45. Eden
EDEN
The game started about twenty minutes ago. I hated party games, especially foolish ones like truth or dare, but playing this stupid game was better than the alternative.
The alternative was watching Austin fucking Bennett trying to make a move on my girlfriend—fake girlfriend.
This is still fake, Eden. Get that into your head.
Clearly, I wasn’t thrilled to be here tonight, but it was part of the deal, wasn’t it?
Bennett had his eyes on Alana, just like she wanted it. But if she thought I was just going to let any guy steal my girlfriend from me without putting up a fight, she thought wrong.
How was she still into him anyway?
That guy was fucking ugly.
The only thing that brought me some peace was the fact that I knew Alana wanted to be at this party almost as much as I did.
I knew we both wanted to get the fuck out of here, though for different reasons.
Still, we had that in common, so obviously, that was one more reason why we should erase the fake before the word dating.
I was proud of her, though. All evening long, she hadn’t once complained about the people around us or mentioned feeling even remotely uncomfortable in her outfit.
Nor had she uttered a word about anyone judging her at all.
She was getting more and more comfortable in her own skin with every passing day, and it was so beautiful to watch it happen.
She could be proud of herself for that, but I knew she wouldn’t be for another little while, so me being proud of her had to suffice for now.
Alana perched on my lap like she belonged there, and honestly, she did. Not just for image purposes, of course. Her back was straight, her shoulders tense though, and even though she looked like she might implode any second if someone so much as breathed in her direction, she still stayed seated.
I tightened my hands on her hips, hoping it might help her feel a little more at ease when Kaan was looking around for the next person to fall victim to the game. She fidgeted anyway, and I bit back a smile. Alana was just too adorable.
The questions and dares started surprisingly innocent. To be fair, it was a college party, so “innocent” was still very much not PG-13, but definitely not as bad as I expected of these people.
Kaan chose some guy whose face I’d never seen before, so I didn’t bother listening in on what he had to do or answer.
While the game went on, some people joined while others left, yet somehow, Alana and I always stayed.
Truth or dare bored the hell out of me, but it was better than mingling with people I didn’t care about.
It wasn’t until forty minutes into the game when Bennett showed up that I felt the genuine need to escape this room. The entire house, actually.
Sure, I knew he was here. It was his party, and I had the misfortune of talking to him earlier tonight. But I didn’t expect him to weasel his way into the circle. He slithered in like he owned the place—which he did—flashing that cocky grin he probably practiced in the mirror every morning.
There was only one reason he wanted to join in and that was to fuck with me. Or fuck Alana. Whatever that guy wanted.
I could tell the exact moment Alana noticed him because she tensed even more. I hated it more than I was allowed to.
Alright, she liked him. So what? She was my girlfri—Fake girlfriend. Still girlfriend though. And, yes, I knew what I was getting myself in to when we agreed to this deal, but knowing it was Bennett she was after made my blood boil.
Actually, at this point, any guy who was on her radar would’ve made me furious. But it was Bennett for fuck’s sake.
It shouldn’t have mattered because he was no competition anyway. Alana didn’t look at him the way she looked at me now. He didn’t know her like I did.
Still, the guy had a reputation for being a grade-A douchebag, and I wasn’t about to let him try anything. Not with her.
“Truth or dare, Alana?” Bennett’s disgusting voice suddenly cut through the noise. I hadn’t even noticed it was his turn to ask. The worst part was, he didn’t even look at her. Instead, Bennett had his eyes on me, smirking like the fucker he was.
Alana hesitated, shifting on my lap and rubbing that sweet ass of hers right over my cock. Again.
I was going to die.
After a little while, Alana replied, “Dare.”
The moment the word left her mouth, I knew that she was going to regret it.
His grin turned wicked and a second later, I felt this strange itch in my fists. It was an urge to connect with his face, I’d realized.
I wasn’t usually one to get physical. But man, this guy was testing my morals.
“Oh, I’ve got the perfect one,” Bennett said, dragging out every word for effect. “I dare you to give me a lap dance.”
The way too loud room suddenly got so quiet that I could hear whoever was sitting next to me take each of their breaths. I could hear the clock on the wall on the other side of the living room ticking. I could hear my organs work.
Alright, maybe I was exaggerating. The room hadn’t really quieted down much. Some people stopped talking, yes, and perhaps I’d heard one or two people gasp, but it wasn’t like everyone’s attention was solely on us.
People were still playing the game or waiting for it to continue. Some even snickered at Austin’s dare, waiting on Alana’s next move.
I looked at Alana when she turned around, her face already flushed with panic. Before she even got the chance to say anything, my mouth opened. “No fucking way.”
“It’s just a dare,” Bennett drawled, chuckling. He leaned back on his chair, adjusting his position as he slightly widened his legs. “Just a little dance. Nothing scandalous. Or are you that insecure in your relationship?”
Fuck, I hated him.
“This has nothing to do with insecurity, Bennett. You’re just being a fucking moron. How can you, in good conscience, dare a woman to give you a lap dance? Are you that desperate?” I spoke calmly, trying to suppress the anger that was poisoning every inch of my body.
Austin’s lips parted for merely a second before he caught himself. I could tell he was trying to get that teasing and gleaming spark of amusement back into his stupid eyes, but he failed. “It’s just a dare,” he repeated. “Lighten up and have some fun.”
“Leave it to you to make a fool of yourself in front of so many people. Wait, you do that when you’re on the field as well, so you’re probably used to it, right?”
His jaw tensed. “What does football have to do with playing truth or dare?”
“Nothing per se. You, however, and your inability to be decent are quite the same in both situations.” Just to fuck with him, I chose to over-explain.
“You know, because you suck? You’re a shitty player, and you don’t know when to draw the line, even in a party game.
And let’s not forget to mention the fact that you have to dare women to dance for you.
Sank pretty low there, wouldn’t you agree? ”
Alana looked like she wanted to crawl into a hole and die, but I just couldn’t let Bennett win this.
It was rude of him to dare my girlfriend to give him a lap dance.
Anyone with a brain would’ve known that it was disrespectful.
Had he dared her to give me a lap dance, I could’ve let it slide.
It would’ve been in all fun—not with Bennett, but that was beside the point.
I chuckled low in my chest, and everyone must’ve heard it, because the tension in the room turned sharp.
“But you know what, Bennett?” I said, brushing a hand slowly up Alana’s back, resting it at the base of her neck. “If you’re that desperate to see a lap dance…” I leaned into the couch with a wicked grin. “I’ll show you one.”
That made heads turn.
Austin blinked. “What?”
“Not from her,” I said. “From me.”
I slid Alana off my lap just enough to move her beside me, still close, her thigh brushing mine. Then I stood up, slow and smooth like I had all the time in the world. Every pair of eyes locked on me. I swore someone muted the damn music just to hear what would happen next.
Then I turned back toward her.
Alana stared up at me like I’d lost my mind.
She wasn’t wrong. But I gave her a look that said, Trust me.
She did. She always did.
I straddled her lap, my knees braced on either side of her thighs on the deep sofa cushion, hovering just slightly, one hand braced on the backrest behind her. Her breath caught.
Then I moved.
I slowly rolled my hips, controlled and precise, like I knew exactly what I was doing—and maybe I didn’t, but I was confident enough that no one would dare say otherwise. My body dipped low, chest brushing hers, my mouth hovering right beside her ear.
“Just play along,” I whispered. “You’re the only one I want watching.”
I sat up again, hips still circling. My shirt rode up an inch, exposing the curve of my stomach. A few gasps echoed through the room.
I moved with rhythm, every shift of my hips a calculated grind, brushing against her in all the right places.
My hands dragged down my chest slowly, then slid to rest on the tops of my own thighs as I rolled forward again—close enough to feel her breath catch against my mouth.
Her hands clutched my shirt by my waist now, holding on like she wasn’t sure whether to stop me or never let me go.
Whistles broke out. Laughter. A few cheers.
Someone yelled, “Oh my God,” like they were scandalized, confused, and amused all at once.
I dipped my body lower, chest brushing hers again, this time letting my fingers trail along her sides before I pulled back with a cocky smirk. Her hands—those sweet, trembling hands—still holding onto me for dear life.
She wasn’t pretending.
Not anymore.
Neither was I.
I dropped my mouth to her ear again. “You good?”
She nodded frantically, her breath shaky. “You’re insane.”
“You like it though.”
“Unfortunately,” she whispered.
I sat back, thighs still on either side of hers, and raked my fingers through my hair like I’d just finished a workout. Then I looked at Austin, who was visibly pissed now, jaw tight, fists clenched.
I grinned like the smug bastard I was.
“That’s how you get a lap dance,” I said, voice just loud enough for the room to hear. “You earn it. You don’t beg for one.”
Laughter exploded. Kaan spilled his drink. A girl on the opposite side of the couch let out a breathless, “Holy shit.”
Alana covered her face with both hands like she wanted the floor to open up and swallow her.
I leaned down one more time, pressing a kiss to her temple.
“Want another one in private with my clothes off?” I whispered, mostly joking. Mostly.
I was pretty sure the rumors tomorrow were going to be spectacular.