Triple Dare

by Candace Irvin

  When Dare had removed his shirt earlier, she’d been surprised, especially given that he still hadn’t discussed his tattoo. Her curiosity had quickly evaporated beneath a healthy dose of lust as Dare shouldered her rope and scaled the cliff. That same lust returned now as he made his way back down the wall of rock in a mesmerizing ballet of confident hand-and footholds and religiously honed muscle.

  By the time Dare made it to the halfway point, a sheen of sweat glistened along his dusky skin, causing a warm ache to spread through Abby’s core. Mercy, he was gorgeous. Dare reached the base and turned. The moment his gaze engulfed her, she knew he knew what she’d been thinking.

  His lopsided smile quirked and spread.

  Her breath hitched.

  “You ready?”

  Was she ever!

  He held out his hand, and her lust fled as the apprehension snapped back in. She’d made the mistake of looking beyond those strong, callused fingers to that imposing wall of rock. Suddenly, the enormity of what she was about to do bit in.

  “Abby?”

  She located her best stage smile and stitched it on as she marched forward. “I’m ready.”

  Liar.

  He knew it, too. Dare reached out and tucked a stray wisp into her braid as she reached his side. He tipped her chin, her breath catching once more as he soothed his thumb along her bottom lip. “You don’t have to do this.”

  “I know. I want to. It’s just—”

  How did she say this?

  He dropped his hand to her shoulder and squeezed gently. “Abby, if you’re worried about embarrassing yourself, don’t. You can’t. Not in front of me.”

  “Oh, yeah? You’re the great Triple Dare. You climb buildings and cliffs at the drop of a hat. I bet you lift weights, too. Me, I wield a bow.”

  He tapped her nose as he smiled. “And a mean bow it is. But it won’t matter. You’ll be able to handle this one, I promise. It’s a five-point-five at best.” Her confusion must have shown because his smile deepened. “Barely a bunny slope, just uphill.”

  “Nice analogy, but, um, I don’t ski so well either. Lousy stamina, questionable balance.” Zero nerve.

  He shook his head. “With legs like yours, I don’t believe it.” She shivered as he dropped his hand to hem of her shorts, trailing his fingers down her thighs to underscore his point. The ache in her belly simmered anew.

  Disappointment replaced it as his hand fell away.

  He cleared his throat. “Perhaps we should get started.”

  Pity. She’d rather stand right here. Like this. It was safer in all the right ways.

  And deliciously dangerous.

  Unfortunately, he was still holding back. Ironically, today’s reluctance was from an entirely different source than last night’s. Dare might be more relaxed than she’d ever seen him, but he was also on the alert. He had been since the moment they’d left his Blazer in the parking lot. The man was doing his darnedest to pretend this was all some lighthearted excursion, a “let’s-get-to-know-each-other-better” date.

  As late as yesterday, she might have bought it. Today, she knew better. She’d gotten to know him better.

  Though she’d yet to figure out what was behind the darkest of his moods, she could already read the majority of them. While she doubted anyone could have followed them all the way here, she had no intention of adding to Dare’s worries. She stared up the cliff, automatically searching for the various hand-and footholds Dare had discussed during the down-and-dirty lesson she’d received upon their arrival, pleased she could actually plot out her initial moves. She’d just have to trust the other holds would be there when she got there.

  She stepped up to the base of the cliff. “Well, are we going to do this, or what?”

  He nodded. “Would you like a boost?”

  “Definitely.”

  She waited patiently as Dare checked her climbing harness one last time, before retrieving his end of the belaying rope he’d rigged in case she lost her grip. She shoved the terrifying thought aside. If Dare was a climber, then she needed to share his interests, or at least understand them. By the time he tucked the top rope beneath his arm, then bent down in front of her, her resolve had solidified. She placed the right sole of her new climbing shoes into his hands, using his strength to propel her up the face of the cliff and to her first handful of rock. The quartzite was warmer than she’d expected, no doubt from the sun already beginning to bake the late-morning air.

  “Got it?”

  “Uh-huh.” She instinctively fitted her left foot into a crevice, then her right, pleased when Dare’s hands fell away from her legs—and she didn’t fall from the rock. The next several moves went as smoothly as her first, though she had to pause to push the belaying rope out of her way twice. The moment she did, Dare returned the light tension he’d been maintaining for her peace of mind. He was right. The constant tug did help her confidence and hence, her concentration.

  “That’s it. You’re doing great! Keep going, Abby.”

  She reached and strained in unison with the encouragement Dare continued to offer from below. Before she knew it, she’d covered a good ten feet of the cliff and was enjoying every moment of it. It was hard work, sure. And she was well into a decent sweat, but there was an incredible satisfaction in reaching and achieving each successive hold. Another five minutes and she’d gotten so far into it, she made the mistake of looking down.

  Her stomach clenched.

  As if on cue, Dare increased the tension on the belaying line. “You’re okay. Take a deep breath. It’ll pass.”

  The terror didn’t exactly leave, but she did screw up enough courage to jerk her head back up so she could search for her next handhold. She found it—and reached for it. Then another and another. Though fear had forced her to shorten her reach, she was still making progress and gradually settling into a decent rhythm as Dare continued to encourage her from below. Another minute and she reached a narrow protrusion of quartzite that allowed her to take a breather. She gathered her strength and forced herself to continue.

  Another minute and another reach and she decided she should have hung out at the micro ledge a bit longer because she was definitely feeling the burn. Her arms had begun to ache, her thighs and calves as well. Her fingers and toes had gotten in on the act as well. Darn near every muscle in her body hurt. By the time she finished her next reach, she wasn’t sure she’d be able to manage another.

  “Don’t stop, now, Abby. You’re almost there.”

  She glanced up. She was. She could make out the top of the cliff, roughly ten, twelve feet up. She spotted her next handhold and reached for it. Made it. Owned it. Energized by the coming victory, she shoved her toes into the next foothold with more force than she should have—and cursed.

  Her foot was stuck.

  She gave it another tug, then tried slowly twisting her foot. Again, it refused to budge.

  “What’s wrong?”

  She risked a quick glance down. Another lousy move.

  The remains of the breakfast they’d stopped for after Dare had purchased her climbing gear turned over.

  “Abby?”

  “My foot’s stuck!”

  “Try twisting it—but gently.”

  “I did!”

  “Okay. Hold on, I’m coming up.”

  He was what?

  No! If he climbed up, who would be holding the other end of her rope? She glanced down, forcing herself to ignore the renewed sloshing in her stomach as she frantically searched her field of view for Dare. She couldn’t see him. But she could hear him. He continued to call up encouragement as she turned her face into the cliff and dug her fingers into the narrow crevices beneath, clinging for dear life.

  A minute passed.

  Somewhere into the next, the burning in her arms edged from painful into excruciating. Her arms began to shake. Even with Dare’s constantly soothing and steadily closing voice, it was everything she could do to hold on. She closed her eyes, blocking out
every other sense other than touch—hearing included—as she dug her sweaty fingers into the crevices as far as they would go. Please, God, don’t let me fall. She had friends. Responsibilities. A brother.

  If she was really lucky, Dare.

  Moments later, he reached her side.

  She swore she could feel the comforting heat from his body seeping into hers. She even swore she could feel him trying to calm her down on some strange subliminal level, but she refused to listen. She was too scared. Petrified. Hell, she couldn’t even open her eyes. Her lids wouldn’t cooperate.

  “It’s okay, Abby. I’m here. You can let go now.”

  “No.” Sure he’d tucked her in bed twice. But they were on the side of a cliff for crying out loud.

  “Honey—”

  “No!” She forced her lids to cooperate. Dare’s face snapped into view. He was just out of arms’ reach, gripping the only other protrusions of rock nearby. As usual, he had no rope. And they were roughly fifty feet up. “Please, I’ll get it loose myself. Go down before you fall. Or up. Just go.”

  That dark-emerald stare captured hers across the cliff. His low, steady voice filled her. “Abby, listen to me. I won’t fall. Nor will you. But you have to let me help you.”

  “But the rope—”

  “It’s secure. I tied it to a tree.”

  But she could still feel the slack in the line. Couldn’t she? Suddenly she wasn’t sure. It looked snug, but she was too terrified to loosen her grip to check.

  “Sweetheart, you trust me, don’t you?”

  She jerked a nod.

  “Then you have to listen to me. All you have to do is let go of the rock. You’ll fall back a few inches, perhaps a foot or two, but that’s it. Taking the pressure off your leg might be enough to release your foot. If not, we’ll go from there. Either way, you won’t fall. I promise.”

  She clipped another nod.

  “You ready?”

  No.

  “Yes.” She dragged her air in deep and let go. A split second later, she jerked to a stop. But the force of the motion swung her toward Dare. Oh, God, she was going to knock him off the cliff. She pushed against the wall of rock, frantically trying to stop herself. Unfortunately, her efforts sent her colliding directly into the solid muscles of his chest. Dare’s arm immediately banded about her.

  His husky reassurance washed her ear. “Easy, honey. I’ve got you.” He did. While she’d been busy panicking, Dare had been reaching. He’d caught the belaying rope with one hand, her body with his other. His climbing shoes were firmly hooked to the narrow protrusion of rock she’d rested at several moves earlier. He was in no danger of falling anytime soon.

  Thank God.

  “How’s your foot?”

  “It’s fine.”

  He’d guessed correctly. Taking the weight off her leg had done the trick. She was free. Well, not exactly free. Instead of being trapped by rock, she was now trapped by solid muscle. Dare’s muscle. Not that she was complaining, mind you. Especially since the remainder of her terror had bled off. Frankly, she couldn’t have planned it better if she tried.

  Then it hit her. He didn’t think she had tried, did he?

  “Abby?” Her name rumbled between them, low and intimate. Given the fire licking her cheeks, he had to know the answer. She spelled it out anyway.

  “I’m fine. I’m just feeling really foolish. I swear I didn’t…” The fire increased as she glanced at her dangling feet, then back at them. “You know.”

  He nodded. “I know.”

  Relief seeped in. She pulled in her breath along with it and got a lungful of Dare. His scent. His heat. Heavens, did the man smell good! As it had that first night in her apartment, the slight sheen of perspiration that covered his skin enhanced his natural male fragrance. And as she had that first night, she was reacting the same way to it. To him.

  She shouldn’t be. Not forty feet up.

  She blew out her air, attempting to quell the desire. It didn’t work. She still wanted him. Here. Now.

  Any way he wanted.

  She forced a smile of her own, praying he hadn’t noticed her body’s errant reaction to his. “I probably should have mentioned this earlier. But, um, I’m actually nervous of heights. And when I looked down—”

  “You panicked.” He shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. Happens the first time to almost everyone. Me included.”

  That broke the spell.

  She laughed. “Somehow I doubt you ever shook in your boots.” Even now, with one massive hand still clamped about her rope, the other hooked to sheer rock, he looked completely at ease—and it had nothing to do with the added security of that micro ledge.

  Dare was simply and completely in his element.

  But he shook his head. “What you see is the result of years of practice. You should have seen me my first time. It wasn’t pretty. Hell, neither was I.” He stopped, appeared to wrestle with something. “Abby, there are a couple of details about my early climbing days that article got wrong. For one, I didn’t head out to the Gunks with friends on some wild trip. At least, they weren’t friends when we first hooked up.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  He sighed. “I took off after my mom died. Only I was too messed up to think. I didn’t take enough cash. I ended up not far from here. A couple of climbers found me. They fed me and let me hang out at their camp while my face healed. When I was up to it, they also gave me my first taste of bouldering. I was barely twelve feet off the ground and almost there when I looked down. Suddenly, I was so damned scared I couldn’t finish. But I couldn’t head down either. And they knew better than to endanger themselves with a panicked cherry. Nothing else worked so they started teasing me. Mercilessly. Hell, even then it still took three rounds of downright ribald taunts and dares before I budged.”

  She blinked. Three? Triple Dare?

  He flashed a sheepish grin. “Not exactly the glamour story you expected, eh? Anyway, point is, I was terrified of heights. Deep down, I still am.” His smile faded completely. “I guess that’s what gives it the extra punch I usually need to…” He trailed off. Once again, she could feel the battle within him to give her the rest.

  The truth.

  She risked prompting, “What do you need?” For an instant, she swore that damned globe had returned to his shoulders. She could almost feel him bowing beneath the weight, just before he heaved it off.

  “The rush. It…helps me forget.”

  Forget what? His past?

  That didn’t make sense. Not really. While his childhood held some pretty horrific moments, he’d moved beyond them. She took another chance. “What exactly do you need to forget?”

  This time the silence locked in so firmly, she could hear the birds in the distance for the first time since she’d started up the cliff. It lasted so long, she made out the pings of several tiny rocks as they skittered down the side of the cliff as Dare adjusted his foothold on the narrow ledge. He shifted his stare to the wall of quartzite behind her.

  “Dare?”

  “Everyone.”

  Of all the answers she’d expected, that hadn’t been one of them. Not to mention it made even less sense than his previous confession. But it rang with truth. Abby lowered her own voice to a whisper. She was afraid. More than she’d been when she couldn’t dislodge her foot. More than she’d been when she’d seen that monster out beside Stuart’s limo.

  “Does that—” It wouldn’t come out. She opened her mouth again, forcing the question past the knot in her throat. The one in her heart. “Does that include me?”

  Dare wrenched his stare from the cliff and fused it to hers. “God, no. Definitely not you. If anything, I—”

  He stopped.

  She waited. Prayed.

  Nothing.

  That was when she knew. It was her. Somehow, whatever was eating at this man, came down to just her. And no matter how hard Dare tried, he couldn’t get past it. Whatever was eating at him hurt like the devil. She
was hurting him.

  That she couldn’t do.

  Abby peeled her left hand from the rope and threaded her fingers through the inky waves of his hair, smoothing them from the scar that ran down the side of his face. Tears stung at her eyes as she traced the scar on his bottom lip. But the tears weren’t for her. Not even for them. They were for him. “It’s okay. I shouldn’t have pushed. In addition to being patient, I’m pretty stubborn. Sometimes that’s not a good thing, though. Not when it hurts someone I’ve come to care—”

  He jerked his head down before she could finish and covered her mouth with his. She gasped at the shock. And then, she gasped again. This time at the dark, sultry heat that followed. He swallowed both—and came back for more.

  He came back for her.

  Before her heart could finish pounding out its next beat, the arm about her shoulders banded tighter. He tugged her close, anchoring her against his chest. For a moment she was terrified he’d lose his grip on the rope and the ledge and fall. And then, she couldn’t think anymore.

  All she could do was feel. Him. His pent-up passion.

  It ripped free as he claimed her mouth in a savage, breathtaking assault. He plundered long and hard. Deep. His teeth scraped into hers as he angled his head to take their kiss even deeper. Within seconds he’d delved farther than any man ever had, taken more from her than any man ever would—and still he demanded more. She gave it to him freely, gave herself, reveling in the fiery need in his kiss, the heady danger of having his mouth covering hers while she was fifty feet off the ground and headed straight into the most blissful free fall of all—with him. Just when she thought it couldn’t get any better, Dare dragged his mouth from hers, ratcheting up their combined passions as he razed his lips down the column of her neck, stopping at the base to nip, suck and nuzzle the tender hollow he found.

  But then he slowed.

  She arched her neck in protest, silently begging for more.