Page 111 of Match Point

“So, uh, how do we do this?” Dominic asked me. “I’ve done a lot of things to youwiththese two guys, but I’m not sure I want to kiss either of them.”

Gabriel leaned back on his camping stool and smirked. “Dominic, you surprise me. You never experimented when you were a boy?”

“I, uh…” Dominic scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

“I’ll be the only one spinning,” I interrupted. “I’ll kiss whoever it lands on. And each person has to try to one-up the kiss before them.”

“You’re on,” Tristan said.

Dominic came around to this side of the fire pit so that we were all closer together. I bent down to grip the empty wine bottle, then gave it a spin. I wasn’t very good at this, and it wobbled and spun off sideways before coming to a stop facing Dominic.

“All right,” he said, leaning toward me. The two of us shared a slow, but relatively innocent, kiss before leaning back on our seats.

“Quite tame,” Gabriel observed.

“I wanted to leave room for improvement.”

“Okay, here we go again,” I said, retrieving the bottle. This time my spin was better, and the bottle made eight or nine rotations before coming to a stop.

And again, it pointed almost directly at Dominic.

“Repeats count,” he insisted. “Just like when we played sixteen years ago at the Academy.”

This time, Dominic cupped my cheek and pulled my lips to his. Our mouths churned together softly, the only noise the crackling of the fire. The heat from the flames, the smoke curling up to the night sky, and the chill evening air all felt morerealwhile I was kissing Dominic. As if the world itself were a more vibrant place.

“Better?” Dominic asked Gabriel.

The Frenchman nodded approvingly.

I picked up the bottle and spun it again. Around and around it rolled, the label flashing white in contrast with the green glass. It came to a stop in the exact same place as before, with the neck aimed toward Dominic.

“Oh for fuck’s sake…” Tristan muttered.

Dominic slid his hand along my cheek and gripped the back of my neck, thencrushedhis lips against mine. I let out a satisfied noise in my throat as his tongue slid into my mouth, dancing wetly with my own. I was dimly aware of Tristan grabbing the bottle and giving it a spin; after four rotations, it came to a stop facing Dominic’s stool.

“Okay, we’re switching spots,” Tristan said, sitting down where Dominic had just been. “Come on, enough already. You’re supposed toshareMiranda with us.”

Dominic grinned. “Don’t blame me. The bottle is in charge.”

My body buzzed with life after the last kiss. Dominic had a satisfied smile on his face as he watched me collect the bottle again. I gave it a strong spin, and the four of us followed it with our eyes.

When it landed on Dominic again, in his new seat, both Gabriel and Tristan groaned.

“This is the best bottle of wine I’ve ever drank,” Dominic said as he leaned toward me.

Before he could complete the kiss, Tristan grabbed the bottle and adjusted it so that it was facing him. “My turn, mate,” he said, shouldering his doubles partner out of the way and kissing me. I opened my mouth for his probing tongue, leaning forward so that my chest was pressed against his. He wrapped an arm around my body, holding me close while the fire crackled and popped.

“I like it when you take charge,” I whispered when the kiss finally ended.

“In that case,” he purred back at me, “let’s take this party inside.”

“I did not get to play,” Gabriel complained as we left the fire pit.

“You’ll get plenty of attention momentarily,” I promised him.

“It’s because you lost today,” Dominic joked. “You have to wait your turn behind your betters.”

“But you were eliminated in the semifinals! I advanced farther than you!”

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