Page 82 of Beautiful Collide

Hopefully, they aren’t in there too long. I’d like to speak with my brother and find a way to pull Hudson aside and whisper-shout at him.

Okay, mostly yell. The whisper part is negotiable.

After five minutes, the door swings open, and Hudson appears, his hair damp and his black thermal untucked as he laughs. He’s with Mason and hasn’t spotted me yet.

The sight of him—relaxed, cocky, like he doesn’t have a care in the world—only stokes the fire inside me.

After he finishes chuckling at whatever Mason said, he tilts his head up and notices me. Instantly, his lips spread into a smirk.

Oh, there it is. The smirk that makes me want to punch him and . . . do other things I refuse to acknowledge.Won’t go there.

While I know he’s not surprised to see me here because I work for Dane, he knows he’s the reason I’m here tonight. His antics.

“Molly,” he drawls, stopping in his place. “To what do I owe the honor?”

His tone is pure mischief, and it takes every ounce of my willpower not to throw anything at him.

And there it is. That smug grin that makes my blood boil.

He knows why I’m here, and the worst part is that he’s enjoying this. He lives for moments like this—to push, to bait, to see how far he can go before I snap.

I’m about to answer with something biting, something that will wipe that smirk off his face, when Dane strolls out of the locker room behind him, grinning like he’s on top of the world.

“You coming out tonight?” Dane asks, his excitement so palpable it’s hard not to smile back.

“You’re going out? Willingly?” I tease, narrowing my eyes at him.

“Yeah.”

I reach out, pressing my palm to his forehead like I’m checking for a fever. “Who are you, and what did you do to my brother?”

“It’s called love, Molly.” I don’t even need to look at Hudson to know he’s enjoying this.

Dane snaps his gaze to Hudson, his brow arching. “Careful, Hudson. That could be construed as sarcasm.”

Hudson lifts his hands in mock surrender, his grin never wavering. “Nothing sarcastic here. You’re in love, and when someone’s in love, they change.”

I can feel the words bubbling up inside me—sharp, sarcastic comebacks just begging to be unleashed. But I promised. I promised to play nice, and the effort of holding it in is physically painful. My teeth sink into my cheek to keep them in.

Hudson, of course, notices. He raises an eyebrow, clearly amused. He knows exactly what I’m doing and why, and the smug satisfaction in his eyes is almost unbearable.

He crosses his arms, leaning against the doorframe, his lips twitching as if he’s waiting for me to crack.

Dane looks back and forth between us, clearly missing the subtext but clocking the tension. “Looks like you guys are following through with the bet. I’m proud of you both.”

“Guess we’re just full of surprises. Right, Hudson?” I manage, my voice tight and my smile strained.

Dane laughs, clapping Hudson on the back. “Good.”

Watching Dane like this—light, happy, so completely different from the way he used to be—my anger dissipates.

This is what I’ve been hoping for, working for, this version of him.

I love it. It makes all the chaos and Hudson-related nonsense almost worth it. Almost.

Dane glances at me. “What’s it going to be? You coming?”

“I’ll catch up,” I reply, forcing my voice to stay even. “I need a minute.”

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