Page 16 of Big D!ck Energy

The car hit a pothole, and I lurched sideways. My shoulder collided with his chest: solid, warm, and smelling entirely too good for someone I was supposed to despise.

I scrambled back to my side of the seat like he'd electrocuted me, which wasn't far from the truth. “Tell your driver to avoid the holes.”

“I'll get right on that. 'Hey, Frank, could you please drive around the holes in the road? All of them. Yes, I know that's impossible, but the lady insists.'“ He snorted out a humorous laugh. “You know, if you stopped hating me for thirty seconds, you might realize something interesting.”

“What's that? That you're a giant man-child? Because I already knew that.”

“That you don't really hate me.” His voice dropped lower, almost intimate in the enclosed space. “That maybe all this animosity is covering up...”

“Hard pass.” I cut him off. “Blocked and reported as spam.”

He laughed, and the sound filled the car. It was a good laugh, genuine and unguarded, and I hated that I noticed.

I pressed my lips together to keep from smiling. I would not find Dallas Dodger charming. I wouldn't.

The Bellagio finally appeared in the distance, its fountains dancing and its lights beginning to glow in the approaching dusk. Salvation. Freedom. A room with a door that locked and kept out annoying wrestlers.

“Thanks for the ride,” I said stiffly as we pulled up to the grand entrance, where doormen stood ready to assist.

“Anytime, Davidson.” He reached across me to open my door, letting his body brush against mine, and I sucked in a harsh breath, holding it until the heat of him was gone. “See you tomorrow. Try not to miss me too much tonight.”

I grabbed my carry-on and practically fell out of the car in my haste to escape, my ankle rolling on the curb. “Unfortunately, I'll be too busy enjoying your absence.”

His laughter followed me all the way across the marble entryway into the lobby. I did not look back to see if he was watching me go.

I didn't.

Not even once.

Okay, fine. I looked once. Maybe twice, and he was definitely watching, leaning against the car, smiling with his arms crossed over his chest in a way that did absolutely nothing for me whatsoever.

“You made it!” Brooke's squeal echoed across the lobby. She charged toward me, and I smiled, forcing my attention away from Dallas. “Of course, I made it. Did you doubt me?”

“We were just waiting on you and Dallas,” Matt said, his gaze lifting over my shoulder. I didn't need to turn around to know Dallas had caught up to me. I could feel his presence.

“Where's Kali and James?” I asked, trying to ignore Dallas, who was approximately six inches behind me.

“Here!” Kali sang from somewhere behind the mountain of a man standing in front of me. She popped her head around Matt's, her long strawberry-blonde curls even wilder than usual. “I see you survived the journey. Both of you. Together. Interesting.”

“Don't start,” I warned.

“I haven't started anything. That was just an observation.”

“Kali…”

“Anyway,” Brooke interrupted, her entire demeanor shifting in a way that made my stomach drop. I knew that look. That was the I have bad news, and I'm about to ruin your day look. “We need to talk about the room situation.”

“Room situation?” My shoulders slumped. “Please tell me you're about to say something that doesn't involve me sleeping on a pool chair.”

She winced. “So... we checked everyone in yesterday since I booked all the rooms together for the girls and Matt booked them for the guys, and there was a tiny, minuscule, barely-worth-mentioning issue.”

“Issue.” It wasn't a question. It was a statement of defeat.

She nodded, guilt written across her face. “They overbooked the hotel. Apparently, several events are happening. Anyway, we're short a room.”

I rubbed my forehead, feeling a headache forming behind my eyes. “Fantastic. Love that for me.”

“But,” Brooke continued, speaking faster now, “you could just stay with Matt and me. We have a suite, and…”