A Little Dare - Brenda Jackson [48]
He smiled sheepishly, and that smile reminded her so much of Dare that her breath almost caught. “Yeah, but the sheriff is giving us martial arts lessons today, remember?”
Yes, she remembered, then she wondered if after last night Dare would be in any physical shape to give the boys anything today. But then he was a man, and men recovered from intense sessions of lovemaking a lot quicker than most women. Besides, she doubted if he’d gone without sex for ten years as she had. She forced the thought from her mind, not wanting to think about Dare making love to other women.
She shifted her attention back to AJ. “You’re excited about taking lessons from Dare aren’t you?”
He shrugged. “Yes, I guess. I’ve always wanted to learn some type of martial arts, but you never would let me take any classes. Morris said his father told him that the sheriff is an ace when it comes to that sort of stuff, and I’m hoping he’ll be willing to give us more than one lesson.”
Shelly wondered if AJ would ever stop referring to Dare as “the sheriff.” But then, to call him Dare was even less respectful. “All right, do you want pancakes this morning?”
“Yes! With lots and lots of butter!”
She smiled as she stood, wincing in the process. Her sore muscles definitely reminded her of last night. “Not with lots and lots of butter, AJ, but I’ll make sure you get enough.”
Shelly saw Dare the moment she pulled her car into the parking lot at the sheriff’s office. He walked over to the car and met them. She wasn’t surprised to discover that he’d been waiting for them.
“Are we late?” AJ asked quickly, meeting Dare’s gaze.
Dare smiled at him. “No, Cornelius isn’t here yet, but I understand he’s on his way. Morris’s mother just dropped him off a few minutes ago. He’s waiting inside.”
He then looked at Shelly, and his smile widened. “And how are you doing this morning, Shelly?”
She returned his smile, thinking about all the things the two of them had done last night while most of College Park slept. “I’m fine, Dare, what about you?”
“This is the best I’ve felt in years.” He wanted to say ten years to be exact, but didn’t want AJ to catch on to anything.
Shelly glanced at her watch. “How long will the lessons last today?”
“At least an hour or so. Why? Is there something you need to do?”
Shelly placed an arm around AJ’s shoulders. “Well, I was hoping I’d have enough time to get my nails done in addition to getting my hair taken care of.”
“Then do it. I’m going over to Thorn’s shop when I leave here to check out the new bike that he’s building. AJ is welcome to go with me if he likes and I can bring him home later.”
He shifted his glance from Shelly to AJ. “Would you like to go to Thorn’s shop to see how he puts a motorcycle together?”
The expression in AJ’s eyes told Dare that he would. “Yes, I’d love to go!” He turned to Shelly. “Can I, Mom?”
Shelly met Dare’s gaze. “Are you sure, Dare? I wouldn’t want to put you out with having to—”
“No, I’d like his company.”
AJ’s eyes widened in surprise. “You would?”
Dare grinned. “Sure, I would. You did a great job with all the chores that I assigned to you this week, and I doubt that you’ll be playing hooky from school anytime soon, right?”
AJ lowered his head to study his sneakers. “Right.”
“Then that does it. My brothers will be there and I know for a fact they’d like to see you again.”
AJ smiled. “They would?”
“Yes, they would. They said they enjoyed having you at dinner the other night. Usually on Saturday we all pitch in to give Thorn a hand to make sure any bike he’s building is ready to be delivered on time. The one he’s working on now is for Sylvester Stallone.”
“Wow!”
Dare laughed at the astonishment he heard in AJ’s voice and the look of awe on his face. What he’d said about his brothers wanting to see AJ again was true. They were biting at the bit for a chance to spend