Truth or Dare: A Sweet Romantic Comedy Collection Page 15

  Did I hope that we’d get to flirt with each other this weekend? Maybe.

  But I never dreamed he would hand me a ring that he actually purchased for me. Long before this wedding––let alone the dare––was on the cards.

  I grumble to myself as I towel off. Ryder Black is a mystery.

  And my feelings are a mystery too. Part of me wants to slap him for keeping me in the dark for so long. The other part––a teeny, tiny part––wants to call him an idiot and throw myself onto his lips. And maybe never let go. Maybe.

  I scrunch up my face and force the thought out of my head. There’s a storm raging outside, Debbie’s getting married in the morning, and the last thing I should be thinking about right now is Ryder.

  Besides, he's just doing what I asked him to do: pretend to be in love with me.

  Problem is, the “act” is a little too convincing for me to handle. And knowing that he was still thinking about me this whole time sends my stomach into knots.

  I get ready in record time, painfully aware of the maid-of-honor duties that need to be tended to. And just as I walk out of the bathroom, the door opens and Ryder stumbles into the bedroom wearing nothing but a white fluffy towel around his waist. I glance at his damp clothes draped carefully over his arm and gulp.

  “Where have you been?” I blurt, my voice sounding far more accusatory than it should. Who am I to ask him where he’s been? It’s none of my business. But seeing him half-naked––his muscles... Correction: his glistening muscles staring at me––has caught me off-guard. His body has matured over the years. Any remnants of his teen years were erased and instead, I’m looking at a man. A red-blooded male who carried me away from the storm in his burly arms.

  “I just came to get my bag. Your sister will be here soon.”

  “Oh.” That’s right. The bride and groom have to sleep apart the night before their wedding.

  I take a sidestep, letting him in. As he walks past, the scent of menthol washes over me and like a moth to a flame––a very hot, dangerous flame––I grab his arm.

  Ryder turns, and his eyes flash as he glances at my hand gripping his bicep. My brain catches up and I let him go. “I’m sorry.”

  I’m terrible at apologies. They make me feel ridiculously lame and small. But in this case, I've behaved childishly. What was I thinking walking out into the storm?

  Sometimes my emotions blind my senses and all I see is red.

  I blink back the prickling sensation in my eyes and look up at Ryder, who just smiles at me warmly.

  “Katia…” he says in a breathy voice. He grazes his thumb along my jawline and nips his bottom lip. “There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you…”

  His head gravitates to me, and he hovers so close to my lips, his breath tickles my cheeks. I wonder if he’s realized that the only thing standing between his naked body and me is a towel. The thought sends my brain into a spin and my icy disposition melts into a puddle on the floor.

  Even though I’m still mad at him for the years of hurt, I want to kiss him. I need to kiss him. Perhaps if we throw caution to the wind, just this once, I’ll finally get the closure I need. Maybe kissing him will feel wrong and it’ll be like kissing my brother––if I had one.

  Then Ryder and I can stop playing this awkward game and just focus on being friends.

  I let my hand rest on his chest and his defined pectorals tense in response.

  “What did you want to say?” I whisper, reaching up and resting my hand on his shoulder. My breaths come out quick and shallow as my heart picks up speed. The tension between us is like a current of electricity encircling our bodies, creating little sparks whenever his breath touches my skin.

  I don’t care what he has to say. He could tell me the sky is falling and I wouldn’t bat an eyelid. I don’t even need him to say the L-word. In fact, it may be better to avoid words altogether. They might just complicate things.

  Besides, right now, we’re alone in a hotel room. His dark eyes are searching mine. What can he see? Fear? Excitement? A bit of both? I have no idea how readable my eyes are, but if anyone can interpret them, it’s him.

  The lure of his lips is too much to resist. I lean forward a little, just enough to lightly brush my lips over them. Ryder Black was my first kiss. We were under the bleachers during a baseball game and neither of us knew what we were doing.

  I flipped my tongue around in circles like a washer and our teeth bumped. But after a few awkward laughs––and a lot more practice––we became pros at it.

  I wonder if we can still kiss like we did back in school. Can we be in sync again?

  Ryder presses his lips against mine with more force and wraps his arms around my body, lifting me into the air. Can a body sigh? Every muscle relaxes and I melt into his embrace with a flood of joy.

  I’m running around in my head shouting, “I’m home! I’m home!” A rush of familiarity washes over my whole soul, making my heart squeeze so hard, I'm sure it might stop beating altogether.

  But that’s fine with me. I’ll die happy.

  A primal, purely biological side of my body takes over and my newfound joy turns into insatiable hunger. I want his lips connected to mine, his hands around my waist, and our noses nuzzling forever and ever.

  He plants soft kisses all over my cheeks as if to heal invisible wounds. And against all reason, it works. Every tear I ever shed for him is gone. Every sleepless night of hating his guts, erased.

  All of it.

  Man, kisses are powerful. Or maybe it’s just this kiss.

  I find his mouth again and drag my hands through his hair, moaning with abandon. He moans back and it’s the most beautiful sound in the world.

  The two of us are so lost in the moment, neither of us pays any attention to the click and squeal of hinges. But we break apart at the sound of a gasp.

  “Oh. Sorry!”

  Ryder lowers me to the floor, and I jump back to lock eyes with my sister. The three of us stand in shocked silence for a moment, then Ryder grabs his bag and bolts for the bathroom door. Now alone, Debbie mimes a victory dance, pointing at the bathroom door and silently screaming.

  “Shh!” I say, even though she’s not making a sound. I glare at her, trying to act annoyed. But no matter how hard I try; I can’t hide my grin. Then Holly and Michelle stumble into the room, each holding a bottle.

  “Katia and Ryder hooked up!” Debbie says to the girls.

  “WHAT?” Mark’s voice floats in from the hall. I groan as he and Cameron walk in, closely followed by Jonah. The blood in my face is burning with so much intensity, I swear I must look like a flaming torch by now.

  The bathroom door reopens and a fully dressed Ryder casts a look at all of us with wide eyes. His cheeks turn rosy. The sight makes my stomach squirm as I think about how much I want to pinch them and kiss him again.

  “What are you all doing here?” I say, placing my hands on my hips and trying to sound angry. Everyone files further into the room and finds a spot on the bed. Ryder and I stand dumbfounded by the bathroom, watching our friends make themselves comfortable. Clearly, none of our friends have mastered the ability to read the room. Because if they did, they’d all take one look at me and Ryder and back the heck out.

  “We thought all that noise was the storm but turns out it was just you two,” Holly says, grinning wickedly at me. My eyes bulge as I inhale my own saliva and cough. No. This can’t be happening right now. Not only are my friends refusing to give us privacy, but they also want to discuss our intimate life. These things are not up for discussion. I follow my mom’s mantra. Private activities between couples should be just that... Private. Besides, nothing happened. We kissed.

  “We didn’t…”

  “Come on, you don’t expect us to believe that? Ryder was naked when I walked in!” Debbie says with a chuckle.

  “No he wasn’t!” I argue back. I shoot Ryder a look, wondering why he’s not backing me up. But he seems to have lost his voice. Again.r />
  I roll my eyes. The chemistry between us might be off-the-charts, but our communication skills need some work.

  “I had a towel on,” Ryder says finally. He says it far too seriously and it does nothing to convince anyone that nothing happened.

  “So... you two didn’t hook up?” Michelle asks, not even trying to hide the disappointment from her voice.

  “I... we would never!” I stutter, blushing furiously now.

  “Never?” Ryder asks, turning to look at me with a hurt expression.

  I open and close my mouth several times like a fish out of water as everyone turn to me. Somebody needs to pass me a shovel, I’m going to bury myself in the ground and dig a tunnel to China. Meanwhile, Cameron rises to his feet and begins to clap.

  “Come on everyone, Debbie and Mark are getting married in six hours. Time to have a toast!”

  Jonah passes out glasses and Holly goes about filling them up. But just as Michelle hands me a glass, the lights go out.

  “Who did that? Ouch, that’s my foot!”

  “Can somebody please turn the light on?”

  “The power’s out, you donut.”

  “Everyone calm down. The backup generators will kick in any minute.”

  Sure enough, the lights come on again. I take a breath, listening to the violent rattle of the windows.

  “We’ll never be able to get to the venue if it’s like this tomorrow,” I think aloud.

  “Right. Where was I? Yes... A toast,” Jonah says raising his glass again. “To Mark and Debbie, and the wedding that must go on!”

  Everyone clinks glasses and I force a smile at my sister, wondering how there’s going to be a wedding tomorrow. Then all of my thoughts evaporate as Ryder nudges my arm and leans in to whisper in my ear. “Meet me downstairs in ten minutes.”

  Ryder

  Kissing Katia has made me a new man. I feel renewed energy coursing through my veins, and as I stride out of the room and into the hall, I have the perfect posture.

  It’s as if I’ve battled a lion. I've finally crossed over the boundaries between us, and now she’s back in my world. It makes me want to do the impossible. Like fly over the Grand Canyon. No, bigger than that. Fit the moon in my pocket!

  Or... Transforming a conference room set up for a Hindu wedding into something appropriate for Mark and Debbie.

  I walk in and whistle, looking at the elaborate floral decorations with organza material in bold colors stretched across the ceiling.

  The door opens with a bang and I jolt. Katia walks in and scans the room, her eyes wide. “So, this is where the magic is gonna happen, huh?” When she walks up to stand beside me; the heat of her body makes me tense. I become very aware of her hand hanging close to mine. I chew my lip, resisting the urge to grab it. Now that I’m back in her presence, all of my courage has blown out of me, leaving me feeling like a deflated balloon.

  “Well, I can’t say it’s Debbie’s style... But it’s better than nothing! I just checked with the front desk and they’ve said no one is going anywhere for the next twenty-four hours,” Katia continues, unaware of my tangled nerves.

  I nod as a collection of thoughts flood my brain. I'm wrestling with the idea of talking to her about our kiss. But now it feels selfish. This isn’t about me and Katia. I’m the best man. I should focus on getting everything ready for the big day.

  Still, Katia is standing so close. Her lip gloss is shining and her beautiful eyes are luring me in. What I’d give to steal another kiss... But I worry if we start, I’ll never want to stop.

  “You’re quiet,” Katia says, shattering my thoughts. She frowns at me, crossing her arms. “You’re not freaked out, are you? About... Earlier.”

  I shake my head, swallowing the build-up of saliva in my mouth. I'm suddenly at a loss on what to do with my tongue as two sides of my brain play a game of tug-of-war. Kiss her. Don’t kiss her.

  “Don’t do this,” Katia says, shaking her head slowly. “Don’t give me the silent treatment.”

  Doesn’t she get it? I’m not giving her the silent treatment, I never have. On the inside, I’m shouting off the rooftops. I’m swinging from tree to tree. I’m swooping her up in my arms and smothering her with kisses. It’s just getting it all out of me that seems to be the challenge.

  The hurt in her eyes propels me forward as if she’s pushed me over the edge of a cliff. Before I can process them, words come tumbling out.

  “Ineverwannaletyougo,” I say with gusto. But it all comes out in gobbledygook. Katia just stares at me with one brow arched. So, I take a breath and try again. “I don’t want to pretend you’re mine.”

  “Oh?” Katia whispers, taking a step closer. I automatically find her hips and grab them as if I'm drawing energy from her body. I lean down, inhaling the scent of her coconut shampoo with a smile as I bury my face into her dark hair. “I love––” I pause the thought and lean back to look into her eyes. I see myself in them. She smiles and I cradle her face in my hands, grazing my thumbs across her bottom lip. “––your family.”

  Katia’s shoulders slump a little and it’s hard to miss the slight disappointment on her face. “Oh.”

  Then the door opens with another bang and Debbie marches in. Katia and I lurch apart at her arrival and put on fake smiles.

  “You won’t believe this,” Debbie says, walking up to us. “I just found Nonna in the casino. It’s almost two in the morning and apparently, she’s been working the slot machines since eleven.”

  I smirk at the mental image of Katia and Debbie’s Nonna, a sweet old Italian lady, sitting at the slot machine in a casino.

  “So, this is where I’m getting married?” Debbie adds, and the mental image of Nonna dissolves.

  “Listen, while we’re alone. I just wanted to say thanks.”

  “For what?” Katia asks and she takes the words out of my mouth. This wedding has been a disaster so far. “For going along with this dare. I know it was a big ask. But hopefully, now you’ve both opened up to each other, it’s gonna be easier…”

  “We haven’t,” Katia blurts. “I mean, there’s not been a lot of talking.”

  I clamp my teeth together and hold my breath as the words land on Debbie, prompting a wry smile. “Right,” she says slowly, giving her sister a nudge.

  “Well, anyway. Your little act at dinner has the whole family talking. So far, no one’s giving me an interrogation about where we’re gonna settle down.”

  “Happy to be of service,” I say, finding my voice. Katia shoots me a look before turning back to her sister. “You need to go to bed. We don’t want a tired bridezilla in the morning!”

  “But this room... I should help take a few things down.”

  I clear my throat and square my shoulders, suddenly focused on the task at hand, just as Mark and Jonah walk in. “You girls get to bed. Let us deal with this,” I say.

  “Are you sure?” Debbie asks. She and Katia give me identical looks of suspicion. I meet Mark’s stare and he nods at me, resolved.

  “Get some sleep. Katia is right. We need our bride to get her beauty sleep.”

  Debbie hums as if not convinced, and Mark kisses her as if to seal the deal. Then she makes for the door. “Okay, I guess I’ll see you in the morning then.”

  “I’ll be right here, waiting for you,” Mark calls out to her.

  “I’ll be the one in white,” she shouts back. Katia follows her out the door but turns and gives me a longing look. I give a faint wave, then the door closes between us.

  “I spoke to the front desk, they said we can use whatever we need in their supply cupboard,” Mark says enthusiastically.

  “Alright men,” I say, lowering my voice and getting serious. Cameron walks in. “It’s going to be a long night. We’ve got work to do.”

  Katia

  Debbie and I return to my room to find Michelle and Holly still sitting on the bed. Michelle looks up as we approach and raises an empty bottle.

  “We’ve only got enough
for one more glass,” she says. It's as if we’re on a deserted island and she’s holding up the last of our water supply.

  I look at my sister. She's staring straight ahead. Her face is pale and her lip is quivering. I place a hand on her slender shoulder and give it a reassuring squeeze.

  “It’s okay. I can get more from downstairs.”

  “It’s not that,” she says, in a strangled voice. Then she looks between us all with wide eyes. “It’s just hit me. I’m getting married and then I’m moving across the globe.”

  The gasps coming from the girls on the bed tell me this is the first they’re hearing of the big move. We settle down in a circle and Michelle passes the champagne to Debbie, who takes a swig straight from the bottle.

  “Where are you going?” Holly asks in a reverent tone.

  “Tokyo. I took a job.”

  Holly's hands fly to her open mouth in horror. “Tokyo! That’s like… China,” she says.

  “It’s in Japan, actually,” Michelle corrects her. Holly cocks her head to the side. “Right," she says. “As if that’s any better.”

  “This is the last time we’re all gonna be together...for a long time,” Debbie whispers, her eyes turning misty.

  The stark realization hits us in a wave of sadness.

  “Is that why you wanted Katia and Ryder to do their dare?” Michelle asks, rubbing her arm and looking down in thought. Debbie shrugs. “Yes... No. I don’t know.” She sighs and pulls her legs up to hug her knees. “I guess I needed the distraction too. Besides, I wanted to see them make up before I go.” She looks at me for the first time, tears welling in her eyes, and takes my hands. “I can’t believe I’m leaving,”

  “Ah.” Michelle looks up and starts nodding slowly. Everyone looks at her with surprise. “You didn’t want to tell anyone about Tokyo, because then you’d have to face the reality and say goodbye.”