Page 93 of Dare Me

The more he looked, the more he wished Arianna were lying in bed beside him, looking at all the options with him.

But she wasn’t and he spent another hour scrolling and looking at houses not only in Laurel Bay, but the surrounding towns as well. From what he could tell, they were all small towns. The nearest big city—if you could even call it that—was either an hour south of here or an hour north. Apparently, he’d found the sweet spot of small-town coastal living.

Yawning, he felt like he could finally go to sleep. Closing the laptop, he placed it on the bedside table and turned out the light. He had just rolled over and closed his eyes when his phone dinged with an incoming text. A slow smile crossed his face because there was only one person who would even think of contacting him at this hour.

Reaching for the phone, he swiped the screen and grinned.

Arianna: Truth or dare?

Just for fun, he was going to turn the tables on her.

Will: Truth

Arianna: Really? At this hour?

Will: Sure. What have you got?

Arianna: I’m not sure. I really thought you’d say dare

Will: I’m sleepy. Humor me.

Arianna: Hmm…

A solid minute passed before she said anything.

Arianna: Okay, truth. Do you wish I was there right now?

Will: That’s an easy one. Yes. Always.

Arianna: Then you know what you have to do, right?

Will: Truth or dare?

He chuckled because there wasn’t a doubt in his mind that she was probably annoyed that he wasn’t easily playing along.

Arianna: Fine. Truth. How do you like it?

Will: I’m totally chill with it.

Will: Truth—do you want me to dare you to come over?

Arianna: Lol!

Arianna: I’m half naked on your doorstep. Any chance we can speed this game up?

He didn’t even bother responding. Leaping from the bed, he raced down the stairs and nearly pulled the door off its hinges to get to her.

She was standing there in a pair of tiny shorts and a cami with a robe that barely covered her bottom, and she took his breath away. Reaching out, he tugged her into the apartment before shutting the door and hauling her up over his shoulder.

“Will!” she giggled.

“Shh…it’s late and this way we can get into bed faster,” he told her.

Up in the loft, he gently placed her on the bed before climbing in beside her. Tossing her robe on the floor, Arianna playfully kicked her way under the blankets and then waited for him to join her. They sighed in unison as soon as they were wrapped in each other’s arms.

“I should have done this hours ago,” she said quietly, placing a kiss on this chest. “I was being bratty again, so…sorry.”

Hugging her close, he kissed the top of her head. “You have no idea how hard it was for me not to go down to the pub.”

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