Page 11 of Dare to Love

“I mean it, Lilian,” he continued, holding my gaze. “This isn’t for show. You are stunning.” He whispered, allowing his gaze to slowly trail and devour me as if I was the meal rather than the dish in front of him. I couldn’t remember the last time someone had looked at me the way Reid was looking at me now—like I was precious and desirable all at once, like I was something he’d been searching for without realizing it.

“The dare officially ends soon,” I reminded him, though I wasn’t sure why I felt compelled to bring it up.

“I know,” he replied, something flickering in his eyes. “Does that change things for you?” The question hung between us, heavy with implications.Did it change things?When we started this, I had started counting down the days until I could stop pretending, until I could go back to my normal life without Reid Belgrave complicating it. Now, the thought of no longer having an excuse to see him, to be with him—left an ache in my chest I wasn’t prepared for.

“I think it might,” I admitted softly. “But I’m not sure how.” I uttered a little less confidently as Reid’s hand found mine across the table and his thumb began tracing small circles on my palm.

“We don’t have to figure it all out tonight. We have time, Lil.” He whispered in a low drawl.

The rest of dinner passed by in a blur of meaningful glances and not-so-accidental touches. When his fork strayed to my plate to steal a bite of my risotto, his fingers brushed my wrist in a caress that felt deliberate and intimate. My heart raced whenever he touched me and somehow, I’d become that person seeking out brief moments of connection with him—testing to see our reactions. It was a game of cat and mouse and at this moment I wasn’t sure who was being chased and who was about to be caught but my body wanted more of whateverwas happening. As the minutes passed by and we had finally finished dessert, the tension between us had built to an almost unbearable level. Reid’s heated gaze had me locked in a trance that had me melting in a pile by his side. I was desperate and horny and if he didn’t break that eye contact soon, I was worried I’d jump him right here without a care that anyone from the town could potentially have a front view seat. I wasn’t that kind of woman though. I knew Reid had a past and one that had made him retreat into himself. I had to go steady even if it ended up causing a tortuous pull as the end result would certainly be worth the wait.

“Ready to go?” Reid asked after paying the bill, once again refusing my offer to split it. I nodded, unable to formulate any words as my mouth dried up with the uptake of nerves flowing through my body on the potential of what would happen next. Last time, he’d kissed my cheek at my door—a gentlemanly end to the night but also confusing and crushing my thoughts in one moment. This wasn’t an act anymore, was it? This was something else entirely.

Outside on Main Street all was quiet apart from just a few people strolling around the town square. Reid’s hand found mine as we walked toward my apartment, our fingers intertwining naturally as if they’d always belonged together.

“I had a good time tonight,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence that had fallen between us as we walked at a slow, gradual pace.

“Me too,” he replied, giving my hand a gentle squeeze and sending butterflies straight to my stomach. “Better than the first time.” He chuckled.

“How so?” I questioned him as he halted and turned to face me under the soft glow of a streetlamp. “Because this time it was real, Lilian. No act. No pretence.”

The sincerity in his voice made my heart race instantly as he reached out to adjust the collar of my jacket, his fingers brushing against the sensitive skin of my neck in a touch that felt unbearably intimate. I closed my eyes at the sensation, parting my lips as I breathed in the moment and recalled it to my memory as I leaned into his touch without meaning to. When I opened my eyes again, Reid was watching me with an expression that made my knees weak desire mingled with something softer, something that looked dangerously close to affection. Before I could process what was happening, he was leaning in, and then his lips were on mine.

Unlike our other kisses—this kiss was different from the start. There was no hesitation, no uncertainty. It was about the two of us and nothing else mattered. An unleashed moment when two souls finally realized they were meant to be. Reid’s mouth moved against mine with confidence and hunger and I responded with equal fervor, my hands finding their way to his chest, feeling the solid warmth of him beneath his shirt as I gasped for air whenever I could. His arm wrapped around my waist, drawing me closer until there was no space between us. The two of us connected as if nothing else mattered but us—right now in this moment. The kiss deepened, becoming more urgent and I heard myself make a soft sound as his hand tangled in my hair. Everything around us—the street, the distant sound of the bay, the occasional passing car—faded away until there was nothing but this moment, nothing but us.

Reid kept me close, resting his forehead against mine as we tried to gather our senses, his eyes, when they met mine, were dark with desire but also tender in a way that made my heart ache.

“We can’t keep pretending this is just a dare,” he said, his voice rough. “Not anymore. Lil.”

“No,” I agreed, my fingers still clutching the fabric of his shirt, unwilling to let go. Scared that if I did that I’d wake up and this would all have been a dream—scrap nightmare. “We can’t.”

“So where does that leave us?” he asked, a vulnerability in his voice I’d never heard before or I think anyone else would have before. A guy like Reid Belgrave didn’t show any exposure in his emotions or feelings—it left them open to be attacked and unguarded by the opposition to be hurt.

“I don’t know exactly. But I want to find out.” I admitted after I took a deep breath and gathered my courage.

A slow smile spreads across his face, transforming his features in that way that still made my heart skip a beat. “Me too,” he murmured, before leaning in to kiss me again, gentler this time but no less intense.

As we stood there on the moonlit street, wrapped in each other’s arms, I knew with certainty that what had started as a simple dare had become something neither of us had anticipated but that now seemed inevitable. Whatever happened next there would be no more pretending, no more hiding behind the convenience of a forfeit or a challenge.

This—us—was real. And it was terrifying and exhilarating all at once.

CHAPTER 6

Reid

I was a fool…how could I have made this amazing smart woman question that she was only ever worthy of fake dating me?

Her best friend Paisley had a lot to answer for…

I know National Dare Day was her thing… her joy but something like this could be detrimental to a person and their mental health potential if it all went wrong.

Lilian Raeflower was the full package. She was everything I dreamed about wanting in a woman but since I had split with my ex-fiancée Alexandra, I’d shot myself down and refused to let anyone in making out I was the problem.

It had led to a line of women throwing themselves at me since I arrived at Starlight Bay and the whole reason behind why I had decided to agree to this pact and dare in the first place. I thought deeply about that and knew that Paisley and I needed to have a conversation about this at some point and the impact that this could have potentially had. I knew she probably hadn’t even thought about the impact and would hate to know I had hidden my secret about my past. She was one of the kindestpeople around and being Lilian’s best friend would never want to intentionally hurt a soul so I know this will devastate her.

The thing was she would have the two of us to guide and support her moving forward. The one truth though that had come from all this was that I had vowed that I would ensure that Lilian knew how much she meant to me even if it meant me having to deal with the not so easy parts of my past.

This woman deserved all of me—not just the shell.

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