Page 45 of On Circus Lane

I nod, trying for seriousness but feeling heat warm me like hot chocolate on a cold day. “I’m just surprised.”

“Why?” He steps closer so I can feel his breath on my face, and I shudder before rallying.

“I’m surprised that I didn’t throw myself off the wall to escape the tedium of your stories.”

His eyes are full of laughter and heat. It’s an extremely sexy combination. “Well, it appears I lost the bet,” he says mournfully.

“Yes.” I stop to clear my throat. “Yes, it seems you did.”

He takes a quick look around us, but we’re tucked in the corner, and nobody is paying any attention to us. “One thing you should know about me is that Ialwayspay my debts,” he whispers, and then his lips are on mine.

They’re full and as soft as they look, and I catch peppermint on his breath before he slides his tongue over my lower lip and sucks on it, and I open my mouth with a gasp, letting his tongue tangle with mine.

Heat sears through me like a flame, and I let out a breathy sigh that echoes in his soft moan. His big hands come up, clutching my head and directing it to the angle he wants. Then he comes away and looks down at me. His eyes are glazed and full of pleased satisfaction.

“Iknewit,” he says triumphantly.

“Knew what?” I whisper. Instead of answering, he kisses me again. This time, it’s a hard, closed-mouth kiss. Then he steps back and nods.

“I just knew it,” he says cryptically.

Instead of questioning him, I nod, my usually razor-sharp mind clouded for the first time in my life. “Hmm.” It’s not the most intelligent thing I’ve ever said.

Chapter Six

TOM

“I’m quite sure this isn’t how Gutterheads is meant to be played,” Steven says sniffily as Freddy crouches over Theo’s face and erratically wriggles his hips.

“Is it constipation?” guesses Georgina.

Freddy groans and shakes his head. I’m pretty sure he’s miming teabagging, but he’s not on my team, so I’m not helping the fool.

I look over at my own team. Bee and Ivy are giggling helplessly, in part due to the many empty bottles on the tables. Bee’s appearance inspires lust and affection—his cheeks are flushed, his hair wild, and his laughter even wilder.

Steven brandishes the game's instructions at Sal. “It says here that we’re supposed to use the board.”

Sal waves a casual hand. “It was too much trouble, so we’re just using the cards and dice.”

I’m surprised Steven’s interested because he’s spent most of the evening on his phone, only breaking from that to occasionally admire his reflection in the mirror on the wall.

Nevertheless, he persists. “Aren’t we supposed to be drawing something?”

“Nah. This is much more fun.”

“Ooh, I know it,” Georgina shouts. “Iknowit.”

Silence falls, and Theo stirs under Freddy. “Maybe you could tell us then, love.”

“It’s erectile dysfunction,” Georgina crows.

“It isnot,” Freddy says crossly. “There’s nothing dysfunctional about my erections.”

The girls from next door break into loud laughter and catcalls, and I grin at them. They’re good company and have fitted in nicely, even though Steven is treating them like they’ve brought the plague with them rather than three bottles of Baileys.

“Any guesses?” Theo says. “I’d quite like my face back in one piece.”

“You don’t complain when I sit on it,” Georgina says, refilling her glass.

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