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I tucked the phone between my thighs and said nothing. Less than a minute later, we pulled into the Westbrook Police Station.
My head stayed on a swivel the entire time I was escorted through the lot, waiting for the car carrying Matthew to arrive. Just as a set of headlights streaked across the pavement, I was pushed inside.
On the way past, I stuck my head into Detective Paul’s office, noting the surprise in his eyes. I held up my cuffed wrists. “Good luck with this,” I said quietly.
He cursed beneath his breath, the legs of his chair scraping when he pushed it back. I was led deeper into the building and shown a chair at a desk. Before I sat, the double doors opened, and Matthew came inside. His wild eyes bounced around, only settling when they found what he was searching for.
Me.
The second we locked eyes, relief accompanied by a whole other host of emotions flickered across his face. Ignoring the protests of my jailer, I went forward, my cuffed hands reaching out to cover his.
“No touching,” the uniformed escort snapped.
“Fuck off,” I grunted. What was he gonna do, arrest me?
Stiffening, his hand flew out to retaliate, and I snapped my eyes to his angry face. “I wouldn’t if I were you. It didn’t work well for the last guy who didn’t keep his hands to himself.”
“Bear,” Matthew whispered.
My body rotated, putting my back to the angry cop and blocking Matthew from view. “Hey, princess. How was the ride?”
He grimaced, his fingers curling around mine a little tighter.
“Come sit down,” I said, leading him to the chair I’d been told to sit in. Once he was in it, I pulled another one up beside it.
“Here,” I said, pulling my phone out of my pocket once more and opening Bluetooth. “Let’s sync your pods to my phone.”
“I said no phones,” the officer growled, stepping close to try and take it away.
“What the hell is going on out here?” Detective Paul hollered, granting us a reprieve, and I was able to link Matthew’s AirPods. After a few more taps, I turned on some ASMR.
His eyes shot to mine. “This is my favorite.”
“I know,” I answered.
“But this is…” He paused. “I haven’t heard this one before.”
“It just started,” I mused. “How do you know?”
“I’ve listened to all of Dark ASMR’s videos so much that I know them. This is new.”
The way my heart flipped over that. Totally Olympic-quality acrobatics. “Maybe he uploaded a new one tonight.”
Matthew shook his head confidently. “He uploads on Tuesdays and Thursdays,” he refuted, fingers tangled in the bracelets I’d given him, thumb rubbing over the silver button on the leather one.
I didn’t say anything because I was still trying to process the knowledge that he’d memorized all my content and knew my schedule by heart. It made me glad I’d stuck to the upload calendar I created even when I hadn’t felt like filming and editing the videos. Knowing how much he depended on routine, I wondered if missing an upload would’ve stressed him out.
Matthew’s velvety lashes fluttered, sweeping down as he listened. His Adam’s apple bobbed, and the fingers twisting in the bracelets were still. Unable to hold back, I put my cuffed hands over his.
He glanced through his lowered fringe.
“You like it that much?” I asked, the beats of my heart heavy.
“Up until I met you, this was my favorite sound.”
A low groan vibrated my throat. Being his favorite was an achievement I never knew I needed but now one I’d never be able to exist without. Knowing I’d been able to calm him even before we met filled me with satisfaction.
“Arsen?”
