Page 41 of Play Pretend

We ended up tying with The Beavers They Eat, and Tommy gave us a tiebreaker question.

“How many stones remain at Stonehenge?”

“That is an insane question,” Brynne said, and I nodded my agreement.

“It can’t be that many,” Ronan said.

“What, like fifteen?” Trinity asked, glancing over her shoulder at Tommy. “Come on, we have like five seconds left.”

“Forty,” Ronan blurted. “Put forty.” The urgency in his voice made excitement shoot through my body at lightning speed, and I laughed softly, leaning closer to him. His warmth, his scent, his energy, was addicting.

Under the table, his thigh pressed against mine, and my heart jumped into my throat. I tried not to make it obvious that I was freaking out—but I was.

“Oh, no one got that correct,” Tommy muttered. “The right answer is eighty-three.”

“Do over!” Trinity cried, punching her fist into the air. “Do over!”

“No do overs,” he sighed.

She cupped her hands around her mouth again. “Boo! Boo!”

“No booing,” Tommy snapped, pointing at her. “I’ll throw you out again.”

She made a face as she turned back toward us, rolling her eyes. “What a dickwad. Who asks a question like that?”

“I mean, itistrivia night,” Brynne said. “I’d say that was a trivia question.”

“It was a cheater question,” Trinity shot back. Brynne laughed as she got to her feet.

“I’m getting another round. You want a drink?” She pointed at my mostly empty glass, and I nodded.

“Please. If you don’t mind. I’ll pay you back.”

“Don’t worry about it. What about you two?” She waved her finger between Trinity and Ronan, and they both nodded. She made her way to the bar, her round hips swaying. Tattoos swirled down one of her arms, her bright red hair bouncing with every step.

She was probably the coolest person I’d ever met.

“Ready?” Tommy asked, and everyone clapped and cheered. “What is the only food that’ll never go bad?”

“Honey,” I said before the question was even done. Trinity stared at me for a moment. “It’s honey. Trust.”

She glanced at Ronan, but he just shrugged. “Trust,” he repeated, his lips twitching. His leg bounced under the table, the rough fabric of his jeans rubbing my skin raw. I slid my hand onto his thigh, and his entire body stiffened, but he stopped moving.

Red crept up his neck from under the collar of his shirt. I hadn’t realized how tight it was until now. It clung to his body, showing off every dip of muscle.

Slowly, I let my hand slip off his thigh and back onto the table just as Brynne returned with our next round of drinks. I shot back the rest of my drink before grabbing my replacement and taking a long pull. Ronan mimicked my movements, his gulps loud as he downed his beer.

She looked between us, but said nothing as she sat, a grin playing at her lips. But she didn’t need to say a word for us to know exactly what she was thinking.

Trinity held up the sign, and Tommy gave us the point. “How did you know that?” she asked, leaning heavily against the table.

“Gracie taught me.” I shrugged.

“That makes sense. Gracie knows her honey,” Trinity muttered to herself, her hair bouncing as she nodded.

Ronan subtly shifted, his body moving closer to mine. My heart was in my throat as I tried not to focus on the warm, masculine scent swirling around me. His hand disappeared under the table, and my eyes clashed with Brynne’s. She smirked, but turned toward the stage, listening to the next question.

His fingers toyed with the hem of my dress, and my mouth went completely dry. I stared straight ahead as my face flushed. If he noticed, he didn’t make it obvious. Instead, he tortured me further by sliding his hand onto my knee.

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