want to help him before he falls and breaks his neck. I would do it, but I think he’s had enough of me for one

evening.”

Shelly nodded, then quickly provided AJ a shoulder to lean on while he climbed the stairs.

Dare moved to stand at the foot of the stairs and watched Shelly and AJ until they were no longer in sight. He sighed deeply, thinking how his adrenaline had pumped up when Shelly had opened the door. She’d been wearing the same outfit she’d worn to his office that evening, and his gaze had been glued to her backside all the while she’d moved up

the stairs, totally appreciating the sway of her hips and the way the skirt intermittently slid up her thighs with each

upward step she took.

He thought that he would do just about anything to be able to follow right behind her and tumble her straight into bed, but he knew that wasn’t possible, especially with AJ in the house. Not to mention the fact that she was still acting

rather cautiously around him.

He knew it would probably take her a while to get AJ ready for bed, and since he didn’t intend leaving until they had

talked, he decided to sit on the sofa and wait for her. He

picked up the book she’d been reading, Stone’s most

recent bestseller, and smiled, thinking it was a coincidence that he was reading the same book.

Making sure he kept the spot where she’d stopped reading

marked, he flipped a couple of chapters ahead and picked up where he’d left off last night before sleep had overtaken him.

Shelly paused on the middle stair when she noticed Dare sitting on her sofa reading the book she had begun reading earlier that day. She couldn’t help noticing that her living

room appeared quiet and seductive, and the light from a

floor lamp next to where he sat illuminated his features and created an alluring scene that was too enticing to ignore.

She silently studied him for a long time, wondering just how many peaceful moments he was used to getting as sheriff. He looked comfortable, relaxed and just plain sexy as sin. His features were calm, yet she could tell by the way his

eyes were glued to the page that he was deeply absorbed in the action-thriller novel his brother had written.

He shifted in his seat while turning the page and crossed

one leg over the other. She knew they were strong legs,

sturdy legs, legs that had held her body in place while his

had pumped relentlessly into her, legs that had nudged hers apart again when he wanted a second round and a third.

Swallowing at the memory, she felt her heart rate increase, and decided the best way to handle Dare was to send him home—real quick-like. She didn’t think she could handle

another episode like the one they had shared earlier that day.

He must have heard the sound of her heavy breathing, or maybe she had let out a deep moan without realizing she’d uttered a single word. Something definitely gave her away, and she felt heat pool between her legs when he lifted his gaze from the book and looked at her. It wasn’t just an

ordinary look either. It was a hot look, a definite scorcher and a blatant, I-want-to-take-you-to-bed look.

She blinked, thinking she had misread the look, but then she knew she hadn’t. He wouldn’t say the words out loud, but he definitely wanted her to know what he was thinking. She breathed in deeply. Dare was trouble and she was

determined to send him packing.

He stood when she took the last few steps down the stairs. “He’s out like a light,” she said quietly when he came to

stand in front of her. “I could barely get him in the shower

and in bed without him falling asleep again. Thanks for

taking him to dinner and for making sure he got back

home.”

Shelly paused, knowing she had just said a mouthful, but

she wasn’t through yet. “I know you’ve had a busy day today and need your rest as much as I do, so I’ll see you out now. In fact you didn’t have to wait around for me to finish

upstairs.”

“Yes, I did.”

She stared at him. “Why?”

“I thought you’d want to know how tonight went.”

Shelly inwardly groaned. Of course she wanted to know

how tonight went, but she’d been so intent on getting Dare out the door she had forgotten to ask. “Yes, of course. Did he behave himself? How did he take to your family?”

Dare glanced up at the top of the stairs then returned his gaze to her. “Is there somewhere we can talk privately?”

The first place Shelly thought about was the kitchen, and

then she remembered what had happened between them earlier that day. She decided the best place to talk would

be outside on the porch. That way he would definitely be out of the house. “We can talk outside on the porch,” she said, moving in that direction.

Without waiting for his response, she took the few steps to the door and stepped outside.

The night air was crisp and clear. The first thing Shelly

noticed was the full moon in the sky, and the next was the zillions of stars that sparkled like diamonds surrounding it. She went to stand next to a porch post, since it was the

best spot for the glow of light from the moon. The last thing she needed was to stand in some dark area of the porch

with Dare.

She heard him behind her when he joined her, however,