Three Truth and Lies
W hen I finish doing my hair, I get a text from Eris asking me to wear fishnets for him. I’m a little bummed I won’t be able to surprise him now, but at least I know he’ll be happy with my outfit.
I chose fishnet tights under ripped black jean shorts, my black biker booties I wear when I ride with my dad, and a cropped hoodie with a derpy little ghost on it. You can see the waistband of the fishnets against my bare stomach, even when I throw a leather jacket over it.
If he doesn’t like it, he’s not the guy for me.
But I’m ready to go sooner than I expected, so I end up pacing around my living room with my studded crossbody slung over my shoulder for a full twenty minutes before a blacked out F-250 Tremor pulls into my driveway. The headlights are blinding as I step out and lock my door, but I almost immediately panic when I realize it’s lifted.
There’s no way in hell I’m getting up in this thing by myself.
Eris hops out before I can reach it, his brilliant green eyes raking my frame as mine do the same to him. He’s undeniably hotter in person — which just isn’t fair when I’m trying to act unfazed — but the simple black hoodie and dark-wash jeans he’s rocking work for him, as do the black hightop converse. “Damn, girl. I didn’t think you’d actually wear them.”
To my surprise, he wraps me up in a hug like we’ve known each other forever, both arms enveloping me tightly so my face is buried into the center of his chest. At least now I know he wasn’t another one of those Tinder guys lying about his height. His cologne or body wash or whatever the hell I’m inhaling has my fingers curling a little too tightly into that Carhartt, and when he pulls away, it almost feels like a loss. “You shrunk. I brought my heels and everything.”
“Sorry, I’m a pathological liar,” I say breathlessly. Fuck, I can’t remember the last time I was this attracted to someone. “Add it to the list.”
“Will do. Come on, let me help you up, shorty.” He nods toward the truck and leads me over to the passenger side, then points at the handle on the inside after he yanks open the door. “Hang on there. I’m gonna hold your hips and absolutely check out your ass, but I promise not to cop a feel beyond that.”
Like I’d be upset if he did.
My stomach swoops wildly when he picks me up with ease and lifts me in, and I’m pretty sure I actually fall in love. I could get used to this. “How’s my ass look?”
“Better than I could have hoped.” His tone is a little darker, and when he uses the step to crowd my space, I stop breathing all together. “I got you a little something.”
He reaches into the backseat and pulls out a Halloween blanket. It’s purple with little pumpkins and ghosts sprinkled all over it, and he places it over my lap with a grin, then hops off to make his way back to the driver’s side.
Who the hell is this guy?
The blanket is so soft it immediately puts me at ease. It’s better than flowers or chocolate or anything else normal guys bring a girl on a date, and it shows he actually listens to me. If I’m not careful, this may end up as more than a haunted house trip and a one night stand.
... Nah. He’s busy, I’m busy. I need to just let it be what it is.
The truck roars to life again when he gets in, so I take a moment to check out his side profile. In the fading sun, he looks gorgeous — all sharp lines, soft hair, and smooth skin. I normally don’t go for guys without at least a little bit of scruff, but Eris looks like a god chiseled from magic.
He keeps the metal music low as he starts to drive, his eyes flicking over to me every few seconds until we’re on the highway. Every time they do, his smile grows. “Don’t be shy now, beautiful. Here.”
He reaches back once again and drops a bag of Reese's pumpkins between us, as well as sour peach rings and a bottle of Smartwater. “Can you open these for us? ”
The butterflies in my chest multiply.
“Are you trying to seduce me?” I ask, ripping open the Reese’s and twisting off the cap of the water. “Mission accomplished.”
“Yup,” he replies honestly. “Glad it’s working, but you have to share.”
Pouting, I unwrap the first pumpkin and reach over. “Open up then. Gentlemen first.”
“Gentlemen?” He laughs. “First time I’ve ever been called gentle. Thanks.”
He tosses me a wink and then opens his mouth for me to feed him, making my brain go completely blank right up until his tongue swipes against my finger.
The bolt of lust it sends through me goes straight to my pussy, making me clench my thighs. He’s rough, and I bet he’s good with his mouth, too.
“Is it good, Eris?” I ask, quiet and breathy. “Looks good.”
“So fucking good,” he mumbles around it with a huge smile. “I’d feed you back if I could. Later though.”
No, that’s okay. I’m not sure I could survive it.
My fingers are shaking as I get one for myself, and suddenly I feel way out of my element. I’m used to dating guys who falsely believe I’m out of their league, not men who exude confidence and make me feel like I’m out of my depth. I find I like it, though. I really like it.
“So why fake plants?” he asks after a few moments of comfortable silence. “Allergies?”
“Nope, I’m not allergic to anything but dust mites. I just can’t keep a plant alive to save my life, and it always made me sad when they died. Fake ones are easier.”
“That’s fair.” His fingers flex on the steering wheel, and when I glance up at his eyes I see they’re locked on my legs. “Any pets?”
“No. I always wanted a cat, but there are too many glass jars laying around my house. What about you?”
“Not yet. I was thinking about getting one though. You vote cat?”
I love dogs too, I just don’t have the time to love one the way they deserve. “Absolutely. Tell me you haven’t lost time watching cats slap the shit out of people on the internet. They’re hilarious and relatively low maintenance.”
“For sure. Tell me more, Rowyn.”
“About cats? ”
“No,” he chuckles. “You. Give me two truths and a lie.”
Oh, this is always a fun game. “Umm... okay. I’ve gone skydiving twice, I’ve never left the state of Ohio, and my dad is the leader of a biker gang.”
He takes his time answering, letting each of my responses settle into his head as he watches me, and when he finally speaks it looks like he just talked himself out of something. “Nah. The last one isn’t true. Your dad isn’t the leader of a biker gang.”
“He is, actually. Has been for years,” I laugh. “I’ve never been skydiving.”
“Fuck. That was going to be my choice. Damn, so you’ve never left Ohio?”
“Nope. My mom thought if I crossed state lines, I’d never come back. My dad tried to take me once and she called the cops on him for kidnapping.” I shrug, opening another pumpkin. “I’ve been out for a couple of years now but still haven’t gone anywhere. I really don’t know why.”
Good job, Row. Way to be mysterious.
“It’s honestly just more of the same with different backdrops. My dad was in the military when I was a kid so I’ve been around.” He hands me the bag of sour peach rings. “Can you feed me one? ”
This time, I slide one of them just over the tip of my pointer finger and hold it to his lips. “Let’s see if you can be gentle, hm?”
Smirking, he leans over to wrap his lips around it completely, teeth ghosting along my finger as he slowly slides it off. I only feel his tongue on my skin for the briefest of moments before he’s chomping down right at the tip. “Oops. Forgot to mention I bite.”
Fuck me. Do we really need to go to a haunted house? “Did I forget to mention I like that in a man?”
“You definitely did.”
He pulls into a parking lot, dragging me back to reality like a slap to the face as I realize where we are... and the fact that we absolutely aren’t at a haunted prison. We’re at Red’s.
“Uhm... what are we doing?”
“I’ve been craving this place. Can’t go to a haunted house hungry. Come on, I’ll help you out of the truck.” He hops out before I can respond, and before I know it he’s opening my door and holding out his hands for me. “My treat.”
This definitely wasn’t part of the plan. Haunted house and straight home, no funny business. But I am hungry, and he looks so good right now I don’t think I’m capable of saying no.
Taking his hand, I slide out and land firmly on my feet, way too close to him. It steals my breath. “H-Hi.”
“Hi,” he says back, staring straight into my goddamn soul unabashedly. “This is cute.”
He pokes the little ghost on my hoodie without breaking my gaze, making my heart climb into my throat. “Thanks. You’re pretty cool too.”
“High praise from Rowyn of Rowyn’s Wax. Did you bring me a candle to smell?”
He tugs on one of my curls and presses the small of my back to lead me inside like he doesn’t know how breathless he just made me.
“Just wax melts. They’re easier to transport.”
Red’s ends up having the best burger I’ve had in a long time, and the shakes alone are worth the twenty minute drive. He praises the scents I show him and teases me a little here and there, making the conversation flow easily until we’re back in the truck and hopefully on the way to the prison. It’s then I realize I never asked him for his two truths and a lie, so when I finally do I get to watch him drum his fingers along the steering wheel as he thinks. “Ummm... alright, I got them. I have seven brothers, I’ve never had a cavity, and my first kiss was in a Prius.”
“You don’t have seven brothers,” I say confidently. “No way.”
“Damn, I thought I’d get you with that one. You’re right. Maybe I should quit this game.”
I’d swear he’s brooding over the fact that he just lost, but there’s a hint of amusement on his face even though he’s frowning.
“How many do you actually have?”
“Two, and an older sister. You?”
“None. Just a best friend who might as well be my sister.” I feed him another peach ring and lean a little closer. “Wanna try again?”
“Okay fine. I’ll shoot for some redemption. Let me think.” He chews the gummy as he thinks of three more, and this time when he says them he looks confident in himself that he might win. “I’m allergic to watermelon, I’ve never watched a show to completion, and I’ve never had a one night stand.”
As much as I wish it was the last one, I have a feeling I know what the lie is. “You’ve never finished a show. I’m sorry about your watermelon allergy, though. That’s rough. ”
For a solid minute he just smiles over at me, and then finally shakes his head. “I finished Sons of Anarchy , biker’s daughter. I win.”
“So you’ve never had a one night stand?” I ask, a little incredulously. “You’re kidding.”
“Nope. Nothing against them if that’s your thing, I just haven’t. Your turn.”
My hopes fall just a little. I don’t have time or the inclination to date anyone, and I’m not cruel enough to lie and tell him I’m willing to date just to get in his pants.
God, that feels like a loss. He’s so... pretty.
“Oh, um... right. I’ve never had a boyfriend, I have more faith in Odin than any Christian god, and I sleep on a beanbag chair instead of a bed.”
“No fucking way you sleep on a beanbag chair. You’ve never had a boyfriend?”
“See? You redeemed yourself this round. I’ve never had a boyfriend. There have been a couple guys I’ve been on more than one date with, but not since high school. I started making candles when I was fifteen and it consumed my life. I... I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”
There. It’s as close as I can get to letting him down easy. “I’ve never had a real girlfriend, so you won’t find me judging you.“
He pulls into yet another parking lot that isn’t the haunted house, distracting me only for a moment. “Wait, if you’ve never had a real girlfriend and you don’t have one night stands, what do you do? Fuck buddies? And where are we now?”
“Duckpin bowling. We still have time before it gets late enough to be scary, and I’m taking full advantage of having your attention tonight. And yeah, fuck buddies, but the latest one got a boyfriend earlier this year so I’m in a bit of a dry spell unfortunately. How long has it been for you?”
“What the hell is duckpin bowling?”
“No fucking clue,” he says with a chuckle. “Come find out with me.”
It’s easier than explaining that I’ve gotten laid a couple of times thanks to Tinder, but neither got me off. So although I’m a little frustrated we’re still not where I want to be, I follow him in.
I guess a little fun never hurt anyone.