Dan eyed her.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?”
Harper turned to him, playfulness in her eyes. She clapped her hands down on his shoulders and tried to give him a serious look, but her lips twitched with a smile. “It’s a great idea.”
“Hmm, I’m gonna go ahead and say you’re a lightweight.” He tapped her nose with his index finger, letting it rest there.
Harper stared cross-eyed at it for a moment before moving her head and making a show of baring her teeth. She surprised them both when she opened her mouth and nipped at the tip of his finger with gentle pressure.
He hissed out a breath at the feel of her teeth around him, his blood pounding through his body. They stared at each other for a long moment.
“Let’s have one more drink,” she said, her teeth still lightly clamped around him, causing her words to distort. Dan gave a soft laugh and withdrew his finger, running his knuckles lightly against her cheek.
“One more drink,” he said slowly, and she rewarded him with a smile that would make the sun jealous. “But a Harper-sized drink. A beer in a shot glass–sized drink,” he added, before getting up and pushing through the growing crowd to the bar.
He glanced toward the pool tables on his way, and saw their friends bickering over a shot, a small pile of dollar bills stacked on the corner of the table. Despite the newness of the people, Dan couldn’t ignore the growing sense of belonging.
He got the drinks and moved back toward the table, a giddy buzz of excitement in each step.
“Thank you,” Harper said, as he set the drink in front of her. “You even gave me a big-girl glass. How generous.” She tapped his shin with her toe, making him smile.
“I aim to please,” he said, shooting her a wink and loving the blush blooming on her cheeks. “Is it my turn?”
Harper clucked her tongue and wagged a finger at him. “Nope. It’s mine,” she said, her smile turning lazy from the mixture of laughter and drinks.
She pulled out a piece and the tower swayed dangerously. It didn’t fall.
“How old were you when you lost your virginity?”
Dan choked on a sip of beer. When he caught his breath, he gaped at her wicked grin for a moment before laughing.
“Liquid courage, huh?” he teased, tilting his head toward her drink.
Harper shrugged.
“I was sixteen,” he said, pulling at the collar of his shirt. The bar was about fifty degrees warmer than it had been a minute ago.
“How was it?” she asked, her eyes exploring his face. Dan felt his whole body come alive under her gaze.
“Isn’t it my turn?”
Harper arched an eyebrow and plucked out another piece. “How was it?”
“Okay … that’s cheating, but whatever.” Dan ran a hand through his hair, unable to hide his embarrassed grin. He knew he was blushing. “I was a horny teenage boy. It was awesome. I was awesome. Rave reviews. Best twenty-eight seconds ever.”
Harper laughed so hard she snorted, then slapped her hands over her face. Dan couldn’t resist joining in.
“Okay, your turn. Age. Rating. All the good stuff.” Dan pulled out two more pieces.
Harper tried to steady her face, but giggles kept slipping out. “I was eighteen. Big year for me.”
“Clearly. So? How was it?”
Harper took a breath and blew it out, still smiling at him. She reached out, grasping his hand in both of hers. He didn’t know what she was doing, but he couldn’t stop staring at the points where their skin met.
She lifted his hand, looking at it closely. Then, without warning, she jerked it forward, toppling the remaining pieces of the Jenga tower. She laughed even harder.
Dan’s jaw hit the floor. He was about to give her hell for cheating, when a bulky frat guy stumbled into her back, jolting her forward.
“Watch where you’re going, man,” Dan said, placing a hand on her arm. The guy gave a drunken laugh and turned back to his group.
The brewery was filling up with a rowdier late-night crowd. Dan saw the moment Harper became aware of the swarms of bodies surrounding them. A spark of panic ignited in her eyes as her gaze darted around the room. Her smile dropped and her cheeks lost their rosiness, a light sheen of sweat replacing it almost instantly. He watched as she sucked in a gulp of air that seemed to get stuck in her throat. She tugged at the collar of her scrub top then turned to the table, trying to fix the game with shaky hands. Dan placed his palm on her back.
“Do you want to go outside? Maybe get some air?”