Maybe Matt's Miracle (20 page)

“
Who is this?” I ask and point toward the little girl.

Matt motions her forward as he squats down. She perches herself on his knee. “I’m Hayley,” she says. She has blue eyes and blond hair just like all the Reeds, and she’s adorable.

“
My daughter,” Paul says. He nods toward a door down the hallway. “Do you want to take the girls to play in your room?”

Hayley nods and smiles. They wait for Joey to come out of the bathroom, and then Hayley takes one of Joey’s hands and one of Mellie’s and drags them into her room. She closes the door behind them with a loud
bang
.

Paul scratches his head. “I guess I should get used to that. But I’m not sure I can,” he says. He shakes his head.

“
Are they okay in there?” I ask Matt. I kind of want to go see where they’re playing.

“
We’ll check on them in a second,” Matt says. His gaze darts around the room, and then he opens a door behind me and pushes me into a bedroom. He closes the door after us and flips me back against the wall with a gentle shove. “I missed you,” he whispers.

His hands bracket my face, and his knee slides between my legs, which is kind of good because my knees go wobbly when he grabs me. “Matt,” I warn. “The kids.”

“
Are all taken care of,” he says. His lips touch mine, and he groans against my lips as his tongue sweeps inside my mouth. He takes my breath away with every touch. His tongue tangles with mine, mimicking the way he licked me all over in bed yesterday, and my heart starts to thump.

I clench my hands in his shirt and try to keep myself on my feet. He pulls back and looks into my face. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says quietly. He brushes my hair back from my forehead and then steps back.

“
Whose room is this?” I ask. But I know immediately. From the books stacked on the nightstand to the overall neatness, I know it’s Matt’s.

He grins. “It’s mine. Who else’s room would I drag you into?” He snorts. “You wouldn’t want to see Paul’s room. There’s some kinky shit in there.”

“
Seriously?” I ask.

He grins. “No. I’m kidding. But the look on your face is priceless.” He laughs, and I love the sound of it.

“
Paul’s daughter is adorable,” I say. I run my finger across the photos taped to his dresser mirror. They’re all of him and his brothers and the girls in their lives—Reagan, Emily, and Friday. “Are the girlfriends coming tonight?” I ask. “Or am I the only one?”

“
They’ll be here soon. Are you kidding? They would not miss a perfect opportunity to grill you.” He smiles. “So be ready.”

They’re going to grill me? I drop the bottle of cologne I picked up, but Matt catches it before it can hit the floor.

“
Quit worrying,” he says. “They’re harmless.” He rocks his head back and forth like he’s thinking it over. “Well, I wouldn’t call Reagan harmless. She can drop kick the best of us. But with you, harmless.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

“
Don’t worry,” he says again. “They like you. And they know that I love you, so they’ll be on their best behavior. I promise.”

My heart swells. I’m not used to Matt’s declarations yet.

“
You still love me, right?” Matt asks.

I roll my eyes, trying to be nonchalant. “Nothing has changed since yesterday.” I looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Anything changed for you?”

“
Yeah,” he says. “I want you more than I did yesterday,” he says, his voice soft and harsh all at the same time.

A knock sounds on the door, and it opens a crack. “Are you decent?” a female voice asks.

“
Open the door and find out.” Matt calls back.

The door opens slowly, and Emily pops her head in. “Oh, thank God,” she breaths.

Matt narrows his eyes at her. “What?”

“
You’re both dressed. I thought that was going to be uncomfortable after I found both of you naked or something.”

“
Then you should have stayed outside,” Matt says, but he pulls her into his side and gives her a noogie. She grins and fends him off. “What did you want?” Matt asks.

“
I’m making margaritas for Reagan,” she says. “You guys want one?” She looks from Matt to me and back. I don’t even know if Matt drinks; I’ve only seen him drink beer.

“
Sky wants one,” he says. He nods toward me.

“
I have the kids,” I protest.

“
And they’re taken care of,” he says. He nods toward Emily. “Make her one.”

Emily leaves the room, leaving the door ajar. “I can’t get drunk,” I whisper. “I have to go home at the end of the night.”

He pulls me against him with his fingers hooked in the loops of my jeans. “I was hoping you might want to stay the night,” he says. “The girls can camp out with Hayley. Seth can take the couch. I’ll sleep with Sam. He has twin beds in there.”

He’ll sleep with Sam? “Why on earth would I stay over if you’re going to sleep with Sam?” I squeak. I shove his chest. “If I stay over, you’re sleeping with me.”

“
I don’t want to set a bad example for Seth,” he says quietly.

“
Is that why you didn’t come over after work last night?” I ask. I sound like I’m pouting, and I sort of am. And I hate it, but it is what it is.

“
Mmm hmm,” he hums right next to my ear. The sound vibrates straight to the center of me.

“
We could put Seth in with Sam, and you could start out on the couch,” I suggest. I bury my face in his chest to hide my embarrassment.

“
Oh, there’s an idea,” he says. He pretends to mull it over. “I’ll think about it.”

“
Or we could just go home at the end of the night. That’s easier.”

“
Home?” he asks.

I nod. “Home,” I say again. “My home. Our home.” I look up into his face, and he smiles down at me. His eyes are clear and focused, and I have all of his attention.

“
Home,” he says quietly. He nods.

I might as well lay my cards on the table, right? “All I can think about since yesterday is the way you feel when you’re inside me. It’s so…right.” I groan. “I sound stupid.”

He takes my hand and pulls it down his front until it’s pressed over his hardened length. “You sound fucking hot,” he says. His lips drag across my jaw toward my hairline. “Are you wet?” he asks, his words a breath by my ear.

“
Yeah,” I whisper back. Matt unbuttons my jeans and slides the zipper down slowly. The tines
click
,
click
,
click
until it’s all the way down.

“
Can I feel?” he asks.

I nod against his neck. “Yeah,” I whisper again. I take his earlobe between my teeth and give it a gentle nip. Just as I do, his fingers slide through my heat and go straight to my clit. I fall back against the wall. “Matt,” I whisper, reaching for his wrist. “We shouldn’t be doing this.”

“
I know,” he says. “I’ll be quick. I just want to feel you come apart.”

I can’t breathe. “What about you?” I ask.

He chuckles. “This is for me.” His fingers slide through my wetness, pressing hard and insistently, and then he hooks two fingers inside me and strums my clit with his thumb. He doesn’t have a lot of room to work inside my jeans so his movements are quick and jerky. I arch my hips, helping him find a rhythm. I open my eyes and look into his blue ones, which are staring down at me. “Matt,” I protest. But it’s more pleading than protest.

“
I’ll make you come, Sky,” he says quietly. “I promise.”

I nod and lay my head back, barely able to catch my breath. “Okay,” I whisper. And then the tremors start. Matt leans into me, pressing his body against mine to hold me up. I turn my head toward him and just as I come, I bite down on the tender skin of his neck. He flinches, but he growls and turns his head to cover my lips with his, drowning my cries of release with his tongue and his lips.

“
Shh,” he says against my lips.

I’m whimpering, and I didn’t even realize it. My body shivers as I come and come and come, and I am nearly wrecked when he finally stops. He pulls his hand from my panties, zips my pants, and buttons me up. Then he chuckles and kisses me quickly.

“
I need a minute by myself,” he says. His voice is thick and rough and so hot.

“
You want me to go?” I ask. “Seriously?”

He kisses me, his mouth lingering. “Why don’t you go check on the kids?” he asks. “I’ll be behind you in a minute.” He turns me around, opens the door, and shoves me out into the hallway. I hear him fall against the door on the other side, and then he pounds it lightly with his fist. He laughs and growls out my name.

Oh crap. I’m still feeling all loose and languid, and he just shoved me into the hallway. Paul rounds the corner and stops suddenly. He puts his hand over his eyes. “I’m not looking,” he says. He walks down the hallway and doesn’t glance at me again. He opens a door, and I hear a bunch of little girl screams. That’s where the girls are, apparently. They were easy to find. I follow on wobbly knees, because really, what else am I going to do?

I stick my head into the room where Paul’s on the floor with three little girls climbing on him like he’s a horse. He doesn’t seem to mind it.

I go sit down on the edge of what must be Hayley’s princess bed. I watch as Paul throws the children around, growling and rolling them. Suddenly, he looks up at me. “Hey, Sky,” he says quietly. He sets the kids to the side and looks at me. I mean really looks at me.

“
Yeah?” I ask. I’m still sort of dazed.

“
Be careful with him, okay?” he says. His voice is soft but strong, and I can tell he means it.

“
What?” I ask. I force myself out of my haze and focus on him. “I don’t know what you mean.”

He starts to clean up toys, throwing them into a nearby toy bin. “He’s been through a lot,” Paul says. “I’m not sure he could survive another heartbreak. Not and stay the same, easygoing guy he is now. Don’t wreck him, okay?” he asks. He sighs out a breath.

“
I won’t,” I say. No one ever means to do that, do they?

“
He’s special,” Paul says. “Even before he got sick, he was different from the rest of us. He’s good and kind, and he still believes in the goodness of the heart. He needs to stay that way. So, don’t hurt him.” He says the last part quietly, so the kids can’t hear him.

“
I won’t,” I whisper. I want to challenge him and ask how dare he. But I can see the vulnerability in his eyes. I can see that it was hard for him to have this conversation with me.

He nods and gets up, then leaves the room. I sit and watch the girls play while I collect my thoughts. I need a basket to put them all in because my head just isn’t big enough.

Matt

When I come out of my room, Sky is in with Paul and the girls in Hayley’s room. I need a minute to collect myself and wash my hands. I throw some cold water on my face, too. It takes a minute to calm myself down, and if I didn’t know that I might be going home with Sky tonight, I would have taken matters into my own hands. But as it stands, the only place I want to come is inside her. Not alone. Not ever again.

I leave the bathroom and go sit down on the couch to see how Seth is doing with my game. He’s playing against Logan, and Logan can’t hear the game so it’s harder for him. But he’s a damn fine opponent anyway. He tackles it the same way he does life, by taking cues from everything around him in the game. And he’s beating Seth, so it’s working for him.

I sit down next to Emily. She scoots closer to me and lays her head on my shoulder. I cuddle up with her for a second, and then scoot to the side. She shoots me a weird look.

“
What’s wrong?” she asks, her brow furrowing.

I pull her head to me and kiss her forehead. I love snuggling with Emily. I always have. She’s like the sister I never had or ever wanted. We bonded after my chemo when she helped me out, saving my life by sacrificing her own freedom, when I didn’t want my brothers to know I was sick. She holds a special place in my heart.

She inches closer to me, like she’s determined to cuddle. I see Sky walk up the hallway, and her eyes find me on the couch, but Reagan gets her attention by passing her a margarita. Sky takes it and starts to talk with Reagan.

“
Matt?” Emily asks. “What is it?”

I blow out a heavy breath. “You know I love you, right?” I say quietly.

“
Yes…” she replies. But she looks flustered. And concerned. And worried. I hate that I’m putting that look on her face. But things have changed.

“
And you know how much I love cuddling with you, right?” I say.

She grins and leans toward me. But I push her shoulders back. “Matt?” she asks, shocked.

“
Well, here’s the deal.” I run a hand down my face. “I love you, Em,” I say, and I’m not lying. Not a bit. She saved my life by sacrificing everything she held dear two years ago, and she did it without a thought. She will always be in my heart.

“
Okay…” she says. “But?” She holds out her hands like she’s surrendering to the cops.

I look over at Sky, and she raises her glass to me. She keeps talking with Reagan, and I am glad because I have to have this conversation with Emily. “I love you, Em, but I’m
in love with
her.” I nod toward Sky. “Like want to move in with her tomorrow and die together when we’re old kind of love.”

She sits back a little. “Oh,” she breathes. She looks like someone just slapped her. Emily and I don’t have feelings for one another, not like that. But we have always cuddled, and I think I’m hurting her feelings, and I fucking hate it because she doesn’t understand. “I’m in love with her, and I’m afraid she’ll feel weird about me cuddling with you.”

Her brow furrows even more. “So you explain our relationship,” she says with laugh. “She’ll understand.” She leans like she wants to lie on my side. I push her back a little. “Matt,” she protests. “Stop doing that.”