Page 43 of Dark and Dangerous

I push off the fridge and hold the phone between my shoulder and ear while I grab the cleaning supplies from under the sink. “Actually, I was going to call you…”

“What’s up?”

“Do you know how Christian found out where we moved?”

Levi’s tone changes instantly. “Why? Did that motherfucker find you?”

“Yeah, he showed up at my work over the weekend.”

“I hope your dad was there with his twelve gauge.”

“He wasn’t…” I almost tell him about Jace, but what would be the point? “So he’s not still in contact with any of the team or anything?”

Jace taps my shoulder, asking me to move, and so I do. He runs the tap to wash his face while Levi asks, “Not that I know of, but I’ll ask around.”

“No, it’s okay,” I tell him, moving to the kitchen table. “I was just wondering. Don’t make it a thing.”

“If that’s what you want.”

I set the cleaning caddy on the table and turn to lean against it. A second later, Jace is in front of me again, as close as he was before. I stare in his eyes while he stares at my face. Then slowly, carefully, he lifts both his hands. One cradles my head while the other uses a paper napkin to gently wipe away the bits of cake on my face. First one cheek, then the other.

Through the phone, Levi asks, “So what did you do today to celebrate?”

I grasp Jace’s wrist for no other reason than my need to touch him. “To be honest, I had a pretty shitty day, but… it got better. Someone’s here right now, and he just baked me a cake.”

Jace’s eyes flick to mine, a subtle smile playing on his lips.

“Right, right. Sorry to disturb you,” Levi says. “Call me sometime, okay? Just because Harley’s gone…”

My eyelids fall at the mention of my brother. “Yeah, I will.”

“Later, Low.”

“Bye, and thanks again for calling.”

“Always.”

As soon as I hang up, Jace lowers his hands and steps back, depriving me of his touch, of his closeness. He moves to the sink, as if we didn’t just share not one moment, but two, and looks out the window facing the half-court.

I mute my disappointment and focus on finishing the clean-up. “You can go out there. I don’t mind.”

He’s still a moment. No words. No movements. “Nah,” he says finally, facing me again. “Why don’t we watch a movie?”

My eyebrows shoot up. “You’re going to sit through awholemovie?”

“It’s your birthday,” he says, shrugging. “We can watch that Wizard of Whatever.”

“Oz.” I eye him, completely confused. One minute he was about to kiss me, and then the next… “You’ve really never watched a movie?”

Arms crossed, he says, “Not neverever,I’m sure, but nothing comes to mind.”

“Hmm.” I tap my chin. “Why don’t we meet in the middle and watch a basketball movie?”

His mouth dips at the corners as he looks down at me. “You mean, like, agame?”

“No, like amovie. LikeHe Got GameorHoosiersorCoach Carter…”

His face turnsblank.

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