Page 123 of Made for Mayhem

Ty didn’t smile this time. Not right away. He watched me like he was choosing his words carefully.

“I dare you,” he said slowly, “to sit over here.”

My brows knit together. “That’s it?”

“That’s it.”

The booth wasn’t big. We already sat close enough that our knees brushed under the table. But his side of the booth was different. His space. His warmth.

I hesitated just long enough to be obvious.

Then I rolled my eyes and grabbed my Diet Coke. “We’re going to be those people now? The ones who sit on the same side of the booth, even when they’re alone?”

“Yes,” he said, completely unapologetic.

I slid out of my seat and into his side of the booth, the wood cool beneath my legs. The moment I settled, his thigh pressed solid and warm against mine. Not crowding. Just… there.

“Comfortable?” he asked.

I shrugged, staring at the table. “Kinda weird, but yes.”

A beat passed.

Then he shifted—just enough that our shoulders brushed. His arm rested along the back of the booth, not around me, but close enough that I could feel the heat of him through the thin fabric of my shirt.

My breath hitched.

“Still good?” he asked softly.

I nodded, because speaking felt dangerous.

“Okay,” he said. “Your turn.”

I latched onto the game like a lifeline. “Truth or dare?”

His answer came easy. “Truth.”

Why does this feel like standing on the edge of something?

Why are you so patient with me?

Why does letting you this close feel harder than being alone?

Nope.

“Do you secretly hate Cluck Norris as much as I do?”

His lips twitched. “No. I’m not afraid to be patient, waiting until he’s ready to love me as much as I love him. Eventually, he’ll realize his big personality doesn’t scare me, and I’m not going anywhere even on his bad days.”

Fuck. Now I definitely thought we weren’t just talking about a rooster.

I reached for my Diet Coke, needing something to do with my hands while my mind spun out.

“My turn,” he said quietly. “Truth or dare?”

“Dare.”

“I dare you,” he said, voice low and steady, “to let me hold your hand.”