Taking a Dare

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  "I'm not anywhere fuckin' near your dad's choice, Ryley," he murmured, stroking my face.

  "That's true," I agreed and felt his whole body stiffen. "But you're my choice, Dare. The only choice for me."

  His tension seemed to leave him by inches while he considered my words.

  "Since you didn't fuckin' know and we've already bare-backed it once, sugar, I'm damn-well good to go if you are." He seemed awfully sure but I was worried. Vegas wasn't like Wanton who spread for anything with a dick. But Vegas wasn't a nun either. And I didn't know what form of birth and disease control March used when he was giving it to her. Somehow and in some way it was significant to me that Dare was aware of what could happen, because he was so damn important to me.

  "Dare…" I started to explain and felt him begin to slowly move. As he did, all thoughts about March and Vegas were gone because my mind was filled with nothing but him and how he was making me feel.

  "That's it, sugar," he breathed when my hips started moving. "Take my cock. Fuckin' take it all with your sweet pussy."

  He kept with the slow in and out, driving me crazy with how deliberate, how leisurely he fed the fire he'd started. Deeply in with a slow long drag out only to go in again increasing the heat and the friction with every glide. And the fact that he stared into my eyes the whole time only add more fuel, more heat.

  I needed him to go faster and told him so but only gained a sexy grin in reply as he kept up the slow slewing.

  "Please, Dare," I begged at one point. His response was to grind himself against my clit on his downward press. That had me groaning, my eyes squeezed shut and my chin pointing to the ceiling but it wasn't enough. "Cowboy, please!"

  "You need more?" I heard him ask but all I could do was nod by that point. I felt like my entire body was one quivering ball of ache. He moved a few more times before I heard him inquire on a sexy rumble, "you need to come, sugar?"

  "Fuck yeah," I managed to growl in return.

  "Look at me, Ryley," he demanded and I tilted my chin back down to focus on his face. "We've got the rest of our lives to fuck fast and hard. But this time, after telling you I love you for the first time, I need to fuckin' show you."

  Was he saying he wanted to make love to me? The thought caused a deep throb inside and I felt myself clench around him.

  That's what I'd always labeled my fantasies of being with Dare, the ones that had me touching myself as I thought of him.

  Making love with Dare.

  Making slow, sweet love with the boy who'd given me my first glimpse of what the word really meant. A feeling I'd never had with the short list of men I'd been with although some of them had tried to show me. Beck, for instance. The Hellion who I'd allowed to take my virginity had expended a lot of effort to show me love both in bed and out.

  But Beck hadn't been Dare and our relationship had only lasted six months. Even though Beck liked our play to be slow and deep, it didn't feel the same as what Dare was doing at that moment.

  Not even by half.

  Or even a quarter.

  Dare looped his arms under my thighs and planted his palms on the mattress before he shifted his knees. His eyes did a slow roam down my body before locking in on where we were joined. "Fuck, that's hot," I heard him breathe as his slow movements continued. "Watching you take me…like that, Ryley. Goddamn, take it just like that."

  I pushed my hands into the bed to give me better leverage as I moved on him, shoved my sodden channel on him. My thighs were shaking, shit! My entire body was shivering with need and my throat was almost raw with the whimpers that were being ripped from inside me.

  At last, I felt the first wave of my bliss start, gaining momentum as it moved upward and through my body. My inner walls tightened and then the muscles in my belly as I again began to soar. My nipples began to tighten into even harder, pinched points and the tension moved to my scalp before it all exploded. Wave after crashing wave of sensation pulsed through me and had me grinding my teeth to hold back my screams.

  I heard him groan a long and very drawn out, "fuckin' love you," as he planted himself so damn deep and his hips jerked when he hit it. And as soon as the throbbing lessened, he came back down to capture my mouth and to hold me tightly.

  "Christ, Ryley!" he exclaimed as we broke apart in order to breathe. I knew exactly what he meant with only those two words.

  Two words that completely summed up what we'd done together, felt together and damn-well were together in just the way he'd said them.

  *.*.*.*.*

  'Temporary, my ass', he thought sitting on the edge of the bed watching his beautiful Ryley sleep. He was already up, showered and dressed, more than ready to conquer his day now that he knew she loved him.

  Loved him!

  His plan was to wake her up and let her know he was leaving, but she seemed so peaceful especially in light of the storm of last night. A tempest filled with both betrayal and confessions of the best fuckin' kind.

  He stroked her hair, pushing it away from her ear before he leaned down to drop a soft kiss on the skin exposed. "Ryley?"

  "Mmm?" came her noise. From his position, he could see she didn't even open her eyes.

  "Gotta go to work, sugar," he advised. "Stay as long as you want. The key is on the desk. Just make sure you put it back on the hook when you leave."

  "Mm-kay," was her sleepy response which was said with a small smile. A tiny crooking of her full lips that caused his heart to miss a beat.

  "I love you, Ryley," he whispered against the shell of her ear.

  "Love you, too, Dare," she mumbled before puckering her lips. A pursing that had him performing a pretzel-kind of move on the bed in order to meet her unspoken request for a kiss. Patting her rounded bottom, he stood up from the mattress but was hard pressed to stop staring at the woman that he wanted more than his next breath.

  She loved him.

  Motherfuckin' him, for Christ's sake!

  And Dare left to go conquer his world.

  *.*.*.*.*

  It was a total walk of shame even though I'd showered and used the hem of a towel on my teeth. But still, I was dressed in the clothes of the night before and was trying to sneak into the clubhouse in order to put the room key back where it belonged before grabbing my purse.

  Lucky for me, no one was there except for a passed-out couple at one of the far tables. I didn't pay them any attention as I tip-toed behind the bar to snag my overstuffed bag.

  "Rye?" Oh shit! I turned my head and saw Vegas standing near the door. My glance back to the table revealed she'd been one of the people who'd been sleeping there.

  "What are you doing here at this hour, Vey?" I asked, trying for cordial or even nice but not succeeding with either challenge. Her smeared makeup and mussed hair spoke volumes about the night she'd endured.

  I saw her gaze go to the man who was still sprawled and snoring loudly in the still air of the room. Jay-sus, it was March!

  "He was too drunk to take the Harley back to the motel," she whispered. "I tried to get the one of the brothers to give us a ride but…"

  "Why didn't you just call a taxi?" That's what I would've done in that circumstance, an occurrence I'd been in on more than one occasion with March. But then again, I had never been above getting my own ass home first and letting March find his own way.

  Her eyes had moved to the bag of flesh still draped over the tabletop and I wondered if she'd even heard my question. I decided to use a different tactic. "Get your shit, honey and I'll drive you."

  "I can't just leave him!" she cried.

  What the fuck?

  "Of course you can," I assured her, stepping closer. Jay-sus, was she really in so deep that she couldn't see what was right in front of her face?

  Her head swung back to me before she answered on a voice so bleak, so strained, it didn't even sound like her speaking. "No, Rye, I can't." Her hand cupped her lower stomach as the light in her eyes changed to something that seemed to beg for understanding. "I'm p
regnant. March is the father."

  Oh. Hello!

  "Uhm. Okay, then what do you want to do, Vegas?" The whole conversation was killing the residual buzz of a night of me and Dare confessing our love for one another even if we hadn't figured out a way to be together as a couple.

  She didn't answer but went back to staring at her man. A man I was more than happy to be free of on every level.

  I looked down at the room key that was cutting into my palm as my mind raced. "Plan B, then. Here's the key to room three," I said, passing it to her. "Knock yourselves out."

  "Can you help me get him there?" she asked quietly and I got the impression she knew she was pushing it with the request.

  "No, honey. I can't," I replied honestly and on a sigh. "But I'll see if I can get someone that will."

  Vegas just nodded and I left to try and find a recruit that could pour my ex-fiance into a bed where I'd just the previous night shared sweet love with the man of my youth and of my adult heart.

  Chapter Twenty Five

  "Calling this meeting to order," Trey said and knocked the gavel on the conference room table later that morning. After Dare had seen Ryley to the Hellion car she'd borrowed in order to keep her off her dad's radar. "Spoke with the shithead this morning and…"

  "As the senior president of the Hellions, I'm starting this session," Gus cut in loud and abruptly. The older man didn't look good with his pale face, darkly circled eyes and salt and pepper scruff showing he hadn't shaved that morning. The fact that he'd entered the room on a cane hadn't escaped anyone's attention. "We have other fucking business to take care of before we talk about the shithead and his Czars."

  Trey's eyebrows were raised but he didn't say anything, just waved his hand towards Gus in a have-at-it gesture.

  "I'm calling for the cut of Dare Gentry," the older man growled without preamble, his eyes never leaving Trey's. The room went completely silent with Gus's words.

  Trey's voice was steady when he spoke his reply. "That's a serious call, brother."

  "It is," Gus agreed. "The fact that he took on a president without provocation should be enough to…"

  The room exploded on the Missoula side of the table with all the brothers but Dare yelling, even including the ones that hadn't even been at the club to see what had happened.

  Trey used the gavel to silence them. "You know better than that, Gus. And the recap I received on yesterday's doings fucking show it was just two brothers getting into it. Nothing more."

  "That's bullshit!" Gus roared. "That slippery little fucker called me out and…"

  His words stopped when Leif put a hand on his father's arm. Yanking it away, Gus again glared, his look going to Dare for the first time and then back to Trey. "He's also related to the Big Horn County Sheriff. A relationship that can't and won't be tolerated by the Hellions for any reason."

  Trey was quiet as he looked at the older man. "What makes you think he has a family? And for that matter, has one in law enforcement?"

  Dare too, was wondering how the other club president had gotten wind of Jim but fucking loved how Trey wasn't giving anything away with his questions.

  "I'm not at liberty to say," Gus said with a challenging chin lift.

  "Then your call for Dare Gentry's cut is denied," Trey announced firmly and did another knock with his gavel. "Additionally, if you have a beef with one of my men whether they're on my council, a club member or just a recruit, you fucking bring it to me first. Wasting time by doing this during a council meeting just makes you look like a fucking ass."

  This time it was the Spokane side of the table that erupted until Trey banged the gavel for quiet.

  "But, since you fucking brought up something you won't provide the goddamn source for, I have to ask a question about one of your members as well." Trey's voice had gotten quieter but colder. "Every night since Spokane arrived, there's been a brother that has had to be taken back to the motel so fucking drunk he's outta his mind." Trey tilted his head as his eyes narrowed. "One that, according to the Honeys, hits the booze and hits it hard especially when you and your boy aren't watching."

  Gus's eyes widened at Trey's questions. "Who is it?"

  "Wish I could fucking echo your 'I'm not at liberty to say' shit for the fun of it but I don't play those games," Trey answered with a rueful chuckle. "It's your man, March. And it seems that the Honey named Vegas has appointed herself as his watchdog."

  "That's not possible," Leif whispered, his glance turning to the other men on his side of the table. "He's with Ryley, for god's sake!"

  Dare's stomach clenched at Leif's words. At some point in time, he was determined to ensure her family knew exactly who Ryley belonged with!

  "I was the last one that hauled his ass into a ride, motherfucker! So don't tell me what's not possible," Silo roared, slapping the table.

  "Seems to me, we've got a problem, Gus," Trey rumbled. "As you know, a man with a monkey on his back isn't a brother you want guarding yours. Much less a princess."

  "He's a lightweight!" Gus blustered, but Dare could see the older man's face whiten into a paleness that almost looked gray. "Can't hold his liquor for shit."

  "The recruits saw a bottle tucked into the trash basket of the men's room, Gus. And it matched what your boy drinks," Trey affirmed. "Either your man has a weak bladder or has a problem. A problem no Hellion needs."

  Fuck! March was a drunk? Dare knew that shit wouldn't be tolerated since one of the unspoken rules of the Hellions were no vices. Not of pussy, drink or of the chemical variety.

  "A lot of men go down whiskey road," Leif cut in.

  Trey's eyes turned to the younger man. "Not so many, amigo, that we can't fucking figure there's abuse going down. Or who's fucking doing it."

  Christ!

  Dare couldn't control his emotions and only hoped they didn't show on his face. Ryley, his beautiful girl, had been given to a drunk? Thank god, he hadn't known that yesterday when Gus had challenged him!

  "You sure?" The older president's voice was just a rasp in the quiet of the room and Dare saw there wasn't a Spokane brother that was looking across the table at their Missoulan brothers.

  "As much as I can be," Trey replied, his voice heavy, which Dare knew was with regret. To Trey, a Hellion was a Hellion. A man he could count on to have his back and was worthy of his respect and regard. But not if that man was riding a jones that could put other Hellion lives in jeopardy.

  At Trey's words, all Gus did was to nod, his face even paler than it had been when he'd sat down, all bluster gone.

  "Now." Trey's sigh was not lost his men. "I finally fucking heard from Ham and he's proposing a sit down in Deer Lodge at noon tomorrow. We all know that a meeting is needed in order to gain access of the thirty-six mile stretch on the 90 in order to get to Billings. The Czars consider that portion to be in their territory and we need to work out a resolution."

  "Never heard of a club claiming a fucking freeway before," came the call from one of the Spokane brothers as if to get on to something, anything other than their previous talk of March.

  "Me, either. So it's goddamn imperative we sort this shit out," Trey agreed. "With the knowledge we have on their previous fucking doings and Spokane's experience from years past, we want to prevent this shit from initiating a war."

  "You think they're up for a compromise?" Leif asked, doubt dripping from each syllable. "They weren't up for one before."

  "Dunno until we try, right?" Trey asked with a shrug. "I want a team of twenty Hellions to take the meet and would prefer a mix of both clubs, including me and Gus."

  At the different nods, Trey continued on a quieter note. "Let's keep in mind we're brothers and have all taken the Hellion oath. The fucking in-fighting that's gone down is not acceptable and will not be tolerated anymore than a brother so drunk he can't defend a brother when needed. You get me?"

  "Can't we all just get along?" Huff whined, which caused a round of relieved laughter around the table. Just what the
meeting needed to lighten the mood.

  "Any other issues? Good. I call this meeting adjourned." Trey tapped the table and dropped the handle of the gavel. As the Spokane members filed out with Leif assisting his dad out of the chair, Trey motioned for his men to stay behind. As soon as the sounds of boots faded down the hall, he turned and let his gaze run over his brothers.

  "Gus has it in for Dare and I want to fucking know how he heard about the sheriff. You," he said pointing at his youngest council member. "Mind your fucking P's and Q's while you watch your back."

  His finger turned to point at Silo and then Brand. "Need you two to find the leak that discovered Dare's brother, their connection and fucking plug it."

  Turning to Bishop and Huff, he dropped the finger. "Run a sweep of the offices and the clubhouse. I want to know if somehow, someway, someone's got fucking ears on us." He again looked over his men. "Don't like this shit and won't put up with it on my fucking turf."

  There wasn't a man in the room that didn't agree.

  *.*.*.*.*

  Dare cornered Trey in his office as soon as the other man appeared.

  "I want to turn in my cut," he announced without any lead-in. Sure, it was a balls-to-the-wall statement but he wanted to get it out and on the table early in the conversation.

  Trey just glanced at his youngest council member as he shrugged out of his own vest and hung it over the back of his chair before turning on his computer.

  "Refused," he offered in one succinct word before turning his eyes to the monitor and using the keyboard to enter his password. "Though, for shits and giggles, I'll ask why."

  "I want Ryley," Dare said and felt his heart almost come out of his chest with what he finally had the stones to say outloud.

  "Again. It's refused," Trey replied as his eyes remained on whatever the fuck he was viewing on his screen. "Need you for the fucking meeting with the Czar's."