Page 49 of Dashing for Love

She remains quiet, meeting my gaze unflinchingly.

Anthony saunters over. “Tito’s and water with a lime?”

She startles at his gruff voice. “Please.” When his back turns, she mutters, “I’m gonna need it.”

A soft, disbelieving laugh escapes me as her eyes lift back to mine.

Chapter 19

Goldie

“ARE YOU OKAY?” It’s the only thing I can think to say.

“I…don’t know. I think so.” His cheeks are a little pink.

I’m overcome with the need to touch him.

Which is probably the worst idea ever.

“Drink.” Anthony tosses a napkin in front of me and sets the drink on top.

I snatch it and take two massive gulps, then proceed to cough. “Heavy…pour,” I gasp, thwacking my chest as I struggle to get myself back under control.

Happily, the whole thing has served to yank Matty out of his daze. He jerks to attention, grabbing my left arm and pulling it into the air.

The move is so startling that I look up at him, lightly coughing as I ask, “What…are…you doing?”

“My grandma always said to raise your left arm when you coughed.” His cheeks get even rosier as he releases my arm and resettles on the stool. “Sorry.”

A pint glass of plain water appears as Anthony glares at me. “Water.”

I do as he says, sipping at the water until I get myself under control. Or as under control as possible, given that Matty is still studying me with an intensity I can barely take.

His eyes. The slight furrow between them. The way he’s biting the inside of his cheek. All of it makes me press my legs together to try and ease the ache there.

After another few minutes of silence, I finally cave. “Are you going to speak at all?”

He clears his throat and takes a sip of the fresh beer Anthony slid in front of him. “You’ve had a lot longer to come to grips with this than me.”

The wordgripmakes me think of the way his hand wrapped around his dick, and my cheeks heat. “Fair.”

He blows out a breath, then reaches to touch a strand of my hair. “You…dyed it just for the one night?”

It takes everything not to lean into his touch. “I put a temp wash on it,” I explain. “I don’t know why. But I did. Do you—would you have recognized me otherwise?”

“Honestly? I’d like to think so, but…” He trails off as his eyes search my face, spending more time on my lips than is decent. I lick them self-consciously, and I swear to God, a tiny moan escapes him. A moan that I’ve only heard two other times. “Stop,” I whisper.

Matty’s gaze snaps to mine. “Stop what?”

I shake my head, leaning forward to whisper. “Stop staring at my lips and moaning, because I’ve freaking seen your dick, Matthew, and right now? All I want to do is take you into the bathroom and go to my knees. So.Stop.”

His jaw unhinges. “Holy…”

I straighten and fluff my hair. “I said what I said.”

He chuckles, then it grows into a laugh. A deep belly laugh. Which makes me start laughing, until we’re both practically howling, tears streaming down our faces. “You said…what you said,” he sputters, then we laugh again.

Finally, we ease out of laughing, and I wipe the tears away. As we reach for our drinks, our eyes meet and hold. They hold as we drink and stay connected as we set our glasses on the bar. I want to fall into their caramel swirls forever.

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