Page 40 of The Third Girl

CHAPTER 18

SKYLAR

Matt asks me for my address, and after plugging it into his GPS, he’s quiet the entire way to my apartment, which leaves me with plenty of time to think about what happened this evening. I’d only been out with Craig twice, including tonight’s disaster. The first time was on that lunch date last weekend—the day I missed going to the park with Matt—which had been okay but not great.

I bite my lip, stealing a peek at Matt across the Bronco’s console. Rain slashes at the windshield, so his eyes are trained on the road, the wipers moving as fast as they’ll go. His hands grip the steering wheel tightly. There’s a flash of lightning, then thunder rumbles.

I’ve spent all week hoping some sort of a connection would form with Craig. That he—or anyone else—could be what I’m looking for. The reality is that at lunch last weekend, I’d spent most of the time wondering how Matt was handling getting Sailor up the ladder to the slide on his own. And then, because I felt bad that I’d only given Craig half my attention, I agreed to go out with him tonight. It had been okay at first, but when we got onto the dance floor, he progressively became more aggressive. By the time I realized that Craig didn’t understand the word no, it was too late. I wholeheartedly regret agreeing to the second date.

But then Matt was there, and he’d pulled Craig off me. It all happened so quickly, I’m unsure how Matt knew I needed help. I guess he’d been watching it all go down, which is ten kinds of embarrassing.

I glance out the window at the passing scenery, recognizing from the signage that we’re close to my apartment complex. I draw in a breath as my gaze slides to his profile. He’s super-concentrated on getting me home safely. “It’s just up ahead and on the right.”

He nods, sparing me only a split-second glance. And since he’s focused on the road, I focus on him. His jawline is sharp, the muscle in his cheek twitching a bit. His sandy-blond hair looks darker than usual because it’s wet. He’s broad-shouldered with a trim waist. His rain-soaked shirt is completely molded to his body, defining all the muscles underneath. Muscles that took care of Craig efficiently tonight. The image of him holding that jerk to the wall by his throat rolls through my mind. Matt’s exactly the kind of guy you want to be there when you’re in trouble.

If I’d been on my own… I hope the self-defense training would have eventually kicked in. My heart has rarely beaten as fast as it had when that douchebag octopus seemed to grow six more arms and was touching me all over. In the moment, I found myself panicking, which is so unlike me. It disturbs me for sure. And it’s such bullshit that I couldn’t handle myself. I never would have thought I’d respond that way until I was in the situation for real.

I didn’t know until tonight, but there is nowhere I feel safer than in Matt’s arms. I hadn’t been sure what he thought of me, didn’t think I had a chance in hell with him. I shift in the seat and close my eyes for a moment. The evidence of what Matt and I did together is slowly leaking out of me. My face flushes, hot all over. But maybe…

Matt pulls into the parking lot of my apartment complex and throws the Bronco into park before turning a bit in his seat. He reaches out, putting his hand tentatively on my upper arm.

I turn my head to look at him and find his gaze to be unrelenting, so fixated on me, I wonder what he’s thinking.

He draws in a breath. “I’m sorry.”

Frowning, I edge away from him. “For what?”

“I didn’t mean to butt into your business like that tonight.”

I slowly shake my head. “You didn’t. You were there for me. Got me out of a shitty situation that I wish I’d never put myself into in the first place.”

“He’s—” His voice hitches, and his lips press together, as if he’s stopped himself from saying something more.

“He’snothing to me.” Our eyes connect in the dark, and I wonder if Matt can read the truth in mine—that he’s the one who’s important to me.

Letting out a long breath, he turns his head and stares out the windshield, watching the rain continue to come down. As my eyes scan over his profile, I catch his jaw twitching ever so slightly. “I didn’t mean for any of that—” He stops abruptly again, shaking his head. In the dark, I can make out something like regret slipping over his features. My stomach churns in my abdomen.

I hold up a hand as my heart sinks. “If you’re saying you didn’t mean for what happened between us to have happened, I will be so pissed.”

He blinks hard, studying me, caramel eyes roaming my facial features looking for what? Something that will allow him to walk away, maybe.

My teeth grind. “If you’re looking for a way to ruin this evening even further for me, you’re absolutely in the process of doing it right now.”

He sighs, then slides his palm over the steering wheel. I can tell the gears are turning in his head. His gaze keeps shifting to his left hand.Oh, fuck. Yeah. That’d do it.He’s still wearing his wedding ring.

I get that. Totally understand it. But— “So, what was this? An experiment? Did you think you’d see if you could bang the girl who works for you? Or was it that you wondered whether I’d go for someone so much older than myself? Or were you just trying to figure out if you were ready to move on? And I was conveniently right there, practically begging for it.”

“Stop. You know that’s not it.” He presses his lips together. “I need some time to process this thing between us. I don’t know what it is about you.”

I bite down on my lip. “It’s okay, Matt. I get it. I work for you. I’m younger than you.” I shake my head, choking out the last words as I gesture to his ring. “And I won’t ever be her no matter how hard I try.”

He turns his head, his wounded gaze finding mine.

My eyes sting with tears that I refuse to let fall. “Thanks for the ride home. I do appreciate you making sure I got here safely. Especially on a night like tonight. I get that must have been hard for you. And, since I couldn’t do it for myself, thank you for pulling my date off me and sending him packing.”

I open the door and slip out before he can say anything else, slamming it behind me. It’s easier to run away than to know what else should be said. Racing up to the second floor, I let myself in, then lean against the door. I don’t think I was wrong to believe that maybe there was something there after all. And Iwantedevery moment of Matt touching me. Fucking me.

But standing here with his semen running down my inner thighs after he’s told me he doesn’t know what this is… well, I can’t say it feels very good. Not when I wanted him so badly and thought—

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