On a Dare

by Nadia Aidan

  * * * *

  Lena chewed anxiously on her bottom lip as she struggled to focus on her case file that lay open before her. Last night they had finished the final tip on their list and she was a little on edge. She frowned. Okay, a lot on edge.

  She'd had a lot of work to do so she'd left before Dylan had risen for the day. But so much had been left unsaid between them. Technically, he'd won by half a point on the bet, but right now that seemed so unimportant. She was eager to hear his secret terms, but she would rather just hear how he felt about her. Then ask him! Her conscience screamed at her. Easier said than done! She yelled back. She reached for her phone to call Maia. She would know what to do.

  It rang twice before she finally picked up.

  "Girl, I was just about to call you. We need to talk."

  She frowned into the receiver at the serious note she heard in Maia's voice. “This sounds important. What's up?"

  "Has Jason called you again since the last time we were together for lunch?"

  Her frown grew deeper. Any mention of Jason was always serious. “Just a couple of times on my cell. He left messages saying to call him, but he never says what he wants—"

  "Did you call him?"

  "No, of course not."

  "Good."

  "Maia, what is this about?” A tiny knot of uneasiness began to tighten in her stomach.

  "Like I said honey, I wish I could tell you everything, but I can't because I'm really not supposed to know anything. All I can say is do not speak to Jason without a lawyer present."

  Lena fought back an ironic chuckle. “I am a lawyer."

  She heard Maia let out a frustrated sigh. “Damn it, Lena you know what I mean. Seriously, this is not a joke. Remember, your ex is a selfish bastard who never does anything without some ulterior motive."

  She opened her mouth to say that she hadn't forgotten when her cell went off. If it was Jason again she was going to curse him out.

  "Maia, let me call you right back, okay?"

  "No, it's alright. I have a client coming in five minutes. Just remember what I said."

  She promised she would and hung up her phone at the same time she reached for her cell. She thought her voicemail had gone off but realised it was her text inbox instead. She opened the file with baited breath hoping it wasn't a nasty message from Jason. A smile curled the edges of her lips and tiny little butterflies fluttered about inside her stomach as she read the message.

  Meet me at the house for a quickie.—Dylan.

  She shot up from her chair and grabbed her purse. Just what she needed to get her mind off of the whole Jason drama.

  As she hurried toward the door, she realised that she hadn't had a chance to get advice from Maia about her relationship with Dylan, but she considered it a good sign that the end of their bet hadn't brought an abrupt end to their time as lovers. She locked up her office and sent him a text on her way to the elevator. I'll be there in ten.

  * * * *

  Lena pushed open the front door and gasped. Pink rose petals littered the floor from the front door through the living room and up the stairs.

  She followed the trail to the staircase. “Dylan?"

  "Upstairs."

  A giddy smile crossed her face as she bounded up the stairs. The petals led her down the hallway into his bedroom.

  When she turned the corner into his room she stopped. She lifted her hands to her gaping mouth. “Oh, Dylan, it's beautiful."

  He turned around from lighting the last candle with a grin on his face. “You got up here fast."

  Dozens of white candles burned brightly around the room, their fragrant vanilla scent tickling her nose. His bed was covered in white with pink petals scattered across the plush comforter.

  She walked further inside to step into his arms. “I love it. How on earth did you get all of this together before I got here?” She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck to pull him closer. She inhaled deeply, savouring the rich, masculine scent of his aftershave.

  He smiled down into her face. “It's a secret. I'm glad you like it,” he whispered, dipping his head to capture her waiting lips.

  Bolts of lightning shot through her at the first taste of his mouth. It was always like this between them.

  They tugged at each other's clothing, heedless of the ripping sounds that some of their garments made as they were flung from their bodies.

  She let out a giggle when they tumbled onto the bed in a tangle of arms and legs. Their lovemaking was frenzied as they quickly discarded the last of their clothing.

  Lena skimmed her hands down Dylan's back and locked her legs around his waist, holding him against her while he rained tiny kisses across her face. At the first touch of his lips against the soft spot along the curve of her neck she released a low moan and arched her back off the bed.

  "Roll over,” he whispered against her ear, sending tingles racing down her spine straight to the simmering heat that throbbed between her legs. He lifted off of her and she rolled over onto her stomach.

  "On your knees,” he commanded and she raised up to rest her body weight on her hands and knees. She whipped her head around to catch a glimpse of him from over her shoulder, her hair brushing gently against her arm. She had to bite her lip to keep from moaning again. Dylan was the embodiment of masculinity, from the broad width of his torso, to the bulging muscles in his arms, even the light sprinkling of hair that ran down the middle of his abdomen. And yet, he was never cocky or arrogant about his handsomeness. Quite the opposite, actually, to the point that he seemed oblivious to just how impressive he truly was.

  Her gaze slid up his body to his face when he rubbed his hands across the full globes of her ass. The sensual massage ignited a fire inside of her that up until that point had already been burning pretty hot.

  She dipped her gaze to watch him grasp his stiff erection in his hand and position it at the opening of her dripping cunt.

  "Look at me,” he rasped. “Look at me as I enter you."

  She met his intense gaze and held it, even after the pleasure of him stretching her, filling her up, nearly became unbearable to the point that she wanted to weep.

  "Dylan,” she moaned when she could no longer maintain eye contact and dropped her head forward, her eyes shutting.

  He surged into her on one powerful thrust, seating himself fully inside her tight sheath. Tiny tremors rocked her. She couldn't believe she was already close to coming.

  She snaked her hand down between her legs and fingered her clit with rhythmic strokes at the same time he leaned his chest against her back and rocked his hips against her ass, propelling his cock deep inside her.

  He placed his hands on either side of her head and angled his hips so that his thrusts went deeper inside her. She sucked in a sharp breath and clenched her eyes tighter, her finger tracing frantic circles around her clit.

  With one hand still planted flat on the bed, he reached beneath her to cup one of her breasts in his hands and massaged gently. When he tugged at her nipple she nearly lost it.

  "Dylan,” she cried out as she threw her head back, her hips jerking against him in a grinding motion seemingly of their own mind.

  He tucked his head against her neck and groaned out her name. She glanced down to see one of his hands gripping the sheet tightly, crushing small pink petals in his grasp. He was close too. His thrusts became deeper and harder and sweat trickled from his body to coat the soft skin of her back.

  The sound of bodies slapping and sliding against each other echoed off the room as the musky scent of sex wafted around them. Lena revelled in the heady combination and stroked her clit harder.

  "Dylan, Dylan. I'm coming,” she panted as she strummed her clit wildly straining to reach that pinnacle where she would completely shatter.

  Just as she felt tiny spasms gather at the centre of her cunt and spread throughout her entire body, Dylan released a hoarse shout and his cock swelled inside of her, becoming hard as a rock. Seconds later, warmth pool
ed inside her pussy and he jerked violently against her, his cock slamming into her with brutal thrusts. She screamed his name again when her orgasm exploded inside of her right before she collapsed against the bed, while tiny shudders racked her body. Dylan followed her down to the bed, his heavy weight pressing her deeper into the soft mattress. She didn't care. She simply closed her eyes and sighed as the last of her release began to subside.

  They lay there, Dylan on top of her as they struggled to drag in even breaths. When his heartbeat finally settled back to normal, she felt him roll off of her to settle beside her. She turned her head to stare at him as she stuck out her hand to play with the short hairs that dotted his chest.

  He turned his head toward her and smiled, then he seized her wandering fingers and brought them to his lips for a quick kiss before he allowed them to fall back to his chest.

  A curious warmth settled around her heart at the intimate gesture and Lena had to blink her eyes several times to keep from tearing up. If she closed her eyes she could almost imagine that they were real lovers—almost.

  "What are you thinking?” he asked, running a single finger along her cheek.

  She met his searching gaze and wondered if she should tell him the truth. That she didn't want their time together to come to an end. That she was in love with him. That she wanted to be more than friends. She knew none of those declarations would work so she settled on a half truth instead.

  "Just wondering when you plan to reveal your terms since you won the bet."

  No sooner had she said the words, his jaw tightened and a dark look crossed his face before it quickly disappeared. She narrowed her eyes, puzzled. She'd known Dylan long enough to know when something riled him but she couldn't figure out why he would be upset with her for asking such an obvious question.

  She opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong, but he never gave her the chance to speak. He dropped his hand from her face and abruptly turned his back to her. “I have to work late tonight, but tomorrow night I'm free,” he said as he rolled out of bed and stood to his feet. His expression remained void of emotion as he gathered his clothing from the floor. “I'll reveal my terms then,” he said curtly and without so much as a word or a last look back he headed to the bathroom, shutting the door firmly behind him.

  Lena blew out a deep breath. For some reason her question had angered him, but she didn't know why. She toyed with the idea of going after him but when she glanced at the clock she abandoned the thought. She would barely have time to grab a shower and change before she had to be back at the office for her one thirty meeting with a new client. She quickly bounced off the bed and collected her tattered clothing to rush to her room. Whatever she'd done to upset Dylan, she just hoped that the surprise she had planned for tomorrow, when he revealed his terms, would be enough to make him forget all about it.

  Her lips curled up into a bright smile. It was going to be perfect.

  [Back to Table of Contents]

  Chapter Six

  Lena could feel the steam pouring out of her ears. She had left a perfectly wonderful mid-afternoon tryst with Dylan to deal with this asshole.

  "Jason, what the hell are you doing here? I'm expecting a client at any moment. You need to go."

  He plopped down in her chair and shot her his trademark cocky grin that she was sure worked on plenty of other women, but had lost its effect on her.

  "I said get out,” she snapped.

  "I'm your one thirty appointment, darling,” he drawled out in his slight Georgia accent. She stared into his hazel brown eyes and shook her head in disgust. What had she ever seen in him? Sure he was handsome enough with his bronzed complexion and onyx locks, but once you got past the looks there was nothing there but a selfish, arrogant and shallow man who'd never had to work for a single thing in his entire life.

  As if hearing him for the first time, she glanced down at her appointment book. Her assistant, Marie, was out for the day and the only notes she had on her planner indicated that a new client wanted to discuss retainer fees. She sent him a furious look.

  "You lied to my assistant."

  His grin grew wider. “I did."

  She itched to slap that smug grin off his face. “My time is money Jason so unless you have business to discuss you need to leave.” She reached for her phone to call security to emphasise her point.

  "Tsk, tsk tsk, Lena. Don't be so hasty. I do in fact have business to discuss and I've tried calling you several times, both at your home and on your cell, but you never answered so I was forced to be more aggressive."

  She bristled at the patronising tone of his voice. She wanted to point out that he'd never called her at home, but she had no desire to prolong her interaction with him by starting an argument.

  She replaced the receiver and folded her arms across her chest. “You have five minutes Jason and then I'm calling security."

  He picked at an imaginary fleck of dust on his custom made designer suit and shrugged before he finally deigned to lift his gaze to her face. “That's all I need.” He then reached inside his briefcase to pull out a single piece of paper and place it on her desk.

  She cast a furtive glance down at the paper and back up at him before she finally picked it up. If her ears weren't blowing steam before they certainly were now.

  When she finished reading she snapped her gaze to his despicable face. “You know what, Jason? I liked your grandfather and I'm sorry to hear of his passing, but I don't care what his will says. I'm not taking you back.” The nerve of him to think that he could walk into her office and try to charm his way back into her life. What a fool.

  She could tell that he was gritting his teeth together by the set of his jaw line. She didn't know what he'd been expecting but it probably hadn't been that.

  "You must have misunderstood. The conditions of the will are mutually beneficial. If you and I remarry then I receive his entire estate, to which you are entitled to ten percent. That is extremely generous."

  Her eyes rounded in disbelief. Was he crazy? Must be, to think she would put up with him for anything less than Pluto on a silver platter. “So, what happens if we don't remarry? What happens to your grandfather's estate then?"

  His eyes hardened. “Then it goes to another family member."

  Lena shrugged absently. “It says here that you just need to get married and stay married for at least one year. I don't see why you just can't marry one of the many women you like to spend time with anyway."

  She swore his eyes nearly bulged out of his sockets at her words. “Are you crazy? If I do that then one of those greedy bitches will not only get ten percent, but they are then entitled to half of my entire estate. With you, our prenup would still hold so—"

  "So, I just get my ten percent and you keep the rest.” She finished for him. She shrugged again and shook her head. “Sorry, Jason, but as nice as the offer sounds, I can't help you."

  He let out a reluctant sigh and stood to his feet. She narrowed her gaze at him as he walked toward her door. Jason never gave up that easily, especially when it came to money. He twisted the knob in his hand and moved to step outside when suddenly he stopped and turned around to face her. Suddenly he looked liked the wolf she knew him to be.

  "It's a shame you can't help me because that house of yours still sits on Wells land which you will lose if I don't retain control of my grandfather's estate."

  Lena barely heard the sound of the door closing shut as she stood there numb with shock. She'd been right about one thing. She'd never known Jason to quit when it came to money, and this time he was pulling out all the stops.

  * * * *

  The day could not come to an end soon enough. She'd called her lawyer as soon as Jason left, but she'd told her what she already knew. The land and the house were two separate entities and in this case she didn't own the land. Her attorney had suggested she purchase it but she'd vetoed that idea. Jason wouldn't sell it to her and at this point she wasn't even sure he had the authority.
>
  Jason knew how much her home meant to her. Nestled on two acres of land lined with pecan trees in the affluent suburb of Buckhead, it was her dream home. She'd had it built within four months after they married. Hell, if she was going to spend lonely nights waiting for her husband to drag his faithless ass out of some woman's bed, at the least, she could be surrounded by things that were comforting to her. As soon as it was finished, Jason had hated it but she'd loved it and she didn't want to lose it.

  She opened the door to her beloved home, dropped her belongings on the couch in the living room and dragged herself upstairs. She passed her bedroom and entered Dylan's instead to curl up in his bed. He would be gone for most of the night and she would slip out before he returned. But for right now, just being in the space that carried his essence was comforting. If Dylan had been there he would have offered her words to cheer her up and make her smile. Yet she wasn't sure if anything could cheer her up right now. She was in a no win situation. She didn't want to lose her home but she refused to marry Jason. Just when things had started to look up for her, trust Jason to show up and screw her over yet again.

  * * * *

  It was well past two in the morning by the time he arrived home. He had a big account coming up and he and Chad were both putting in overtime to get it done. He limped up the stairs exhausted and paused at Lena's bedroom. He ached to slip inside, pull her into his arms and lose himself in the warmth of her body. Despite the overwhelming longing to do just that he pushed it aside and forced himself to put one foot in front of the other and walk to his own bedroom. He turned the knob to his door and entered. He stilled as soon as he was inside. He was probably delusional but he swore he could smell her scent as if she was standing right there in his room.