Page 49 of Haunted Spurs

My heart lurches straight into my throat.

I whip around.

Of course he followed me.

Ron is standing in the doorway, his figure cut out against the darker hall behind him. He steps inside, closing the distance between us like it means nothing at all.

“I hate this game,” I mutter, pressing back against the edge of the window seat, wishing I could disappear into the wall. Our bedroom.

Ron stops a step away. He tilts his head, and even in the dim light I catch the hint of a crooked smile.

“I bet you’d actually like it,” he murmurs.

I roll my eyes dramatically, hoping the shadows hide the heat in my face.

"Truth or dare, Selene?"

The world stops.

When he says my name like that—with that raspy, low, private tone, like it's a secret meant only for me—I physically forget how to breathe. My lungs empty all at once.

"Not a chance," I reply, shaking my head.

He shifts his weight from one foot to the other and crosses his arms over his massive chest.

"What's wrong?" he teases me. "Are you scared of a harmless new-cowboy?"

I know exactly what game he's playing. And yet, I lose anyway.

“Dare,” I say, lifting my chin.

The second it leaves my mouth, I see his grin widen, and I immediately regret it. I wish I could take it back, rewind, sew my mouth shut—anything.

Ron tilts his head, leaning in even closer.

I can smell him now.

“Mhm… so you like it…”

“Nothing sexual,” I cut in immediately.

Ron’s expression shifts. The smirk fades, replaced by something calmer—steady, serious.

“Who do you think I am?” he says quietly. “I would never dare you to do anything non-consensual. Never.”

Of course he wouldn't. He's Ron Willers.

And yet, he has to be an asshole. After all, all men are.

"I dare you to tell me one thing about yourself every day," he continues, bringing his tone back to a lighter, conspiring frequency as that dimple pops again. "At my explicit request. For the entire time we're on this reality show."

My eyes go wide.

What?

If he’d asked me to strip, I think I’d have felt safer.

I know how to handle physical stuff. I know how to switch my brain off when it comes to sex.