Page 123 of A Little Tempting

Her smile grows. “Always.”

“A girl after my own heart.” I kiss her cheek. “Come with me.” After ordering two fruity concoctions in tall glasses, I pass one to Dylan, and we make our way toward one of the booths near the back of the building. The guys are already here, and so are Ophelia and Mav.

“Dylan!” Ophelia practically squeals as she shoves her boyfriend out of the booth so she can pull her best friend into a hug. “You look gorgeous!”

“Ditto,” Dylan replies.

“Oh, good, you have drinks,” Lia adds. “We’re playing Truth or Dare, but it’s Finley’s turn, so we're waiting until she gets back.”

Scanning the bar, Dylan frowns. “Where’d she go?”

“Drew called,” Griffin announces from deeper inside the booth.

“I hate the fucker,” Everett grumbles.

Mav chuckles across from him. “Yeah, but you hate anyone who touches your sister.”

“Pretty sure a saint could say hello to her, and you’d still be pissed,” Griffin adds.

“Because no one’s good enough for her,” Everett argues.

“No one’s good enough for anyone from your perspective,” Ophelia chimes in.

“You’re right, they aren’t,” he tosses right back at her, but I don’t miss the way Griffin stares at his best friend for a beat too long, picking up his cup and swallowing the rest of what’s inside.

“I’m gonna grab another drink. You guys want anything?” he asks.

Everyone shakes their heads as Griff slips out, heading back to the bar. Dylan and I take his place and scoot along the vinyl cushion until we’re tucked in the corner.

“So, you guys are cute,” Ophelia notes. Her caramel-colored eyes bounce between Dylan and me like we’re the two most interesting people in the world. It makes Dylan shrink a little further into my side.

Tossing my arm around her shoulders, I stretch my legs out in front of me and motion to her and Mav. “I could say the same about you two. Tinkerbell and Peter Pan? What’d it take to get this man in tights?”

Mav doesn’t bother hiding his grin as he scratches the side of his jaw. “No comment.”

“You dog, you,” I joke as Griff and Finley appear, drinks in hand.

“Okay, so when you guys win the award for the cutest couple, you better thank me in your acceptance speech,” Finley says as she slips in beside Lia.

“There’s a costume contest?” Dylan asks while Griffin follows behind Finley and rests his elbows on the table, cradling what looks like a Jack and Coke between his hands.

“Yup, but it doesn’t start for another hour or so,” Finley replies. “Now, where were we? Oh. Right. Dylan, truth or dare?”

Dylan pauses, then finally answers, “Dare.”

“I dare you to give Reeves a kiss on the lips.”

The wallflower shrinks beside me, glaring at her friend across from us as Finley grins back at her.

“Dylan.” I keep my voice low enough for only her to hear. “You don’t have to.”

Peeking up at me, she scoots up a little more in her seat, desire and unease fighting for first place in her big, round eyes. We’ve kissed. A lot. But only when it’s me and her. Only when there aren’t any witnesses. And yeah. I asked her here as my date, but when we both know a kiss means more to her than it does to a lot of people, does this bother her? Kissing me in public? With the way she’s acting, I’m not sure.

“Dylan, I’m serious,” I mutter. “You don’t have to.”

She swallows thickly, and her body trembles as she lifts her chin to kiss me. It’s soft and careful and very PG, all lips and no tongue, but it makes me crave her more. Pulling away, she touches her fingers to her soft lips.

A squeal echoes from across the booth. Finley claps her hands in triumph as Dylan’s haze of interest vanishes, and she gives her friend another death glare. “You’re a brat.”

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