The Dare

by Kendall Ryan

  “Just leave it. I’ll clean up in the morning.” He pressed a kiss to the back of my neck and I turned to hug him, comforted by his warm embrace. “Let me walk you out. I want to make sure you get to your car safe and sound.”

  I didn’t comment that my car was only thirty feet away, I simply nodded and allowed him to place his hand on my lower back and escort me to the door. Maybe it had something to do with us sharing chicken wings, and football, and oral sex. Whatever it was that had brought out his protective streak and there was no way I was going to complain.

  CHAPTER 13

  * * *

  Cade

  Having Alexa’s willing body that close nearly sent me over the edge. Watching her small hand close around my shaft had sent a throbbing rush of blood to my cock. Was I crazy enough to believe that something would become of this, other than a friendship centered around Lily and the side benefits of worshipping her sweet body once the sun went down? Surely she had to realize that I didn’t fit into her life, not by a long shot. But for as long as we were stepping into the alternative reality where we both got what we needed from each other, I’d take what I could get, for as long as I could have it.

  That night I fell asleep to the memory of Alexa’s gentle voice reading from Lily’s favorite book, and the way she animated the voices of each different character to make Lily chuckle. With a sleepy smile planted on my lips, I rolled over and fell asleep.

  On Saturday Alexa called and asked if she could pick up Lily for a girls day out. After I recovered from my stunned silence, I’d agreed. This girl continued to level me. It was like she knew the way to my hardened heart was through Lily. Maybe I never considered a serious relationship before because no one had ever shown an interest in developing a relationship with Lily too. Once they found out about my sister, they usually bailed. And while I’d never let anyone else take Lily out, I trusted Alexa because I knew she’d keep her safe.

  An hour later, Lily chanted Lexa’s name as she watched the little BMW SUV pull up alongside the curb. We met Alexa on the sidewalk. “So what are you girls up to today?”

  “Well, I was thinking I’d leave it up to Miss Lily. We could have a beauty day at the spa, or we could go to this fun place where you get to choose a ceramic figurine to paint and take home.”

  “Yeah!” Lily’s face lit up and I’m awed by her smile.

  I chuckled softly. “Which one, baby doll? You have to choose.” Alexa’s generosity was too much as it was.

  Lily’s face scrunched up in concentration for a moment before she looked up at Alexa with hopeful eyes. “Can we do both Lexa?”

  Alexa grinned that crooked smile I’d grown so fond of and nodded. “We sure can, sweet pea. Today’s your special day.”

  I helped buckle Lily in the backseat and placed her walker in the rear cargo space, then met Alexa at the driver’s door. “You sure you’re okay with this?”

  “Absolutely. Go enjoy your Saturday. Just keep the booty calls to a minimum.” She patted my chest.

  Confusion spiked through me. That’s not who she thought I was, was it? But the twitch on her lips told me it was a joke. I smiled too. “Will do.”

  I stood on the sidewalk and watched them drive away, only turning back to the house when they were out of sight. In that car was the little girl who owned my heart and the beautiful Alexa who was pulling it in an entirely new direction.

  I took advantage of the rare opportunity for an extra gym session with Ian, but coming home to an empty house felt too weird. After an hour of aimless pacing and puttering around I decided to call Alexa and check on them, you know, just to make sure everything was going okay, not at all because I was bored. I dialed her cell and she answered on the first ring.

  “Hi Cade.” She sounded out of breath but happy.

  I sat on the couch and propped my feet up on the coffee table. “Hey, how’re things going?”

  “We just finished at the ceramics place and grabbed some lunch. What’s up?”

  I heard a squeal of laughter in the background. “Where are you guys?”

  “At the spa. Is it okay if Lily gets her hair cut? It’ll just be a trim.”

  “Ah, sure.” My neighbor lady usually cut it, but what the hell. “Where are you guys? I could swing by and see Lily.”

  “Sure. She’d love that I’m sure.” She gave me the directions and I set off in my truck, needing to get out of my too-quiet house.

  When I walked in the spa, I was greeted by the sounds of new age music mixed in with bird calls and the babble of water, and the scent of lavender that was so strong it slapped me in the face. Jeez.

  I turned a corner and found Alexa and Lily seated in large chairs with their feet propped up in front of them.

  “Caden!” Lily squealed once she spotted me.

  They wiggled their pink toenails at me. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be noticing, so instead I just grinned. “Look at that. Two pretty girls.”

  They smiled at my compliment, so it appeared I’d said the right thing and we made our way to the front.

  “Here.” Alexa handed me her credit card. “Will you check us out? I want to run over to the bakery next door. I’ll just be a minute.”

  “Sure.” I took her card, but planned to pay with my own once Alexa was outside. She’d done too much for us already. But when the girl at the counter told me the bill came to three-hundred dollars, I reluctantly handed over Alexa’s card. Three hundred dollars for toenail polish and a couple of haircuts? Their hair didn’t even look any different to me. One thing was clear—Alexa led a lifestyle I’d never be able to afford. And I sure as shit didn’t need Lily getting used to this kind of treatment. Holy fuck.

  Alexa came back a few minutes later carrying a little pink pastry box, looking smug. She signed the credit card slip and took her card from the counter, then headed outside to her car with Lily in tow. “We’ll see you back at the house,” she called.

  I stood by uselessly until they drove away, then stomped off to my truck. I stopped on the drive home to pick up dinner for the three of us, needing to do something to get things back under control.

  Once I got home I could hear Lily singing and playing in her bedroom and found Alexa sitting on the couch waiting for me. I set the bags of food on the table and turned to her. “You didn’t have to do all that today.” My voice came out sterner than I intended. I pulled a deep breath into my lungs and tried to force myself to calm down. I shouldn’t take my own inadequacies out on Alexa, but shit, it was hard not to. My life was so different than hers.

  She stood and placed her hands on her hips. “I know that, Cade. I wanted to. I never had a little sister. Did you ever think that maybe I like spending time with her?”

  Shit. I sounded like a real prick. I rubbed the back of my neck. “Sorry, it’s just this is new for me.” There was no denying that the way Alexa was with Lily complicated things between us. It twisted my insides, and brought out my protective instincts. I loved it, but it worried me too.

  Her expression softened. “It’s new for me too.” She leaned her hip against the counter, drawing herself unconsciously closer to me.

  I brought my hand up to cup her cheek, unable to resist touching her soft skin. I brushed my callused thumb along her jaw. “Hey.” Her eyes met mine. “I’m sorry. I get sensitive about her.”

  “Yeah, I noticed. That’s the last time I try to do something nice.” Her tone was serious, but she looked up at me with that crooked mischievous smile of hers. I wanted to kiss the smirk off her gorgeous face.

  “Aw, don’t be that way, cupcake. Come on. Stay for dinner.”

  She checked her watch. “That could probably be arranged.”

  “You got somewhere to be? Don’t tell me it’s another hot date with that country club schmuck.”

  We might have gotten physical the other night, but I was under no illusions that Alexa was mine. She was free to date whoever she wanted. Did that suck? Yeah. But I also knew I couldn’t stand in her w
ay. She was a desirable woman who probably had men lining the block with date offers. Hell, I still had no earthly idea how she was even single. If I had to guess, I was betting she’d be married in under two years, living in a big old house filled with nice things. Things I would never be able to give her.

  She chuckled. “No, actually Peter hasn’t called. It’s just my mom’s been hounding me about coming over for dinner and I kinda told her I’d come over tonight. But let me step outside to call her and see if I can postpone it until tomorrow night because the offer of having dinner with you and Lily is way more appealing.”

  Hearing her say she’d choose spending time with me and Lily over her family made me feel incredible. “Sure. Come inside when you’re done.”

  After Alexa stepped outside, Lily came tearing down the hall to show off her matching pink fingernails and toenails and the pink ceramic fairy she’d painted. It was like an explosion of pink had invaded my house—hell, my life. But I couldn’t even complain because I hadn’t seen Lily smile this much in a long damn time.

  “I’m gonna go put it in my room, right near my bed so I can always see it,” she announced, already heading down the hall.

  A couple of minutes later, the front door opened and Alexa appeared wearing a gorgeous smile. I raised a brow in her direction. “ “Well? Can you stay?”

  She moved toward me and I pulled her into a hug, immediately she nuzzled into my neck and inhaled. “Yeah, but I had to make a deal with my mother.”

  I took the chance to kiss quickly before Lily reappeared then pulled back to look at her. “What kind of deal did you have to make?”

  She nibbled her bottom lip, looking almost anxious to reveal the details of the deal she made. “I told her I was having dinner at my friend Cade’s house and she insisted that you join us for dinner. So, uh, are you free tomorrow?”

  “Dinner? With your parents? Tomorrow?” I held her at arms’ length and looked her over. I half expected her to burst out laughing and say gotcha because there was no way she could be serious. I’d only just met her, and thought we were just having a little fun, but this? Meeting the parents was something entirely different., wasn’t it? Fuck. My chest suddenly felt a little tight.

  Her bottom lip jutted out and her confidence disappeared. “Is that okay?”

  I was finding it becoming increasingly difficult to say no to this woman.

  “Ah, sure. I’ll call Sophia and see if she can stay with Lily.”

  She nodded, her eyes narrowing briefly at the mention of Sophia. “Okay. It’s a plan then.”

  “Can you go and grab Lily while I get dinner set out?” I asked.

  She nodded, then rose on her tiptoes and kissed my cheek softly. “Thanks Cade.”

  I watched her disappear into Lily’s bedroom before sucking in a deep breath. I shook off the unease that had crept into my head and while Alexa helped Lily wash her hands I set the table. I’d stopped at the neighborhood diner on the way home, and not knowing what Alexa would like, I’d picked up a burger and a grilled chicken salad for her, along with my usual double bacon cheeseburger and Lily’s grilled-cheese sandwich.

  Once we were all seated around the table, Alexa chose the grilled chicken salad and Lily announced she wanted salad, too. Alexa graciously shared the salad, dividing it onto two plates while I stuffed the extra food in the fridge for dinner another night.

  We made small talk while we ate. Alexa and Lily reminisced about their girls’ day and I listened as Lily excitedly told us she wanted to paint a castle next time they went to the ceramic place again. It was sweet the way Lily idolized Alexa, her face lighting up as they talked but it also made me nervous as fuck about how heartbroken Lily would be when Alexa was no longer in our lives. Because surely that day would come, right? We were just having a little temporary fun, and if there’s one thing my life had taught me, it was that all good things came to an end.

  Once we finished with dinner, Alexa hopped up from her chair and dashed into the kitchen to retrieve the pink bakery box from the counter. “Oh, I almost forgot. I got dessert.” I shook my head slowly. “You spoil us. What’d you get?”

  “Cupcakes, what else?” She grinned.

  I chuckled and Lily clapped her hands, completely unaware of the nickname I’d given Alexa. She was sweet and sugary just like a cupcake—and she tasted just as good.

  I leaned back, draping an arm across the back of Alexa’s chair and watched as she removed a pink-frosted cupcake from the box and placed it in front of Lily, peeling off the paper cup. Lily’s eyes went wide and she wasted no time biting into the enormous treat. By her enthusiasm, you’d think I never fed the poor kid. Alexa chuckled and wiped pink frosting from the tip of Lily’s nose.

  “Is it good?” Alexa asked with a smile.

  “It’s better than good,” Lily grinned, talking another monstrous bite.

  “Slow down, kid. You’re going to give yourself a stomachache,” I added.

  We watched Lily demolish her cupcake in relative silence. “You didn’t have to do all this you know.”

  “I know I didn’t have to, I wanted to,” she returned.

  I knew there was no use in arguing with her, but something about it didn’t sit quite right with me. Was she here caring for Lily and hanging around me because she felt sorry for us? We were not a fucking charity case for her to take pity on.

  Seeming to sense my mood, Alexa dipped her index finger into the frosting of a cupcake and brought it to my mouth, her eyes sparkling with challenge. I reached out and gripped her wrist, my eyes locked on hers as I swirled my tongue gently across the pad of her finger.

  Alexa let out a ragged breath and her eyes heated with desire. Lily giggled at the sight of us, pulling our attention back to the fact that we had an audience. Whoops.

  I cleared my throat, trying to regain some composure and stop the throbbing ache low in my balls. “Do you want to show Alexa where you keep the bubble bath while I clean up the kitchen?”

  Lily hopped up and with one sticky hand holding onto her walker, she grabbed for Alexa’s hand with the other. “Come on, Lexa. I’ll show you where I keep my special bubbles.”

  Watching the two of them together had me wondering if I’d done wrong by Lily by not having a stable female role model in her life. The thought was sobering and my insecurities about not providing Lily the life she deserved reared their ugly head.

  Before I sunk deeper into my thoughts, I busied myself and cleaned up the kitchen to the backdrop of feminine laughter and splashing water coming from down the hall. Once I was done in the kitchen, I silently walked down the hall and peeked into the bathroom, finding Lily covered in bubbles, playing with her bath toys and Alexa kneeling over the side of the tub, wiggling that fine little ass at me. I took a moment to inspect her shapely backside, the way her jeans hugged her curves and the way her shirt had ridden up, exposing the curve of her lower back. She was sexy as hell and had no fucking clue of the effect she had on me. And seeing her nurturing side with Lily—hell, that just set off all kinds of alpha male in me. I wanted her. Badly.

  They caught sight of me watching, and Alexa straightened, pulling her shirt down to cover the bare flesh of her back.

  “Lexa, you can have a bath and use my bubbles when I’m done, if you want,” Lily said, innocently.

  Alexa’s eyes went wide, blush rising in her cheeks. She gave the little girl a tremulous smile. “Thanks, sweetheart, maybe another day.”

  Thoughts of Alexa nude and covered in soapy water sent another ache to my cock.

  “Finish up. It’s time for bed,” I growled.

  They turned at the gruffness of my voice and Alexa’s eyes lingered on mine before turning back to Lily.

  “Come on, let’s rinse you off and get you ready for bed.” She instructed, her voice just as shaky as mine.

  I read Lily a story, and hugged her goodnight. Then Alexa came in tucked Lily into bed. After, she met me in the living room. Without a word or a single moment of hesi
tation, Alexa crossed the room, and lowered herself on my lap. I cupped her ass, tugging her in closer, and kissed her. Her soft, tender kisses were messing with my head. This no longer felt like we were just fooling around. It felt like more. Much more.

  And I had no idea how to feel about that.

  CHAPTER 14

  * * *

  Alexa

  Cade had turned on a movie under the ploy of us cuddling on the couch, but the way his body was pressed firmly against my backside, and he nuzzled and nibbled at my neck was a teensy bit distracting and I couldn’t even tell you what the movie was or who the actors were. I could feel his heartbeat against my body, and relaxed into the comfort he provided, even if it couldn’t last forever.

  “Where do you live, Lex?” he asked softly, using the nickname I’d loved hearing him say.

  “Hm?”

  He absently twirled a lock of my hair around his finger. We’d had dinner, and cupcakes and then I’d given Lily a bath. After she was tucked into bed, we’d turned on a movie, but I couldn’t pay attention to it for the life of me.

  “Across town.” I yawned as the busy day’s events started to catch up with me. “Why?”

  “I don’t like you having to drive home late at night in the dark.” His gentle concern hung in the air around us feeling out of place, but sweet nonetheless. “But if you stayed here… Lily would ask all kinds of questions that I’m not ready to answer.”

  What he meant was, he wasn’t yet ready to discuss where this relationship was heading. Were we even in relationship territory? God, I really needed to get a grip.

  “It’s fine, Cade. I live in a safe building. I have underground parking and a doorman.” I didn’t mention the on-site fitness center, spa and twenty-four hour concierge, knowing they were a part of my life that Cade wasn’t used to, and I didn’t want to sound entitled.

  He didn’t press the issue further, but I could tell my answer hadn’t satisfied him. He draped a heavy arm around my middle and tugged me in tighter against him.