Page 64 of Wild Stars

Dare freezes, his gaze flashing up at me as the man who isgrabbinghim tightens his grip.

“Fuck off, I saw him first,” he slurs.

I don’t think twice, I just react.

Because clearly the alcohol has poisoned my brain, and exposure to Dare has turned me fucking feral.

Or more or less,my fistreacts with the idiot’s jaw, and he nearly falls over, and I realize too late I’ve fucked up.

Dare’s pupils dilate and his mouth falls open.

And that’s when I panic.

CHAPTER17

Dare

Of all thethings I thought I’d see in my life, my teenage crush decking a man in front of me giving offtouch him and die energy, was clearly not on my fucking list.

But the minute I see Matty punch the guy, I know one thing is for certain.

I’m in love with Mateo Starr.

I know it’s batshit crazy and it makes no sense.

I’m twenty-three, he’s thirty-nine.

I’m a mess, and he is all fucking order.

But fuck if I don’t want to climb all six foot four inches of this man like a damn tree because the man just punched a guy for me.

For me!

No one, man or woman, has ever thrown hands over me before.

How fucked up am I that I consider violence romantic?

My stupid, dumb heart grows three sizes bigger at the realization thatmaybeMatty feels this, too, thisthingbetween us.

Even if he doesn’t say it with his mouth.

His fist hitting that guy’s face says it all.

“Fuck,” he says as he shakes his hand, turning heel once more.

And I know he’s going to run, but this time...

This time, I’m not letting him get away from me.

“Matty, wait...”I yell as I run after him.

Thankfully, he doesn’t get too far from the dance floor before my hand is around his wrist once more.He stops, trying to break my hold, but I don’t let him.I tighten my grip around his wrist and I pull him toward me.

“I’m sorry, I?—”

I bring myself closer to him.In his jeans and t-shirt, even with his sunglasses in his pocket, he looks divine.

While I’m used to the man who’s always dressed for a funeral, there is something about the sight of him like this—dressed down, casual—that makes him feel more accessible, more relatable.

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