Come To Me (Dare With Me Series Book 3)

by J. H. Croix

  Harley tossed her cards on the table and let out something between a sigh and a growl. Glancing sideways, I asked, “What are you cranky about?”

  “I never win,” she huffed.

  “You won last night,” Grant interjected, apparently unaware of how much my sister did not appreciate being corrected.

  Case in point: Harley’s eyes shifted to him. “Thank you for clarifying that I won a single game. I don’t know what I would’ve done without your reminder.”

  Grant’s eyes widened, but he opted for silence. Tucker didn’t even bother trying to hide his snicker.

  “You’re not supposed to notice things like that,” I commented to Grant. “Much less point them out.”

  Grant shrugged easily. Not much got to Grant, not even my sister’s pointed comments. He organized his hand while Flynn placed his next card down on the table.

  “When do we have yoga class?” Harley asked a few minutes later.

  Flynn answered, “I assume you’re talking about Gemma coming out here. She’ll be here tomorrow night. Will you be at the class?”

  “Definitely. Daphne says her classes are awesome, but that’s not why I’m going.”

  Tucker rolled his eyes. “Do tell, then. Why are you going?”

  “To spy on Diego and Gemma,” Harley said, displaying not even an ounce of shame.

  I shook my head, placing down my cards and bowing out of the round. “Spying? It’s a yoga class. I don’t know how much spying you can do.”

  “Well, you like her, so…” Her words trailed off with a shrug.

  “So, what?” I pressed. “If you’re wondering, it’s not exactly helpful for my love life to have you monitoring everything I do.”

  “Ha! See, you said “love.” You are taking her seriously,” Harley said with air quotes before lifting her hands up in the air in triumph.

  I groaned, glancing to Tucker who sat across from me. “Remind me to say no next time one of my sisters wants to come and stay for a few weeks.”

  Flynn chuckled as he won this round, quickly gathering the cards and stacking them together to shuffle. “Okay, we’ll remind you. Then, you’ll tell us family means everything. You’ll also tell us you can deal with whatever they throw your way, no matter how much they pry into your life.”

  I laughed as I leaned back into the couch cushions. “True story. Family does mean everything.”

  “Precisely why all of us are waiting for you to take anyone seriously,” Flynn returned with a sly gleam in his eyes.

  “Busted. Gemma and I had dinner. Once. We’re going to have dinner again though. I’d like to take things at my own pace if the group doesn’t mind,” I drawled.

  I tolerated the continued ribbing that night, not just about Gemma, but about everything. Because family meant lots of teasing, and I was definitely not the only focus. I might bitch about it sometimes, but I loved my sisters, and I loved my friends. Family did mean everything.

  Even though I played it off like it was no big deal, Gemma was like a soft breeze in my life. She filled all the spaces in my heart, even the spaces I’d thought were shut off and boarded up. Even though we’d only had one dinner officially, everything felt much deeper with her. It didn’t help matters that I couldn’t stop thinking about her. Not the way it felt to be inside her, or the way it felt to fall asleep with her wrapped in my arms. I was in danger of falling for this girl, and I wasn’t quite sure she was ready, or better yet, if I was ready. I didn’t like the tiny doubts that feathered along the edges of my mind over that stupid phone call I overheard.

  I wasn’t that guy, the kind of guy who believed he needed to know everything. I wasn’t that guy who insisted a girl keep me up to speed on every detail of her life. But trust was an issue for me. The fact I was even wondering about anything with Gemma was a loud, blaring warning alarm in the back of my mind. She was starting to matter.

  Gemma’s yoga class for staff at the resort the following evening was an exercise in sheer distraction. Her tone was calm and soothing throughout the class, and she didn’t lay a hand on me, not even once. And yet, every single time I looked in her direction, I remembered just how intimately I knew every curve of her body. I knew what she felt like when she flew apart. My body also knew what I wanted—more of her, and then even more. Getting Gemma out of my system seemed an almost insurmountable task.

  To add to my distraction, Harley set up her yoga mat beside me. Throughout the class, she occasionally offered commentary. I loved my sister, but damn, she could be annoying when she wanted.

  A little while after class, after Daphne directed Gemma into an available private room so she could shower and change, and after I obeyed my better angels and went back to the staff house to shower and change myself, we reconvened in the kitchen.

  It felt as if she were my own personal true north, and every cell in my body rotated toward her. I could play it cool though. I sat at the counter, teasing with the guys and ignoring my sister’s pointed looks. I couldn’t tell if she wanted to grill Gemma and chase her away, or if she actually wanted me to have a shot. If she kept it up with her attitude, she was going to chase anyone away, even one of her friends.

  I felt Gemma’s presence like a soft spring breeze when she stopped beside the counter. Her scent spun around me. Turning toward her, my lips tugged into a smile instantly.

  Her eyes twinkled when our gazes collided. Her hair was a little damp, and I wished I’d been able to shower with her.

  “Hey,” she said softly.

  “Hey. The class was great.”

  Since there was no such thing as a private conversation around here, Gabriel chimed in, “It was. Are you actually gonna come out every week? Because that’s fucking awesome.”

  Gemma smiled. “If the guest class stays filled, I’ll keep coming every week.”

  Nora approached, resting her hands on the counter by the stove across from us. “That means enough of us need to show up too, right?”

  Gemma cocked her head to the side. “I suppose so. But once I’m here, I’m here. An extra hour is no big deal even if it’s a small group.”

  When I glanced to the side, I didn’t miss Gabriel’s hard stare at Nora. But then, it was hard to miss. She ignored him completely. The tension between those two was at its height lately. They generally tried not to be in the same room, which was probably for the best.

  Nora’s eyes bounced off of Gabriel, her lips twisting slightly and a flush cresting high on her cheeks. She whipped her gaze back to Gemma. “I’ll be there. I’m also going to keep coming at least once a week to your classes in town. It’s a nice change of pace.”

  Daphne bustled by with a platter, tossing over her shoulder, “Dinner! Since it’s just staff, let’s take advantage of the table.”

  As we crossed the room, Gemma asked, “Do you all usually not use the table?”

  “Only when Daphne’s not serving guests. When she’s serving guests too, we usually grab what we can in the kitchen right at the counter.”

  “Not that anyone’s complaining about that,” Tucker chimed in after my explanation.

  We sat down to enjoy a dinner of silver salmon with a lemon dill honey glaze and sautéed veggies and rice. In short, it was heaven.

  “Oh, my God,” Gemma moaned after a few bites. “It’s a good thing I’m not here all the time. I would definitely gain weight.”

  Daphne cast her a quick smile. Harley behaved herself during dinner, actually having a normal conversation with Gemma, and even getting some pointers from her on Harley’s consideration of going back to college. She did well for herself with transcription and translation, but she kept toying with whether or not she needed a real degree.

  “I don’t know. I think a college degree is important in some fields. But for what you’re doing, your work will speak for itself more than anything. I would only go if that’s what you want. Because it’s a lot of work. I have a college degree, and I don’t even use it.”

  “Really?” Harley look
ed startled at that.

  Gemma wrinkled her nose and shrugged. “Yup. I went into sports medicine and didn’t really love it. I found that I enjoy teaching yoga more. I do apply the knowledge I gained from those classes, but I definitely don’t need that degree to do what I do. I don’t see myself going back to that work.”

  Dinner carried on, and I walked Gemma out to her car afterwards. Just as I was thinking I might follow her into town and sweet talk her into letting me stay the night, there was a loud snorting sound in the trees. Glancing sideways, I saw a mama moose with two yearlings right behind her dashing out of the trees. That was no big deal. It was the brown bear that followed that sent a prickle of icy fear down my spine.

  Gemma and I happened to be halfway across the gravel parking area. We were between the resort and the vehicles parked on the far side of the lot. I grabbed her by the elbow. “Over here,” I said quickly.

  The only thing giving us a breather to move was that the bear was distracted. I got us between two vehicles. Gemma was tense with tremors running through her. “Oh, my God, oh, my God,” she whispered rapidly. “After seeing one of those in the airport, dead and stuffed, I thought that was good enough. I was totally okay with never seeing a bear up close.”

  “Understood. Keep your voice low. We’re gonna get in this truck.”

  The bear had stopped just along the edge of the parking area. Whether he heard us, or sensed our motion, his massive head swung in our direction.

  Flynn came out on the porch at that moment with a twelve-gauge shotgun in hand. His eyes met mine, and he lifted his chin slightly.

  “What should we do?” Gemma whispered.

  I didn’t answer. I simply curled my hand around the handle of one of the resort trucks and opened the door, practically shoving Gemma inside. I climbed in behind her as fast as I could, but it wasn’t all that fast because the bear was charging toward us right when the door shut. Loose gravel pinged against the side of the truck.

  “Oh, my God, oh, my God,” Gemma repeated, her voice shaking.

  “We’re gonna be fine,” I assured her.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I saw the bear was now standing at the back corner of the truck. Flynn had the gun lifted and fired off several warning shots.

  “The bear will leave, just give it a few minutes,” I assured Gemma.

  We had climbed into the truck quickly, and she was sitting with her hip half on the console. I gave her a little assist, and she settled into the passenger seat, her eyes wide as she looked over at me. “That was crazy.”

  “Sort of. Bears and moose are part of life here. That said, that’s the closest I’ve gotten to a bear. I prefer to see them from a distance.”

  I glanced back to see the bear still standing near the back of the truck. Flynn fired off another warning shot, finally rousing the bear whose heavy head moved slowly to stare at Flynn where he stood on the deck. We listened and watched as the bear slowly, taking his sweet time, lumbered away. Gemma let out a ragged sigh after the bear’s rump disappeared into the trees.

  She looked toward me again. “I don’t think I ever want to get out of this truck.”

  I chuckled. “No rush. We’re definitely sitting tight for a few minutes.”

  “Do you think those moose will be okay?” Her eyes were worried as she peered in the direction they had gone.

  “Maybe. Maybe not. Those were yearlings, so they’re not as easy for the bear to take, especially not with a full-grown mama moose to deal with. If anything, we interrupted him. He didn’t go in the same direction as they did. I’m going to guess they’ve had enough time to put some distance between them and him.”

  “Do you know if it’s a male?” Her gaze swung back to me.

  “I have no clue, really, but this would be the time of year that the females have cubs. Since there aren’t any in sight, I’m going to guess it’s a male.”

  My phone vibrated in my jeans pocket. I slipped it out as I leaned back in the seat. Glancing at the screen, I saw it was Flynn, likely calling me from the porch. Sliding my thumb across the screen, I answered, “Good work.”

  Flynn chuckled. “I’m glad the warning shots chased him off. I’m assuming you’re not getting out of the truck anytime soon.”

  “We’re going to sit tight for a little bit.”

  “Is Gemma okay?”

  Glancing to her, I said, “Flynn wants to know how you’re doing.”

  “I’m fine. Now.” She shook her head, still looking a little startled at the fast chain of events.

  “She’s fine, if you didn’t hear her answer. If anyone else inside was planning on leaving, they should probably wait a few.”

  “Of course. Talk when you come back in.”

  I set the phone on the dashboard, glancing into the trees where the bear had disappeared.

  “How long should we wait?” Gemma asked.

  I shrugged. “Maybe five minutes or so. Enough time that we know he’s not coming back.”

  She leaned her head back against the seat, rolling it sideways to look at me. “That was enough excitement for me this evening.”

  All we were doing was sitting in a truck. It wasn’t even my truck. Our reasons for being here were amusing and slightly life-threatening, although the threat had definitely passed. None of that mattered. A switch had been flipped in my body.

  We stared at each other, and it felt as if desire slipped through every crevice around the edges of the windows and doors like smoke, filling the air around us with a hum of electricity and sparks. Gemma’s eyes darkened, a reflection of the raw desire coursing through me. I needed to kiss her as much as I needed air.

  So, I did. I leaned over the console, sliding my hand around to cup her jaw and tracing my thumb over her bottom lip. We stared at each other in the quiet. The anticipation wound tight. It felt as good as I knew it would be when my lips finally touched hers. The sound of her breath catching in her throat was like a whip cracking through the air. Our lips molded together, and electricity sizzled through me in a fiery jolt.

  Gemma sighed, her mouth opening the moment my tongue slid across the seam of her lips. Her tongue glided against mine in a silken tease. I dove into the warm sweetness of her mouth, savoring every little sound she made and letting out a rough growl.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Gemma

  Kissing Diego was heaven. I forgot everything but the feel of his tongue twining with mine, and his lips commanding mine with little nips and kisses at the corners before he dove back in. I never knew kisses could be pure intoxication. It felt as if Diego himself were a drug, and I had a straight line to his very essence. Kisses with him weren’t a means to an end. I dwelled entirely in this moment, lost in the delicious seduction of his mouth.

  I even forgot where we were. Until there was a loud knocking sound at the back of the truck. I didn’t even know whose truck we were in.

  We broke apart, both of us gulping in deep lungfuls of air. “Break it up, you two,” a man’s voice called.

  Diego chuckled, casting me a sheepish look. “Sounds like Grant needs this truck.”

  “Is this his truck?” I asked, scrambling to gather my brain cells back into some sort of functioning mass.

  “It’s a resort truck, but he drives it the most, and he’s definitely the one banging on the back.”

  “Oh, my God,” I groaned, leaning my face forward into my hands.

  “It’s just a kiss,” Diego said, and I felt his hand slide down my back in a comforting caress.

  I lifted my head. “I don’t usually get so caught up in making out with someone that I forget where I am.”

  “You and me both, sugar. It’s been long enough that we should be in the clear as far as the bear’s concerned, so why don’t I finish walking you to your car?”

  I gathered my dignity and climbed out of the truck. Grant was, in fact, standing at the back of the truck. Along with Flynn, Daphne, Tucker, Nora, and even Harley. Great, just fucking great. Now Diego’s si
ster knew I was making out with him like a foolish girl.

  Tonight?

  That was Diego’s text. One word. Apparently, that was all it took to set my heart to fluttering in my belly and heat spinning through my veins and creating a fizz of excitement in my system.

  There was absolutely no chance I was going to say no. Because I was a foolish girl when it came to Diego. This was a strange experience for me. Because of what happened in high school, I’d skipped over having youthful crushes and all that fun stuff. Maybe I was getting the chance now. Even though I didn’t know how this was going to play out, my expectations were so low that I was just going to grab onto this chance with Diego with both hands.

  I tapped out my reply. Where and when?

  Diego: The brewery? Say, 6?

  Me: Sounds good.

  My arms were wrapped around Diego’s waist, and cool ocean air tugged at the ends of my hair. He angled the motorcycle into a corner along the road that flanked a bluff, offering an absolutely spectacular view of Kachemak Bay. Nature outdid herself here in Alaska, being all showy almost everywhere you looked.

  We were on the way home from that long promised second dinner date, and I was beyond pleased that Diego had picked me up on his motorcycle. It was a small thing, but it was a thrill for me. Diego was plenty sexy without the prop of a motorcycle. Yet, Diego with a black leather jacket over a black T-shirt with black jeans and battered boots to match had my girly parts going into overdrive like cheerleaders at a winning game.

  My cheek was pressed against his back, and I savored the feel of the air ruffling the ends of my hair just below the edge of the helmet. We weren’t going that fast. There was really nowhere around Diamond Creek where someone could go fast on a motorcycle. Not anyone with sense. The roads were too narrow and winding. I loved the feeling of freedom on a motorcycle. The experience was very different, and yet it held similarities to riding a horse.

  The local brewery restaurant had been delicious. I was discovering that, although Diamond Creek was a small town, the tourists that crowded the town in the summer brought things up a notch. There was plenty of excellent food from casual fare and even close to fancy. With the exception that I didn’t think a single restaurant in the entire state of Alaska required fancy dress for dinner. Alaskan residents would probably boycott if that were the case.