“You get off on watching, Maggie?” Tate’s voice is way too close to my ear and I jump and turn around. He’s right behind me.
“I’ve just never seen adults play such a stupid childhood game before,” I tell him. “They must be really drunk.”
“Or just really smart,” Tate replies. “I mean what better time to play the game than after we actually learn how to kiss.”
Of course he sees it that way. I ignore him and watch as the blonde girl walks over to a short-haired brunette girl because the bottle landed on her, and the two girls kiss. Again, there’s little restraint. I’m about to go back inside to find Caroline when someone calls out. “Hey Tate! You and your girl wanna play?”
My eyes lock with Tate’s and he looks as horrified as I feel at the mistake. “I’m not his girl!”
“I’ll play,” Tate says and pushes past me to join them. “Maggie isn’t into anything remotely interesting, so she’ll sit this out.”
Some people snicker and I feel my blood starting to boil. “Actually, I’ll play.”
Did I really just say that?
Everyone is staring and smiling except Tate, who is staring with his mouth hanging open, so yeah, I guess I really did say that. So I walk over and wedge myself in between two guys. There’s now eleven of us playing which is simply ridiculous to me. Eleven college kids who don’t have anything better to do than play a childhood game. Each time the bottle spins I feel a flutter of confusion in my belly because half of me is terrified it will land on me and half of me is terrified it won’t. All I need is a smaller bra size and some braces and it really is junior high again.
After the third spin it still hasn’t landed on me but it has landed on Tate. It’s a short girl with waist-length blonde hair. She’s smiling shyly as she walks slowly around the table and puts a hand on Tate’s shoulder as she rocks up on the tip toes to plant one on him. He circles her waist and leans down but his eyes are on me—liked locked with mine and it’s absolutely awkward and yet…exhilarating. Their lips meet and his green eyes finally break their battle with mine because they slide closed and suddenly, I don’t want to play this game anymore. I don’t know why because I’ve watched all the other people kiss, but watching Tate feels wrong. Luckily it’s over quick.
Tate smiles at the girl and as she skips back to her place he sips from a beer bottle in his hand and then leans across the table and spins the bottle so hard it blurs. I watch, kind of wishing it would spin right off the table and shatter so we can all stop playing this stupid game. But it doesn’t. It stops. On me.
“Shit,” I whisper.
Tate doesn’t move. He stares at me from his position across the table.
“Are you gonna do this so we can keep going or what?” someone asks.
“Just keep playing,” I say and wave my hand like I’m shooing away an annoying mosquito. “We can skip this round.”
“So you’re forfeiting?” Tate asks and laughs. “That’s two forfeits in one night. Forget Firecracker. I’m gonna call you Little Miss Quitter from now on.”
“I am not quitting,” I say firmly and then shrug. “You landed on me so if you don’t follow through, you’re the quitter, not me.”
Oh shit. He’s walking toward me.
He wouldn’t. I mean he hates me as much as I hate him. Probably more now that I’m blackmailing him. He’s not going to actually kiss me.
He’s standing right in front of me now.
He’s probably waiting for me to panic. My face starts to flush so badly I think I might break into a sweat. He’s gonna lean in and expect me to jump back and then he’ll claim he’s won again and…
He leans in and I don’t move. He will not win. His lips are an inch from mine. I can feel his breath on my cheek as his head slowly tilts to the right. I feel a hand on my hip so I put one on his shoulder, not to be outdone. He hovers there. I try to read his expression but he’s too close. He’s a blur.
“You’re not backing down,” Tate murmurs, and I can’t tell if he’s disappointed or impressed.
“I don’t back down,” I whisper.
“Neither do I.”
And then…Tate Adler’s lips are on mine.
They’re light and soft and warm and… I refuse to pull away first. He’s not going to win. So I press my lips into his and open my mouth just the slightest.
He slides his arm around my lower back so I slide mine around his neck.
Is that…his tongue? Yep, his tongue most definitely just slid against my bottom lip. That rat bastard. If he thinks that’s going to make me run, he’s got another think coming. I amnotgoing to let him win. I slide my tongue out too and then, our tongues touch. It’s like I stuck it in a socket. Electricity shoots through me right down to my toes and up again to start a fire in my belly. Well, slightly lower than my belly. Oh shit.
He’s going to stop this insanity now, right? But he doesn’t break the kiss. He doesn’t jump back. He doesn’t quit first. He pushes back against my tongue and slides his into my mouth and…I am fully and completely making out with Tate Adler in front of half the damn school and the most horrible thing about it is that I’m liking it. A lot. Tate Adler is making my toes curl and my panties damp.
