Time to take back control. If this experiment was going to work, they needed
serious
ground rules. “All righty, then. Back to the business discussion that was so rudely interrupted by your friend.”
“Betty, this is the furthest thing you can get from
business,
or else the two of us would be arrested,” he added with his signature smirk. “Good thing I’m here, or you’d be making a mess of this.” And just like that, the arrogance was back.
“That’s not what I meant, and you know it.” Yeah, keep talking buddy.
Keep reminding me of all the reasons why I hate you.
Instinctively she rubbed her chest, uncomfortable with the last thought. She didn’t hate him, could never do half the things she’d imagined if she hated him. Could she? “Are you going to talk to me about this or… not?” Darn it, she had absolutely no leverage. She couldn’t threaten to walk, because she needed him more than he needed her.
“What more is there to say? You trying to back out?” He leaned forward in his chair.
“No! No. But we have one last thing to go over.”
“What?”
“The rules. The terms of our agreement. We have to make sure we’re on the same page.”
His eyes scanned her face, taking her measure. He didn’t look as intense as he did when he asked her whether she was seeing anybody, but it was close. He looked like a hawk eyeing a fidgety squirrel. “I’m ready for your terms.”
She took a deep breath and realized with a start that she was picking at her split ends. She hadn’t even realized she’d picked up a braid. Immediately, she dropped her hair, mortified that she was starting back up with the old habit. She must be really nervous.
She knew this was the most important part of their discussion, but the idea of it was making her skin crawl. The umpteen beers she’d consumed were only slightly lessening her feeling of embarrassment. She wanted to just get this over with. “No sex. No touching for you.”
His eyes bulged for a minute, but he didn’t interrupt.
“No happily ever after, no commitment, no relationship. It’s really important you understand this is temporary.”
He snorted at that one as he took another chug of his drink.
“I will choose the place. You will be discreet. We will never speak of it again.”
Now Dare crossed his strong arms and the small grin was gone. He was starting to look a little pissed. But he still hadn’t butted in.
“Um, what else?” Truthfully, she hadn’t expected to get this far. “No guilt, no muss, no fuss. Oh yeah, and you must be willing to give feedback, which shouldn’t be a problem for you.” She shot him a look, but he didn’t respond by laughing as she’d hoped. In fact, he was starting to look far too intense about the whole thing. He was taking it really seriously. Which was good, she thought, but the plan had been that he would be so grateful to be getting blowjobs that he would agree to anything she said.
Hmm, maybe it was time to change the equation. Caelen paid special attention as she made her next request. “No eye contact.”
“What?”
He half coughed, half spewed his beer on that one. “What the hell are you talking about? We can’t look at each other? That’s insane. I would feel like you were my slave or something! I—”
She let him blather on for a few more minutes. The last term had been ridiculous, and she’d purposely thrown it in to appear like she would be conceding to his demands, showing that she was flexible. With a deep sigh, she said, “Well, I guess you’re right. I’ll give you that one.”
“Damn straight.”
She took another deep breath and prepared herself for the rules she felt were the most important. “You must give me total control. Oh,
and
no kissing. See that wasn’t so bad, was it?” This was crucial to her whole negotiations. Even back when Dare was a pimply teen, she’d loved his lips. It was why, after they’d been shoved into that closet in seventh grade, she’d made a deal with him. She’d informed him she would kiss him for their time in Seven Minutes in Heaven if he swore he’d never tell a soul. Ever. Not even her sisters.
And he never did. Maybe that was why she was trusting him with so much now. Even though it had been fifteen years since their kiss, she still remembered his warm taste. If she allowed him to kiss her now, she’d be lost. The panties would drop so fast and so hard that she’d never get to any of Ms. Belle’s techniques.
“No.”
“Yes.
That is nonnegotiable, Dare!”
He ran a large hand through his hair, his frown burrowed deep between his eyebrows. Finally, he leaned back in the chair and stated through tight lips, “Everything is negotiable, sweetheart. Now, I have a few of my own terms.”
Damn. Why hadn’t she softened the beginning of this conversation with a description of some of the techniques she’d be working on, so he’d be thinking with his dick and not his overactive brain?
“There will be a commitment.”
“What?”
He held up a hand to silence her. “For the next four days, we will be committed because if you’re with me, I don’t care how temporary it is, you’re with
me.
And I’m with you. Understand?”
She threw up her hands in the air. “Did you think I meant I would be with other people while I was experimenting on you? You know that’s not what I meant.”
“I don’t care what you meant. This is nonnegotiable for me. I want to hear you say it. When we’re together, it’s only us. Only you and me in this
relationship.”
Goosebumps raced over her skin at the feeling in his words. What would it be like to be in a relationship with Dare? At the thought, panic set in, and she started to feel claustrophobic. She was such a mess; she couldn’t even make a commitment to her hairdresser, let alone Dare. But she understood what he meant. “Yes, of course. I don’t plan on having my mouth near anyone else’s dick but yours.”
For an instant, the burnished gold of his eyes flared, but he didn’t appear to take the bait. “I pick the place.”
“What? No.”
“At least once.”
“In the whole four days, just once?”
He nodded slowly.
She opened her mouth to protest, but realized there wasn’t much harm in conceding this small request. So far he hadn’t challenged any of the really important stuff. Except kissing. “Okay.”
The small frown was starting to disappear, but he wasn’t smiling yet. He thought for a moment longer. “I will give you total control, but I want something in return.
“Like what?”
“Just keep in mind
all
of the other things I’ve conceded. Lots of feedback, you pick the place—mostly, you get control mostly, so I want a kiss. Each time we are together, I can have one kiss, anytime, anywhere, I want it.”
“No!”
“Yes.”
Panic felt like a bus sitting in her chest. “Absolutely not.”
“What’s the big deal? My kisses affect you that much?”
Yes
. “As if. It’s not that. It’s just too personal and messy.”
“I’m starting to get offended, Betty. Nothing messy about my kisses. So problem solved. Kisses are in.”
Maybe she should try and throw him off track. “But I
will
be kissing you. The whole time we’re together.”
He frowned until he saw her gaze trail down to the front of his pants. He gulped.
“Aren’t those kisses enough?”
He groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I—
No.
I will agree to every single other rule, but you need to give me this.”
“Why?”
“I need it, Caelen.”
Temptation licked at her like flames to accelerant. Could she agree? Could she resist if Dare put his luscious lips on hers? If she wanted the school then she would have to find a way. Maybe she could keep him so distracted he wouldn’t even remember the kiss. Yes! Suddenly, she felt much more confident. “All right.”
He looked dumbstruck. “Really?”
“Unless you’ve changed your mind?”
“Nope. Terms set and accepted.”
“So, we’re good?”
“Pretty much. Except one tiny, last thing.”
“I just gave you the kiss.”
“I know, I know. This isn’t about a specific rule, really. Just an overall, in general, sort of thing. I don’t want to be penalized if I break the rules.”
“What? What did we just hammer out, then? Rules are specifically set up
not
to be broken. Now you’re telling me you’re going to break the rules?”
He took a quick swig and suddenly seemed antsy. His leg was tapping, and he was fidgety, as if he could feel that they were close to closing the deal. “Let me explain. I don’t plan on breaking the rules,
but
—What if it just kind of happens?”
“What?”
“Look, I’m a man, right?”
She couldn’t help but glance down.
Gulp
. “I’m counting on it.”
He shot her a look and continued, “And my body is going to be reacting to some intense interactions, right?”
“I repeat. Counting on it.”
This time he smiled. “So what if it’s involuntary?”
“Puh-lease.
Involuntary.”
“Caelen, if I’m in the moment and reach out without thinking and break the ‘no touching’ rule, I want to make sure I’m not penalized. I don’t want you bolting right in the middle of things.”
“Oh, come on.”
“All I’m saying is that you can explain the rules to me all you want, but my dick has a mind of its own. And he kind of takes over at times. If I react and
accidentally
break the rules, all you have to do is remind me, and I’ll stop. Immediately. That shouldn’t be a problem, right?”
Damn. He had her there. How to explain that she might be the one begging him to break all the terms if she got caught up?
No, no, no
. She could do this. For Ms. Belle.
Please let that be true.
“I mean, come on. I’ve conceded to most of your rules. That has to count for something, right?” His lopsided grin was firmly in place. He looked far too confident for a man who’d just ceded control.
“Can you swear you will try your hardest to follow the rules?”
“And if I say yes, you’d believe me?” He snorted and took a drink from his beer.
She stilled, realizing how important her answer was, not to him but to herself. Did she trust him enough to believe his answer? Did she trust him enough to do any of this? Now it was her turn to grip the table. Her voice was much softer than her conviction. “I would.”
His eyes popped up and for what felt like hours, they got lost in the gaze. Somehow, without words, things were heating up, intensifying between them. Her breasts felt as if they were swelling, her skin felt flushed. His eyes narrowed and she saw his chest rise and fall a little more quickly. He cleared his throat. “I will do anything I have to, to make this happen.
Anything.”
She licked her lips in nervous anticipation. “Then we only have one more hurdle to clear.”
He ground his teeth, and Caelen could feel the frustration coming off him in waves. “What now?”
Chapter 13
‡
T
IME TO HAVE
a little fun.
Things had gotten too serious, too fast. She couldn’t help but torture Dare
just
a little bit longer. Trying to stay as composed as possible, she fought the damn near impossible task of keeping a straight face. “What if I don’t like it?”
“It? What the hell are you talking about?” Dare had been pushed to the limit. He looked seriously frustrated.
“You know,” she gestured with a flick of her wrist toward his lap, “
it
.”
“What? My cock?”
“Shh! Keep it down. Yes, your ‘man meat.’” This time there was no way she could hold onto her giggle.
“Man
meat? That’s disgusting. You must mean, Mighty Man.”
“Oh God. Please,
please
tell me you don’t call it Mighty Man.”
“Of course I do.
Here he comes to save the day!
He’s never let me down. Besides, I have no doubts you’ll worship him. ‘Adore’ isn’t too strong a word.”
“You cocky man.”
They both laughed. She might have snorted, just a little, but Dare didn’t seem to notice.
Time to have a little fun. Putting on her most concerned and deadly serious face, she said, “Dare, I’m really particular. If it isn’t
just right…”
She let her words trail away and shook her head slowly.
Dare paused. A look of incredulity crept onto his face, and it took Caelen everything,
everything
not to burst out laughing. “Are you seriously worried about this? That you won’t like him?”
Typical man. Such an egomaniac. She nodded, because there was no way she could speak.
“What do you want me to do, whip out a ruler?”
“Actually, it has nothing to do with size.”
He raised his eyebrows as if to ask,
really?
This time she did laugh, just a little. “Well, it has a little to do with size.” His eyebrows inched higher. “Okay, a little more than a little to do with size. Hmm. Maybe I should stop saying ‘little.’ You look like you’re going to have a coronary. Honestly, men are so sensitive. I’m not a total size queen.”
“Size queen?” he asked, completely perplexed. He looked like he didn’t know whether to laugh or be offended.
“Haven’t you ever heard that it’s not the size of the boat but the motion of the ocean? No?”
Dare ran a frustrated hand through his hair. “Spit it out, Betty. What is it, then?”
“It’s the look, the
feel.
I don’t know. Some are just gross.”
“I can’t believe we’re even talking about this! Of all the things to be worried about, this is it?”
Now that he had fallen for the plan, it was time to finish him off. Served him right for all the times he’d called her Betty. “I’m going to have to see it.”
He almost spit out his drink. “Now?”
For the first time Caelen hesitated because instead of looking offended, once he’d wiped the drink off his chin, a slow and decidedly wicked grin was growing on his face. She answered, “Well, no. I mean, not
right
now. I—”