Truth or Dare

by A. J. Bennett

  “And I want to show you off to the world,” Hunter practically growled, pulling her into him.

  Luna glanced up, laughing. He was so damn hot, it made her chest ache just to look at him.

  They continued to walk lazily along the well-worn path. Zeus was not much of a speed walker. Not that she was complaining. The slow pace was nice.

  The dog barely made it four hundred feet before he laid down and refused to move. Hunter tried to nudge the dog along, but he wasn’t budging.

  Smiling, Luna lifted her head; his lips were warm and sweet when they met hers. Might as well take advantage of the delay.

  He ran his fingers through her hair.

  The dog barked and they pulled apart, smiling. When they looked up they saw another couple walking toward them.

  Hunter pulled her into him to let the couple pass.

  Finally, Zeus got to his feet and continued on. He did his business and turned around, ready to go back to the air conditioner. Luna couldn’t blame him.

  Once they got back in the room, Luna grabbed her purse and carefully applied make-up, trying to cover up the bruises from last night. She leaned out of the bathroom. “We’re going to have to stop at my place so I can change.”

  “No problem.”

  Luna dropped the concealer in her purse and headed into the kitchen. “Can you see the bruises?”

  Hunter tilted her face side to side. “Not really, but your lip’s swollen on the top.”

  “Not much I can do about that.” Luna sighed, and looked at him skeptically. “Are you sure you’re ready to meet my crazy family?”

  “I’m sure they are great.” Hunter entwined his hand with hers as they made their way out of the apartment and into his truck.

  ***

  When he pulled into her mother’s driveway, Luna took a deep breath. Everyone’s cars were there. Her mom must have called and informed every one of her visit. “All right, let’s get this over with.”

  She jumped out of the truck and met him in front of it, grabbing his hand. She didn’t want to give them cause to worry. Last night sucked, but she wasn’t going to let it get her down. The asshole got what he had coming to him and she just wanted to put it behind her.

  Not bothering to knock, she flitted through the front door of her mother’s house. “Mom, this is Hunter.”

  Her mother stood up from the couch, gave him a quick once over, took notice of their entwined hands, and then nodded in approval. “Thank you for protecting my little girl last night.”

  Hunter squeezed Luna’s hand. “I just wish I’d gotten there earlier. And she was doing a pretty good job on her own, when I got there the guy was howling in pain.”

  Her mother smiled and patted Luna’s arm. “That’s my girl. And don’t beat yourself up over the timing, some things have to play out the way they do. Let me see your hand.”

  Hunter looked at Luna with a raised eyebrow.

  “Oh God, Mom. Seriously? No!” Luna groaned. Why did her mother have to be such a fruitcake?

  Hunter pulled his hand from hers and held it out to her crazy ass mother. Luna cringed as her mom ran her fingers down his life, head, and heart line. Her mother didn’t say a word, then she flipped his hand to the side and ran her finger where Luna knew the relationship line was. Her mom dropped his hand and pulled him into a hug. “Welcome to the family.”

  Hunter hesitantly patted her mom on the back while looking over her head at Luna. She took her finger and twirled it around near her temple, as if to say her mom was crazy. But secretly she was thrilled at her mother’s response.

  Grayson gave her a look. Luna knew she was analyzing her, to see if she really was okay or just putting on a front. Her sister knew her well, but she was better than okay. She was happier than she had been in a very long time. Grayson seemed to get that because she just smiled and gave her a thumbs up.

  Grayson’s eyes moved over toward Hunter. “You must be Hunter. I have to say, I’ve been dying to meet the man that captured my big sister’s attention.”

  Luna elbowed her sister in the side.

  “And I’ve been looking forward to meeting Luna’s mirror image,” Hunter said with an easy smile.

  “Do you realize you’re the first date my sister has ever brought to any of our gatherings?”

  “Is that so?” Hunter looked down at Luna and grinned, she couldn’t help but notice the heat that flared in his eyes. And she thought she was insatiable.

  “Don’t let it go to your head.” She bumped her hip against his.

  “Too late for that.” His rough voice made her skin tingle.

  Her mom grinned and shook her head, before leading them into the kitchen where the rest of the family was sitting down drinking tea. Her brother jumped up, hugged her, and shook Hunter’s hand. They’d heard of each other through work, but never actually met. Of course Ethan wanted a play by play detail of what went down last night. When Hunter told him about calling the cops for drinking and driving. Ethan looked impressed.

  “I think I’ll have to pay him a visit myself.” Ethan cracked his knuckles.

  Luna rolled her eyes, but didn’t doubt for one second that he wouldn’t go through with it. She wouldn’t be surprised if the jerk didn’t hightail it out of town. Which would be fine by her. Hopefully, the jackass learned his lesson and wouldn’t try to bring a knife out on someone again. She felt a twinge of guilt. What if he did try to hurt someone else? Had they really done enough? Was it too late to press charges? She’d have to give it some more thought.

  Luna went around and introduced everyone else in the family. If Hunter was uncomfortable, he didn’t show it. In fact, he seemed completely at ease.

  “Sit down and have some tea,” Derrick said, raising his mug.

  “No thanks, I don’t drink tea.”

  “You do now.” Derrick laughed.

  Hunter looked at Luna like, is he for real?

  Her mom looked over her shoulder. “Sugar and milk?”

  “Umm, no. I guess I’ll have it plain.”

  “Plain? How barbaric. I’ll just put a little sugar and milk in it.”

  “Mom! He said he didn’t want any.”

  “Clearly he’s never had tea with milk and sugar. If he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to drink it.”

  She handed Hunter the mug and watched as he took a sip. A smile spread across his beautiful face. “It’s actually pretty good.”

  Her mom patted his shoulder and went about bothering someone else.

  Luna should have been mortified by her mother’s behavior, but the way Hunter took it all in stride made it bearable. Besides, he might as well get used to it if he planned on sticking around for a while.

  “All right, Mom, let’s see this dress you made.”

  Grayson jumped up and pulled Luna down the hallway into their mother’s bedroom. “You’re not going to get over how incredibly gorgeous it is.”

  Luna glanced back at her mother skeptically. She was trying to hold judgment until she saw the final product, but was really finding it hard to believe her mother actually pulled it off.

  Grayson grinned and slipped into the bathroom. A few moments later, she stepped outside and spun around. Luna didn’t know what was more shocking: the fact that her tomboy sister was positively glowing and spinning around the room in a dress, or the fact that the dress was perfect. It looked like it was hand-sewn by a European designer.

  “Oh. My. God. Mom. Did you really do this all by yourself?”

  “I did.” Her mother smiled impishly and gave a little curtsy.

  Suddenly, crazy ideas started filling her head. “Do you think you could do it again? Like make more dresses as incredible as this one?”

  “I don’t see why not. Why, are we planning another wedding?” Her eyes twinkled.

  Grayson’s head snapped toward Luna.

  “What? No. Definitely not that. Mom, you know how I’ve always wanted to open a boutique. There really isn’t any place around here to get gowns
of this quality. And with all the military formals, proms, et cetera, I think we could make a killing.”

  “Luna, are you suggesting that we go into business together?” her mother asked, making a face.

  “I know. It sounds crazy and it is insane, but it could seriously work. We could order gowns, too, of course. Not all handmade. There are so many new little store fronts popping up all over the place.”

  “Mom, it’s actually a great idea,” Grayson said.

  “Definitely something to think about. I haven’t touched the money I got from your father’s insurance. And truthfully, being retired is boring as hell.”

  Luna squealed and threw her arms around her mother. It’s not very often they saw eye to eye, but Luna was super excited about the prospect of starting their own boutique. She might not have the skills to make gowns, but she certainly had an eye for what worked and what didn’t. She couldn’t wait to tell Hunter about the idea.

  Chapter Twenty

  A week later

  “You look stunning,” Hunter whispered in her ear when she walked out of her mother’s room. She was wearing an off-white silk dress that looked like it was made just for her. The dress was strapless and short with the bottom fanning out around her. However, the four inch heels were going to be a bitch to walk in on the property … the things you do for fashion. She might have to join her sister and go barefoot.

  “You clean up pretty nicely yourself.” Hunter was dressed in a black suit with a white shirt with the collar open. She was glad he skipped the tie; it would have looked too constraining on him.

  “I guess we should get going. It’s a long drive and we can’t be late.” Everyone else was already on their way.

  “After you.” Hunter placed his hand on her lower back, and Luna smiled at him. She hoped she never got used to the feeling of his touch.

  Once they reached the ceremony location, Luna jumped out of the truck. The fading sun glittered down through the trees, feeling warm on her skin.

  She looked around, pleased with what she saw. They’d spent the past week getting the area ready for the wedding and it looked amazing.

  Hunter took her hand and led her toward the gazebo. Grayson’s favorite flowers wrapped around the archway. Taking wooden slats, Derrick had built a pathway for the guests to keep their shoes from getting muddy. It looked very much like her sister’s ideal wedding. A few rows of seats had been set up and were quickly filling up with Derrick’s rowdy friends and their family members.

  Luna looked around for her mother. When she saw her, she left Hunter and hurried over to her. “Where’s Grace?”

  “She’s in the barn composing herself before the ceremony. She told me to send you down when you got here.”

  Luna slipped off her heels and ran down the narrow, winding pathway. She hesitated at the door. “Grace, you in here?”

  “Yep.” She peeked out from behind a makeshift wall.

  “Get out here. Let me see you!”

  Grayson came out and she was breathtaking. Her hair had two small braids on the sides and the rest of her hair was pulled into a messy up-do. “I knew you’d look like a wood nymph.”

  “You really think I look okay?”

  “You’re stunning. Derrick is going to have a heart attack when he sees you.”

  Her sister’s face flushed. “I can’t believe I’m getting married.”

  “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”

  “What? No. Of course not. It’s just all so surreal. I didn’t know it was possible to be this happy.”

  Luna smiled, knowing exactly what her sister meant.

  “Do you need any help with anything?”

  “You can finish my makeup.”

  Luna nodded, and when Grayson sat down on a chair, she got to work.

  “You about ready in there?” Ethan yelled.

  “Come in,” Grayson replied.

  She stood up and Ethan’s face broke into a grin. “Look at you little sister.” He pulled her into a hug.

  “Watch it, you’re going to mess up her makeup. Before we all get sappy here let’s get this show on the road. We can’t have Grayson’s wedding pictures messed up by tears.”

  Grayson laughed and blinked back the tears that were threatening to fall. She took a deep breath. “I’m ready.”

  Ethan held out his arm and Grayson linked hers through his.

  “Give me a minute to get in my seat. I’ll tell them to start the music.” Luna kissed her sister and gave her a squeeze before running back toward the gazebo.

  Luna nodded at the Celtic band awaiting the word and slid into her seat next to Hunter. Grasping his hand, she smiled. The music started playing and a collective gasp rang out as soon as Grayson and Ethan appeared. Grayson truly was glowing; she had an ethereal look about her. Luna was so happy for her sister.

  Derrick’s eyes were locked on Grayson’s as she got closer. His usual rugged face was softened as it always was when Grayson was in the room.

  Ethan kissed her on the forehead before handing her off to Derrick. Luna couldn’t help but wonder if he would do the same for her one day. As if Hunter was thinking the same thing, he lightly squeezed her thigh. Luna looked over and smiled.

  Grayson and Derrick stood facing each other, hands linked. Luna was struck by how perfect they were for each other. She’d never seen her sister look happier.

  Of course, when her sister did something she went all out. A pagan high priestess preformed the ceremony, including a hand fasting. Luna had to admit the ceremony was beautiful, and it said a lot that Derrick humored her sister making it perfect for her. After vows were exchanged, Derrick’s hand went behind Grayson’s neck and he pulled her into a long, slow kiss. All the guys were making loud cat calls as the Priestess pronounced them husband and wife.

  Luna laughed and turned to kiss Hunter. Her emotions were running high from the wedding.

  Everyone stood up to congratulate the bride and groom.

  Her niece ran by and Luna reached down, scooping her up. It was crazy how big she’d gotten. Luna spun her around and the little girl giggled, wriggling in her arms.

  “Where do you think you’re going?” Luna asked, dropping the girl to the ground.

  “Hiding from my brother.”

  “Oh, in that case you better get going. If I see him I’ll send him in the other direction.”

  “Who’s he?” she asked, pointing at Hunter.

  Luna smiled. “His name is Hunter.”

  “Are you going to marry him?”

  Luna’s eyes widened. “The only person getting married today is Grayson.”

  She tilted up her little face, and Luna bent down and kissed her niece on the forehead before she hurried off, holding her dress up as she ran.

  “You’re good with kids,” Hunter said quietly.

  Luna tensed for a moment but relaxed. The past was the past and she had so much to look forward to. “I’d like to have at least three.”

  “Is that so? And do I have any say in the matter?”

  “Not really, but how many were you thinking?”

  “Six seems like a good number.”

  Luna swatted him. “Bite your tongue.”

  Hunter laughed and threw his arm around her, pulling her into him.

  When she glanced up, she saw Marcus walking toward them. He was missing his usual crooked grin. She wondered if he was having a bad day.

  When he got close enough she threw her arms around him and gave him a tight squeeze.

  Even in the fresh air she could feel the tension. She turned to look at Hunter and his eyes were on Marcus and Marcus was returning the stare. What the hell? She didn’t have time for macho egos.

  “Marcus this is Hunter. I don’t think you ever officially met.”

  Hunter remained silent. Luna wished he’d say something or wipe that possessive look off his face. It made her uncomfortable. Marcus was her best friend and it was important to her for some reason that they liked each other.
/>
  Luna grabbed ahold of Marcus’s arm and pulled him to the side. “Why are you acting like this?” she hissed.

  “Like what?”

  “Like a jealous boyfriend.”

  Marcus looked away, his jaw clenched. “I just don’t want you to get hurt that’s all.”

  “I don’t think my sex life is really any of your business and you’ve never interfered before.”

  “You’ve never brought anyone around before.”

  Luna dropped her hand and sighed. “I really want you guys to get along. Can you at least try for my sake?”

  Marcus grunted something she couldn’t understand.

  “You’re my best friend. I need you in my life.”

  Marcus’s shoulders relaxed. “I am acting like an asshole. I just get protective of you, I guess.”

  “And I love you for it, but really my private life is private unless I come to you for advice.”

  “Duly noted.”

  “Now can we get back to drinking and having a good time? I noticed some unattached females hanging around.”

  Marcus rolled his eyes. “I’m not interested.”

  “Well you need to find someone to entertain you. That’s probably why you’re so grouchy … you need to get laid.”

  Marcus threw back his head and laughed. “You never mince words, do you? I’m sorry and I’ll make an effort to be nicer to your date.”

  “Thank you.” Luna pulled him in for a hug and kissed his cheek.

  “Now that we got that settled, where the hell is the food? I’m starving.”

  The rest of the evening passed without any drama. At one point, Hunter and Marcus were actually talking and seemed to be getting along. The after party was a huge success. Lots of drunk guys singing and having a good time.

  Derrick and Grayson had already snuck off for their honeymoon; a week at a cabin in the woods. Not exactly Luna’s idea of a good time, but then again if she was with Hunter alone anywhere would do.

  Luna could feel his eyes on her. She turned and Hunter pulled her into his arms, his mouth finding hers in the dark. She melted into satisfied in a way she’d never known was possible.