Page 56 of Off Plan

You know that expression “his heart was in his throat”?I thought I’d experienced it before, in times when my throat went thick with fear or anxiety. But when Fenn said those words, I could literally feel my heart beating in my throat—and my head, and my stomach, and the bottoms of my feet. Everytha-thumpset off a Catherine wheel in my gut, which was exactly as thrilling and terrifying as it sounded.

He looked at the water for a minute, and when he turned back to me with a devilish look on his face, I couldn’t come up with a single smart-ass remark.

“I dare you to take a picture or video of yourself doing something fun and a little crazy, then post it online to your Instagram.”

“Like—” My voice cracked and I had to try again. “Like what? I can recite the alphabet backwards.”

Fenn gave me a withering look. “This isn’t a field sobriety test, Loafers. I saidcrazy. Something your high school self would be impressed by.”

I spread my hands and tried to ignore the relentlessattractionI felt pulling me toward him. “Sorry. I’ve got nothin’. I have actively repressed High School Mason. He has left the building. Besides, the whole point of this is foryouto give me the specific thing I’m supposed to do, within the hard limits I’ve set.Duh.”

“Unless the dare is to make you challengeyourselfand push yourownboundaries.” He bopped me on the nose. “Duh.”

I clapped a hand to my face. “I’ll have you know, taking this job was daring. Look how that turned out.”

Fenn smiled crookedly. “But what are your chances of rolling snake eyes twice?”

“At this rate?” I shrugged. “High.”

“Do a dramatic recitation. Or do some yoga. Hashtag-marine-life!” he teased. “Hashtag-Loafers-in-the sand!”

“God no.” I shook my head, imagining myself in downward dog. “My high school friends follow me on Instagram. My former colleagues. Dr. Capon. Mysister. I want them to respect me, Fenn, not be forced to bleach their eyes.”

“See,thisis a great dare. Becauseyouknow whatyoufind daring, so you have to makeyourselfuncomfortable. If I had a mustache, I would twirl it.”

“If you had a mustache, I would shave it for my dare.”

“Sure you would.” He grinned, as wild as the breeze off the water. “Don’t overthink it. That’s the dare.”

I swallowed. That was the dare, huh? What would I do if I didn’t let myself think about it too much?

I dug my phone out of my pocket, sat up straight on the blanket next to Fenn. I turned the camera on, angled my face toward the pink light on the horizon.

My heart was still beating crazily, but indecision sat like lead in my stomach. Could I actually…?

It was crazy. Foolish. I was drunk off my ass… or I had been, until my adrenaline had started spiking, burning through the haze.

Mason Bloom Takes Charge of His One Goddamn Life and Lives Fearlessly,I reminded myself, when once again my stomach threatened to revolt.

What did I want to do? I wanted to kiss Fenn Reardon.

There. I’d captured the nebulous feelings that had been buzzing in my brain and translated them to actual words, forming an actual sentence.

I wanted to know why Fenn Reardon, who started out as everything I despised, had somehow caught my attentionand held it. I wanted to know why this guy who gave me shit and had no plans for the future made me feel steadier than the sand beneath me. I desperately wanted to know whyhisface had been the one I’d been thinking of when I came the other night.

So I leaned over, pressed my lips to the stubble on Fenn’s jaw, and clicked the shutter button.

Chapter Nine

Fenn

One minute,I was sitting there, ass on the blanket and hands back in the sand, enjoying the moment—listening to the sound of the water, watching the line of pink cruising along the horizon, wondering if Loafers would surprise me and take the dare. The next thing I knew, his breath was hot on my cheek, his mouth was touching my skin, and the scent of him was all around me, just the two of us in this weird cocoon.

Danger, danger, danger.

I pulled away partly because I so badly wanted not to pull away at all.

“Thatwas the wildest thing you could think of?” I demanded. My voice sounded all croaky.