“Just a game of darts.”But the way he’s looking at me says it’s anything but.
Five minutes later we’ve got fresh beers, our dinner ordered, and we’ve started the next round.Silas is good—not as good as me—but enough to keep it interesting.
“You’re letting me win, aren’t you?”he asks as he pulls his dart from the triple eleven.All I’ve got left is bullseyes and seventeens, while he’s closed out the seventeens and has been racking up points.
Not enough to win, mind you.
I act offended.My second beer went down nicely and I’m feeling loose and happy.“I would never besmirch the integrity of the game like that.”
He takes his shot, hitting a single bull closing it out.Damn, guess I gotta wrap this up now.“I think we’ll have to raise the stakes next round.”
“SILAS!”My brother’s voice carries over the conversation and the clack of the pool balls.“DINNER!”
Silas gets our food—smash burger with Paul’s candied jalapeños for me and tots and wings for him.We pause the game to eat our messy food and I catch Silas watching me with a heavy gaze while I lick the aioli off my finger.
I’m facing the dartboard, so I slip my middle finger completely into my mouth and suck.
His eyes roll back.“Fuck.Let’s finish this game and go home.”
“No, no, no,” I tease.“You had some other stakes in mind.You owe me another game.”
I’m about to say something else when one of the campers—a woman with a nose ring and a Patagonia vest—leans over from the pool table.“You two are cute together.How long have you been dating?”
My brain short-circuits.Silas goes very still beside me.
“Oh, we’re not—” I start.
“Just friends,” Silas finishes smoothly.“Known each other forever.”
“Really?”She looks between us, skeptical.“The way you’re looking at each other, I just assumed...”
“Nope.”I force a laugh.“He’s actually my brother’s best friend.Has been since we were kids.”
“Huh.”She shrugs and goes back to her game.“Could’ve fooled me.”
The moment she’s gone, I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.Silas’s hand finds mine under the table, just for a second, squeezing.
“We need to be more careful,” I whisper.
“I know.”But he doesn’t look careful.He looks like he wants to kiss me right here in front of everyone.
“All right.”Silas wipes his hands with a napkin, having finished the last wing.Then he puts his elbows on the table, leaning into me.It’s intimate, and I catch myself looking at Silas’s lips.
“Here’s what I want.I want to play another game of darts with you.And if I win, I’ll do another photo session with you for free.”
My stomach drops.Another session.After what happened last time—the crying, the breakdown, the shame of not being able to see what he sees.
“Silas—”
“Wait, let me finish.”He holds my gaze, serious now.Too serious.Too intense.
“You just want to pick out the outfits I wear, don’t you?”
“No.”He doesn’t take the bait and tease me back.Instead, he leans in closer, his voice dropping low enough that only I can hear.He pushes a strand of hair back behind my ear and his cheek grazes mine.“You’ll be naked.”
I pull back to look at him.“Why?”
“Because last time you were worried about how your body looked in lingerie.In a pose.With styling.”His thumb traces my jawline.“I want you to see yourself without all that.Just you.Nothing to hide behind.”