A Little Dare (67 page)

my
son’s
love
and
respect,
winning
your
heart
back
is
the
most
important
thing
I’ve
ever
had
to
do.”

Shelly
swallowed,
and
for
the
first
time
in
weeks
she
felt
a
bubble
of
hope
grow
inside
her.
Her
heart
began
beating
rapidly
against
her
ribs.
Was
Dare
saying
what
she
thought
he
was
saying?
There
was
only
one
way
to
find
out.
“Tell

me
why,
Dare.”

He
leaned
farther
back
against
the
sofa
and
smiled.
His

smile
was
so
sexy,
so
enticing,
and
so
downright
seductive
that
it
almost
took
her
breath
away.
“Because
I
wanted
to

prove
to
you
that
I
knew
the
difference
between
having
sex
and
making
love.
And
I
had
the
feeling
that
you
were

beginning
to
think
I
didn’t
know
the
difference,
and
that
all
those
times
we
spent
in
your
backyard
on
that
blanket
were
about
sex
and
had
nothing
to
do
with
emotions.
But

emotions
were
what
it
was
all
about,
Shelly,
each
and
every
time
I
took
you
into
my
arms
those
nights.
I
have
never
just
had
sex
with
you
in
my
life.
There
has
never
been
a
time

that
I
didn’t
make
love
to
you.
For
us
there
will
always
be
a
difference.”

Tears
misted
Shelly’s
eyes.
He
was
so
absolutely
right.
For
them
there
would
always
be
a
difference.
She
had
tried

convincing
herself
that
there
wasn’t
a
difference
and
that

each
time
they
made
love
it
was
about
satisfying
hormones
and
nothing
more.
But
she’d
only
been
fooling
herself.
She
loved
Dare.
She
had
always
loved
him
and
would
always

love
him.

“AJ
made
me
realize
what
you
might
have
been
thinking
when
we
spent
time
at
the
cabin
together,”
Dare
said,
interrupting
Shelly’s
thoughts.

“He
told
me
what
you
had
said
about
the
possibility
of
me
getting
married
one
day,
and
I
knew
then
what
you
must
have
been
thinking
to
assume
that
you
and
AJ
and
I
would
never
be
a
family.”

Shelly
nodded.
“But
we
will
be
a
family?”
she
asked
quietly,
wanting
to
reach
out
and
touch
Dare,
just
to
make
sure
this
entire
episode
was
real
and
that
she
wasn’t
dreaming
any
of
it.

“Yes,
we
will
be
a
family,
Shelly.
I
made
a
mistake
ten
years
ago
by
letting
you
go,
but
I
won’t
make
the
same
mistake

twice.
I
love
you
and
I
intend
to
spend
the
remainder
of
my
days
proving
just
how
much.”
Sitting
forward,
his
smile
was
tender
and
filled
with
warmth
and
love
when
he
added.

“That
is,
if
you
trust
me
enough
to
give
me
another
chance.”

Shelly
reached
out
and
cupped
his
jaw
with
her
hands.
She
met
the
gaze
of
the
man
she
had
always
loved
and
who

would
forever
have
her
heart.
“Are
you
sure
that
is
what
you
want,
Dare?”

“Yes,
I
haven’t
been
more
sure
of
anything
in
my
life,
Shelly,
so
make
me
the
happiest
man
in
the
world.
I
love
you.
I

always
have
and
always
will,
and
more
than
anything,
I
want
you
for
my
wife.
Will
you
marry
me?”

“Oh,
Dare,
I
love
you,
too,
and
yes,
I
will
marry
you.”
She

automatically
went
into
his
arms
when
he
leaned
forward

and
kissed
her.
His
kiss
started
off
gentle,
but
soon
it

began
stoking
a
gnawing
hunger
that
was
seeping
through
both
of
their
bodies
and
became
hard
and
demanding.
And
then
suddenly
Dare
broke
the
kiss
as
he
stood
and
Shelly
found
herself
lifted
off
the
sofa
and
cradled
close
to
his

body.

While
she
slowly
ran
her
lips
along
his
jaw,
the
corners
of
his
mouth
and
his
neck,
he
took
the
stairs
two
at
a
time,
his
breath
ragged,
as
he
carried
her
to
his
bedroom.
Once

there,
he
placed
her
in
the
middle
of
his
bed
and
began

removing
his
shirt.
Her
mouth
began
watering
as
he

exposed
a
hard-muscled
chest.
All
the
other
times
since

she’d
been
back
they
had
made
love
in
the
dark,
and

although
she
had
felt
his
chest
she
hadn’t
actually
seen
it.
At
least
not
like
this.
It
was
daylight
and
she
was
seeing
it
all,
the
thatch
of
hair
that
covered
his
chest
then
tapered

down
into
a
thin
line
as
it
trailed
lower
to
his…

She
swallowed
and
realized
that
his
hand
had
moved
to
the
snap
on
his
jeans.
He
slowly
began
taking
them
off.
She

swallowed
again.
Seeing
him
like
this,
in
the
light,
a
more
mature
and
older
Dare,
made
her
see
just
how
much
his

body
had
changed,
just
how
much
more
physical,