Dare Me(6)

“Look at me?” I question Kinsley, raising my eyebrows. What’re they talking about?

“He definitely has eyes for you,” Zay chimes in with a smile. “Don’t look, but kind of like the way he’s looking at you right now.” He drops his eyes from across the bar to the bottle of beer in his hand.

“What?” I snap my head up and scan the bar to find Holt Hamilton standing at a table with a small glass of amber liquid pressed to his lips. Our eyes meet, and I immediately flush. I’m not sure if it’s his blue eyes or the heat from the alcohol finally hitting me, but my heart races and I begin to sweat. Holt nods casually at me and turns back to the man he’s with and begins talking. The two men lean in to each other. From their posture and facial expressions, I can tell whatever it is they’re discussing is important.

“Holy f*cking shit, Holt Hamilton is at Bar 51,” Kinsley says with a look of shock on her face.

“Why is he here?” I question, reaching absently for my ice water.

“How the hell would we know?” Zay answers, his voice reeking of displeasure.

I can’t tear my eyes away from Holt. His dark hair stands out against the light brown of the man he’s talking with. He’s remarkably tall, and it’s easy to see him across the bar since he’s almost a head taller than everyone around him.

“Why are you blushing, Saige?” Rowan asks with a teasing laugh.

“I’m not blushing.” I duck my head when I realize that I probably am blushing. “It’s just hot in here.”

“It is now that Holt Hotness Hamilton is here,” Emery says with a laugh. She runs her fingers through her light brown bangs.

“I wish he was gay,” Rowan sighs and sips his wine. “I’d climb all over that man like a spider monkey.”

“Gross!” Kinsley throws a napkin at him from across the table.

“I have an idea!” Emery says, pulling her phone out of her purse. She’s tapping away at the screen and pulls up an app. “Let’s play Truth or Dare!”

“Oh Jesus.” Zay chuckles. “With this group, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.” He looks out of the corner of his eye at me before taking a sip of his beer.

“It’ll be fun,” Emery says enthusiastically. “And if you choose to forgo either the Truth or the Dare, you have to take a shot. That’s the consequence.”

“I’ve already had four drinks!” I remind them. I’m a responsible drinker. I hate being drunk. I like to enjoy myself but not push my limits.

Rowan taps my arm. “Well then, you better be prepared for the Truth or the Dare, sweetheart.”

“You said you were going to look out for me,” I mumble and narrow my eyes at him.

He grins at me. “Oh, sweet girl, I’ll make sure you get home okay.” Then everyone laughs.

I swallow a groan. Why do I feel like this is going to be a bad idea?



Six lemon drop shots line the center of our table, and we’ve all refreshed our drinks and have fresh glasses of ice water.

“Ready?” Emery asks, and looks around at everyone, a hint of a challenge in her eyes.

“Let’s do it,” Zay says and rubs his hands together, ready to begin.

Emery beams with delight. “Okay, so we’re going counterclockwise. Rowan goes first, then Saige, then Zay, then Kinsley, and I’m last. We’ll ask you Truth or Dare. If you pick truth, we’ll use the questions from the app. If it’s a dare, we’ll come up with one as a group. Rules though, friends.” She looks pointedly at each of us. “It has to be safe, but it has to push boundaries.”

The guys grumble.

“I refuse to kiss Rowan,” Zay teases.

“You’re not my type,” Rowan jokes back.

“So, Ro.” Emery grins at him. “Truth or Dare?”

Rowan rubs his chin and ponders his two options for a minute. “Truth.”

“I knew he’d go easy on us,” Kinsley says.

“Hey hey,” he chides. “Let’s start off nice and slow. Build our way up.”

Emery taps the app on her phone, and the questions scramble. “Okay,” she says and chuckles to herself as she reads the question before reading it back to us. “Have you ever cheated on a boyfriend or girlfriend?”

“Really?” Rowan raises an unenthused eyebrow. “That’s the question?”

“Yep.” She turns the phone to face him, and he turns up his nose.

“Yes,” he answers, sounding bored. “I’ve cheated on both.”

“What!” Kinsley screams across the table. “You’ve had a boyfriend and a girlfriend?”

“Yes,” he mumbles and takes a sip of wine. “It was a long time ago.”

She drops her head back in laughter. “I need to hear more about this.”

I glance over to where Holt stands with his guest, and we make eye contact again, sharing a brief but friendly smile before I quickly turn my attention back to my friends. Emery is smirking at me, which means she caught me looking.

“No, you will not hear more about this.” Rowan raises his chin in defiance, then snatches Emery’s phone. “Moving on. Saige, truth or dare?”

I glance around the table at my friends and, without much thinking, blurt out, “Dare.”