Page 10 of His Daring Girl

They all take a seat in a circle. Chase pats the place next to him, urging me to sit, and Baylor sits down to my right. I’m squeezed in between two huge football players, and across fromme is Mindy who gives me a look before she turns her smile on Chase again. “I’ll go first since this was my idea.”

She leans forward and spins the liquor bottle, and as if the girl somehow rigged the thing, it lands on Chase.

“I’ll take a truth,” Chase says as she starts to move toward him. He turns to me and gives me a wink. “See? If you don’t want to kiss someone, you don’t have to.”

My entire body feels like it’s caught a fever. He’s being so nice. It’s like he’s truly watching out for me.

“Fine,” Mindy says, not sounding too happy with his choice. But she’s quick to put her smile back in place and ask her question. “Now that you and Cassie have broken up, who are you going to take to prom?”

“It’s four months away. I haven’t decided.” He leans over to me, whispering by my ear, “And if you don’t want to answer a question, you can give a blanket answer like that.”

He shifts to the center and reaches for the bottle, watching as the thing spins round and round. I can’t help but smile when I see the look on Mindy’s face. He didn’t give her the answer she was looking for either. The girl has had a crush on Chase since our freshman year. I overheard her talking to Taya about it, but then he started dating Cassie instead. I think she’s hoping she’ll have a shot with him now that her friend is out of the picture. But I’m hoping he keeps his distance from the mean girls. He deserves so much better.

The guys start laughing, and I look down to see the bottle has landed on Baylor. “Looks like I’m answering another question.” Chase laughs, sitting back.

Baylor chuckles. “Always a chickenshit,” he teases. “Okay. So, I want to know if we’re going to your house in Costa Rica for our graduation trip?”

“Hell yeah!” Chase nods then looks to me. “Have you ever been to Costa Rica, Ruby?”

I shake my head. I’ve never been anywhere outside of the States. My family definitely doesn’t have the kind of money Chase’s family does. It’s crazy to think that beyond this giant mansion they also have a place in Costa Rica. His family must be seriously loaded.

“You’ll have to come with us. The beach is incredible there.”

Did he really just invite me on their senior trip? He’s probably just trying to be nice in front of everyone. I’m not going to get my hopes up. Come next week when life has gone back to normal, he’ll forget all about me.

“My turn.” Baylor takes his spin. His bottle lands right on Ryeson. I expect him to sit back next to me, but he shifts forward. “I’m not a fucking chicken. Let’s get the game started and quit with all the talking.”

I look toward Ryeson, and he doesn’t look phased by his best friend’s actions. The two of them have always been close. “Fine,” Ryeson states. “But not on the mouth, fucker.” He turns his head to the side, but Baylor grabs his cheeks and forces him back around, planting a kiss right on his lips. Everyone is laughing, as Baylor jokingly keeps Ryeson locked in place, pretending as though he’s really trying to give him a kiss.

“Dare you to open up and let Baylor give you his tongue.” Mindy giggles.

I’m just shocked that the joke is still going on. Ryeson’s shoulders are completely tense, but he’s not shoving his friend off.

“I double dare you,” Taya, Baylor’s girlfriend, adds, laughing hysterically. I’m surprised she’s not irritated that he started a scene. The girls usually get so annoyed when the guys all goof around and act like big kids.

“Double dog dare you,” Chase adds, chuckling just as hard as the rest of them. I’ll admit, it is pretty funny if you think about it. The two most dominant jocks at our school, who are also thebiggest guys in size and muscle, are locked at the lips. Ryeson is being tortured by his best friend’s abuse, almost like they’re waiting to see who backs down first.

Baylor turns his head, looking right at Chase, and glares. It’s obvious he didn’t realize his joke was going to go this far. “Fine.” He turns back toward Ryeson. “Open up, big guy. We’re going to show them we’re not pussies.”

Ryeson jerks away, shaking his head. “No fucking way, man. I don’t have to prove dick to no one. It’s my turn to spin.” He gives Baylor the stare down and finally Baylor backs off, returning to his seat next to me. He’s still laughing, and the girls are all booing. Apparently, they wanted to see the two jocks kiss. When Ryeson’s bottle lands on me, the laughter stops. I swallow nervously, looking up at the guy, wondering if he’s going to try to kiss me.

“I won’t force Baylor’s sloppy seconds on you, Ruby. Give me a question.”

The air rushes out of me. I’m so relieved, but I’m not sure what to ask, so I go with Mindy’s question. “Who are you taking to prom, Ryeson?”

“I’m most likely going stag.” He shrugs.

That truly surprises me. For being as hot as he is, he could have a harem of girls. All the girls are crazy over him. But, unlike most of his football counterparts, he doesn’t seem interested in just fucking girls for the fun of it. It makes me respect the guy.

“You could always take Weatherly,” Mindy suggests. “She’s not looking for a commitment.”

“Your turn, Ruby.” Ryeson ignores her comment and moves the bottle in front of me. I reach out, feeling my fingers shaking as I spin the thing. My stomach twists tighter with every spin as it goes round and round.

It finally stops and is pointed right at Chase. I stare at the thing, unsure of what to do. I should probably ask a question,but when I look up, that same look is back in his eyes. I watch as his tongue slips out, licking across his lower lip like he’s getting ready for the kiss. His eyes are unwavering, like they’re daring me forward.

“Come on, Ruby, don’t chicken out,” Baylor chides.

I swallow hard, wavering the line of my nerves.

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