Page 39 of Once Smitten, Twice Shy

“Hamza!” Juliet smiles. “Toni! You made it!”

“Game time!” Bea hollers.

Everyone starts to disperse, but I let myself hang back for the moment. This is a new part of the evening whose choreography I don’t know. I bring Margo’s custom drink to my lips and take a sip just as a soft hand settles low on my back. I startle so badly, I nearly slop half my drink out of the glass. I catch it at the last minute, righting the glass in my hand as its waves settle.

“Sorry!” Juliet whispers.

I peer down at her, my heart hammering. “That’s okay.”

She slips her hand from my back and slides it into her shorts pocket. “How’s the drink?”

Wordlessly, I offer it to her. “Damn delicious.”

Wrapping her hand around my fingers as she cups the glass, Juliet brings it to her mouth. Her bottom lip brushes my thumb as she sips, and heat bolts down my body, tight in my groin.

She darts her tongue out and wets her lip, smiling up at me. “That’s phenomenal.” Juliet tips the glass toward her mouth again and steals another sip. “Game time’s going to start now, and it can get rowdy in here. If you need a little peace and quiet, there’s—”

“The balcony off the office,” I tell her. “Jamie mentioned it. Gave me the introvert’s guide to surviving game night.”

She smiles. “Of course he did.”

I nod, my gaze fixed on her. God, I’ve got it bad. I keep watching her walk around, that sweater slipping off her shoulder, the tight fit of her little shorts on her round ass. I want her, and I can’t have her. Not now. Not ever. I need to get that through my head.

“JuJu!” Bea calls. “Which game first? Guess Who or Chronology?”

“Chronology!” she yells back. Her smile fades as her gaze travels my face. “You doing okay?”

I tip back my drink instead of answering her and take a deep swig. I promised not to lie to her, and I won’t now. “Let’s do this.”

—

Since game time started, I’ve met Toni, Juliet’s friend through Bea, and Toni’s husband, Hamza, plus two late arrivals, Bianca, Juliet’s cousin, and her boyfriend, Nick, a friend of Petruchio’s from work.

But I’m not focused on any of these people right now, even though they’re all settling in around the table, tucked in close. All I see is Juliet.

“Excuse me, excuse me.” She squeezes between Kate and Hamza, easing onto her seat, a fresh drink in hand. “I’ve got this guy’s butt to kick.”

“Juliet.” I shake my head, my expression pitying. “You are in for a devastating loss. Do you know how many games of Guess Who I’ve played since becoming an uncle? I’m an expert.”

“Last time I checked, I beat half these people at the same game to get myself to this championship round,” she says. “AndI just so happen to be undefeated at Guess Who myself, so I suppose we’ll see who the true expert is, won’t we, Orsino?”

I drain my glass and set it on the table. “Bring it on, Wilmot. Bring it on.”

Everyone gathers in close at the table like we’re the last two players in a high-stakes poker match, a breath away from ruin or riches. The game starts simply enough. I’m relaxed as we ask our first few questions.

Juliet stares at her Guess Who board, frowning. “Does your person…have brown eyes?”

I don’t glance at my board as I tell her, “No.”

A groan of unease from those behind her. Juliet gives them a scathing look.

“Does your person,” I ask, “show their teeth with their smile?”

Juliet sighs. “Yes.”

I flip down half my doors, covering faces that don’t apply.

“Goddamn,” Toni whispers. “You’re good.”

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