They sat in silence for a moment before realizing their pizza was growing cold. Beth took a bite, chewing thoughtfully.
“So... how did you go from one shot to drunk and married?”
Beth swallowed and took a deep breath. “Curiosity.”
She leaned back, exhaling slowly. “I had always heard that hard liquor burned, but sipping it was surprisingly smooth. And since I didn’t feel any different after the first glass, I wanted to try it with salt and lime—like in the movies.”
She hadn’t let herself think back to that night, but now, in the comfort of her home, sharing it with her best friend, the memories surfaced. More than she expected.
Her eyes widened as she was pulled back into the recesses of her mind.
CHAPTER 12
“Eric was off at another table, flirting with a group of women. Bryce was focused on his phone. I… I didn’t know how to do the whole salt and lime thing, so I started to absently play with the shaker while I tried to figure it out how you got the salt to stick.”
Her memory drifted, pulled back in time, as she described the scene to Kim, while she relived it.
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“You lick it.”
Bryce’s voice cut through her thoughts, making her eyes snap to him. He was still looking at his phone, casual, unaffected, as though this comment wasn’t enough to set her nerves on fire.
Beth swallowed. Had she actually asked that out loud? Knowing her propensity to think aloud, she really hoped not.
“The inside of your wrist,” he continued, still not looking up. “You lick it to make the salt stick.”
Beth glanced down at her wrist, considering it.
“Right here” He reached over, his fingers grazing the inside of her wrist as he traced the spot lightly. A shiver traveled up her arm, spreading like a wildfire through her chest.
“Like this.”
Her breath caught. Bryce’s smirk deepened as he tugged the saltshaker, his fingers wrapped around her hand. Without breaking eye contact, he lifted their joined hands—his grip firm but lazy, as if they had all the time in the world. His tongue slid out as he licked the inside of his own wrist, slow and deliberate.
Her pulse stuttered.
He guided her hand to shake the salt onto his damp skin. She watched in fascination as he licked the salt off his wrist before he released her hand and picked up a shot glass. Tilting his head back, he knocked back the liquid, exhaled slightly, and slid a lime wedge between his lips.
Beth stopped breathing as she watched, captivated. He hadn’t done anything inappropriate—he had barely touched her, yet her entire body had reacted—the air between them had changed.
Without overthinking, she lifted one of the small glasses and tossed her head back. Her eyes watered. Wow, there’s the burn.
Bryce chuckled, a low, knowing sound. “You forgot the salt.”
Beth looked down, realizing she still had a death grip on the shaker. “Right.”
Without pausing, she licked her wrist—in afar more awkward, slightly slobbery way—Bryce’s amused expression confirmed it. She sprinkled the salt across her dampened skin, ready to try again, but before she could bring her wrist to her mouth, Bryce’s fingers pressed into her open palm, stopping her.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” His gaze flicked toward the shot glass in her other hand. “These are really strong, and I didn’t think you drank.”
His voice wasn’t judgmental or teasing—it was cautioning.
Caught up in the moment, Beth grinned. “I don’t drink, but I’m fine.”
He hesitated only a second before sliding his fingers across her palm removing his touch, accepting that the decision was hers. He set a lime wedge in front of her.
When Eric returned to the table, a stunning blonde on his arm, Beth was nibbling on some French fries replaying that moment in her head. Bryce had returned to scrolling through his phone as if nothing had happened.
