Page 30 of Kissing Games
‘Stop! What did that one say?’
After another couple ended up in the fire, Valentina sighed dramatically.
‘How many times have you written “have wild monkey sex”, Charlie?’
He knew when he was rumbled. ‘A few,’ he admitted.
Valentina took a big breath, then let it out in a rush. ‘Okay, just so I know what I’m dealing with.’
She pulled out a few more, consigning them to a fiery death as Charlie winced with each ball of flame as if she was kicking him in the nuts.
‘Stay up all night and watch the sunrise.’ She smiled and Charlie’s chest filled with light. ‘I like that one, and I’ve never done it before. That can go on the “yes” pile. Get a tattoo? Abuelita would go crazy.’ She held the piece of paper towards the fire, then looked at the ink spiralling down his arms. ‘I suppose it could be a small one, where no one could see.’
She dropped the suggestion onto the ‘maybe’ pile. ‘Graffiti something.’ She paused. ‘That could also be small, where no one could see.’
Charlie rolled his eyes.
She ignored him and turned the pickle jar upside down, the last few ideas falling into her lap. ‘Play truth or dare. Okay, I will allow that to be a maybe. Have wild—’ She tossed the piece of paper into the fire. ‘Play spin the bottle. With how many people?’
‘Four.’
Her eyes were saucers. ‘Who did you have in mind?’
Charlie ticked off on his fingers slowly. ‘You, me… Charlotte and Bandit.’ He grinned at her and she laughed.
‘Okay, Charlotte and Charlie, that can be a maybe.’ She opened the final few and tossed them all onto the fire. Charlie pretended not to notice and picked up the ‘yes’ pile.
He cleared his throat. ‘So, drumroll please...’
Valentina drummed her hands on the floor.
‘In the “yes” corner we have… write bad poetry, go on a pub crawl, eat something strange or something for the first time, and stay up all night and watch the sunrise.’ He sighed. ‘Is that all you chose?’ He reached over to snatch the pile of maybes before she changed her mind about any of them. ‘And in the “definitelymaybe” corner, we have… HAVE SEX WITH CHARLIE HAMILTON!’
Valentina rolled her eyes and he laughed.
‘Okay,’ he continued. ‘I’ll be serious. Ahem. Go skinny-dipping, blow something up, have wild monkey sex, have wild monkey sex many,manymore times—’
‘Hey! It didnotsay that.’
‘Get a tattoo, graffiti something, play truth or dare, and last but not least, play spin the bottle.’
‘So,’ she began. ‘One list is about poetry, wine, food and watching the sunrise. The other is about blowing things up, defacing property, getting naked in public, having a tattoo, having lots of sex and playing games with the intention of having more sex.’
Charlie couldn’t help laughing out loud.
‘Yep,’ he grinned. ‘That just about sums it up. When do you want to start?’
11
Valentina paused at the edge of the precipice, her heart thumping. Was she really going to take this leap?
‘Er… Maybe tomorrow? I can’t do anything today. I have filming,’ she stalled.
Charlie leaned back, resting his hands on the floor behind him.
‘Are you sure?’ he asked with a smile that ignited her underwear.
She recrossed her legs in an attempt to alleviate the burn. It didn’t help. He was the killer combination of hotandcharming.
