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“In what reality would you ever be the dumper?” Her eyes widen like I suggested she date men her own age.
“I’m chill being the dumpee.” The rumbling voice behind me sends a rowdy current rippling through me and turns me around.
Real-life shirtless Gabriel Wade stands barefoot in the doorway that leads to the adjoining room, wearing red basketball shorts, a lazy grin, and a chest that’s even more cut in person.
Stuck in the intersection between outrage and fascination, I can’t look away.
chapter 8
Gabe
“Adapt to every situation.”
~ Meredith Morgan
(played by the award-winning Meredith Wade)
Raising Ryder: Episode67
I wait in the doorway between our rooms, watching Jess watch me. She’s not looking at my face. If I stared at her where she’s staring at me, I’d get slapped. The caveboy in me screamsScore!“Eyes up top, Escalator Girl.” I cue a wicked grin, hoping for a blush.
She doesn’t disappoint. Dark red creeps across her skin as her focus bounces from my chest to my face.
I didn’t plan on showing up shirtless—I’ve spent the last hour shedding whatever stress I could with sit-ups, push-ups, and planks—but now I’m not sorry.
“How are you here?” She cups her cheeks like she can cool the burn.
I glance at the woman decked out like a rainbow silently stalking our interaction. “I’m gonna go with agent conspiracy.Someonetweeted my original room number.” Then Jess’s agent just happened to call hotel management and offer to switch my two-bedroom suite upstairs for one of her client’s shoebox rooms down here. Not that I care. The top floor messed with my hatred of heights, and I like my current view of Jess better. Even without makeup, she’s hot.
“You made him change rooms?” Jess gives her agent the same ball-shriveling glare she gave me after I provoked her at the panel. A look I’m going to work hard to avoid in the future.
“Victoria King.” She leaves her chair by the window and offers her hand. “Vi.”
“Ms. King.” Turning on my manners, I shake her hand, trying to reconcile Effie Trinket’s twin with the woman who convinced uptight Alan to do a joint publicity push fifteen minutes after the kiss pics blew across the internet. “We have a deal then?” My question is directed at Jess. “We date. You dump?”
“I don’t think so.” This time her eyes stay on my face, but her fingers cover a small scar on her jaw like she’s just remembered it’s there.
“I’m sure you two will work it out.” Vi slips on her shoes. Pausing at the end of Jess’s bed, she nods toward a magazine on the floor with me on the cover. “Let me know if it’s true about the boxers.” She shoots Jess a wink and walks out the door.
Jess’s eyes widen in such a mix of mad and mortified that Vi might as well have tossed us a box of condoms and hungdo not disturbon the door.
It’s true about the boxers. Don’t think Jess will appreciate the confirmation, so I don’t share. But the magazine on her floor? I can’t let that go. I point my shoe at the shirtless picture of me. “Are you crushing on me?” I can only hope.
She tries to toe the magazine under the bed, but the pages only crumple so far against the wood base. Unable to force it all the way under, she stands on the cover. “I’m homeschooled. We don’t crush, we court.”
I laugh. “That explains a lot.” And makes her just that much more interesting.
“I’m not doing PR with you.” She gestures for me to run along back to my room.
Running along isn’t an option. Not until Jess saysyesto the publicity stunt.Yesto hanging out.Yesto me.I can’t make that happen from the other side of the door. Plus, talking to her makes me happy—a feeling I barely remember. “You’re mad about the panel this morning.”
“Because you left me with a thousand questions about your show I couldn’t answer?”
“Based on your touchy tone, I’m thinking yes.” I hold in my grin so I don’t piss her off even more.
“I don’t have a tone. And I might’ve gotten over looking like a moron, but then the pictures from the lobby went viral.”
She’s still jacked about the kiss. Most girls would’ve worn their thumbs out pressing thesharebutton. I’m kind of into the fact that her thumb isn’t even a little bit tired. Fascinated by this girl’s sweet and sexy, I’m also into the quirky combination of her low cut tank, hip-hugging pants, andHello Kittysocks.
