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Staring at him, I blinked slowly. “I shared a room with several children growing up, none of whom were my relatives. I'm used to crap sleeping conditions. However, I do prefer a proper toilet and some preparation.”
“Preparation for the toilet?” He rose into a stand and stepped closer, looking down at me. “Or for other things?”
Ah, so maybe he had brought me out here to show me a good time. I wasn't complaining, except, yeah, I was totally complaining. I preferred the hotel room on our first date, I wasn't going to lie.
Linking my arms around his waist, I smiled up at him. “Both. Although, I'm not so sure about the creepy crawlies.”
Chuckling, he tucked my hair behind my ear and grasped my arse cheeks in his hands, squeezing hard. “It's okay, I'll keep you safe.”
Enjoying the thrill of his promise, I leaned up for a kiss. He hovered near my mouth, teasing me with his warm breath. I looked into his eyes, frowning when his intense gaze turned serious.
“Let's sit,” he said, brushing his lips against mine before pulling away and plonking down onto a camping chair.
I hadn't even noticed the two seats nearby: I'd been too engrossed in the idea of sleeping in the woods. Who did that anyway? Was it even legal?
“Please,” Joe said, taking out a flask and waving it in the air, “sit down with me.”
Going closer, I took the chair and moved it nearer to the fire. The flames were starting to build, slowly rising towards the sky. The heat was strong enough to start to thaw my frozen hands as I extended them towards the bright orange flicker.
“This will warm you.” Handing me the flask, Joe urged me to drink.
I did as I was told, my eyes widening when the hot chocolate coated my tongue, tantalising my taste buds. A strong kick of alcohol followed the sweetness of the hot liquid. Oh yeah, that was the sort of thing that would warm my bones.
“So,” I said, taking another big gulp of the delicious drink, “why did you bring me here exactly?”
He looked at me sideways before chewing his bottom lip. “I wanted to disconnect from it all, to really get to know the inside of you without any interruptions. No calls.” He held up his phone before tucking it away. “No internet, no people making noise... nothing but us.”
“The animals might make noises in the night.” I looked around us, shivering from the thought of what could be out here.
“You do know we live in England, right?” He winked at me. “There's not much out here that can hurt you. Unless,” he said, shuffling closer and putting his knees either side of mine, “a fluffy bunny or wily fox comes for us.”
Trying to hide my grin, I ducked my head, feeling a little foolish for having the heebie jeebies. He was right, there were literally no scary animals in our woodland, and yet, I looked around us, making sure no one was watching anyway.
“Let's play truth or dare,” he said, raising his eyebrows in challenge.
A fizz of intrigue sent tingles throughout my whole body. Joseph was too old to be interested in teenage games, so there had to be a deeper meaning to his madness. I quite liked the idea of a naughty version of truth or dare.
Threading my fingers through his and resting them on my knees, I pursed my lips. “Okay, I'm game.”
“Truth,” he breathed, leaning forward and tapping me on the nose, “or dare.”
Lifting the corner of my lip into my cheek in a mischievous manner, I raised one eyebrow. “Dare.”
His head moved back slightly, as if he were shocked by my bold first move. I wasn't much into games, but if we were going to play, I wanted to start off strong. A lot of people feared saying dare in case it led to unwanted attention. Not me, not in the middle of the woods. I wanted him to push me.
Itching the stubble on his jaw, Joseph glanced at the fire before he licked his lips. “I dare you to hold your hand as near to the flames as you possibly can.”
Okay, that hadn’t been the type of dare I'd been expecting, but whatever he wanted, I had to comply. Reaching my hand out to the side, I slowly moved it closer to the heat, cringing when I went too near. I didn't pull away, though. Instead, I kept my palm hovering, just far enough away not to burn my skin. The heat still stung, and I gritted my teeth, laughing when Joseph snatched my hand away.
“Very good,” he said, a smoulder in his eyes. “I like your willpower.”
His praise made my cheeks warm, which was embarrassing to say the least. Why would I enjoy his praise? He was meant to be my equal, and there I was, keen to keep the praise coming. It meant a lot to be seen, that was all.
“Truth or dare,” I said, rubbing my hand on my thigh to get rid of the clamminess.
As his fingers stroked my knees, he narrowed his gaze on me. “Truth.”
For a split second, I thought that he would refuse to play. Being a dominant man, he liked to be in control. If I asked a question he didn't like, would he still take part?
