Page 187 of Tell Me Lies

Violet’s heart pounded in her chest, threatened to come out from her throat as she waited for Elijah to explain. “What? Why?” she asked, or more like gasped.

He shifted and somehow she knew he’d moved a little closer even though she still couldn’t see a single thing in front of her. But she felt his presence close in, as if the heat from his body wrapped itself around her body in a caress.

“I’m in a fraternity … something my dad has been pushing for. A way to get some connections. These guys are known for being wild with their pranks, especially since I’m running for an executive office position. The challenges they put people through. I’ve heard stories from being set out on a boat in the middle of the ocean and having to make their way back with a broken navigation system to being locked in a box with someone from their past.”

He grabbed her hand against his stomach and set something against it. She wracked her mind trying to picture what it was … the lighter?

“I know,” he continued, “that if you lit this, we’d be fine. Because I now know what we’re expected to do to get out of this box anytime soon.”

She swallowed. “What’s that?”

He scooted closer, his breath fanning over her face. Slowly, as if he were testing her and at the same time, making it clear she needed to follow his movements, he brought their hands above their heads so their bodies were touching from hip to chest.

“I know there is a camera watching us right now,” he said, frustratingly ignoring her question. “Most likely has night vision. And if we light this lighter, it’ll be the only visual privacy we’ll have.”

“What?” she asked, disbelieving.

“And I know what we’re in is the fucked-up dark version for Seven Minutes of Heaven.”

Disbelief froze her for a few seconds. “You’ve got to be kidding me…”

“I’m afraid not.”

“You all need mental help. This is crazy.”

“Hey, in case you missed it, I woke up in here with you, just as confused as ever.”

Despite the entirely messed-up situation, a thread of excitement lit deep inside her belly at the thought of what they were expected to do. At whom she’d have to do that with. And with their hips pressed to one another, their chests aligned, all she’d have to do is lean forward and tilt her face, then their mouths were surely to meet. She pictured it in her mind. Felt his breath fan across her skin.

“Okay,” she said, inching her face closer to his. “Let’s get this over with then.” She was kind of proud of how confident she sounded when she was anything but. This was an entirely new experience for her, and she wasn’t talking about just the box.

What sounded like choked laughter rumbled from him and his grip around hers which still held the lighter above their heads tightened. “What?”

Her stomach tumbled. She really didn’t want to say it again. “Seven Minutes in Heaven is a make-out game, typically done in high school, right?”

He cleared his throat. “The PG-13 version, yes.”

Her stomach clenched, and she bit her lip. A sneaking suspicion alighted up her spine. “And this version?”

“Fuck,” he said, sounding as if he were talking to himself.

“Elijah?” she called.

He scooted impossibly closer so she could feel the definition of his body against her softer one. His breath coasted over her mouth, which despite the darkness, seemed to line up perfectly with hers. Moist air dampened across her lips, and she knew, she knew it as sure as she knew her name … if she moved at all, their mouths would touch.

She licked her lips, anticipation licking inside her body. The action did what she’d suspected would happen and her tongue touched plump flesh that wasn’t hers.

Two things happened simultaneously: one, his grip tightened around her hand, and two, he growled. The sound caused her thighs to clench.

He leaned in with his body, dragging one hand down her arm, until she felt it settle at her ass. With a jolting movement, he thrust his hips forward and pressed hers to him.

She gasped and bit back a moan at the feel of him cradled against her. He was aroused, hard and defined.

Her body reacted almost instantly, warmth coating her core.

“This version,” he said, his voice impossibly dark. Darker than the blackness surrounding them. There was nothing pure in that tone, nothing with hope. Much like there was no light entering this box. “This version requires us both to orgasm.”

Her heart seized in her chest. “What?”

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