He rolled his eyes at her poor excuse. “You’re as young as you feel. Come on, Becca,” he cajoled sweetly. “Be a little spontaneous and try something new.”
Be spontaneous.
She was certain that his choice of words, which reflected the message she’d found in her chocolate heart half, was nothing more than a coincidence. Still, they were enough of an impetus to give her the courage to be more adventurous than she’d ever been in her life.
Before she came to her practical, rational senses, she took the helmet, slipped it on her head, and let him secure the strap beneath her chin. Then, with Connor’s help, she straddled the seat behind him, so that her thighs bracketed his in an incredibly intimate position.
“You need to hold on tight.” He grabbed her wrists, pulled her closer against his back, then pushed her hands beneath his leather jacket. “Your fingers might get a little cold on the drive. This will keep them warm.”
Warm was an understatement. She splayed her palms over the soft cotton T-shirt covering his taut stomach, the heat emanating from him like a furnace.
He revved the engine, and Rebecca’s entire body vibrated right along with the bike. Though they hadn’t even started on their way, she could already feel the latent power in the motorcycle, and she felt her heart skip a beat.
“Since this is my first time, go slow and easy on me.” She didn’t want her first experience to be a wild, fast ride. “I’d rather not be in a body cast for my sister’s wedding tomorrow.”
He chuckled, the muscles in his belly rippling beneath her palms. “I’ll be gentle with you, sweetheart. I promise.”
CONNOR WAS A MAN of his word. He’d never been a reckless driver or felt the need for speed, and tonight he was extra careful to keep things low key. He wanted Rebecca’s trust. Wanted her to see that he wasn’t the kind of guy who was rebellious and wild, or took unnecessary risks, as he knew she believed.
He veered the motorcycle onto the road just outside of where The Delaford Resort was located. It was a gorgeous night, cool but clear, and he took Rebecca on a smooth, leisurely, scenic ride around the perimeter of Crystal Lake.
Initially when they’d started off, she’d been nervous and stiff sitting behind him, but as he navigated the stretch of road ahead she eventually relaxed against his back, and the hands he’d tucked around his waist loosened their death grip.
After a while he found an alcove off the side of the road that had a perfect view of the lake, and he pulled over onto the gravelly area.
“So, what did you think?” he asked once they’d dismounted and removed their helmets, watching as she shook her silky hair, then combed through the strands with her fingers.
Energized after the ride, she turned toward him, a dazzling, exuberant smile on her face. “That was amazing!”
Her vivacious response was exactly what Connor had been hoping for. “Good, I’m glad.” He extended his hand to her. “Come on, let’s go sit down by the lake.”
Without hesitating, she slipped her fingers into his, their cool fingers intertwining intimately. It was a simple, uncomplicated gesture, but it was one of those small things that Connor appreciated and savored, because it felt like an expression of Rebecca’s faith in him. Or so he’d like to think.
With only the shimmering moonlight guiding them, Connor led the way down a grassy knoll to a cluster of large boulders near the edge of the lake. He sat down on top of one of the bigger rocks and helped Rebecca up beside him. They were no longer holding hands, and he missed that warmth and connection.
“So, why do I get the impression that you haven’t had a whole lot of fun and adventure in your life?” Connor asked.
She tipped her head at him, amusement glimmering in her eyes. “Not all of us can afford the kind of fun you can.”
“I’m not necessarily talking about material things,” he said, and unzipped his leather jacket so he could enjoy the cool evening temperature. “I’ve known you for three years now, and you’ve always come across as so reserved, so completely opposite to your sister’s lively, outgoing personality.”
She lifted a brow. “So, are you saying I’m a snob?”
Beneath her teasing tone Connor detected a sensitive, guarded emotion he didn’t fully understand. “No, you’ve never come across as a snob,” he said, trying to find the right words to get his point across. “You’re just so much more serious than your sister.”
“Celeste is also six years younger than I am,” she replied, as if that alone explained their contrasting dispositions.
Six years also separated him and Rebecca, Connor knew, and refused to let her use that as a defense with her sister, or as a way to distance herself from him. “I don’t think the differences in your personalities have anything to do with age.”
Her chin jutted out in opposition. “It has everything to do with me being older than Celeste.”
“Why, because it makes you so much more mature?” he asked, rolling out the last word in a humorous attempt to lighten the mood between them.
The corner of her mouth twitched with a smile, giving him what he’d been after, but it didn’t completely erase the unease in her gaze. “Let’s just say that I had to grow up fast.”
Now they were getting somewhere. Beyond the superficial to the emotional, which was exactly what he wanted. “Why?” he asked, low and soft.
She looked out at the silver cast of moonlight spilling across the lake, and he prayed that she wouldn’t shut him out now that he’d finally managed to scale one of those walls of hers. His gut told him that her reasons were key to Rebecca and who she was, and why she was so guarded. And he needed to know exactly what he was up against.
After a silent minute passed, she spoke. “My mother passed away when I was sixteen and Celeste was ten. It was hard enough trying to deal with the adjustment of my mother’s death, who was a stay-at-home mom, but my father’s job required him to travel often and he was gone more than he was home, even after she passed away.”
“That couldn’t have been easy for you and your sister.”
“No, it wasn’t.” She drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around her legs, her gaze still focused on the gently rippling water. “Our neighbor at the time, Mrs. Sedgewick, stayed with us while my father was out of town, but I automatically took over the responsibilities at home that my mother used to take care of: cooking, cleaning, shopping, that sort of stuff.”
“And taking care of Celeste,” he added, already getting a clear view of Rebecca’s abnormal childhood. So much responsibility for someone so young.
“Yes.” She met his gaze and smiled, and there wasn’t the slightest glimmer of regret in her expression for what she’d sacrificed during her teenage years. “In a lot of ways I became a mother figure for her. Our situation was difficult enough with my mother being gone and our father always out of town, and the last thing I wanted was for Celeste to feel insecure, to feel like she didn’t have someone in her life she could count on. And because my sister was all I really had, it was easy to focus all my attention on her.”
He had a sister, as well, and knew just how strong those sibling bonds could be. “She’s very lucky to have you.”
“We’re lucky to have one another,” she corrected emphatically. “Especially since my father didn’t provide much in the way of emotional support or even financial security.”
He frowned, surprised by that comment. He knew their father had passed away of a heart attack years ago, but Rebecca’s remark seemed to apply to their lives right before he passed away. “How do you mean?” he asked curiously.
Again, she hesitated, as if realizing that she’d said too much. Again, he waited calmly and quietly for her to confide in him.
“I always thought that my father had a decent paying job,” she finally said. “I never knew how much he actually made, but we lived in a nice house in a good neighborhood, and my father drove a BMW Coupe. We had the big-screen TV, a pool and spa in the backyard, and a computer with all the bells and whistles on it, which cost a fortune at the time. Any new electronic gadget that came out, he had to have, too, and he didn’t think twice about his spending sprees.”
A gentle gust of breeze threaded through her hair, and she absently brushed a stray strand off her smooth cheek before continuing. “Anyway, after my mother passed away, whenever my father had to go out of town he gave me some cash to buy groceries and whatever Celeste and I needed for school, such as supplies, clothes and shoes. I learned to be frugal and thrifty with what he gave me, which was often barely enough, because I hated asking for more, and I always wanted to make sure that I took care of Celeste’s needs.” She shrugged, her shoulders shifting beneath her fleece jacket. “I never needed much myself.”
Or she’d just learned to do without, he thought, seeing just how incredibly selfless she’d been. It was just another reason for him to fall hard for this woman.
“What I didn’t realize until much later was that my father had a spending problem, and he charged everything on credit cards but never paid off the balance. So, over time he’d accumulated a huge debt that was nearly impossible to pay off. And, eventually, that led to him having to file for bankruptcy. We even lost the house we were living in.”
Rebecca swallowed hard, feeling the old flare of resentment and pain swell within her, and she struggled to keep that anger toward her father’s irresponsible actions from rising to the surface. “Celeste didn’t take the news as hard as I did, but I was absolutely devastated by the loss. It was the only home that Celeste and I had ever known, and suddenly it was gone, along with most everything inside. And it never should have happened.”
Compassion etched Connor’s masculine features. “I’m sorry you had to go through that, Rebecca.”
She was touched by his sincerity, yet a part of her was too aware that he had the potential of being every bit as frivolous with his spending as her own father had been. “It was a very valuable lesson to learn, even at such a young age. Losing everything like that taught me the value of saving money and being financially secure. I don’t ever want to be in that kind of situation again.”
He nodded in understanding. “You gave up so much to raise your sister, even after your father’s death.”
She dropped her head back and stared up at the clear sky, and its scattering of a thousand brilliant stars. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“I don’t doubt that for one second.” The gentle caress of his fingers along her cheek made her turn to look at him again, and then he asked, “But what about you, Rebecca?”
Uncertain about what he meant, she blinked at him in confusion. “What about me?”
“You’ve done a phenomenal job taking care of your sister, but now that she’s getting married and starting a life of her own with Greg, what about your life?”
How could the man be so perceptive? It was as if he knew what a difficult time she was having letting her sister go, not that she was going to admit it out loud to him. “My life is good.”
“As good as you want it to be?”
His dark brown stare was direct and unwavering, making her feel as though he could see all the way to her soul. It was an unnerving sensation, especially since he was the first man that she’d so openly and honestly shared her past with. “Nobody’s life is perfect.”
“True,” he agreed. “But maybe it’s time for you to think about what you want for a change, and go for it.”
Go for it. There was that phrase again, tempting her to give into her deepest desires, which seemed intrinsically linked to this man. Heart, body, and soul.
That frightening thought shook her up inside, but she refused to let her fears override what she longed for the most. “For this moment, and this weekend, I want you,” she said, then gave into the impulse to lean toward Connor, place her hand on the soft cotton T-shirt covering his chest, and kiss him.
His mouth was incredibly warm and soft against hers, and when his lips gradually parted she was the one who initiated the kind of deeper, hotter kiss she craved. Tongues touched and mated, and as each slow kiss melded into another, a knot of pure, sensual need tightened in her belly, and lower.
His clean, male scent filled her senses, and beneath her hand she could feel the rapid beat of his heart, which matched her own. Her breasts swelled, her nipples tightened, and before long her entire body hungered for so much more. Like throwing caution and modesty to the wind and making love to Connor right out here in the open.
It was Connor who eventually ended the kiss, then pressed his forehead against hers. “It’s getting late,” he said, his voice gruff with arousal. “We should head back to the hotel.”
She managed a nod, grateful that at least Connor was able to think straight. A soft bed would be so much more comfortable than the hard ground or maneuvering around on a rock. “Okay.”
The ride back to the resort seemed to take twice as long. Once they arrived at the hotel, Connor dropped her off at the side entrance where he’d originally picked her up, then went to park his motorcycle.
She entered the hotel alone, wondering if this was the end of their night together since Connor hadn’t mentioned anything about seeing her in a few minutes, or even later. Obviously, he was respecting her request that they keep their relationship discreet and not be seen together in public. Or maybe she’d scared him off by giving him a glimpse of her dysfunctional past.
Uncertain what to do, Rebecca let herself into her room and headed toward the bedroom as she unzipped and shrugged off her fleece jacket. A smile curved her mouth when she caught sight of an unwrapped gift that had been left on her pillow. Last night she’d found chocolate-covered strawberries, and upon closer inspection she realized that this present was equally tempting, and made her come to the quick conclusion that her evening with Connor wasn’t over after all. Not if she didn’t want it to be.
She picked up the jar of Sinfully Sweet chocolate body paint, her mind already tumbling with wicked, erotic scenarios. Tied around the lid was a big red bow and two small paint brushes, along with a note card that read Do you dare? in Connor’s handwriting.
For once in her life she didn’t think twice, or analyze her answer-just went with feminine instincts and desires.
Yes, she dared.