Kaydon blushed.
“Okay, Kaydon’s turn,” Adria said.
Kaydon’s hand brushed Bryson’s. “Bryson, Truth or Share?”
Adria knew Bryson’s answer before he said it.
“Share.”
Kaydon adjusted his position, moving to sit on his calves and rest on his heels.
Bryson’s voice was pained. “I can’t talk about what everyone wants me to. And I can’t think of much Seth and Kaydon don’t know. But just give me a sec.”
Adria inclined her head. “Take your time.”
They sat in companionable silence, with only the distant crash of ocean waves beyond the window. Eventually, Bryson swallowed. “My first kill was when I was nine.”
He glanced at Kaydon. “I don’t think you knew that, did you?”
Kaydon shook his head.
“I told Regan I enjoyed it—because that’s what he wanted to hear. The truth is, I threw up everywhere. Some of these scars…” He traced the faint lines on his back, indicating the belt marks that marred his skin.
“Jesus, Bryce,” Seth whispered.
Bryson shrugged. “Yep.”
Adria rose and knelt beside him, remembering the soft press of their lips from last night. This time, she was more forceful, parting his lips with her tongue, tasting him. When she drew back, his smirk was tender. “I was hoping that confession would earn me this off,” he teased, tugging at her top.
She narrowed her eyes, though her pulse hammered. “Behave.”
He laughed, leaning back on his hands. “Adria, Truth or Share?”
Adria knew he expected her to pick share, being almost as private as he was. But she decided to walk the plank and said, “Truth.”
Bryson’s eyebrows rose just a fraction, but he recovered quickly. “If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”
Seth and Kaydon chuckled, and Adria felt the lightness in her chest shift. She could offer a flippant answer—but that would betray the moment.
Betray the game.
She closed her eyes for a breath and said, “Invisibility.”
“That’s the last thing I expected,” Kaydon said softly. “You’re always so…so put together.”
Adria folded her arms around her legs. “That’s just it. I’m always ‘on.’ With eyes watching, waiting for me to slip up. Sometimes I just want to vanish for a while.”
Her confession hung between them. She met Bryson’s gaze, and in his dark eyes she saw understanding—and something more. On impulse, she swept her shirt over her head.Bryson whistled, and Adria grinned, feeling both exposed and exhilarated. “That was a good question, Mr. Winters.”
“Seth, Truth or Share?” she prompted.
“Truth,” he said without hesitation.
“What do you want out of life?”
Seth closed his eyes in thought, then let them open again, steady. “I wanted to say I already have it, but…that feels cringey.” He shifted into a cross-legged pose. “Being with Kaydon and Bryce makes me feel part of something real—like a family that sees me. I want more of that. I want to trust that I won’t be abandoned again.”
His voice softened. “And I want to feel safe enough to be vulnerable—to share my fears and dreams without hiding.”
