Page 42 of One Day Like This (Excess All Areas 1)

It was the same dream again. He knew it.

At least, a part of him did. But the part of him trapped between being asleep and awake was stuck in a moment. Visions of Luke losing his shit, of Jase fighting him, even Iz, glaring at him with those eyes of hers filled with tears as she yelled at him for tearing her family apart.

Regret forced its way through every pore.

Matt gasped as his senses fired to life. Sunshine beamed in through the windows. He blinked slowly, cracking one eye open, then the other. It was too bright, too much.

The scent of Izabel’s shampoo teased his nose, and his hand cupped her breast. He could hear the quiet sound of her breathing and feel the warmth of her body spooned against him. He opened his eyes fully to take her in. The covers sat on their waists, and he could see the gentle curve of her hip before it dipped beneath the white sheet.

He pressed a kiss to the side of her neck, tasting the salt on her skin after a night spent making love. It grounded him. Brought him back to the here and now, where regret was the furthest thing from his mind.

When they’d finally gone to sleep sometime around four in the morning, it was after making love three times. And it had been more than he’d ever imagined. The final time had been with the hunger of needing more mingled with the desperation that the hands on the clock were counting down.

As if sensing him awake, Izabel turned in his arms. “Hey.”

“Have I told you how much I love your eyes?”

Izabel smiled sleepily. “I think you mentioned it last night.” She snuggled closer to him, nuzzling his neck.

“Yeah, well. There was a lot to be grateful for last night.” He dragged his fingertips slowly along her spine.

“Mmm,” Iz muttered softly.

“Can I ask you a question, Iz?”

“Sure.” She placed her head on his shoulder and looked up at him.

“What you said about the band? About our music yesterday? About me? Truthfully, did you mean it or were you just blowing smoke up my arse?”

Izabel ran her hand across the smattering of hair on his chest. “I meant every single word.”

Matt sighed and looked at the ceiling. “I feel like my faith in it all is wavering.”

Lifting on one elbow, Izabel gripped his chin. “I have enough faith for both of us. It’s going to happen, Matt. Perhaps not how you expected, or as quickly as you hoped. But it will happen. You’re putting in the work. How can it not?”

Buoyed by her faith in him, Matt wrapped his arms tightly around her and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

Blanketed in a peaceful haze, he savoured the way her body lined up against his.

Three loud knocks on the door made Izabel jump in his arms. “Housekeeping.”

“Shit.” Matt reached for his phone. Eleven thirty. “One second,” he shouted. He leapt out of bed, tugged on a pair of jeans, and pulled the door slightly open. “Sorry, can we get an extended check-out or something?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but we have an event this evening so there are no late check-outs available. But I can come back in thirty minutes.”

Matt’s heart sank. “That would be great, thanks.”

By the time he closed the door, Izabel was sitting on the edge of the bed, the covers pulled up against her chest. “We need to be at lunch in thirty minutes too.”

He sat down next to her and put his arm around her.

“The fairy tale is over, right, Matt?”

Matt nodded and pressed a chaste kiss to her temple. “Yeah, sweetheart. I guess it is.”

Izabel nodded her head once, firmly. “Okay,” she said resolutely before standing. “I’m going to grab a quick shower.”

For a moment, he wondered if she felt as affected by what had happened between the two of them, but he caught sight of her reflection in the mirror as she walked away, and he saw sadness etched in her features.

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