Page 14 of A Little Tempting

“Welp…” I grimace. “See ya later.”

Without another word, I dodge past the poor guy, and this time, he lets me. I’m not surprised. He probably wanted to end the conversation as quickly as possible, too, now that he knows I’m a crazy person.

“Dylan!” Finley calls from the hall.

I rush toward her and loop my arm through hers so she can’t ditch me again. Peeking over my shoulder, I see the stranger’s gone.

Shit. I didn’t even ask for his name.

Good one, Dylan.

Even landing in Reeves’ lap during photography felt less embarrassing than my interaction with…whoever he was. Maybe it’s because Reeves doesn’t look at me like I’m growing a second head despite my…moments. Or maybe he’s simply better at hiding it.

“You okay?” Fin asks.

“Fantastic,” I grumble. “So, how long do I have to stay here until I can go home without you giving me shit?”

With a laugh, she shakes her head and turns me around, leading us back to the large kitchen and family room. “At least an hour. Oo, it looks like the festivities are about to begin.”

Reeves jumps onto the coffee table in the middle of the family room. His entire body is draped in black, and a mask hangs from his fingertips as he scans the space. When his gaze lands on me, a smirk tugs at the corner of his mouth, and I look down at my empty cup, my cheeks heating.

“Listen up!” he calls.

The buzzing around the room quiets, and so does the music, blanketing the space in silence.

I peek up at him again. He isn’t looking at me anymore. Nope. Now, he’s addressing the entire room, making each and every one of the people sandwiched together feel like he’s talking to them.

“Welcome to Game Night!” he continues. “Because we have a few new players this evening, here are the rules. One. What happens at Game Night stays at Game Night. If we hear you sharing anything or taking photos of anything, you’re banned for the rest of your life. Second. Leave your jealousy at the door. This is a game. Emphasis on the wordgame. As in fake. As in, not real. As in, keep your head out of your ass, all right?” Lifting the gaudy gold medallion from around his neck, he raises it into the air. “Usually, the winner of Game Night is awarded this medallion and is required to keep it safe until the next Game Night, which allows them bragging rights and the opportunity to choose and judge the next game. As you can all see, I was the previous winner and would like to announce tonight’s game.”

An even heavier hush falls over the crowd, each of us hanging on every single syllable said by the stupid Adonis in front of me. “But tonight, I decided to make us all winners.” Low laughter rings throughout the room, and I glance at Finley beside me, feeling like I’m missing something, but she lifts a shoulder. She’s as confused as I am.

“Rules are simple,” he explains. “Hide and seek. Girls against guys. The entire neighborhood is free reign. Girls hide first. You have three minutes until we come searching. If someone finds you, they get to kiss you on a location of your choosing. As always, we’re big fans of consent around here, and if anyone pushes the boundaries to where you aren’t comfortable, let me, Everett, or Griffin know, and we’ll take care of it.” His gaze darkens. “And if anyone’s stupid enough to push the boundaries, let me make this clear. You won’t walk away from this party. You’ll leave in a body bag.” I give Finley another curious look but keep my lips pressed together as Reeves adds, “Guys who came here with their girl, I suggest you hunt quickly so someone else doesn’t find her first. Girls who came here with their guy? Well, I suggest you choose an innocent place for your wolf to collect his payment if you're caught by a wolf you don’t belong to.” Another round of amusement rolls through the room, and Reeves basks in it before asking, “Any questions?” His look skims the crowd, falling on me again. Smirking, he slides the mask he’s holding into place. It’s a wolf. With gray fur. And glow-in-the-dark eyes. I look around the room as every other guy in the house slips on a matching mask, making it impossible to tell whose face hides under it.

My heart rate ratchets up a notch as I take in the crowd surrounding me. There are so many of them. A pack of wolves ready for the hunt. Reaching up, I touch one of the messy buns on my head. A deer. Prey. Well, if they wanted to make the game interesting, they succeeded. If I can keep my adrenaline in check so I don’t faceplant once the game starts, that’d be great.

I glance at the masked Reeves again, curious about what he’s waiting for. His head cocks a few degrees when I catch him staring at me. It makes me feel like he can see right through me. Like he can sense exactly what I feel. Like he truly is a wolf. And even though his entire face is covered, I swear I can feel him grinning beneath the mask before he yells, “Run!”

Like the prey we are, all the girls race toward the entrance, spilling out the door, one after another, and spreading across the front yard and further onto the driveway. It’s dark out. Like, extremely dark. Most of the street lights are covered in garbage bags, shielding the glow from lighting up the sidewalk. It’s borderline freaky but clever as hell. I’ll give them that much.

It seems the boys have thought of everything.

Squeals and giggles mingle as one of the girls in front of me stumbles in her heels, practically faceplanting on the sidewalk. Her friend helps her up, and they rush behind a neighbor’s house, each of them dressed like Playboy bunnies, complete with fishnet tights and fluffy white tails pinned to their butts.

Seriously. I give it ten minutes until someone calls the cops for trespassing.

“How is this allowed?” I ask.

“I heard they give everyone on the street season passes to LAU games to make up for their shenanigans,” Finley explains. “Now, hurry up! We need to find a good spot to hide!”

“Who’s they?” I ask as we dart around the corner of a house and book it toward someone’s deck, crouching low when whooping echoes from the main house.

Finley doesn’t bother answering me, choosing to cover my mouth with her hand while giving me a death glare warning me to be quiet or I’ll feel her wrath, as loud howls echo from the guys’ house, followed by sneakers scuffing against the pavement.

I guess our three minutes are up.

“Ready or not, here we come!” masculine voices announce.

My heartbeat throbs in my ears, making it hard to hear anything else as I look around the edge of the house with wide eyes. Okay, this is terrifying. What if someone catches me? I didn’t sign up for this. I mean, I didn’tnotsign up for this, but my heart is pounding, my palms are sweaty, my skin feels hot and tight, and I seriously might pass out at any second. Ripping Finley’s hand from my mouth, I force my breathing to calm as I listen for…something, but it’s eerily quiet. Seconds later, a few girlish squeals cut through the sound of feet pounding the ground. It’s followed by low laughter, and before I realize what’s happening, a loud “Boo!” from behind me makes us both jump out of our skin. Then, we’re running as fast as we can. Whoever it was is still far away, at least fifty yards, but the glowing eyes and wide stance are enough to light a fire under my ass, and I pump my arms back and forth, searching for an escape.

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