Page 212 of Rising Heat

“I’ve got you,” he says softly.

I press one hand against my chest and let out a breath that feels like it’s been trapped in for the last twenty minutes.

“That…I…”

“That sucked,” Tyler finishes.

A laugh escapes me anyway, thin and a little shaky.

“Yeah…”

Mack squeezes my shoulder.

“You okay?”

I nod too fast.

I’m not. But if I stop moving—if I let myself stand still for even a second—I’m pretty sure I’m going to start crying right here on the front stoop wearing Tyler’s jacket.

“I’m fine.”

Tyler’s hand slides warm against the back of my neck.

“It’s okay if you aren’t.”

“I’m sorry I ruined the night,” my throat tightens around the words.

Mack’s jaw tightens.

“You didn’t ruin anything.”

He says it so firmly it doesn’t even sound like reassurance. It sounds like a fact.

The adrenaline starts bleeding out of me all at once, leaving my hands shaky and my thoughts struggling to catch up with everything that just happened.

When Mack speaks again, his voice is quieter.

“We’re not trying to keep you here, Darcy. You know that.”

My stomach drops so hard it makes my head spin.

Brett’s voice rings through my head.

Don’t confuse attention with being chosen.

Tyler’s hand stills against the back of my neck.

“Hey.”

I nod.

“Right.”

I can already hear my voice starting to break, and if I stay out here another thirty seconds I’m going to fall apart in front of both of them.

Mack’s eyebrows pull together.

“Darcy—”