HazardsDare

by Frances Stockton

  “Stay still, Hazard,” she warned, having drawn back because he’d begun fucking her mouth.

  “Sorry, your talented mouth is driving me crazy. I want you.”

  “I should make you pay for your insubordination.”

  “But you won’t?”

  “Because I’m dripping wet, I’m going to release you and take you to bed. But you must promise that I’m in charge until we leave this room.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “There will be no nookie for you at the hotel,” she answered.

  “That would be torture.”

  “Yes, for both of us.”

  “I promise. You’re in charge until we leave this room.”

  “Thank you.” She scooted to the side of the pillory pole and stood. Quickly, she unlocked the pillory and lifted it, freeing him.

  Despite his instinct to go caveman on her and carry her to bed, he let her capture his left wrist in her hand and lead him off the pillory. Once they were beside the bed, she let him kick off his shoes, stripped him and helped him onto the mattress.

  “Lay down face up and grab the headboard,” Avery ordered softly, her voice almost nonexistent after looking at him as if he was a smorgasbord she was about to devour.

  All it’d taken to get her to look at him that way was giving her control, which wasn’t as difficult as he’d thought. Avery had no intention of hurting him. He could see the truth of it in her eyes and on her face.

  Taking his place on the bed, he reached over his head as she’d commanded, grabbing two red-painted iron slats in the headboard. He wouldn’t let go until she granted permission.

  Hanging on tight, he watched her face as she climbed into place, straddled his hips and worked herself up until her mons brushed his rod. She parted her thighs a bit more, maneuvering herself so that his cock was surrounded by her petal-soft vaginal lips.

  There, she rubbed herself up, down and all around, not letting him inside, but fucking him all the same. Good god, to be taken in such a way was breathtaking.

  He wanted to let go of the bed and fuck her. If he did, he’d let her down. Giving her the reins, he held strong, hoisting and circling his hips, thrusting and humping as if they were teenagers fully clothed and about to get caught.

  Her creamy wetness covered him, letting him know she was ready to take him deep into her sweet, tight pussy. She arched and shifted, positioning herself in just the right way. A switch of her hips and a thrust later, his cock slid into her.

  “Woman, you’re hotter than hades in August,” he praised, loving the feel and grip of her tight walls.

  Feeling as though they’d broken free of some sort of chain that held them back because there was no latex barrier between them, sensation was magnified, more intense and better than ever. His only thoughts were of Avery and the incredible feel of fucking skin against skin.

  Her inner muscles gripped him as she rocked herself. Staying true to his word to hold on to the bed, he rocked and lifted his hips, making sure he pushed up hard and deep.

  Frankly, she rocked his world. “Love you, Avery!”

  “Love you, Trevor,” she said, using his first name, emphasizing it.

  Carried off into a world of pleasure he’d never experienced with another woman, Hazard tumbled over the edge first, coming so hard and fast it stole his breath even as Avery stilled, trembled and collapsed on top of him seconds later.

  As if she couldn’t bear the thought of separating herself too soon, she stayed where she was, wrapping her arms tight around him. “You can hold me now, lover, please,” she granted.

  “Thank you, baby,” he said, brushing his lips against her forehead and wrapping the woman he loved into his arms.

  The kiss to her forehead wasn’t enough. She rose slightly, offering her mouth. “May I kiss you, Trevor?”

  “If you don’t, I’ll kiss you first.” He just couldn’t hold back anymore. Her mouth was temptation in itself, denying himself the taste of her wasn’t an option.

  Avery smiled, looking soft, sated and happy. Gently, she lowered her head and kissed him, making love to his mouth with her tongue. She tasted like Avery and faintly of sex.

  He’d gladly taste her for the rest of their lives. Keenly aware that the hours until he had to head back to Virginia were ticking down, he tightened his arms and held on for as long as she wanted.

  Several minutes later, he’d softened enough to slide out of her.

  “We’re not going back to condoms, Avery,” he declared. “Now that I’ve had you without them, I can’t.”

  “Me either,” she said. “It’s something I’ve never done. Not with any man.”

  He wished like hell he could claim that he’d never shucked the use of a condom, but he’d had when he got married. After his divorce, he’d gotten tested because he had to be sure his ex-wife hadn’t brought something to their marriage other than infidelity.

  “You’ve made me the luckiest man on the planet tonight.” Hugging her again, he relished the opportunity while he could.

  Begrudgingly, they climbed out of bed and he quickly went to retrieve her clothes. Helping her redress and fix her hair, he waited until she was sitting on the edge of the bed before he got dressed.

  After cleaning up as best they could, she turned off the iPod and he took the key out of his pants pocket to unlock the main door to the red dungeon. As they stepped into the hall and he closed the door, the last whiff of the sea swept by, fading away when the lock was turned.

  “He left us,” Avery said.

  “Seems like it,” Hazard agreed. “Maybe we’ll run into our sailor friend the next time we visit Jax’s house?”

  Avery turned to him. “I hope so. I never thought about adding ghost exhibitionism to my bucket list, but sometimes the unexpected takes you by storm.”

  “Kiss me before we go back to the great room?”

  “Yes.” She cupped his face tenderly, her fingers stroking his jaw as she held him close for a kiss so tender that he felt in love with her all over again.

  “You think the others will know what we were doing?” she questioned.

  “More than likely,” Hazard answered, moving to walk beside her.

  “Do you mind?”

  “No. I’m proud to be with you. Let them know it and be jealous.”

  They walked on. By the time they reached the great room, very little had changed except Gabriel’s driver had joined the small throng. She had keys in her hand and a very no-nonsense look on her face.

  “Ready to go, Mr. Krystiyan?” Ms. Anderson requested. “It’s started to snow.”

  “In that case, we should go too,” Hazard said, gesturing to Avery.

  “I’m ready,” Avery said. “My purse is in the game room. I’ll be right back.”

  When she rushed off, Jaxon retrieved coats from the foyer closet for all save Sawyer, his foreman and their dates. It took but a minute for Avery to return.

  “Planning to stay longer?” she asked Sawyer.

  “We’re going to camp out here for the night,” Sawyer explained.

  “There’s plenty of room for all,” Jaxon offered.

  “Thank you, but we’ll head back to the hotel tonight,” Hazard said.

  “It’s best,” Avery commented. “You’ve an early flight in the morning.”

  Jaxon came up to them, placing their coats across the back of a sofa. “In that case, stay in touch, Trev.”

  “You know it, my man,” Hazard promised, shaking hands with his best friend.

  Jax didn’t leave it at a handshake. He engulfed Hazard in a tight hug, drawing him slightly away from Avery. “Love you, bro. You know that, but have to tell you that you and Avery smell like Bart.”

  “Bart?”

  “I believe he was a Colonial or Revolutionary sailor from Virginia where you found my pillory,” Jaxon revealed. “He’s harmless but extremely curious about anyone who enters dungeon three. He has no fear of the pillory, so I don’t think he was a prisoner. Perh
aps someone he cared for was or he had a tendency for kink in his era?”

  “We thought we felt something or someone,” Hazard admitted. “Sometime in the future, you should let me set up a time for my friend Morgan Everhart and her fellow ghost hunters to come in and investigate.”

  “We’ll see. A couple of ghost hunters from New England tried to come out this way back in October. They were diverted by weather or something and they haven’t tried since. Do you know them?”

  “Based on discussions Avery and I’ve had during the week, her good friend Evelyn and her boss Remy Sinclair had tried to visit Dare. Eve’s the one who has a crush on you because of your books, but she is also hung up on her boss. Tread carefully. Morgan will know more about the ghost-hunting stuff, why?”

  “Have them call me.” Jax stepped back. “I’m not sure about my house yet, but I might grant them permission to investigate the town if they can do so without jeopardizing the anonymity of those visiting or living in our small town.”

  “I’ll mention it to Avery. She knows Morgan’s friends better than I do.”

  “All right,” Jax said. “I meant what I said. Keep in touch when you get back to football. I’ll be watching your games.”

  “Might only be one and done,” Hazard warned.

  “This is the Griffins’ year,” Jax insisted. “I feel it in my bones.”

  “Let’s hope so. Once the season’s over, I’m going to look into moving to New England for a spell.”

  Jax inclined his head. “You’ll still come to Dare when you can?”

  “Both of us will,” Hazard said, gesturing to Avery.

  “That settles it. Take care of Red. Be sure to remember she’s not your bitch of an ex.”

  “Avery’s one of a kind.”

  “The love bug bit you on the ass, didn’t it?”

  “And then some,” Hazard admitted.

  “Off to town with you two, then. I’ll not have you waste the rest of the night up here in my creaky old home.”

  “Your creaky old home is about to play host to four guests all night. What kind of mischief will you get into?”

  Jaxon didn’t answer. He grinned, telling Hazard all he needed to know.

  With that, he gathered his and Avery’s coats, helped her into hers and slipped his over his shoulders. “Ready, love?” he asked her.

  “Yes. Thank you, Jaxon. Your home is lovely.” She hugged Jax tight, brushed her lips across his cheek and stepped back. “I’ll miss you.”

  “Same here, Red, but you’ll see me tomorrow. I’ll check in with you and take you to the airport Friday.” Jax flushed from her show of affection.

  “You don’t need to do that. I can hire a car or taxi.”

  “Nonsense, go on, be safe. Trev, text when you get to the hotel.”

  “Okay, Dad,” Hazard said teasingly.

  Leading Avery to the door, they stopped long enough for her to hug Gabriel, Sawyer and Travis before Hazard could shake hands and say goodbye. They were in his rental SUV when Gabriel’s entourage and driver headed to the mammoth limo.

  Avery suddenly shouted. “Wait, I need to give Taylor my phone number.”

  Before he knew it, she bounded out of the passenger door, heading right up to the Hummer so quickly she failed to pay attention to the fact that her fancy shoes weren’t meant to be snowshoes.

  Exiting his SUV, Hazard headed her way fast. Too late, Avery started to go one way, hesitated when she looked off toward the woods and slipped, falling down hard.

  “Avery!” Hazard rushed toward her, ready to scoop her up until he saw her grabbing her ankle.

  “I’m okay,” she insisted.

  “Let me look at your ankle,” he urged, gently removing her hand.

  Her stockings were torn and swelling had started. Gabriel, Taylor and the three lookalikes came over as fast as they could. The snow was falling at a steady clip. It wasn’t too dangerous to drive, but a half-inch had covered the driveway and made walking slippery.

  Like Gabriel, Jax and his houseguests came charging forward, all surrounding them.

  “What the hell were you thinking, Red?” he demanded out of concern.

  “I wanted to give Taylor my phone number. I’d promised and forgotten,” she explained. “Headlights way over in the trees caught my eye. I wanted to go forward, but I went sideways. Jimmy Choos didn’t help.”

  “There’s a rental house a mile away from here. Could have been someone driving up the lane,” Jax said.

  “You could have reached me tomorrow, beautiful,” Gabriel assured. “I’d have made sure Taylor had your number and you wouldn’t have been hurt.”

  “I have the feeling you’re going to be busy then,” Avery said. “Sorry for the hassle. I’m fine, really. I’d like to go back to town and relax with Hazard.”

  “Not until you go to the ER,” Hazard stated.

  “I’m fine,” she said.

  “Avery,” he warned. “Appease me, please. Let me make sure you’re okay.”

  “At worst, I’ve strained something. Nothing’s broken or damaged except my ego and my hip is bruised.”

  Whether he wanted her to or not, Avery struggled to stand and he helped her. The second she put weight on her ankle, she wobbled and hissed.

  “Ow!” she cried out painfully. “Maybe you’re right.”

  “That does it,” he declared, lifting her up off the ground. “X-rays for you, love.”

  “Take her to the twenty-four-hour clinic in town,” Jax recommended. “I’ve an in with the nighttime nurse practitioner. I’ll call and let him know you’re heading their way.”

  “Thanks, Jax,” he said, heading off to his car.

  “Taylor, I’ll get my number to Gabriel,” Avery shouted toward the small crowd.

  “No problem. Let me know how the X-rays turn out,” Taylor called back.

  Hazard wasn’t surprised that Avery and Taylor were already friends. But he came to admire Avery all the more for doing what she could to live up to a promise she’d made.

  Carefully taking her to the SUV, he set her inside, pulled the seat belt into place at her waist and closed the door. Heading around to the driver’s side, he slid inside and put the vehicle in gear. Getting Avery to the health clinic safely and quickly was his primary goal.

  Chapter Eleven

  At two thirty in the morning, Avery was carried over the threshold into the hotel suite by her own personal hero.

  “I can walk, Hazard,” she said, even though it was really nice to be taken care of and the clinic provided crutches if she needed them.

  “Nope, doctor’s orders were RICE, rest, ice, compression, elevate,” he replied. “I’m taking you to the chaise, getting you a pillow and applying the ice as directed.”

  As promised, he set her on the chaise, helped her out of her coat and went to find a pillow for her to prop her leg on. She’d been fortunate. Her ankle was sore and swollen, but X-rays ruled out a fracture.

  The doctor declared that she had a mild muscle strain. Had she damaged ligaments, it would have been a sprain and a lot more serious. The treatment was the same, however. After wrapping her ankle in an Ace bandage for compression, the icing, elevating and rest could begin.

  She’d have to wear flat shoes, which she had brought with her for the convention in Reno, and utilize the crutches to get around, but she could worry about that tomorrow.

  The doctor at the medical clinic prescribed a mild pain reliever and anti-inflammatory, which was great, but was also making her sleepy. Of course, after dealing with the clinic, an injury and having great sex in one of Jaxon Wynter’s playrooms had much to do with how tired she was.

  There was also something bothering her, a feeling she couldn’t quite shake. Headlights in the woods had distracted her enough to slip and fall and disappeared the moment everyone in the house, the limo and Hazard gathered around her.

  “Avery, what’s wrong?” Hazard asked while breaking open an ice pack sent home with her care package and R
ICE instructions.

  Ever so carefully, he un-wrapped the bandage as instructed by the doctor, placed the cloth-covered ice pack on her sore, swollen ankle and rewrapped the bandage to hold the pack in place and maintain the compression needed for healing.

  “That car I’d seen through the woods,” Avery said. “I keep thinking about it.”

  “If you’re uneasy about it, I’ll call Jax right now and get Sawyer to check out the neighbor.”

  “I’m not sure why I’m even bothered by headlights. But I felt like someone was in the woods, watching us. It’s the same feeling I had when I saw John studying us while we were on the balcony.”

  Hazard rocked back and took his phone out of his pocket. He’d already shed his coat and kicked off his shoes. Within seconds, he was hitting keys on the phone’s screen.

  “Jax, it’s Trev,” he said into the smartphone. “She’s doing fine. Minor strain, has to rest her ankle, keep it elevated. Yes, I’m taking care of her. Can you put Sawyer on the line? Thanks, man.”

  “Hazard, it’s probably nothing.”

  “It won’t hurt to tell him how you feel,” Hazard commented.

  Avery knew he was right and listened as he talked to Sawyer.

  “Well?” she asked when the call ended.

  “Sawyer’s going to head into the woods. It’s been snowing steadily since we left. If there are prints left or signs of someone having been there, he’ll take note of it and go talk to Jax’s neighbor.”

  “It could have been a kid,” she suggested. “I mean, maybe all the cars and the gigantic Hummer caught his eye and he came to look. I’d be curious.”

  “Whoever or whatever it was, it made you uneasy,” he stated. “I’m not going to ignore it. I’m calling my coach and making arrangements to make sure you get home safely.”

  “If you’re not at that meeting Friday morning, you get in trouble,” Avery said.

  “Don’t give a damn.”

  “It’s your career.”

  “You are more important than football.”

  “That’s nice to know. But I won’t have you jeopardize your team’s chances in the playoffs because I got a little spooked and busted my ass and hurt myself. What if I change my plans and go to the airport with you in the morning?”