Page 154 of Ethan: The Untouchable CEO

When his eyes land on Sierra, Nick groans loudly, making all of us chuckle. Chase moves on, his gaze sliding past them until it stops on Thalia.

Curious, I watch her closely to see how she reacts. Her eyes widen, heat sweeping across her face. She looks like she wants to say something but has absolutely no idea what.

My attention sharpens instantly, every small detail locking into place—the way her fingers curl lightly against her arm, the hesitation in her breathing.

Everyone stares at her for a moment. Then Chase glances at me briefly, shaking his head, and mutters, “Fuck it.”

He drops the card, leans forward, grabs a shot glass, and throws it back in one go. He does the same with the next two, swallowing them immediately.

Thalia relaxes, relief softening her features, her shoulders loosening like she’s been holding tension there the entire time.

Now it’s my turn, so I draw the next card.

“Have you ever been caught while having sex or masturbating?” I read, then set the card aside.

As the words leave my mouth, I realize exactly how that lands.

My gaze lifts from the stack of cards—and lands straight on Thalia. She’s already looking at me, her expression serious, one eyebrow raised.

The room falls completely silent, everyone looking from me to her, back and forth.

I hold her gaze without blinking, without giving anything away, even as tension coils low in my chest—annoying, unwelcome.

Still holding her gaze, I reach for a shot glass and down it. No explanation.

I set the glass back down with more force than necessary, the sound cutting clean through the silence, then lean back, my attention shifting away like none of it mattered in the first place.

Like she didn’t.

I wait for Colt to choose his card.

I don’t know what other bullshit this game still has in store, but I’m already done with it.

One hour later, our parents come downstairs from checking on Serena, and we’ve already stopped playing the game.

“So how are we sleeping?” Liam asks. “Who’s coming home with us?”

“There are eight rooms ready here,” my mom says.

“And we have four at our house,” Maya adds. “The top floor is under renovation, as you know.”

“Okay,” Noah answers. “So Nick and Sierra get a room here, and Chris, Kai, Ryan, Ethan, and I each take our own rooms.” He counts the rooms, then continues, “That leaves two free.”

“Liam and I are sleeping in our rooms at home,” Zayn says. “Aiden and Chase, you two can come with us.”

“Then Theo and I are staying here,” Colt adds.

“Great,” my dad replies.

“Uh…” someone says tentatively from behind us. A woman.

A woman I know too fucking well.

My attention moves to her instantly, before I even register the movement. Folding my arms across my chest, I watch her with focused intent.

Because I already know where this is going.

“I can sleep here in the living room,” she says, clearly realizing there are no free rooms left.