Page 67 of Who We Are

“Are you flirting again, Mr. Decker?”

I nod.

“We agreed, Matt. Friends. You should try to work things out with Tristan. He really has a thing for you—as you do for him.”

Two Saturdays ago she was adamant about matching Tristan and me together. She swears Tristan and I have a connection. That we should explore it—let it take us far, let us fall in love with each other. Two weeks and I’m sure I am the one falling for her.

“Tristan has a thing for you too, Thea, and you don’t see me advocating for him.” She rolls her eyes. “If you don’t want to go out, we can order takeout. There’s that Thai place you love.”

“They don’t deliver.”

I wink at her and pull out my phone. “They do for me.”

ChapterForty-Two

Matthew

“This will bethe longest time I’ve gone without seeing you,” I whisper in Thea’s ear as I hold her tight.

“No. There were times we didn’t see each other for months.” Her head snuggles closer to the hollow between my chin and my shoulder while she hugs me tightly.

I look down at her, and she tilts her head and smiles at me. Our gazes lock. There it is, the connection between us. I lean down and kiss her forehead, her nose. “Back then, it was different, baby. You mean so much more to me now, that it’s hard to be gone for a few days.”

She nods as if she totally understands, andmaybeshe even has the same feelings. We should discuss it and talk about what these emotions mean to each other.

Later, when I’m back.

“I will miss you, Matt. A lot. Thank you for the food… and for stopping by.”

Out of impulse, I angle my face in and crush my mouth over hers, kissing her. A sweet whimper cuts through her lips before they part slightly. Her eyes close the moment I taste her. Instead of watching, I do the same, enjoying the sensation of having her body pressed to mine, so close we’re almost one.

I sweep my tongue inside her mouth, meeting hers, getting acquainted with it before they fuse together and start mating. I lead the slow dance, memorizing the feel of her in my arms, her breathing, synchronizing her heartbeat with mine. Loving her.

Fuck. Yep. There it is. I’m. In. Love.

With one smile she took me to a place I never imagined I’d be. It was a slow process in which she let me inside, becoming one with this kiss.

We lose ourselves in that kiss, losing track of everything until she pulls away.

“Matt?” She gasps for air and her eyes fill with moisture. “This… I can’t. There’s so much you don’t know about me. That I’ll never tell you—I can’t lose you. You’re important to me.”

“I know enough, Thea. Try me, what is it?” She shakes her head and as it drops, my fingers lift her chin. “Baby, please, trust me.”

The sadness in her eyes increases, and I’m about to let her go when she finally speaks. “I was ten years old the first time I had a drink. At a party.”

She swallows hard.

“My driver’s license was revoked before I became a legal adult, after several DUIs and one hit and run. Vodka. That’s my poison. It looks like water, and you don’t stink when you’re drunk. Painkillers are my kryptonite.” She pauses, inhaling audibly. “But I never discriminated. I took whatever was in the house pantry or my mother’s cabinets if my dealer wasn’t available. It never failed.

“The refrigerator might not have had food, but there were plenty of bottles of vodka and wine chilling. My parents are the prime example of party animals. My father has been doing that since he was a teenager.”

What the fuck?

I want to push her for more information. Hit a wall. Hurt someone—bad.

A ten-year-old with access to alcohol?

Where was social services or whatever agency is in charge of caring for children?

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