Page 85 of Eight Steps to Alpha

“Elliot,” She took a step toward him and scooped up the wine. “It’s the unknown that pulls us together. I mean, curiosity is a powerful thing.” She laughed. “It’s what fueled trips to the moon, the discovery of new species, new cures for diseases… It’s the mystery of life that keeps us going.” She took a swig from the bottle, then handed it over to him.

“I think that when we kissed that first time,” she continued, “it gave us enough of a taste to want more. To be curious. And I think that if we just sleep together tonight, our curiously will be appeased. It will be out of our systems. Things will be back to normal. This”—she waved her hand back and forth between the two of them—“will stop.”

He closed his eyes, just for a minute, gripping the back of his neck. “What happens after?”

“What do you mean?”

His eyes were a brilliant blue, now staring right at her. “When we go home? After tonight. What then?”

“We go back normal. To friends. To our lives.”

He looked away.

“Aren’t you curious, Elliot? Even just a little?”

He shook his head, his eyes shifting to the ground. “Oh, I’m curious.” His foot scrapped over the dirt before turning back to her. “I’m just not sure it’s the best idea.”

She shook her head. “Why?”

“Because this isn’t normal.”

“We aren’t normal, Elliot. You and me—we’re different.” She stepped toward him, taking the bottle of wine from his hand and setting it on the ground. “Just for tonight. Just once.”

He met her eyes, the corner of his mouth lifting in a lopsided grin. “You’re crazy.”

She grinned. “What do you say?”

He stepped a little closer, his eyes never leaving hers. “Okay.”

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