unamused and a little disappointed with his line of questioning.
“No. I live back at the dorms in Richfield. Don’t worry, Finn. You won’t have to go to a trailer park to take me home tonight.”
“That’s not why I asked,” he states, seemingly offended.
“Sure it wasn’t. Either way, I don’t care. It’s my turn on the mic. Do your friends know you geek out looking up at the stars?”
His scowl turns deep, as he grabs at the base of his shirt, pulling it over his head and throwing it to the ground beside me in defiance. My vivid imagination couldn’t compare to the real-life sculpted figure in front of me.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so,” I utter mockingly, trying to conceal how all those deep ridges and steel planes have me panting a little. “Why not?”
“First, I didn’t answer your question. And second, wait your turn,” he points at me. “It’s mine now.”
I shrug my shoulders, pretending not to be bothered either way. But, of course, I should have suspected he wouldn’t pull any punches with his next question since I was the one who decided to take the kid gloves off in the first place.
“Why do you get all defensive when I ask you something personal?”
Instead of answering his fine ass, I take a long gulp of tequila and stick my tongue out at him once I’m done.
“Fine, if that’s how you’re going to play this. But fair warning, miss the next one, and it’s your shirt that falls on the ground.”
“Pity you’re going to have to wait a little longer, considering it’s my turn now.”
“I’m not afraid. Give it your best shot, little girl,” he taunts, tapping on his cheek and waiting expectantly for the metaphorical punch.
“Have you ever kept any other secrets from your friends?”
“Yes,” he deadpans, not leaving much room for misinterpretation.
“So, I guess the grass isn’t greener on the Northside either, huh?”
“Everyone has their demons to face, Stone. The place where you’re born doesn’t factor much into it.”
“Got a lot of monsters keeping you awake at night, do you?” I ask skeptically.
“More than most. I just answered three of your questions back to back. Get up, little girl. It’s your turn to take it all off,” he commands, his voice just as sharp and hard as the bulging muscles he’s proudly showcasing.
I flip him off for good measure but stand up just the same. Three questions equal three pieces of clothing. No sweat. I take off my chucks, each one landing in a different location after they’ve successfully managed to zoom past his head.
“Cute,” he goads, his tone still iron-thick.
I then unbutton my shorts and begin to shimmy out of them, making sure I bend just so, keeping my ass up in the air and away from his prying eye. However, my low-cut shirt gives him a nice little view of the ladies just the same. I pick up my shorts and throw them toward his face, but with his cat-like reflexes, he catches them before they’ve hit their mark. I then sit back down and take a swig of tequila instead of taking off another piece of clothing.
“Three answered questions equal two pieces of clothing and one drink. But nice try, pretty boy.”
“You could just as easily have drunk twice and only taken off your chucks,” he chimes in, clutching my shorts in his lap.
“I know. Guess I’m feeling charitable tonight.”
“Charitable? Right. How come I think your so-called punishment left me in pain instead of you?” he confesses huskily, shifting in his seat while trying to hide the bulge in his jeans.
“Poor baby. You hurting?” I pout exaggeratedly, batting my eyes at him.
“Jesus, you are something else,” he says, flustered, running his fingers through his blond mane and tugging at its strands in frustration. “You sure don’t have any inhibitions, do you, Stone? You do whatever you want and fuck the consequences, isn’t that right?”
“Why live life any other way? Life’s too short for pretenses,” I answer truthfully, not one bit bothered with his assessment of me.
“Not everyone has the same luxury of being so direct,” he scolds.
“You really want to talk about luxuries with me, quarterback? Tell me, just how hard did you have to work for those wheels you’ve got? Or the clothes on your back? Or even the money in your pocket? Don’t lecture me on luxuries when you’ve lived a life filled with them. Being who I am, with no regard for anyone else’s opinion but mine, is one of the few