Page 7 of A Kiss on a Dare
Gabrielle chuckles at that, his gaze flicking to mine with what almost looks like amusement. He picks up the shots with a small nod.
“I actually do,” he says, his voice warm, before effortlessly downing both in quick succession.
Ten seconds later, my phone buzzes, and this time, I can’t quite suppress the smug grin spreading across my face. I already know what’s waiting for me.
U SHOW OFF!!!
I bite back a laugh, throwing another quick look at Cat. She’s hastily typing something on her phone. Knowing her, the next dare is going to be ten times worse—there’s no way she’s letting me win without a fight.
Not that this game has actual winners or losers—but tonight? I’m definitely showing her who’s the boss.
“Oh, Cat’s still here,” Gabrielle says, catching my glance and turning to look at her. He nods in her direction, offering a small wave.
Shit.My stomach drops.Why did I have to ruin everything?We were having such a good time, and now it looks like I’ve ditched a friend for no reason. Of course, this means we’ll have to go join her.
That might not be the worst thing—if the dares stopped. But something tells me Cat won’t let up, not even with Gabrielle sitting a foot away.
“Should we go join her?” Gabrielle asks, as expected.
“Erm,” I stammer, trying to keep my reluctance in check. “Maybe. If you’d like.”
“Sure,” he nods, but before heading over, he loads his plate with more food. I grab two more shots from the table.
Gabrielle glances at the shots and raises an eyebrow, a playful smirk tugging at his lips. “Are you trying to get me drunk?”
I shrug, keeping my tone light. “You said you wanted to.”
In truth, I’m hoping that whatever embarrassment awaits me in the next half-hour will be easier to forget if Gabrielle has a little more alcohol in his system.
As we cross the room, I notice a few curious glances from doctors and nurses and catch Chief Kermit’s intrigued gaze. I can’t blame them—it’s probably the first time they’ve seen James Gabrielle this relaxed. It’s like witnessing the aurora borealis in real life: rare, mesmerizing, and completely unexpected.
We reach the small table in the corner, and as soon as Gabrielle sets his plate down, Cat springs up and wraps us both in a hug. Her movements are sloppy, and it’s immediately clear she’s much drunker than before. Her half-closed eyes and swaying stance confirm it.
The worried friend in me kicks in, and I already know that as much as I’d like to stay in Gabrielle’s company, I’ll probably need to make sure Cat gets home safely—or at least call her a cab. Cat has a pretty good drunk navigation system installed in her brain. No matter how tipsy she gets, she can always find her way home. But still, I wouldn’t want to let her go alone, even though she only lives a couple of blocks away.
“Hello, boys,” Cat says as she drops back into her chair. I can already imagine how horrified she’ll be tomorrow when I remind her that she not only hugged the intimidating Dr. Gaybrows but also called him aboy.“I saw you downing some shots over there.”
“I think Ray has a challenge to make me drunk,” Gabrielle says with a faint smile, throwing a quick glance my way.
I blush instantly because,God,he doesn’t know how close he is with that guess.
Cat, of course, laughs out loud. “He’s got a point,” she says, grinning. “Because you, sir, are a much better company when you’ve had ethanol loosen your prefrontal cortex a little bit.”
Gabrielle snorts at that, but he doesn’t seem the least bit offended. He picks up a meat pie from his plate and starts eating, his movements casual, even graceful.
Then I catch Cat’s subtle attempt at nodding toward my phone on the table. I get the hint, pick it up, and as soon as I see what’s written on the screen, my pulse quickens:
Fourth dare: tell him ur gay!!!!!!
Well,shit.
Chapter 3. The Kiss
My heart pounds against my ribs, the thought of coming out to Gabrielle equal parts terrifying and tempting. Tempting because some stubborn part of me refuses to accept the idea that Gabrielle isn’t gay.Why would he be so nice to me otherwise?(Yes, I know, I’m delusional. But drunk me—powered by seven gin and tonics—is the most irrational person to ever walk the Earth.)
My tipsy brain argues that if I tell Gabrielle I’m gay, I might actually gauge his reaction and figure out if he is, too. And if he isn’t, maybe I’ll get a sense of how he treats gay people in general.
But the risk? Oh, the risk. If I confess I’m gay and he isn’t, then this entire conversation might come across as me hitting on him. And while that wouldn’t be completely wrong, I really don’t want him thinking I’ve been scheming all night just to make a pass at him.
