Dare: A Stepbrother Romance by Caitlin Daire

Dan and I hadn’t exactly made things official when it happened.
    But damn…it hadn’t felt like a mistake at the time, as much as I’d tried to convince myself it was.
    “What do you think of this?” I said, holding up a crimson dress to my webcam.
    “It’s cute,” Lana said.
    “It’s more than cute, it’s sexy,” Cerie said. “But if you wear a little red dress like that on a date, I think Dan’s gonna be expecting a lot more than a goodnight kiss afterwards. Seriously, if I was a guy and saw you wearing that, I’d go and buy myself a stack of condoms and book a hotel room.”
    I laughed. “Okay, red dress is out then. How about that dark purple one I bought last time we went shopping?”
    Dan and I hadn’t gone any further than a few cuddles and kisses after our dinner and movie dates, and I’d been pleased when he’d stopped referring to it as us just ‘hanging out’. He’d made it pretty clear that he thought I was something special, and I’d completely changed my tune on the virginity issue. I’d been so wrong that night when I went out clubbing with my friends. I didn’t want to just throw it away with some random hot guy anymore. I wanted it to be special.
    If and when the time came with Dan, I wasn’t going to chicken out like I had that night with Drew, because this time I’d know it was the right thing to do. But not tonight. We hadn’t really been seeing each other for long enough for me to know beyond a shadow of doubt that it was right, as much as I’d liked spending time with him.
    I decided on the purple dress, and before I headed out for the evening, I went into the kitchen to get a glass of water. Drew was sitting at the table playing on his cell phone, and he looked up at me with an approving expression as I walked in.
    “Where are you going dressed like that, young lady?” he said in a joking tone.
    I rolled my eyes. “Funny. Dan’s taking me to Rida.”
    Rida was one of our city’s most exclusive restaurants, and I’d been thrilled when Dan told me where he’d made the reservation.
    “He’s pulling out all the stops, huh?” Drew said, his face darkening slightly at the mention of Dan.
    After the camp, we’d reached a tentative level of friendship again, but I still wasn’t one hundred percent sure I trusted him. The way he’d gone from being a douche to suddenly being nice in the last couple of weeks had set off my spidey-senses, and I didn’t believe that anyone could change their tune so fast. I still had my suspicions that he was up to something, but the awkward kiss we’d shared had confused me even more. If he was only being nice to try and hook up with me, then why had he pulled away and said it was a mistake?
    Maybe he was going for the long con. Maybe he’d only done that to make me view him as a nice guy, when in reality he didn’t think it was a mistake at all. Or maybe I was just being paranoid.
    “All right, I’m heading out,” I said, putting my glass on the sink a moment later. “What are you up to tonight, by the way?”
    He answered as I stuffed my cell phone and keys into my purse.
    “Dunno, might be catching up with an old friend. Anyway, have fun on your date. ”
    The way he accentuated the word ‘date’ set my teeth on edge, but I fixed a sweet smile to my face instead of letting him know that it annoyed me.
    “Thanks. See ya later.”
    I felt his eyes on my back as I walked out of the kitchen, but I didn’t turn around.
    ***
    Rida was just as nice as I’d heard, and I looked around at all the other restaurant patrons as Dan sipped at his drink.
    “Is it just me, or is everyone here really good-looking?” I asked. Even the wait staff were attractive, and I felt slightly bad about my thighs as I watched a slim, leggy woman pass by our table.
    Dan grinned. “Not as good as you,” he said, reaching over and patting my hand.
    I smiled back at him, already feeling better. I’d been trying to be less insecure for the last few