Page 84 of One Day Like This (Excess All Areas 1)

When all twenty emails were dealt with, she flopped back on the sofa, grimacing as the key dug into her side.

She pulled it out of her pocket. “Should I stay, or should I go?” she muttered, studying the scratches on the silver. When she looked closely, she noticed Matt had etched her name,Iz, and a heart, into the surface.

“Oh, Matt,” she murmured.

She grabbed her phone and typed him a message.

Let me know when you’re on your way home. I’ll come to see you.

When her phone vibrated, she reached for it.

Fuck me, Iz. I feel like I’ve been holding my breath all day.

Four hours later, the door to Matt’s apartment crashed open.

“Iz,” he shouted from the hallway. There was a thud as his bags and gear hit the floor.

Izabel walked toward him, and he reached for her, pulling her tight against him. He didn’t kiss her. Didn’t push her up against the wall like last time. He held her in a hug so secure and tight, she could barely breathe but felt safer than she’d ever been.

His palm pressed flat against her lower back; his other hand fisted in her hair.

Not. A. Word.

He enveloped her completely.

When he finally cupped her face, his thumbs gently stroking her cheeks, there was such a look of intensity on his face. “I’m sorry. I’m trying to be the guy you want. I haven’t touched a line since that gig.Iwant to be the one you turn to, the one you tell good news to first. The one you can feel safe and secure with. And we’ll tell them. I can tell them tomorrow, but it might blow up your gig. Or we can wait until the day after the concert. Whatever you want, I’ll do it.”

“You were out of order,” Izabel admitted. “Joe was helpful. And if you’d given me a moment before going off half-cocked, you would have known that Dom and Jackson were both there too. You could have ruined a contact that was so helpful for the fundraiser.”

“I was. Feeling jealous like that, it was irrational, and I felt like shit afterward. I’m sorry. Honestly.”

“I know this is hard. But I was also thinking about Luke. I know you think everything will go to hell in a handbag, but surely Luke doesn’t want me to be unhappy. He’s not going to sever our relationship because of it, we’re all each other has got.”

Matt kissed her forehead. “I hope you’re right, Izabel.”

“This. You and me. It means everything. As long as you don’t act like a douchebag again.”

Matt shrugged but smiled softly. “I overreacted. I was already in a shit mood when I arrived. I came in hot. It wasn’t fair to you. I’m sorry.”

Izabel forgot how to form a sentence as soon as Matt’s lips met hers. His hands roamed her body possessively. His tongue met hers. He bit her lower lip and sucked on it before running his tongue along it.

When she pressed her hands to his chest, he grinned. “Sorry, I missed you.”

Izabel couldn’t help but grin. “That wasn’t a kiss. That was sex in ten seconds.”

“Babe, you want sex in ten seconds, I’ve got you covered.” He reached for her hand and slid it over his erection.

“Babe,” she repeated. “I want to talk, then make-up sex.”

“Make-up sex, talk, more make-up sex.”

“Fine. But you need to order pizza somewhere in there too.”

With a grin, he grabbed her around the waist and lifted her off the ground.

On instinct, Izabel wrapped her legs around him and squealed as Matt squeezed her arse. Still holding her in his arms, he marched to his room.

“Matt,” she gasped as he nipped and kissed the base of her throat.

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