Truth, dare or bare

Ruth’s POV

I’d told myself this trip was about breathing again, stepping away from work, from routines, from the tight knot my life had become. That was how Lilith convinced me to come. A vacation. Sun, quiet, freedom.

It was supposed to be just the two of us.

Then she mentioned Mark, her boyfriend.

Fine. Third wheel it is.

Lilith and I stood by the car, the afternoon heat curling around us, when Mark finally appeared, dragging his suitcase across the pavement. Relief barely had time to settle before I noticed he wasn’t alone.

Another suitcase.

Another man.

The stranger stood beside Mark, tall, broad-shouldered, his presence instantly shifting the air around us. Dark sunglasses hid hisE eyes, but it didn’t matter, I felt them on me anyway. My chest tightened, a slow, unfamiliar pull settling low in my stomach.

Lilith said something beside me, but her voice faded into background noise.

All I could do was stare.

It felt like gravity had chosen him as its center, and I was already caught.

God, how could anyone look like that? As if he’d been sculpted on a day the universe was feeling indulgent.

He lifted a hand and slid his sunglasses off.

I sucked in a breath.

His eyes were dark and slow-burning, the kind that didn’t rush but promised. The kind that could dismantle a woman’s defenses without ever touching her. And then, worse, they settled on me.

My heart stuttered, a sharp, almost painful skip against my ribs.

“Who the fuck is he?” I murmured, leaning toward Lilith before they reached us.

She didn’t answer.

Instead, she ran straight into Mark’s arms. He laughed, lifted her effortlessly, her legs wrapping around his waist as they kissed like they were alone in the world.

Leaving me standing there.

With him.

The silence between us thickened, charged. I could feel his gaze sliding over my skin.

Okay. Look away, I ordered myself.

I turned, fixing my attention on anything else, the car, the road, the sky, but it didn’t help.

I could still feel his eyes on me, warm and lingering, as if he hadn’t looked away at all.

“Oh—” Lilith finally spoke, flashing me an apologetic smile as Mark set her back on her feet. “Sorry. I got carried away. This is Jake, Mark’s best friend.”

“And he’ll be joining us,” Mark added, his arm settling possessively around Lilith’s waist.

“Hi.”

It was the only word my brain could manage.

“Ruth, right?” Jake said, extending his hand. His smile deepened, slow and effortless, doing unsettling things to my pulse.

I hesitated, my gaze dropping to his hand, then lifting back to his face. How does he know my name?

“Yeah,” I said, the word coming out more deliberate than intended as I slipped my hand into his.

Warm.

Soft.

My fingers tingled where his closed around them.

As if he’d read the question in my eyes, he said casually, “Mark says you’re the mastermind behind this vacation.”

“Really?” I arched a brow, turning slightly toward Mark.

He chuckled, lifting both hands in mock surrender.

“Okay, people,” Lilith said, clapping her hands. “Let’s move. We don’t want to meet darkness on the road.”

“Of course not,” I replied, sliding into the front passenger seat.

Lilith immediately claimed the backseat with Mark, their laughter filling the car as Jake started the engine. Sitting beside him felt… tight. Not uncomfortable exactly, just charged.

Jake pulled onto the road. The engine hummed beneath us, the scent of leather and faint cologne filling the air. We didn’t talk much. Instead, we traded brief glances, quick, stolen looks we both pretended not to notice, while the two lovebirds in the back were lost in their own world.

I reached for the water bottle tucked between the seats at the same moment Jake did.

Our fingers brushed.

A spark ran up my arm at the warmth of his touch.

Our eyes met for a second before he turned back to the road.

“You can have it,” he said, pulling his hand away.

“No.” I shook my head, pushing the bottle toward him. “You’re driving. You need it more.”

“I’m good,” he replied easily, giving a small nod.

I shrugged and pressed the bottle to my chest, suddenly very aware of my heartbeat, and no longer thirsty at all.

Tired of the silence, I leaned forward and turned on the CD player. Music flooded the car.

Within minutes, we were all singing, off-key, laughing, sounding like a bunch of teenagers on a field trip.

By the time we reached the resort, night had settled in like a thick blanket. Soft lights lined the walkway, casting long shadows as we hauled our bags inside. After unpacking, we headed to the front desk for our room keys.

That’s when the problem surfaced.

Lilith had booked only two rooms.

There were no vacancies left, for Jake.

Silence stretched between us as we thought of what to do.

“What if he stays with me?” I blurted out.

Three pairs of eyes snapped in my direction.

The heat rushed to my face. “I mean, we don’t really have another option, do we?” I added quickly, already wishing I could swallow the words back.

The way Jake looked at me, slow, unreadable, made my stomach twist. He probably thought I was flirting. I wasn’t. I was just trying to fix the problem.

“Good idea,” Lilith said at last, nodding. Then she turned to him. “What do you think, Jake?”

He held my gaze for a minute that felt like hours before replying, “We don’t have another option, do we?”

That was that.

Lilith and Mark disappeared into their room, still kissing, laughter trailing behind them. Jake and I walked down the quieter hallway in silence before stepping into mine, together.

I shut the door and tightened my grip on my suitcase, the soft click of the lock sounding far too loud in the quiet room. But the air felt different now, thicker, charged.

He crossed the room and slid open the wardrobe, the faint rustle of fabric breaking the silence. I watched from the corner of my eye as he unpacked with calm precision.

“The other half is yours,” he said, hanging his neatly folded clothes.

“Okay.” I moved closer, setting my suitcase down beside his.

I focused on my hands, on folding, stacking, anything to avoid brushing against him. Even my breathing felt deliberate, measured. With him standing so close, it was like being alone in a dark room, aware of eyes you couldn’t see but could feel.

My phone buzzed suddenly, the vibration making me flinch.

I pulled it from my pocket.

Lilith: Meet in my room before dinner. Truth or dare. You in?

A slow smile curved my lips.

Yeah.

Things were about to get interesting.