Page 16 of Dirty Dare

“I don’t know. That’s the problem.” I put the last handful of socks in the dresser drawer and stow my now empty suitcase in the hall closet. Has it seriously been less than a day since I got here? “I want to take him out, but I ran to the gas station this afternoon and I kid you not, it took forty-five minutes to get out of there. After I’d filled up and paid.”

Tammy laughs. “I’m jealous. It would be so much fun to see everyone.”

“Don’t get me wrong. It is. But this is going to be our first date. I want to spend it with him, not fielding questions about my life without him.”

“You should have stayed at the party longer last night. Then everyone would already be caught up.”

Answering with a noncommittal hum, I prop a shoulder against the window and look out through the trees to the water beyond. She might be right, but I wouldn’t trade what happened for anything.

“Okay, little brother, here’s what you’re going to do…”

* * *

The hours creep by slower than the week leading to Christmas when you’re eight. But eventually, I hop in the truck and drive up my lane and back down to Cam’s. Our houses look like they were built about the same time and in the same style, but where mine looks like it hasn’t been occupied in two years and has the overgrowth to prove it, Cam’s is neat as a pin. No branches touch the roof, and the gravel drive is evenly graded, ending in a wide turnabout. From there, a flagstone paver path circles the house with a split that leads to the front porch.

Nerves on par with the first time I stomped down the chute with the Slayers, I walk up to the door and knock. Waiting, I take in the thick, lush lawn with diagonal lines mowed into it and what appears to be a fresh coat of paint on the rail. This is what it looks like to put down roots.

The thought sends an uneasy feeling through my gut, but then Cam’s at the door, looking hot as hell in a dove gray button-down that hugs his impressive biceps and shows off the tapered cut of his torso.

“Hey, sorry, I’m running late,” he says, stepping back with a wave at his neatly combed but not quite dry hair. “Delivery showed up as I was closing the store, and I got behind a few minutes.”

There’s a beat where it’s clear he doesn’t know what to do with his hands or quite how to greet me.

“No worries and no rush.” And then because I’m trying to at least look like I’ve got some game when my actual dating experience with guys is next to nil, I reach for his hip and lean in to drop a quick kiss at his jaw. “You look great… really great.”

And that hit of his aftershave mingling with the woodsy scent of his soap and product? Damn, it totally does it for me. And now I’m wishing I’d jerked off before I left because I’m at serious risk of sporting wood the whole night.

“Yeah? Thanks,” he says quietly. “You too.”

When his eyes come up and connect with mine, everything slows and the moment stretches. I feel that same sort of dizzying pull drawing me in, but somehow I manage to step back with only the smallest groan.

Based on the slant of his mouth and the color pushing into his cheeks, he hears it. But I don’t think he’s going to hold it against me.

“Umm, take your time getting ready. No rush. I’ll be in the car.”

I don’t give him the chance to respond. Just spin on my heel and get the hell out before I do something crazy like back him against another handy wall and drop to my knees for him.

My fingers feel numb as I slide into the driver’s seat and start the engine. If I’d hoped for a reprieve to get the situation in my trousers under control, I don’t get it. Cam’s out of the house within a minute, jogging down the couple stairs from the porch and stepping into the evening sun.

Gorgeous. Definitely should have jerked off.

He climbs in with a hesitant look. “Second thoughts? We don’t have to go out if you’re not comfortable.”

This guy is amazing. But oblivious as to the source of my problem.

“My sister told me not to kiss you before our date.” Jesus, I sound like an ass.

One dark brow pushes up. “Tammy? What’s she got against kissing?”

“Nothing, if I thought I’d be able to stop.”

“Sooo, you didn’t think you’d be able to stop?” And the smile he gives me? Embarrassment totally worth it. He bites his bottom lip.

Is he doing it on purpose now?

He reaches across the cab and slides his fingers into the hair at the back of my neck.

Yep. He’s definitely doing it on purpose.

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