Page 3 of Forbidden Puck
I shrugged. “Alright. Sorry.”
He blew out a heavy exhale and pulled me closer to his body. “Ella. I'm sorry too. I just get so anxious before a vacation, you know? But don't worry, I'll be able to relax once we're on the beach … just you and me … some drinks … you know?”
“Yeah. I'm excited,” I said.
“Me too.”
He smiled at me, stroked my face, and moved in for a kiss. I kissed him back, even if I didn't really want to. But then Matthew cupped my breast, and his hand began the quick descent down my side, over my hips and between my thighs …
“Matthew,” I said, and I pushed his hand away as gently as I could. “Not now …”
He threw his arms at his side, into the mattress, with athud.
“Alright—alright.Nope. Can't do this.”
I sat up. “What?”
“I thought I could, but I can't.”
“Can't dowhat?”
“I'm not going to Key West with a girl that refuses to put out.”
“Excuseme?” I panted.
“You're just so muchto deal with, Ella. You're so demanding and overbearing andugh.It's a lot of shit to put up with, all for a girl that doesn't even wanna fuck.”
My stomach twisted into sickening knots. I could not believe this was truly happening. “Are you for real right now?”
“I'm dead-ass, babe. You wanna know the truth? You wanna know thewholetruth, like you're always asking?”
He snatched up his cell phone and showed me what his 'business e-mails' really were: girls that he was busily messaging on Tinder.
“These aren't work e-mails. These are sluts that I was arranging to meet as soon as I left your place tonight.”
My jaw dropped.
“Surprised? You shouldn't be. I'm alawyer,Ella. I'm single, I'm young, and I live in a fantasticapartment in Park Slope. I don'thaveto wait for pussy. Pussy comes to me. Pussy isdyingto fuck me.”
I made a face like the stench coming off him was unbearable.
“Wow. So this is the real you, huh? You areliterallyrepulsive. Those girls can have you, for all I care. You might be a lawyer, but you look and dress like a middle-school boy—and you talk about sex like one, too. It's time to grow up, Matthew, you're not getting any younger.”
“And what about you?” he taunted.
“What aboutme?”
“You're a seven at best, and that's ifI'm feeling charitable. Did you really believe that I was going to wait around for you?”
Blood boiled in my veins, and my fists clenched automatically. My infamous temper began to rise and it took all the restraint I had left not to hit this idiot square on the nose …
“Then why the hell would you waste my time? Why even offer to take me to Key West, if that's how you feel about me?”
“Because.” He gave an arrogant chuckle. “I told all the boys on my beer league team that I'm banging Lance Couture's little sister.” He punctuated the barb with a grotesque sneer. “Figured I should probably hit it at leastonceto cosmically justify all my bragging, or something—but fuck it. I'm cutting bait. Right now.”
He stood up and put his shoes on.
“Wow, you're an asshole,” I snarled. “For your information, I was actually planning on making the colossal mistake of fucking you in Key West. Thanks you for shooting yourself in the foot, moron.”
