He needed to take the dare.
He pulled her down for a kiss. His lips moved over hers with the knowledge of a lover, and she gave it all back to him before finally pulling away. “What’s wrong?” His voice was gritty and rough from sleep.
“It’s morning,” she said simply.
Recognition dawned. He sat up, the sheets twisted around his hips. A mix of trepidation and want filled his eyes. “Are you kicking me out of the bed?” He tried for humor, but it fell flat in the waiting silence.
She took a deep breath. She expected honesty from a sub, but that honesty began with her. “No. But are you ready to hear what I really want?”
He squeezed his eyes shut, as if preparing himself. “Yes.”
“I want you.” The words hung in the room like smoke after a gunfire. “I never expected to feel like this, but I want to see you again. You’re an incredible man, Rafe Steele. You have everything I’ve always needed in a mate, and after one night I don’t want to let you go. But if you don’t feel the same way about me, I release you. Our contract ended at dawn. I will thank you for the most incredible evening of my life, and move on. I will never contact you again, and everything that happened behind these doors will never be mentioned.”
Raw emotion glimmered in his eyes. His jaw clenched. Unclenched. Then the words spilled out of his mouth. “I don’t want to let you go. I’ve never felt like this before. But I don’t know if I can commit to this lifestyle.”
“I dare you.”
He sucked in his breath. “Dare me to what?”
“To be honest with what you want. I’m not asking you to admit the lifestyle to your brothers or in public. This is private, between us. But I need to know you’ll explore it with me. And give me everything I ask behind closed doors.”
He seemed to struggle between the lure of his fantasy and the fear of reality. Her heart pounded and the blood squeezed through her veins. He needed to make his own choice or they could never work.
“I can’t do it yet, Summer. I’m not ready.”
She acknowledged his limitation and a heavy grief pressed into her limbs. Perhaps he would never be ready, but she needed to move down her own path and find her own answers. Tears pricked her eyelids. She leaned forward, kissed him, and slid out of bed.
“I understand, I really do. But I can’t follow you right now. Thank you for everything you gave me, I won’t forget it.” She paused. “I won’t forget you.”
She gathered her clothes and closed the bedroom door behind her.
Epilogue
Two weeks later…
Rafe watched his brothers tear into a plate of nachos and wash them down with a pair of matching Coors Lite. His stomach twisted with tension, but he’d made his decision. He needed to tell his brothers the truth—then get Summer Preston back into his life and in his bed.
When she’d left, something within him shattered. He’d pushed past the pain and got back into his old life, but everything changed. Dealing cards, sharing a meal with his brothers, and dating a bunch of pretty, nameless women left him cold. His soul gaped open with an empty wound and nothing seemed to fill it. When he’d looked up private BDSM clubs on the internet and wondered if she had a new sub, the sick anger nearly tore him apart. He belonged to her, and she to him. One night proved she was the woman he wanted to explore that lifestyle with. He wanted her both in and out of the bedroom.
He decided his biggest barriers sat beside him in the cracked leather booth, chowing down on appetizers in ignorant bliss. He tipped back his beer bottle for one last swig and faced his brothers. “I need to tell you guys something. Something that’s been bothering me for a long time.”
They shared a look. Rick dropped the chip he held in his hand and leaned in. Rome nodded with encouragement. “Go ahead, bro. We’re listening.”
Their rock solid support surrounded him. He took a deep breath. “I’m a submissive.”
Rick raised one blond brow. “Get out.”
His stomach turned but he kept his chin high and met his brother’s stare head on. “Nope. I’ve known this for a while now, but I turned chickenshit and refused to admit it. I spent the night with a woman who gave me everything I needed. She wanted more than one night though, and I blew it. But I’m gonna get her back.” He pointed a finger at Rick. “I don’t need to take any of your shit about this.” Then he glared at Rome. “From either of you. Got it?”
Rome studied him in a thoughtful silence and he inwardly squirmed. His brother wiped his mouth with a napkin, then leaned back in the booth with a big ass grin. “Holy shit, I never even suspected. That’s some secret, bro. No wonder you’ve been torn up for the past few years. Denying who you are sucks the soul out of you.”
He blinked. “You understand?”
“I’m surprised, but of course I understand. Did you really think otherwise?” Rome cursed when he saw the truth on his face. “You actually thought I’d have a problem with you being a sub? When my own wife is one? And Rick’s?”
Rafe rubbed his face to hide the sudden heat of embarrassment. “Figured it’d be different when you heard a man was a sub. Kind of odd, don’t you think?”
Rick shook his head, his voice tinged with anger. “No, I don’t. I see it all the time. I may not swing that way, but I respect the hell out of a man who knows who he is and goes after it. Tara and Sloane are some of the strongest, kickass women we know. Just because they’re subs in the bedroom doesn’t mean they’re weak. It’s quite the opposite. That’s basic 101 in BDSM. Figured you’d know that already.”
Relief poured true and clear from the core of his body. He couldn’t help the silly grin spreading across his face as he looked at the two men he loved and respected the most in the world. “Thanks, guys. I appreciate the support.”
“Are you going after this woman? What’s her name?” Rick asked.
“Summer Preston. I needed this time to get my head screwed on straight. Now I have to find her.”
Rome nodded. “I’ll find her for you. Give me an hour and I’ll check the local clubs and find out if they’ve seen her. I have a few friends who owe me a favor.”
“Appreciate it.”
“Umm, Rafe?”
“Yeah?”
“How strongly do you feel about this woman?”
Fierce emotion coursed through him at the image of her sweet face hiding a tigress’s soul. “I think I’m in love with her.”
Rome groaned and pounded his fists on the table. “This is freaking unbelievable. Madame Eve strikes again.”
Rick laughed and held out his beer in a mocking salute. “To Madame Eve and 1Night Stand. She took on one Steele at a time and changed our lives.”
“Let’s just hope the odds are still in my favor. I have a lot of begging to do.” Rafe stood from the booth.
Rome winced. “Bet you’ll have a sore ass by the time she’s done punishing you for letting her walk in the first place. Glad I’m not you, bro. Let me start making calls.”
As his brother flipped out his cell phone, Rafe prepared to win the biggest dare of his life.
“Summer, the scene is ready for you. But I have a new sub out front who insists he needs to speak with you.”
Her brow wrinkled in confusion. “Okay. Give me two minutes and send him in.”
She finished lacing her spiked boots and adjusted her corset. She may still be uncomfortable in bondage, but the club let her go slow, at her own pace, and gave her enough men to pick from to try different things. As she prepared for her first small, public scene, her heart mourned the only man she ached for. The one who’d left over two weeks ago.