Dare Me
Chapter Eight

"You've got to be kidding."

Summer looked up at the massive black horse that towered over her petite frame. She chewed on her thumbnail, considering if he'd eat her or just throw her off with a shake of his head.

Rafe grinned and patted her denim-clad rear. The light touch burned right through the fabric and tingled. "You'll be fine, sweetheart. Clyde is made for beginners, gentle as anything. Come on, I'll help you up." Her head tilted all the way back with a touch of panic. "How? Gonna throw me in the air and hope I hit the saddle?"

Rafe shook his head and dragged over the step stool. She climbed up with shaky legs and he helped her slide onto the horse's back. Clutching the saddle horn, he adjusted her stirrups and showed her to hold the reins, firmly but with a light touch.

"Just remember, you're the boss. Treat him kindly, but if he gives you attitude, pull back on the reins so he knows who's in charge. Sound familiar?"

She glowered at him, but he threw back his head and laughed. "Very funny."

Summer watched with hungry eyes as he strode over to his own mount and climbed up on the saddle. The faded jeans cupped his rear like a gift, and the short-sleeved, button-down green shirt emphasized the golden glints in his dark eyes. Old, battered work boots clad his feet. He was mouth-watering and delicious, reminding her of those old Western movies where the men were crude, rude, and a bit dirty. She loved his hard edge, and the way he'd allowed himself to surrender to her that night.

"Follow me on the trail. Clyde knows the way. When we go downhill, lean back and kick your feet out a bit in the stirrups. When we go up, lean forward. Got it?"

"Can we go hiking instead?" "You'll have fun. Promise."

He took off on a slow, leisurely gait and Summer held her breath for the first few minutes. But Clyde was steady, and soon she began to relax, enjoying the scenery around her. The majestic mountains towered and squeezed around her. Colors exploded in her sight, from the red rocks to the sweep of azure sky to the scattered green brush. The sound of the horses' hooves on the trail rose to her ears, and Summer breathed in the hot, dusty air, enjoying the burn of the sun on her face that she'd never complain about in Vegas.

"I'd never pictured you riding a horse," she called out, swaying side to side with Clyde. "Aren't you from Jersey?"

"I'm an animal lover. Pop took us horseback riding on vacation one year and I fell in love. I took a bunch of lessons. Think if I lived on a farm, I'd buy my own horse. I've been coming out here to Dusty's Ranch on a regular basis. Thought you'd appreciate it."

"Now that I'm over my terror, I kind of like it. It's peaceful."

"Something about being on a horse gets you out of your own head, you know? I feel more connected. Part of something bigger. Afraid I'm gonna break into song?"

She giggled and he turned around and gave her a wink. She liked this side to Rafe; he was fun and knew how to tease. Summer imagined him kicking back with his brothers, his face relaxed as they bantered back and forth. "You think you can scare me with that threat? I was the lead in my school play."

"What was it?"

"Mama Mia."

"You win. I'm scared."

She stuck out her tongue, but his chuckle said he'd caught the gesture.

They rode through rocky trails and hills at a leisurely pace, a comfortable silence surrounding them. "How long have you been a teacher?" he asked curiously.

"Four years."

"Do you wish you had studied a different career? You said your parents pushed you into teaching."

Summer tilted her head, considering. "I was interested in a lot, especially the fine arts. Painting was a hobby of mine. I loved acting and dancing, which is how I got the lead in a lot of my school plays. But my parents wanted me to have security and a job that brought honor. Since I'm needle phobic, and can't stand law, it left teaching. Looking back, I don't regret that decision. I like helping my students, and making a difference. I like who I am when I'm teaching." "You seemed very good with that little girl. Hannah? Did you ever replace out why she wasn't doing her homework?"

Summer sighed. "Yes, her mom finally told me. Her dad is military and had to go on leave. Seems Hannah is going through separation anxiety."

Rafe's shoulders stiffened. After the heartbreaking story he'd shared with her, she bet he understood exactly what that family would be experiencing. "People forget it's not just the servicemen who suffer. Wives, siblings, children. It affects them all."

"What about you, Rafe? Do you regret enlisting after what happened?"

The horses came to an open dry field and Rafe brought them to a stop. Tugging on the reigns, he turned the horse around and faced her. The jolt of his inky eyes meeting hers made her heart pause, then gallop like a thoroughbred. "No. I learned early on each piece of our lives connects to another. Somehow, even with the shit, I believe it all happened for a reason. I hated losing Ben. Hated how getting that stupid medal made me feel. But I also know in the big picture, I'd end up doing it all over again because that's how it has to be."

Summer stared at his beautiful face. He was so much more than she'd ever expected. A brave, kind man who'd been bent but not broken. A man who believed in faith and a higher purpose. The kind of man she wanted in her life.

Her throat tightened and she smiled. "I'm glad, too. Because now you're here with me."

A startled look crossed his features. Then he smiled back, and Summer wondered if you could fall in love with someone in a moment.

***

"My ass hurts."

Rafe slid his gaze over her gorgeous, lush rear currently placed on the picnic bench. He'd tried to tempt her to a five-star dinner with wine and French cuisine. She'd spotted a taco food truck and begged him to stop, and now they feasted on the best frikkin tacos he'd ever had, accompanied by slaw, rice, beans, and washed down with Coca Cola.

Pure heaven.

"I can help you with that problem," he offered. "A good rubdown at my place?"

"Is that a proposition?" she teased.

"I'd rather term it a seduction. So much more pleasurable for both of us."

"Perhaps." Her gaze raked over his figure. "Perhaps having you chained and naked at my feet would be my preferred form of seduction." Suddenly, her innocent, good-girl persona drifted away and he was faced with a woman who knew exactly what she wanted and how to get it. Sex practically oozed from her pores. Demand glinted from her blue eyes. His cock hardened, and breath strangled his lungs. Rafe fought the urge to bow his head in front of her, drop to his knees, and offer his body for her use.

"That could work, too," he managed.

Her slow smile promised heaven and a bit of hell. "Would you like to come back to my place and play with me?"

He knew what the invitation meant. Rafe would be under her direction. Her rules. The thought of another evening like they'd experienced caused the blood to rush to both heads so fast the world tilted. "Yes."

"Finish your tacos. Then we'll go."

"Yes, Summer."

Her pleased nod wracked him with anticipation. They quickly finished and drove to her house, a pretty, white-trimmed cape cod on a tree-lined street. It was exactly as he'd pictured her house. Small, neat, and simple, with a front porch, postage stamp lawn, and the bright spill of flowers hanging from various hooks.

Inside, it was more of the same. A cheery yellow kitchen with stainless steel appliances led to the right, and the left was a powder blue living room with comfortable white furniture, patterned throw pillows, and bookcases overflowing with books. The place smelled like coconut. Braided rugs tossed on hardwood floors gave the impression of a beachy cottage filled with warmth.

"I love your place," he commented.

She grabbed two bottles of water from the refrigerator and walked to his side. "Thanks. I don't need much but I love the privacy of a house rather than a condo."

"Yeah, I can see why. I love my condo for convenience but being smashed between neighbors and a constant flow of traffic gets old. I was thinking about upgrading to a house."

Summer handed him a bottle of water. He took a sip. "I like the idea of making you scream without anyone around to hear."

And just like that, they flicked the switch.

He stilled. Looked at her. Dressed in jeans, Keds, and a yellow cotton shirt, she shouldn't look dangerous. But she did. She looked like she could feast on him whole, and his body trembled in response.

"Do you remember your safe word, Rafe?" she drawled.

"Blackjack."

"Very good. Now, would you like me to change into a more appropriate outfit?"

He swallowed. Rafe doubted he could wait that long. He ached to have her naked and available as quickly as possible. "No. I think you're perfect just as you are."

She considered his answer, then nodded. "Thank you. But from now on when I ask you a question, you will say, 'Whatever pleases you, Summer.""

"Okay."

"Say it."

He stiffened. Why was his heart beating so fast? She wasn't dressed in leather and stilettos? Yet, he realized now it didn't matter. It was like slipping on a cloak, she shimmered with demand and arrogance. She was a true Mistress. His Mistress.

"Whatever pleases you, Summer."

"Very nice." Her voice poured over him like warm, sticky honey. "I'd like you to go into my bedroom. First door on the right at the top of the stairs. Take off all your clothes. Then kneel in front of the bed and wait for me."

Arousal twisted his belly. The command was clear, but still he hesitated, caught between wanting to obey and knowing in his head it was crazy to take orders from a woman. Why did he like it so much? Why wasn't he more like his brothers? Her voice struck like a Scorpion's sting. "Have you decided to safe word?"

"No."

"Then I suggest you obey my order before you earn a punishment."

The threat only got him more turned on. "Summer, I don't think "

"That's the problem. Your job is not to think. Your job is to do what I say, when I say it. I'll give you one last time to obey. Go upstairs, take off your clothes, and kneel."

Rafe dragged in a breath and let his body win the war. Need burned deep within him. If he walked away without touching her, fucking her, claiming her, he'd shatter.

Rafe went upstairs. Her bedroom was a soothing green like the spill of an Irish meadow. He took off his clothes and laid them on the back of a white rocker. Squeezing his eyes shut, he knelt on the rug in front of the door and waited. He heard the creak of floorboards. The uneven harshness of his breathing. The hum of the air conditioner. Time slowly ticked by, and anticipation cranked up notch-by-notch, until his skin tingled and every sound pricked at his ears. Finally, he caught her scent.

Rafe's eyes opened.

He ached to look at her, but instinct veered his gaze downward. She walked slowly around him, her fingers tousling his hair, sliding across his shoulders. "Beautiful," she murmured. Her nails raked down his spine and he fought a shiver. "You are like every sexual fantasy come to life for me, Rafe Steele. I want to do some very wicked things to you. I want to make you come so hard you won't have another rational thought for hours. Would you like that?" "Yes, Summer." His voice felt like a croak, but she kept touching him, and it felt so fucking good.

"Rise, please."

He stood up. She was inches shorter than him without her boots, but her command of his space was total. She brought his chin up, forcing him to look at her. "Kiss me."

With a groan, he lowered his head and took her mouth. Tongue thrusting deep into the silky, wet cave, he plundered and drank her sweet taste until his hands fisted at his sides in desperate need to touch her. But he held back, knowing she hadn't given him permission yet.

Summer took everything he gave, kissing him back with wild abandon. When she broke the kiss, her lips were swollen and her blue eyes glassy with lust. His cock surged and he leaned in, ready to grab and take what he wanted, but managed to battle back the impulse and stay still.

"Very nice," she purred. "You're learning, baby. Undress me."

He divested her of clothes with quick, economical movements, not wanting to be teased anymore. She allowed him full reign, until she stood naked, her bare pussy lips gleaming with moisture. Hard, red nipples poking at him in demand. "May I touch you, Summer?"

"Yes. Touch and suck my breasts."

He stroked her beautiful curves, his thumb tweaking her nipples, playing with the peaks until they were so sensitive, she shuddered each time he grazed one. Pinching a bit harder, he finally lowered his head and sucked on her nipples. Biting, licking, nibbling, he spent long, long minutes pleasuring her breasts, until her fingers tangled in his hair and dragged him away.

Her skin gleamed with wetness. Her breath came in tiny pants. Satisfaction cut through him, loving how he was able to affect her. "Please give me more, Summer," he begged. "Let me lick your pussy."

She stepped away, control seeping back to her voice. "Not yet. Lie on the bed, please. Hands over your head. Feet spread apart."

Rafe wanted to argue, but excitement flared in his gut, pushing him to obey. When he was positioned on the bed, he heard a drawer open, then the clink of metal. "I'm going to handcuff you to the bed, Rafe. These are safety cuffs and can be pulled apart, but if you panic, use your safe word. Tell me what it is again."

"Blackjack."

"Say it and I'll stop immediately. Are you okay?"

"Yes, Summer."

"Very good." She fastened the cuff and attached them to the bedpost, checking the fit. "Are these too tight?"

"No, Summer."

She did the other hand and then knelt on the bed in between his spread knees. His dick was so hard; it throbbed for the wet heat of her mouth.

"You are so gorgeous, spread-eagled for me, ready for me to pleasure you," she said. "Tell me what you want me to do to you."

His breath shuddered in his chest. "Whatever pleases you, Summer."

"You deserve a reward for that. I'm going to suck your cock now. You are not allowed to come."

And then she lowered her mouth and took him fully inside.

Rafe groaned. Pulled at the cuffs as the sharp waves of pleasure cut through him. God, her mouth was so hot, wet, and tight. She didn't bother teasing him or with foreplay, no, this was about pushing him straight to the edge, as her tongue swirled the tip, dragged down the underside, and her throat opened to took his full length. He fucked her mouth, writhing on the bed as the climax came hurtling at him, poised on the edge.

"I'm gonna come!"

She scraped the edge of her teeth over his cock and stars exploded in his eyes. "Don't come, baby. Not till I say."

He gritted his teeth and held on. By the time she released him, sweat beaded his skin, and his vision fogged with need. A wicked, satisfied laugh escaped her lips, and she shimmied up her body, straddling his face, her pussy open and waiting for him. "Suck my pussy, Rafe."

"Oh, God, yes."

Her taste was pure heaven. Spicy and musky, he lapped at her labia, circling her hard clit with the tip of his tongue but no more. He teased her mercilessly, until her hips rotated and she was fucking his face, asking for more, and Rafe gave it to her, plunging his tongue into her pussy, working his lips against her swollen lips, over and over.

Her sweet cries and the desperate way she ground against him told him she was at the edge, and Rafe went crazy with the need to make her come all over him. He grasped her clit between his teeth, teasing both sides, then sucked hard. Summer exploded. With a groan of satisfaction, he took it all, shuddering on the brink of his own orgasm, until her shuddering body finally withdrew and she collapsed on top of him.

He pulled at the handcuffs, frantic to throw her on her back and fuck her senseless, but the restraints made his arousal climb higher.

"Please, Summer," he groaned. "Please fuck me."

"Yes, baby, yes. You've been so good." She quickly fit him with a condom, climbed on top of his body, and sunk him deep into her channel. "Take me. Take it all."

She rode him fast and hard, like a wild mare on a stallion, taking more of her pleasure with no apology. Rafe bucked underneath, sinking deeper into her tight channel, her arousal soaking his dick as they fell into animal-like mating with bites and scratches and raw lust, fucking until his balls tightened up, and he came hard, spilling his seed into the condom while his body jerked frantically in violent pleasure.

The orgasm went on so long, Rafe felt like it was two for one, and he wondered if it was possible to die from such an agonizing and complete release.

Time blurred. She uncuffed him, laying on top of his chest, her wild hair spilling across his cheek. They rested. Breathed together.

Darkness fell around them, bringing sleep and a deep-seated peace Rafe had never experienced before.

He slept.