Chapter 10
Chapter ten
Cole
“What are the rules?”
Noelle raises her eyebrows expectantly. She can’t seriously think this is a good idea, can she? I mean, I know I’m the one who suggested it, but even I know it can only lead to trouble. Maybe if I make the rules ridiculous enough she’ll see sense and back off.
“You are allowed to back out, but every time you do, you have to both remove one item of clothing and take a shot of champagne.”
That should do it.
Noelle considers this for a moment. “Sounds good. Let’s do it.”
Fuck. How much champagne has she had? The bottle is barely half-empty, so it can’t be that much.
And we ate enough to not have an empty stomach to work against her.
Does she really want to do this? I can’t imagine how, since after our 20 questions game it’s clear it can’t be anything but sexual.
Not that I mind, of course. But shouldn’t I be stopping her from making a mistake, waiting until I’m absolutely sure she wants it to?
There’s no time to decide, as the look on her face tells me she’s already made up her mind.
“Truth or dare?” she asks, chin raised in confidence.
“Truth.”
“What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever gotten?” she asks, and takes a sip of champagne.
In my life, I’ve gotten a lot of advice, most of which I didn’t take even though I should have. In the end, there is only one that I know in my heart I should follow. “If you want something, you grow a pair and go for it. That’s all you have to do.”
Noelle laughs. “That’s pretty good advice.”
“Once in a blue moon, Kai says something smart,” I say. “My turn. Truth or dare?”
“Truth.”
I can’t believe I’m asking this. “Do you believe in soulmates?”
Noelle swallows, those gorgeous brown eyes holding me in a tight grip. “Yes. I do.”
Do you believe it could be me? Is the question I want to ask next, but I’ve lost my turn. Still, something in the way she looks at me sends a tingle down my spine, like a promise of something unspoken.
“It’s my turn now, right?” Noelle asks, and waits for me to nod. “Cool. Truth or dare?”
What are you plotting? “Dare.”
Noelle raises her chin, the ghost of a smile on her lips when she says, “Using only your fingers, find a way to give me goosebumps.”
A wicked thought crosses my mind, knowing exactly where to touch her to make it happen.
But she hasn’t given me the okay to do it—after all, this is just a friendly game between best friends.
Instead, I twist to face her fully, letting my fingertips drift along the slight curve of her jaw, my thumb brushing her lower lip before gliding my hand down her throat to her collarbones to sweep her hair back over her shoulder.
When I pull my hand away, a shiver tears through her body. I laugh. “I’d say that worked, didn’t it?”
Noelle shrugs, a slight blush on her cheeks. Is she embarrassed? By the way she bites her lip I am guessing she’s not. “I’ll allow it.”
Guess we’ll see how far I can push this. “Truth or dare?”
“Dare.” A mischievous glint passes through her eyes, daring me to push her buttons.
I grin. “I dare you to put an ice cube in your underwear.”
“Do you even have ice cubes in the house?” Noelle raises a brow. “It’s the middle of winter.”
“Are you backing out? Because you don’t have that many clothes to lose.” I look her over, brows raised in question. Please say yes and take off that dress.
“Absolutely not.” Fucking hell.
Noelle doesn’t shake when she pushes herself off the ground. In fact, she looks more confident than ever as she strides towards the kitchen and fishes an ice cube from the freezer. She draws closer to show it to me before turning around to put it in.
I know the moment she does, as a soft moan escapes her delicate lips, and her knees buckle for only a moment. Noelle enjoys temperature play—not something I expected to learn about her this weekend, though it’s very much a pleasure. I hope she reveals she likes to be tied up next.
Noelle lowers herself down on the pillow next to me, her bottom lip sucked into her mouth with a rigid jaw. She is definitely trying not to moan. I never want tonight to end.
“Torture, huh?” I say, and though I try to play it cool I can’t stop the smile that pulls at my lips.
Noelle nods, and I think I hear her swear under her breath. “You’ll pay for this.”
Given the heat of the fireplace and the power from the freezer being cut earlier, that ice cube must be nearly melted by now—meaning my payback is incoming any second.
God, I hope it’s something dirty.
Noelle blows out a breath. “Truth or dare?”
“Dare.” Come on, make me do something deliciously terrible to you.
A sweet smile crosses her face, but it’s the mischievous glint in her eyes that really makes my chest tighten. “I dare you to go live on one of your social media accounts and declare your undying love for me.”
Holy fucking shit. I did not see this one coming, not even a little.
What is her angle? Is she trying to embarrass me, or scare off any girl who follows me so they won’t try to seduce me?
If it had been anyone else I would have said they were looking for their fifteen minutes of fame, but that’s not my Noelle.
She hates the spotlight, with being recognized on the street by former classmates already nearing the point of being too much. So what is it she’s after?
Either way, a dare is a dare. And even though I would very much enjoy seeing her ogle my body if I took off my clothes, I am not a chicken.
“You’re sure about this?” I ask, giving her a chance to reconsider. “There’s a decent chance your name will be in a lot of magazines after this. You better shut down your phone for a few days, too, because everyone will want to speak to you.”
Noelle doesn’t answer. Instead, she does a shockingly accurate rendition of a chicken. Fine. You want a love declaration, you’ll get it.
I grab my phone off the couch and open the app. We have a few bars of cell service, so there is nothing holding me back as I set it up. It must be a rather slow night, as viewers flood in in droves every second. Including my teammates. Fuck.
“Hi guys, Cole here. Hope you’re all having a lovely evening.”
DudeKai21: Look at grandpa discovering technology
It takes a lot of effort not to roll my eyes. “We’re experiencing a bad snowstorm and lost power, so if you’re telling me to turn on the lights you’re wasting your breath. Anyway, I’m here with my best friend, Noelle Adams, and I have something to tell her that I wanted you all to hear, too.”
I wink at Noelle while I position the phone to a better angle, leaving my hands free to do this however I want. And I want to be dramatic as all hell.
A slightly amused smile plays Noelle’s lips as she waits for me to reveal my next move. I think we both are enjoying this a little too much, but I have to keep my face neutral so as not to give away the dare.
I sink down on one knee, immediately regretting that decision when pain shoots up my leg. “Noelle, my beautiful little snowflake.”
Noelle can barely push down her laugh, making it harder to suppress my own.
“You have been my best friend for fifteen years, but there is something I never told you…I love you. I’m in love with you.
There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think about you, that I don’t long for the day you wake up and realize you love me too.
So if you don’t feel the same, please tell me now.
Put a poor man out of his misery,” I plead, and even though my feelings and words are real, this whole thing is so fake I can barely withhold my laugh.
Slowly, as if trying to compose herself, Noelle shakes her head. “Cole…”
I drop my head as if in defeat and swipe the phone away, barely able to keep my composure until I press end on the Live.
Noelle’s laugh is as clear and crisp as the falling snow, filling my lungs with air like I hadn’t breathed in days.
I looked like a damn fool, and the press is going to have a field day, but I don’t care.
It was more than worth it to hear her laugh this freely, to see her be this… open, comfortable. Happy.
I glance down at the screen to find the comment section blowing up with new comments, but it’s the familiar names that fill me with dread.
Maybe I should have given them a heads up, or maybe I need to steal Noelle’s phone and block my profile from it so she can’t see them.
Because one glance at my teammates’ comments and my biggest secret would be out.
MasonGRayson: Finally, my man grows a brain and sees what’s good for him.
Oh. That one’s not too bad.
HRHRhys: Man I really hope she didn’t break your heart there. It’s bad enough to hear you whining about being in love with her, can’t imagine this whining would be any better
Jace4Ace98: congratulations to the happy couple! #Jace4BestMan
AidenKMac: FUCKING F I N A L L Y
DudeKai21: So you finally took my advice and decided to go for it with Noelle. HAPPY BONING
Thank all gods that Noelle’s phone is nowhere to be seen—I would have a lot to explain if she saw these comments, and something tells me she wouldn’t buy me saying it’s their terrible sense of humor.
“I have to give it to you, that was surprisingly well done,” Noelle laughs. “If this hockey thing doesn’t work out, you should try your hand at acting.”
“Likewise,” I say. “You definitely got your payback now. I’m going to be dealing with this for weeks.”
Noelle grins. “Worth it. You’re next, I’ll take a dare please.”
She’s oddly eager to keep this thing going. Not that I’m complaining.
With the things I just said, I might as well push the boundaries even further. “Whisper something dirty into my ear.”
Noelle inches forward, her face so close to mine I can see even the faintest of her freckles. It would be so easy to kiss her right now, so goddamn easy to say fuck it and give in.
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you? You know what you’d like even more?” her breath tickles my ear, sending shivers down my spine. “I’m not wearing a bra.”