Chapter 162 162
“Let’s play a game,” Eugénie announced brightly, her forest-green eyes darting from face to face.
Dominique arched a brow at her. “What are we, twelve?”
She turned to him slowly, her expression lethal. “I admire how you point out the obvious like you’ve just discovered fire,” she shot back sweetly.
Laughter rippled through the room. Dominique narrowed his eyes at his sharp-tongued little sister.
“What do you want to play?” Charlotte asked.
A pair of steel-gray eyes slid toward the girl seated beside his Alpha on the couch.
“Truth or dare.” Eugénie lifted a brow suggestively.
None of the men looked remotely impressed.
Earlier, Damien had questioned Jacqueline about sneaking out. She’d answered him without hesitation she missed her friends, felt suffocated inside the house, needed air. Now they were all gathered in the lounge: Dominique, Damien, and Alexandre looking worn out. Damien had blamed work, though Jacqueline had no idea what kind of work drained someone like that.
“Why not set the mood properly?” Alexandre suggested.
Eugénie’s eyes lit up. She grinned at him as he chuckled and headed toward the backyard to arrange something.
Dominique grabbed blankets and pillows and followed.
Soon, they were all outside beneath the open sky, settling into a loose circle. Jacqueline had already tucked Mathieu into bed it was late.
Eugénie placed a bottle in the center and gave it a dramatic spin. They watched as it whirled, slowed… and stopped on Alexandre.
He grunted.
Dominique smirked instantly. Damien looked just as entertained. If Alexandre chose dare, he was doomed.
The unspoken rule was simple if you chose truth once and the bottle landed on you again, you were obligated to take a dare the second time. Refuse the dare, and the penalty would be worse.
“Truth or dare?” Eugénie chirped.
“Truth,” Alexandre muttered.
Damien rolled his eyes. Dominique snorted. “Pussy,” he muttered under his breath.
Eugénie leaned forward. “Are you in love with someone? And please, spare me the motherly love nonsense.”
All eyes pinned him.
For a fleeting second, his gaze brushed over the delicate girl seated beside Eugénie before he looked away and shrugged casually. “I don’t know.”
Eugénie opened her mouth to protest, but he added quietly, “Maybe.”
Dominique slapped his shoulder. “Liar,” he teased.
Alexandre rolled his eyes. If Dominique had even the slightest clue… But it was better that neither he nor Damien suspected anything. They would rip him apart.
The bottle spun again.
This time it stopped at Eugénie.
She leapt to her feet instantly. “Dare! Dare! Dare!” she chanted like a madwoman.
Jacqueline laughed at her enthusiasm. She saw a reflection of herself in that reckless spark.
“Sit down. You’re not doing any dare,” Dominique growled, and Damien nodded in agreement.
Eugénie was fearless dangerously so. Give her any challenge and she would accept it without hesitation. Being the youngest only made her brothers more protective.
“Dance with Alexandre,” Jacqueline suggested lightly.
“What?” Alexandre nearly shrieked.
“No way!” Dominique and Damien barked at the same time.
But Eugénie was already waggling her brows at Alexandre. He glanced at the two Alphas, who were glaring at him like executioners.
She grabbed his hand and dragged him up. He stood reluctantly as they stepped a few feet away. He towered over her.
“Any kind of dance?” he asked Jacqueline.
She nodded, grinning.
Without warning, he seized Eugénie by the waist and tossed her into the air.
She shrieked, half terrified, half exhilarated.
“Don’t you fucking drop her!” Dominique snarled.
Alexandre caught her smoothly midair and spun her twice before setting her back on her feet. She swayed, dizzy and giggling.
He rested his elbow lazily atop her head and faced the group.
Jacqueline and Charlotte burst into laughter. The men did not look amused.
Eugénie jerked his arm away, scowling. She knew she was petite; she didn’t need the giant reminding her. They returned to their spots.
Eugénie shot Charlotte a smirk. They exchanged a silent look before Charlotte shook her head with a smile.
Another spin.
The bottle pointed at Jacqueline.
“Truth or dare?” Alexandre asked, a sly curve to his lips. Dominique caught the tone immediately and smirked as well.
“Dare,” Jacqueline replied cheerfully.
“You go, babe,” Eugénie encouraged with a wink.
Alexandre gestured lazily toward himself, Dominique, and Damien. “Kiss one of us.”
“Damn, we need a bigger circle next time,” Eugénie muttered.
Two of the men were her brothers, and Alexandre clearly had a thing for her sister. They definitely needed more options preferably ones her own age.
“This is ridiculous,” Damien grumbled.
But Jacqueline was already rising to her feet.
She strolled toward Alexandre slowly, aware of Damien’s gaze burning into her back. Alexandre smirked, enjoying Damien’s very visible irritation.
She walked past Alexandre deliberately and paused behind Dominique, who grinned up at her. She leaned down as if about to kiss him.
She could practically feel Damien’s glare scorching her skin.
She winked at Dominique instead, making him laugh in mock heartbreak, then crouched beside Damien and pressed a quick, soft kiss to his cheek.
Before anyone could react, she returned to her seat and stuck her tongue out at Alexandre.
Damien, however, was staring at her with an intensity that made her pulse skip.
The bottle spun again.
It landed on Jacqueline once more.
“Describe your first kiss,” Eugénie prompted eagerly.
Jacqueline’s eyes lifted, meeting a pair of olive ones across the circle before she glanced away, a faint smile playing on her lips.
“It was magical,” she said softly. “He kissed me better than I ever imagined being kissed. Gentle… warm… but full of fire. It happened under pouring rain, with heavy gray clouds rumbling overhead.”
Her gaze found those olive eyes again.
They looked darker now.