Page 35 of Dare to Need

Garth’s warm chuckle danced over my skin as his bright smile—that I hadn’t seen in too long—shimmered in the candle light.

“My mom always says there’s nothing that good food can’t fix.”

“Remind me to tell her how right she is.” I took another spoonful of the dessert and tried not to let my eyes roll into the back of my head as I slipped the spoon into my mouth.

The last hour and a half was a reminder of what once was. We’d both let the troubles of the past week slide away while we just enjoyed one another. Conversation flowed without the pressures of sorrow and pain. We talked about his time in New York with Lucas and Samson. How they were always finding ways to get into trouble.

I pushed the plate of dessert away for fear that if I took one more bite, the seams of my dress would burst, leaving me bare for the entire restaurant to see.

“Done already?” Garth tilted his head to the side, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

“I don’t think I could take one more bite.” I sank into the back of the chair.

As I watched Garth finish his own dessert with infatuation, fluttering thoughts of our earlier conversation ran through my mind. “I still can’t believe your friend tricked you into attending a live sex show. I didn’t even know that kind of thing was legal outside of Amsterdam.”

He took a sip of his red wine, that smirk still tugging at his perfect lips. “Julian had a wicked sense of humor that often got him in trouble. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to be sure.”

Chewing on the insides of my cheek, I battled with asking the question that kept popping into my mind.

Curiosity won. Probably due to the two glasses of wine now swimming through my veins. “What was it like?”

That smirk turned dangerously mischievous as his eyes shifted in the warm glow of the candle light from a deep green to a striking steel gray. I swallowed hard as he leaned forward, his elbows propped up on the table as he stroked his chin with one hand.

“Arousing.”

Maybe it was the wine. Or the sinfully rich dessert that had my head dizzy. But as Garth dropped his hand to the rim of his empty wine glass and stroked the edge with his middle finger, I knew it washimthat was making the room spin with lustful desire. It was that single word spoken from lips that had caressed every inch of my body that made my core tighten and my legs shake with the need to run out of this restaurant so I could devour him whole.

My tongue darted out between my dry lips and I didn’t know where I found the courage to ask him, “Have you ever?”

He smirked. “Curious, are you?”

I shrugged with one shoulder, a coy smile painted across my bright red lips.

With a flick of his finger, I saw our waiter from the corner of my eye head toward our table.

“How can I be of service?” he asked, directing the question toward Garth.

Without taking his steel gray eyes off me, he said, “Please place our meal on the Walker Corporation account.”

“Yes, sir.” The waiter nodded before he walked off.

“Where are we going?” I whispered across the table.

“I’m going to give you what we both know you want.”

I gulped hard as I watched Garth rise from his chair and for the first time, I saw a power radiate from him in a way that commanded everyone’s attention in the room. I could feel the eyes of the other patrons looking toward him—getting their fill of this new version of him thatIhadn’t even seen before. Maybe a part of me always knew that the overwhelming sense of dominance was humming just below his cool exterior.

I placed my trembling hand in his as I rose from my chair, wondering ifIwas powerful enough to stand by him. My heart sank from insecurity and fluttered with excitement at the same time. Part of me wanted nothing more than to relive the past hour and a half as though the last fifteen seconds had never happened. That Garth was getting back to his normal self and we could move past the tragedy of his father’s ailing health. But the other part of me—and maybe even the more curious part—wanted to push the boundaries with him. To see exactly who he’d become when he let go of all the self-loathing and judgment. To witness the full extent of his power.

We strode through the doors into the electric nightlife of New York City. My heart galloped through my chest as Garth whirled me into his arms and kissed me. It wasn’t the soft, tender kisses I was so used to. It was wild and unhinged. As though he were trying to steal the very breath from my lungs. And I fell into him and that kiss like it was the only thing tethering me to the ground. Notes of berries and chocolate still lingered on his tongue as he explored every inch of my mouth with expert precision.

When I felt him pull away slightly, I moaned as his teeth sank into my bottom lip. Then he pulled hard before my lip popped back. The shock of it shot through me like an arrow, bringing a sudden clarity to the current of need rushing through me. Garth’s eyes were like a violent storm of heady lust as I brought my finger tips up to my bottom lip.

“Did it hurt?” His words were laced with concern, though that storm in his eyes raged on.

It took me a moment to decipher exactly what I’d felt. Yes, there was a little bit of pain when he’d pulled away, but it felt…good.

I grabbed the lapels of his jacket and leaned up on my tiptoes, then I nipped at his lower lip just as he had done to me. “Yes,” I murmured against his lips. “But I liked it.”

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