Page 11 of One Day Like This (Excess All Areas 1)

Izabel squeezed his wrist, and it took everything in him not to shove Harry down the tram. The heat of her back warmed his chest, and he mentally instructed his dick to stay down while frantically processing what he’d just got himself into and the fact he finally had Iz in his arms.

“What do you want me to say, Harry?” Izabel said finally, her words filled with confusion and sorrow.

“It feels a bit—”

“Oi, shit-for-brains. Look at me,” Matt said, the pathetic look on Harry’s face rattling his usually controlled anger. Only the warmth of Iz’s hand on his arm stopped him from curling his hand to a fist. “She doesn’t need to hear it, whatever you were about to say. Iz deserves someone who respects her and treats her better than you ever did. End of story.”

Harry scoffed. “Youtreat her better than I did? Didn’t realise painting and decorating paid well.”

Ouch.

“Never said I did. I said she deserves someone whocould.”

Of course he wasn’t as financially secure as Harry. But in the scheme of things, was a bank balance and paycheck really the measure of a man?

“You’re a bigger twat than I thought if you think I’m talking money. No flash suit, flash car, or flash holiday can make up for the lack of respect you showed her. Money can’t make her forget how you screwed her over. Literally. You can’t buy loyalty, Harry.”

“But before we met, didn’t you and Jase ... you know?” Harry continued.

The words cut through him. He didn’t want to think about it. Not when it felt like the walls of the tram were a metaphor for his whole life closing in around him.

The tram juddered to a halt at Trafford Bar and the doors opened.

“It’s our stop,” Sophia said, her lip curled in frustration.

Matt watched the two of them step off the tram as Izabel turned in his arm. God, had he ever seen prettier eyes?

“You didn’t have to do that,” she said.

“I know, sweetheart.” It was wrong to pull her closer, but he did it anyway. He wanted, for just a moment, to feel the possibilities of the two of them. “But he was a dick, and the way he was looking at—”

“Matt, Izabel,” Nan said, boarding the tram. The spry seventy-six-year-old with a rapier wit and love of the f-bomb appeared, laden with several shopping bags.

Matt released Izabel, biting back the urge to run his thumb over her thick lower lip.

“Hey, Nan,” he said, kissing her cheek before taking her shopping bags out of her hands.

“Hey, Nan,” Izabel repeated, giving her a hug. Nan had always insisted all his friends call her Nan. Was easier, she’d said. Might as well look after them all as opposed to just Jase and Matt. Iz had been a frequent guest at Nan’s when they were younger.

Nan stretched her fingers. “My hands are killing me. Starting to think that an afternoon bingo session doesn’t agree with my arthritis. Either that or it was crocheting a christening blanket with lace edging for Bethan-at-church’s daughter.”

Izabel reached for his nan’s hand and rubbed her knuckles gently. “Well, we certainly appreciated all the hats and scarves you knitted for the shelter in winter. They were a godsend.”

Matt looked down the tram and let out a breath. His two favourite women. And Iz just being ... kind. Like she always was. Caring. Nurturing.

“Just doing my bit,” Nan said modestly.

Matt reached for Nan’s arm as they eventually pulled into Chorlton and helped her off the tram. Without thinking, he reached for Izabel’s hand to help her off next.

“Thank you,” she said, her voice vibrating through him. She squeezed his hand before letting go.

Shit. It was a flat step to the platform. She hadn’t needed his help, but she took it anyway. Being around her was making him lose his mind. He glanced up at the sky. “You should go, Iz.”

“Aren’t we heading the same way?”

“I’ll walk a bit slower with Nan. It’s about to piss down. You’ll get soaked in that dress.” A fucking sundress that he’d love to flip up the skirt on to run his hands along her thighs.

He tipped his chin in the direction of the steps, urging her to go, and bit down on the need to address the confusion on her face.

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