“You did this to yourself,” she wheezed, tears in her eyes from laughing too hard. “For the record, I’m not giving you mouth-to-mouth.”
“Damn shame,” I croaked.
When I finally stopped seeing stars, we moved on. She took her turn. “Truth,” she said, propping her chin in her hand, like this was nothing serious. Just a game. Just a joke.
But it felt like we were on the precipice of something.
I kept it light. “Worst kiss you’ve ever had?”
She didn’t even blink. “Eric. Easily. He kissed like a dentist.”
I paused, glass halfway to my mouth. “A dentist?”
“All open mouth and clinical detachment. Zero vibe. Just… assessment.”
I choked on a laugh. “What, like he was checking your gums?”
“Honestly? Would’ve felt less sterile if he had been checking my gums. I felt like he was mentally writing a report. Probably deducted points for enthusiasm and lack of tongue alignment.”
I snorted. “Did he at least give you a sticker afterward?”
She lifted her wine glass. “Not even a free toothbrush.”
That got me. I threw my head back and laughed until my stomach ached. I filed it away like the petty bastard I was. Next time I saw Eric, I’d picture him with latex gloves and a laminated score sheet.
Maggie grinned as she topped off our glasses.
It should’ve felt like pure fun. It was fun. But my pulse wouldn’t calm down. Something about the way she looked tonight with a messy ponytail and bare feet curled under her was rewiring something in me.
Earlier, on that dance floor, I hadn’t been pretending. Not when I kissed her. Not when I’d said she was mine.
God, I was fucked.
She twirled her finger. “My turn. Truth or dare?”
“Dare.”
“Take off your shirt.”
I reached behind my head and yanked it off, folding it and placing it on the sofa. “You’re not even being subtle anymore.”
“I don’t need to be,” she said, but her voice was rougher now. Her eyes lingered on my bare chest. I pretended not to notice how her throat moved when she swallowed.
I leaned back, trying not to let her see how uneven my breathing was. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
I tapped my fingers on my knee, then dared myself to go vulnerable. “What’s something intimate you’ve never told anyone?”
She hesitated. “I changed who I was so much during my relationship with Eric that I forgot who the real me was.”
“I know who you are.” I stared at the bottle for a second. “Sometimes, I think I’d rather stay in wolf form. It’s quieter there. Simpler. I don’t have to pretend to be good at being human.”
She didn’t laugh at me or tease me. Her eyes softened, all the humor sliding away, replaced by something so warm it made my throat tight. “You don’t have to pretend around me.”
The silence stretched on, but it was gentle instead of awkward. It made me feel seen.
I wanted to stay there, suspended in that moment where it felt like maybe she meant it. Her knee brushed mine. She didn’t pull back. My brain, my instincts, my every cell screamed at me to keep it light. Joke it off. Look away.
Instead, I leaned forward, voice low. “Truth or dare?”
She raised her brows, cautious now. “Dare.”
I kept my eyes on her. “Let me kiss you like I mean it.”
She slowly lowered her wine glass. “I thought we were pretending.”
“Then pretend,” I said. My voice came out hoarse. “Just for a minute.”
Her gaze flicked to my mouth.
Her phone buzzed. Our heads whipped toward the phone like we’d been caught making out behind the bleachers during gym class.
Maggie let out a shaky breath and practically leapt to her feet. “I-uh-I need to check that.”
She disappeared into the hallway, leaving me there with my heart still thundering. I dragged a hand down my face. This wasn’t a game anymore. I was in it. All the way under. I didn’t think I could crawl back out.
She was everything I wasn’t supposed to want.
I was falling for her. Hard.
And God help me, I didn’t want to stop.
Maggie came back and put her phone down, clearing her throat. The sound was quiet, almost delicate, but it cut through the room like a blade. She walked to the other side of the room, creating an entire zip code of space between us.
I sat there, still half-leaning forward, the dare hanging in the air between us like a question we both heard but didn’t want to answer. Her moving away wasn’t dramatic. It wasn’t loud. But I felt it all the same. Like a door gently closing with the lock sliding into place.
Okay. That was a no. Not now. Maybe not ever. I leaned back on my palms and tried to act like it didn’t sting.
She turned, crossed her arms. “Truth or dare?”
I gave her a look. “Still going?”
She raised her brows. She wanted to move past the almost-kiss. Wanted something lighter. Safer. Fine. I could play that game too.
“Dare,” I said, trying to keep my voice even.
She gave me a slow, dangerous smile. “I dare you to keep your shirt off and knock on Doris’s door. Ask her if she’ll check your back for ticks. Convince her it’s urgent.”
My jaw dropped. “You want me to go to Doris’s? Shirtless? At midnight? About ticks?”
Maggie nodded smugly. “Yep.”
I squinted at her. Oh, she was good. I could practically feel the wall she was rebuilding. And this dare? This was her pouring cement between the cracks.
“Let me get this straight,” I said. “You’re sending a nearly-nude man to harass an old woman about made-up medical concerns?”
Maggie shrugged. “I need to make sure you’re not secretly a coward.”
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