“It’s not that Elle doesn’t do camping or bears,” he said dryly. “She doesn’t do hiking shoes. Or, apparently, jackets.” With that, he shrugged out of his down parka and came toward her.
The initial buzz of warmth at the realization of how well he knew her vanished when she saw his intention. “Not necessary,” she said, eyes glued to the midnight blue flannel shirt he wore beneath, opened over a matching T-shirt, both stretching to accommodate his broad shoulders.
“Your lips are blue,” he said. He wrapped her up in his jacket, which was deliciously warm from his body heat and, adding to the torture, also smelled like him. Which was to say delicious.
She opened her mouth to say something, she had no idea what, but it didn’t matter because the minute he’d finished tucking her into his jacket, he turned away from her and headed back to the fire.
“I’m not cold,” Pru said. “I’m wearing my new camping jeans. They’re fleece lined.” She executed a little twirl. “They’re thick, so as a bonus, I won’t get any splinters sitting on that log in front of the fire.” She stilled and then twisted around, trying to see her own ass. “Wait. Are they too thick? Do they make me look fat?”
The look of panic on Finn’s face did improve Elle’s mood very slightly.
Pru gave him the big eyes. “Do they?”
“No.” Finn looked a little like a deer in the headlights. “No. Of course not.”
Joe nudged him. “Man, when a woman asks if she looks fat, it’s not enough to say no. You gotta look and act surprised by the question. Leap backward if necessary.”
Finn grabbed Pru and pulled her down into his lap and sank his fists in her hair, staring into her eyes. “I don’t think you look fat in those jeans. I don’t think you look fat in anything. Or in nothing at all. I love every inch of you.”
Pru grinned. “Thanks, babe. I love you too.”
He narrowed his eyes. “That was a test.”
“Yes.” She kissed him. “But don’t worry. You passed.”
Elle felt another little tug of envy and wondered if she’d ever feel so comfortable with someone that she could open herself up like Pru had, in front of an audience no less, as if she didn’t care if the entire world knew how much she loved Finn. Elle had always assumed that kind of love made one weak. But nothing about what Pru and Finn had felt weak to her.
They roasted marshmallows. Elle was trying hard not to rush Pru, but she really wanted to get out of there before she did something stupid. Like melt a marshmallow over Archer’s hot bod and lick it up.
“Truth or dare!” Joe decided, handing out beers to everyone.
“What, are we twelve?” Elle asked.
Joe just grinned, looking very relaxed, reminding her that the guys had a head start on the beer. An all-day head start.
“Chicken?”
This came from Archer, uttered in his low, sexy voice, and her stomach executed a free fall. She risked a peek at him and caught sight of a predatory smile barely curving his lips. She shifted a bit. Was it hotter all of a sudden? Or was that only her internal temperature that had skyrocketed? “I just think that games are dumb—”
“Me first!” Pru said happily, clasping her hands. “Spence! Truth or dare?”
He thought about it until Pru gave him a hurry-up gesture.
“Give me a minute,” he said. “I’m trying to decide how evil you’re going to be if I choose dare.”
Pru smiled, and Spence swore. “Okay,” he said, “so very evil. Truth.”
“Well that’s no fun.” She pouted.
“What’s no fun is taking a dip in the river in February. Truth,” he repeated firmly.
“Hmm.” Pru stared at him intently. “What do you want out of life?”
He stroked his chin, giving it serious thought. “Tacos. What?” he said when she rolled her eyes. “We had fish but I’m still hungry. Did you bring anything besides s’mores stuff?”
Spence was always hungry. They all ignored him.
“Me next!” Kylie called out, bouncing on the log on which she sat, clapping her hands. “Elle. Truth or dare?”
Elle narrowed her eyes. “Why me?”
“Truth or dare?” Kylie repeated.
She sighed. “Truth. But only because I’m not leaving this log for any stupid dare.”
“Okay,” Kylie said so happily that Elle knew she’d walked right into Kylie’s plans, whatever they might be. “You always look so fantastic and perfectly put together.”
“Thanks but that wasn’t a question,” Elle said.
“Do you ever let anyone see you when you’re not . . . perfect?”
Archer snorted but turned it into a cough when Elle glared at him.
“No,” she said to Kylie. “My turn.” She looked at Archer. “Truth or dare?”
“Truth,” he said warily.
“What’s the biggest risk you’ve ever taken?”
“Playing this game with you,” he said.
Everyone but Elle laughed their fool heads off. Idiots, all of them.
“That one didn’t count,” Pru said in Elle’s defense. “She gets to go again.”
“Okay,” she said, looking once more to Archer. “Truth or dare?”
“You really want to come after me again? Oh and two isn’t going to look good on your resume.”
“Now who’s chicken?” she asked. Baited really, because they all knew that Archer was a lot of things but chicken wasn’t one of them.
“Well to be fair,” Finn said. “The last person to lose had to strip naked and get into the water. Which I know because it was me.”
“And the water was cold,” Spence added helpfully.
“How do you know?” Finn asked. “You didn’t have to get in.”
Spence raised an eyebrow at him. “We could tell.”
Finn narrowed his eyes. “Hey, shrinkage is a real thing!”
“Truth,” Archer answered Elle.
She mentally cracked her knuckles. “What’s your most embarrassing moment?” she asked.
He didn’t say anything, just looked at her.
“Come on,” she taunted, having no idea why she was poking the bear. “I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.”
His voice dropped to a pitch that sent tingles down her spine. “I already know yours.”
Actually he didn’t, but she refused to discuss it here. “Fine. I’ll adjust the question. What’s your biggest regret?”
Again he just looked at her. Mr. Talkative.
“Are you refusing to answer?” she asked. “Because you know what the dare is.”
“Watch out for shrinkage,” Spence muttered.
“Yes,” Archer said without hesitation, his gaze holding hers prisoner. “I’m refusing to answer.”
One hundred percent certain he’d choose to change his mind about talking if he thought he had to go for a dunk, she pointed to the river.