Page 86 of Wild Stars

She sighs, her shoulders falling forward.“So do you, Mateo.”She gives me a half smile.

“I’ll make you a deal,” I say as she smiles.“I’ll jump, if you do.That way, if I end up in a ditch, you’ll be there, too,” I tease with saccharine sarcasm.

Hailee smiles, punching me in the arm.“Way to kill the mood,Matty,” she bites and the moment escapes us.

“Do not call me that,” I snap.“For fucks sake.”

Hailee stands, smiling sweetly.“I don’t know, I kinda like it.”She turns on her heel and heads out the door without allowing me anything to counter that parting shot.

* * *

I stareat the text on my phone, while I wait outside Dare’s door.

When he opens it, I can’t help but feel awestruck.

For one, he’s shirtless, wearing those damn gray sweatpants that hang off his love handles deliciously, but his hair is wet and he smells like a mixture of cheap cologne and lavender soap.

It’s a heady concoction, honestly.

“Matty, hey...”he says with surprise shining in his eyes.

“You have not returned my texts,” I say firmly, the warmth of the pizza box hot against my hand.I see his pupils dilate as he looks to the box in my hands.

“So you thought you’d do a welfare check on me, is that it?”he nips.

“Something like that,” I reply, a grin forming on my face.“May I come in, Darren?Or is there a reason you are keeping me and this delicious pizza outside your hotel room?”

Dare chews his lip.“I just...wasn’t expecting a visitor,” he says as he moves aside for me to enter.

“Did you read your contract?”I ask, wasting no time as I set the pizza down on the dresser and my duffel bag on the chair in front of the desk.I unzip it methodically, so that I have everything I need at my disposal.

His room is a mess, clothes and belongings strewn across the furniture, and he’s got the television on, but it’s on mute.

“Yeah, of course,” he says nervously.

“Then you would know that under paragraph three, line one, failure to respond to your dominant—me—in a timely matter, will result in my coming to check up on you.To make sure you are safe, of course.”

Dare watches me with interest, following my movements with his dark eyes.

“Uh huh.And failure to do so means I get punished, right?”he says with a grin, as he stalks closer to me.

Well, fuck.

I played right into that, didn’t I?

Perhaps Dare is smarter than he looks.

I stand my ground, making no motion to betray my sudden panic to him.

I need to remain in control, of course.

“That is correct.But first, you will tell mewhyyou did not respond.”

Dare shrugs, running his thick fingers through his hair.“I just...sometimes I get in my head about stuff.I’ve been working on Wild Star, and, like, I’m just...not that I’mworriedabout my test results or anything, but, like, I just don’t do good with waiting.”He blows out a frustrated sigh.“I don’t like not knowing shit.”

It’s my turn to advance on him, and I do.I take steady, solid steps toward him, sliding my arm around his waist, backing him up against the edge of the bed.

“I don’t like not knowing shit, either, Darren.”

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