The Dare (The Bet #3)(33)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

"A taste test." Her arms wrapped around me, which meant we were chest to chest, her softness against every plane on my body.

"I like tasting." My mouth collided with hers before I could form another thought. I wasn’t sure if I leaned in or she leaned in, or if I was seriously hallucinating from being drugged by Grandma.

In that moment. I didn’t want to be honorable. I really wanted to be a manwhore like Jake. I wanted to be the guy who didn’t apologize all the freaking time. I didn’t want to be the stuffy US senator, who half of the state hated. I didn’t want to have to worry about someone watching me, or ruining my reputation.

I just wanted to have her.

And I was selfish enough to want to take her any way I could — even if that meant that I’d be giving her nothing in return. It made me the worst type of man to willingly walk into something, knowing that I wasn’t going to stay. I may not be lying to her about my actions. But I knew that actions helped people form opinions, and my actions would lead her to believe I wanted more than the next few days — and that was the last thing I could afford. A relationship past the few days we had.

"Sorry to break this little love scene up," our guide said from the shore. "But if we’re going to make it back in time for your dinner reservation, you gotta wrap this here up. How much longer you need? Five? Maybe ten minutes?"

I jerked away from Beth and grumbled, "Five minutes? Really, man?"

"At least thirty." Beth winked, bless her heart. "But we’d have to charge for the show, so we may as well get out now."

"Damn, I would have liked a little show," another voice chimed in from behind us.

I slowly turned to see the giant hairy man who, no doubt had a giant hairy spider like Frank as a pet. He was grinning from ear to ear. And again, arousal disappeared faster than it had appeared in the first place.

"We’ll just be going now." Beth grabbed my arm.

"Turn around," I snapped at the man who was still watching.

He laughed.

"I will drown you."

He stood to his full height of at least seven feet.

Gulping I pointed. "I will die trying to drown you."

He smirked but finally turned around, giving Beth a chance to jump out of the water and put on her clothes.

"Nice," she whispered, while I threw on my shirt and jeans.

"What?"

"You threatening a man three times your size."

"Let’s not exaggerate." I snorted. "He’s like twice my size. "

"Whatever helps you sleep at night."

"Let’s go!" our guide yelled from his perch on the rock.

"Shit, shit!" I called.

"What are you doing?"

I grinned. "Calling my donkey."

Donkey, the bad ass, rounded the corner and hee-hawed.

Beth patted my shoulder. "You do realize you’re riding a donkey, and you’re a democrat, right? And you yell shit shit instead of his name?"

"Admit it." I elbowed her. "If you were undecided, you would totally vote for me if I had a donkey named Shit."

"I would. If I was undecided," she admitted.

"See?"

"But, sorry, Senator. I’m a republican."

"What?"

"Let’s go!" the guide yelled again.

"Well, shit."

Hee-haw!

Chapter Eighteen

"You say that the senator was… peaked?" The agent cleared his throat. "In what way?"

Grandma examined her nails. "In the same way you are when you lust over that blond agent who cuffed me."

"You’re good."

"I’m Grandma." She beamed.

"We should send you to North Korea."

"Lovely people." Grandma nodded. "Just lovely."

Beth

Okay, so it’s possible I wasn’t really a republican. I was undecided. I was one of those people who hated making other people angry, so I just shrugged and told them I didn’t pick sides. Which pissed people off even more because they said I had no backbone. But really, I hated that type of confrontation, and whenever the topic of politics was brought up, there was usually arguing, yelling, or both.

The ride back to the hotel was quiet.

Well, except for the donkey.

Hey, was it my fault I kept saying shit?

The poor thing hee-hawed himself hoarse, and I was pretty sure that Jace was ready to make a donkey sacrifice by the time we got back to the resort.

We only had a few minutes to change, so I took another quick shower, scrunched my hair, and threw on a white strapless sundress with tan wedge sandals. The packet Dr. Z had given us said that the only time we could express ourselves via different clothing was at dinner and on excursions. I took that and ran with it. I was already tired of my stupid linen pants and white shirt.

"Ready?" I breezed into the room, looking for Jace.

He was outside, leaning against the privacy fence, watching the ocean. His muscled back was to me, and it looked like he was smoking a cigar.

Holy Thor.

That was going to be my new curse word. Oh my Thor. Holy Thor. Good Thor! Yeah, I could get a lot of use out of that one.

His muscles rippled under the sun, and I may have swooned a bit on my feet as I watched, like the creepy boring person I was.

How the heck had boring-old-me convinced him to play the fairytale? Thank Thor, he did.

By my calculations I only had five days left.

Five days of him. And then reality.

So I watched, longer than was appropriate. And when he puffed on the cigar and blew out the smoke, I tasted his tongue on my lips.

People were rarely that good looking in person. Most actors were short, male models were skinnier than me, but Jace? He was every inch just as gorgeous, if not more so, in person.

Maybe when it came to Jace, I wouldn’t be undecided, I’d probably march into the voting cubicle and freaking break the pencil while I checked the box by his name.

"Ready?" he said without turning around.

I nodded.

Idiot. He couldn’t see me.

He turned.

His six-pack winked.

I waved.

"Beth?" Jace’s eyebrows drew together in concern.

"Yes." I steered my eyes away from Jace’s abs and managed to look him in the eyes. "I’m ready. Grab a shirt, and we’ll get going."

"You don’t want me shirtless?"

"No." I laughed. "I don’t want to cause other women to fantasy cheat on their significant others. It would hardly be fair to the other men there to have you shirtless."

Red stained his cheeks before he quickly pulled a white t-shirt over his muscled chest.