DanielsDare Read online

  “What am I supposed to say? I love you and probably have since eighth-grade biology when you were elbow deep in frog guts. By the way, do you want to get naked and have hot, sweaty monkey sex with me?”

  “Exactly.”

  “And that’s why you’re alone at Christmas.”

  “You’re not exactly with someone either, bro. Besides, I think I can convert the deal on the babe behind the ivories.”

  Daniel forced himself to relax so he wouldn’t throttle his brother. Deon meant well, he’d just never been in love. Tina was the kind of girl he’d dated before, but next to Kaitlyn she left him cold. He dredged up a grin. “She is pretty.”

  “Oh yeah, and do you see how well she uses her hands?” Deon waggled his eyebrows until Daniel laughed. His brother was hopeless.

  “I’ll let you know how it goes, bro. Maybe you can use my room tonight instead of sleeping down here with Kaitlyn.”

  Deon backed away just in time to avoid the plush snowman Daniel threw at him. Jerk. If only their mama had stopped after two. He watched as Deon went up and within moments had Tina eating out of his hands. The boy was a marvel with the ladies. Until Kaitlyn, Daniel would have thought the same about himself. Any other woman would have been his months ago, but he’d spent years trying to hide the fact that he wanted to do things to his best friend that no friend should actually do. And the shadow from his birthday confession still hadn’t faded nearly a year later. They still talked every day, but relationship talk was firmly avoided.

  She caught him staring so he forced himself into the work of cleaning their “bedroom” for the evening. Kaitlyn had decorated the room in browns and creams with the odd splash of red here and there. For the holiday season, she’d gone all out. Green and gold accents were strategically placed. The Christmas motif could have easily looked garish, but not with Kaitlyn in control. The effect was like a magazine spread that you wouldn’t imagine lounging in. The whole building was a testament to her brilliance and dedication, but nowhere as much as this room.

  Months and months of hard work, and her opening week appeared to be a success. His coworkers at The Midwester had pushed her place past capacity. Cozy Corners was her baby, and he had no doubt she’d make it a success, but he’d been excited he could throw some business her way. His boss, Oppenheimer, was more than happy to bring the staff here rather than a pricier place for their end-of-the-year team building, and the fact that they could profile the new bed-and-breakfast for a future spread made it a win-win situation.

  Though there wasn’t a policy about time spent in the common room, all the guests were being agreeable since Kaitlyn had given her room to Oppenheimer and his wife, Janice. With the money she’d make this weekend and the next month on late vacationers, she’d have enough to be choosier about scheduling, maybe turn some guests away. He’d offered to float her a loan to relieve some of the pressure, but she’d balked at the idea.

  Though Daniel tried to be slick, he knew she was aware he was watching her more than he was cleaning up. She kept worrying her lip and sneaking glances at him. It would have been cute if she were wearing jeans and one of his sweatshirts she was always stealing. In her barely there outfit it was devastating. Each nibble ratcheted his desire higher until he broke into a sweat trying not to throw her to the hearth and bury himself inside her. While it wouldn’t have fazed him, Kaitlyn definitely wouldn’t have liked having an audience.

  Finally the room was presentable and only he, Kaitlyn, Tina and Deon remained. Daniel noticed the petite blonde and his brother were holding hands and nearly rolled his eyes. He joined them in time to hear Deon say, “I’m going to walk Tina up to her room and then turn in for the night.”

  His tone was innocent, but Daniel caught the twinkle in his eye. Leave it to his brother to wrap himself up with a beautiful single woman. He knew his brother was planning seduction, and Tina seemed clear eyed and aware of the score, so Daniel stuffed his older-brother lecture where it belonged—up his ass.

  “Cool. Night, D. Night, Tina.” He shifted to stand next to Kaitlyn and the two of them watched the couple leave.

  “Fifty bucks says he sleeps in her room tonight.”

  She gasped and smacked his arm. “Daniel!”

  “What? Deon is Deon. Tina’s a beautiful girl. You do the math.”

  “You think Tina’s beautiful?” Her expression went churlish and Daniel bit back a grin. Even disgruntled she was pretty.

  “Huh uh. Not answering that unless it’s your truth or dare question.”

  She wrinkled her nose and he barely stopped himself from kissing it. That was definitely not the way to handle this. “I don’t think I should have to use my turn to get a simple question answered.”

  He shrugged. “Depends on how badly you want to know.” He tapped her nose and moved away silently counting. 1…2…3…4.

  “Fine, you jerk. Truth or dare.”

  With his back still turned, it was safe to grin. Kaitlyn never made it past four. She was typically patient, but something about his refusal to answer always tied her up in knots. He knew because she yelled it at him at least once a day when they talked on the phone.

  “Dare.”

  Chapter Two

  Kaitlyn made a noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a snort. She flew at him, hand slapping his chest repeatedly as she called him every vile name she could think of—and thanks to him, she knew quite a few. He fell into the wall, letting her momentum carry her until she was flush against his body. Her breasts pressed against him, nearly climbing out of her corset. He wanted to look, but knew if he gave her even the slightest indication he was looking, she’d be self-conscious. Kaitlyn had no qualms telling Daniel how smart she was, but nothing he did could get her to show him her sexy side, and he knew she had one. God knew she’d showed it to that idiot Will, and Daniel wasn’t about to be shut out.

  He grabbed her wrists and held them at the small of her back. She wiggled a few more times, but stopped when she realized she was good and stuck. Her chocolate curls had escaped their clips and provided a perfect frame for her flushed face.

  “Funny, you don’t look Irish.”

  “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Her gaze narrowed and man, was she pretty all pissed off. He held on as she jerked in his hold again.

  “Well, my pappy always said that it was the Irish in my mama that got her so riled up. I haven’t seen a tantrum like that since he wouldn’t let her turn their bathroom pink.”

  “Your mother is a saint for putting up with you and your stupid pappy.”

  “Hey now, don’t you go calling my pappy names. Seems he taught me a few things about women.”

  “Yeah, like what?” Her voice sounded disgruntled but she softened against him.

  “How to get them exactly where you want them.” He squeezed his hand, letting her feel how she was caged in by his arms, her body molded to his from chest to thigh. He let his gaze drift up. “Now will you just look at that?”

  He watched her face, waiting for the moment when she saw where they were positioned—directly under a baseball-sized sprig of mistletoe. The pulse in her throat sped up and he wanted to lick her, just there. She swallowed, her eyes growing shadowed as the seconds passed. There was something going on in that brain of hers, and it was going to ruin his night if he couldn’t stop it.

  “Let go, Daniel. This is so not a good idea.”

  “Well, it was your idea to put mistletoe up everywhere.” He had grumbled while doing it, all the while plotting how he was going to use it to get a goodnight kiss.

  “Yes, for the guests.” The last word squeaked as he brought her even closer. Daniel smoothed one hand along the curve of her spine, loving the feel of her firm body beneath his hand. He spread his fingers wide to feel more of her.

  “I’m a guest. Aren’t you supposed to see to my every need?” He slowly lowered his face, his mouth intent on hers.

  “Not yours.” She turned her mouth at the last minute and
his lips skimmed her jaw. He barely resisted the urge to sink his teeth in.

  “Why not?” He trailed his lips over to her ear, smiled against it when he felt her shiver. “I think you could take care of me, no problem.” He let one hand roam down and pinch her ass. It felt so good he left it there, squeezing her.

  “Daniel.” Her voice was both excited and exasperated, though her body remained in his grasp.

  He pulled back and looked into her eyes, willing her to say what was on her mind. She bit her lip in that way that drove him nuts. As if she was flaunting it, daring him to concentrate on anything when that plump, ripe mouth was there for the taking.

  Daniel pressed a quick, hard kiss on her mouth and eased back. He slid his hands up until they cupped her bare shoulders.

  “I changed my mind. I don’t want a dare. I want to do a truth.”

  Daniel pressed a finger to her lips to stop her before she could interrupt. “Might I suggest that you ask me something more important than what I think of Tina?”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as if I think you’re prettier than she is.”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it with a frown. “Why would I bother asking something I already know the answer to?”

  His fingers flexed against her soft flesh, but he forced himself to gentle his grip. Strangling her was not on the menu for the night.

  “I don’t think you know as much as you think you do.”

  “You know what I know? I know this conversation isn’t going anywhere and I’m tired. So I’m going to change my clothes and then let’s catch some Zs.” She pulled from his hold and he was forced to let her go. His arms felt empty without her. Damn, he had it bad.

  “What’s wrong with what you have on?”

  She snorted. “Besides the fact that my ass is hanging out all over the place and I’m cold?”

  She bent and rummaged through her oversized purse, and Daniel fought back a groan. She was in the perfect position for him to grasp her hips and come on home, but he knew she wasn’t ready for it.

  “Shit.”

  “What?” He prayed he sounded normal to her ears, and that she wouldn’t ask him anything else. No way could he form a coherent sentence.

  “I can’t find my PJs. I know I put them in here earlier.”

  He made a noncommittal sound, too busy watching her every move. She was turning him on more than any porn he’d ever seen. The deeper she dug inside her bag, the more her hips swayed ever so subtly. The view from the front would have no doubt driven him to his knees.

  Of course she would never find her jammies. He hated the ugly, shapeless gowns she insisted on wearing. Tonight’s purple-checkered, ankle-length nightmare was buried in the trunk of his car. And would never again grace her body if he had anything to say about it.

  Hearing her curse strained his control. If she didn’t stop soon, he’d laugh. “Well, keep it down so you don’t wake anybody.”

  She stood so abruptly she wobbled to the side. His eyes focused on her cleavage, which continued to jiggle once she stood still. “This is all your fault!”

  “Mine?” He tried for innocence, widening his eyes and losing his grin.

  “Yes!” She advanced on him, poking him in the chest. “I was so distracted trying to be Sexy Claus that I misplaced my jammies. Now I have to sleep in this tourniquet.”

  “It’s a perfect fit and you know it.” He wanted her to acknowledge that he knew her body, but her expression never wavered from surly. Daniel sighed. “I’m sure I have something for you to sleep in. We can share mine.”

  She scoffed. “Like both of us can fit in your clothes.”

  He reached out and pow! slapped her on her thigh. His fingers tingled and he wanted to rub over that affront, but he also wanted her to stop thinking like that.

  “Ouch! You bastard, what’s wrong with you?”

  “I’m tired of the way you talk about yourself.”

  Kaitlyn glowered. “It’s my body.”

  “Well it’s the very nice body of a friend of mine, so watch what you say.” He could tell by the widening of her eyes that he’d surprised her. Good. He wanted to keep her off balance. He reached into his bag and pulled out his monkey pajamas. Not exactly seduction gear, but he could make it work.

  He handed her the shirt. “Put it on and I want no lip out of you.”

  “It’s not big enough.” She crossed her arms and gave him the stink eye.

  “Woman, you either put it on, or I put it on you. Your choice.” He turned his back and dropped his pants, hoping her eyes were on him. He stepped into the flannel pants, willing his erection to settle down. She’d be able to tell with one look and he wanted her aroused beyond regrets before she noticed.

  He turned to find her watching him, her jaw dropped. “What?”

  “I can’t believe you just changed in my great room. Anyone could have walked by!”

  He grinned. “And would have liked the show. We could have charged for it. What about you? Did you like the show?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You’re incorrigible.”

  “And you’re evading the question.”

  She crossed her arms and gave him that saucy grin that made him want to promise her anything. If she had any idea how lethal she was…

  “Is that your truth or dare question?”

  “Technically it can’t be since you never took yours. But sure, why not? Truthfully, did you like what you saw?”

  Her smile faded a bit. “Well, it wasn’t much of a show. You just dropped trou and put on your monkey pants. Not much to see with your back turned.”

  “Well the little bit that you saw? Honestly, Kait.”

  “You know you have a nice body. Why do I have to say it?” Just like that she was back to being surly. He walked closer and tugged on a curl.

  “Because you accepted my truth question.”

  “Well maybe I want a dare.” Daniel curled his fingers to fists so he wouldn’t reach for her. Kait was playing with fire and they were both going to burn before the night was over.

  “Oh really? Because I’d be happy to give it to you.” Her cheeks heated at his words and he couldn’t stop the grin that split his face. She was beautiful when she was riled.

  “Truth,” she squeaked. “You have a really nice ass. There. I said it. Happy?”

  “It’ll do for now.”

  She smacked him with the pajama top as she made her exit to the bathroom. He had no doubt she was going to give herself a pep talk, but he’d be ready. He extinguished the overhead lights, leaving the room lit by the blinking Christmas lights and the flickering fire. When it looked like Kaitlyn was going to be longer, he walked the floor, doing the nightly shutdown procedure he’d seen her do night after night.

  Daniel checked that all the doors were locked and the windows closed. He verified that only the outdoor security lights remained lit and then returned to the great room to throw another log on the fire. He was burning up from the inside out, but he needed Kaitlyn to be warm enough when he got her naked.

  A full five minutes and she was still holed up in her temporary sanctuary. He grinned. Must have scared her even more than he’d thought. She had a few more minutes and then Daniel was going after her. He could imagine the scene if he barged in on her in the bathroom. Despite knowing each other for more than half their lives and seeing each other at their worst, Kaitlyn retained an adorable shyness with him. Just one more thing that drove him crazy.

  He rose from the hearth, tossing two fleece blankets on the couch as he passed. He’d let her think there was the option of them sitting side by side, but he planned to be wrapped up in her, with no need for either one. Daniel passed the bathroom door and barely avoided pounding like a madman. He’d get her out of there soon enough.

  In the kitchen, he plated some of the finger foods Kaitlyn had out earlier. He’d watched her all night so he knew she hadn’t truly eaten. And he would enjoy feeding her the bite-size pieces of fruit and cheese. H
e added a couple of brownies. Not exactly bite size, but Kaitlyn would taste delicious with a hint of chocolate. He licked his lips. Not that she hadn’t been delicious all on her own. Lastly he grabbed a bottle of wine, a corkscrew and glasses.

  He laid his bounty out and got to work on the bottle. She had until he had the wine poured to come out, or he was going in. After wrestling the cork from the wine, he paced in front of the couch while it breathed. He felt jittery, the way he did before a big presentation. Normally he’d get two minutes in, loosen up and have the executives lapping up his every word. He wasn’t as sure of tonight’s outcome.

  She appeared just as he started to pour the first glass. He paused, allowing his gaze to journey from her toes—painted fuck me red—up her bare legs to the hem of his monkey shirt. On him, a grown man, it was laughable. On her it was devastating. Though it covered more than her Sexy Claus outfit, it was more revealing. The monkeys appeared to dance over her jiggling breasts and her bare legs made his mouth water. He’d get a taste of her tonight or die trying.

  Daniel cleared his throat and finished pouring the wine. “I was about to see if you’d fallen in.”

  “You are so crude.” She sat on the couch, tucking her feet underneath her and spreading the tails of his shirt. She swaddled herself in one of the blankets, her face and hands the only things peeking through.

  “Planning to join me, Obi Wan?”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “You look just like one of the sand people from Star Wars. I thought if I offered you a title you might deign to join me.”

  She threw a pillow at him, which he deflected with his forearm. He bit back a moan as her breasts jiggled. Never had he envied flannel like he did right then.

  “Watch it or you’ll spill the wine.”

  “I’m not drinking wine with you, Daniel. Nothing good ever comes of it.”

  “That’s not true and you know it. Besides, we’re celebrating.” He stood and came around the coffee table before kneeling by the side of the couch. Daniel pushed a glass of wine at her face, and she grasped it rather than wear it. Damn shame. He would have loved to see the fabric cling to her nipples, and then he’d get to lick her clean.