by Cindy Miles
“Brax Jenkins, this isn’t a race,” she chided, and play-punched his arm. “It’s for charity.”
“I’m still gonna win!” he laughed. Then inclined his head. “I’m at least gonna beat my lunkhead big brother over there.” Like his features, his Boston accent seemed harsher, louder than Kane’s.
“Yeah, you might.” Kane grinned back at him. Then, his gaze found mine. “Guess we’ll just have to see.”
“How’d you con him into runnin’ anyway, half-pint?” Brax asked me. “I didn’t even know you two had met.” He jogged closer, ducked his dark head, and locked those crazy pale-blue eyes onto mine. “You put a fuckin’ spell on him or somethin’?”
“Brax, stop it,” Olivia crooned. “Harper, he’s just jealous because he’d asked Kane earlier,” she grinned a wicked grin. “He’d said he was too busy. Didn’t you, Kane?”
When my gaze found Kane’s, he wasn’t embarrassed by Olivia’s words. He wasn’t looking away from me. It was dead on me, that mysterious, somber, sexy smolder only he possessed. “Something like that.”
“Yeah, whatever,” Brax said, and pushed his brother. He began bouncing from foot to foot as though preparing for a boxing match. Brax glanced over his shoulder at me. “Half-pint, you stay away from this guy, you hear?” He punched Kane in the shoulder, then his eyes found me again. He cocked his head. “Dorchester boys are bad news.”
I gave him a hesitant smile, and nodded. My gaze caught Olivia’s, and although Brax didn’t seem aware, she did. I could tell. I had to wonder to what extent Brax really did know Kane. And did he know how his brother had pursued me? Followed me to the lake? The cafeteria? Brax seemed to be joking, but was he really?
Soon, we were all lined up awaiting the announcer’s horn, and true to his words, Kane stood right beside me.
“You’d asked before if you could place a bet,” he said, leaning close to my ear. “You still up for it?”
I stiffened, unsure how to answer. I didn’t want to take part in his illegal dealings. Part of his reformation was to get him to quit it altogether. Only now was too early to let him know that. Luckily, though, I didn’t have to answer.
“If I beat you, you go out with me,” he said in that charming accent. When my eyes widened, his smile did also. “My choice where.”
Once again I watched his warm breath blend with the cold air and turn white and puffy, his skin so clear save for the shadow of dark stubble. And eyes so endless that I had a difficult time saying no.
“And if I beat you?” I asked instead.
His wide, full mouth tilted. “You won’t.”
The horn sounded then, and as my heart leapt, so did the other runners around me. Including Kane. He ran beside me for some time; I sped up, so would he. Occasionally, I’d slip a glance at him. Sometimes, he’d already be looking at me, and a victorious grin would be present. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to go out with him; that was the purpose of the Dare, after all. To get the subject to fall for the Darer. In order for the reformation to take place, of course. It almost sounded silly, when said aloud in my head. What was I doing?
I settled into my run, allowed the air to ease in, out of my lungs at my own controlled rate. I reveled in the feel of my muscles burning beneath my black Nike leggings and matching long sleeved black fitted nylon top, and my skin. Then, something dawned on me. I didn’t mind going out with Kane, not because of the Dare, but because…I wanted to. He intrigued me. He made my skin tingle, my heart race. I found it hard to breathe around him. All things I’d never experienced before. Not even once.
It’d never been allowed. It was forbidden. Not with Corinne Belle keeping an eye on me. I had attended an all-girls school and was never allowed to attend the dances that would sometimes pop up. I’d been too scared to notice boys before, even when I first came to Winston. But Kane was different, somehow. He bothered me. Lingered in my head. Wouldn’t go away.
What would Corinne think of that?
The one thing I knew for sure: She absolutely couldn’t find out. I’d do what I had to do to keep it a total and complete secret.
Soon, the pack of runners began to thin. I stretched my gait, but so did Kane. He did so with complete ease, as though running came second nature to him. He wasn’t winded; quite the opposite. He’d pulled a beanie over his head and seemed to be…simply loping along, those long legs eating up the pavement as if it took no effort whatsoever. Who was he, really? Not a potential student. Didn’t have a regular job. Halfway across the country from his home, running illegal bets out of a fraternity house.
He baffled me as much as he terrified me. Without having told him a single secret, he suspected. Saw through me. Knew. I could feel it.
I’d have to be very cautious with Kane McCarthy. No matter how much he piqued my interest.
Time flew by as the Turkey Run wound down. Murphy and Josh had greeted us at a checkpoint with a bottle of water, and neither of us had slowed much to grab it from her as we passed by. Josh was beside her, wearing a Turkey Run T-shirt, and he’d given Kane a slight nod. Murphy wiggled her brows in a comical way as she’d looked at me, and a smile twisted my mouth. I pushed it back and continued on. I had to wonder, though, what might be running through Josh’s mind. Seeing his numbers man running the race beside me.
The moment the sign for Killian’s fairgrounds came into view, Kane threw an easy smile my way and took off. Ahead, Brax and Olivia ran side by side, but as soon as Kane flew by them, Brax took off. I eased up closer to Olivia, her long messy braid bouncing off her backside with each step. She looked at me and rolled her eyes.
“They both seem to think there’s some sort of prize if they win,” she said, slightly breathy.
She wore a pair of black tights, similar to mine, but paired with a long sleeved Star Wars themed T-shirt. I nodded. “Well, I suppose there is.”
“What do you mean?” She quirked a brow.
I almost internally slapped myself for telling Olivia anything. Not that she wasn’t nice, or trustworthy. It was just…I didn’t tell people things. But since she was Brax’s girlfriend, she’d find out soon enough. So better to hear from me first.
“Kane sort of bet me that if he ‘beat me’, I’d have to go out with him,” I answered.
A slow smile spread over Olivia’s face, pulling at the scar she had on her lip. “I see.” Her gaze remained ahead, at the finish line. She just kept on smiling. “Warning.” She threw a look my way. “Brax won’t like it one little bit.” She smiled. “He likes you. And he’s very skeptical of his brother right now.”
I caught my breath. “So why are you smiling?”
She let out a light chuckle. “Because I really like Kane,” she said. “He’s a very caring guy. And I think he has even more potential than he’s aware of. Especially with the right person in his life.”
Olivia and I crossed the finish line together. Ahead, Brax and Kane were both hunched over, grasping their knees and sucking in air. Kane turned his head, eyed me, and his eyes sort of smiled. The gesture didn’t escape Olivia.
“See what I mean?” she said breathily.
And I was hesitant to acknowledge that maybe, I saw it too.
“Boy, you can tell those two are brothers,” she said in her slight drawl. When I didn’t answer, she looked at me and grinned. “Their confidence can be slightly overwhelming at times.”
I didn’t say anything, only nodded, and I thought then that Olivia Beaumont had to be one of the most sincere people I’d ever encountered. Like Murphy, she didn’t pry, didn’t poke, or dig. There wasn’t a mean bone in Olivia’s body, I suspected. Strength radiated from her, like a beacon from a lighthouse. I remembered the pain she’d suffered from the last Dare. How she’d held her head high, didn’t let any of it get her down. Even after the loss of her grandfather, she’d remained steady as a rock. I also remembered how Brax had fought for her.
Something I strongly admired in her. In him.
If only I could be like that…
“I’ll…see you around, Olivia,” I said quietly.
“Hey, if you’re not doing anything later on—”
“I—I can’t,” I stammered. Then I looked at her. “Thank you for always inviting me.” I almost felt compelled to give her a reason. I almost felt compelled to actually accept her invite, for once. But I didn’t.
A gentle smile tugged at the scar on her lip. “Anytime, Harper.”
I ran over to the tables at the finish line, where a few of my sorority sisters were busy handing out the chocolate chip cookies. I grabbed a half-full platter and started helping, and soon I had nothing but crumbs. Murphy joined me. Her lob was pulled into two tight pigtails, and she wore winter-white shorts, crazy-striped knee socks, and a long-sleeved Turkey Run T-shirt.
“Would you care to know how much we collected?” she asked in a whispery, excited voice? She wiggled her brows. “A damn pretty shilling or two, that’s what.”
I knew how much we’d collected because I’d collected all of the entry money for the race. I gave her a puzzled look. “How much?”
The Cheshire Cat was back and smiling. “Nearly three thousand quid!”
My eyes bugged out. At least, it felt like they did. “Say what?”
She leaned close, and I could smell the flowery lotion she used. “Three. Thousand. American. Dollars.”
I blinked. Quickly did the math. “But seventy-five people entered the run. Last I counted we had two thousand three hundred and fifty dollars.” And that was because Kane had donated a hundred dollars.
“Well, apparently there was a last-minute donation.” She grinned. “Fancy that.” She looked at me and sighed. “You’re all sweaty, love. Want a lift back to campus?” She threw a look over her shoulder. “We’ve got this.” Another smile. “Josh is picking up the tables and taking down the banners. We’re going for drinks tonight.” Brows wiggled. “I’m determined to get him to the salon in Covington for a mani-pedi. I’ll save details.”
“Please do,” I agreed, smiling. “And…no. I’m going to run back.” I waved. “See ya later.”
I started jogging back to campus. By taking a few shortcuts I could make it back in probably twenty minutes, if I kept up my pace. And I could. If I could do anything, it was run.
No sooner had I left the fairgrounds did Kane sidle up next to me, keeping pace with his long stride. “Trying to duck out on me?” he asked.
I slipped him a look. “Perhaps. I don’t like mingling with criminals.”
“I’m not a criminal. I’m a businessman. And the winner of our bet.”
I didn’t answer him, and we continued running in silence. The sun hadn’t really emerged; it looked more wintry than it actually was. A gray gloom hung over everything. The temperature had warmed up to the mid-sixties, and the long shirt I wore now started to suffocate me.
At least, I thought it was the shirt.
“Are you afraid to go out with me?”
At the traffic light we were forced to stop. I looked at him, a little breathless. Either from his beautiful features, or the way his eyes spoke so heavily at times.
“I’m more afraid of what that will do to my reputation,” I answered.
He stared at me, that deep, searching stare. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at six p.m. sharp.” His smile was sly, confident. And he ignored my jab. “Dress warm.”
When the light changed, Kane took off, turning down the street and heading to where I now knew was probably Brax’s apartment. I watched him for a second, his easy trot, and wondered at my reaction when he glanced over his shoulder and threw me a wave.
Heat crept up my neck. My heart fluttered. And as I crossed the street and passed through Winston’s main entrance, I dared only admit to myself that I could barely wait for tomorrow night at six p.m. to arrive.
Nerves clawed at my insides. All the sisters were out, Murphy and Josh had already left for curry, and I was alone. Almost as if I felt as though I were doing something wrong, I paced as I waited for six p.m. to arrive. I had a bad case of the jitters. For the hundredth time, I glanced at the clock on the wall in the common room. The minute hand tick-ticked so loudly, I almost wanted to cover my ears. Five forty. A little longer. If Corinne Belle finds out about this…
It had rained during the night, and this morning when I’d awakened the temperature had dropped. A cold front was moving through and the high for the next several days would be in the low fifties. Lows at night in the mid thirties.
Kane must’ve checked the weather when he’d advised me to dress warmly.
Kane McCarthy. Businessman. From Boston. Are you out of your mind, Harper? You’ve never even been on a date in your life and this is who you choose to be your first? A shady numbers man? All for a dare?
I passed by the entryway mirror, and glanced at myself. I didn’t really know what I was doing. A first for me, actually. Everything was usually so well-planned out—whether I planned it, or someone else did. The latter was usually the case.
I didn’t own fun clothes. I owned…Belle clothes. Sophisticated, successful, tailored clothes. They’d been chosen for me and purchased for me by my grandmother. So the best I could do was a pair of olive fleece-lined leggings that I’d borrowed from Murphy, my tall black leather Frye boots, and a ribbed black turtleneck. My designer black wool pea coat lay draped over the hall tree, along with a light tartan scarf and black gloves. I glanced at the clock again. Pulled on my coat, scarf. Grabbed my gloves and shoved them into the pockets.
Hopefully, warm enough.
I’d twisted my straight hair into a single French braid, and out of nervousness applied one more swipe of lip balm. Paced. Waited. Something in my gut warped; I knew deep down that just being with Kane wasn’t going to get me into any sort of trouble. I’d have to actually be physically caught gambling to be in jeopardy. Was it that I knew I was doing something completely forbidden in Corinne Belle’s eyes? What if I got caught? I cringed at the myriad of punishments running through my mind.
Maybe it was the fact that Kane was doing something illegal that frightened me? Somehow, I wished he was…better than that. To have more integrity.
Maybe I could convince him.
A knock at the door sounded and startled me from my thoughts. My boots clicked against the hardwood floor as I pulled open the door. Standing there, wearing that smoky gaze, was Kane. He regarded me silently, intimately, completely, without barely a shift in his facial expression. Behind him, the sky had turned dark, and the light from the porch cast a ginger glow against his skin.
With his legs braced wide, he held out his hand; easy, inviting. Tempting. “Do you trust me?”
My breath caught in my throat. “Not exactly,” I answered. Hesitantly, unused to physical touch, even with my friends, I placed my hand in his. It was big, callused, warm, and he tugged me through the door. A completely foreign feeling, I found I sort of liked it. We descended the porch steps and crossed the yard to the parking lot in silence. At his vintage truck, he stopped, unlocked the door and looked down at me. His usual leather jacket covered a dark plaid undershirt, a pair of dark jeans, and boots a shade lighter than his jacket. He looked comfortable. Beautiful. Like something out of an outdoor catalogue.
“Hop in,” he urged softly.
Strangely enough, I did just that. I hadn’t even ridden for weeks with Murphy until we’d gone to Karma. With my chin held high and my shoulders straight, I eased into the driver’s side and scooted across the bench seat. The vinyl was cool through my leggings. I buckled up, crossed my ankles and folded my hands in my lap. I couldn’t help scanning the parking lot, searching for anyone who might be watching. Who would tell on me.
Kane slid in behind the larger-than-average steering wheel, pulled the door shut, and looked at me. Shadows from the yard light cut across his face, making him look even more mysterious than I thought he was. His eyes softened. Turned liquid.
“Relax, Harper,” he said in that unique, oddly soothing voice. “I’m not d
angerous, you know.”
I drew in a deep breath. Eased it back out. “Maybe.” I looked at him. “Does Brax know you’re taking me out?”
His smile was crooked. “He warned me to leave you alone,” he confessed. Then his eyes softened again, seemingly drinking me in. “I just couldn’t seem to help myself.”
My skin flushed at his words, and I barely knew what to say. I twisted my hands together in my lap. “But you’re not even from here,” I offered. “How do you know where to go?” I looked at him then. “Where are we going, anyway?”
His laugh was gentle, easy. “You’ll see.” He started the truck, and it roared to life. “Olivia told me about this place,” his smile was crooked. “Thought I needed to see it at least once.”
“Oh.” I glanced out the window. “Why with me?”
Kane was silent for a moment. “Why not with you?”
I pondered that for several seconds. Maybe minutes. My gaze hung onto the passing signs as we faded out of Killian and headed north. Trees were dark, lurking giants crouched just out of reach. Cars were few; Sunday evenings, things were slow on the road. I couldn’t help but wonder if Kane could tell I’d never actually been out on a date before. Twenty years old, on my first official date, and I had to keep it to myself. Hide it. Prayed it didn’t get out that I’d been lying all those other times. Made up dates. Made up guys. Made up loves. A big fat made up life.
“Okay, I’ll answer for you,” Kane volunteered. I peeked over at him, and his gaze stayed straight ahead on the road, and I watched the angles and planes of his face shift in and out of the lights that we passed. It fascinated me.
He fascinated me.
It was definitely a new experience.
“Ever since that first day, when I asked you for directions?” He kind of smiled, half-laughed, soft and barely there. “Then when I saw you talking to Olivia and my brother, and every other time I’ve seen you since?” He shrugged. “I can’t stop thinkin’ about you, Harper.” He let out a sigh. “Something about you I identify with.” He looked at me. “Something that reminds me of me. Something broken. Something no one else sees. And it draws me to you.”