HazardsDare (22 page)

“I could check. Baseball season isn’t underway officially.”

“It’d be a gesture of good faith. Attending a game or two is
only a start. Tell him how you feel. Tell him to get his head out of his ass
where Chloe’s concerned and make things right with her.”

Hazard swiped the tears from his eyes, finding himself
amused by Avery’s harsh language. Yeah, his dad had been an asshole with Chloe.
His sister deserved an apology.

“I’ll do what I can to fix the situation with Chloe. Matter
of fact, I’ll give her a call tomorrow morning to check in.”

“Will you talk to your brothers too?”

“Yeah, we should both check in with our families. I’m sure Alex
is chomping at the bit, wondering if you’re okay.”

Avery shook her head. “I’ve sent a couple texts back home.
Let’s not think about my brother, okay? When I return to Massachusetts, I’ll
sit him down or have Doc sit on him and tell him to butt the hell out of my
love life.”

“Easier said than done, you mean?”

“Considering the kinds of unconventional relationships he’s
had before getting together with Ryan, you’d think Alexander would be less
hypocritical. If I ever tried to step foot inside Druid Creek Castle on BDSM
weekends, I’d get scolded like I’m thirteen years old caught looking at
Playgirl
and sent to my room without supper.”

Hazard laughed. “Did you read
Playgirl
for the
articles or the pictures?”

“The pictures! There was something compelling about all
those hot naked men. None of them hold a candle to you, though, Hazard, none.”

“Thank you, glad to know you’re pleased with what I’ve got.”

“What you have is a great big heart to go along with a very
big cock and you know how to use both of them.”

Blushing from her praise, Hazard felt light-years better,
especially about facing off with Alex Grant. “I’d like to be there when you
talk to Alex. There are a couple things I need to explain to him myself. Maybe
we could switch things up and I can fly to Boston before heading back to
Virginia.”

“Can you do that, logistically?”

“If I’m not at the mandatory meeting and practice on Friday
morning, I face a fine and could get benched.”

“Then you can’t miss that meeting. I could check out early
and we could leave on Wednesday.”

“That would give us only a couple more days together and
we’d miss Jax’s party.”

“He’d forgive us.”

“He would. This is your vacation time. I don’t want you to
miss it or regret anything. What if I called Alex and talked to him? I’m not
afraid to tell him we’re together now.”

“You know what? Let’s finish our vacation as it stands and
we’ll work out what to tell him after the playoffs.”

“And we’ll do it together?” Hazard clarified.

“If it means I stay quiet until we can talk to him as a
united front, sure. Hell, it’ll be our naughty little secret. I like being
naughty with you.”

Hazard smiled at her. “You’re amazing, Avery Grant,
absolutely amazing.”

“Don’t stop there. Compliments will get you laid…after I
take a shower.”

“As in wash your hair shower?”

“Yes. It’s been long enough. If I wash it tonight, running a
flatiron through it in the morning will be so much easier.”

“How about we shower together?”

“Definitely doable,” she agreed, already shuffling out from
the tangle of sheets to hustle bare-assed naked to the bathroom.

Following after her and depositing his condom in the trash,
they stopped at the sink to brush their teeth. Avery opened the see-through
shower stall and turned on all of the showerheads, causing water to shoot out
from above and from the front, back and far side.

Stepping in, she made a gleeful cheer as the water drenched
her. Joining her, Hazard moved right in, dumped shampoo in his hand and
scrubbed her hair for her.

“Who’d have thought my boyfriend would be so handy in the
shower?”

“This is nothing. I can do more than wash your hair.”

“The conditioner has to stay in for a few minutes,” she
pointed out.

“No problem, I’ll distract you.”

Hazard helped her rinse the shampoo and smoothed conditioner
through her hair, making certain to apply it from root to tip.

“There, conditioner can do its thing while I do you, baby.”

“How do you propose to do that? We don’t have a condom.”

“I put a couple in the vanity by the sink. I’ll get one the
next time we shower together. Right now, I’m going to do you like this.”

Sinking down to his knees before Avery, he helped her spread
her legs wide, settling in close enough to look up and see her gorgeous pussy
glistening with water and feminine arousal.

Reaching up to run his wet hand over her mons, he homed in
on her slit, pushing a finger up inside her vagina, thrusting in and out and
adding another.

She was so fucking tight and hot. Fingering her had him
close to coming on the shower floor, she felt that good. It amazed him every
time she took his cock without qualm or reservation. His fingers were big as it
was. His cock was as thick and long, yet they fit perfectly.

Sliding his fingers out, he replaced them with his tongue,
lapping at her as water splashed down. She tasted like a lush, aroused female,
dewy and hot.

Rather than aiming right at her clitoris, he lapped at her
center, pushing his tongue deep inside and licking her up, drinking her down.
Pressing his shoulders between her legs, he pushed her back against the shower
wall, continuing to tongue her core.

“Hazard!” she cried out, her hands clutching at his drenched
shoulders.

Drawing back, he kissed her inner thighs. “Gotcha, baby,
I’ve gotcha.” Resuming his ministrations, he tongued her deeper, using his
finger to caress the sensitive perineum, then teasing her rosy asshole with his
thumb.

“Please, yes, fuck me there,” she begged, thrusting back at
him with her hips, accepting the brush of his thumb.

“Only like this for now. Be patient, baby.” He withdrew a
little, gathered a little soap from a dispenser and as much water as possible
for lubrication, and began fingering her ass, pushing as deeply as she’d allow.
She mewed and bucked, calling out for more.

As much as she wanted more, he couldn’t do that to her.
Avery’s anal passage was too tight to take his cock yet. If he tried to fuck
her, he’d hurt her. Hazard was not going to cause her pain.

Until she was ready for his cock, he’d use fingers and
slender toys, gradually progressing to thicker, more inventive ways to please
her.

“So good, feels so amazingly good,” she praised, grabbing at
his hair, his shoulders, whatever she could find when he continued to thrust
his fingers into her.

She scratched his biceps. It turned him on. Putting more
gusto into it, he put his mouth to her clit, licking and sucking and using his
other hand to fill up her pussy with two fingers.

The muscled wall between her ass and vagina was thin enough
for him to feel everything, his strokes and his thrusts. Double penetration
with a dildo or plug in her ass while his penis was in her pussy would feel
incredibly good.

It’d feel even better if he took her without latex. They’d
have to talk about that. He couldn’t get her pregnant, so that wasn’t a
problem. They’d both been tested, but the decision to chuck the condoms had to
be done mutually and logically.

Logic went out the fucking window when Avery cried out,
calling him Trevor and drawing up taut, gasping. “Come for me, Avery,” he urged
between licks.

“Oh my, I am, I am! Yes!” She shuddered and sputtered, her
whole body jerking as she gushed from climax.

Aware that she was trembling, he scrambled to his feet,
turned the faucets spraying water from the sides off and gathered her close to
pull her under the warm waterfall above their heads.

“I love when you come,” he said, wishing he’d confessed his
love instead. Where that came from, he didn’t know. It didn’t make it any less
true.

Still coming down from her orgasm, she dropped her head
forward beneath the shower to being rinsing the conditioner. “I love you,
Trevor,” she whispered, completely stunning him.

“You love me?” he questioned, wanting to be sure he heard
her right though the waterfall drenching her. To be loved by this woman was an
honor.

Avery went still, her sudden tension palatable. He waited,
not expecting her to suddenly scramble away from him.

“Oh god, I said that aloud, didn’t I? I’m sorry,” she
apologized, moving to face the wall. She squeezed shower gel from a dispenser
on the wall into her hand and began violently washing her skin.

“Take it easy,” he insisted, hating that she was shutting
him out.

“The least you could do is accept my apology and let me
finish showering in peace. Please don’t hate me. That’s all I can ask.”

“Why would you think I hate you?”

“I said I loved you. It was involuntary, like my tears when
we first became lovers.”

“Avery, stop it.” Hazard watched her reach out to turn up
the steam in the shower. A spray of water hit him in the chest and he hissed
painfully.

“That’s too hot!” Swiftly turning the water off, he grabbed
her carefully by her slippery elbows and turned her about. “Are you okay? Did
you burn yourself?”

“Don’t be mad,” she said while he checked for scorch marks.
Her skin was red, but not alarmingly so.

“The only way I’ll get mad is if you didn’t mean it.”

Avery lowered her eyes. “I meant every word. But neither of
us came here looking for love. I didn’t think it could happen this fast.”

“Look at me, Avery Grant.” He waited until she lifted her
eyes, looking back at him. Immediately aware that she was afraid he’d reject
her. He had only himself to blame for that. He’d make up for it. “I will not
have the woman I love afraid to admit she loves me too.”

“I haven’t fucked everything up or pushed too fast?” Hope
returned to her pretty blue eyes.

“Not at all, love caught us both by surprise. That’s okay.
Nowhere have I ever heard it said that love had a timetable.”

“For a minute there you had that same deer-in-the-headlights
look Gary had when I offered my virginity because I thought I’d loved him. That
was nothing compared to how I feel about you.”

“If he’d taken you up on the offer, I’d have to take a
flight to Kentucky to beat the fuck out of him for taking advantage of my
girl.”

“No need to defend my honor anymore, Hazard. He’s moved on.
Married, happy and remains in my father’s employ.”

“Are you happy with me?”

“Yes, of course I am. I didn’t want to rush you into
admitting something that’s not there yet.”

“Before I got to know you, I didn’t think I was capable of
loving someone,” he countered. “Are we going to debate this much longer?
Wouldn’t you like to finish showering and go back to bed?”

“I’d rather make love.”

Hazard cupped her chin, looking down at the woman he loved
and feeling nothing but peace with it. “Let’s backtrack a couple minutes. Say
it again. Let’s do this right.”

Taking a deep breath, she kept her gaze on his face. “I love
you, Trevor Hazard Osbourne. With all my heart, I love you.”

Aware that she was still shaking, he leaned down real close.
“I love you, Avery Elizabeth Grant,” he said, silently grateful that she’d told
him her middle name last night while they were pigging out on pizza. “Have
faith in us and you’ll find out that I’m not going anywhere.”

“I will,” she vowed.

Blinking because he could imagine the day when she said
those words to him in a church at a big fat wedding, he marveled over the fact
that he could look into the future and see the two of them side by side.

Kissing her softly, Hazard freed her only to allow both of
them to finish up in the shower.

Before too long, he guided her out of the shower stall,
wrapped her up in a towel, dried off with a second towel and carried her back
to bed where she belonged.

Accepting all love had to offer, Hazard sheathed himself
with a condom, lay back on the bed and let her climb on top.

Though their hair was still sopping wet and he’d already
soaked the pillow, he didn’t give a fuck. Avery positioned herself, rubbing her
exquisitely soft body all over his until she was ready.

Parting her thighs, she scooted down a little bit, taking
him inside her body.

“Make love to me, baby,” he said.

“If you let me, I’ll love you forever.”

Hazard rose from the bed, hugged her close and set up a
rhythm neither could escape. As slow as they started, they soon began kissing,
arching and thrusting in earnest.

Love changed everything, making sex that much better, making
life that much sweeter. With Avery, he wasn’t afraid to look forward anymore.
With her, he could ultimately put his mistakes in the past and leave them
there.

Hazard propped himself up against the bathroom doorway to
watch Avery contort herself in odd ways in order to straighten her hair. It
looked like torture to him.

Why women felt it necessary to go to such lengths was beyond
his understanding. Avery was beautiful no matter the time of day or whether her
hair was perfectly straight or incredibly wavy.

Yesterday, she’d agreed to skip the flatiron. They’d gone
for a tour of the town and he introduced her to some of the local business
owners, who told her about their experiences with supernatural visitors from
the town’s Wild West past, and they stopped in the Truth or Dare Casino so she
could play some quarter slots.

She won twenty-five dollars. As a habit, he didn’t gamble,
but watching her face light up in victory when coins flooded her tray caused
him to take her back to their room to celebrate on the chaise.

“Avery, you don’t have to do anything to make yourself more
beautiful than you already are,” he said.

“Tonight’s the party at Jaxon’s house,” she said, pausing to
look back at him. “I’m not about to attend if I don’t look my best.”

“My point is you always look great.” He could see she wasn’t
going to relinquish the slender flatiron she was using to tame her hair. “In
fact, I like your wavy hair. I told you that yesterday.”

“It’s crazy insane,” she remarked nervously.

“It isn’t. Straight or not, it’s always silky-soft and
pretty. I like the highlights and darker streaks, makes it touchable.”

Pushing off the doorjamb, he moved up behind her. She wore a
black-and-white satin bra that accented her cleavage and matching itty-bitty
panties, along with what he thought was the sexiest part of the ensemble, a
garter belt and stockings.

Damn, she was hot. If they didn’t have to get dressed and
drive an hour to reach Jax’s on time he’d say fuck it all and stay at the
hotel. But Jax had spent a lot of time preparing for the party. The other day,
his best friend mentioned that Sawyer Hamilton hired retired rodeo star, Travis
Ross, to be the foreman for the ranch and Jax extended an invite to the cowboy.

While Avery and Hazard toured the town, he’d asked her if
she wanted to check out of the hotel and go to his condo located a little
outside town, but she chose not to because she’d already booked the room until
Friday and didn’t want to lose the money.

They’d gotten into their first argument when he told her
he’d transferred the room’s account to his own credit card. Once he explained
that he’d done it because he’d wanted to stay with her and didn’t think it was
fair for her to pay for the extra expenses and room service, they kissed and
made up.

“Let me help you,” he offered, reaching out to stop her
before she twisted herself in half trying to reach the back.

Having watched the process, he had a good idea of what to
do.

“I’ve got it,” she said.

“Amuse me, let me try.”

She handed over the flatiron and he took a section of hair,
sprayed it with some kind of heat protection as she’d done to the sides and
smoothly ran the iron down the length from root to tip.

“Why are you so nervous, Avery? You know Jax adores you. Gabriel
is bringing a couple of friends, so is Sawyer.”

“Because I’ve never been to an actual dungeon, much less a
place with a whole host of them,” she said. “Do you think Sawyer’s dates or
foreman know about Jax’s house?”

“Yes, Sawyer knows about the rooms and he’s likely to have
told his foreman. Anything that happens with their dates would be private. As
would anything that happens between you and I. Aren’t you hoping we sneak off
alone?” Catching her eye in the mirror, he paused to avoid burning her or
himself.

“I admit to being curious as to what it’s like to be bound
in a dungeon or playroom with a big strapping guy like you and totally unable
to stop you from having fun.”

“Ah, baby, the one bound has the most fun, especially if
you’re the one who’s tied and I’m the one in charge of giving you absolute
pleasure. Are you forgetting the bondage ribbon we used the other day?”

“No, I couldn’t possibly forget how good you made me feel.
So far, you’re the one who’s been in charge,” she said.

“Is that an objection?”

“I’ve no objection to anything we’ve done together so far.
But I wouldn’t mind tying you up and having my way with your body. Do you know
how gorgeous you are naked?”

“When you look at me, I feel like a man. When I look at you,
I get hard instantly, like I am now.”

“I can tell,” she replied, brushing her butt across his
front that was already tented by his erection.

“If we don’t finish getting dressed, we may not leave. Your
ass is too tempting.”

“We’ll finish.” She stopped teasing and stood very still.
“Sorry, honey.”

“We’re good.”

“I can’t believe our time here is almost over. One more
night,” she said sadly.

“Let’s not think about it until tomorrow morning.”

“I’ll try.”

Hazard was going to miss her like crazy. If it turned out
she couldn’t come to his game next Saturday and the Griffins won, he’d look
into flying up to celebrate the next stage of the playoffs with her one on one.

Taking another strand of her hair, he repeated what he’d
done with the first, little by little smoothing the back until it was a silky
curtain.

“How’d I do?” he asked, setting the flatiron aside.

“Great, you’re officially hired as my beautician.”

“Already have a job, taking care of you in bed,” he said.

“That’s true. Can’t let the other players know their badass
linebacker has mad skills beyond denying an offense’s chance of scoring.”

“What mad skills would that be?”

“I think you know.” Running a brush through her hair, she
grinned at him through the mirror. She looked incredibly pretty.

He had it bad for her and there was no changing the facts.
They’d talked as much as they’d fucked the last couple days. The only person
he’d opened up to as much as he’d done with Avery was Jax.

She knew what it was like to grow up in a household that
wasn’t the picture-perfect family portrayed to the press or benefit of
political heavyweights and nosy neighbors. During the night, she’d admitted
that she’d felt so lost and helpless when her mom would cry late at night that
she’d stopped eating right and got frighteningly thin.

She’d justified the eating problems by saying she’d wanted
to be lighter for horseback riding, but her trainer quickly caught onto her
ruse and put a stop to it. After that, she ate normally, went on long horseback
rides and confided in a private counselor whenever she felt out of control.

Hazard was glad she’d found a confidant. Growing up in a
community who’d idolized her father and couldn’t fathom he’d have mistresses
had been as difficult for her as growing up in a loveless, angry home had been
for him.

Avery chose that moment to deliberately brush against his
cock, teasing him further and breaking his train of thought. “Careful, tease
me, I’ll bend you over this countertop and take you right now.”

“No, no, we decided to wait until later.” She turned her
attention back to her hair. He didn’t know why she kept checking it. She looked
fantastic. “If you mess up my hair, I’ll have to start over.”

“Point made,” he agreed.

When she seemed satisfied with her hair, she began applying
makeup. Avery made cute little faces while applying lipstick and mascara. As
much as he’d like to keep watching her, he knew he needed to get moving.

“I’ll let you finish up,” he said, leaving the bathroom.

In the main room, he went to the bed and pulled on the
light-gray sweater he’d set there a few minutes ago. He already had on
dark-gray pants, socks and black loafers.

Avery came out when he’d found his shoes. She quickly went
to the closet, took out a white tiger-print blouse and pulled it on, then
grabbed a short black miniskirt and wiggled into it.

Noticing her zipper was down in the back of the skirt, he
walked up behind her. “Hang on there,” he said, catching the tiny zipper and
tugging it upward.

“How do I look?” she asked.

“Beautiful,” he answered.

“You’re biased.”

“Why would you think that?”

“Because you love me,” she responded.

“There is that. But I thought you were beautiful before I
came to my senses and saw you as my lover, not Alex’s sister.”

“It’s nice to know you don’t see me from his perspective
anymore.”

Taking her by the shoulders to gently coax her around to
face him, Hazard looked her square in the eye. “I thought you were beautiful
when I met you. I denied how jealous I’d been of Timothy.”

“You know now he wasn’t my fiancé.”

“Still doesn’t explain how you managed to get under my skin
so fast or why you were always on my mind whenever I tried to go on dates. It
felt like I was cheating on you.”

“I had a crush on you before we met. Once we did, I was a
goner.”

“I’m still sorry I upset you by dealing with the hotel bill.
I should have discussed it with you first.”

She grinned up at him. “It’s okay. You meant well.”

“So you won’t object when I pay for your spa visit
tomorrow?”

“It’s kind of you. After all, I’m going to need the
distraction. A day here without you won’t be the same. I’m considering
rearranging my plans to go home tomorrow night.”

Hazard shook his head. “Stick with your plans. Relax in Dare
for as long as you intended. I’ll call you tomorrow night and we’ll have phone
sex.”

“We did that already.”

“We’ll do it frequently. Ever try Skype?”

“If you think I’ll get naked for you on cam, you’d better be
prepared to be naked too.”

“Is that a dare, Ms. Grant?”

“Oh, yes,” she declared. “If you don’t, I might misbehave.”

“Naughty girls get themselves tied up and fucked,” he
warned.

“Hmm, we’ll see which one ends up tied tonight. If I win,
expect to be at my mercy.” Boldly, she placed her arms around his neck, moving
up nice and close.

She smelled like a tropical island and sunshine. It was
great because it was getting chillier in Dare and snow would soon close access
to Jax’s mountain retreat. Fortunately, the house wasn’t so high up that it was
a treacherous climb and there was a decent access road that led to more houses
farther up the mountainside.

“You’re on. Later tonight, at Jax’s, I’m getting the key to
playroom three.”

“Dungeon three, why?”

“You’ll see.” Playroom three was all about bondage, without
being as dark and frightening as the more hardcore dungeons in the house.

Not once in his lifetime had he permitted a woman to tie him
up. As a gift to Avery, he’d switch things up and present his body for whatever
she had in mind tonight.

The other four dungeons were a lot more dangerous and not
for the faint of heart. There were some serious machines, everything from
torture devices to water training, pony or animal harnesses, whips and chains,
cages and tables, chairs and humiliation-slave training.

The next time he and Avery visited Jax’s house, he’d take
her to the Kama Sutra or the Tantric sex rooms. What he’d never do or contemplate
was using whips or crops or anything that would sting because he wasn’t trained
and dominating her was not his goal. Giving her pleasure would be first and
foremost in all things.

“Ready to go?” he asked.

“Now I am. Thank you for helping me with my hair.” She went
up on her toes, kissed his lips.

“You’re welcome,” he said, catching her about the waist to
hold her still for a much longer, deeper kiss. Freeing her afterward, he
watched her zip off in a hunt for black-and-white pumps.

Hazard loved the tiger print on her. She looked classy,
pretty, vivacious and sexy; knowing what she wore underneath the outfit made
her even more tempting.

Gathering up his car keys and their coats, he placed hers
around her shoulders and led her out to the hallway. He smiled when he heard
the click-clack of tiny mints, the same kind she’d nervously spilled all over
the floor that first night.

It seemed as if a lifetime had gone by since she’d laid her
red dress dare before him. A lot had changed since that night and more was to
come.

Shrugging into his coat, he took Avery’s hand and they made
their way to the hotel parking lot. It was getting dark out and cold.

He got the engine started on the rental SUV, cranked up the
heat and they were soon heading toward Jaxon’s place. Avery turned up the
music, a mixture of pop rock and some country music that’d become contemporary
hits.

Conversation was easy during the drive. It was nice, though
he sensed some sadness in her voice when she spoke.

“You okay, baby?”

Avery reached across the console and took his right hand. “I
don’t want this to end. I feel free to be myself with you. Back home, I have to
go back to being good girl Avery.”

“You’re always going to be my girl, Avery. All versions of
you, the good, the naughty, the seductress and the best friend I’ve had since
meeting Jax when I was a little kid. Once the playoffs are done, we’ll be able
to see each other.”

“You live in Nevada in the off-season. I live in
Massachusetts.”

“There’s no reason why I can’t find a place to live near
you…or with you.”

“You’d move for me?”

“Sure I would, although I need to be in Virginia during
football season. In the off-season, I’m free to go wherever I want. What would
you like to do?”

“If I hadn’t recently moved to work with Ryan Hathaway, it’d
be a slam dunk, I’d move to Dare or come to Virginia. Ryan and Alexander are my
family. I love them and my job.”

“There’s nothing wrong in that. I’m not going to ask you to
abandon your work or leave your family. What we could do is compromise and
vacation in Dare when possible. We have time to figure out how to be together
when football practice starts up again.”