Find me in your labyrinth (Stella and Jonathan) novel Chapter 1824

The group burst into laughter again, and Magdalen said, "Remember the rules, folks—truth or dare, Charlie, it's time to state the penalty!"

Charlie turned to Marina, "Truth or dare?"

Marina, only somewhat acquainted with Estelle and not wanting to reveal too much at her first gathering, pondered for a moment before declaring, "Dare!"

Charlie seemed to have predicted Marina would choose a dare, showing no surprise, and without a second thought, he said, "Easy peasy. Since you and Carson both lost at cards, how about a kiss?"

Carson immediately protested, "No way, that's off the table. Let's do something else—take a shot, do some push-ups, anything more challenging. I'm game!"

Charlie's lazy smile spread across his face, "Who's calling the shots here, you or me? No changes, it's settled!"

Magdalen chimed in, "No chickening out, we all want to see this. Get on with it!"

Emily and Estelle eagerly watched the commotion, while Josiah and the others egged them on,

"Mr. Foster, don't tell me you can't take a loss!"

"Exactly, you've never been this squeamish before!"

"She's your girlfriend, for Pete's sake. Kiss her already, no more yapping!"

Feeling somewhat reserved in Marina's presence that day, Carson’s handsome face blushed as he bargained, "Anything else goes. How about this—when the waiter comes in with the drinks, I'll kiss whoever enters first!"

He had just had a heart-to-heart with Marina, and now that they were both in the know, any display of affection would make them both uncomfortable.

Magdalen laughed, "Mr. Foster, that's a bit much. Your fiancée's right here, you dare kiss someone else? If you dare, even if Marina forgives you, I won't!"

Charlie said, "Why don't you ask Marina if she agrees?"

Despite the others’ comments, Carson remained adamant.

Suddenly, Marina turned, grabbed the collar of Carson's white sweater, pulled him down, and planted her lips on his.

Her beautiful face loomed large before him, their lips met, and Carson's eyes widened in shock.

He didn't just peck and pull away; the kiss was longer, even audaciously nibbling at Marina's lip.

Marina’s heart skipped a beat, and she instinctively turned her head to escape, but Carson firmly held her in place.

Trapped against the chair back, leaning forward only brought her face closer to Carson's. With no escape, their lips pressed tightly together, his unfamiliar breath intertwining with hers. She began to panic and involuntarily inhaled, parting her lips—Carson slid in.

Both were momentarily stunned.

Carson dared not move further and quickly retreated, standing up and, almost in retaliation, asked Andrew for a tissue, meticulously wiping his mouth clean.

Marina's face flushed, whether from anger or embarrassment was unclear.

Estelle passed a tissue to Marina, who asked, "Got any sanitizer?"

The room filled with laughter.

The merriment continued late into the night, a sign of a truly enjoyable gathering.