Take Me if You Dare (Entangled Brazen) (8 page)

Chapter Twelve

An hour later, Ethan walked out of the lobby to his truck, his mind still reeling over what Jasmine had said to him. She hadn’t pried or poked. She’d stated the obvious, accepted what he’d said, and moved on. And then there was the way she’d looked at him—as if she could see all his wounds, every hurt and regret he kept locked up in his mind, and he’d actually wanted her to see them.

He opened the back door to his truck and tossed his gear inside. As he drove to the apartment, he still couldn’t reason it out.

Did she really understand, or was he just caught up in some fantasy? Even as he asked the question, his mind started to toy with the scenario of coming home to her at his house in Greenville or her greeting him at the airport in Dallas, but he quickly dismantled the images in his mind.

What was wrong with him? She’d made it clear she wasn’t interested in any type of a relationship, especially a long-distance one, and with his job, it was nothing but distance. No, it wasn’t always as dangerous as it had been when he was in the military, but it still had its risks. Only a twisted bastard would wish that type of relationship on her.

But Dario wasn’t a twisted bastard…

And his mother would kick his ass if she ever heard him say that about his dad. His parents had loved each other, and anybody who knew Dario could see how much he’d loved Elaina and Gabriel. His friend had been prouder of the baby drool on his uniform than any medal pinned to his chest, but how fair was it for Elaina to have to raise her son without a father? It wasn’t. He’d watched his mom go through it for over seven years.

He made it back to the apartments, but instead of going upstairs to his place, he went to Jasmine’s. She’d mentioned laundry, and considering he stayed with her most of the time, it was a good bet part of the laundry pile was his. He changed into sweats and a T-shirt, ate a quick meal of leftovers, and then started the laundry.

While he waited for the clothes to finish, thoughts about Elaina, his mom, and Jasmine still buzzed like a live wire in his mind. Suddenly, in the midst of his thoughts, he remembered all of the reservations he’d made for that night.

Shit!
It was too late to do anything about the restaurant, and the Improv tickets were already paid for, but he still needed to do something about the hotel suite.

As he was looking for the contact info he’d stored on his phone, he scrolled past Elaina’s name and number. A hit of guilt moved through him. He hadn’t called her in months. After he canceled the reservation, he went back to laundry and straightened up the apartment. On his way to the bathroom with a stack of folded towels, his gaze strayed to his laptop sitting on the table. On impulse, he sat down and opened a browser. He wasn’t ready to call Elaina yet, but at least she would know he was thinking about her.

When he finished on the computer, his mind still wouldn’t rest. Things he didn’t want to remember hung in the shadows of his mind.The door to the apartment opened, and Jasmine walked inside. A sense of lightness immediately moved over him, and most of what weighed down on him went away.

“I’m home,” she said.

Home…

For the first time, he really looked around the apartment. His bag was on the couch and the tennis shoes he wore for his morning jogs were a permanent fixture by the door. His favorite cereal was in the pantry, and they’d stood side by side in the kitchen making meals and doing the dishes. His clothes were in the closet with hers, and when he lay in bed at night, if she wasn’t around, the lingering scent of her perfume always made him miss her more. As he put it all together in his mind, he swallowed hard. In one short week, they’d managed to create the illusion of a life together.

He forced a smile on his face and walked over to give her a hug. He took in a breath filled with her scent, and the sense of heaviness returned. Someday, she’d have a real home with another man who could give her a normal life that didn’t involve always worrying about the future.

Later that night, while they lay in bed, he’d planned on letting her sleep, but he couldn’t stop himself from reaching out for her. As if sensing his need, she guided him by the hips straight between her legs. He kissed her softly, and groaned when he found her ready for the glide of his cock into her welcoming heat. They moved together, her gaze never leaving his, until her lids floated closed with a moan that feathered over his senses. She arched her beautiful body up and wrapped her legs tightly around his hips, urging him to go deeper. Soon her moans and soft cries drove him like a wild man possessed with one thought that kept repeating in his mind with each sure stroke. She. Was. His.

But she wasn’t.

He wouldn’t be the last man who held her like this, found his place between her thighs like this. Someday, she’d cry out someone else’s name, but no matter who took his place, he’d make sure a part of her would always be his. Heat seared down his spine, and the sweet pull of release reached out for him, but he held it back, focusing on the need to brand himself there in a way that would never let her forget him. She reached her climax, and the slick, heated folds of her pussy gripped him like a silken vise. Release, raw and explosive, raged through him, and as he shouted out her name, a realization he couldn’t deny held him still. Jasmine had beaten him to it. She had a claim on him.

Chapter Thirteen

“What’s your pleasure?”

Ethan eyed Jasmine warily. “You can’t be serious.”

“Totally,” she responded with absolute certainty. It felt right, too right to just pass up.

“But what about the odds?” He wrapped an arm around her and slid his hand into the back pocket of her pink denim shorts.

“I don’t care.” Smiling, Jasmine mirrored his actions and slid her hand into his back pocket, enjoying the feel of his tight butt through the fabric of his khaki shorts. “Don’t tell me you’re afraid of a little risk. After all, this was your idea.”

“But some things aren’t worth the risk.” He held up the horse racing program. “The odds on that one are terrible. What about number four?”

“Nope.” She shook her head and pointed at the program. “I want to bet all of our money on that one.”

“You’re a pitiful gambler.” He chuckled and moved his hand up from the back pocket of her shorts to stroke the small strip of skin exposed just underneath the hem of her cropped T-shirt. “But you’re too damn cute to refuse.” He gave her a quick kiss and left her in the open-air grandstand to place their bet.

It was a warm day, but she’d wanted to be closer to the action instead of in the air-conditioned building. All around her, the eclectic crowd of novice, tourist, and seasoned gamblers strategized their bets, and excitement buzzed in the air in anticipation of the upcoming race.

Sighing happily, she flipped through the pages of the program. Driving out to the horse track was an unexpected twist for a Saturday afternoon date, and she was having a good time. Too bad they didn’t have another couple of weeks to explore more places together. It still surprised her how they enjoyed a lot of the same things, and how well they got along.

Ethan was an early riser, and she’d gotten in the habit of joining him for his morning jog. She was usually at her desk by six, unless they ended up pleasantly distracted in the shower, and then it was six thirty. At the end of the day, if she didn’t have to bring work home, they curled up on the couch or in bed to watch something on TV she rarely made it all the way through before falling asleep.

Her mind started to wander down the path of them playing tourist in Texas and revisiting a few places she hadn’t been to in a while, and there had to be some great places to see in South Carolina. Out of habit, from years of travel, she calculated airline routes in her head. Dallas to Greenville was a straight shot, less than three hours nonstop.

Wait a minute.
She pulled her thoughts back to the present and closed the program.

Been there, done that, and burned every single last one of those T-shirts. She needed the reassurance of someone being there for her every day, and that meant no long-distance relationships.

But what if…

No.
Just because they got along, and things were good in bed, didn’t mean they could build a relationship. She wasn’t going mess up what they had by trying to find a way to bridge the distance.

“Here you go.”

She looked up at Ethan and took the betting receipts and the bottle of water he offered. His lopsided smile deepened the dimple in his cheek, and as she allowed herself a good long stare, an idea came to mind.

“Hurry up and sit down.”

“Why?”

“I want to take a picture of us.” She set aside her water and reached for her cell.

He sat down and wrapped his arm around her waist. “Okay, ready.”

She held out the phone and put a camera-ready smile on her face, but just as she took the picture, Ethan tickled her.

A laugh burst past her lips. “Hey!”

He chuckled and kissed her cheek. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist. Do you want to take another one?”

“No.” It was perfect. It captured what their relationship was all about…fun.

She switched the phone from camera mode and went online. Smiling, she posted the picture for her friends with a caption.

Luckiest girl on the track, greatest guy in the world, best day ever!

Now maybe they’d all stop bugging her about going out and having a good time. On impulse, she also emailed it to Ethan, but as soon as she sent it, reservations set in. What if he didn’t feel the same about what was going on between them? She glanced over at him and he smiled.

“What?” he asked.

She shook off her doubts and returned his smile. “Nothing,”

The race was announced, and they looked out at the track where grooms along with the jockeys were getting ready for their walk-through before the race. She sat on the edge of her seat. “There he goes, see him, number five.” She pointed to a horse parading by with the rest on the way to the gate.

“Yeah, there he goes,” Ethan said wryly. “Along with all of our money,” he added under his breath.

She elbowed him playfully in the ribs. “Have a little faith and stop killing the mood.”

Minutes later, the horses were settled in at the starting gate, and at the signal the race began. Jasmine jumped to her feet with the rest of the crowd as the horses ran swiftly around the track. When they rounded the curves into the final straightaway, horse number five was almost in the lead, and she yelled louder. As the horse started to pull ahead of the others, Ethan also jumped to his feet and cheered her favorite all the way to the finish line.

“He did it! He won! We won!” Jumping up in excitement, she threw her arms around his neck and delivered a sound kiss to his lips, which were still open in astonishment.

In the midst of her descent back to the ground, he caught her around the waist and held her in place.

His smile added warmth to his eyes. “Do you know you’re nothing short of amazing?”

She tightened her arms around his neck and laughed. “You better believe it, baby.”

“Trust me, I do.” His gaze held hers, and then he captured her mouth in a bone-melting kiss that spread a slow, burning fire through her blood.

The excitement of the win, the tightening grasp of his hands on her bare waist, the slow draw of his tongue gliding over hers, it all left her holding on for the ride. When he finally set her away from him, she was breathless and slightly stunned.

“Are you in for another race?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. I’m going to quit while I’m ahead.” She rose up on her toes and gently sank her teeth into his earlobe. “I think we should go home and celebrate.”

He gave her a lazy smile. “I like the way you think. Come on. Let’s go.”

They headed inside, and while he picked up their winnings, she went to the ladies’ room. When she came back out, he was still in line. Catching his eye, she motioned to him that she would wait near the main corridor leading to the exit.

Her phone blared out the new ringtone Tab had taken the liberty of programming in as hers, the latest from P!nk, the last time they’d gone out for drinks in Dallas. They were way past their little phone tiff in Miami, but of course, once Tab had found out about her and Ethan’s plan for a fling, she’d taken every expected jab and gloating opportunity available.

Jasmine answered the phone. “Hey, Tab—”

“Tell me you haven’t seen it?”

Spotting a clear space of wall nearby, she hurried over to it and turned her body away from the crowd. “Haven’t seen what?”

“I can’t believe Brenda pulled this crap, but it makes total sense because she’s such a miserable —”

“Slow down, Tab.” The mention of Greg’s sister never brought good news. “What are you talking about?”

“Someone must have shared the picture you took with Ethan because Brenda just included you in a group text she just sent out with a picture of her brother at the baby’s christening.” Tab released an irritated breath. “I bet she’ll try to play it off as an accident, but she knew exactly what she was doing. She even sent it from someone else’s phone number so you wouldn’t recognize who it was from and delete it.”

A text message?
She was so into the races, she’d missed hearing it come in. It took Jasmine another moment to process the news and a few seconds longer to remember why she should care. She’d distanced herself from Greg and the entire situation after she’d ended the engagement. The baby was how old? She calculated time in her mind. At least three months, maybe four.

“Are you all right?” Tab asked quietly. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No, I don’t, and yes, I’m fine.” She took a long, cleansing breath, determined to clear it all away. “I don’t have time to worry about Greg or the evil Brenda.”

“Good,” Tab said. “Stay busy, don’t dwell on it, and wear something bright. It’ll cheer you up, but if you need to talk later, call me, okay?”

“Tab, I’m fine, just promise you won’t call and get into it with Brenda.”

“Uh-huh,” Tab drawled out her response.

Translation—fat chance. Once Tab got a hold of Brenda, drama was bound to start.

“Just make sure you delete that text. It’s the one with the heading ‘Baby Felicia,’” Tab said, and hung up.

They named the baby Felicia?
The words swatted Jasmine like a slap to the face.

An emotional ache crushed her ribs as she took the phone down from her ear. That was the name Greg had chosen for a girl when they’d talked about having children. The name Felicia meant happiness. He’d said that he couldn’t imagine anything happier than being married to her and sharing their life together, and she’d fallen for it—love, marriage, babies, and forever.

She stared down at the text icon on the view screen and her heart started to pound. Oh yeah, this was definitely Brenda. She’d always tried to make her feel like she wasn’t good enough, hadn’t done enough, but she’d given up everything for Greg—her home, her career, two years of her life. What had he given her? Not a damn thing. Even when it was all out in the open, he couldn’t even give her the truth.

“Jasmine?”

She spun around and stumbled right into Ethan’s chest.

“What’s wrong? Are you crying?” His brow lowered with a concerned expression. “What happened?”

She swiped her hand under her eyes and was startled by the unexpected moisture on her cheeks.

Still crying over Greg? How wrong is that?

She looked up at Ethan and opened her mouth, planning to share what happen, but reason intervened.

And ruin the first full day the two of you have had together since you met? No way.

Her having some sort of an emotional episode was exactly the result Brenda was aiming for with her text message.

“Nothing.” She forced out a cough. “Sorry.” She pressed hand to her chest. “I was on the phone with Tab and all of a sudden I got choked up. I don’t know what happened.”

“Do you want me to get you some water?”

“No.” She waved away the offer and shut off her phone. “I’m fine now.”

He gently grasped her shoulders and studied her for a long second. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes.” She managed to lift her mouth into what she hoped was a convincing smile and slipped her arm through his, leading him down the corridor. “Let’s go. I want to stop by the mall and buy a new dress for our date tonight.”

“Sergeant Worth,” someone called out.

Ethan stopped and turned around.

Jasmine looked over her shoulder and saw a man with salt-and-pepper hair, dressed casually in a yellow golf shirt and tan slacks with knife-edge creases, walking toward them with a slight limp. He had the same air of confidence she’d noticed in Ethan, and the hard, slim build of someone who’d spent more than a few good days in the gym. When the man reached them, he and Ethan shook hands.

“Colonel Ellis.” Ethan’s tone held a clear note of respect. “Good to see you, and it’s just Ethan now, sir. I got out two years ago.”

“Same here.” Colonel Ellis gestured to his left leg. “Humvee accident in Afghanistan. I officially became a civilian nine months ago.”

Ethan and Colonel Ellis stared at each other in silence for a moment.

“I’m glad you made it home,” Ethan said. He turned to her. “Jasmine, this is Colonel Bill Ellis. He was one of my commanding officers.”

She offered Bill her hand, and he shook it with a firm grip. “Hello, Jasmine, and please, call me Bill. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” His sharp gray gaze looked between her and Ethan. “I wondered when this guy would finally get smart and settle down. He’s a good man. I know you’re proud of him.”

“Uh…yes. I am,” she said, politely, returning his smile.

She waited for Ethan to correct Bill about the status of their relationship, but he didn’t say a word.

Bill turned back to Ethan. “What are you doing these days?”

“I’m with Bode-Wynn.”

The man’s face lit up in recognition. “That’s a good outfit. If you’re going to stay in the action, they’re the ones to go with.” He lowered his voice. “One of my golf buddies was a part of that delegation you guys escorted to Colombia six months ago. I heard it was rough, but the way your team handled the situation kept it from turning ugly.” Another long silent look passed between the two men. “I know it’s hard to take the losses, but don’t forget. You saved a lot of lives that day.”

For a fleeting moment, a haunted look passed over Ethan’s face. He cleared his throat. “Will do, sir.”

A woman farther down the corridor called out Bill’s name and gestured for him to join her.

“Well, that’s the wife,” Bill said. “I guess she and her parents are ready for the buffet. She’s kept me on the run.” He chuckled. “Well, more accurately, a fast walk ever since I got back. I don’t know what I would have done without her these last few months. That’s the advantage of having someone to come home to”—he looked at Ethan—”but I guess you know that now.”