Dare To Love Series: Dreaming Up a Dare (Kindle Worlds Novella) Read Online Free PDF Page A

when she laughed like that.
    Pepper wasn’t like some women who tried to minimize themselves when they laughed or spoke or ate, or anything at all. She just did everything full tilt. It didn’t matter that she was usually the smallest person in any room, and she didn’t seem to care if it brought attention to her, even though attention was the last thing she wanted. She couldn’t stop herself. She couldn’t be anything other than exactly who and what she was. Bubbly. Straightforward. Tenacious. Everything I had ever wanted.
    The cab ride home went by in a flash, mainly because the two of us spent the entire time poking and prodding at each other, not to mention cutting up so much that my abs were sore from laughing so hard and from her poking me in the ribs a few times with her daggers otherwise known as elbows.
    When the driver parked in front of my house, I peeled off a wad of bills from my wallet, handed them over to him, and helped Pepper out of the car, carefully guiding her so as to avoid the curbs and any uneven places in the sidewalk. Having her warmth right up against my side was too good for me to resist, and she’d given me the perfect excuse for wanting to help her along, whether she needed help or not. Her little stumble earlier was more than enough to warrant me anchoring her to my body and being able to breathe in the sweet scent she always wore. That was another thing that hadn’t changed since we were kids. One of these days, I needed to ask her what scent it was so I could buy her a case of it.
    Once I had the front door unlocked, Pepper headed inside and went straight for the fridge.
    “You have any liquor and juice or something else I can mix it with?”
    I tossed my keys on the counter. “Pretty sure I’ve only got beer in there if you’re wanting another drink.”
    She scrunched up her nose at me. “I don’t like beer.”
    “I don’t like your fruity cocktails.” Although, I might not mind them so much if I could taste them on her.
    Shit, I was in trouble. I shouldn’t have let myself drink as much as I had, because now my brain was taking me off on all sorts of tangents that I needed to steer clear of.
    “You want a beer?” she asked, her head still buried in the fridge.
    “Yeah, why not?”
    I knew why not, though. Lots of reasons, actually. I’d already had more than I should. I didn’t need to do anything else that would cloud my mind when it came to how things should be between me and Pepper. I had to go to practice in the morning, and we had a game tomorrow night, so the last thing I needed to do was overindulge. But none of that seemed to matter.
    I took a seat on the couch, kicking off my shoes and peeling the tie free from my neck. When Pepper sat next to me, she had two beers and a bowl of pretzels, peanuts, and other salty, crunchy things in her hands.
    “I thought you didn’t like beer,” I said, raising a brow and taking the one she offered me.
    “I don’t. But like you said, I’m already tipsy. Maybe I’m tipsy enough that I won’t taste it so much.”
    This time, I was the one who snorted. “Good luck with that.” But I reached for the bottle opener on my keychain and opened both of our bottles while she set her bowl of snacks on the coffee table and toed off her shoes, tucking her feet up beside her until they sunk into the cushions.
    She took a sip and made a face before going back for more.
    “Dare you to chug it,” I said before I could think better of it.
    Pepper gave me a look that said she wouldn’t dream of doing anything but accept my challenge. The next thing I knew, she tossed her head back and swallowed every drop of her beer. “Done,” she said when she’d finished, giving me a shit-eating grin. She wiped the back of her hand across her mouth and let out a belch that would have had her mother spouting off all sorts of reprimands about manners and ladylike behavior. “Now it’s my turn.”
    “Your turn?” I shook my head, not following.