Page 59 of Dare You to See Me
“Thank you. This is completely unnecessary.”
He slowly sits down on my blue couch and he looks like he belongs there, with me tucked into his side.
“Oh but it is. Not only do I want to spoil you in every way you’ll let me, but I owe you an apology for acting like a major ass yesterday.” I shrug with a smile, making him laugh. “Open it.”
He proceeds to unbuckle and unclip and I set the bag down on the ottoman and begin pulling out the gobs of tissue paper.
The first thing I see is a package of marshmallows and chocolate bars. When I look at him with an obvious question in my eyes he says, “Just keep going.”
Underneath the marshmallows sits the softest blanket I’ve ever laid my hands on. Next are two hoodies with a logo that saysDare Inc.The large one is black with purple letters and the smaller one is light pink with bright pink letters.
“One is for you and the other is Dahlia’s. You two can decide who gets which.” A small shake of my head and I continue pulling out items.
A large bag of gummy bears makes my eyes grow wide and he adds, “Kyle may have told me you have a hankering for them.” Following that is a video game that has me thoroughly confused.
“Practice. For next time.”
“Ah. The race track. You think you can beat me?” I ask.
“Hopefully. That’s what the game is for. I plan to get so good that you’ll be left in my smoke and rubber.”
“We’ll see.”
The last item that sits at the bottom of the bag is a blue envelope. Carefully, like it’s a ticking time bomb, I pull it out and slide my finger under the flap to open it. A beautiful card with birds and flowers embossed in gold greets me. Inside it reads:
Soleil~
I may or may not have been a little bit of a jealous caveman, but I promise that’s not who I am…all the time. I apologize for how I responded, but you have captivated me and I can’t help but want to keep you as my own.
I think about you constantly. Your face invades my dreams. Your voice calls to me, and your smile –the way it shines– melts me. I don’t know if you feel even an inkling of this for me, but if you do, please give me another chance to make it right.
The items in this bag may not make much sense but look inside the envelope one more time and maybe it will become clearer.
On begging knees and pleading hands,
Malik
I gulp down a whole swirl of emotions and set the card down on top of the items that sit on my ottoman, then reach back inside the envelope. What I retrieve is a gold foil ticket that looks like the ones Willy Wonka passed out for his factory. I get all giddy inside when I read it.
Tears pool in my eyes with each word I read. He could’ve come over and given me a simple sorry and I most likely would have forgiven him on the spot. But I should’ve known that a man like Malik Dare wouldn’t do something so basic as a basic apology. And to add Dahlia in all of this makes it more swoon-worthy.
“You could’ve just said sorry. That would’ve been sufficient.” I take a step closer to him as he stands to his full height.
“That’s for men with no creativity. This is how a Dare brother apologizes. Completely over the top.” He has a crooked grin on his handsome face and it makes me want to kiss every inch of his body. “This is really wonderful of you. Thank you, and apology accepted.” I rise to my toes, bracing my hands on his shoulders, and move in for a chaste kiss on his lips.
The sparks come to life when our lips touch, and the gentle kiss that I thought I’d give him turns deep and hungry.
His hand comes to rest behind my head while his other arm bands around my waist, tugging me close and surprising me when I feel what sits between us. My eyes jolt wide, but he continues to kiss me with a smile pressing against me.
Our tongues meet and our twin moans set off a series of rapid fire events.
I dig my fingers into his thick hair, tugging at the strands.
He squeezes me tighter, lifting me off my feet.
My legs circle around his waist and my ankles lock behind him, clinging to him like he’s my anchor.
His hand lands on my ass and he palms it, squeezing and massaging.
