Tukani chuckles then plants a loud smacking kiss on her cheek. It’s more playful than sensual and eases a bit of the tension in my chest from Theo’s close proximity. I take a sip of my drink, and Tukani looks at me, lifting his chin while giving me a come-hither stare. “Ya know, if you’re interested in the Tukani Tsunami, there’s plenty to go around.”
“Tukani!” Gwyn smacks his bare chest––hard––and I nearly spit out my drink.
“Ouch.” He rubs at the spot with a frown and tugs her back to his side. She melts almost instantly while Depp rolls his eyes and finishes setting the table up for Strip Pong.
“When the opposite player gets a ball in the cup, do we drink and strip?” I ask.
“Yeah,” Depp answers. “Theo, you’re on this side.” He tilts his head toward the opposing team and adds, “Tukani, you’re with Burrows and Blake.”
“Ooo, a threesome.” He lets Gwyn go and stumbles to our side of the table. “I’m game.”
The scent of whiskey taints his breath as he smacks a kiss to my cheek, the same way he did to Gwyn’s less than two minutes ago. My nose wrinkles, but another laugh slips out of me. Seriously. Who is this guy?
When he tosses his arm around Burrows and me, swaying on his feet, I purse my lips. “Really, Depp? ‘Cause this is fair?”
“You and Burrows haven’t been drinking, and Burrows is Beer Pong champ. I’d say it’s an even game. Now, line up.” He rubs his hands together. “Let’s get this party started.”
15
BLAKELY
Three rounds later, I’ve already seen Tukani’s penis and Gwyn’s boobs. Apparently, she thinks bras are overrated, and once she’d slipped off her shirt, Tukani dragged her to the hot tub like it was his last night alive, leaving Burrows and me against Depp, Austin, and Theo.
Well, for a minute anyway.
Austin sucks ass and dropped out once he’d been stripped to his underwear, while Depp struts around in nothing but a pair of jeans with a sliver of gray boxers peeking from the waistband.
Burrows’ little trick about playing sober has done wonders for me, though. So far, I’ve only lost my shoes and Apple Watch. But Burrows? Well, the poor bastard has been matched up with Theo, leaving him with about as much clothing as Depp. Less, actually. Only a pair of dark gray boxer briefs are standing between me and my first official introduction to the man’s junk.
Not that I haven’t enjoyed the view.
Theo, however, is still fully clothed. Well, almost. Burrows managed to get Theo’s left shoe added to the pile of discarded clothes, but that’s it.
Apparently, he’s as sober as I am.
And just as competitive.
I’m not sure why Burrows keeps choking anytime it’s his turn to play, but he has. Then again, maybe he wants to lose. Maybe he wants me to see him naked. I peek at his massive shoulders and bulging biceps. If that’s the case, his plan is working.
“Depp!” Theo yells. My attention snaps away from Burrows and toward the opposing team. Theo’s gaze is dark as he stares at me, slapping a ball into Depp’s hand.
Depp rolls it between his hands and winds up to throw it. If it lands in a cup, I’ll be in my bra and jeans. If it doesn’t, I’ll get to keep my shirt for another round and have a chance to knock off his pants. I gotta give him credit, though. He’s definitely buzzed. But the guy’s still pretty coordinated considering how much stale beer he’s had to swallow so far.
With a deep breath, a very serious Depp tosses the ball onto the table. It misses the cups on my side, bouncing onto the grass as the crowd around us cheers and groans simultaneously.
“Close, but no cigar,” I note, grabbing a Ping-Pong ball from the grass a few feet away.
I rub it against my jeans as Burrows cheers, “Come on, babe.”
“Yeah, come on, babe,” Depp taunts, framing his hands on the opposite side of the table as he leans down and tries to throw me off.
The pet name caresses my skin like sandpaper. Part of me wants to lie to myself, insisting it only irked me when Depp mimicked Burrows. But the truth is, I’m not sure how much I liked it coming from my date, either. It feels…off. I’m not sure if it’s because of Theo’s hard stare or my own reservations. Regardless, I don’t think I like it.
Then again, now isn’t the time to overanalyze something as trivial as being called babe. I have a game to win, and a hockey player to destroy.
“Someone’s excited to get naked,” I note.
“Someone's excited to strip me down,” Depp volleys back. “You curious what’s under these boxers, Baby Thorne?”
With a cocky smirk, I bounce the Ping-Pong ball against the surface. It lands with a wet plop, and Depp’s eyes narrow as I meet his gaze from across the table.
“Drink up, babe,” I say, my voice syrupy sweet.
He drinks the beer, tugs at his jeans, and shoves them past his knees. “One more layer to go, and you’ll get front row seats to my dick.” He bends at the waist to pull them off his ankles and attempts to look…seductive? Too bad the guy’s this close to falling on his ass thanks to the alcohol filtering through his system.
I snort and cover my mouth as he starts wiggling his butt back and forth, turning the awkward display into some kind of warped striptease.
“Wait. Are you twerking?” I ask on a laugh. Apparently, he’s more drunk than I gave him credit for.
“All right, enough of that.” Theo shoves him in the back, and Depp tumbles onto the lawn, his jeans still wrapped around his ankles as everyone cracks up around us.
“Hey,” Depp whines, rolling on the ground.
“Depp’s out. I don’t wanna see his dick,” Theo interjects, ignoring his teammate’s half-assed protest. He lifts his chin at my date. “Burrows, you’re up.”
I step aside and give Burrows some room at the edge of the table. He rubs his thumb back and forth along the white ball in his grasp, looking more serious than I’ve ever seen.
Then, with a soft flick of his wrist, he tosses the ball onto the table, and it lands in a cup closest to Theo. The small crowd cheers, and Theo reaches for his other shoe when a brunette––who’s been watching the game and eye-fucking him all night long––cups her hands around her mouth and yells, “Take off your shirt!”
My gaze flicks up toward the dark sky, and my lips pull into a thin line as I almost choke on my scoff.
Is she serious right now?
Theo catches the movement, hesitating for barely a moment before he plants his shoe-clad foot back onto the ground. Curious, I look back at him to find his gaze on me, making my skin hotter with a simple freaking look. He sets his baseball hat onto the table, reaches for the collar of his T-shirt, and tugs it over his head. There’s a silent dare in his gaze, though I’m not sure what it means. Then again, I’m not sure I want to know. This game between us, the push and pull, has been going for so long, it’s hard to know what the terms are anymore.
But one thing’s for sure. The man’s as much of a health nut as I am. Either that, or his god-like genes have been even more blessed than I’d anticipated.