A Kiss Like This (Kiss and Make Up #3)(37)

Spin-the-Shots is a full-body contact sport. Who knew?

“Kiss me, you sexy bitch,” Cubby teases Jenna, yanking her to his broad chest. She tips her chin up and lets him devour her mouth right in front of the entire room.

Breathlessly, when they come up for air, Jenna puts a hand to her lips. “Wow. That was… whew!” She fans her face with her free hand.

That’s all the encouragement Cubby needs, and his meaty arm snakes around her waist, pulling her into his side and planting a loud, wet kiss on her temple. “That’s the Cubby Effect,” he informs her loudly. “Pleasing the ladies since 1993.”

Everyone groans.

Molly goes next, taking the shot, much to the disappointment of her adorning boyfriend. She is followed by Weston, who has us all keeled over laughing when he kisses a sputtering, indignant Cubby. After his turn, Miles grabs a revolted Shelby, planting a wet kiss on her disapproving, compressed lips. Jenna, who doesn’t even bother to spin the bottle for her turn, locks lips once again with Cubby.

They continue making out, leaning over the coffee table, until Angelica declares, “Hey, knock it off already, you two. It’s my turn!”

A knot of unease forms in the pit of my stomach as her bottle spins and spins, landing on vodka. She glances up, a sly grin across her perfectly shaped mouth. “I’m claiming a kiss,” she says, staring straight at me from across the table. “Caleb.”

I shake my head and cross my arms. “I’m not kissing you,” I firmly disagree, crossing my arms over my chest stubbornly. She eyes me like a female lioness, stalking her prey.

“Why not?”

“You know why not.” Because I can barely tolerate being in social situations to begin with, let alone showing PDA to someone I’m even remotely interested in. No way in hell am I going to kiss someone else in front of Abby.

Not now, not ever.

Angelica’s full bottom lip juts out in a pout. “That’s not fair. Everyone else is playing by the rules.”

“I don’t give a shit what everyone else is doing.”

“You don’t have to be rude, you jerk. I’m not repulsive.”

Yeah, you kind of are. “Whatever, Angelica. If you really liked Miles, you wouldn’t be begging me to make out with you.”

She scoffs. “Oh, please. We all know that Miles is just using me for sex. Do you think I’m blind and stupid? He doesn’t give a shit about me.”

Alright, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel just a little bit sorry for her right now. Just a little.

Miles clears his throat and puts his arms around her shoulder. “Ha ha, good one, Angelica. If you’re trying to make me jealous, it’s working.” His pseudo-girlfriend is glaring daggers at me. “Give me a kiss or take the shot.” He leans over and whispers something in her ear that makes her eyes get wide, then a little teary.

“I’ll… take the shot,” Angelica finally agrees reluctantly, stiffening her spine and haltingly reaching for the glass. She tosses it back like a pro.

Shelby clears her throat. “Erm… I think this would probably be the perfect time to stop the game and switch gears, yeah?” Her question comes out somewhat apologetically. “Let’s get the bonfire going.”





Abby

The flames crackle loudly in the middle of the official stone bonfire circle, and we’re all gathered around the remarkable fire blazing in between our cabins, Bear Claw and Wolf Lair.

Let me just say that one more time: Bear Claw. Wolf Lair. How cool are those names?

Admittedly, it took a while to get the fire started. Stephan and Miles couldn’t get it lit but refused to give up. Finally, a sighing, irritated Chelsea pushed them both aside, restacked the logs into a small teepee/pyramid shape, shoved a bunch of newspaper inside the pyramid, and started what looks like a crackling, holy blaze.

Afterwards, standing back, hands on her hips to survey her work, Chelsea declares with a satisfied nod, “There are two things my dad always said I’d always need to utilize: how to start a fire, and the many uses for duct tape.”

Her fire-starting technique was quite impressive, and while Chelsea dusts her soot-covered hands off on her jeans, I can’t help but wonder what those many uses for duct tape actually are.

The night is quiet; our cabins sit at the very far edge of the vast resort property, the location surprisingly remote for a commercialized tourist destination.

Around the bonfire are red Adirondack chairs, logs styled as benches, and lots of warm, wool blankets provided by the resort. Just on the outskirts of the circle sits a large cooler filled with ice, beer, and a few bottles of cheap wine that are beginning to chill.

I admit I was much too shy to sit near Caleb, so I spent most of the evening surreptitiously sneaking peeks at him from across the fire, the high blaze occasionally obstructing my view, and, well… making my retinas burn.

I mean, I love a good bonfire, but I can’t stand the smoke.

Just keeping it real.

We sit outside for a few hours in the dark. At some point, couples start returning to the cabins, one by one, when Chelsea’s monster fire eventually whittles itself down to a smoky, crackling pile of embers.

Belatedly, I notice that Jenna has disappeared.

“I guess I’ll go jump in the shower,” I say to Cubby, Angelica, and Caleb, the only people remaining around the dwindling flames. I throw one last look over my shoulder as I walk up porch steps, catching Caleb’s dark and penetrating gaze watching me retreat.