A Little Dare (3 page)

enough
to
know
when
to
keep
their
mouths
closed.
This
kid
had
a
lot
to
learn.

“Sheriff
Westmoreland,
this
is
Ms.
Rochelle
Brockman.”

Dare
swung
his
head
around
and
his
gaze
collided
with
the
woman
he’d
once
loved
to
distraction.
Suddenly
his
breath
caught,
his
mouth
went
dry
and
every
muscle
in
his
body

froze
as
memories
rushed
through
his
spiraling
mind.

He
could
vividly
recall
the
first
time
they’d
met,
their
first

kiss
and
the
first
time
they
had
made
love.
The
last
time

stood
out
in
his
mind
now.
He
dragged
his
gaze
from
her
face
to
do
a
total
sweep
of
her
body
before
returning
to
her
face
again.
A
shiver
of
desire
tore
through
him,
and
he
was
glad
that
his
position,
standing
behind
his
desk,
blocked
a
view
of
his
body
from
the
waist
down.
Otherwise
both

women
would
have
seen
the
arousal
pressing
against
the
zipper
of
his
pants.

His
gaze
moved
to
her
dark-brown
hair,
and
he
noted
that
it
was
shorter
and
cut
in
one
of
those
trendy
styles
that

accented
the
creamy
chocolate
coloring
of
her
face
as
well
as
the
warm
brandy
shade
of
her
eyes.

The
casual
outfit
she
wore,
a
printed
skirt
and
a
matching
blouse,
made
her
look
stylish,
comfortable
and

ultrafeminine.
Then
there
were
the
legs
he
still
considered
the
most
gorgeous
pair
he’d
ever
seen.
Legs
he
knew

could
wrap
around
his
waist
while
their
bodies
meshed
in
pleasure.

A
deep
sigh
escaped
his
closed
lips
as
he
concluded
that
at
thirty-three
she
was
even
more
beautiful
than
he

remembered
and
still
epitomized
everything
feminine.

They’d
first
met
when
she
was
sixteen
and
a
sophomore
in
high
school.
He’d
been
nineteen,
a
few
weeks
shy
of
twenty
and
a
sophomore
in
college,
and
had
come
home
for
a
visit
to
find
her
working
on
a
school
project
with
his
brother

Stone.
He
had
walked
into
the
house
at
the
exact
moment
she’d
been
leaning
over
Stone,
explaining
some
scientific
formula
and
wearing
the
sexiest
pair
of
shorts
he
had
ever
seen
on
a
female.
He
had
thought
she
had
a
pair
of
legs

that
were
simply
a
complete
turn-on.
When
she
had

glanced
up,
noticed
him
staring
and
smiled,
he’d
been
a

goner.
Never
before
had
he
been
so
aware
of
a
woman.
An
immediate
attraction
had
flared
between
them,
holding
him
hostage
to
desires
he’d
never
felt
before.

After
making
sure
Stone
didn’t
have
designs
on
her

himself,
he
had
made
his
move.
And
it
was
a
move
he’d

never
regretted
making.
They
began
seriously
dating
a
few
months
later
and
had
continued
to
do
so
for
six
long
years,
until
he
had
made
the
mistake
of
ending
things
between

them.
Now
it
seemed
the
day
of
reckoning
had
arrived.

“Shelly.”

“Dare.”

It
was
as
if
the
years
had
not
passed
between
them,
Dare
suddenly
thought.
That
same
electrical
charge
the
two
of
them
always
generated
ignited
full
force,
sending
a
high
voltage
searing
through
the
room.

He
cleared
his
throat.
“Holly,
you
can
leave
me
and
Ms.
Brockman
alone
now,
“he
thought
it
best
to
say.

His
secretary
looked
at
Shelly
then
back
at
him.
“Sure,

Sheriff,”
she
murmured,
and
walked
out
of
the
office,
pulling
the
door
shut
behind
her.

Once
the
door
closed,
Dare
turned
his
full
attention
back
to
Shelly.
His
gaze
went
immediately
to
her
lips;
lips
he
used
to
enjoy
tasting
time
and
time
again;
lips
that
were
hot,

sweet
and
ultra-responsive.
One
night
he
had
thrust
her
into
an
orgasm
just
from
gnawing
on
her
lips
and
caressing

them
with
the
tip
of
his
tongue.

He
swallowed
to
get
his
bearings
when
he
felt
his
body

began
responding
to
just
being
in
the
same
room
with
her.
He
then
admitted
what
he’d
known
for
years.
Shelly

Brockman
would
always
be
the
beginning
and
the
end
of
his
most
blatant
desires
and
a
part
of
him
could
not
believe
she
was
back
in
College
Park
after
being
gone
for
so
long.

Shelly
felt
the
intensity
of
Dare’s
gaze
and
struggled
to
keep
her
emotions
in
check,
but
he
was
so
disturbingly