“Got enough alcohol in you to tell me why you’re mad at me yet?” He hands me my beer.
His bluntness stuns me.
Am I really that obvious?
“I—”
“There you are.”
Callie materializes out of nowhere, enveloping Will’s waist with her arms and clinging to his side. He doesn’t hug her back, but… he also doesn’t push her off.
“We’re playing Spill It or Drink It. Come on.” Callie releases him from her embrace, tugging on his arm, but he resists.
“Later.” His voice is as dry as it gets. “We’re in the middle of somethi—”
“Hey.” A masculine voice reaches my ear.
What seems to be annoyance crosses Will’s features. I whip my head to find the reason for his mood swing is none other than Luke.
“Hey, Luke.” I manage a weak smile.
What’s with the whole planet interrupting us tonight?
“Come on, they’re waiting.” Callie tugs on Will’s arm again, bored with our conversation, but he barely acknowledges her.
“Been looking for you. You still owe me that dance, you know.” Luke smiles.
I open my mouth to answ—
“Kass, you coming?” Will cuts in.
I look up at him.
“We have a game to play,” he presses.
Taken aback, I stammer, “I-I don’t know the rules.”
“Rule, singular. You answer the question or take a shot. The end,” Callie explains before her eyes flash with a naughty idea. Pushing to her tiptoes, she whispers in Will’s ear, “Or… we could go play a game of our own upstairs.”
Hell no.
“I’ll play if you play.” My hand lands on Luke’s forearm, reigniting the distant hope in his eyes.
As his smile grows, my self-respect shrinks.
“Sure, why not?” Luke agrees.
I lock eyes with a tight-jawed Will just as Callie’s dragging him out to the living room. I shamble behind, unable to shake the feeling that I just started a dangerous, whole other type of game.
And the scary part?
I don’t think I can win.
Sitting on the floor, I prop my head back against Natasha’s—or whoever the owner of this place is—washing machine and wonder how I ended up here. Drinking tequila right out of the bottle in a stranger’s laundry room. Not that I’m complaining. The living room was crawling with sweaty party animals. The boys stumbled upon this closed space wandering around the house.
“I think I’m going to sit this one out.” Morgan rises to her feet.
“Everything okay?” I stop her.
“I’m fine. Just need to go to the bathroom. I’ll be back.”
I ask her around twenty more times if she’s feeling okay before letting her go halfheartedly. Speaking of bathrooms, Winter must’ve discovered a secret door leading to another dimension in there because she never came back.
Ironically, that’s when my phone lights up with a text from her.
Winter: Went home. Don’t worry about me.
I take in my surroundings. Zoey’s sitting on the dryer, feet hanging in the air, while Luke sits by my side. Across from us, squashed between a drying rack and a folding station, are Will and Callie. We’re all pretty wrecked from passing the tequila bottle around for thirty minutes.
“Are we playing this game or what?” Zoey’s complaint swings us into action.
The game starts off with Zoey asking us the stupidest questions. Have you ever had sex in public? What’s the wildest thing you’ve ever done? Think of a corny question—any corny question—they’ve asked it. A few rounds fly by, but I can’t bring myself to pay attention, worried sick about Morgan. In a fleeting, unwanted moment of weakness, I glance at Will.
Sitting with one leg flat on the ground and the other braced against his chest, he seems bored out of his mind—can’t blame him. I flush when he lifts his eyes to mine, catching me staring.
He smirks.
Busted.
Callie decides now is a good time to dump her leg over Will’s and nuzzle her cheek on his shoulder. He doesn’t push her away, but he also doesn’t return her affection, which almost soothes the burning jealousy in my chest.
Key word: almost.
I act without thinking, sagging against Luke’s chest, who welcomes my body in a heartbeat. I regret it instantly, but the way Will’s eyes flare keeps me in place. I think I see his jaw twitch for a second.
Or maybe I’m just drunk and crazy.
Five minutes later, I’m this close to ditching them to go check on Morgan. This isn’t me. I’m leading on a perfectly nice boy and for what? For the guy with another girl on his lap?
Just as I’m about to get up, someone calls on me.
Will.
“Kass.” He declares me his next victim.
I blink at him, but I can’t find a sliver of kindness in his eyes.
“What?”
“Have you ever used someone to make somebody else jealous?”
Silence befalls our circle.
Did he just…
Is he accusing me?
I mean, he does have a point.
Shut up, inner Kass.
“Spill it or drink it,” he nags me.
Fucker.
I bring the shot to my lips, throwing it back in seconds.
“Okay. Hottie Blondie.” Zoey claims her turn.
He scoffs. “Name’s Will.”
She ignores him. “Have you ever fantasized about anyone in this circle?”
A hopeful smile tugging at her lips, Callie eagerly awaits his reply. I should excuse myself. Go find Morgan. I really don’t need to listen to Will talk about how bangable Callie is—I mean, duh, he chose her as his friend with benefits for a reason—but I can’t move a muscle. All I can do is sit there and brace myself.
“Yes.” It takes him forever to admit it.
Satisfied, Callie runs her manicured hand down his lap—let’s be honest, it’s not his lap she’s going for—but he doesn’t pay her much mind. In fact, he doesn’t even look at her.
No, the person he’s looking at…
Is me.
It becomes that much harder to breathe. He won’t flinch. Not for one second. The craziest part is, I have no idea if that thing in his gaze is hate…
Or desire.
Intimidated, I split the eye contact, only to realize the others have already moved on to the next question. I can’t seriously be the only one noticing this tension. Jesus. It isn’t nearly long enough before Zoey’s turn rolls back around. I know she’s got a plan in mind when she shoots Callie a mischievous look.
What now?
“Will, who’s the person you fantasized about in this circle?”
I can’t blame her. She’s only trying to help her friend out. So why do I feel betrayed?
“Is that even a question?” Callie snorts confidently.
Again, Will’s eyes find me.
For fuck’s sake, he’s got to stop doing that. He’s going to give me a heart attack.
Then, because my life is a bad joke, the exact moment Will looks at me is the moment Luke decides to grow some balls and make a move, sliding his hand up my bare thigh. Will sees it, his glare shadowing Luke’s movement.