Page 43 of Abdominal Snowman

Clearing her throat and taking a swig of her beer for courage, Sage plucked a block from the tower. It would fall anytime now, and one of them would lose another piece of clothing.

Her throat went dry as this suddenly became real. She’d either end up in just her panties and bralette or she’d have to play with her tits out. Her cheeks heated at just the thought, but… something else also sparked to life.

Soren was still practically dressed like a priest, and here she was, heaving chest and bare skin.

But he wouldn’t stay that way—his calm façade was shattering. The glimmer of hunger he tried to keep hidden was beginning to sparkle whenever he glanced her way just right.

Swallowing sharply, Sage tried to clear her throat.

Why was she suddenly consumed with the idea of figuring out what would make Soren lose his cool fastest?

“Ass or titties?” she asked, purely out of innocent curiosity.

His eyes narrowed at her as he cocked his head to the side. But his suspicion didn’t stop his gaze from trailing down her frame, leaving a wave of goosebumps in his wake.

“What’s the point in choosing? I love both.” He stood to his full height and peered down at the tower.

“Cop-out,” she accused.

Soren’s cheeks reddened as he answered, “It depends on my mood.”

“And currently?” she questioned for clarification. Why was he making this so goddamned hard?

“I’d have to say I’m feeling like a titties man tonight,” he replied, failing to hold a straight face as he pulled a block free. The tower didn’t even wobble.

She chuckled with him, the awkwardness fading a little, and she sank into her own skin comfortably.

“Ask,” she prompted, leaning from her seat on the couch to survey the shiny stack of oak.

“What’s the first thing you’re attracted to in someone? What piques your curiosity? In a good way, of course.”

Sage smiled. Normally, this part of getting to know someone was awkward, if not downright cringeworthy. But with Soren, the questions came naturally, with bated breath and barely suppressed excitement as she awaited the answers to her questions.

Sage hummed. “Probably their eyes. They are the window to the soul, yeah? Everyone has a story, and you can tell a lot about someone from their eyes.”

Soren’s icy blues flashed at that, shuttering only slightly before he grinned at her. She slid a block from the tower, the shifting causing it to wobble precariously.

“Okay… what’s your favorite drink?” Sage wanted to sigh. See? She could ask normal questions. Even if it was to mask her chickening out. She sipped her drink as Soren—

“Sex on the Beach.”

Sage choked on her beer and shot him a wild look.

“What? I like fruity drinks,” he claimed, knowing damn well what he was doing. “Though I think I’d prefer sex in the snow. Less sand in awkward places.”

“How would you know? You’ve never been to the beach,” Sage countered. Her face heated, that molten lava coiled in her stomach sliding lower and lower.

He chuckled darkly, something shimmering in his bright eyes as he tugged a block free from the tower.

“The internet is a wonderful place,” he teased.

“Oh my god, stop,” Sage groaned.

“You asked,” Soren retorted with a mischievous grin. “Be careful what you wish for.”

Sage rolled her eyes, tilting her beer bottle at him to motion him to go next.

Soren palmed his drink with both hands and rolled the bottle back and forth as he hemmed and hawed over his question. It was making her nervous. She bet he already had a question in mind, he was just being too chicken to ask it.