Before I could drag my boots in protest, Knox had already steered me into the center of the crowd. A wide circle of students was forming on the damp grass, packing onto wooden benches, logs, and overturned coolers near the heat of the bonfire.
"Make room for the captain!" Milo waved his red cup and slid down the length of a logs-bench to clear a spot.
Knox sat, stretching out his long legs toward the flames, and pulling me down beside him.
The space was tight; my thigh was pressed flush against his from knee to hip, and even through the denim of my jeans, the heat of him was impossible to ignore.
"Alright, the rules are simple," Milo announced, standing on a log with the manic energy of a game show host. "You pass the empty bottle. Whoever it points to chooses truth or dare. You refuse, you chug Bear’s mystery mix."
He gestured to a large plastic jug filled with a terrifying, swamp-green liquid.
Bear, sitting on a cooler across from us, gave a proud nod. "It has three types of citrus and something that might be hot sauce. Good luck."
"Let’s go, let’s go!" Jake chanted, rubbing his hands together.
Milo spun the bottle on a flat piece of wood in the center of the circle. It whirled, catching the orange light of the fire before stopping and pointing directly at Jake.
"Dare!" Jake shouted immediately, not even waiting for the question. "Give me your worst, Milo."
Milo’s eyes lit up with glee. "I dare you to give Theo a thirty-second lap dance. Music of your choice."
The circle erupted in laughter.
Jake didn’t even flinch; he jumped up, shaking his hips as he swaggered over to Theo, who was sitting stone-faced on a cooler. Jake began to drop into a mock-sensual squat, running his hands through his messy blonde hair while making ridiculous eye contact.
"If you touch me, Jake," Theo said in a perfectly level voice as he raised his cup, "I will make sure your skates are filled with ice shaving before tomorrow’s practice."
Jake paused, then did a dramatic, hands-off wiggle just inches from Theo’s face while counting to thirty out loud.
The crowd was crying with laughter, Milo banging his cup against his knee. When the time was up, Jake bowed, and Theo simply took a slow sip of his drink, completely unbothered.
The bottle spun again. This time, it slowed to a stop, pointing directly at Knox. A hush fell over the circle, followed by a chorus of low whistles.
"Well, well," Milo grinned, leaning forward. "Captain. What’s it going to be?"
Knox leaned back, resting his arm on the log behind me. His fingers didn’t touch me, but I could feel his warmth, framing me. "Dare," he said in a cool and completely confident voice.
Milo’s grin turned wicked.
He looked at Knox, then slowly slid his gaze to me. "I dare you to kiss your girlfriend. Right here. Right now. On the mouth, Sheridan. Show us some of that passion that got your nose broken."
"KISS! KISS! KISS!" the surrounding students started chanting, and the hockey team quickly joined in.
My heart did a sudden flip in my chest. I froze, my hands clenching into fists on my lap.
I turned my head to look at Knox, my lips parting to whisper a protest... to tell him we needed to dodge this. But the words died in my throat.
Knox was already looking down at me.
His dark eyes were reflecting the dancing orange flames of the bonfire; their usual teasing light was gone, replaced by a serious look. He didn’t look amused at all.
He reached out, his large hand coming up to gently cup the side of my face. His warm, slightly calloused thumb brushed against my cheekbone.
The simple touch sent a jolt of static electricity straight down my spine. He leaned in, his face drawing closer until his features blurred, blotting out the rest of the bonfire and the screaming crowd.
My immediate instinct was to pull away, to break the hold of his fingers and slide off the bench before he could get any closer.
But as my muscles tensed to retreat, the words of the contract flashed in my head.
Rule number two: Be convincing.
If I backed down now, the lie crumbled. And if the lie crumbled, that was a breach of contract.
So I stayed. I held my breath, my eyes wide, and froze as his scent... ice, cedar, and fresh laundry suffocated my senses.
He tilted his head slightly, his dark eyes dropping to my lips.
But instead of pressing his mouth to mine, Knox shifted at the very last second.
His dry, warm lips brushed firmly against the corner of my mouth, lingering there for a long, agonizing beat.
To the crowd, it looked like a deep, passionate kiss. To me, it was a searing brush of heat that made my fingers curl into the wool of his varsity jacket.
Knox pulled back slowly, his thumb tracing a final, slow line along my jaw before his hand dropped.
"Told you," he murmured in a voice only I could hear. "Relax, Bookworm. It’s just a game."
"Yeah," I whispered, my voice sounding breathy and distant to my own ears. "A game."
The crowd cheered and whistled, and Jake threw a crumpled napkin at Knox’s head. I quickly looked down at my hands. My face was burning so hot I was sure I looked like a glowing ember from the fire.
Milo spun the bottle again, and this time, the green glass whirled and pointed its plastic cap straight at me.
"Truth or dare, Nora?" Milo asked with sparkling eyes.
"Truth," I said immediately. There was no way I was letting this chaotic group dictate my physical actions again.
Milo leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "Alright. Is it true you threw that puck at Knox’s face on purpose? The video made it look like a target lock."
The circle fell silent, and even the students around us leaned in to hear my answer. Knox shifted beside me, his body tensing as he waited for my reply.
I took a slow sip of my ginger ale, letting the carbonation burn my throat for a second, before meeting Milo’s gaze with 100% composure.
"On purpose?" I asked flatly. "No. I was aiming for his ego. His face just happened to be in the way."
For a second, there was silence.
Then, the entire circle erupted.
Milo fell backward off his log, howling with laughter, while Jake started clapping frantically. Even Theo cracked a rare, genuine smile.
Beside me, Knox let out a low, dry chuckle, shaking his head. "Remind me never to stand in your way again, Bennett."
"I’ve been trying to tell you that since yesterday, Sheridan," I muttered, but I couldn’t stop the tiny, reluctant smile from tugging at the corner of my mouth.
"Alright, last round before we get more drinks!" Milo yelled, recovering his spot on the log. He spun the bottle, and this time, it landed on a junior defenseman who immediately dared Nora and Knox again: "Nora has to sit on Knox’s lap for the rest of the game."
"Oh, absolutely not," I started, shaking my head.
But before I could stand up or protest, Knox’s large hand wrapped around my wrist.
He gave a gentle pull, and my balance gave way. I landed with a soft gasp directly onto his lap, my back pressed against his solid chest, his arms loosely circling my waist to keep me from sliding off.
"Contract rule two, Bennett," Knox’s voice murmured near my ear, his warm breath tickling my neck. "Be convincing."
I sat rigid, muscles tense and hands gripping my knees. Every single muscle in my body was on high alert as his heat enveloped me. Slowly, painfully, I forced myself to lean back against him, letting my weight settle.
Knox didn’t move his arms, but his thumb began to draw slow, absent circles on my hip, right through the soft wool of my cream sweater. It was a lazy, distracted motion, but it sent a slow wave of warmth spreading through my stomach.
The game continued around us, but the noise of the bonfire faded into a dull hum.
I was entirely too focused on the steady thud of Knox’s heartbeat against my back, and the rhythmic brush of his thumb against my hip. I hated how safe it felt. I hated that my guard was slipping.
Suddenly, the phone in Knox’s jacket pocket vibrated.
He reached in and pulled it out. The moment his eyes landed on the screen, his entire body went rigid behind me. The relaxed, lazy posture vanished instantly.
He swiped the screen, lifted me off his lap, and stood up in one fluid motion, setting me back onto the wooden log.
"I have to take this," Knox said in a clipped voice, entirely devoid of the warmth it had held seconds ago. "Stay with Bear."
Without waiting for a response, he turned and marched away from the bonfire, the phone already pressed to his ear as he disappeared into the dark shadows near the library parking lot.
I watched him go in confusion at the tight line of his shoulders.
Bear slid closer on his cooler, offering a sympathetic look. "Don’t worry about it, Nora. Knox gets those calls sometimes. Family stuff. His dad doesn’t really leave him alone."
"Yeah," I murmured, staring at the empty space where Knox had been. "I know."
"Hey," a voice called, and I turned to see Priya sliding onto the log next to me, her friends standing a few feet away.
She leaned in. "Nora, you are bright red. Are you okay? Did he actually kiss you?"
"It was just the corner of my mouth," I whispered defensively, clutching my ginger ale. "For the crowd."
"Uh-huh. Well, the crowd is definitely buying it," Priya said, shaking her head. "But seriously, you look..."
"So," a smooth, polished voice cut through the noise behind us. "You’re the famous girlfriend."
I froze and turned slowly, my eyes widening as I looked up.
Standing under the flickering light of the bonfire was a girl who looked like she had walked straight off a fashion runway.
She was tall, with perfect honey-blonde waves falling over a cream cashmere coat, and she was wearing designer leather boots that had no business being in the dirt of a campus green.
Two equally polished girls stood behind her with their arms crossed.
Beside me, Bear let out a low, miserable groan under his breath. "Oh no. Vanessa’s back."