Page 93 of Lovers' Dance

Matt tried not to respond to her determined strokes, but bloody hell, he was male and there was a hand on his cock. What was he to do? His poppet was staring at Louisa, then her gaze slid down Louisa’s bare arm which disappeared under the table. Matt felt pure alarm thunder through him as Madi’s doe eyes finally rested on his face. He had never seen such a look from her before.

Bollocks. She couldn’t possibly know what was happening under the tablecloth. Matt took in a ragged breath and twisted in his chair. Louisa didn’t let up on her grip.

“Has everyone here forgotten the cardinal rule?” Natty suddenly burst out sharply. “There are two topics one shouldn’t discuss at social gatherings: religion and politics. I’m so bored of this.”

Matt forgot about the hand on his cock as his niece stood up abruptly. All eyes were upon her and she looked like she wanted to cry. Matt saw her hand clenched tightly around her mobile. It was shaking.

“Natalia,” Hannah called from where she sat. “Sit down.”

Natty’s face twisted in anger, while Nikki tugged on her arm. Matt wondered what had gotten into her. Hannah had made a passing comment earlier about Natty’s behaviour, but this outburst of hers was unacceptable. Madi also reached out, a flash of concern on her face as she touched Natty’s hand lightly.

“May I be excused?” Natty asked in a tight voice. Matt was sure she was about to cry and he felt great relief that he didn’t have to deal with whatever teenaged angst she was experiencing. Thank God he wasn’t a father yet. On the heels of that thought came another, one that shocked him. What would Madi look like pregnant? With his child growing inside her?

Bloody hell. Had he lost his goddamned mind? Yes, he loved her, but they had only been in a relationship for a few months. Although his father felt strongly that Matt should have married and had children by now, Matt felt absolutely no compulsion to do so. Plus, Madi was young in his eyes, not to mention the unavoidable race issue. He didn’t want to get married, far less impregnate anyone. These ridiculous thoughts were only due to him being around his family again, knowing and thoroughly resenting the expectations they had of him.

Yet, here he was, staring at her with increasing curiosity, as he pictured her slender frame rounded out in front. Beautiful. She would be more beautiful than she was now. And their baby would be gorgeous—

“Fuck me,” Matt muttered softly.

“I will,” Louisa whispered in his ear, rubbing her hand over him and bringing him back to blessed reality. Everyone else was busy focusing on Natalia’s outburst and Matt took the opportunity to yank Louisa’s hand off his person.

“Stop it,” he grated out coldly, before turning away from her pouting lips.

Hannah and Stuart were sending murderous looks at their daughter, while the other guests murmured amongst themselves. Matt’s father tilted his head at Grumps, who nodded once.

“You may be excused, Natalia,” William, Jr, announced.

Natty pushed her chair back and fled the dining room, with her twin sister immediately getting up to race after her. An uncomfortable atmosphere descended and Matt saw the chance to escape. He stood up, clearing his throat loudly and motioned to Madi.

“Madi and I will be heading out, too. We both have a busy day tomorrow, and I need to get her home.”

A chorus of insincere requests for them to stay assailed his ears as Matt waited for Madi to stand up. She did so quickly, dumping the napkin from her lap on top of the table. Her eyes scanned everyone as she flashed her perfect white teeth in a half-hearted smile.

“It was a lovely dinner. Thank you for inviting me,” she said politely, before hurrying over to his side. He took her hand in his and inclined his head at his grandfather, who raised his hand in an acknowledged goodbye. Matt walked down the length of the table to where his parents sat, with Madi in tow. He bent forward to kiss his mother on the cheek and clapped his free hand on his father’s back.

“I’ll be calling you. Soon,” he advised casually. They hadn’t made any attempts to engage Madi in conversation. They had practically ignored her all night long. They were taking the piss and, although he’d expected this sort of behaviour from them, it annoyed him immensely.

“Thanks for inviting me to dinner and sorry we can’t stay,” Madi repeated to his parents.

“Don’t worry,” Matt said, sneakily watching for his parents’ reaction. “We’ll have my parents around for dinner next week, Madi. Give you three a chance to get to know each other properly.”

Their expressions made Matt laugh on the inside, including Madi’s. She looked as appalled as his mother. Matt tightened his hand around hers.

“Mum, Dad.”

“Goodnight, Matthew. Drive safe, darling, and call us tomorrow,” his mother said.

“Goodnight, son. Remember we need to go over those contracts. I want you and Adam in the office at six on Monday.”

Madi smiled at them, but Matt could see the silent plea on her face. She wanted to go; he did, too. He led her out the dining room and her shoulders relaxed as she sighed in relief.

“Well?” he said as they walked hand in hand down the numerous hallways.

“Well what?” she shot back. “I hope Natty is all right.”

Matt huffed slightly. He wanted to know her thoughts on meeting his strange family. “I’m sure she’ll be fine, poppet. How do you feel about my family now that you’ve met them? I told you everyone would be polite. No one made any inference to your race, either. So? Tell me.”

The front doors loomed and Matt hurried her along.

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