HazardsDare (17 page)

“Is that a dare, Avery Grant?”

“Why, yes, yes it is, Hazard Osbourne. Now you promised
something wicked and I’m all helpless waiting for you.”

“You’re not afraid?”

“Not at all, being bound for you is incredibly freeing.”

“You’re gonna love this then.”

“Oh, I know, lover. I know.”

Being Avery’s lover was an honor. Accepting that she’d
rapidly become important to him and not freaking out over the fact that he was
falling in love with her, he topped her, beginning with a kiss.

Sitting across from Hazard at a fondue restaurant the
following evening, Avery never expected to meet illusionist Gabriel Krystiyan.

It happened in a flourish. One second she and Hazard were
alone in a big plush booth made of mahogany wood and red leather seats, the
next Gabriel was offering her a single pink rose.

He immediately impressed her. He was taller than any man she
knew and she hadn’t expected Gabriel to be so nimble and silent once he made
himself known.

Best of all, he was handsome as sin, with a smile that made
Avery blush.

“I do believe my friends have been holding out on me,” he
said in a voice that resonated without having to talk over the din of conversations
going on all around the restaurant.

“Why would you say that?” Hazard asked.

“There’s a lovely woman visiting our small town for the
first time and no one thought to introduce us until now?” Gabriel answered,
sliding a look at Hazard. “I’m hurt, Trev, hurt.”

“You are not. You’re mad that I got Avery before you did.”

“Scoot over,” Gabriel insisted, pushing his way into the
booth on Hazard’s side, still offering the rose. “I’m not mad at all…just a tad
envious.”

Avery reached over and accepted the rose. It was fresh and
smelled nice, with no damage whatsoever after Gabriel produced it from
seemingly thin air. The stem had been shortened to six inches long and there
were no thorns.

“This is pretty, thank you, Mr. Krystiyan.”

“You’re very welcome, beautiful.” That quickly, Avery knew
the illusionist was a practiced flirt. Still, she loved the attention. She
wasn’t sure any woman could resist his resonant voice and naturally shifted
forward.

Hazard shifted in his seat. “No date tonight, Gabriel?”

“Sadly, no. I’d been seeing a ballet dancer in Vegas and
things went sour,” Gabriel answered.

“Sorry to hear that,” Hazard said.

“On the surface, Francesca is beautiful. In private, she was
selfish and mean. I don’t care what ballet company she’s with, it doesn’t give
her the right to treat people like they’re peons sent to do her bidding.”

“Good for you for getting out before it’s too late,” Hazard
commented.

“Agreed, now I can enjoy as many women as I want. But let’s
not talk about my love life. I came to give you the passes for my private box
tonight and thought I’d take the time to meet your lady in person.”

“Wow,” Avery uttered, truly taken in by Gabriel’s uniquely
handsome features.

His light-brown skin appeared soft as silk. Long, slightly
coarse jet-black hair fell all the way to his waist, making his startlingly
vivid sapphire eyes sparkle. The devilish cut of goatee and mustache drew the
eye to a mouth that would have been pretty on a woman, yet was incredibly sexy
and extremely male.

When he’d still been standing beside the booth, Avery had
taken a moment to check out his clothing style. Instead of the Vegas-style
magician she might have expected, he reminded her of the lead singer in rock
band.

He wore black jeans, an expensive tee shirt torn every which
way and a leather jacket over top. Best of all were his boots. Thigh-high
leather encased his legs and his great height hadn’t been the product of heels.
Even seated next to Hazard revealed his tremendous height and made her wonder
about his ancestry.

“Cat got your tongue, beautiful?” Gabriel asked, grinning
even wider.

“Apologies, Mr. Krystiyan, I was daydreaming. I’m Avery
Grant. It’s lovely to meet you in person. Thank you for the tickets.”

“You’re welcome. Now, Trev, tell me about you and Avery.”

“Think it’s obvious, my man. Avery and I are here for some R
and R,” Hazard said, reaching over to take her hand without bumping the pot of
hot melted cheese sitting on the hot plate in the center of the table.

“What are the chances the three of us hook up after my show
tonight for some dancing and fun?”

Hazard sent the other man a glare. “If Avery wants to dance,
that’s fine. Flirt with her at your own peril.”

Gabriel’s smile deepened as he looked back and forth between
her and Hazard.

“What do you know? The man determined to remain single found
himself a girlfriend. Proud of you, my friend, you’ve a lovely lady looking at
you like you’re a god. Treasure her and be thankful.”

“Avery’s the best. We’ve only recently gotten together, but
I aim to do right by her.”

“You’d better. If you don’t, I’ll step in and make sure she
keeps smiling like she is now. Tell me about yourself, Avery. Assuming you
don’t mind if I use your first name?”

“I don’t mind,” she said, still mesmerized by Gabriel. Yes,
he was gorgeous, but he possessed that indefinable magnetism that could tempt
any red-blooded female on the planet.

“I’m Gabriel,” he insisted pleasantly, offering his hand.
Avery shook his hand right as Jaxon showed up.

Tonight, Jaxon wore the epitome of monochromatic metrosexual
style. Black pants, a narrow black tie with a black shirt, black shoes, a
short, fitted coat with ultra-narrow lapels and his hair was combed back into a
neat ponytail.

“Hi there, Red,” he greeted, making himself comfortable on
her side of the booth.

“Hi, Jaxon, nice to see you again.”

“Right back at you. Have you been properly introduced to
Dare’s resident super-stud?” Jaxon asked, arching his chin toward Gabriel.

“Yes, I have and he bore a gift,” she answered, showing off
the lovely rosebud. “It was sweet of him, but I’m still trying to figure out
how he materialized the rose from thin air.”

“I love when a woman’s eyes light up from even the smallest
pleasures.” Jaxon eyed the rose that she’d placed on the table. “Sometimes the
simplest of Gabriel’s illusions are the most stunning, but damn me for not
bringing a gift.”

“Maybe too much vinegar fried your senses,” Hazard said.

“Ha, say what you will, Trev. My mama’s formula for spotless
windows works every time.”

“The results weren’t the problem. It was the smell. Had to
wash three times and use lemon-scented hand soap to counteract smelling like a
salad when I returned to our hotel room.”

“That’s not why you were in the shower so long. Don’t think
I wasn’t aware of your phone call to Red.”

“Don’t tease him, Jaxon Wynter,” Avery warned. “This is my
guy you’re poking fun at.”

“I’m sorry,” Jaxon apologized. “It’s true. I always know
when sex is going on, even when it happens on the phone and I’m not a part of
it.”

“Can we change the subject, Jax? You’re making Avery blush.”

It was true. Avery flushed even hotter. It didn’t help that
she was surrounded on all sides but one by hot men and testosterone. It must
have been the high level of testosterone activating her pheromones, because
right now her whole focus was sex.

Sex now, but she had to eat and she and Hazard weren’t
alone. Not by a long shot.

“Again, I’m sorry, Red.”

“I’m fine, Jaxon. I’m glad your windows are clean. Your
house must be amazing if it required two men on ladders to clean the windows.”

“Jaxon cleaned the regular windows himself. I did the
arched, cathedral-sized window in the great room. Maybe Jaxon would be kind
enough to invite you up to the mountain house before we leave Dare.”

“Only if he was comfortable with that would I go,” Avery
said.

“You can come up anytime with Hazard,” Jaxon stated. “Why
not make it a date for this coming Wednesday night? I’ll call up Sawyer and get
him to come. We’ll have a lovely dinner, enjoy fine wine and become better
acquainted.”

“What am I, chopped liver?” Gabriel asked.

“Your invitation is always open,” Jaxon told him, giving the
man a private look that Avery didn’t understand and decided it best not to.
“Bring company, the more the merrier.”

“Great. I’ll be sure to find a date or two. There are a
couple of rooms I’d like to use if you’re okay with it.”

“As long as you don’t hurt anyone and everything’s
consensual, I’ll give you the keys,” Jaxon stated. “What happened to Francesca?
Last time you were in town, you were dating a prima ballerina.”

“Things didn’t work out,” Gabriel answered, going on to
relate the same story about his ex-girlfriend to Jaxon.

“What kind of rooms are we talking about, Hazard?” Avery
asked, whispering the question to him. He squeezed her hand, his eyes landing
on her face as his fingers slid up to her wrists and locked in place, exerting
enough pressure to remind her of a manacle.

“Think of your brother and Ryan’s castle back home, baby.
What goes on there during those exclusive parties?”

“Oh, gotcha,” she replied.

“What castle?” Gabriel questioned, overhearing them
regardless of her attempt to keep her voice down.

“My brother and his husband own a bed-and-breakfast in
Danvers, Massachusetts. It looks like an authentic Irish castle. My friend
Morgan says it’s haunted. It’s become a travel destination, among other
things.”

“If Morgan says it’s haunted, it’s haunted,” Hazard
commented with conviction.

“I believe her,” Avery added. “Her abilities are amazing.
Primarily she’s an expert on psychometry, touching objects and knowing their
history.”

“Haunted, you say?” Jaxon chimed in. “Maybe I’ll visit this
castle in the spring, Red. Especially if those things that go on privately are
part of a lifestyle I follow.”

“You’ll be welcome anytime. But the special events are
members-only, so you’d have to be vetted by my friend Phalen, who’s a PI.”

“Interesting, tell us more, but eat,” Gabriel insisted.

“Join us, please, both of you,” she offered, looking at
Gabriel and Jaxon in turn.

Hazard agreed with her invitation and the four of them
talked as they dined on excellent bread and melted-gooey cheese. The waiter
noticed the crowd and brought wine for them to share. Menus were provided and
the main course was ordered.

The excellent meal and conversation grounded Avery. The best
part of the evening was having Hazard help her prepare bite-sized pieces of
chicken, steak, pork, stuffed mushrooms and shrimp in a tasty broth.

They’d moved onto dessert, ordering up three platters of
graham-cracker-covered marshmallows, mini-Rice Krispies treats, strawberries,
pineapple, bites of cheesecake, brownies and fun-sized Snickers bars. It was
enough dessert to feed an army.

Avery didn’t expect the arrival of another gorgeous male who
waltzed up to them as if he owned the whole town. With shaggy auburn hair
covered with a brown cowboy hat and matching long brown suede-and-leather coat
straight out of the Old West or the movie
Long Riders
, the man was tall
and lanky.

“Well, look who the cat dragged in,” Jaxon said. “Sawyer
Hamilton, meet Avery Grant.”

“Evening, gentlemen, nice to meet you, Ms. Grant,” Sawyer
said.

“Same to you, please call me Avery.”

“If you call me Sawyer,” he agreed, removing his cowboy hat
out of respect.

Taking an instant liking to the Nevadan cowboy, Avery
appreciated his clean, but faded blue jeans, denim blue shirt and genuine
leather boots that were scratched with age, but looked incredibly comfortable.

“I’d like that,” Avery said. “Why don’t you pull up a chair
and join us for dessert?”

“Already ate down at the station, thank you. Came in to let
you know that John Redman, the man who’d given you some trouble the night you
arrived and yesterday morning, has checked out of his hotel this afternoon with
a male companion. Neither have reservations in any of the hotels or obvious
plans of returning.”

Avery looked over at Hazard. “Were you more worried about
him than I thought?”

“I was concerned because something about John bothered you,
baby.”

“I’m pretty sure he was watching us while we kissed
yesterday morning, but his interest wasn’t sexual. For a minute, I swore he was
angry at me.”

“Which is why I had Jax call Sawyer,” Hazard commented. “If
anyone understands human behavior, it’s the two of them.”

“Had you seen him before, Avery?” Sawyer questioned.

“Not to my knowledge. I’d been in Reno at a PT convention all
of last week. I was so busy attending workshops and events, I barely had time
to visit any of the casinos or meet people other than conventioneers. I came
here for some downtime before heading back to reality.”

“And then she ran into me and here we are now,” Hazard
chimed in, squeezing her hand again.

“Sometimes the most unexpected things result when you’re not
looking,” she responded, for a moment their three onlookers failing to exist as
Hazard’s amber gaze landed on her face and heated her up in all the right ways.

“Couldn’t have said it better,” he added, giving her an
unexpected wink and a grin meant entirely for her.

“John’s gone off somewhere with his new boyfriend. There’s
no need to worry,” she said. “I’ve got you to look out for me and some great
new friends.”

“I’m glad you feel better,” Hazard replied. “We have until
Thursday before I head home to prepare for the playoffs.”

“By the way, congrats to the Griffins for making it to the
playoffs,” Sawyer said to Hazard. “Y’all have my support.”

The way Sawyer talked and dressed didn’t remind Avery of a
former FBI agent. Then again, she’d only ever seen FBI agents as they were
portrayed in movies or on TV.

“Please join us for dessert, Sawyer,” she invited after the
waiter brought the platters of goodies and a pot of chocolate mixed with a
little bit of caramel.

“If you insist,” he agreed, moving off to claim a chair and
sitting down at the T of the table. “That does look good.”

“I’ll make sure my caterer brings chocolate fondue or a
fountain to the party Wednesday,” Jaxon stated.

“What party?” Sawyer asked.

“The one at my mountain house in honor of Avery’s virgin
visit to Dare,” Jaxon answered as he stuck a long fondue fork into a
marshmallow and dipped it into the chocolate sauce. “She’s Trevor’s girlfriend,
we need to make her feel welcome.”