Chad, Asher, and Ted had proven to be rather ineffectual as chaperones. They didn’t care if anyone drank alcohol as long as they didn’t get wasted or try to drive after drinking. Though she’d been offered spiked punch, Ariadne hadn’t accepted it.
Somehow in wandering through the rooms of the house, she’d lost track of Erika and just about everyone else she actually knew. Finally in the basement, she’d found the boys hanging out with a few of their friends and some high school kids trying to be cool merely by being in the company of college students. Chad had a girl on his lap that she’d never seen before. Ted sat alone, nursing a beer. Asher was in a recliner but still had a girl on either side of him, vying for his attention. Surprisingly, they were playing Truth or Dare. It seemed to be an activity that she and Erika would have enjoyed and they would have teased them mercilessly about being childish.
After watching for a few minutes, she could see that they were playing a very adult version. The questions they asked were personal and intimate. The dares involved drinking beer or make out sessions. She was just about to return upstairs when someone asked her to join the game. She was about to decline when Asher drawled, “She couldn’t handle it.”
Bristling, she agreed to play just to spite him. He arched an eyebrow as she sat down. Unfortunately, it just so happened that Asher was the person to pose the question of Truth or Dare to her. He flashed an evil grin that she found quite unsettling. She was afraid of what terribly personal secrets he would have her reveal in a room of semi-strangers. Swallowing her trepidation, she chose, “Dare.” After all, she’d sipped a beer before. It was awful and she’d only done it then because Erika’s parents had been having a cool moment and had said they could share one bottle. But Chad and Ted wouldn’t demand she take more than one sip. They were supposed to be watching out for them after all.
Asher’s grin only grew. He stood up, brushing off his harem without a backward glance. “Good. Come with me.”
“Whoa,” Chad said, suddenly alert. Previously, he’d been completely absorbed by the girl on his lap. “What the hell are you doing?”
“She chose dare,” Asher explained, grabbing her hand and tugging her from the room.
“Then have her drink a beer,” Ted spoke up.
“I don’t want her to drink a beer,” Asher growled. “She’s too young for beer.”
“Yeah, well, I’ll bet she’s too young for what you have in mind, too.”
Asher shook his head. “She’s eighteen.”
Ariadne’s eyes widened as the implications of what they were saying finally hit her. The first thing she felt was shock. Why would Asher want to make out with her? They barely tolerated each other when they weren’t ignoring each other. Not only that, Erika would freak. She tried to extract her hand from his and failed. “I’ll take a beer,” she said.
“You don’t get to choose your dare,” he snapped.
“Shit, Ash-” Ted tried again.
“I’m not going to fuck her, Ted.” Ariadne gasped. Asher grinned down at her. “I’ll just make you wish that I were.” With those cryptic words, he all but dragged her from the basement.
“Where are you taking me?”
They ducked into room after room, but most were occupied. “Finding us some privacy.”
She was starting to get nervous. “You could have kissed me in the basement.”
“Not the way I kiss.” He peeked into Chad and Erika’s parents’ bedroom. It was empty. He pulled her in behind him and shut the door, backing her up against it.#p#分页标题#e#
She stared up into his face. She’d never thought of him in this light. He was handsome, no doubt. He had full lips, a square jaw, and beautiful pale green eyes. But he was an irresponsible, spoiled, rich boy. She wasn’t in the slightest bit attracted to him. She tried to focus on the aspects of him that turned her off. Like his smoking. Only he didn’t smell like cigarettes at the moment. The only scent he carried was cologne and pure Asher.
She reminded herself that it was just a kiss. Nothing to get upset about. Yet her heart was trying to beat its way out of her ribcage. It was probably because Asher was trying to intimidate her using his greater physical size. She’d never realized how broad his shoulders were or how tall he was. He hovered over her. He pressed his hands to the door on either side of her head. “Just do it already,” she snapped.
He emitted that husky laugh of his that made her belly go haywire. And then he lowered his lips to hers, just brushing them over hers in a slow back and forth, increasing the pressure slightly with each pass.