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the grave deeper, but Dylan didn t know what else to do. Even if he
had to tackle him and tie him up, Dylan wasn t letting Cory go home
for the Christmas break.
I d love to help, but
Dylan didn t let him get any further. Great! He wrapped his arm
around Cory and dragged him toward the dorms. Now, let s go take
a look at my wardrobe and see what we can do about that problem.
Cory allowed himself to be dragged along. While he was leading
him up to his room, Dylan was frantically putting out a mental call to
Danny.
When Danny acknowledged him, Dylan explained as calmly and
completely as he could about what he d inadvertently discovered.
Please help me help him. I don t know what to do with this newfound
power of mine.
I m here, and I ll help. Danny sounded exhausted, and Dylan
felt badly for dumping things on him. Please don t worry, Dylan.
I m exhausted from finals and getting the gear ready for the last game
before the holiday break. But I m with you. We have to help Cory. I
don t care that he s not one of our brothers. Cory is still a human
being, and he clearly needs our help.
Thank you. Dylan kept his arm around Cory and dutifully kept
him occupied while Danny set something up with Phillip.
Like a miracle worker, Danny scored, and Phillip, the man with
the magic checkbook, made enchantment happen. In three days time
76 Anitra Lynn McLeod
there was a major fundraiser for the Twin Pines Grizzlies football
team at Phillip s home. And Dylan had scored a room at his estate,
and he dragged Cory right along with him.
I was supposed to go home for the break. Cory trailed his finger
over the rich leather of the limo seat.
Yeah, well, I m sure your mom s cool with you being a team
booster, right?
Sure! Cory plastered an enthusiastic grin on his face. Anything
for the team.
Hey, why didn t you try out? As soon as the question left his
mouth, Dylan knew the answer. Cory lived in fear of anyone seeing
the marks his stepfather left on his body. Deftly, Dylan changed the
subject. I guess a smart guy like you knows to keep his eye on the
big prize, huh?
Yeah, that s me. I m looking to get into grad school on the east
coast.
Damn. Aim high. Dylan also thought that would get him well
away from his stepfather s reach. I ll bet you ve got a high enough
GPA that you could probably switch now. It was a shot in the dark,
but Dylan took it.
Yeah, well, there s some home stuff.
Fuck, yeah. I know what that s like.
Do you? Cory seemed honestly curious.
Yeah. My dad is well, let s just say he s a shithead who never
does anything for anyone unless he gains the most by the exchange.
Damn. Dylan should learn a different cover if he was going to do stuff
like this. He didn t want to be telling the truth when
My dad was a great guy, but my stepfather is like that. He s
always got an angle, you know?
Dylan nodded, trying not to jump on the opening too eagerly.
He s older than your mom?
Younger. By a lot. She makes a big to-do about it. I mean,
having a younger man. She says being with him helps keep her
Daring Alpha 77
young. Cory looked out the window as they climbed the hill toward
Phillip s estate. He s not a nice guy.
No?
Fuck no. Cory shook his head. So tell me about your guy.
Caught off guard, Dylan said, He s so beautiful.
Whoa.
What?
I dunno. I guess I just never thought about you having a softer
side. I guess I misjudged you.
I think a lot of people do. Dylan reached out and took Cory s
hand. I think I m going to work a lot harder to turn that opinion
around.
Cory gripped his hand. This guy you like. Does he know that you
like him?
Gosh, I hope so. Considering he practically banged him simple
up against a tree and couldn t wait to do it again, Preston should
know how Dylan felt. But then again, Dylan realized he never said the
words. Not in a straightforward way. Well, actually, maybe he
doesn t.
No?
No. I mean, we had this interlude, and a lot of things happened,
and words were said, but I don t know that I was totally clear with
him. Dylan felt like he knew Preston knew, but he d feel better if he
just told him straight out. I think I should say things.
I think that s always best. Cory held his hand and moved to the
seat next to him. I mean, when you like someone, you shouldn t be
shy about saying something to them.
Right. Because otherwise, things could get confusing. Dylan
nodded. Just because he and Preston were eternally bonded didn t
mean he didn t have to romance his partner. I mean, I think I was
clear.
But you don t really know unless you say things very, very
clearly. Cory peered up at Dylan expectantly.
78 Anitra Lynn McLeod
Right. Being clear is a good thing.
Yeah. Unless you re maybe afraid your interest won t be
returned. Cory looked down at their joined hands, and Dylan did,
too.
Sure. I mean, I wouldn t want to spill my heart to find out he was
only just starting to fall in love with me.
So you think he s maybe in love with you?
Fuck. Well. Dylan frowned. I hope he is, but I don t know.
He didn t want to push Preston into that declaration until he was
ready. How would I know?
You could ask. Cory squeezed Dylan s hand and moved closer
along the bench seat. Just take the plunge.
But, damn, he s so tiny. I m afraid my sheer size might
intimidate him into saying yes when maybe he s not ready.
Damn.
What?
Nothing. Just, you re really way sweeter than I ever thought you
were. Cory peered up at him with the same big and deep brown eyes
like Preston had. You re so nice.
You sound surprised. Dylan realized they d been holding hands
for a long time now, and he extracted his hand as simply as he could.
Dylan did this by letting go of Cory s hand and immediately
wrapping his arm around his shoulder. I really am a nice guy.
I m beginning to see that. Cory leaned against him and sighed.
Maybe it s okay not to say everything. Sometimes actions speak
louder than words ever could.
That s true. Dylan thought his actions had been really damn
clear about his feelings.
No guts, no glory.
What?
The next thing Dylan knew, Cory plastered his lips against his and
tried to kiss his damn socks off!
Daring Alpha 79
Chapter 8
Preston ran.
He didn t care about all of his new clothes because they wouldn t
matter if he was dead. So he ran as fast as he could away from the
truck with just what he had. It was cold, but it wasn t snowing. There
were thick rolls of snow on either side of the county road, but the road
itself was clear and dry. However, if Preston stayed on the pavement,
they weren t going to have any trouble finding him.
There wasn t a doubt in his head that they were going to look for
him. Grayson needed him to sign checks and authorize transfers now
that he was eighteen. Preston wouldn t come into his full majority
until he was twenty-one, but until that time, he and Grayson
controlled the trust fund together. But right now, Grayson didn t
worry him. Elias did.
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