Page 174 of Always You

“When is Hunter ever insecure?” Charlotte turns her head to Jason with an incredulous look.

“When it comes to you,” he counters, and I close my eyes in annoyance as the girls giggle beside me.

“Way to set the mood, Jay.” I raise my beer at him with a slight glare.

“Oh, whatever. It’s not like it’s a big secret between the four of us.” He rolls his eyes, and Julie chuckles at his words. “Let’s play a game! Never Have I Ever! I’ll start.”

Jason’s eyes glance over at all of us as the corner of his mouth curls into a grin.

“Never have I ever—gotten a tattoo.”

We all take a sip of our drinks, and my eyes roll out of my sockets, realizing what this means.

“Wait, what? You got a tattoo?” My eyes peer at Charlotte as she presses her lips into a flat line, then closes her eyes and nods.

“What!” I exclaim. “Where?” I remember every inch of her body, and my dick twitches in longing to have a fresh look now that apparently her body has changed with something I’m not aware of.

She lifts her shirt up with a strained expression, and I read the lines on the side of her belly that make me gasp for air:Love is enough.

“When did you get this?”

“Six months ago,” Julie blurts, taking another sip from her drink.

Charlotte looks away, and I drag my hand over my face as guilt washes over me. It’s a sentence that has haunted me ever since she left me on that sidewalk almost a year ago.“For me, love is enough.”

Her eyes lock with mine, a serious look swirling there, and I keep a straight face as the tension rises between us. It steals the air from my lungs, and I lift the bottle to my lips again to calm my pounding heart.

“Okay,” Julie muses, to snap us out of it. “Your turn, Hunt.”

I purse my lips, acknowledging Julie’s grim expression, then look up at the sky to think of a question to lighten the mood.

“Never have I ever—used a fake name.” Everyone but Charlotte takes another drink, and Julie turns her head to Charlotte incredulously.

“Come on, Charlie. You’ve never used a fake name? Not even with a guy at a bar?”

“I don’t see why?”

“Because it’s fun.” Julie blinks.

“Because it’s convenient at times,” Jason chimes in.

“How is that convenient?” Charlotte rolls her eyes.

“Because you don’t want to get abused by groupies,” I add, taking another pull from my drink.

“Arrogant much, Hansen?” Julie wrinkles her nose at me.

“He was born like this,” Charlotte counters, giving me a side glance, and I roughly grab her neck, my eyes narrowing while I look at her.

“Don’t make me show you just how arrogant I can be.”

“I already know.” She licks her lips with a daring glare that has me growling at her through gritted teeth, a small smile hiding in the corner of my mouth. Fuck, she makes it so hard to take it slow if she’s going to keep tempting me with thosefuck-me eyes.

“Oh God, get a room, you two.” Julie glares. “Charlie, you’re up.”

Charls’s eyes dart away, and I let go of her again.

“Never have I ever—peed in the shower.” Jason and I both take a sip, making the girls cry out.

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