Dare Series Collection - Shantel Tessier Page 0,32

this. Not at all.

But this is part of it. The guys agreed on it. They said if we have her join, then we need to show her off. Or else we wouldn’t have had the party. It’s all a formality.

“Hey, Becky,” she says to a blonde as we enter the kitchen.

The girl looks at me and then at Austin. “Hi,” she says softly. Her eyes shoot back to mine.

I ignore her. Letting go of Austin’s hand, I grab a red Solo cup and make her a drink without even bothering to ask what she likes. She’ll drink whatever I give her.

Once I finish her drink, I make myself one. “Here,” I say, handing it to her.

She takes it without even looking at me. Her eyes remain on the girl as they chat about pointless shit.

Deke stands over in the corner with a blond bimbo under his arm. Shane sits at the table playing poker with some guys. And Kellan stands over by the entrance with his tongue down some redhead’s throat. I don’t know where the hell Bennett went.

I walk around the breakfast bar and put my arm around Austin’s shoulders. She doesn’t even acknowledge me. But the girl, Becky, looks up at me wide-eyed and then back at Austin.

What the fuck is he doing? Is going through her mind at the moment. Because I never show any affection to women. I ignore them until I have them naked in my bed. Of course, Austin doesn’t know that, so she wouldn’t understand what I’m doing right now. But I’m letting everyone here know that she is mine! That way, when she starts doing her dares, no one will turn her in if they see her. I can’t risk getting my ass burned because of her.

I take a sip of my mixed drink as “Love the Way You Hate Me” by Like A Storm plays through the speakers of the house, and I smile. She’s gonna hate me, all right. And I’m gonna love it.

AUSTIN

I take a big gulp of my drink, and Becky’s eyes bore into mine. I don’t think she’s blinked once in the past twenty minutes, which is impossible.

“Are you okay?” I finally ask her.

Her eyes shoot behind me, and I look over my shoulder to see Cole, looking down at his phone. Bastard!

“How do you know Cole?” she asks.

“Just met him.” I reach out and take her drink from her hand. She doesn’t argue. I take a gulp of it and hiss in a breath. Hers is strong. Just how I like them.

Her eyes widen. “Are you serious?”

I nod, taking another drink. I’m starting to feel lightheaded. “Why?”

“Just be careful,” she warns.

I look back at him over my shoulder again, and he leans against the countertop. His arms over his chest as he looks over at who I think is Shane. His defined jaw is sharp, and his eyes narrowed. He always looks so angry. Dark. But that is what draws me to him. He’s so mysterious. I want to know what goes on in his mind.

I lift the drink and take another swallow but pull it away when I see it’s empty. “I drank it all,” I say, handing it back to her.

She laughs and pours herself another one.

“You know them well?”

She nods and hands me a new full drink. “Been going to school with them since kindergarten.”

“Girlfriend?” I ask.

Her laughter grows. “No.”

I nod. Figures. Guys like Cole don’t settle down. They don’t allow girls to get close enough to see who they really are.

I take another drink and lick my lips. They’re starting to tingle. He pushes off the counter and turns to face Shane, giving me a profile view. His arms still crossed over his chest, he stands to his full height, and I watch the way his jeans hang on his narrow hips and remember what his body looked like when he got out of my father’s pool. I bite my bottom lip before taking another drink.

“Girl, you’ve got it bad.” Becky laughs.

I whip around to look at her. But even I can’t deny it. “I’m treading water,” I admit. Guys like Cole Reynolds are why smart girls turn stupid. It’s embarrassing on so many levels but understandable.

I mean, I fucking hate the guy, and I still want him to take me to his room. That alone tells me how unbelievably stupid I am.

She takes a step toward me, closing the small space, and whispers, “These waters are infested with sharks. And you