Page 29

Chapter 29

Sea Chanty

Haley

I watch as the bottle inches to a stop in slow motion. It might stop at Zane. Zane would be a good way to start. He’ll take it easy on me. But then it passes him and slows more at Dante. Dante would be good—funny. We’d have a laugh. But no... no, no. It has to go and stop on Sam. Right. I was almost starting to have the smallest, tiniest inkling at dinner that maybe this could feel normal, and then Calvin slid his fingers into my underwear.

The bottle wobbles and stops.

Sam’s lips clamp together, but he’s got a smile going. There’s no way in the stratosphere that he’d choose to play modified spin the bottle on his own. But he’s here. He said he wanted something with me, and he hasn’t flinched in his chair—at least not yet.

“Sam,” I say, hoping my voice doesn’t crack.

“Haley.” His voice drops low.

“Truth or dare?”

“What’s the truth?” He leans forward in his chair.

“Wait, wait, hold on now. He gets to ask what the question is before he picks?” Zane cocks his head at me.

“Um. Right, that’s not the normal rules.” I turn to Calvin.

“Makes it more interesting. Give him a question.” Calvin sits on the floor with crossed legs, leaning against the sofa.

I nod, and a thousand things go through my head. What’s the sexiest text message you’ve ever sent? What’s the most embarrassing thing you’ve ever done? What’s your biggest regret? What’s your favorite part of your body? And finally, why do you like me enough to go through with this? But I don’t say any of that, no... I blurt out, “What’s your favorite color?”

Sam laughs. “Payne’s gray. It’s almost blue.” Sam winks at me. “Okay, Haley, spin again. I think I like this game.” He takes a sip of wine from his glass—his glass that’s full again. Easton’s shaking his head.

“Haley, Little Bird, come here...” I walk over to Zane. “Bend down.” I do. “That’s not a truth or dare question. It’s your birthday, so we’ll let this one slide.” He laughs.

“Got it.” I nod, picking up the bottle. “Ready?”

“Spin it, Sassy.” Dante’s voice echoes around the salon. I give it a good spin, and this time, it lands on Zane.

I put my hands on my hips and cock my head. “Ready, Zane?”

“Do your worst, Little Bird.” Zane smiles. He’s relaxed for the first time since he finished the treehouse platform.

Easton winks at me, and I’m nervous. I can do it. No more easy questions. “Right. One question, two parts.” There are some groans from the guys. I shake my head. “Tell me about how you lost your virginity and how long you lasted.”

Zane roars with laughter and slaps his leg. Then he goes completely quiet, turns to Sam, and with a straight face says, “I’ll take the dare.”

Sam scrubs his hand over his chin. “Okay, give Haley a lap dance?—”

Zane jumps to his feet and almost knocks me over as he races by Sam to get a dining room chair. “Easy.”

“Wait, I wasn’t done.” Sam grins.

Zane puts the chair next to me. “All right then, what’s the rest, mate?”

“Zane, you have to sing Old Macdonald—and make it sexy.” Sam raises his eyebrows at me.

“There you go, Cap, there you go.” Easton rolls to his side in laughter. “That’s the spirit.”

“You think this is funny, Rockwell?” Zane asks.

“Yeah, yeah, I do.”

“Fine, I’ll need music. You sing,” Zane says.

Easton shakes his head at Zane. “It’s not my dare.”

Zane glares at Easton and flips his attention back to me. “Have a seat, love. You ready to have your socks and your knickers knocked off?”

I know I’m blushing. I can hardly look at him. He wiggles his eyebrows at me, and I can’t help but giggle. “You don’t have to.” It comes out breathless.

“Oh, Little Bird, but I want to. I can do this, and it’s going to be fabulous.”

Easton groans. “Fine.” And he jumps up. “I’ve got you.” He rushes to the side of the main salon, next to the cigar humidor. Pillows fly from where they’ve been piled up on the piano. A yank and the heavy cover slides to the floor. The brass anchors shine in the waning light, the only thing that kept the piano from sliding when the Rock Candy listed so hard. Easton runs his finger down the keys in a glissando. I don’t play, but it’s not hard to tell it’s completely out of tune. “Ready.”

The first chords almost distract me from the fact that Zane’s stripped off his shirt. He slides his hand from the nape of his neck down to his abs. And I have to lean back. I’m giggling.

“I think Sassy likes it. Keep going.” Dante claps on the beat, and the other guys join in.

“Old Mac had a farm.” Zane puts his foot on the chair in between my legs and thrusts his hips. Slowly, out of sync with the piano, he sings, “E, I, E, I, O... O.”

“That’s not how it goes,” Sam says.

I turn my head to him, and when I do, Zane leans in and places the bulge in his pants against my cheek.

“Horse.” Zane neighs. “With a neigh-neigh here.” He thrusts his hips and then flips around, grinding his—he would say “bum”—in my face. “Neigh-neigh there.” He thuds to the ground on all fours, pushing his nose into my crotch. “Everywhere a neigh-neigh.” It’s muffled by my legs. I run my fingers through his hair. His nose rubs up and down the seam of my shorts. Then he’s gone, standing. “Old Mac had a farm. E, I, E, I, Ooooo.” And then he licks down the side of my neck. I shiver. I’m undecided if I’m grossed out by the lick or turned on.

Easton does a little trill on the upper keys that sounds like glass breaking.

Zane throws his hands in the air. “You can’t out-dare me.” He points at each of the guys. Zane gives Easton a slap on his back. “That piano should be shot and put out of its misery.”

“Agreed.” Easton slides back to his spot. And I’m left in the middle wondering if I’m going to survive the night.

“Okay, Chiefie, spin again.” Calvin waves at the bottle.

I slowly stand up. “Thank you, Zane. I think?”

He winks at me, and I move the chair out of the way. I pick the bottle up from where I kicked it when Zane startled me. I clutch it to my chest.

“Spin the bottle, Haley.” Sam’s warm voice coats me with comfort.

“Okay.” My lips turn up in a smile. This is supposed to be fun. I can make this fun. I give the bottle a good turn. I haven’t had that much wine, but watching it makes me dizzy with happiness. I’m kind of both hoping for it to land on Sam and for it not to land on him. But it slows and lands on Calvin.

“Dare.” He nods and kills another bottle of beer.

“You don’t want to know what the truth is?” I cock my head at him.

“No, Chiefie. You can ask me anything you want in front of these clowns or in private any time you want. Dare.” He nods. His eyes tell me something different, though—his eyes tell me he wants to get his hands on me. And I’m hoping for the same thing. “Do your best, Morris.”

Zane laughs. “Right, then.” Zane paces around the circle, like he’s about to go into a round of duck, duck, goose. Heads turn and follow him.

Easton laughs. “Come on, Zane.”

“Right, it has to be balanced, fun for all but Green.”

“That is the general idea.” Dante grabs one of the cushions that was swept to the floor from the top of the piano and leans back on it. He looks like a Greek God.

“Maybe you should have taken the truth.” Sam’s laughing, his wineglass to his lips.

“You have to take Haley’s shirt off,” Zane says.

Calvin laughs. “Are you sure you know how this works?”

“Wasn’t done. With your teeth. And if you touch her with anything but your teeth, you have to strip and stand with your hands in the air until the bottle lands on you again.” Zane laughs. “And no help from you, Little Bird.” He points at me.

I nod. “Okay.”

Calvin’s green eyes flash at me. “You ready, Chiefie?”

“Sure.” I smile. “Do you want me to put my hands in the air?”

“Yes, please.”

I lean into him. His eyes are so compelling. “Stand still, Chiefie.”

“Did you set a time limit, Zane? For fuck’s sake, Green, hurry up,” Sam growls. All heads turn to him.

“I can understand your impatience, Sam. They are some superb tits.” Dante flips over to his other side, his fists on his head.

Calvin kneels and bites down on the hem of my shirt. He stands up with such force that my shirt is now around my eyes on one side. I can’t see much, just a bit of light through the right armhole. I put on a thin pink lace bra today, one I’ve been dying to take off. It’s not made for this kind of weather. But then, somehow I’m thinking I won’t have to worry about that for much longer. “Do you want me to?—”

His hair tickles my side. But that doesn’t count as touching, right? I’m not telling on him. Although, I do like looking at Calvin naked. He’s like a sculpture carved from marble. An oversized one.

There’s a tug on the folded bottom of my shirt, and he pulls it almost over my head, not quite letting me see. “Sit down, Chiefie. The chair’s behind you.”

I sink onto it.

“Put your arms up but bent.” His breath warms my wrist. And then he tugs it overhead and down the other side. I blink at the darkening room. The shirt hangs from the other arm. I’m expecting Calvin to bend down and tug it off, but he doesn’t. He grabs the back of my neck and pulls me to him, taking me in a deep kiss. When his lips leave mine, I’m panting and I lean forward, following him.

“ Fuck , Green, now we have to stare at your junk,” Easton groans.

“Worth it. I got to kiss our girl.” He’s stripping his clothes off. Shirt, pants, underwear are all gone. His hard cock points at me. He rests his hand on a beam on the ceiling, elongating his muscles. I’ve lost the ability to speak. “Look at her—she can’t take her fucking eyes off me.”

“You could have added that he couldn’t talk.” Dante lifts his head. “Why the hell did you decide to stand right next to me?”

“It’s my spot.”

“Who are you? Sheldon from the Big Bang Theory ?”

“Yeah.” Calvin wiggles his eyebrows at me. “Spin the bottle, Chiefie. I’ve got ideas.”