Jared's Counterfeit Fiancee - Brenda Jackson [58]
Jared leaned against the door, saying nothing as he watched her with intense dark eyes. “Yes, it was nice.”
“And that motorcycle that Thorn presented to Tara was beautiful, simply awesome. To think he made it with his own hands. I can’t imagine all the hours it took for him to do it. That was such a special gift to her.”
“Yes, it was.”
“It’s obvious they are so happy together,” she added, knowing she had started to ramble. “It’s plain to see how much in love they are.”
Jared smiled. “Yes, it is. In fact all my cousins who’ve gotten married appear to be happily in love.”
She met his gaze. “What about Chase? Do you think he’ll follow his brothers into matrimony eventually?”
Jared eased away from the door to stand in front of her. “Yes, I think he will, once he finds the right woman.”
Dana nodded. She wondered if Jared would ever change his mind about love and marriage or if he would always let what he saw in his profession dictate how his future would be.
Knowing there was something she couldn’t put off doing any longer, she let out a long, shaky breath as she lifted her hand and eased the engagement ring from her finger. She handed it to him. “It’s time to give this back.”
He shook his head as his gaze continued to hold hers. He took the ring from her and placed it back on her finger. “No, I want you to keep it.”
She blinked. “I can’t do that,” she said incredulously, shocked he would suggest such a thing.
“Why not? You wanted to keep Cord’s ring.”
“But only because I was stuck with all those wedding expenses. Pretending to be engaged to you hasn’t cost me anything,” she said softly, not wanting to admit that it had cost her something. Her heart.
He didn’t say anything for a few moments and then he gently took her into his arms and gathered her close. He pulled back briefly, met her gaze and in Dana’s mind he was looking at her the same way he had done earlier that night.
She held his gaze and every emotion Dana could think of took hold of her. Every time she thought about the fact that this would be the last time they shared together, that chances were when he walked out the door he wouldn’t be coming back, despair took hold of her. But she refused to let their last night together end in gloom and doom. It hadn’t started out that way and she wouldn’t let it end that way.
Jared leaned down and their mouths joined. Immediately, Dana could tell there was something different about this kiss. It still packed a lot of passion that sent toe-curling sensations through her, but there was a degree of tenderness that touched her deeply, almost brought tears to her eyes. It was as if he was methodically placing his stamp on her.
Moments later when he drew away, she had to hold on to his hand to keep her balance. She could actually hear her heart pounding.
“Let’s play one final game,” Jared whispered softly.
“A final game?” she asked, thinking of the two others they had played together. Her heart began pounding even harder just thinking about them. And the purely seductive male look in his eyes wasn’t helping matters.
He looked at her for several long, quiet moments, then said, “Yes. Let’s play Truth or Dare?”
With a sigh, Dana looked down at her hands, her gaze focused on the ring he had placed back there. She looked up at him. “I haven’t played that in years, since high school at a sleepover.”
“Then you know how it’s played?”
“Yes.” But something told her that Jared would have his own version of the game. What would his dare be like? And did she really want to bare her heart and soul by telling him the truth about anything he asked?
Jared kept his gaze leveled on her. “Okay then let’s get started. You go first,” he murmured softly.
Dana heaved a deep breath. “Truth or dare?” she challenged.
A smile spread from Jared’s lips to his entire face. “Truth.”
“Okay.” She paused for a moment, wondering what she could ask him and decided to go easy. “What did you enjoy the most about Thorn and Tara’s party tonight?”
“Being there with you.”
Dana’s breath caught and goose bumps