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Dylan was coming back for me.
Hold your horses, Coltridge. You’re not even there.
“I don’t appreciate your tone, young man. She wanted to spend some time with her mama after what happened with Tucker.”
“You’re right. You’re absolutely right,” I said breathlessly. “I’ll be out of your hair right now. Just let me see Gravity before I leave.”
“She’s asleep.”
“I know. I need my daily fix of inhaling her hair, and I’ll be on my way.” I was such a fucking red flag I was surprised no bull had assassinated me yet. It sounded so creepy and cheesy. “I won’t make a sound. I promise.”
Zeta cursed in Italian, shaking her head and flattening her hand against the door to open it up for me.
“My daughter better marry you, or I will.”
DYLAN
When I made it home, Rhyland wasn’t there.
I unlocked his door using the spare key he’d given me. The place was impeccably organized, clean and empty. The addictive scent of leather, wood, and man filled my nostrils, making me ache for him.
My knee-jerk reaction was panic. Where did he go? When was he coming back? Was he with someone else?
No. I knew for a fact the last option wasn’t possible. Heat uncurled in the pit of my stomach—something that resembled an orgasm but was much more profound. The realization floored me.
I trusted him.
I trusted him not to be with someone else, even if we weren’t together. And that was huge.
After my dread and sadness subsided, determination took over.
It was actually a good thing he wasn’t here yet.
I had a plan.
RHYLAND
Ipushed Dylan’s apartment door open.
She wasn’t there.
I tried to tamp down my worry.
I knew she’d gotten here before me because I’d been texting her mom throughout my drive.
Maybe she came straight to my penthouse.
Rather than take the elevator, I took the stairs up two at a time. I needed to see her. Taste her. When I pushed the door open, she wasn’t there. I pulled my phone out, ready to concede in this wild-goose chase, call her and ask where the fuck she was, when I noticed a note stuck to my stainless-steel fridge. It hadn’t been there before. I didn’t even own any magnets. Squinting, I walked over to it.
Meet me at the Stonewell Mall ASAP.
—Cosmos.
(P.S. your dogs are with me)
(P.P.S. not in a ransom kind of way. They were whimpering and wanted to be taken out.)
(P.P.P.S. You do realize they’re your dogs, right? You’re never letting anyone adopt them. Just admit you’re a big softie.)