Twenty-two
Will knew he should thank his sisters at some point but he’d wait to see what, exactly, they’d added to the candy basket. Lexi’s gaze settled on his bed and he saw the quick flash of nerves. Stroking a hand down her arm, loving the feel of her skin under his palm, he smiled at her, stepped closer, lowered his head just to hear the intake of breath. She turned her face, putting their noses so close they nearly touched. Her pupils dilated, her mouth opened just a touch, her tongue wetting her lips.
She was waiting for his kiss. One he very much wanted to give. But he didn’t want her nervous or thinking there was any pressure to take tonight further than she was ready for. More than that, he didn’t want to rush anything with her. He wanted to savor everything about her. Her fingers linked with his, her breath accelerating.
“Tell me, Lexi…” he said, leaning in just a touch more, loving the way she shivered from his breath against her skin.
“Yes?” She swayed closer, her other hand coming to his waist.
He smiled. “Truth or treat?” He whispered the words and saw the surprise in her arched brows.
“Huh?” She scrunched her face up adorably. “Cute.”
“You are that,” he said, giving her a quick kiss through his laughter.
“Okay. Fine. Truth.” She let go of his hand and went to the side of his bed, crawling up on it, settling herself cross-legged.
There were many, many other things he wanted to do with her on this bed but for now, he was surprisingly content with just this. In fact, this was probably about to get more intimate than either of them expected. The truth had a way of removing the barriers.
Moving a couple of pillows, he settled on the bed as well, leaning against the headboard, the basket between them.
“Truth. Let me think. Longest relationship?”
She smiled, fiddled with the wicker of the basket. “That’s easy. Three weeks. Ninth grade.”
He laughed. “No time or no interest?”
“That’s another question. No cheating.” She picked up a mini Mars bar, waved it around. “Truth or treat?”
“Truth.”
Her smile widened. “What are you terrible at?”
Leaning forward, he grabbed the chocolate bar, opening it. “I’m bad at avoiding candy, crossword puzzles, actual puzzles, and making my own beer.” He popped the chocolate in his mouth.
“That’s a decent list. Do you often try to make your own beer?”
He finished chewing, crumpling the wrapper in his fingers. “I think that’s cheating but I’ll answer. I tried in college. In our dorm room. One batch that made Ethan and I sick for days.”
“Oh no!”
“Admittedly, it tasted disgusting and we drank it anyway.”
She shook her head. “Why? Why do guys do things like that?”
Making a fist, he pretended to pound his chest. “We’re men.”
Lexi snorted, kicking her legs out to the side and resting on the pillows beside him. “Nothing makes a manly statement like puking up your alcohol.”
“Hey. We were college kids. I didn’t drink beer again for a few years. Ethan ended up making a career out of it just to prove that he could do it and I couldn’t.”
“Then I guess it was worth it in the end.”
“Your turn. Truth or treat.”
Her lips curved up in a sweet smile that stirred feelings in his chest. “Treat.”
His heart spasmed. “You have to close your eyes.”
“Fine.” She closed them.
Will pulled the basket closer, rooting through it. “Not allergic to anything?”
“Not that I know of.”
His hand closed around something hard and square. Pulling it out, he bit back the swear word that popped in his brain immediately. Quietly opening the small box, he didn’t know whether to be impressed or pissed that his sisters had thought to give him a ring to give to Lexi. Obviously, he hadn’t been as subtle about his feelings as he’d thought through texts or at work when they asked about Lexi. He’d tried to play it off as just a reprieve from his mother’s hounding and the ease of having a built-in date to the party. Kyra suggested a ring through their sibling group chat but Will had laughed it off. He should know better than to do that with either of his sisters.
He wasn’t sure if it was real, but it was gorgeous. Square-cut diamond, or something that looked like one, on a thin platinum band.
“Are you choosing one or eating them all while I’m not looking?”
Chuckling, nerves suddenly making him overheated, he closed the lid on the box, tucked it on his other side. “Got one. No peeking.”
He picked a Hershey’s Kiss since it seemed fitting to the moment. After unwrapping it, he brought it to her mouth. “Open.”
When she did, his stomach tightened. He set the candy in her mouth, watched as she tasted it, enjoyed it, and smiled.
“I love chocolate.”
Unable to resist, he leaned in, pressed his mouth to hers, tasting both her and the candy. “Me too,” he murmured against her lips.
She leaned into the kiss just long enough to make him want more before she pulled back, her hand on his chest. “Your turn. Truth or treat?”
“Treat.”
Her smile was slow and sexy. “Close your eyes.”
When he did, he heard her rooting through the basket, the crinkling of a wrapper, felt the nearness of her body when she came closer.
“Open,” she whispered.
She put something in his mouth, the taste not registering as easily as the feel of her finger against his lips. Before he could close his lips around her finger, she pulled back and more flavor exploded on his tongue. Tangy. Or downright sour. His cheeks quirked, puckering. Lexi giggled.
Will opened his eyes, looked at the wrapper, not surprised to see she’d given him a Warhead. His mouth watered. Then his eyes. He grabbed her hand and yanked her closer, loving the way she laughed.
“Cruel.”
“Yeah, don’t give me one of those.” She settled her upper body on his, fitting against him in a way he knew he could get used to.
“Truth or treat?”
Nestling her head into the crook of his arm, she tipped her head back. “Truth.”
He wanted to know everything. “What makes you happy?”
She grinned, her finger absently stroking his chest. “Coffee. Tea. When my mom has good days. Maisie’s pep talks.” She lowered her chin, stared at her hand on his chest. “And lately, my fiancé.”
He could feel the box digging into his thigh. The timing seemed right and she seemed so at ease with the whole ruse aspect of their relationship. So what was holding him back? You’re giving a woman a ring. It’s okay to be a little freaked out. What really fucking set his brain spinning, however, was the idea that he didn’t mind the idea of slipping a ring on her finger. At all. “Speaking of… my sisters seem to have thought of everything. They’re having way too much fun with this.”
Lexi looked up again. “What do you mean?”
Will shifted, grabbed the box, and flipped it open with his thumb, held it out to Lexi.
She sat up fast, nearly smacking his chin with her head. “Holy shit. Is that real?”
Will laughed. “I don’t actually know. Would you wear it? I mean, I suppose you would only need to when we’re at events or with family.”
Lexi looked like a kid in a candy store with too many options, like she wanted to snatch the offering and run just in case it was taken away.
“Okay, but what if I lose it?” Her eyes shifted from the ring to his gaze.
“Do you think you will?”
She laughed, touching it with exquisite gentleness. “No. But will I owe you like two point three million dollars if I do?”
Will plucked the ring from its case, feeling like the smile she brought out in him warmed him all the way through. “That’s a very specific number.” He set the box down beside him, held the ring between his thumb and his forefinger. “Alexandria Danby, I think you’re amazing. You make me smile and laugh. I like who I am when I’m with you and I want to learn every one of your secrets. You take up a lot of space in my brain. Enough so that it should worry me. It would be my honor if you’d wear this as a symbol of our fake engagement. Doing so does not hold you liable should the ring be lost, stolen, or damaged.”
Moving so she was on her knees, she held out her hand, spreading her fingers. “I like this pretend life of mine.”
Will slipped the ring on her finger, keeping hold of her hand, and made sure she was looking right into his eyes when he spoke. “Just remember, it’s not all pretend.”
Her eyes widened but he didn’t give her a chance to respond. Instead, he reached up, curled his fingers around the nape of her neck, and pulled her down for a kiss. Whether it was the intimacy of being on his bed, the simple allure of her, or the unexpected satisfaction of having her wear a ring that symbolized their connection, his need went from a simmer to a boil in the space of a few heartbeats.
She gave him her weight, settling against him, her soft curves aligning to his hard edges with a rightness he’d always thought would overwhelm him. Truly, he’d never expected to feel the things he was starting to feel when he was with her. That shouldn’t surprise him since she’d thrown him off balance from their very first meeting. Even more surprising was how much he liked it. He just wished he knew his fiancée well enough to know how real it felt to her.