Stef had found herself on the brink of inviting him to her room more than once. She wanted her one-night stand, and she wanted it now.
But she was enjoying his company so much that she didn’t want this to end too soon.
“So,” Dustin said. His fingers inched towards her, tentatively at first, then more boldly, his thumb caressing the gentle bend of her wrist. “I now know that you have horrible taste in James Bond actors. It makes me wonder what else I can learn about you.”
“Such as?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Like what do you do when you’re not beautifying the beaches of Turks and Caicos with your presence?”
Stef couldn’t help the sharp laugh that escaped her lips.
His brow scrunched in a slight grimace. “Was that too over-the-top?”
She held her fingers up and pinched them close together. “Just a bit. But don’t let that stop you. I’m finding you utterly entertaining.”
“At least I’m good for something.” He smiled. Those dimples were killing her. “So, what do you do, Stefanie? If you don’t mind me asking.”
“Not at all.” She drained the last of her watery fruit punch before continuing. “I spent ten years in the army, four active duty and six in the Reserves. However, I’m back to living the civilian life. I’m an ER nurse at a small hospital in southern Louisiana.”
Stef thought she saw concern in his eyes, but his expression cleared so quickly she wasn’t sure if she was mistaken.
“What kind of business are you in?” she asked. “It must be something high-pressure if it pulled you away from hanging out with your friends on the islands.”
“I’m in the oil and gas industry,” he answered. He waved it off. “Boring stuff. I doubt you want to hear about it.”
“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Stef set both elbows on the bar and rested her chin on her folded hands. She’d decided a while ago that he more than fit the bill for her dare, but getting to know him a little better wouldn’t hurt.
She smiled up at him. “Try me.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Dustin’s gut twisted in horrified disbelief as realization dawned on him.
This was Stefan’s sister. His damn sister!
From the moment he’d first encountered her sitting at the bar he knew there was something familiar about her, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Something with the way her mouth edged up when she smiled, the way her eyes tilted slightly at the corners. After she mentioned being an army nurse, her resemblance to her twin brother hit Dustin square in the chest.
Stefan Sutherland was his best friend. He’d spent the past three hours nursing a hard-on for his best friend’s twin sister—his widowed twin sister, for crying out loud.
Concern for her was why Stefan had first moved to Louisiana in the first place. He was about as overprotective of his sister and her son Jacob as an ex-military guy could be. Stefan would lose his shit if he found out Dustin had spent the evening using some of the same pick-up lines on her that they’d perfected back when they both were navy men.
He had to find a way to pry himself out of this situation. Sisters were off-limits. It didn’t matter that Dustin didn’t have a sister; if he did, she would be on the prohibited list.
It also didn’t matter that Stefanie had been flirting with him just as aggressively as he’d flirted with her. Or that on more than one occasion tonight she’d given him that look that said she would have no problem with him eating her for breakfast tomorrow morning.
Dammit. Now that image would be in his head for the rest of the night.
He needed to get out of here. Now. He couldn’t do this to Stefan. Not only because he was his best friend, but because he was also the best flight instructor on Hawk Offshore Transportation’s payroll, the helicopter shuttle company Dustin had started after leaving the navy six years ago. He was already dealing with his share of uncertainty where Hawk Transpo was concerned; he didn’t need to heap on more by messing things up with Stefan.
Yet, despite all the reasons prodding him to bid Stefanie a goodnight, Dustin could not force himself to leave. Sitting there in that pink sleeveless top that showcased her nicely-shaped shoulders and well-toned arms, she was exactly what he’d been looking for when he’d left his room. A fun, sexy, interesting woman who could help him forget about all the things clouding his mind. He needed this distraction too much, and it had been too damn long since he’d connected with a woman this quickly, for him to give her up anytime soon.
Her lighthearted teasing wrenched a laugh from him despite his efforts to dial back his interest. There was no use; he was interested. He would just have to deal with the consequences.
“How long are you in Turks and Caicos?” he asked, even though he knew she would probably head back to the States with the rest of the wedding guests, save for Stefan and Callie, who were moving to a resort in Providenciales for their honeymoon.
“Monday,” she said. “Most of my friends are leaving Sunday, but I’m giving myself an extra day to enjoy the islands.”
Dustin was booked on the same Sunday afternoon flight back to New Orleans. Changing it to Monday wouldn’t be all that difficult.
Whoa, there. He was getting a little ahead of himself.
A little?
Okay, a lot. He was ninety-nine percent certain Stefanie was going to be pissed when he showed up tomorrow at Stefan’s wedding. He debated for a second whether he should come clean, but then tossed out the idea. He was too afraid she would walk away from him if she knew just who he was.
“So, do you have plans for Sunday, or are you planning to just be lazy?” Dustin asked.
“I’m not sure yet,” she said. “How about you?”
He flashed the most charming smile in his arsenal. “Sweetheart, whatever plans I have can change the minute you give me a reason to change them.”
The color that blossomed on her cheeks only urged him to think of other ways to make her blush. There were so many things he could do.
She sized him up with a suspicious look, her brows arching over warm brown eyes. “You claim you work in oil and gas, but I’m not buying it. I think you’re a professional flirt.”
“Nah.” Dustin shook his head. “The flirting is just a part-time gig.” He winked. “And only when I’ve found someone who’s really worth the effort.”
There was the blush again.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the evening? Are you up for a late dinner?” he asked.
Her gaze roamed his face before settling on his lips. She shook her head, and in a husky whisper, said, “I want to do something wild and crazy.”
Heat developed underneath his skin, a slow burn that steadily increased with every second that passed.
“Like what?” he asked.
Several moments edged by as she fiddled with the napkin underneath her glass. Finally, she said, “Earlier today a good friend accused me of being boring.” For the first time tonight her expression became intensely serious. “I didn’t like hearing that. She dared me to do something out of character, and she knows I’ve never been able to back away from a dare.”
“What’s the dare?”
“If I tell you, would you do it?”
“Depends on what it is.”
Her gaze drifted back to his lips. “I think you would like it.”
He swallowed. Swallowed again.
“Tell me,” he managed to speak past the lust wedged in his throat.
She leaned toward him, her breasts brushing against his arm. “Take me to your room and I’ll show you.”
Her seductive murmur sent a shot of desire straight to his groin.
He hopped off the barstool so fast he nearly tripped over his own feet, but you couldn’t pay him to care that he looked like an idiot. The only thing his mind could focus on was the sultry words Stefanie had whispered in his ear.
Dustin threw a fifty on the bar and grabbed her by the waist, hauling her down from the stool. His skin was hot. His body tightened
with need as he watched her trek through the white sand beach. His eyes trailed from her trim ankles, to her shapely calves and firm, perfect ass. Her silky smooth dark-brown ponytail brushed against the small of her back. His hands clenched in anticipation as his mind instantly conjured an image of that luscious hair clutched in his fist, him tugging her head back as he took her from behind.
She’s your best friend’s sister! That’s who you’re thinking about taking from behind!
He couldn’t think about the implications it would have on his friendship with Stefan when he learned that Dustin had carnal knowledge of his twin sister. It didn’t matter. Nothing would stop him from following Stefanie’s incredibly hot body to his room and availing himself of everything she was offering.
By the time they arrived at the door to his oceanfront suite, Dustin felt ready to burst out of his skin. When he’d left this suite after his conference call earlier today, he’d embraced a distant hope that he’d find someone willing to engage in a casual hook-up. An hour or two of nice, hassle-free, stress-relieving sex—something to take the edge off all the pressure he’d been shouldering these last few months.
But he’d found so much more.
Dustin was willing to concede that there was nothing hassle-free about sleeping with his best friend’s sister. Things were bound to get complicated, but he’d deal with that later. And he could forget one or two hours; he planned to spend all night learning every inch of that petite, well-toned body.
He opened the door and moved to the side so that Stefanie could enter ahead of him. She let out a low whistle when he turned on the lights, bathing the spacious suite in a mellow glow.
“These are some serious digs,” she said. “You treat yourself well, don’t you?”
“It’s vacation,” he said, tossing the room keycard on the table next to the door. “I thought I’d splurge.”
His fingers itched with the need to touch her, but Dustin held back. He didn’t want to pounce on her like a horny teenager, even though a fifteen-year-old first-timer probably had more control than he could command right now.
Still, he had at least a small bit of the gentleman his parents had raised left in him.
“Can I get you a drink?” he asked.
Stefanie turned to him, her luminous, warm brown eyes filled with heat. “I had enough to drink at the bar.” She pressed her fingers to the center of his chest. “I came here for something else.”
Dustin went instantly hard as she backed him up against the wall.
Despite the primal need bursting through his bloodstream, he forced himself to ask, “You sure about this, Stefanie? This isn’t just the alcohol talking, is it?”
That sexy smile drifted across her lips again. “Dustin, I haven’t had alcohol in years. I was drinking fruit punch. Now, kiss me.”
She flattened her front against his and thrust her tongue in his mouth.
Oh, hell yeah.
His arms went around her, his palms instinctively finding her ass. Damn, but it was a nice ass. Tight, firm, compact, and squeezable. He tugged her even closer as his tongue skated along hers. The low, erotic sounds rising from her throat drizzled down his spine like hot, sensual rain.
While one hand remained on that amazing ass, he inched his other hand up and under the hem of her snug tee, his fingers burning with need at the first touch of her bare skin.
Dustin brushed his thumb back and forth along the small of her back as he continued to explore her mouth. He closed his eyes and envisioned kissing her as he peeled the clothes from her body and laid her down in the king-size bed just down the hallway. He wanted to do that so badly his body ached with it.
Her hands roamed all over him, moving along his arms and up his torso. When her fingers brushed the bulging fly of his khaki shorts, he nearly lost it then and there. He needed to get her naked. Now.
“Stefanie. Clothes.” He thrusts his tongue inside her mouth again before pulling back enough to speak a coherent sentence. “It’s time to lose the clothes.”
She nodded and pushed his shirt up.
Then she stopped.
Just like that, she stopped.
“Oh my God,” she breathed through deep pants. “What am I doing?”
No. No, no, no.
The sensual haze that had smoldered in her gaze just a second ago was gone. Clarity had returned.
“I can’t do this,” she said. “Oh my goodness, I cannot do this.”
“It’s okay,” he murmured despite the protests shrieking in every cell of his body.
She took several steps back, her brilliant eyes bright with distress. “I’m so sorry,” she said. “I swear I didn’t mean to lead you on.”
“It’s okay, Stefanie,” he said. “Really, it’s fine.”
“No, it isn’t,” she said. “You’re so sweet and so much fun, and I really, really wanted to do this, but I just can’t. I’m so sorry, Dustin, but I have to go.”
Dustin expelled a deep breath and nodded. He reached for the keycard. “Let me walk you to your room.”
“No.” She stayed him with a hand to his arm. “That would be…” She let out a shaky breath as she tugged her shirt back into place. “That would be too much temptation.”
“I’m not all that convinced that a bit more temptation would be such a bad thing.”
She released a breathless laugh. “Yes, it would,” she said. Her eyes softened. “Thank you so much for this afternoon. I had a wonderful time with you.”
“I can say the same,” Dustin said.
She reached for the door, but before turning the handle, looked back and said, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, but I really hope I never see you again.”
Then she turned and rushed out of his suite, closing the door softly behind her.
Dustin just stood there for several minutes, motionless, trying to rein in the scattered emotions rioting through him. He’d gotten way more than he’d bargained for when he’d embarked on finding himself a casual hook-up for the night. He should be alarmed at just how intensely he wanted her; instead the hair on the back of his neck stood at attention for an entirely different reason.
He wondered just how Stefanie would react tomorrow when he dashed her hopes as he stood as the best man at her brother’s wedding.
Chapter Two
Stefanie bypassed the traditional boiled fish and grits that was purported to be a breakfast favorite among the locals. Instead, she opted for the array of fresh fruits displayed on the buffet table of the private veranda where Stefan and Callie’s wedding day breakfast was being held.
Armed with a steaming cup of strong coffee and a couple of spears of fresh pineapple, Stef moved over to the far edge of the veranda, the breeze lifting the ruffled hem of her flouncy, ankle length sundress as she walked. The spot afforded a panoramic view of both the small gathering of family and friends that had managed to make it out of their rooms for the wedding day breakfast, along with the beautiful beaches beyond.
The sun was preening in the sky above the Atlantic’s blue waters, its rays glinting off the gently cresting waves. Several resort guests had already taken to the private beach, their colorful beach towels contrasting against the white sand.
Stef didn’t see any time for fun in the sand on today’s agenda. This Saturday was all about watching her twin marry the woman of his dreams.
Stefan and Callie had originally planned to get married back in November, but in early September Lieutenant Colonel Morris Sutherland’s heart had almost given out. It had been a shock to everyone who knew him, because at sixty-one her father was the epitome of fitness. When her mother first called to tell her about it, Stef’s initial thought was that his heart was a total badass to even think of disrespecting the Lieutenant Colonel in such a way. No one crossed him, even his organs.
Stefan had been just fine with their father missing the wedding, but Callie wouldn’t hear of it. She insisted they postpone until the Lieutenant Colonel recovered from his heart attack. He
r future sister-in-law had these grand plans of repairing Stefan’s relationship with their father. Stef tried to tell her she was on a fool’s mission. She was pretty sure those two began butting heads the second Stefan was born.
Stef looked around the veranda for the older man’s gleaming bald head. She didn’t see it. She wasn’t surprised. She loved her father, but he was a stubborn bastard. She was sure he hadn’t shown up at the breakfast just to piss off Stefan.
That was just fine with Stef. She was in no hurry to face the Lieutenant Colonel’s oppressive scrutiny. She and Jacob had visited her mother and father over Easter, and months later Stef was still suffering the effects of those judgmental grunts and glowers of displeasure. She had made her way onto his list of massive disappointments years ago and had yet to make if off.
Stef spotted Stefan over by the head table. He looked happier than he had in years. It was fitting, seeing as today was the day he would marry a woman who was perfect for him.
Last night, however, he’d looked the opposite of happy.
When Stef had arrived at her room just past ten p.m., Stefan was waiting for her, half-crazed with worry. She’d noticed the six missed calls and dozen text messages he’d left on her phone as she was taking her pseudo walk of shame from Dustin’s room last night, but hadn’t bothered to return them.
When Stefan asked why she hadn’t answered his calls, she’d lied, telling him that she’d forgotten to turn the phone back on once the plane landed. If he hadn’t been so worked up he probably would have realized that she was lying since she’d texted him as soon as her plane had touched down yesterday afternoon.
She hadn’t answered any of Stefan’s attempts to contact her because she hadn’t wanted anything to bring her back to reality. She’d had this one small snapshot of the old Stefanie, a brief glimpse of the girl who used to thrive on excitement. The girl who wouldn’t bat an eye at doing something as spontaneous as picking up a guy at a bar, going back to his room, and showing him the time of his life.
Stef’s eyes fell shut.
She was no longer that girl. She couldn’t be her, even for a little while.
I Dare You! (Moments in Maplesville Book 4) Page 2