Dare You to Run Read Free

enjoyed pitting himself against the odds, but there were some things that a wise man just left alone. Like congressmen’s daughters.
    So why was he itching to find a reason to go back into that room?
    *   *   *
    Beans and rice had never tasted so good.
    Damascus shoved two steaming spoonfuls into her mouth before she managed to quell the urge to swallow the entire bowl without taking a breath. Her mouth was so full, the broth was leaking from the corners of her lips as she chewed—and all she did was chuckle at herself without a care for how ill-mannered she appeared.
    She felt so alive! Like energy was crackling along her circulatory system. It made her senses ultrakeen, and what she was noticing most with her hyperawareness was how amazing Navy SEAL Vitus Hale was. Her nipples were puckered tight, sensation prickling across her breasts, while she marveled at the level of intensity.
    It was like she’d never felt before.
    And there was one thing that burst inside her brain as she finished off that bowl. She was never, ever, going to be the stupid little chit she’d been before.
    Life was to be lived and she couldn’t wait to get down to it.
    *   *   *
    One week later …
    God he smelled good.
    Damascus just couldn’t seem to get close enough to Vitus Hale. At least it didn’t seem to be her problem alone. The SEAL watched her, not like Saxon or Dare Servant did—the way his eyes followed her was personal.
    And she loved it.
    â€œShit,” he said as he pulled his mouth away from hers.
    She wanted to follow him and press her lips back against his to seal out any more words. She didn’t want to talk, she just wanted to be immersed in his embrace.
    â€œDamascus.” Vitus caught her nape and held her back. “We’ve got to talk about this.”
    She let out a little sigh and heard him scoff at the way her lower lip protruded. “All right.” She withdrew, her confidence restored by the look of raw rejection on his face as she did so.
    â€œYour father is going to object to anything between us.”
    â€œI’m twenty-three,” she answered. “Well past the age of consent.”
    He liked hearing that, but she watched as he held himself in check, sticking to his desire to have a conversation. It wasn’t what she craved, epically since the first night that he’d kissed her like he just couldn’t keep his hands off her. She sure as hell didn’t want him to start now.
    â€œYou know what I mean. He’s a congressman. I’m not the sort of man he has planned for you.”
    Damascus reached up and grabbed his shirt, twisting the fabric in her fist and pulling him down to her level so she could kiss him. Vitus didn’t hold out very long against her onslaught, and he was kissing her back with all the hunger she’d come to expect from him. But she withdrew before it overwhelmed her.
    â€œIf you want a little girl who checks with her daddy, I’m not the woman for you.”
    It was hard to say and even harder for her to step away from him, more like ripping herself away from the thing that made her feel more alive than she ever had.
    Vitus considered her for a long moment, drinking in the determination on her face. He saw her. Really saw who she was beneath all the layers of education and grooming her father had insisted she be encased in, right there, she was herself and she realized she wanted to get to know who she was and do so with the man who had made her realize she was moving through her life half asleep.
    â€œI believe you.” He reached down and caught the edge of his T-shirt and pulled it up and over his head, baring his magnificent torso for her. It was cut with ridges of hard muscle that she itched to stroke. “You are a woman.”
    She purred as he caught her back up against him. No, her father wouldn’t approve, but she didn’t care. The thought of