“It was a joke. Take a chill pill.”
“For fuck’s sake, Reed, I’m getting whiplash from your hot-and-cold act. Pick which side you’re on. Do you like me or not? Either way, I thought we agreed to stay out of each other’s way.” This time I shove past him and start to walk down the stairs.
“Don’t involve my sister in whatever bullshit game you’re playing,” he calls after me.
I risk a quick glance over my shoulder to see him standing at the top of the stairs.
“I don’t play games. I leave that to people like you.”
I hurry the rest of the way down the stairs as his footsteps follow and head into the first room that has people.
“Come on, S. Come play a game with us.” Victoria pulls me towards her as soon as I enter the room.
I glance back over my shoulder and see his cocky smirk. I turn back and give her a smile. “Of course. But I need a drink first.”
She squeals loud enough to almost burst my eardrum. “I knew you’d change your mind. Let’s grab you something from Tin’s stash.”
By Tin’s stash, she means a locked cabinet of liquor I didn’t even know existed.
“Do you have anything normal?” I ask.
Tinsley laughs as she walks up behind me. “These are the best spirits in the world, and you want normal?”
“Uh. Yeah?” I look to V, but she just laughs along with her.
“What do normal people drink?” V asks.
“I don’t know. Rum, vodka, tequila?”
“We have all three.” Tinsley pushes me out of the way and takes three bottles out. “Which do you prefer?”
“Vodka with cranberry.”
She pulls out a bottle of Diva vodka and starts mixing me a drink. When she’s done, she hands it to me before putting the other bottles away and locking the cabinet.
“Come on. I’m making you bitches play ‘suck or blow’ with me.” Tinsley grabs us both by the hands and leads us into a large area that I would guess is a living room, but who knows with all these rooms. The couches and tables are all pushed to the side as people sit in a circle.
“Come. You can sit here,” Tinsley continues before going to sit across from me.
I look to one side and find a grinning Keaton. I roll my eyes. “Are you stalking me now?”
He holds his hands up. “I was sitting here first. I should be wondering if you’re stalking me.”
Before I can respond, Tinsley’s voice interrupts me. “Reed, you can sit next to Sage. We need an even number of guys and girls.”
I whip my head to the other side of me and find him already taking a seat. He doesn’t look at me and instead focuses on Tinsley.
“Here’s how it works. We have this piece of paper here.” She shakes the paper for emphasis. “I’ll start. You hold it up to your mouth. One person sucks, then turns to the person to their left. Once the person on the left starts sucking, you blow so they can take it from you. If you drop it, the paper gets torn in half and the two responsible have to drink. We go until the paper is gone. Happy sucking… or blowing!”
She sits down with extra flair, and I can’t help but chuckle at her dramatics. I glance to my right toward Victoria, who’s sitting next to Keaton. She winks at me, but I just shake my head.
What did I get myself into?
“Tinsley, this game is not appropriate,” Reed warns.
“Loosen up, Reed. It’s an innocent game. No babies will be made tonight.”
“Damn right,” he growls and stares down the guy on each side of her. They each scoot a little farther away from her.
“Reed!” Tinsley yells.
“Fine.”
Tinsley picks up the paper and holds it to her mouth, sucking. Then she places her mouth against the boy on the left of her, him sucking the paper to his lips. I glance over and find Reed clenching his fists.
“I don’t know who invited her to play. No one asked for herpes.” Ingram’s grating voice comes from my left.
I roll my eyes at Victoria, which makes Keaton laugh.
“Reed, bro, want me to change spots with you?” a male voice calls to him.
I glance over to a blond-haired boy a couple people down. I recognize him, but I don’t care to remember his name.
“Shut up and play the game,” he grumbles.
There are a couple of chuckles, but no one else says a word.
Once the paper gets to Victoria, she expertly sucks it, then transfers it to Keaton. Keaton turns to me, but I hesitate. He reaches up and pulls my head to his. At the last minute, he stops sucking and allows the paper to fall, pressing his lips to mine. They meet for a brief second before I jerk back. He lets go immediately.
A growl comes from the other side of me, and Keaton chuckles.
“Seriously, Keaton?” I glare at him.
“You took too long, S. I couldn’t suck any longer.”
“You need to get a tetanus shot, Keaton. Who knows what she has,” some boy yells.
“Speaking from experience, Chet? I know about that nasty illness you contracted on your last ski trip. Wasn’t Tara there with you?” He winks at me before taking a long pull of his drink as the female next to Chet starts smacking him.
“Drink up, S. Then tear the paper in half and keep going,” Tinsley calls to me.
I quickly take a drink and tear the paper in half before putting it up to my mouth. I turn and meet those same green eyes. Reed is staring at me as I begin to suck and lean toward him. I don’t know why, but I’m surprised when he leans in and meets me halfway.
They say one moment changes your life, and when you’re in that moment, time seems to slow. This feels like that. Him leaning in. The warmth of his lips through the paper as they meet mine. Watching hunger pass in his eyes. Feeling him suck in hard, stealing the paper from my lips.
Then the moment is over. He’s turning to Ingram, who’s seated on his other side. I snort as she drops it, acting like she didn’t mean to. Too bad for her, Reed had already pulled away. She glares my way but tears the paper in half, takes a drink, then continues the game.
Several laughs and drinks later, the game is becoming tense. Every time it gets to Tinsley, Reed glares until it passes her. The boys on either side look ready to jump out of their skin. Keaton acts as if nothing is bothering him, but I see the way he gives Victoria more attention when it’s his sister’s turn.
The paper itself is now the size of my lips, just barely covering them. Thankfully Keaton behaves after that first kiss, but it doesn’t stop the heat that’s been flowing through my veins each time I press my lips to Reed’s.
As the paper comes around again, Keaton presses his lips to mine, then blows. Before I pull away, he shoots me a wink. It unnerves me. I tense, ready for him to pull some shit. Instead, a hand grabs my face and turns it in the opposite direction. My eyes meet Reed’s, and the brief hunger from earlier is now blazing in his. I gasp as he pulls me closer, causing the paper to slip from my lips.
I expect him to stop, but he doesn’t. Instead he presses his lips to mine in a hard, fast kiss. Much like during our first kiss back at the public school party, my body tingles at the feel of Reed’s lips on mine. My blood heats and I lose all my thoughts. For one small moment, I’m lost in him.