I Dare You (The Hook Up #1)(54)

Skye darts over and tackles him, and I laugh.

Maverick’s face comes to mind, and I bite my lip, hoping wherever he is, everything is okay.





Delaney



“Let’s watch a movie!” Skye calls out as we walk in the door of our hotel room.

“It’s two in the morning!” is my reply.

She shrugs and bats her lashes at me. She looks at Alex, who’s clearly had too much to drink judging by the way he’s weaving.

I blow out a breath. Ugh. I’m not even buzzing, yet somehow she and Alex are like the Energizer Bunny, still ready to party.

They’ve worn me out dancing, and all I want to do is crash. It’s the only way I can turn my head off and stop thinking about Maverick.

They follow me into the room and I head to the mini fridge to grab water.

“Get me a glass of wine, will ya?” Skye requests as she points herself in the direction of the bathroom. Her face is flushed and lined with sweat from dancing. Knowing her and her penchant for cleanliness, she’s headed in there to spritz on more deodorant and powder her nose.

“Red or white?” I ask, looking at the two boxes of wine we bought at the liquor store.

“White.”

I give her a nod as she stumbles into the restroom, already fluffing her red hair as she walks in.

“Alex? You want anything?” I ask.

He turns his gaze from watching Skye to me, and I bite back a smirk. Maybe a normal person would be jealous about their ex sending lingering looks their best friend’s way, but I’m not. He made a mistake with Muffin, but maybe he learned from it.

“Um, I’ll take a wine too,” he says. He flops down on the bed spread-eagled, his hand over his face. I’m beginning to wonder how he’s going to make it back to his house.

After chugging half the bottle of water, I get to work on making their drinks. Once I have them ready, Skye still isn’t out of the bathroom, and I make a mental note to check on her.

I walk over to Alex and nudge him with my hand after setting his drink on the nightstand. “Dude, wake up.”

I get nothing but a soft snore.

Dammit.

I decide he’s Skye’s problem and once she comes out of the bathroom, she can decide what to do with him. He’s on her bed, so she should be the one to deal with him.

There’s an abrupt knock at the door, and I figure it’s the pizza guy from the place across the street. Skye called in an order right as we left the club, and even though it’s late, my stomach grumbles.

I fling open the door with cash in my hand and freeze.

Maverick is standing there in the hallway, his head bent as he stares at the floor. There’s a slump to his shoulders that breaks my heart.

His head flies up and his eyes are haunted.

“Delaney.” My name on his lips is like a benediction to my ears. I’ve missed him so much, and it’s only been a few days. I want to run to him, cup his cheeks, and take that anguish off his face.

A heavy exhalation comes from his mouth as he straightens. “God, thank fuck. I had to bribe the desk clerk and sign three autographs to get your room number, and I still wasn’t sure he told me the truth.”

“Are you okay? Is anything wrong?”

His eyes cloud over. “Everything’s wrong. I came here to—”

His voice abruptly cuts off as he looks over my shoulder into the room where he has a clear view of a set of feet on Skye’s bed.

He walks in, brushing past me. “Who the fuck is in your room?” He halts mid-stride, his face paling as he sees Alex. I send up a prayer that he’s still out and doesn’t have a clue that a hulking man is glaring at him like he wants to yank him up by his ankles and toss him over the balcony.

Maverick’s chest heaves, his face oddly still as he moves his gaze around the room, taking in the clothes strewn about on the floor, the shoes I kicked off as soon as I came in, and the boxes of wine. He swallows, his throat bobbing as his eyes finally land on me. His fists are clenched at his sides, a barely contained force about to blow.

“Alex? Seriously? Goddammit, Delaney. You really had me fooled.”

I die at his words. The world stops.

I want to rewind everything and make sure Skye doesn’t beg Alex to walk us to our room. I wish I’d never even spoken to Alex at the beach today.

He brushes past me and I grab his arm, making him come up short. Anger works his face, and another girl might worry that he’d lash out, but it’s Maverick and I know underneath all that muscle is a heart that would never hurt a girl, not even Muffin.

“It’s not what you think. Skye and I went clubbing with him then he came up here and promptly passed out. That’s it.”

His teeth snap together, his shoulders stiff and defensive as he glares at me. I see pain there, hurt. “You tell me you love me one minute and the next you’re at the beach with your ex—what am I supposed to think?”

How on earth do I explain to him that Alex doesn’t even register on my radar anymore? Not after falling for Maverick.

“You’re supposed to believe me because nothing compares to you,” I say, letting his arm go. “Because my heart is yours and always will be.”

He’s made it to the door but turns back toward me. Maybe it’s my words that stopped him. He scrubs his face and pulls the hair off his forehead, holding on to it as he stares at me. “You’re killing me, Delaney. I can’t think straight without you.”