Unwrapped

I have to catch my breath. All night, I’ve been at war with myself: trying not to flirt with him or make a fool of myself. But now, I’m suddenly reckless. Unleashed. Now I’ve spied a crack in his cool, collected attitude, I’m not going to let this chance slide by, not without a fight.

I just want him, more than I can stand.

“You first,” I announce, slowly crossing my legs.

Daniel looks down at the fabric riding up over my thighs, then back up at me. “That’s easy, truth.”

Of course. A guy like him is an open book: nothing to hide. “Hmm,” I muse, wracking my brain. If I’m going to push him, it needs to be something good. “Where’s the craziest place you’ve ever had sex?”

Daniel raises an eyebrow, but he doesn’t flinch. “I don’t know …” he frowns, “Nowhere. I’ve always just done it the regular way, on a bed.”

I stare in disbelief. “Seriously? Not even in the backseat of a car? The gym locker rooms? The rooftop of the student lounge?” I prompt.

Daniel looks bashful. “I guess I’m just boring like that. Why, where’s yours?”

I think for a moment. “Backstage at a rock show, up against the amps. He lasted like, two seconds flat and I nearly went deaf … and electrocuted,” I shake my head, giving a wry smile at the memory.

“Sounds painful.” Daniel laughs, and I lose myself in his eyes. The tequila is warm in my bloodstream, mingling with desire and recklessness in one heady cocktail that’s impossible to ignore as I sit here, inches away from Daniel, his tanned forearm resting casually on the bar between us, close enough to touch …

I snap back to reality. “What?”

Daniel gives me a patient smile. “I said, why bother nearly killing yourself like that? It doesn’t sound like it was even worth your while.”

I shrug. “It was an experience.”

“Jumping off a cliff is an experience,” Daniel points out. “You going to try that too?”

“No, it’s like …” I try to gather my thoughts, “This is it, my wild adventurous youth. One day, I’m going to be settled down with a kid and a mini-van, and, and, a Costco clubcard. I want to be able to look back and say, I lived. I had adventures. You know?”

“Nope,” Daniel makes a face. “I’ve been on the same path since school, I never did anything crazy.”

My heart catches. I force myself to meet his eyes. “It’s never too late to try.”

Daniel looks at me, and the moment is electric, pulsing between us, vivid and full of meaning. Then he coughs, and glances away. “Your turn,” he says, and his voice is strangled. “Truth or dare.”

“Dare.” I reply immediately, my heart still racing.

“Big surprise,” Daniel grins.

I shrug, teasing. “Bring it on.”

He opens his mouth to say something, then stops. “No,” he says, almost to himself, and I would kill to know what he just stopped himself saying. “Umm, I dare you to tell the truth about something.”

“That’s not fair!” I protest, but he just shakes his head, laughing.

“I didn’t make the rules!”

I sigh. “Fine, what do you want to know?”

Daniel pauses. He swirls his whiskey around his glass, thoughtful. I’m expecting something personal, maybe even suggestive or flirty, but instead, when he speaks, his voice is quiet. “Do you believe in soul-mates? That there’s one person we’re destined to be with, or is it all just random bullshit, we can’t ever know for sure who’s right for us?”

Juliet.

My hopes come crashing down around me in a cold wave. He’s thinking about her, still hung up after all this time. Here I am, practically throwing myself in his lap, and all he wants to talk about is her.

“Daniel,” I sigh, reluctant, but he won’t be put off.

“I dared you, you have to answer.” He looks stubborn.

“Soul-mates? Fine, no, I don’t believe in them.” I lie. Because what’s the use in believing when his heart still belongs to someone else? “Do you?”

Daniel blinks. “I thought so,” he sighs, “I had it all planned out. But now … Now I wonder, what’s the use in planning?” he adds bitterly. “Maybe it’s better just to live in the moment. Do whatever I want, right now, to hell with the rules or the consequences.”

His eyes meet mine, and the naked desire I see there steals the breath from my lungs. “What do you want?” I whisper, barely breathing.

“To do something crazy.” Daniel’s eyes stare into mine intently. “Just, get out of my own head. Be someone else. Just for tonight.”

Tonight …

I waver. I know now this isn’t about me, but a treacherous part of me doesn’t even care. I’ve wanted him for so long, on any terms. At any cost.

“Your turn.” I don’t look away. I should leave now, run far away, hell, I should go sleep in the airport overnight just to stay away from this bad, bad idea.

But I’ve never been one to do the smart thing. Instead, I gather my courage, and ask the question I shouldn’t.

“Truth or dare?”

Daniel smiles, a dark, glittering smile that could knock me to the floor if I wasn’t clutching onto the bar for dear life.

“Dare,” he replies.

Abort, abort! My voice of reason screams, but I don’t back down.