Free Wet (The Water's Edge #1) by Stacy Kestwick Page B

behind Grady into the kitchen, we found Rue flirting outrageously with a Latin-looking guy, giggling and rubbing his arm. “Sadie!” she yelped. “Come meet Hendrix.”
    I said hi, and Hendrix took my hand, raising it to his lips for a kiss before turning back to Rue and wrapping his arm around her shoulders, dragging her to his side.
    Rue giggled again and melted against him while Theo and I stood there in awkward silence and fixed ourselves a drink. Hendrix had pulled Rue against him and was whispering in her ear. She put a hand against his chest, her eyes closed and biting her lip, and nodded to whatever it was he was suggesting.
    I squinted at Theo, silently begging him to save us. I did not want to stand here and watch this. Theo tipped his head toward the deck, and I turned, letting him lead the way. We leaned against the steel cables encircling the deck and looked out at the night sky. Now I saw what Grady meant. The view was breathtaking. The stars covered the sky like sprinkles on a cupcake, and below us the waves crashed into the seawall, the sound a soothing soundtrack to the evening. A small pathway to the left led to a dock that stretched out over the water, ending with a tin roof canopy. A few tiki torches lined the path and the end of the dock, and to the right, a bonfire was burning, circled by stone benches where a few couples were snuggled up roasting marshmallows.
    An ear-splitting shriek from behind me jolted me upright, and I turned in the direction of the sound. Rue approached, pulling Hendrix out onto the deck with us. “I know!” she cried. “Let’s go play dirty truth or dare on the dock. Like old times.” She started dragging Hendrix down the steps and turned to pin me and Theo with a wide-eyed look. “You two better be getting your asses down there.”
    Theo gave a helpless shrug, and we fell in line behind her. She collected people as she went, herding Grady, Marissa, Boone, Wyatt, Trevor, Dylan, and a small group of girls I didn’t recognize along the path. We ended up sitting in a loose circle on the dock, and Wyatt and Trevor set down a couple of bottles of liquor in the center. I was sandwiched between Boone and Theo, my knees pressed against theirs. A salty breeze blowing inland whipped my hair in every direction, so I tipped my head back and gathered it into my signature messy bun with the royal blue hair tie from my wrist. When I sat back up, I saw West had slipped into the circle and was sitting directly across from me.
    My heart thudded an extra beat, its steady rhythm faltering.
    Where had he come from? Not that I had been looking for him earlier.
    West looked like he’d taken the time to go home for a quick shower. His hair was damp around the edges, and he was wearing an old faded concert t-shirt that was snug around his shoulders. His shirt looked soft, and I had the urge to run my hand over his chest just to feel the contradiction of worn cotton over solid muscle. He caught my eye and flashed a grin. I quickly looked away, flustered to be caught staring. His ego did not need encouragement.
    “All right!” Rue clapped her hands and commanded everyone’s attention. “For those of you who haven’t played dirty truth or dare with us before, here are the rules. One person asks the group a question. If you refuse to answer it, you get to pick your dare. You take a shot, lose a piece of clothing, or kiss somebody. The person who asked the question gets to decide which piece of clothing you lose or who you kiss, if you pick that dare. And most importantly, you cannot, under any circumstances, pick the same dare twice in a row. Although…” She paused to look around the circle and let out a drunken giggle. “I’m not sure kissing someone from this group counts as a hardship.” She leaned against Hendrix. “Questions will move around the circle to the right.” She pointed left but didn’t seem to notice the contradiction. “You don’t have to answer your own question.