Page 51 of Broken Player

At the same time, if I picked dare, Quinn would find some way to embarrass me in front of the one guy I actually cared about what he thought of me. Ugh. "Dare," I decided, saying it out loud before I could chicken out.

Quinn was practically vibrating with excitement, and I knew I'd made a mistake. "I dare you to strip off whatever you still have left on and skinny dip."

I snuck a peek at Maddox, who was staring at me with what could only be described as pure lust. His eyes looked practically black in the shadows created with the sun at his back. Just that look made my thighs clench together as heat spiraled to my core.

In his gaze, I saw everything he wanted to do to me--every swirl of his tongue, every clench of my body, every spark of electricity and connection between us. I wanted it all, and we both knew it. But I couldn't go there. Not right now.

Damn Quinn and his dares. Taking off the last layers I wore would remove every last protection I had against Maddox. If I was naked and he pressed up against me, I wasn't sure I had the will to deny us both what we so clearly wanted.

But a dare's a dare. So, I tossed one last evil eye at Quinn before swimming toward shore. I stayed deep enough in the water that if I crouched down, I wouldn't expose myself to the guys, but I could still toss my clothes up on the shore so they wouldn't sink to the bottom of the pond. With my back facing them, I unhooked my bra before sliding the straps off my armsand tossing it to the shore. I looked back over my shoulder at Maddox, and I swore he'd moved closer.

Turning back toward the shore, I slid my thong down my legs and tossed the soaking fabric onto the sand beside my bra. I had a feeling it'd still be soaking even if we weren't swimming right now after being so close to Maddox.

The warm water caressed my newly exposed skin, and I turned back to face the guys. "Done. Now it's my turn." I swam out a little further until the water came up to just below my shoulders and faced Maddox, who was staring down into the water right at my breasts. I sucked in a breath, trying to act like I didn't care. In reality, his gaze felt like a warm caress, exactly where I wished his hands were.

"Maddox. Truth or dare?" I challenged.

I didn't think it was possible, but his eyes darkened even further. "Truth."

Swallowing hard, a million questions ran through my mind. There was so much I wanted to know, how could I possibly settle in on just one? But this was my chance to find out where we stood. More than anything in our past, this was what I needed to know most. "What do you want from me?" I asked, the words coming out louder than I'd intended because I was afraid if I didn't get them out, I wouldn't be able to.

A frown creased his brow as he watched me. "Isn't it obvious?" he answered my question with one of his own as he swam toward me. He stopped right in front of me, so he was looking down into my eyes, the intensity of his burning almost like fire. As he found his footing, he reached out and ran his fingertips down the side of my face, and I leaned into his touch but didn't break eye contact. "Everything," he whispered.

My heart clenched as my chest flooded with warmth. The way he was looking at me left no doubt as to his meaning. He wantedme. He wantedmore.But could I believe he wouldn't walk away again when things got tough?

And even if I did, what would I do about the ranch? About Yates and the contract I signed?

My thoughts were obliterated when he lowered his mouth to mine. My hands moved on their own to glide up his chest and to the back of his neck, pulling him closer. I melted into him as he dotted my jaw with soft kisses. His lips covered mine again, and we devoured each other, both of us starved for the other. I didn't know what would happen in the future, but right now, I didn't care. Everything around us disappeared into nothingness as we got lost in each other.

A flood of heat rushed through my body as Maddox pressed himself against me, his hips pressing into mine. I felt the thick ridge of his growing erection press against me, and I moaned softly in the back of my throat, which just made him press closer.

Quinn clearing his throat behind us finally had me yanking my mouth away from Maddox, and I sucked in air. I didn't think I breathed for the entirety of that kiss, and my knees were weak and shaky.

"Goddamn," Maddox cursed under his breath, and I had to agree. Every time we kissed, it got better and better.

"As much fun as it is to watch you two suck face, we've got a game to finish," Quinn grumbled.

Maddox ran a hand up to his face and through his hair before focusing back on Quinn. "Truth or dare, Quinny?"

I didn't miss how he'd used my nickname for Quinn, and it gave me the warm fuzzies when Quinn didn't correct him. Instead, he flashed him a devilish smile. "Dare."

"You're feeling left out? I dare you to come kiss me," he said, and my eyebrows shot up in surprise. Maddox wore a smirk, and his eyes challenged Quinn. Maddox held up his finger. "One time only," he clarified.

Quinn practically dove for Maddox, and I giggled. "You just made his entire life," I told him, moving aside as Quinn stepped right in front of him. If Maddox thought Quinn was the type of guy who was shy and wouldn't take exactly what he wanted, he was in for quite the surprise.

Quinn gently placed his hands on both sides of Maddox's face and leaned in, kissing him once gently, and I was surprised when Maddox closed his eyes and leaned in, their lips connecting again. This time, Quinn deepened the kiss, and I watched basically the hottest thing I'd ever seen happen right in front of me. Both of their hands stayed above the shoulders, and the kiss was surprisingly gentle and over much too quickly. I could have watched them kiss all night long.

When Quinn pulled away, I watched his cheeks turn pink, and Maddox stepped back once and winked at me before he said, "Don't make it weird."

Quinn giggled, and I had to laugh with him. I'd only heard him giggle a couple of times, and it always made me laugh because he wasn't the giggling type. He was this big macho cowboy-type of guy, so when he lost it, I did, too. Finally, Maddox joined in, and all the tension that could have been there was just gone as we all cracked up.

I drifted backwards to float on my back again with a soft smile on my face, and I felt Maddox take my hand, weaving our fingers together. He tugged me upright and leaned in to whisper in my ear. "You know I did that for you, right? Did you enjoy the show?"

I bit my lip. "It was hot as hell."

He nodded once. "Burn it into your memory because it's not happening again. I may be comfortable with my sexuality, but I don't usually swing that way. Besides, I only want one person on this entire planet, and she's standing here in my arms." Hesnaked his arms around my waist and pulled me against his chest, but I didn't fight him.

Once Quinn had gathered himself, he came back over to us. "Last round. Maddox, truth or dare?"

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