Truth or Dare by Mira Lyn Kelly Page B

the life span of a gnat. So Maggie figured she’d let this inconvenient little anomaly blow over on its own and within a few days, a week tops, she’d be laughing about it with herself while she drank alone…because this crush wasn’t something she’d ever own up to.
    The only problem?
    She hadn’t remembered how
persistent
a simple, uncomplicated crush could be.
    It had survived Christmas and her trip down to Florida to see her family. And in all honesty, it had been a handy distraction during all her mother’s worried silences and her father’s awkward assurances they knew she was being smart. Careful. But once she’d boarded her return flight, she was hoping that distracting crush might just stay down south.
    No such luck.
    It sustained itself through New Year’s and the chaste hugs and cheek kisses the whole group had shared. Except for Sam, who’d somehow snared this passing gorgeous blonde he swept into a dramatic dip before planting what looked like a total soul kiss on her and then letting her go with a wink and a smile. And now, two weeks into January, Maggie’s crush wasn’t showing any signs of waning. In fact, if anything, it was getting worse.
    Why couldn’t she get this guy out of her head?
    She’d even given up her post–Hives Guy boycott of the gym in order to try and burn off those untoward thoughts about her neighbor. The one who’d mentioned that working out was the only way he could really clear his head. Of course, the minute she’d asked what he’d been trying to get off his mind was the minute he changed the subject.
    Yep, red flag.
    He was so
not
good crush material.
    And his unknowing advice stunk. The gym didn’t seem to be working for her. Thirty minutes she’d been pedaling her ass off, and in her mind’s eye, she was still seeing Tyler’s shirt. The white oxford she’d discovered was her very favorite, and the one he’d been wearing the night he rescued her date. She was thinking about the way his sleeves had been rolled to just below his elbows, showing off forearms wrapped with ropelike muscles that shifted and flexed every time he moved his hands. The way the fabric pulled taut across the definition of his shoulders and back when he wielded that big ball—because, yes, that shirt had done the impossible and made bowling sexy. And she was thinking about how he’d been wearing it open with just enough neck showing to give a girl ideas about wanting to see more. About how easily the buttons might slide free…about how it would feel to push the open panels over his shoulders, down his arms. How close she’d have to stand in order to do it. What it would be like to look up from that scant distance and see Tyler looking down—
    An
Us Weekly
snapped in front of her face, followed by Ava’s breathless, yet obviously amused, censure. “Geez, Maggie, maybe it’s time we had a discussion about the
subtle
art of scoping. And the selection process, while we’re at it. Because while that guy over in free weights is very nice to look at, I’m almost positive he’s married to the dude spotting him.”
    “What? No!” she panted, barely managing to wave a hand through the air and bat away Ava’s claim. “I wasn’t looking at those guys. I swear.”
    Truth.
    “I—I had something in my eye.”
    Lie.
    “Yeah, we saw,” Ava laughed. “Lust. An obscene amount.”
    Maggie coughed, trying to buy some time and come up with an excuse.
    “Don’t bother. You’re wearing a sports bra and, sister, the twins are telling all your dirty secrets.”
    Maggie’s hands flew up to her chest, but cupping the girls while she rode her stationary bike wasn’t much of a long-term solution. “Sam, give me your T-shirt.”
    Ignoring her request, Sam grinned from his treadmill like she’d made him a tray of salted caramel bars and told him he didn’t have to share. “Time for Maggie’s biennial lay already?”
    “Ha. Ha,” she panted. If only it had been that recently. It had been