Dare You Forever (Brothers of Ink and Steel #2.5) (5 page)

I’m amazed at how many friends I have now and how incredible each one of them is. I’ve suffered for so long all by myself and now Charlie and I have been fully inducted into this wonderful family.

I close my eyes as Liam talks about unimportant things to make me feel calm while he puts the needle to my skin. The pain goes through my nerves at first but then it feels numb and, in a strange way, soothing. An overwhelming sense of happiness and pride pours through me—I’m getting a tattoo, and I trusted my fiancé enough to get his design inked forever into my flesh.

I love Josh.

Chapter Nine

Sophie

“Peel back the bandage and let us see it!” Quinn says excitedly as she shifts to the side of the hotel bed and reaches down to touch the corner of the gauze Liam covered my tat with.

“Not yet!” I swat her hand away. “I can’t … Josh has to be the first to see it.” I feel a little protective and maybe superstitious. “Plus, I don’t want to know what it is … not until it’s the right time. Like the wedding day.”

“Aw! Okay, that’s so sweet,” Britt says, laying on her tummy with her feet in the air.

They’re lounging in the hotel room watching sitcom reruns.

“Yeah,” Quinn agrees. “We forgive you. So what’s next? Any more envelopes?” 

“Josh said there’d be more, but I don’t know when. I do know I’m seriously ready for breakfast.” I check my watch. “Then at ten-thirty I have to pick up the gowns from the bridal shop and then swing by the florists. You all still in?”

“Still in!” they agree.

“Let’s find somewhere with good omelets.”

***

“You know, it’s not too late to change your mind,” Ryder says
very
seductively.

I throw my head back, laughing. “You’re crazy!”

“Yes, I am.”

“Josh would kill you.”

“Correction. Josh would
want
and
try
to kill me.” I can hear the smile and challenge in his voice.

After the girls and I ate breakfast and went to the bridal shop, we found Ryder waiting there for me to fulfill more of Josh’s scheme.

“Do you ever give up?” I remember our first meeting when he held my hand close to his mouth after he kissed it—in front of Josh while he was introducing us—and he told Josh he’d better watch out.

“No way, beautiful—I don’t stop until I obtain what I’m hunting.” His deep, rough voice reverberates through the motorcycle’s communication system.

I get it. As a bounty hunter he travels all over the country, the world for that matter, if the price is right, recovering some of the law’s most dangerous fugitives and bringing them back to justice. He’s dark and dangerous on so many levels.

Of course he’d never do anything to hurt Josh, or me. He’s just being …
Ryder.
He flirts with every woman he talks to—taken or not—he couldn’t care less. And if he starts a fight with someone, all the better for him. Yeah, he’s a loaded gun, always looking to fire.

Now I’m sitting on the back of Delilah, his beloved motorcycle, wondering what his envelope from Josh said and where he’s taking me.

“Since when do you listen to pop music?” I tease.

He’s playing Blurred Lines over the radio of his BIKE. I get the
subtle
hint. He’s totally messing with me…

I think.

“Just sending out a message, sweetheart,” he drawls. “Take it or leave it.”

I start laughing again and this time he does too. I like when rough and tough men can laugh and make light of themselves.

“I gotta change this shit or I’ll never hear the end of it from the guys.” He chuckles as he quickly turns the pop to Five Finger Death Punch’s “Wrong Side of Heaven.”

He steers the bike down a closed off street. The buildings are in various states of disrepair and surrounded by demolition and construction vehicles. Orange cones and bright yellow caution tape warn us back.

Obviously, he couldn’t care less because he pulls over at the corner of the cross street and parks.

“And what is it that we’re doing here?” I ask, taking off the helmet and looking around.

“Sorry, gorgeous, can’t answer questions.”

“Right … because you’re known for living by the rules and doing what you’re told.”

“Hey, hey! Fight fair.” Ryder puts up his large fists and protects his face. “My man tells me what he needs, I’ve got to accommodate.”

As he speaks, he’s interrupted by the click of a megaphone. “Axman, take cover.”

“You know them?!” Now I get what he meant when he changed the music.

“Come on.” Placing his hand on the small of my back, he guides me ahead of him to the building behind us, opens the door and moves me inside. Before the door fully closes I hear the rumble of machine engines coming to life across the street. 

We take the elevator to the fifth floor and stop at the large picture window at the end of the hall. The bright afternoon sunlight fills my eyes. Looking out across the street I watch as the two tall, steel cranes on either side of the building pull back their gargantuan iron wrecking balls.

And that’s when Ryder takes the gold envelope from his leather vest.

My heart literally thrills at the sight of it. I feel the warm smile spread across my face as I reach out to take it.

Quickly, he snatches it out of reach.

“Hey!”

“You love him, right?” he asks, his face full of concern. “Because I’ve never seen Josh North scared before,” Ryder confides as he sets the letter in my hand. “I did last night when he thought he might lose you.”

This game that has become so thrilling was created because Josh was scared. All of a sudden it’s not so fun.

“I love him, Ryder.” I stare at the note, almost ashamed. “He’s the greatest man I’ve ever known and I wouldn’t want to be with anyone else. I guess I just got scared that he could change on me.”

“He won’t,” Ryder says with deep confidence.

When I don’t respond or look up he places a gentle finger under my chin, lifting until I meet his eyes.

“He won’t change, Sophie,” Ryder promises. “I’ve known him since we were teenagers. He’s stable and dependable. He would lay his life down for you. But you already know that, don’t you?”

“Yes. I already know that.” I feel a hint of smile coming back.

“And, Soph, I know a little bit about psychology. Douchebags who abuse isolate you and keep you away from family and friends, and especially those of the opposite sex.”

He’s right. “Josh has given me all of those gifts—family and friends.”

“You definitely got all of us in the deal.” Ryder hugs me. “And even though he doesn’t need it, you can be sure we’ll always hold him accountable.”

“CLEAR!” the voice in the megaphone roars.

“Oh shit!” He quickly grips me by the shoulders and turns me to face the window. “Hurry and open the note!” Ryder laughs. “Never mind—watch out the window instead.”

Both wrecking balls come swinging down and hit, just seconds apart. You can hear the crash of iron against concrete.

“Whoa!” With one hit, the building begins to crack.

As the wrecking balls retract, I open my letter from Josh.

It’s simple but poignant.

I’m breaking down your walls, baby!

Yes you are, Josh North. Yes you are.

***

“Can we please just face the fact that I
can’t
do it?” I laugh—soaking wet as I sit after falling for the millionth time on my sore ass on the bottom of this wave pool.

“You don’t get to give up yet, sister!” Josh’s younger brother Will takes my hand and pulls me back to my feet.

“It took me almost a month to even be able to stand on the board for like … a fraction of a second,” Kate says dramatically. “Really, what might be the most fun is to just lay on the board with your belly and enjoy the ride.”

“You’ve been trying for over half an hour, and we don’t really want shit from Josh ’cause you get all bruised up,” Sam pipes in.

“Okay. I relent.” I lift my hands. “I’ll ride on my stomach.”

The four of us are at the Mall of America’s waterpark, where they have a surfing pool—some machine makes waves, and voila, you can pseudo-surf—only I suck at it … hard. Even with all of the assistance and private lessons here from three of the world’s top extreme sports enthusiasts, who are soon to be my in-laws.

“You’ve never even boogie boarded, have you?” Kate stands over me with her hands on her hips.

“Nope.” I laugh as I awkwardly mount the surfboard.

Again.

Only this time, I’m trying to lay down. And I feel like an idiot. I must look like a real idiot!

“I think the champion surfing queen has it all under control.” Will throws a thumb in Kate’s direction. “The girl over there in the polka-dot bikini keeps on giving me the look. Gotta go.”

Kate shows me where to hold my hands and when to catch the wave. I ride into the softer material of “shore,” feeling pretty awesome!

After a few more runs Kate, Sam and I get out and dry off.

It’s pretty incredible, you know,” Kate muses. “All of these beautiful love notes in gold foil envelopes and this treasure hunt adventure, all to tell you just how much he loves you. The North men are so romantic.” She looks at Sam and he pulls her in close for a kiss.

They exchange a knowing look. “Okay, what’s the story?”

“I had a real hard time coming out of the shell I’d built up around me after my brother died. Sam broke me free.” She smiles up at him with such love and gratitude.

“How was he romantic?” I ask.

She laughs. “Well, first, he wouldn’t stop asking me out!”

“Nope.” He smiles in a very cocky way. “I knew she couldn’t resist my charms forever.”

“He’s right about that.” Kate continues, “I hid out at this little hole-in-the-wall Irish pub called Kell’s back in Seattle. And Sam made a deal with the bar owner and his rock star band packed the house and played acoustic, just so he could sing a Goo Goo Dolls song to me. He said—on stage, mind you—that because I wouldn’t go on a date with him, he had to bring the date to me. And made the entire audience vouch for him that he wasn’t a stalker.”

“We’ve been together ever since.” Sam kisses her again.

“You’re right. The North men are incredibly romantic,” I smile lovingly at the two of them as I think about me and Josh.

A sensation of longing and satisfaction and the deepest most solid desire fills me up to overflowing, and I can’t wait to get to tomorrow to begin our future together—mine, Josh and Charlie’s!

“Hey! Ground control to Major Tom. Sophie, you in there?” Kate’s laugh is so bubbly.

“Yeah, I’m in here.” I know the smile on my face is ear-to-ear; I can feel it stretching over my cheekbones.

“Are you ready to get ready?” She starts dragging me to the showers and I notice Sam is nowhere in sight. “We have a hen party to rock!”

“The bachelorette party!” I almost forgot!

“Jules and Livie would not be very happy with me if we were late.” Before we go our separate ways to get cleaned up, she asks, “So, what did the note say anyway?”

The smile is still painted on my face. “Balance.”

Chapter Ten

Josh

I tap on the guest bedroom door at the vacation home my parents are renting out for the wedding. “Knock, knock.”

I hear her giggle and it makes me smile throughout my entire body. God, I love that little kid!

“Who’s there?”

“A cow.”

“A cow says who?”

“No, silly, a cow says moo!”

“JOSHY-DADDY!”

I poke my head in and smile. “Hi, jellybean.”

She wiggles to sit up in the big bed. “Sit here.” She pats the mattress next to her.

“You need to get a good night’s sleep tonight.”

“Because you’re gonna marry me and Mommy! Right?”

“Right, chickadee—I’m going to marry you and Mommy.” I tuck a stray golden colored curl behind her ear.

“And then you’ll really be my daddy forever!” Charlie leaps over at me and throws her soft little arms around my neck. “I love you, Joshy-Daddy.”

My nose stings and I blink back the wetness that begins to pool in my eyes.

“Do I get to wear my pretty princess gown?” She squeezes harder. “And throw the flower petals?”

“You get to do all of those things, but first you have to go to sleep so morning can come.”

“Okay! I’m going to sleep.” She kisses my cheek. “You’re scratchy!” she complains.

“I need to shave,” I apologize, rubbing a hand over the offending beard growth.

“Hurry up! Or you’ll scratch Mommy when you kiss her tomorrow,” Charlie warns woefully.

“Good thinking. I’ll fix that right away!” I carefully kiss her cherubic cheek.

“Tomorrow, can I name you Daddy?”

I want to tell her yes as I swallow hard and fight to keep the tears back. “I think so. If Mommy says it’s okay.”

The meaning of tomorrow’s ceremony and the lifelong commitment and responsibility I will vow to honor with my life is very real to me at this moment.

“I love you, Charlie,” I say, caught in a riptide of emotions.

“I love you …
Daddy
.”

Sophie

“OH MY GOD!” I exclaim. “What have you done?!”

My sister-in-laws, Jules and Livie, are full of smiles and laughter! I thought Kate and I were just dressing up and coming down to the hotel bar for a drink; instead I have a gathering of friends surprising me for the ultimate bachelorette party!

The three of them fist bump, and soon enough Quinn and Britt are with us and high-fives go all around.

“I knew we’d get her!” Livie cries.

“It was not easy to keep all of this a surprise!” Jules waves her hand towards the luxuriously decorated ballroom.

Gold and black balloons float everywhere. The walls and ceiling are adorned with sparkling twinkle lights and gold and black ribbon-like streamers and banners. Over on the right is a huge banquet table filled with food and goodies. On the left is another banquet table—both are draped with beautiful tablecloths of black and gold—and on top is a mountain of gifts about as high as Everest!

“It’s … INCREDIBLE!” I just about shout, completely taken off guard!

Friends from all of the places Josh and I have traveled together are here to celebrate.

“And damn it, my eyeliner and mascara are going to run!” I whine and wipe my moist eyes carefully with the flat of my finger.

They all rush at me, and I’m hugged by everyone. Then someone shoves a strong-smelling alcoholic drink in a phallic shaped glass into my hand.

“Oh my God!” I laugh. “I’m supposed to drink out of the head of a penis!?!”

“Oh, just you wait!!” Jules grabs my free hand and pulls me to a gold velvet high-backed chair on a pedestal that’s at the head of a circle of folding chairs at the front of the room. “Sit. You are the guest of honor!”

Livie puts a sparkling tiara on my head.

Britt, who I think is already half in the bag, wraps a gold feathered boa around my neck and leans in toward my ear. “We’ve been decorating for a while.”

My first suspicion is confirmed.

“You’re going to love this!” She clinks her penis glass against mine.

We both bust up laughing!

Jules stands in the middle of the circle of chairs and taps the head of a microphone. Now I notice the dance floor and a punked out woman disc jockey who looks curiously like PINK.

My attention is taken by Jules. “About a year ago my beloved husband, Nate, proposed to me. When we announced the engagement to Josh—in Vegas, after he won an MMA fight—he was pretty shocked … Nate showed him my hand and said, ‘A man finds the woman he loves and puts a ring on her finger.’ And that’s exactly what my big brother did. He found Sophie, the love of his life, put a ring on her finger and, tomorrow, will make it forever official.”

Everyone says
awwww
, and I blush.

“Come on and hold up that ring!” Jules, who’s acting as MC, instructs.

“It really is a big rock!” I admire it as I soak up the applause. “Josh goes big with everything … HA! Josh IS big everywhere!”

Everyone cackles with laughter, whistles and shouts.

Jules lifts a halting hand. “No! Too much info about my brother!” she cries, but she’s laughing too.

“It’s the perfect lead in though!” Livie breaks in with another microphone. “And trust me when I say I know ALL the women here want to know just how huge your husband really is!”

All the women scream.

He’s a celebrity—might as well enjoy it!

“Jules will get over it.” She laughs and turns to me. “Are you ready for the festivities?”

I swallow back my drink, lift it in the air and shout, “BRING IT ON!”

Jules and Livie look at each other and together announce, “Let’s welcome Mistress Kim from Hot Seductions!”

The crowd goes crazy. I turn my head to see two musclebound gods—I mean guys—one Caucasian and one African American. Both are wearing black dress pants and black bow ties—that’s it—and they’re carrying a long luxurious chaise on a platform with a woman dressed in a studded black leather pantsuit perched on top of it.

They set it down and lift Mistress Kim to her feet.

We’re all applauding; whistles echo over the walls, even above the throbbing tech music.

Mistress Kim simply nods her approval to her audience then cracks her long braided leather whip in the air.

Both Adonises flank her, one at each side, and kneel subserviently.

“Are you ready for me to bring you pleasure?” she asks in a feminine dom tone that makes you say yes!

The crowd screams with excitement!

“What are you waiting for?” she shouts into her mic, scolding her servants.

She raises her whip and it snaps sharply. The men bow as they run offstage and, in a moment, come back carrying a long table that they place in front of me like an offering.

HOLY FUCK!
It’s covered with sex toys and kinky playthings!!

Everyone howls as the guys each kiss me on the cheek, one on each side of my face, and then dance through the crowd, winding the women up even higher.

“Our gorgeous, willing-to-please gentleman will be back!” Kim, announces. “But now we’re going to have some intimate playtime with our beautiful bride-to-be!”

The guests all clap.

“Let’s all start off with some sexy Q&A,” she purrs. “Now tell Mistress Kim all, Sophie.”

The women scream, out of their minds, and “Hey Mama” with David Guetta and Nicki Minaj begins to thunder through the sound system.

“Our entire audience wants you to
come
clean,” Kim says, emphasizing the word come. She says it almost as much to the crowd as me. “I bet that man of yours is an alpha male tiger in the bedroom, with his in-the-ring moves, his sinful bod constructed of pure muscle and ink and come-fuck-me eyes!”

I don’t think the screaming is ever going to stop.

“Do you and Josh like to employ the use of
toys
during your intimate times?”

Livie sneaks up and hands me her mic.

“If you want me to answer a question like that I’ll need this …”—I hold out my empty cock-cup—“filled back up.”

The girls roar and a new glass replaces my empty.

After a stiff shot, I answer. “Yes. He loves to please me in every way possible,” I tell them. “And always likes to try new things.”

The crowd likes that answer!

“This is the dish we want to hear!” Mistress Kim says. “Let’s give Sophie a hand for being so sexy with her man!”

The room fills with shouts and applause.

“Now tell us the truth.” Her voice hints at a threatening punishment. “What is your favorite?”

She indicates the smorgasbord of sensual devices on the table—dildos, strap-ons, vibrators, anal beads, butt plugs, masks, cuffs … “You asked for the truth?”

“Ladies, we want the truth, right?” she asks, riling the crowd.

“Then the truth is, my favorite toy is Josh North’s hard, hot, and ready naked body completely slick and oiled with naturally flavored organic coconut oil that I can lick when I want to.”

Everyone goes berserk! She’ll be lucky if she can get them reeled in again! A trace of a smile peeks over her lips, and I have a feeling she’s thinking about how many toys she’ll be selling tonight!

After a few moments she lifts her hand and speaks over the rowdiest guests. “Now, since you have the perfect boy-toy, come choose a play-toy the two of you would like to share.” She waves her palm over the table of pleasure,

“How about a vibrating love ring?” Kim lifts the soft purple silicone ring with the pink bullet attached. “They come in—extra large.”

“He might like that,” I say, suddenly shy now that we’re talking my fiancé’s dick size—oh, if they only knew.

“What was that, Sophie?”

I laugh. “He’d like that.”

Everyone whistles.

“And how about a set of nipple clamps for you?” She holds up the black little devices.

“Not for me. But I could be talked into these silk ties and Velcro cuffs.” I point at the black silk and red cuffs.

Mistress Kim addresses the audience. “What do you say, ladies?”

The women shout their approval and Mistress Kim adds, “I think they want to spoil you tonight, Sophie.”

I’m trying to decide whether this is more or less embarrassing than the strip club when Mistress Kim commands that I turn, face the audience and BEND OVER!

Um … no??

When I fail to move, she insists. “Come now, we can’t keep your audience waiting for pleasure.”

Not exactly sure how my bowing to the crowd lessens the possibility of postponed pleasure, but … I bite my lip in more mortification, turn a little, bow to the audience and smooth my thin cotton skirt in the back.

In a second, I feel a gentle sting simmer over my ass right before I cry out with surprise!

Immediately I start to stand, but Mistress Kim puts a firm hand on my shoulders. “Not yet, Sophie—we want to know if you think you and Josh would have fun playing with this sweet leather flogger.”

OH MY GOD! I just had a woman whip me IN PUBLIC!

“Yep, think we’d have fun with that,” I say in a monotone voice into her mic.

I can feel my face turning all kinds of red!

Everyone is laughing and shouting. I’m happy I have a sense of humor. And that Josh’s mother isn’t in the crowd!

“How about we add in a tantric feather teaser for Sophie being so amazing?”

They all clap.

Soon I have a rather large “goody” basket filled with the things I picked out and an assortment of various flavored body powders and gels, warming sex lubes, sexy tips cards, bondage tape, vibrators and other
things
I’ll need to read the directions for in order to figure out how to use!

At this point, everyone gets to come over to the table and play and place orders for themselves with Mistress Kim. Others find their way to the buffet table and decorate their plates with the delicate macaroons, chocolate covered fruit slices and other lovely dessert treats, along with appetizers.

After we eat—and drink some more—the gifts friends brought are presented. I tear off beautiful wrappings to some spectacularly thoughtful presents: lacy lingerie, restaurant certificates, books, salon vouchers and concert tickets, bottles of wine and whiskey and many charming gifts for Charlie.

Toward the end of the gift boxes and bags, something catches my eye—a shiny gold envelope.

Couldn’t be.

I whisper to Jules that I want to see that next, and once she picks it up, she smiles and shakes her head.

“Looks like Josh’s handwriting.” She passes it to me.

I’m pretty buzzed and rip it open like it’s the best fucking treasure yet!

A flash drive and two notes are inside, but one of the notes has a melted seal of red wax.