Free Truth or Dare by Mira Lyn Kelly Page B

tonight?” And what his chances were of getting through to them, or when they’d be home.
    She raised a brow. Then switched to the other. “Movie.”
    And that would explain the radio silence after his text.
    “Oohh, ’n’ you got my purse, too,” she sighed, and he had to admit her lungs sounded about a thousand times better.
    He carried it over to her and she slung the short stiff strap over her shoulder, taking her keys in one hand as she reached out to—
holy hell!
    Ty’s hips shot back as Maggie’s fingers snared the front pocket of his jeans.
    “Hey, stand still,” she snapped. “I wanna get up.”
    And playing pocket soccer was her plan to do it? This was bad.
    Taking her wrist, Tyler gently but firmly extracted her hand from his pants and helped her back onto the couch. Looked her square in the swollen slits of her eyes and grimaced. “So Maggie, I’m thinking maybe we hang awhile. Talk.”
    A delighted smile. “Really?”
    No. “Sure.”
    She shuffled around on the couch, settling back in. “Okay, let’s play a game.”
    Great,
she was going to owe him for this. “What do you want to play? Poker? Gin?”
    Thank God her face was swollen the way it was, because the look in her eyes when she answered might have been a real problem otherwise. “Truth or dare.”
    Tyler leaned close, smiling his most patient smile. “Not a chance.”
    —
    Head foggy, tongue thick, Maggie came to beneath the gentle rubbing of a hand—big and warm—at her shoulder. Opening her eyes as far as they would go, all she could see was gray. Voices sounded in the distance, but it was the one at her ear—
    “Time to get up, Maggie.”
    —that had her snapping to attention.
    This couldn’t be—
    She hadn’t—
    Horrified, she planted a hand, struggling to sit up, then froze at the harsh grunt confirming her situation was every bit as bad as she suspected.
    She’d been sleeping with her head in Apartment Three’s lap. Her cheek pressed against his abdomen, her arm tucked up against the side of his chest.
    “Tyler?” she asked in a whisper, afraid to meet his eyes.
    “Hey, you okay?” he asked, brushing the hair from her face with a gentle stroke.
    She took a bracing breath, relieved when the air moved through her lungs without resistance. “I can’t believe I fell asleep on you!”
    “Took me by surprise, too,” he said with a gruff laugh she could feel rumbling from deep in his chest, right through her own. “Especially considering you were mid-sentence when you knocked out.”
    Looking up at him, their eyes met, and she saw something in Tyler’s expression she didn’t know how to read. Something tender, which made her feel shy. Nervous.
    Aware. Of him. Of her. Of them together on his couch. Of the press of their bodies and the comforting weight of his arm resting over her hip.
    Of how good it felt being this close to him. How for the first time in too long to think about, she maybe wanted to get closer.
    “I should get up. Get off you, at least.”
    The corner of his mouth twitched, but neither of them moved. And then slowly, his brows drew forward, darkening the eyes still holding with hers. “Maggie?”
    Her hand inched higher over his chest and, God, his body was amazing. The muscles beneath her palm, firm. Defined.
    “Your friends are here.”
    She froze, her hazy thoughts sharpening fast.
    “I left the door unlocked for them and—”
    “Hives, huh?”
    Maggie jumped at the sound of Sam’s voice, then twisted around to see her friends piled up at Tyler’s front door, their expressions guaranteeing she’d be hearing about this for weeks.
    Perfect.
    Slinging an arm around Ava’s shoulders, Sam grinned. “Looks like Apartment Three scratched Maggie’s itch for her after all.”

Chapter Nine

Unenthused about the prospect of the day ahead, Maggie lay in bed, willing the sleep that had abandoned her to return. She didn’t want to get up because as far as she was concerned, there was only one