Dare to Tease: A Dare Nation Novella, Carly Phillips [well read books TXT] 📗

had wanted him to give her ring to the woman he loved. It had sat in a safe deposit box for years. Until Bri.

The elegant ballroom she’d talked Nick Dare, the entrepreneur Dare and her cousin on her biological father Paul’s side, into donating his Miami hotel ballroom for the event. The space was filled with the Who’s Who of Miami and other parts of the country, athletes Bri represented, actors and rock stars who were somehow related to the Dare family, and friends and colleagues of theirs. The list went on of people all willing to shell out big money for large-ticket items and who had already paid a hefty per-plate fee.

She glided around the room in her cobalt-blue dress—he knew this after making the mistake of calling it navy blue—making effortless conversation with everyone invited, thanking them for their generosity. Every once in a while, he caught up with her and pulled her into the hallway for a few moments alone.

Like now.

He needed a minute with her before he made a spectacle of himself in front of the famous people in this crowd. Since the men who had her attention were her siblings, he hooked an arm around her waist.

“Gentlemen, I’m stealing your sister for a few minutes.” Hudson had already asked their permission to marry her – more like he’d told them he intended to do so — seeing as how they were the males in her life, and he didn’t want another black eye by springing the news on them in front of a crowd.

Without waiting for a reply, he pulled her away from her family and led her out the ballroom doors, finding a corner in the front of the event hall and backing her against a wall.

“Have I thanked you yet?” he asked, his hands on her hips.

She treated him to a radiant smile. “Only a half dozen times. You don’t need to thank me. We do things for people we love.”

She linked her arms around his neck and rubbed her body against him, making him wish he could kiss that red lipstick off her lips, hike up her dress, and bury himself inside her, but he’d have to put that off until they were alone tonight.

“I love you, too. You have no idea how much.” His voice sounded gruff to his ears.

At his pronouncement, her eyes glittered with happiness.

A state of being he’d become familiar with since she’d managed to put his fuckup behind him and everything had been picture-perfect between them since.

“The good news is we are going to net enough money from this event, added with Braden’s, for you both to begin renovations on the clinic and purchase new equipment.”

“This is everything. I didn’t know I had a need to give back until Doctors Without Borders and then working at that run-down clinic. But it fills a need deep inside me. And so do you.”

The ring felt heavy in his pocket, which was ridiculous, but the knowledge of what he was about to do had him worked up, and he glanced at his watch. “We need to get back to the ballroom. I have an announcement to make.”

She narrowed her gaze. “What kind of an announcement?”

“A surprise one. Now let’s go.” Hand in hand, they strode back into the ballroom.

* * * *

Bri walked with Hudson as he led them to the front near the deejay and emcee hired for the night. Within a few seconds, the music came to a stop, which caused confused murmurs around the room.

“As you all know, we are here to raise money for a worthy cause. The Prescott Northfield Health Clinic,” the emcee began, and the crowd clapped in approval. “You’ve all had an opportunity to place your bids on the items laid out in our smaller room next to this one.”

Bri had been through this with the party planner she’d hired and had walked the room earlier tonight. Some items, such as signed football jerseys, helmets, baseballs, and the like, were visible in a protective case, while things like vacations were listed on a propped sign so people could look over their options and decide what they wanted to bid on. There were also printed brochures on each seat at tables of ten.

The emcee continued his explanation. “You’ve been assigned paddles, and bidding will begin at ten p.m. Now, before I let you return to your evening and the delicious meal to follow, Hudson Northfield would like to say a few words.”

As Hudson made his way to the podium, Bri clapped along with the rest of the guests, surprised when her family surrounded her. She glanced around her to see her mother and a man she’d just started dating along with her brothers and all of their wives.

She’d known they were in attendance, but why were they crowding her now? “What’s going on?” she asked.

Before anyone answered her, Hudson began to speak. “Welcome, everyone, and thank you for joining us tonight. Braden and I appreciate the generosity you’ve shown for a project that is very close to our hearts. There’s nothing better in life than giving back and helping others. You are all enabling us to do that, and you have our eternal gratitude.”

During the clapping that followed, Bri turned to her twin. “I can’t believe you let him have the spotlight all to himself.”

He shook his head and grinned. “Shhh,” he said, and she pivoted back to face the stage.

She looked up at Hudson, so handsome in his tuxedo. He took her breath away, and he was all hers. She’d learned a hard lesson about listening in, jumping to conclusions, and not trusting her heart.

“Tonight wouldn’t have been possible without one person,” he said, and her face began to heat because she knew he was referring to her. “You all know her because she’s probably called you, badgered you, begged, and pleaded to pull this fundraiser together in a short time. Brianne, would you join me?” He extended his arm and gestured for