The Dare: A Stepbrother Bully Romance (North Woods University Book 2) Read online

  Ⓒ Copyright 2019 J.L. Beck & Cassandra Hallman

  Cover Art by: Black Widow Designs

  Editing: Ellie Mclove at My Brothers Editor

  Proofread: Stacie McGlaughlin

  All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.

  Prologue

  Ava

  Five Years Ago

  Racing across the back yard, I chase after Vance. He’s always faster, and of course makes it to the treehouse before me. The long grass tickles my legs and I almost trip in a hole, missing it just by a hair. I’m too busy paying attention to Vance running ahead of me, than I am of where I’m running. Looking at me over his shoulder, his eyes twinkle in the moonlight, his brown hair looks as if it could use a good cutting, or at least that is what Mom says.

  “You’re so slow, Ava. The Ice Age could beat you to the treehouse,” he teases, just as he always does. Mom says it’s because he likes me, but I don’t think Vance likes me, at least not more than a friend. Not that I would ever kiss him. Kissing is gross. Reaching the treehouse, I put my hands on my hips and narrow my gaze. It’s hard to see this far away from the house and a shiver ripples through me as a cold gust of wind blows through my damp hair.

  “Not all of us were born with daddy long leg, legs.” Being the jerk that he is, he doesn’t even respond. Instead, he places one foot in front of the other and races up the wooden planks and into the treehouse, his body disappearing from view a second later.

  Shaking my head, I climb up the wooden planks as well. The very first time I climbed into the treehouse, my legs were shaking, and my stomach was aching like someone had punched me in it. Now, I race up the steps like it’s second nature. Popping my head through the square cut-out in the floor, I find Vance sitting Indian style in his usual spot. He’s staring out the giant window that overlooks the yard.

  This high up, I like to think we can see everything, the town we live in, even my best friend Mallory’s house. But we can’t… see everything that is. Climbing up and into the small space, I take a seat in a similar fashion.

  As soon as I’m seated, Vance turns his attention to me. His green eyes are soft and remind me of a vast forest full of trees standing tall and proud even in the worst of circumstances. When he smiles, a weird tingle fills my belly, and I don’t understand why it does that. It happens often though, almost every single time he smiles at me.

  My eyes roam over him. He’s wearing a ragged pair of jeans and a plain cotton t-shirt. My dad says his parents don’t have a lot of money because Vance’s father lost his job and that he can’t afford new clothes right now so I shouldn’t tease him or be mean, but I think his clothes look just fine. This is also why his family is living with us for a few weeks, just until his dad finds a new job. Either way, I’m fine with them staying with us. I don’t have any siblings, and I like having Vance here to hang out with when he isn’t being a jerk, or beating me to the treehouse.

  With the moonlight shining into the treehouse, it’s easy to see Vance’s face. He rubs at his jaw and scrunches his eyebrows together, the look is one I’ve seen grace his face before. Anytime he looks like this, I know he is thinking hard, digging deep inside his head to try and come up with something worthy of a dare. This is a game we play a lot, and by a lot, I mean nearly every day. Truth or Dare. Or as Vance always says, truth, since that’s usually all I ever choose.

  Tonight, however, I chose dare. I don’t know why I did it. I guess I’m just feeling adventurous. Or it could be because I’m tired of Vance always teasing me about picking truth.

  When a huge grin spreads across his face, I know he’s thought of something that he deems good enough for the game. I’m a little worried what he’s come up with, and almost change my mind, telling him truth instead. Before I get the chance, his mouth is opening.

  “I dare you to…sneak into your parents’ bedroom.”

  “My parents’ bedroom? I’ll get into so much trouble if my mom catches me!” I whisper-yell. My dad is at work, so it’s only my mom sleeping in their room. But it’s the middle of the night and I’m supposed to be in bed and asleep, but instead I’m in my treehouse with Vance playing Truth or Dare. We’ll both be in big trouble if our parents find out we’re out here instead of in bed.

  “Aw, are you chickening out on me?” he teases, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. My lips set into a firm line, heat creeping into my cheeks at his statement.

  “No, of course not.” I lift my head high, my chin jutted out. “Not only will I go into the bedroom but to prove that I did I will also get something out of my mom’s jewelry box.”

  “Ooooh, the stakes are high.” He rubs his hands together. “I’ll be waiting here for you.”

  “Don’t worry, you won't have to wait long. I’ll be back in no time wearing my mom’s pearl necklace.” I smirk, confident as can be. Vance rolls his eyes at me, obviously not believing me, which only makes me want to prove him wrong more.

  There’s a knot in my belly as I climb back down the wooden ladder, making my way through the yard and into the house I snuck out of a few minutes ago. My pulse rises and my breathing speeds up as I tiptoe up the stairs missing all the creaking spots. I don’t know why I’m so nervous about this. So what if my mom wakes up?

  I could always tell her that I had a bad dream or something and even if she doesn’t believe me, what’s the worst thing that could happen? Focusing on my thoughts, I miss the last creaking spot at the top of the stairs, my foot pressing against the squeaky floorboard, the sound bouncing off the walls and down the hall. Freezing, I hold my breath, my ears perking up while my heart thuds so hard inside my chest, I worry it might explode.

  The sound of whispering meets my ears a second later…

  There are two voices, but the only one I can make out is my mother’s.

  Why is she whispering? Who is she talking to? Vance’s mom is at the hospital for her nightshift as a nurse and his father’s room is downstairs, he shouldn’t be here.

  For a moment, I consider turning back around and crawling into my bed, leaving Vance and his stupid dare alone for the night, but I can’t. I want to prove him wrong, that I’m not a chicken.

  Tiptoeing down the hall, I get closer to my parents’ bedroom. The whispers get louder, and my eyes widen when I hear who my mother is talking to. The words I hear are ones I’ll never be able to forget. Ones that I’ll never be able to let go of.

  This was the night that changed my life forever.

  Chapter One

  Ava

  Picking at the pink polish on my nails, I wonder how I got to this point. How I managed to find my way back to North Woods after five long years of being gone. Five years, that’s how long I spent away from my childhood home town. A place I had grown up, a place that I missed more and more every single day that I was gone. It wasn’t the friends I had made or known my whole life, or even the house that I missed, it was the physicality, of knowing a place, of having grown up in it. I had nothing to fear in this town. It was my world.

  After that night of Truth or Dare with Vance, my father kicked out Vance’s family, leaving them homeless. Then he took my mother and me and moved us across state lines. We just left, we didn’t even get to take all of our stuff. My parents sold the house not even a month later and I knew we would n
ever come back. I’d cried, begged and pleaded with my father but it did me no good. We still moved, my whole life flipping completely upside down and all because of one secret. Gritting my teeth, I shove the memory away and into the darkest crevices of my mind.

  My parents stayed married for two years after that, even though I think they knew they would have been better off getting a divorce. Those two years were ones that I didn’t really care to remember. Full of fighting, of anger and blame. Every day I saw their hate for one another grow. Then it finally happened, they got divorced and I stayed with my dad.

  My mom moved away shortly after things ended, claiming she couldn’t find a job as a secretary where we were living and my dad of course was not willing to move, nor was I. High school was hard enough without having to move to a brand new school and I wasn’t about to pack up my life again and start over wherever the hell it was that my mother wanted to move. That, and a part of me was still angry with her. Angry for ruining my life, her life, my dad’s life. It was because of her selfishness that we left in the first place.

  When she moved back to North Woods, I didn’t really think anything of it. That was until she called me last Christmas.

  “Hey sweetheart, did you get the Christmas presents in the mail?”

  “Yes, Mom, thank you. The only thing that would’ve made it better was spending the day with you.” There was nothing like spending Christmas with your family… though I wouldn’t truly know since I hadn’t spent a holiday with my mother since she left. It was just Dad and I and even then, sometimes it was just me.

  “I know, me too.” Her words didn’t match her tone of voice.

  “If it’s okay with you, I was thinking about coming down for a few days next week since I’m still on break. We can watch Elf and make Christmas cookies.” The mere thought of spending time with her left me feeling whole again. Even if I was pissed off at my mother for not visiting me, or making an effort, it didn’t mean I didn’t want to spend time with her, if given the chance.

  “Yeah...maybe.” She paused and I couldn’t miss the nervous tone that overtook her voice. It sounded like she was going to say something she thought I might not like.

  “You know, honey, I’ve been meaning to tell you something…” There was another pause, and I gripped the phone tighter in my hand. When I didn’t say anything, she continued a long sigh filling the speaker.

  “I’ve been seeing someone…it’s… it’s um… Henry.”

  My hold on the phone slackened and I nearly dropped it.

  Holy shit. She didn’t actually mean Henry…

  Shaking my head, I somehow manage to find my voice.

  “Henry Preston? Vance’s dad?”

  “Yes, we met again a few months ago. He and Tonya got divorced as well. I swear to you we were only looking for friendship but, sometimes the heart has other plans. Anyway, we started going out and I figured you should know. I don’t want to keep anything from you.”

  She figured I should know? Ha, that’s funny. She could miss Christmas with me and barely pick up the phone to call me but felt like I should know about her love life.

  Someone should get her an award.

  Mom of the year here.

  There's a permanent sour taste that coats my mouth every time I think back to that phone call. No, I take that back, it’s actually all of it. All of this leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

  Everything about my life is fucked up. Her moving away. My dad making me stay with him, even after he started drinking. My mom never coming back for me, even when she knew I needed her. Her absence only drove the knife of betrayal deeper into my chest.

  Which leads me to this moment. An eighteen-year-old high school graduate without a single dime to her name because her dad drank and gambled her college fund away. I was the poster child for fucked up, going nowhere real fast.

  My mom insisted on me coming to live with her but not until after she found out about my father’s wrongdoings. Anger bled at the edge of my tongue. I wanted to ask her where she was a couple years back, but what was the point.

  Nothing she did now could change the past. The only good thing that came from moving in with her was her promise that she and Henry would pay for my college and give me a place to live while attending the local university. After the shit show my mother had left me in, I was seriously considering saying no.

  I prided myself on being a smart girl and I wasn’t about to fall into that trap again. She had let me down more than once in my life… I had no reason to trust her...but what else was I going to do with my time?

  With my dad in some high-end rehab facility across the country and the house being foreclosed on. It was only a matter of time before I could add being homeless and jobless, to my long resume of fuck ups. I knew what the outcome would be if I didn’t take my mother’s offer. And as stubborn as I wanted to be, I couldn’t give up my dream of going to college.

  So I took the offer. It was a cute little deal tied up with a red ribbon, like those stupid presents she had sent me last year. I couldn’t pass it up, not even if I was still angry at her for being absent for nearly all of my teenage years.

  Looking up at the elaborate mansion Henry bought my mother, I try not to cringe. Stone masonry, a huge three car garage, in a secluded area. The icing on the cake the Welcome to our home sign blowing back and forth in the wind.

  It’s like a red flag calling out to my rage, and I’m the bull, ready to dig my horns into it.

  There was a point in time when the Preston’s had no money, not even two quarters to rub together. Then, according to my mom, Henry struck it big, partnering up with some big wig.

  Oh how the times had changed. Something told me Henry had more money than God if he could just pull houses out of his ass and throw bribe money at me like it was pieces of confetti.

  Which is what this was… a bribe. Maybe I should be a little more grateful, but who the hell was I kidding. I didn’t want to be here anymore than I’m sure he wanted me to be, than his son will want me to be.

  Vance Preston.

  The name in itself makes me shiver, and not with fear. I’m not bitter, totally not bitter or angry, or any of those things. It’s not Vance’s fault that my life fell apart like a bad game of Jenga. We were just two kids caught in the crosshairs of an adult situation.

  Smoothing my hand over my hair one last time, I look down at my clothing. Skinny jeans and an ACDC shirt. I hope she didn’t expect me to show up wearing a dress? They might regret inviting me after all.

  The suitcase is heavy in my clammy hand as I walk up the front steps, stopping at the front door of the place I’ll call my new home. Home isn’t really what I would call this place. It’s more like one of those houses you see in a magazine.

  Glamour, over the top.

  The only thing it’s missing is a fountain out front but give them a little time, they’ll have one built. The taxi driver didn’t even bother helping me inside, instead he sped off giving me just enough time to get my bag out of the back. Staring at the door, I give myself a couple seconds to gain my composure. One. Two. Three. Exhaling all the air from my lungs out my mouth I let air filter in through my nostrils as I reach out and press the little doorbell button. While I wait, I force a smile to my lips.

  Truthfully, my feelings for my mother are confusing. It’s a slippery slope of loathe and love. I want to see her more and spend time with her, far more than I care to admit even to myself, but of all the times to come back into her life it had to be on her wedding day? And to be married to Henry? Yeah, I was pretty sure the universe hated me.

  The door swings open a millisecond later and my half-dressed mom appears in the doorway. “Oh Ava, my sweet baby girl. I’m so happy that you made it.” She throws her arms around me, pulling me into her chest, wrapping me up in a hug that’s far tighter than a woman as tiny as her should be able to give. In the process of hugging me, she pulls me into the house as well. It’s almost like she’s afraid I’ll turn around and r
un away if she doesn’t.

  Sucking in a greedy breath of her floral scent I’m taken back to a time when my mom was really my mom, when she didn’t make selfish choices, when she ran my baths, and told me I was the prettiest girl in the entire world. It seems like a lifetime ago and somehow, I wish I could go back.

  “Don’t mess up your makeup, Linda,” some lady scolds from inside the house. When the hug ends, I’m left feeling cold. My mom takes my hand into hers and pulls me deeper into the foyer. I barely manage to get the suitcase over the door jamb before she’s closing the door behind us. Jesus. My gaze sweeps across the room and through the house as my mother tugs me along. It looks unlike anything I’ve seen before, marble, crown molding, high ceilings. It reminds me of nothing from the home we shared when we were actually a family and not broken pieces in a picture frame.

  The walls are painted a light beige that makes the room seem light and airy. Signs with different quotes adorn the walls, along with photos that I don’t care to look at.

  We enter the living room, which is basically just one giant room. There’s a huge leather sectional, fireplace, and flat screen TV set up. Built-in bookcases are on the side of the room and my fingers itch to run along the spines of the books.

  The living room opens up into the kitchen, which is all white marble and stainless steel appliances. It looks like something out of a Sears catalog.

  In fact, this entire house looks like a catalog.

  Like a designer came in and put everything in its perfect place.

  “Please, come and sit with me while they finish up my hair and makeup. We have so much to catch up on, sweetie.” I open my mouth to say something, but she continues to tug me down a hallway that leads off the kitchen.

  “I’m sorry I couldn’t pick you up at the airport. I would’ve but as you can see.” She waves a hand in front of her, like I can’t see it myself.