Page 16 of One Day Like This (Excess All Areas 1)

Izabel sighed. “Yeah. I’m fine with it. I might even try to call Harry, see if I can talk him out of bringing Sophia. Perhaps I’ll even use you as leverage. I’ll say I won’t bring you if he doesn’t bring her ... for the sake of peace at the wedding.”

“You don’t need to be calling Harry, Iz. Just do you.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“Offer. To come. With me, I mean.”

Matt ran both his hands through his hair, then let them flop down onto the sofa. “I suppose I just wanted to get one over on Harry. Call it male pride. The guy’s a dick for how he treated you.”

Damn, his answer hurt. Nothing to do with her. No mention of how good she’d felt in his arms or how he liked spending time with her.

She reached for her cup and chugged the rest of her coffee. She needed to get out of there before she did something stupid like change her mind and beg him to take her. Instead of the relief she thought she’d feel at letting him out of his suggestion, she felt crushed.

“Okay. Well, thanks for looking out for me. I appreciate it regardless.” She attempted to smile. It probably looked stupid and slightly pathetic.

“No worries, Iz. Have a good day at work.”

Izabel walked to his apartment door and opened it. “You too, Matt.”

She stepped into the corridor and let the door click quietly shut behind her.

One day, she would have to let the idea of her and Matt go, but it wasn’t today.

* * *

Matt jumped to his feet as soon as he heard the door shut.

Jesus fucking Christ. The look on her face. He’d do just about anything to take the stricken look off it.

Hug it off.

Kiss it off.

Sing it off.

Fuck it off.

He’d try everything until she smiled at him.

Yet, she was the reason he’d had the most awful night’s sleep. Dreams crashing through his brain. Images of them falling into a four-poster bed together. Her still in her bridesmaid dress, him in a dark suit. Images of Luke and Jase beating him halfway to death onstage at their next concert. Luke walking out of the band forever. Izabel looking up at Matt while he fucked her senseless.

He’d woken to a raging erection and hammering at his door. The latter had almost killed the former, but not so much that he hadn’t seen Iz’s pupils dilate when she’d looked down at his dick tenting his joggers.

Fuck.

He should just let her go. Chalk his moment of spontaneity down to Harry looking at Iz with hungry eyes that said he’d still prefer her over the chick on his arm.

And no, the idea of her calling Harry up and asking him to go solo like her was a recipe for disaster. What if he played on her vulnerabilities like Jase had? What if he caught her in a moment of weakness and somehow convinced her they still belonged together?

Shitballs.

Or he could just admit he wanted to be there for her. Be the guy she relied on. The guy she needed.

He jogged to the door and yanked it open. “Iz,” he called down the corridor.

She didn’t look around, so he shouted louder. “Iz. Come back here.”

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