Why did I pick an island?
“I’m trapped.”
I was fucking trapped.
I stumbled back into my bed and tried to bring the shaking under control. I had to. I had to try. Just like I had to try to run away even if I failed.
“My phone,” I mumbled.
I need my phone.
I pushed myself back up and went in search of it. It was on the coffee table in the living room. I reached for it.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
I jumped, screeching ungracefully and turned to the door.
What was that?
I reached for my chest as if that would calm my racing heart and watched the door as if it had turned into a living creature all of a sudden.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
It was him. I knew it was. It had to be. Who else would knock on a door as if intending to bring it down?
I took a step back and tried to keep my gaze steady even though my eyes had started to sting.
I’m trapped. I’m fucking trapped.
“Zach! Zach are you there?” a loud voice boomed from the other side, and I whimpered.
My throat tightened. I gasped for air, but it was getting harder and harder to breathe.
“Zach, please tell me you’re inside!”
I stilled myself and closed my eyes.
Wait a minute. That…that didn’t sound like Victor. No it didn’t sound like Victor at all.
I tiptoed to the door as quietly as possible and peeked through the peep hole.
“Dare?” I asked as if to confirm what I was seeing.
“Zach? Oh my God. Are you okay?” His shoulders and chest dropped as if sighing in relief and he put a hand on the door frame.
I reached for the key but immediately felt light headed so when I opened the door for Dare I all but stumbled back.
Before I collapsed, I felt a hand wrap around the small of my back and another around the back of my neck. When I openedmy eyes I was pressed against hard muscles and the musky scent of him made me woozy all over again.
“Zach? What-what’s going on? Are you okay? What happened?” he rumbled, and I felt it reverberate deep into my bones.
“I…I’m…fine,” I mumbled but before I could even finish my sentence I felt the floor disappear from under my feet and I was swung in the air.
I blinked only to realize Dare had picked me up in his big, strong arms. His dark blue eyes fixed on me as if I was the only thing that mattered. His pink lips only a breath away from mine, looking softer and more inviting than they’d ever looked. I found it hard to breathe but it wasn’t out of fear this time. It was out of sheer shock and need. The times I’d dreamt of burying myself in his arms, of being held close, of being claimed by those same lips and letting go.
I must be dreaming.
Dare laid me down on my couch and I immediately missed his touch. The way his grip made me feel safe and sound. The way his gaze put me at ease.
