Page 81 of Danger

He reads it twice, then looks at me.

“So, which rule do we break?” I ask, holding back a laugh. It’s almost like Honey wrote this just for me.

No feelings.

No fucking.

Both his rules.

Maybe fate is on my side tonight, because I’ll certainly take either.

“Guess you’ll have to pick one,” I say.

He sits next to me on the bed. Not touching, but closer than before.

“Out of all the damn dares, how did we end up with this one?”

He’s still rereading the paper like the words might change, so I ask him what I’m thinking. “If we weren’t fake dating, would you have picked me tonight?”

It’s like he doesn’t even think about it. “Yes.”

He pulls off his hat and drags a hand through his hair before settling it back on his head. “Would you have picked Finn? Or that Turtle guy?”

The way he’s looking at me, it’s almost like if I answer wrong, everything will collapse.

But I’ve never been good at lying.

I let out a quiet laugh. “Danger.”

“Answer the question.”

“I don’t want Finn or anyone else.”

He studies me.

“I never did.”

“Then why?—”

“Because of your stupid rules, I’m not allowed to want what I actually want.”

His voice comes out rough.

“So then you actually want…”

I look at his mouth, at the scar on his jaw, at his rough hands. Every imperfect thing about him almost draws me in more.

“You, idiot.”

I am officially crushing on this man. More than crushing. And now he knows it.

I know, without a doubt, that I want him.

Not for the game, not because of the dare, not even for the audience we left behind.

Because I want him.

Somewhere below us, on the street, a car alarm chirps. The world keeps going. But up here, in this secret, glowing hidden magical treehouse of his, it’s only us.