Double Dare

“Looks like it’s later already,” she said when she reached him. He smiled in response to the humor in her husky tone.

“What happened to your date?” he fished. “It didn’t look like it went well.”

“Oh.” She glanced back at the table where her friends watched. She pressed her lips together, then shrugged. “You saw that, huh?”

“Bits and pieces. So that was your blind date?” He held his breath. If she admitted it was a business association, he could haul her in for questioning.

“Of a sort,” she replied.

Damn it.

“A sort, huh?”

“Yeah, a sort.” She hesitated, then gave a one-shouldered shrug. “You know, more like a dare. You ever get suckered into a dare? There is just no way out.”

“Believe me, I know all about dares.”

“Then you know how humiliating it is to back down from one, don’t you?” As she spoke, Audra shifted so she stood between his legs. He wanted to pull her against him, to feel her body give way to the straining flesh pressing against his now too-tight jeans. She traced a finger over his mouth. Jesse’s lip tingled, and it was all he could do to keep from pulling that finger into his mouth and sucking on it. He was a passionate man—it was in his blood—but he’d never experienced this level of deep, dark excitement.

“Oh, yeah, a dare refused is a guarantee of humiliation,” he agreed.

“Sometimes a dare accepted holds the same guarantee.”

Was she talking about her deal with Davey? Larson could be involved in anything from credit card fraud to identity theft. What had he passed to Audra? Jesse was going to have to find out.

“It sounds like you’re an expert on dares,” he said.

Something dimmed the sparkle in her huge brown eyes. To Jesse, it looked like a combination of indecision and reluctance. Her gaze slid past him, a frown quirked her brow, and then she puffed out a little sigh.

“How about we blow this joint? Find a little privacy and get to know each other better?”

His mouth went so dry, Jesse couldn’t reply. Instead, he nodded.

Desire ripping through him like a jagged knife, he followed Audra out of the nightclub, his gaze glued on the tantalizing sway of her leather-clad hips.

Jesse told himself he was just playing along for the case. He had to follow her to find out what she knew. That was all. He didn’t intend to let it get out of hand.

But for the first time in his six-year career as a cop, he wondered if he could keep his pants on long enough to arrest a woman before having desperate, mind-blowing sex with her.

AUDRA WELCOMED the warm evening air after the stifling, sticky heat of the club. Her ears still ringing from the loud music, she took in a few deep breaths and wished for a breeze.

“Did you want to go somewhere? Get something to eat or some coffee?” Jesse offered. His hand warmed her hip as he shifted to protect her from being jostled by the partyers shoving past them to leave the club.

Did she want to go anywhere? Audra eyed the hunk at her side and puffed out a breath. He was hot, no question about it. But more, he had a layer of sweetness that had her alternating between wanting to hug him close and lick him all over. The latter boded well for her current predicament, the former was better avoided.

After all, thanks to that crazy man who’d freaked out over her offer to get friendly, Jesse had become her new dare. Not that she was proud to have the first failed dare chalked up under her name. But at least that failure came with a sweet reward. She eyed Jesse in delight. He’d make this dare a pleasure.

All she had to do was focus on the rush of sexual energy arcing between them like a rainbow, a bone-melting orgasm the promised reward. And ignore the spark of emotion, the weird desire to get to know him better. After a year of watching her brother and his bride grow closer, she’d probably just picked up on their couple vibe. Like a virus, that kind of thing could only be dangerous to her health, though. So she’d ignore it.

“How about we find someplace quiet,” she suggested with a wink, “and see what comes up?”

From the widening of those delicious coffee-brown eyes, he got her message. The heat there told her he was all for it, but then his gaze shifted, became more reserved.

“There’s a little coffee shop nearby,” he countered. “We can order something to drink, maybe a piece of pie, and talk?”

He was kidding, right? Audra stopped and looked closer. There was a hint of color on his cheeks, but that could just be the neon lights. He was gorgeous, no question about that. And sexy as hell, but he didn’t seem used to the club scene. Was he playing hard to get? Or was he one of those? A fabled good boy?

She squinted, taking in his shadowed jawline, his crooked nose, and the slight frown between his heavy brows. She couldn’t tell for sure. After all, she’d never known a good boy.

“Wouldn’t you rather go somewhere a little more private?” she asked.

He closed his eyes for a second, as if in prayer, then opened them and gave her a tight smile. “Let’s talk a little first, huh?”

From the stiff set of his shoulders, he didn’t mean dirty talk. Intrigued by the novelty, Audra smiled and nodded. “Okay, then. Your car or mine?”

“It’s close. We can walk.”

Audra laughed aloud. “Walk?” She lifted one foot to show off the four-inch heels of her spiked black pumps and pointed her toe. “These feet have been known to do many things,” she paused suggestively, “but they don’t walk any farther than necessary.”

“Aren’t you concerned about getting into a car with a strange man? A beautiful woman like yourself needs to be cautious.”

From someone else, that might have sounded patronizing. Jesse, though, seemed genuinely concerned. His gaze locked on hers, warmth and sincerity clear in the brown depths. She noted the protective hand on her hip, not groping or sliding down her butt, but simply keeping her from being jostled.

Something warmed in Audra. Nobody had ever shown concern for her before. It felt…odd. A good kind of odd, though. Could he really be that sweet?

She gave him a warm smile and said, “I’m used to taking care of myself, promise. I’m a good judge of character and I fight nasty.” The can of Mace in her purse didn’t hurt, either. “Nobody tries anything with me I don’t want without regretting it.”

He gave a contemplative nod, but didn’t try to pull any macho crap by arguing or trying to prove he was tough. Audra’s respect rose a few notches. How wild. She was really liking this guy. She just might want to see if this dare could lead to something more.

Depending on his performance on her “O” scale, of course.

“Let’s take my car,” she suggested. “I prefer the driver’s seat.”

She slid her hand in his and shivered a little at the hard strength of his palm and long, narrow fingers.

“So,” he said as they made their way to the parking lot, “that guy didn’t look like your type.”

Audra looked at the milling partiers in confusion. “Which guy?”

“The one in the club back there. You know, the dorky guy you had the ‘sort of’ date with.”

“Oh, him. No, he’s definitely not my type.” Audra suppressed a shudder. What a geek.

“Do you have to deal with that a lot? I’d think a woman as gorgeous as you are wouldn’t need blind dates.”

“You know how that goes. You have to kiss a lot of toads before you nail a prince.”

Thanks to the geek—or Dave, as he’d introduced himself—being a nervous wreck, she’d lucked out and wouldn’t be locking lips with any toads tonight.