If We Dare (Swoon Series Book 6)

  If We Dare

  Swoon Series

  J.H. Croix

  Contents

  If We Dare

  1. Jade

  2. Walker

  3. Jade

  4. Walker

  5. Jade

  6. Walker

  7. Jade

  8. Walker

  9. Jade

  10. Walker

  11. Jade

  12. Jade

  13. Walker

  14. Jade

  15. Jade

  16. Walker

  17. Jade

  18. Walker

  19. Walker

  20. Jade

  21. Jade

  22. Jade

  23. Walker

  24. Jade

  25. Walker

  26. Jade

  27. Jade

  28. Walker

  29. Jade

  30. Walker

  31. Jade

  32. Walker

  Epilogue

  Excerpt: Steal My Heart

  Find My Books

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  If We Dare

  Have you ever gone on a fake date? With your brother’s best friend?

  It all started when he rescued me from a dumpster. Not my best moment.

  Grumpy, broody, too hot to handle Walker needs a date for a wedding. Let the complications begin.

  It’s not even a real date. I’m not even supposed to notice smokin’ hot Jade. I don’t believe in love, and weddings give me hives. Jade is smart and feisty, and she claims she’s man-proof. She’s perfect.

  Perfect until we’re stuck together for the weekend, and I can hardly keep my eyes, or my hands, off her. Perfect until I kiss her, and one kiss turns into so many more. And more.

  She stole the covers, and then she stole my heart.

  One wedding. One weekend. Two hearts. It’s all for show, right?

  “A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees.” ~Amelia Earhart

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 J.H. Croix

  All rights reserved.

  Cover design by Najla Qamber Designs

  Cover Photography: Wander Aguiar

  Cover models: Forest Harrison & Jessica Tolon

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Chapter One

  Jade

  “Hey!” I called, my eyes trained on the jerk who was getting a little too handsy with a woman at the bar. I’d served her and her friends a few minutes ago, and tonight was her twenty-first birthday.

  The woman in question, Megan something or other, tried to laugh it off, politely taking a few steps away. It was crowded in the bar tonight, though, so there wasn’t far for her to go. The man immediately closed the space between them.

  “Hey!” I called, quickly lifting a section of the counter at the back of the bar, slipping out, and aiming right for the group where they were standing.

  Megan wasn’t alone, but her friends were tied up flirting. Striding up to the man, I tapped him on the shoulder. He turned back, a leer affixed to his face. “Oh, hey, hot bartender, what can I do for you?” he slurred.

  I silently cursed the other bartender on duty tonight, Joe, who tended not to pay too much attention to just how drunk people were getting and continued to serve them anyway. That was a problem for another evening, though. Narrowing my eyes as I looked up at the lumbering jerk standing before me, I rested a hand on my hip. “Back the fuck off. It doesn’t look like she appreciates your attention.”

  Megan’s eyes met mine—I only knew her name because I’d carded her—relief passing across her face. “Thank you,” she mouthed.

  “Since when do you speak for all women?” The man punctuated this sentence with a long burp, which got a few guffaws from his friends surrounding him.

  I cast a sharp gaze amongst the group. I had no problem throwing every single one of these guys out. “Like I said, back off. Consider this my last warning.”

  The asshole still didn’t get it. He leaned down, getting a little too close to my face, and slurred. “Fuck off. Get back behind the bar and serve my friends some drinks.”

  Perhaps I should’ve been afraid, but I wasn’t. For starters, the bar-back and Joe were around and nearby. I also had friends here tonight, even if they didn’t happen to be in this precise corner of the sprawling Lost Deer Bar where I was only covering a shift as a favor tonight.

  “That does it. You’re out of here,” I said, gesturing over my shoulder toward the door as I reached for the guy’s arm.

  “Hell no! I’m not fucking leaving,” he grumbled, reaching for poor Megan, who was pinned against the wall at this point, doing her best to look invisible. He snatched her hand. Well, fuck it.

  Ignoring the rumble of voices around me, I lifted my boot and kicked him right in the knee. I decided to go for that instead of his balls as a starting point. In the back of my mind, I was legitimately wondering where the hell my help was.

  The guy cried out in pain. His broad face turned a mottled red as he dropped Megan’s hand—that was my goal, so I took that as a win—and stepped toward me. Next thing I knew, he’d grabbed me by the waist with both hands and heaved me in the air.

  I didn’t scare easy, but now a little bit of fear bolted through me. I was known for getting myself in a pickle here and there, and I just might’ve gone and done that now.

  Before I could make a peep, a voice came over my shoulder. “Put her down. Now.”

  Whoever spoke wasn’t waiting. Next thing I knew, a hand shot out, slamming into the guy’s elbow. Something happened to the guy’s knees too. He stumbled and cried out sharply. Just as I began to tumble loose from his hold, my savior caught me with one arm and pulled me against his side.

  I glanced up into the face of Walker Hudson. My body felt as if a live wire had grazed me and left me humming with electricity. With Walker holding me fast to his side with one arm, I wasn’t going anywhere. I might not’ve liked it in my mind, but my body thought it was freaking awesome. Walker was nothing but pure muscle and lean power as he held me close.

  The jerk who’d grabbed me was still groaning about his knee, but gathered himself together enough to glare at Walker. “You fucking dick.”

  He made a move toward Walker, who simply lifted one arm and grabbed him by the wrist. Whatever he did brought the man to his knees with a yelp.

  “Now, you’re gonna fucking leave before I kick your ass,” Walker said.

  His low, fierce words sent a sizzling thrill through me. I was not the kind of girl who got all hot and bothered over men being tough. And yet, here I was, my body nearly vibrating at the force of Walker’s presence and my panties getting wet from the sound of his voice.

  I stole another glance at him. I knew him because he worked with my older brother, and they were friends. To put it plainly, Walker was hot. His face looked as if it had been carved from marble. He had strong cheekbones and a straight nose paired with a square jaw. He even had a dimple in his chin. To make matters worse, his lips were bold and sensual.

  I didn’t think I’d ever seen the guy crack a smile. His eyes were an icy silver. Ever since the first time I’d met Walker, we’d rubbed each other the wrong way. For God’s sake, the man was all about being tall, dark, and mysterious. It grated on me, and I didn’t know why.

  Not that I minded that issue just about now. He leveled his cool gaze at the guy’s friends, adding, “Why don’t y’all get the hell out of here? Sound like a plan?”

  Whether it was the tone of his voice, or the look in his eyes, or the fact that whatever he’d done to the guy with a flick of his wrist had brought the guy to his knees, they took notice. After a loaded moment, the man’s friends appeared to think Walker’s suggestion was a good plan and started to shuffle out.

  “Are we clear?” Walker asked, staring down at my drunken assailant on his knees.

  “If you’ll fucking let me go, I’ll get the hell out of here.”

  Walker released the guy’s wrist. “Fair enough. If I ever see you getting pushy with any woman who doesn’t want it, I might not be so nice next time.”

  At that, the man stood, stumbling on his way toward the door, which was blessedly close. Only then did Walker glance down at me. He eased his hold on me, releasing me from that convenient little spot tucked up against his hard body.

  I jumped back and eyed him carefully. I wanted to tell him I didn’t need his help, but I wasn’t stupid. I knew the second I was lifted off the floor, I had no chance against the drunk man. I took a breath, willing my pulse to slow the hell down and every cell in my body to stop it wi
th the happy dance.

  “Thank you. I should’ve kicked him in the balls first,” I finally said.

  Walker’s lips quirked in a smile, immediately sending my belly into a series of flips. “That might’ve done the trick.”

  Megan jumped in. “Thank you so much. He was so drunk, and he just wouldn’t leave me alone.”

  “I don’t know if you should be thanking me,” I said wryly.

  “Well, thank you both. I’m going to take that as my cue to call it a night.” At that, she waved at us both and hurried through the crowd to sidle up to one of her friends.

  That left me alone with Walker. I was acutely aware of my pulse, its thrumming beat careening through my body at a breakneck pace. “What did you do to his wrist?” I couldn’t help my curiosity.

  He shrugged. “Just applied some well-placed pressure to a pressure point.”

  “Well, um, thanks again. I’m not sure where Joe went—”

  Walker chuckled at that. “Oh, he’s making out with some girl in the back.”

  “What? You have got to be fucking kidding me,” I muttered.

  “I’m definitely not kidding. You can see him,” he said, nudging his chin toward the swinging half door that led behind the bar to the kitchen and storage.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I saw Walker was quite right. Joe was deep into making out with a woman against the wall in the hallway. I was actually relieved to have something else to be annoyed about. I didn’t know what to think about my body’s haywire reaction to getting up close and personal with Walker, so any distraction was welcome.

  “I have to get back to work, so thanks again,” I said, giving him a nod. As if to remind me that while I might be trying to ignore it, my body knew what it wanted. My belly shimmied as I strode quickly past him and stepped behind the bar again.

  Chapter Two

  Walker

  Jade Cole practically ran past me, and my eyes were like a magnet on her, tracking every step. Her glossy dark hair fell like a river down her back, the long tresses catching the light and swinging as she moved. I couldn’t help but think how it would feel to spin that glorious hair around my fist.

  Only Jade—barely up to my chin and maybe a third of the size of the drunk guy she’d taken on—would think it made sense to try to kick him out like that on her own. But then, Jade didn’t strike me as the kind of girl to ever back down.

  As I turned to walk away, it didn’t slip my notice that the side of my body where I’d pulled her close felt like it was on fire. Jade was a petite bundle of curves with enough sass and spirit to tempt me beyond all reason.

  With a mental shake, I walked away, telling myself to remember all the reasons why I’d avoided spending much time alone with Jade. I had once spent roughly fifteen minutes in the car alone with her when I gave her a ride home. That short span of time had made me question whether I’d previously understood what the concept of chemistry meant. Chemistry between two people, that is. I didn’t quite know how it was possible, but the space in my car during that time felt as if lightning had struck, every particle in the air vibrating from its lingering power.

  Riiiiight. I didn’t need to wonder what Jade might be doing tonight after the bar closed, most definitely not.

  I returned to the booth where I’d stopped to catch a few drinks with the guys on my first responder crew. Dawson, as usual, was cracking jokes. Jade’s brother Lucas was nowhere to be found. Most likely because that man was about as head over heels in love as a man could be with his girlfriend, Valentina.

  Slipping into the booth, I took a long drag on my beer, glancing over when I heard my name. “What?”

  “Well, look at that. He speaks,” Dawson teased.

  I rolled my eyes. “Of course. You’ve heard me speak plenty of times.”

  “Well, you were Jade’s savior there. I was commenting that will further the legend,” he said.

  “Huh? What legend?” I asked cautiously as I glanced around the table.

  Wade waggled his eyebrows. “Ever since you rescued that girl from the climbing accident a few weeks back, she’s been spreading rumors about how hot you are and how you’re the best rescuer.” He added air quotes around the word best.

  “What? I was just doing my job. All of y’all have rescued people. This is not just a me thing.”

  Jackson winked and shrugged. “She’s got the hots for you. It’ll blow over. Plus, you’re still considered new around here, so you’re more exciting than the rest of us.”

  “What the hell? I’ve lived here for six months,” I muttered.

  Dawson chuckled. “Six months is nothing. People are nosy. Plus, you’re single.”

  “That’s how I like it. I plan to keep it that way,” I replied.

  “That’s only going to make you enigmatic,” Wade offered.

  “A-plus for vocabulary,” Dawson chimed in with a wink.

  “Fuck enigmatic. There’s no mystery about me. I mind my own business,” I countered.

  I did, in fact, mind my own business. I also had zero interest in romance. I’d been there, done that, and found it a waste of time. I was all fucking set with romance.

  The night meandered along. I decided to cut out early, if only because I was legitimately tired. Between some training that morning on a climbing wall and a hiking rescue that afternoon, I was ready to try to catch some shut-eye.

  Stepping out into the cool spring darkness, I paused to stare at the sky for a few beats. Clouds drifted in front of the half moon, stars glittering in between them. The mountain ridge ahead was silhouetted in the darkness with a silver shaft of moonlight angling across part of it.

  Lowering my gaze, I began walking toward my truck. A scuffing sound drew my attention. I didn’t see anyone in the parking lot until my eyes landed on the dumpster in the far corner.

  The moment I noticed the silhouette of the bottom perched at the top of the dumpster, I knew I was staring at Jade Cole’s luscious ass.

  She was kicking her legs. I didn’t know how, but she seemed stuck. My boots moved toward her. My greedy eyes took the moment to absorb the sight of her. Cut the shit, my good angel said. She’s not on display personally for you.

  “Jade?” I stopped beside the dumpster, puzzling about how she got herself half stuck in the dumpster.

  “Walker?” she returned, her tone slightly surprised.

  “Yep, that would be me. Need some help?”

  “Does it look like I need help?” she countered swiftly, her annoyance clear.

  I bit back a laugh. “I’m not quite sure because I’m guessing you would jump down. But you’re not trying, so something’s up.”

  Stepping closer, I peered over the edge of the dumpster to investigate. Nothing was immediately evident. “Uh, I’m not sure how I can help.”

  “I got caught,” she muttered, reaching her hand toward her waist.

  Tracking her motion, I noticed her belt loop had snagged on a hook sticking out inside the edge of the dumpster.

  “Damn. Stop wiggling, Jade. That nail’s rusty and you’re gonna scratch yourself if you’re not careful.”

  “Tell me something I don’t know, genius,” she retorted.

  “How attached are you to that belt loop?” I asked as I leaned over to peer closer.

  Jade turned her head to the side, somehow managing to be sexy as hell even though she was in a decidedly awkward position.

  “Not at all. I already tried to tear it, but no luck.”

  Sliding my hand in my pocket, I pulled out the small pocket knife I kept on me at all times for no particular reason, except for the fact that it came in handy time and again. Flipping it open, I stepped closer to her hips. “I’m gonna cut it, okay?”