Page 96 of Secrets and Lies
“Strike two,” I tell him in a low voice, purposely using the same tone I used in his bedroom earlier.
His eyes widen. “Strike two?” he asks, his voice breathy and soft as he stares at me like I have the answers to the meaning of life.
I nod. “Are we going to get to strike three?”
He visibly swallows, and it takes way more effort than it should to keep my eyes locked on his and not watch the muscles in his throat work.
“No,” he whispers.
“Good,” I say, adding a little purr to the word just because it’s fun.
Something flickers in his eyes, but it’s gone so quickly I can’t tell if it was recognition or surprise.
“So,” I say, switching back to my normal voice. “The project.”
It’s probably fucked up to mess with West when he’s like this, but it’s just too much fun not to. And he doesn’t seem all that pressed about it either since he looks like he’s a step away from begging for my dick.
“Right!” he says way too loudly. “Yeah, we really need to get on that. Maybe we can meet tomorrow?”
I shake my head. “I have a game tomorrow night.”
“Game?” He looks confused for a moment, then his eyes widen, like he just put two puzzle pieces together. “You’re on the house hockey team. Because of course you are. You literallywent to school for hockey.” He shakes his head. “I swear I’m not usually this stupid.”
“I’m making a separate rule about you putting yourself down and calling yourself names.” I take a half step closer so our toes are only about an inch apart, and our chests would probably touch if we both pulled in a deep breath. “And that was strike one.”
“What happens if I get to strike three?” he asks, echoing his earlier question.
“You’ll find out if you get there,” I tell him, echoing my own words. “How about the day after?”
He blinks a few times, obviously confused by the sudden change in conversation.
“To work on our project,” I clarify. “Since I have a game tomorrow. We can meet the next night.”
“But the next day is Friday. You don’t have plans?”
“Nope. Do you?”
He snort-laughs. “Depends if you consider me and my newly single ass getting fucked up and pretending the world outside of my room doesn’t exist plans or not.”
“So yay or nay for working on our project?” I ask, making sure to add a playful lilt to my voice so he knows I’m teasing.
“Yay,” he says quickly. “Definitely yay.”
“Okay, same time, same place on Friday then?”
He nods.
“Do your plans after you talk to your mother tonight include getting fucked up and pretending the world outside your room doesn’t exist?”
We’re still way closer than we need to be, but West doesn’t seem to be in any hurry to put some distance between us as he shoots me a wry grin. “Yup. Tonight is a goodbye logic and reason, hello bad decisions kind of night.”
“Is the bad part of your decision getting fucked up, or what happens after?”
“After. Getting blackout drunk is the fun part. The hangover the next day is the unfortunate price of being able to shut my brain off for a few hours.”
“Do you want something that won’t give you a hangover?”
He perks up. “Yeah? You have something?”
