Page 36 of Ring My Bell

He didn’t bother waiting for a reply. We made it through the lodge and onto the expansive patio, where the festival organizers had set up some small, themed open bars, schlocky photo booths, and social media ‘opportunities.’

Okay, I thought it was hella cute, and I’d have been in those photo booths if we weren’t getting the fuck away from Raymond.

Our rental wasn’t that long of a walk away, but it was not fun in heels. “Next time we do this, I’m wearing boots. Or making you carry me.”

“Next time?” Mathis demanded with a strangled laugh. “How many former producers do you want to decimate?”

I snorted. “Just the one so far. Ask me again in a year and we’ll see. By the way, this is the worst one of our dates.”

“We’ve had dates?”

He sounded so startled I had to laugh. “Well, I’m counting them retroactively. Waffles, the drive to Sacramento, the drive to Nevada, the drive to—”

“I get it, I get it. We’ve been dating. Nice of you to let me know.”

“Awfully grumpy about it, considering we’ve also been fucking for a week now.”

He shrugged. “Guess we should do it some more, put me in a better mood.”

The house hovered into view, and I let out a sigh of relief. “Oh my god, I need to get out of these shoes before my feet fall off.”

Mathis let us into the house, and I kicked the heels off immediately. He locked the front door while I headed for the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of water.

“Shit,” Mathis groaned. “Paige just texted. Security let Raymond go and he was raising hell at the lodge, demanding to know where we were and insisting we be detained.”

“Fuck.”

“Basically.”

His phone chimed again. “And double fuck. Apparently, he’s on his way here. Paige said he tore out of the lodge. Security can’t do shit about it since he’s technically leaving the property and it’ll be the local P.D.’s problem.”

“What’re we going to do?” I shook so hard my teeth rattled. “Mathis…”

“He’s angry but not homicidal.” Mathis didn’t sound as sure as I think he wanted to. “Gerald and Paige have the car. Unless you want to run, we either face Raymond, or we hide until the cops get here.”

The crunch of tires on the driveway made me yelp. “Is it him?”

Mathis moved to the door to peek through the sidelight. “Newer-model Porsche. Has to be.”

“So, true story, funny story, I was totally gonna say let’s just face him, but now I’m kind of freaking out.”

Mathis tugged me into his arms and kissed me, hard and fast and a little painful when his teeth caught my lip and he nipped me. “We’re going to be fine, Iggy. I promise. If you want to hide, we hide.”

I nodded. “I’m sorry I’m so chickenshit…”

“You’re not. You’re a little flighty, prone to theatrics, and have the wildest ideas, but you’re not chickenshit. You’re bold as hell and brave and…” He trailed off. “Okay. Big romance talk later. Armoire?”

I nodded. “Armoire.”

Chapter Fifteen

MATHIS

Come on, come on, come on…

Raymond’s car had been idling in the driveway for a good ten minutes. I couldn’t see who was inside with him, or if he was by himself, doing god knows what in the dark. Iggy had made me come hide with him in the armoire taking up most of the den’s east wall. I was getting antsy, and so was Iggy.

“Maybe we should go out?”

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