At least since Dax's behavior was consistent, I wasn't upset that he left. I knew it didn't mean he hadn't enjoyed himself. And that's all we were. Two people who enjoyed spending time with each other. Right now, I was okay with that. I might not be at some point in the future, but that wasn't something I wanted to think about right now.
A muffled ringing made me jump. Shit. That was Carrie's ringtone. I scrambled out of the bed, hurrying into the sitting area where I'd left my purse last night. I'd forgotten to let her know that I wasn't coming home. She and Gavin hadn't set down any sort of rules or anything for me, but I knew it was polite to let them know where I was.
“Hello?” I managed to answer just before it went to voicemail.
“Bryne, are you with Dax?”
I immediately tensed at Carrie's tone. Something was wrong. I wanted to believe that it was just Carrie being overprotective because she didn't like the idea of me hooking up with Dax, but my gut told me that wasn't the case.
“I was, why?”
“How long were you with him?”
I was starting to get the impression that this was how Carrie questioned people when she was in lawyer mode. I stood, barely aware that I was still naked.
“We met after rehearsal yesterday.” I began to pace. “Went to dinner, then a movie.” I paused to pick up my clothes. “Then we came here.”
“Here?”
“A hotel.”
“You're still there?”
“I am.” I tossed the clothes onto the bed. “We had, um, sex, and I fell asleep.” I wasn't about to tell my aunt that Dax had fucked me until I passed out. “I woke up a couple minutes before you called, and he was already gone.”
“Are you okay?”
There was more of the aunt than the lawyer in that question.
“I'm fine.” I felt compelled to add, “Dax doesn't stay over.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. The words sounded strange, as if I was trying to defend what Dax and I had done. I didn't need to defend it. We were both consenting adults. And I knew Carrie wouldn't judge me. She wasn't like my mother.
“What time did he leave?”
“I'm not sure.” Annoyance crept into my voice. “What's going on, Carrie? I know I should've texted you last night to let you know I wasn't coming home, but what's with the interrogation about where he is now?”
The silence went on longer than I was comfortable with, but Carrie broke it before I could.
“Annabeth Prevot called me ten minutes ago,” she said. “Dax's mom. She said he didn't come home last night.”
“Maybe she just didn't hear him.” Dax had talked a bit about his mom but hadn't mentioned that he lived with her. I'd just assumed he hadn't invited me back to his place because we weren't serious. Now that I knew, though, I really got it. I couldn't imagine bringing a guy back to a place where I lived with my mother.
“She's always up when he gets up for work, and he wasn't there this morning.”
I swallowed hard and told my queasy stomach that I'd get something in it after things were straightened out with Carrie and Dax's mom. That's all this was. “Couldn't he have left early?”
“He didn't answer when she called. Three times. Or her texts. And he didn't answer when I called either.”
Dodging Carrie's calls made some sense. She'd fired him. I could see not wanting to talk to her without knowing what it was about, and I knew something about ignoring a mother's calls.
But not when she called three times in a row, texted, and had someone else call. No matter how much the two of us argued, I would've wanted to make sure nothing was wrong.
“Shit,” I whispered as I closed my eyes. “Did she try calling the shop?”
“No one's answering there either. And the ‘find my phone’ app he usually keeps on for her to check on him is off. He never turns it off because he doesn't want her to worry.” Carrie sighed. “Annabeth is worried that he's in trouble...or that he's done something stupid.”
Even as little as I knew about Dax, I was pretty sure that it was a matter of him doing something stupid that would get him into trouble.
I just hoped he wasn't in it yet.
I was willing to accept that we weren't anything more than friends who had sex, but I wasn't willing to lose him completely because he was an idiot. I was going to find him, and then I would kick his ass for making me worry.
Continues in Collide Vol. III, coming Sept 2nd.
In the meantime, check out the five brand new stories set in M. S. Parker’s Club Privé Kindle World, available now:
Sweet Escape
Taken Over
Her Soldier’s Solace
Guilty As Sin
Un-Leashed
Also by M. S. Parker
Make Me Yours
The Billionaire’s Mistress
Con Man Box Set
HERO Box Set
A Legal Affair Box Set
The Client
Indecent Encounter
Dom X Box Set
Unlawful Attraction Box Set
Chasing Perfection Box Set
Blindfold Box Set
Club Prive Box Set
The Pleasure Series Box Set
Exotic Desires Box Set
Pure Lust Box Set
Casual Encounter Box Set
Sinful Desires Box Set
Twisted Affair Box Set
Serving HIM Box Set
About the Author
M. S. Parker is a USA Today Bestselling author and the author of the Erotic Romance series, Club Privè and Chasing Perfection.
Living in Las Vegas, she enjoys sitting by the pool with her laptop writing on her next spicy romance.
Growing up all she wanted to be was a dancer, actor or author. So far only the latter has come true but M. S. Parker hasn’t retired her dancing shoes just yet. She is still waiting for the call for her to appear on Dancing With The Stars.
When M. S. isn't writing, she can usually be found reading– oops, scratch that! She is always writing.
For more information:
msparkerauthor
www.msparker.com
[email protected] Acknowledgments
First, I would like to thank all of my readers. Without you, my books would not exist. I truly appreciate each and every one of you.
A big “thanks” goes out to all the Facebook fans, street team, beta readers, and advanced reviewers. You are a HUGE part of the success of all my series.
I have to thank my PA, Shannon Hunt. Without you my life would be a complete and utter mess. Also a big thank you goes out to my editor Lynette and my wonderful cover designer, Sinisa. You make my ideas and writing look so good.
M. S. Parker, Collide Vol. 2
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