Page 53 of Rope Me In

“Deal.” I’m happy to let her go first.

Presley fills both of our whiskey glasses, giving me another opportunity to drag my gaze over her alcohol-flushed skin. When she’s satisfied with her pours, she puts the bottle down and stretches her legs out in front of her.

“Never have I ever—”

I tut. “I didn’t tell you the rules yet.”

Her mouth drops open. “I know the rules. If you’ve done it, you drink. If you haven’t, you don’t drink. Now let me ask you, Montgomery.”

I snort. This woman. I love that I’m getting to see her personality, and I’m pretty sure I’m the only one who’s seen it so far. I like how playful and snarky she is. I also like how she said my last name. I want her to say it again.

“Alright, ask away.”

“Never have I ever made out in the back of a storage room.”

“Dang, girl. That was a cheap shot.”

She smiles proudly with her shoulders back and a bit of straight white teeth showing through her pink lips. It’s a look I’ve yet to see from her, and it makes my heart beat faster in my chest. It’s even closer to a true smile, which has me wanting to try harder to make that happen, to see her smile with her entire being until happiness shines through every part of her like bursts of sunrays through the clouds. I know it will be beautiful.

With that goal in mind, I take a shot of whiskey then continue to play.

“Never have I ever moved somewhere new.”

Her mouth drops open. “And you calledminea cheap shot?”

“What goes around comes around, Presley.” She bites her lower lip, but her eyes remain playful as she downs another shot, coughing and sputtering once it slides down her throat.

“Easy there, don’t choke.” I lean forward to pat her back.

I don’t know if it’s the alcohol that’s made her more comfortable, but she doesn’t shy away from my touch. I clap her back a few more times before pulling away. Her cheeks are red from a combo of coughing, alcohol, and, I’m guessing, embarrassment.

I hand her a water, and she takes a sip before sitting back with a long exhale.

“You need a break?” I ask.

She shakes her head. “Nope.” Then she taps her chin, a tiny smile on her lips as she eyes me. “Never have I ever ridden a horse.”

I almost tease her for choosing another easy one, but then curiosity fills me. “Wait, you’ve never ridden a horse?”

She shakes her head. “Riding kind of scares me.”

“You realize you took a job as a ranch hand, right?”

“Yes, Kade. I don’t necessarily have to ride a horse to do that.”

My chest shakes with laughter. “We’ll have to change that.”

“I’ll stay on the ground, thanks.”

“We’ll see.”

“Take your shot.”

I do as she says, realizing that maybe this was a dumb game. We need to slow down so we don’t get blackout drunk. But I want to play one more round.

Without pausing, I say, “Never have I ever played in a band.”

Her breath hitches, and her eyes turn to the ground. Fuck, maybe I shouldn’t have gone that far—I let my curiosity get the best of me. But then Presley exhales, her hand moving to pour another shot before she swallows it down.