Free The Love Series Complete Box Set by Melissa Collins

His silence is scaring me a little.
    “You got most of that right. You were with Mike, and you had a few drinks at the bar, but from what I saw, it was just soda.” He leaves that last part hanging in the air between us—loaded and heavy.
    Realization dawns—I didn’t drink last night. This is not a hangover.
    Reid catches the look of overwhelming panic in my eyes, and he immediately reaches to comfort me.
    “Don’t worry, Maddy. Nothing happened. I was walking back into Shooters when Mike was trying to leave with you. You guys walked past me, and I saw that something was off. Your eyes weren’t clear. They were all glassy, and you just didn’t seem with it. I had been watching you all night, so I knew you weren’t drunk. That’s when I realized that he must have slipped you something. I knocked him on his ass and then brought you here. I know you probably didn’t want to wake up next to me, but I didn’t want you to be alone and scared when you woke up.”
    As reality starts to settle in, I realize that Melanie doesn’t know where the hell I am. I gasp and cover my mouth with my hand. “Oh, God, Mel! I need to call Mel. She must be worried sick. I never stay out without telling her.” I fumble a bit in a half-assed attempt to get out of the bed. My head is still foggy, and I immediately feel dizzy when I try to move.
    “Shh. Don’t freak out. It’s okay. I texted her last night and let her know that you were here. Don’t worry. It’s all taken care of.” His voice is calming and soothing, as are his fingers, which are still delicately tracing lines over my eyes, cheeks, and lips.
    I lean back against the headboard and take a few more calming breaths.
    “You were watching me?” My question catches him off guard.
    He doesn’t answer right away. I can tell he’s searching for the right words. He stops stroking my face and runs his hands through his own hair. I can see him internally battling over what to say. He’s really struggling here, and if I wasn’t on the edge of my seat for his answer, I might actually find this pretty funny.
    He finally decides to speak.
    “Um . . . Yeah. I guess you could say that. It’s just that . . . well . . . I didn’t trust that guy. I’d never seen him there, and he was staring at you while you were leaning over the pool table like a wolf eyeing up a lamb. I wanted to make sure that you were okay, that’s all.”
    I can’t manage more than an “oh” in response. The silence stretches. Unsaid words are hanging heavy between us. I can’t take it any longer, so I say, “Thank you.”
    “For what, Maddy?” His eyes are wide and clear now, all traces of sleepiness gone.
    “For saving me from him. For bringing me here and knowing that I would be scared if I woke up alone, for texting Mel, for not taking advantage of me. I know you don’t really like me and all, so I just wanted to say thank you for helping me despite that.”
    He visibly flinches at my words. He looks offended and pissed—he looks more like the Reid with whom I’m familiar.
    “That’s what you think? You think I hate you?”
    I pull back from the harsh tone of his cold words. “Well, I know I’m not your favorite person, that’s for certain. I’d like to think you don’t hate me, Reid, but I don’t think you like me very much.”
    He inches toward me, closing the distance I just created.
    “I definitely do not hate you.” His hand returns to my cheek, and his eyes meet mine. He gazes intently and I’m mesmerized, completely glued to the honesty shining through their blue depths.
    “Then what is it, Reid? What is going on here?” I throw my hands up in frustration. “I’m exhausted from all of this. You antagonize me and all but treat me like shit, and then you run in like some kind of knight in shining armor to rescue me from some big bad wolf. I . . . I . . . don’t know what to do or how to feel. I can’t keep running away from you. Avoiding you is draining me.” I inhale