Dare To Resist (Dare Nation 1)

“I guess that explains all the athletes in your family,” Quinn mused.

Austin pulled another long sip of bubbly soda. “In part. The truth is, I always excelled at the sport and I wanted to play and make the pros. But Dad … Jesse … he worked us hard. He coached. And if I lost, I had to walk home from the game. At ten years old. Same for my brothers.” The memory caused an old ache to open up inside him, and his muscles stiffened as the memories returned.

“That’s awful.” Quinn’s soft hand covered his.

He shrugged. “I had it easier than Jaxon, who preferred baseball to football. That pissed Dad off. And Damon was good, but football didn’t come as naturally to him as it did to me. So he had it hard, too. And Braden? The one with the brains and no desire to be a jock?” Austin shook his head, not wanting to subject her to the yelling that used to go on in the house. All the while his mother would try and play mediator.

“But back to your question, Paul was our pseudo-uncle. The voice of reason to Jesse’s irrational behavior. He was always there for all of us. So finding out that Paul was our biological father was almost a relief.”

Quinn squeezed his hand tighter. “Yeah, I get it now. Becoming a Dare was actually a good thing.”

He grinned. “The fact that being a Dare came with a shit ton of cousins? That was unexpected and it’s been surreal getting to know them a little at a time.” He laughed as he said, “There are a lot of Dares.”

She chuckled. “I know a little something about big families.”

“We do have that in common.” Before he could say more, a loud wail pierced his ears, sounding like it came from directly across the room. He turned and caught sight of the baby monitor that showed Jenny winding up as she let out another ear-splitting cry.

“I’ll get her. Can you heat a bottle?” Quinn asked.

And just like that, their warm bonding moment was over.

* * *

Quinn and Austin passed the weekend taking care of the baby, with her teaching Austin the minute details of infant care, including diaper changing, because Quinn refused to pull all the heavy duty. He was by no means a pro but he was definitely getting the hang of things. But after dinner, and giving Jenny a bath, which had been an experience in and of itself because Austin hadn’t been prepared for babies to be so slippery, they’d put her to bed.

And Quinn rushed to her own room, admitting she was a coward. Their conversation this afternoon had shown her Austin was a real man with past pain just like she had. But if they were going to take care of Jenny together, Quinn needed to be smart. The last thing she ought to do was fall for her boss. One day she hoped to find a real love, and Austin didn’t do long-term or serious relationships. And now he potentially had a practically newborn baby while Quinn was finished raising other people’s kids.

Finally, Monday arrived and they returned to work. Quinn stood at her desk in the office, Jenny strapped to her chest in a Baby Bjorn. Jenny wouldn’t settle down in the car seat carrier and she clearly needed snuggles and body contact. If not for the fact that Austin had a meeting with Ian Dare, a team owner and his cousin on Paul Dare’s side, she’d have strapped the baby to Austin and enjoyed watching him squirm.

It was actually endearing, the way he was trying to get comfortable with Jenny. Last night, while Quinn had showered, he’d laid the baby on his bed and talked to her in a gallant effort to keep Jenny from becoming hysterical. Holding her hadn’t worked. Austin was still too tense, hence Quinn’s determination to strap him to the baby for some bonding time soon.

But it never failed, just as Austin lifted the baby against him, Jenny’s little lips would pucker and she’d pull in short, panicked breaths, obviously not knowing what to make of the new man in her life. So he’d placed her down on his mattress and made the cutest baby noises and faces at her.

If Austin realized Quinn had snuck to the doorway to watch, he’d have been mortified. As for her, all the viewing had done was serve to ramp up her desire for the man. Hot, sexy, and he put his all into everything he did, including attempting to be a dad to a baby he didn’t know for sure was his.

Doing her normal routine, she was filing papers, Jenny dozing against her. Most of their system was computerized, but there were recent things they wanted to get their hands on quickly so they printed and she organized.