Page 2 of Unexpected

“Can’t I just take a shot and go?”

One corner of his mouth tipped up in a lopsided smile as he scrubbed a hand over his short, dark scruff along his chin. “Now, what would be the fun in that, neighbor?”

Next to me, Josh, Luke’s brother, appeared and nudged me with his elbow. “Come on, Hazel,” he said with a large smile. “Just one card and I’ll make sure Luke moves the car.” Josh’s smile was contagious, and I gave him a small one in return.

He was easier to tolerate than Luke. He was at least apologetic most of the time, while Luke had an indifferent attitude toward all the issues that arose. Josh also had a boyish charm with his shaggy dirty-blond hair and tan skin. He and his laid-back personality were easier to deal with than Mr. Sarcastic And Hard To Read standing in front of me.

I leveled a stare at Luke and said, “Fine.”

I tapped the screen, read the prompt, and shook my head.

Simulate an orgasm for 10 seconds.

Josh peered over my shoulder as I reread the prompt. I didn’t want to do it, that was a given, but I also didn’t want to give Luke the satisfaction of me backing down. I stared at the screen, willing it to somehow change and ask a stupid question instead. I could answer a ridiculous question but thinking about simulating an orgasm for ten seconds in front of a group of strangers, and my asshole neighbor, had my hands shaking. My mouth went dry, and I felt bile roll uncomfortably through my stomach as Josh blew out a breath next to me.

“Jeez, that’s a rough one. I’ll just go ahead and pour you a shot,” he said, reaching for a small glass and filling it to the rim with whiskey.

“Wait, wait, wait. What is it, neighbor? What’s it asking you to do?” Luke asked.

I narrowed my eyes as I looked up at him. That little lopsided smile was still plastered on his face as I threw daggers at him.

“Christ, if looks could kill…” Josh muttered, holding the shot glass.

Before I could stop him, Luke grabbed the phone from my hands and read the screen. He raised his eyebrows and nodded. “You scared of showing us your orgasm face?”

Of course, he was challenging me to complete the stupid prompt. He didn’t expect me to do it, and for some reason, that made me want to do it more. For a moment, we stared at each other as I contemplated which would give me the most satisfaction: taking the shot and getting the fuck out with no sweat off my back or seeing the shock on Luke’s face when I completed the challenge.

I chose the latter.

Before I could lose my nerve, I took a deep breath, let my eyes fall closed, and let out my best breathy moan as I began counting to ten. I stuttered over another moan, trying to make it all realistic while also putting on the fucking show he seemed to want. My hands traveled up my body, over my chest, and wound up tangled in my hair as I turned up the volume on yet another moan before I finished it up with a throaty “fuck” for good measure.

Nine and ten.

I snapped my eyes open, immediately finding Luke, who was staring at me intently. The powerful, wanting look in his eyes was something I hadn’t witnessed before and made my skin unbearably hot. But I stood there proving to him that I wasn’t going to back down from his stupid taunting games.Neither of our glares wavered, although I could feel the blush fanning over my chest and up my neck.

“Okay, that was fucking hot,” Josh murmured beside me. I appreciated Josh’s compliment—I guess that was the point—but my eyes were still locked on Luke. It made me uncomfortable to be the center of his attention, but I couldn’t help feeling a little triumphant that I obviously had some effect on him.

Trying to calm my nerves and give myself something else to focus on, I forcibly ripped my eyes away from Luke and grabbed the shot still in Josh’s hands. Throwing it back quickly, I savored the burn of the liquor sliding down the back of my throat. Luke eyed my tongue as I licked around my lips, his usually vibrant green eyes seeming a little darker, and it wasn’t until a sly smile pulled at the corners of my mouth that he finally pulled his eyes away.

He cleared his throat and glanced behind me. “James, I think it’s your car in the way. Where are your keys? I’ll move it.” The guy tossed his keys to Luke, who grabbed them out of the air and started walking to the door without looking back.

“Score one for Hazel.” Josh laughed, skimming his hand on the small of my back as I walked past. I tried not to cringe from the touch—it was friendly and nothing more—but I couldn’t help that my skin felt hot and stung even from the soft touch over my clothes.

The party was already back in full swing as Luke hurried ahead of me.

Once I rounded the corner, I readjusted my clothes and ran my hand over my back where Josh’s fingers touched, trying to replace the sensation with the feeling of my own hand.

Luke was already out the door by the time I made it to the entryway. The cool night air was a contradiction to the warmth of the party inside. Although it was October, it was still unseasonably chilly for Texas. With nights usually hovering in the eighties, I was surprised when I walked out my door that evening and wished I had worn something thicker.

Luke climbed into the driver’s seat of the SUV and closed the door behind him without another word to me. I must have really gotten under his skin; it wasn’t usual for him to be so quiet or without a sarcastic comment.

I could feel his eyes on me as I climbed into my own car and started the engine. I glanced at the time, only five minutes later than I was supposed to be. I could make it work. He pulled forward just enough for me to back my car out, and I gave him a wave and contemptuous grin as I passed.

Stopped at the stop sign at the end of our street, only two houses away from my own, I waited for the car coming the opposite direction to pass the intersection as I peeked into my rearview mirror. Luke was closing the car door and looking in the direction of my car.

He was illuminated by the streetlight directly above him; the warm light was soft around him and cast a dark shadow over his face. I could just barely make out his small smile as he ever so slightly shook his head before turning and walking back toward his house, leaving the car parked just past my driveway.

I assumed he was probably thinking how ridiculous that entire encounter was, and if that was the case, I couldn’t have agreed more.

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