Page 12 of Matthew
Callie…
Even in a sea of cowboy hats and neon beer signs, Matthew spotted her immediately.
Her hair was loose tonight, falling in waves past her shoulders, only adding to her distracting allure. She wore a faded denim skirt and a knotted chambray shirt over a white tank top, her legs bare and sun-kissed, boots tapping lightly with each step like she’d grown up walking into trouble and owning it. Callie exuded the kind of confident stride that didn’t need backup, though her younger sister, all sundress and sunshine, provided it anyway.
Matthew didn’t usually notice those types of details.
He noticed terrain, exits, irregular behavior.
But apparently tonight, he noticed denim. Specifically, the way it hugged Callie’s hips and showed off a pair of toned, tanned legs that looked custom-made to wreck a man’s concentration.
His beer halted halfway to his mouth again.
Hell.
The tank top and knotted shirt didn’t help either, soft and effortless, as if she hadn’t tried at all but still managed to look like every country song he’d ever secretly liked.
Caspian said something, but it was lost under the low buzz in his ears.
He took a sip of his beer to cool down what was definitely not a tactical response.
She hadn’t even glanced his way yet.
Smirking, Caspian nudged his arm. “Eyes up, sailor.”
“Shut up,” Matthew grumbled, not bothering to deny it.
Callie’s gaze landed on Holden and Emily’s table, then flicked briefly to Matthew. A single beat of recognition passed between them, followed by something cooler. Drier.
Before he could figure out if it was disdain or indifference, Maggie leaned in and whispered something that made Callie snort and shake her head.
Whatever it was, her gaze came back to him. This time, there was heat behind the cool.
Or maybe that was just him losing his grip on common sense.
“She saw you,” Caspian said under his breath.
“Yeah,” Matthew muttered. “And judged me with her eyebrows.”
Holden stood and waved them over, gesturing to the empty seats at their table only a few feet away. “Evening, ladies.”
“We already ordered for you,” Emily said with a wink. “Don’t worry. No onions.”
Maggie grinned. “Thanks.” She hugged Emily while Callie offered a polite nod.
Matthew straightened in his seat as she drew closer. “Morgan.”
“Walker.” She didn’t stop walking, but the corner of her mouth twitched.
Maggie, meanwhile, had no problem taking in the ESI crowd like they were on display. “Well, don’t y’all clean up nice.”
Cooper raised his drink. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
“We’re very versatile.” Carter leaned back with a smirk. “Look good in tactical gearanddenim.”
Caspian’s attention remained on his burger. “Still not letting you pick our team shirts, Carter.”
Matthew bit back a grin, watching the familiar rhythm play out. These guys could banter through a firefight, and half the time he wasn’t sure they wouldn’t.
