Page 49 of Pinky Promises

Before I step forward, hands land on my hips, pulling my back flush into a hard chest.

“Where do you think you’re going,” his husky voice breathes in my ear.

The hairs on the back of my neck rise at his closeness. A mix of sweat and spice envelop me as I inhale, a safety blanket of sorts keeping me safe in the darkness.

But I’m not safe, even in his embrace—he is the enemy tonight.

Starting at the edge of my shoulder, he peppers soft kisses along the column of my neck. My knees threaten to give out by the time he reaches my favorite spot just below my ear.

Think, Brynn, think.It’s so hard to put two thoughts together when his hands are on me. Even though Callum can’t see my expression, the corners of my lips turn upward as an idea comes to mind.

I spin in his arms and press my left hand to his chest, pushing him further into the darkness against the wall.

“Brynn.” He only has the chance to say my name before I stretch up and press my lips to his. I must catch him off guard with the assault on his mouth, but no sooner do my lips touch his than he is kissing me back.

I lose myself in this kiss. With each swipe of his tongue, the lines become further and further crossed between us. Any moment, someone could walk around the corner and catch us. There’s nothing illegal about what we are doing—two consenting adults giving in to their desires. But there is something so sexy and tempting about kissing my best friend in the middle of laser tag, with our friends lurking in the shadows.

When his teeth scrape my bottom lip, I involuntarily arch my hips into his, his hand splayed against my lower back. He is completely under my spell, and I know I need to make my move to gain power.Don’t lose the goal here.I run my fingers into Cal’s hair, scraping my nails along his scalp as he loves so much. His hold tightens as I bring my right arm up from my side, careful not to distract him. Callum pushes his erection into me at the exact moment I place the tip of my gun against the breastplate of his vest and pull the trigger.

Blue flashing lights fill the space between us from his vest, indicating he’s out of the game.

Victory is mine!

“You play dirty, Macallister.”

I bring the gun to my lips and blow the tip of the barrel, honestly pretty proud of myself.

“Never said I didn’t, Murphy.”

We are still pressed up against each other, with his fingers trailing along my side. A loud commotion around the corner makes us break our staring contest. I step out of Cal’s embrace just as the girls come running, barreling toward me, then pulling me into a group hug.

“Oh my God, Brynn! We won! We won!” I join in their victory dance, never taking my gaze away from Callum’s. With a smile on his lips, he drops his chin and shakes his head, mumbling something I can’t quite make out before he pushes off the wall.

“Bye, loser,” Hadley shouts as he passes us, and she and Lexi shoot their pretend finger pistols in his direction before turning back to me to celebrate our victory against the boys.

“I just don’t get how the hell we lost,” Asher pouts as he sets his beer back down on the table. After we finished laser tag, we made it to McHugh’s pub for drinks and food. We worked up quite the appetite because I’m pretty sure there is one of everything off the bar menu in front of us. All major food groups are covered—chicken wings, fried foods, pizza, and nachos.

Hadley drapes her arm around his shoulder and rests her chin on his shoulder. “Baby, are you going to bitch the entire night, all because we little ole girls kicked your ass?”

“But it’s my birthday,” he whines.

“Keep that up, bro, and I’m going to ask the waitress to play ‘It’s My Party’ over the speakers,” Ben chuckles. “And you can choose to cry if you want to.”

Ben glances around, looking for the waitress, when Asher mumbles, “asshole.”

“And is that supposed to mean something to us? It’s not our fault we’re better at laser tag than you three.” She totally gets off on taunting the hell out of him.

Asher opens his mouth to say something, but Hadley leans in to whisper something, and his mouth instantly shuts. He tilts his head to face her and captures her mouth with his. When he pulls back, Hadley’s cheeks are flushed, and he kisses the tip of her nose. “God, I love you.”

There is a moment of silence while we all enjoy the delicious food.

“Okay, okay, just I gotta know, man, what the fuck happened? I thought we had it in the bag when I suggested boys versus girls.” Asher doesn’t mean his statement to be as sexist as it comes out. Hell, I assumed we would be losers tonight, too, when teams were selected, but what can I say—was exploiting Callum’s weakness, aka me, a low blow? Maybe. But it did its job in the end, and three adult men—well, more Asher than Ben and Callum—are pouting like five-year-olds.

“Asher,” Hadley scolds.

“I promise, I’ll drop it after that.” He holds up his hands in fists, and in his best Barney Stinson voice fromHow I Met Your Mother,he says, “I gots to know.”

All eyes turn to Cal, shoving a bite of food into his mouth. I rest my elbow on the table and prop my chin on my fist, turning my body to face him. My playful eyes and smile goad him.Yes, Callum, do tell.

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