Series: Fever Falls Series by Riley Hart
Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96922 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 485(@200wpm)___ 388(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“I could say the same about yours.”
“Never seen a fire before I didn’t want to put out.”
“Well, I’ve already put out, and didn’t that just make the fire worse?” I quipped.
Jace laughed, and I added, “I guess if we’re going to do this, might as well go down in flames.” I leaned forward and kissed him.
Even though the music was loud, I could hear some of the people around us chatting, but I didn’t give a shit. I was having fun. There I was, at a gay club with Jace Kruse, standing in a crowd that likely knew about my past, and I wasn’t freaking out. I was still just me. And whatever happened, just like in the past, the spotlight only shone on particular individuals for their fifteen minutes before moving on to someone else.
I could do it again.
It wouldn’t necessarily be my favorite thing in the world, but if it meant I got to explore more with Jace Kruse, I was in.
As I pulled away from Jace and opened my eyes, a flash filled the room—someone’s iPhone camera, I figured. Jace glanced around, searching for the culprit.
“Hacksmore will be pissed when I tell him I’m not going to help out on the deal, but I’ll pitch it that he’s gonna get what he wants out of it just by us being out and about together. But I’d feel gross and unprofessional participating any other way. And I don’t want to turn this into any more of a show than it already is.”
“I understand that.”
“If there is some benefit to seeing each other, I don’t want it directly tied up in any sort of contract or bound by some agreement we don’t have any control over once we sign papers. I would rather let it be what it is. I think that’s the only way I’m going to maintain any semblance of sanity in all this.”
“I respect that. I respect you, Dax.”
A serious practicality sparked in my mind. “There is one thing you might not like—if we’re doing this, it’s probably best we don’t mess around with anyone else while this is going on. I’m not demanding exclusivity because I feel like you shouldn’t be able to fuck around. I don’t give a shit, but I know how the press can be if they find out either of us are messing around with other people, and—”
“Oh, I get that. And I definitely don’t need Nance and Keeg reading about that, so I’m game for that if you are.” He seemed surprised by his response. “Damn, Dax Munro, I never thought anyone could make me go exclusive, but guess it just took a special man.”
I laughed, but considering the kind of man Jace was, that meant a lot to me.
“So you’re really in this, whatever it is we’re doing?” he added.
“The thing?” I teased, recalling his verbiage earlier that morning. “Yeah, I’m in the thing.”
“Good. I could use a PR guy on Speed Dial. I need the help.”
I rolled my eyes. “No, you don’t, but I’m happy to pretend you do.”
I claimed his mouth once again.
We really were in over our heads, but as I’d mentioned to him before, it was definitely better if we were in over our heads together.
28
Jace
It was settled.
Dax and I were officially a thing.
Neither of us knew what that thing was—if just a flirtation or if we could be regular fuck buddies or what, but we were both in it to see where it led.
Selfishly, I was relieved because considering how Dax had freaked out over the exposure we’d received, I figured he would bail, that it might be too much for him, but despite how that part of him was something he struggled with, he’d pushed through like the Dax Munro I’d come to know over the past couple of months.
Dax had met with Hacksmore once again, and they’d sorted through the mess together. A few days later, as scheduled, Dax and Carter headed back to Los Angeles, but Dax had assured me he’d be back, and I believed him.
Just like the first time my picture had gone viral, the notoriety that had come along with those pics of me and Dax circulating the web had peaked and waned, and people approached me for selfies and signatures far less frequently.
With the spare time I had on my hands, I needed to do something…keep busy. I wasn’t the sort to sit around, so I hit the gym, spent time with my buds from the station, and volunteered at Fever Fight and for various projects where I could be handy—Zed needed a shelf built in his new apartment, Nance needed help cleaning the shed out back, and Benny at Fever Pitch had asked for help resurfacing his roof, which I’d signed on to help with when he mentioned he was struggling to come up with the money for the project.