Dare You to Run by Dawn Ryder Page A

lips to still them before she said anything else. He wasn’t a man who would take her shielding him, no matter how wise it was.
    â€œFair enough,” Vitus surprised her by saying. “At least your father seems to have gotten you some self-defense training. That was a nice little grip-breaking move.”
    His praise cut through the memory chilling her, satisfaction making her smile. “I learned it myself. Jeb would never have approved.”
    Once more, she was talking without thinking. She put her teeth into her lower lip as she realized the little bit of personal information she’d just let loose. She couldn’t afford to make such mistakes. Especially not with Vitus—he was too astute, his senses too keen. She didn’t doubt for a second that her sire would carry out his threat. And now, Vitus was studying her, trying to read her expression, breaking her façade down.
    â€œI just … wanted to learn a few … moves,” she added in the hope of closing the issue.
    â€œYou’ve got a few more to learn,” he answered. “Like how to deal with an attacker who is behind you.”
    â€œWhy did you do that?” she asked, unable to keep the question to herself. It felt like it was burning a hole in her.
    He pulled his remaining glove off and stuffed both of them into his pocket. “Why did you push the pot over to begin with?”
    â€œIt was a mishap,” she lied. It actually hurt because she wanted so badly to have someone to confide in.
    Hah, you mean you want Vitus to be your hero.
    She did, and she could never have that again, but the facts didn’t seem to have much effect against her cravings.
    Well, that summed up her dealing with Vitus all right. All impulse, no control. Straight forward with nothing but her cravings guiding the way.
    â€œI would have thought you’d be happily on your way back to the dance floor with the good Carl Davis,” he said. “You always are Daddy’s good little girl.”
    â€œDon’t embarrass yourself,” she snapped. “You don’t know anything about it.”
    One of his eyebrows lifted. “I know you told him all about what should have been private between us.”
    â€œI didn’t tell him,” she shot back before thinking. She realized her mistake when his eyes narrowed in contemplation. Vitus didn’t know how to stay out of something, even when it was for his own good. That was why she had to get away from him before her muddled brain just delivered every last detail while she was intoxicated by him.
    She turned to leave. “Flee” was a better word if she was being honest, but he caught her wrist and pulled her back. One second she was facing the path leading back to the lights of the ballroom, and the next she was colliding with Vitus. She put her hands up to break the collision, her wrist free just as suddenly as it had been captured so that both her hands flattened against his chest.
    She shivered, the connection shaking her down to her heels as her toes felt like they were curling. He felt so good. So much better than the memory she’d been taking solace in at night when there was no one around to critique her.
    So much better …
    She was in bliss, there in his embrace. He’d closed his arms around her once more this time, molding her to him, stroking her from nape to the swell of her bottom with a touch that set fire to her blood. She wanted to purr. Wanted to arch back and close her eyes so there wouldn’t be anything else in her world except the feeling of his touch.
    He grunted, the sound drawing her gaze up. He still knew too much about shadows. They were in the dark, completely hidden from the rest of the world. She would never have realized there was such a place to escape to among the high-security zone of the White House and yet, he’d found it. Now, he was a dark visage, tempting her to melt against him and share the