Fearless (Pier 70 #2) (9 page)

Dare’s gaze slowly raked over Noah’s body, but the words that followed belied the heat in his eyes. “I don’t think I’ll have a problem.”

“Is that a dare?” Noah asked.

“What? You think you can refrain from wanting to run your hands over this?” Dare motioned toward his own body. “I don’t think you have it in you.”

Noah shrugged. “Do you still snore?”

Dare snorted. “I never did snore. That was you.”

“Right. Me.”

Dare held out his hand. “Shake on it. Seven days. Roughly one hundred and sixty-eight hours. We’re just two guys sharing a cabin. And you’re not allowed to touch.”

The guy always had been really good at math, although he pretended not to be.

“It sounds to me like you want me to touch.” Noah took a step closer, the heat of their bodies colliding between them as their palms clasped.

“Not a chance.” Dare’s voice wavered slightly.

Noah leaned in, his cheek brushing Dare’s as he moved close to his ear. “We’ll see about that.”

While they were still standing close, Noah shook Dare’s hand, sealing the deal.

Why did he get the distinct feeling he was also sealing his fate once again?

Eight

Rather than tempt fate, Dare escaped to his cabin, leaving Noah out on the deck. He could still feel the warmth of Noah’s breath against his cheek, and his dick twitched to life once again.

The man made his body hum and he didn’t like it one damn bit.

Okay, he liked it a little.

A lot.

Yes. A fucking lot.

Not that it mattered.

Despite the fact that he’d managed to call a truce with Noah, Dare had a hard time envisioning them making it through this trip intact. If it weren’t for the fact he’d promised to be on his best behavior, he likely would’ve called Noah to the carpet.

A big kid.

He’d show Noah.

He was not a fucking kid. Not any part of him.

So what if he wanted to have fun. Life was too damn short and full of too much shit to fret over the little things.

A knock sounded on his door and Dare sat there, expecting Noah to come in.

“Noah? Dare? Are you in there?”

That wasn’t Noah.

Launching himself off the bed, Dare reached for the door and pulled it open, finding Milly standing in the hall, smiling back at him.

She was holding two suit bags.

“Your tuxes for the wedding,” she told him, holding them out for him to take. “Figured you could keep them safe in here until then. Is Noah here?”

Dare shook his head as he took the hangers that were hooked over her hand. He hung them on the mirror over the vanity.

“Did you talk to him tonight?” Milly asked when she followed him into the cabin.

“For a minute.”

“And?”

“And what?” Dare turned to face her.

Milly’s hands went to her hips and she cocked her head to the side. “Sit down.”

Dare sat.

“Honest to God, I had no idea that you two knew each other. If I’d known…”

Dare knew that grin. It was one that Gannon feared, and Dare was beginning to understand why.

“If you’d known…?” he prompted.

“I would’ve asked a million questions.”

“Like?”

“Like how the two of you know each other.”

“It’s a long story.” He didn’t elaborate, hoping she would let it go.

“It’s a long trip,” she countered. “And I’ve got wine.”

“I don’t drink wine,” he told her.

“Well, I can get beer.”

Dare shook his head. He didn’t need anything clouding his mind more than it already was.

“So, spill it.” Milly hopped up onto the twin bed that Noah had taken for himself.

“It was a long time ago,” he explained, not wanting to go into it.

“You dated?”

“Yeah.” They’d dated.

“For how long?”

“Twenty-five months.”

“Wow. That was specific. So, why’d y’all break up?”

Dare shrugged. He seriously had no desire to talk about this with her. Or anyone, for that matter.

“You’re the one who got away, aren’t you?”

Dare spun around to face her. “What are you talking about?”

Milly smiled. “I always suspected someone had slipped through Noah’s fingers at one point.”

“Why do you figure that?”

“Because I’ve tried numerous times to set him up. He insists he’s not interested.”

“Doesn’t mean someone slipped through his fingers.” That was absurd.

“No, but the fact he said so does.”

Dare didn’t know if Milly was baiting him or not, but he refused to play into her hands. He appreciated her good intentions, but the last thing he wanted was to go back in time. He wasn’t the same guy he’d been when he and Noah were together. Though he didn’t think Noah thought as much.

It was true, though. He wasn’t looking for the same things in life anymore. He had a dream job, a small but decent place to live, he saw his grandmother all the time, he’d managed to gain himself a dog, although he’d never wanted a dog, and he wasn’t looking for a happily ever after. Very different than nineteen-year-old Dare.

And above all else, he didn’t want to talk about his past.

Desperate to change the subject, Dare asked, “So how’d your dad meet his mother?”

“Some work function.” Milly pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “Noah’s mother works as an administrator for the fire department. My father is an arson investigator.”

Well, that made sense, but it didn’t explain about Noah’s father. “And Noah’s dad?”

Milly’s eyes softened. “His dad died when he was twenty-three. Car accident. My dad was the first man his mother dated after that, but that wasn’t until years later.”

Dare hoped he was successful in hiding his surprise. If Noah’s father had died when he was twenty-three… That was how old Noah had been when the two of them had broken up.

Suddenly, the door opened and Noah stepped inside, his eyes sliding to Milly, then Dare, then back again.

“Hey,” Milly greeted him. “We were just talking about you.”

“No, we weren’t,” Dare blurted, shaking his head adamantly.

He was surprised when Noah smiled. “Talking about how handsome I am?”

Dare narrowed his eyes. “No. As a matter of fact, we were talkin’ about how your eyes nearly bugged out of your head when you saw me naked earlier.”

“You saw him naked?” Milly exclaimed, clapping her hands like one of those kids back at the rock wall. “Tell me everything.”

Noah huffed a laugh. “His nipples are pierced.”

Dare felt his face heat.

“I already knew that.” She glanced at Noah. “He chooses to walk around shirtless most of the time. But”—her voice lowered as she looked back at him—“is your penis pierced like Cam’s?”

Dare tried not to choke, but he couldn’t help it. “No needles have ever touched my … err…”

“Damn,” Milly huffed, clearly disappointed. “I’ve been begging Cam to let me see his, but he refuses.”

Noah and Dare both laughed. Dare couldn’t blame Cam one bit.

“Mark my words,” Milly announced, getting to her feet. “One day I will see that man’s penis.”

“Quote of the day,” Noah noted.

“Well, I guess I’ll leave you two boys to it. Let you get naked and whatnot. I’ll be in my cabin if you need me.”

Dare tried to come up with a reason to ask her to stay, but he came up empty. The last thing he needed was Milly trying to pry into their past while Noah was in the cabin with them.

“Oh, and we’re having breakfast in the morning. Be there by nine. Dressed,” she said with a wink. “Ta-ta for now. Sweet dreams.”

“Night,” Dare called after her, looking at anything he could to keep from looking at Noah.

And when the door closed behind her, the tiny cabin felt even smaller. If that was even possible.

Noah willingly walked into burning buildings, but stepping farther into this cabin with Dare was the most difficult thing he’d ever done. Although they’d called a truce, he wasn’t sure how to proceed from here. Finding Milly there had been a welcome surprise, but she’d disappeared too quickly. As soon as she’d stepped into the hall, the awkward tension returned.

Dare moved over to his suitcase, unzipped it, and reached inside without looking.

It didn’t pass his notice that Dare hadn’t bothered to unpack. Whether that was because he wanted to be prepared to flee if necessary or if he was simply the same messy man he’d always been, Noah wasn’t sure. It took everything in him not to unpack for him and put Dare’s clothes where they belonged.

But that wasn’t his place. Plus, he wasn’t that obsessive.

Okay, yes, he was. But he was going to refrain.

Maybe.

“I’m gonna shower.” Dare retrieved his clothes from his suitcase, then shoved it back in the corner.

Knowing the statement didn’t require a comment, Noah kept his mouth shut. And when the door closed behind Dare, he did his best not to think of the man naked in the shower, the hot water sluicing over all of that bronzed skin. Those pierced nipples…

Damn. He should’ve gotten laid before he’d come on this trip. It probably would’ve made things a little easier. As it was, his dick was painfully erect, and he had no way of relieving the tension until he managed to get a little privacy.

Figuring the safest thing for him to do was go to sleep, he pulled off his shoes and socks, followed by his jeans and his shirt, then yanked the blankets back on the hard twin bed before climbing in. He didn’t bother turning off the light, and once his head hit the pillow, he was too tired to get up again. Figuring Dare would take care of that when he was done with his shower, Noah closed his eyes.

A moment later, he heard the bathroom door slide open, and the scent of soap drifted into the room.

The cabin suddenly smelled like Dare. Musky, sexy. Not much different than what Noah remembered. He had always loved that about Dare. Although Noah was obsessive about most things, Dare was only obsessive about being clean and smelling good. He remembered how Dare used to shower morning and night, no matter what they had done that day.

“You asleep?”

“No,” Noah muttered, keeping his eyes closed.

“Too bad.”

The light went off and then the bed beside him rustled.

“Too bad, why?”

“Because I would’ve woken you up with my question.”

“And you don’t want me to sleep?” Noah asked, smiling to himself.

Same old Dare. Always needling him. Surprisingly, Noah found that he had missed it. A lot more than he was willing to admit.

Dare moved around loudly. “Shh. I’m trying to sleep.”

Noah laughed, then turned his head toward the bed Dare was in. The moonlight slipping through the sheer curtain over the window provided enough light for Noah to see by. Dare was nothing more than a lump in the bed, his sleek back the only thing Noah could see. He noticed ink scrolled across Dare’s shoulders, but in the darkness, the only word he could make out was regret.

Not for the first time, he wondered if Dare had any, but he wasn’t about to ask. Definitely not now. Instead, he released a breath, then closed his eyes again.

“Was it hard?” Dare asked.

“What?” Noah replied, his stomach clenching as he contemplated all the questions Dare might possibly ask.

“Your dick?”

Okay, so that wasn’t one of the questions he’d been anticipating.

“When I was in the shower,” Dare continued. “Did it make your dick hard? Were you thinking about me all … wet?”

Yes.
“No.” He hoped he sounded convincing.

“Liar.”

“I’m not lying,” Noah insisted.

There was more rustling, and Noah opened his eyes to see Dare lying on his back, hands behind his head, face tilted toward him. “Show me.”

“What?” Noah frowned. “You’re crazy.”

“If you’re dick’s not hard, prove it.”

“Why?” Okay, so
that
wasn’t what he’d meant to say.

“Thought so.”

“It wasn’t hard,” Noah lied.

“But it is now?”

“No,” he lied again.

He was hard as fucking granite and the more Dare spoke, the worse it got. The sexy rumble of Dare’s voice in the dark did something to him.

“But
you
are,” Noah countered, continuing to watch Dare.

“Not at all.”

Noah knew Dare was lying because he could see the sheet tented at Dare’s waist.

Fuck.

This was not a good idea.

He felt like a damn teenager. It reminded him of the time when he was sixteen and he’d had his first serious crush on his best friend, who he had learned months later had been crushing on him, too. Needless to say, they’d had some enjoyable sleepovers from that point forward.

Dare nodded. “Okay, yes. Hard as stone.” He held Noah’s gaze in the darkened room. “Wanna feel? With your mouth?”

Noah laughed, then rolled over, facing away from Dare. “Go to sleep, Dare.”