Page 32 of Blindsided

“What should I do?” Now that I’m being presented with the opportunity, I have no clue how to go about exploring this. It’s only ever been a far-fetched idea in my head. I never believed I’d get the opportunity to test the waters.

“We need to push him. His loyalty to Desmond will hold him back from making a move. Which means, you need to up your game.”

I cringe. “How the hell do I do that?”

“Become so irresistible he has no choice but to act.”

* * *

Nerves flutter in my belly as the rumble of the garage door signals Matthew’s arrival.

Ellie and I finished the bottle of wine a little while ago, and the rest of the afternoon was spent strategizing on ways I could get under Matthew’s skin. Ellie was adamant that he felt the same as I do, but I’m still not sure. My goal tonight is to test out her theory. I need to see how he responds to a subtle advance before I go all in on our plans.

Since I’m testing the waters first, I decided to throw on my blue silky robe, my shortest lounge shorts, and a tank top. It’s not totally revealing, but it still shows more skin than I ever have before.

I’m rinsing my hands off at the sink when Matthew walks through the garage door. It leads directly into the kitchen, where he’d have to be blind to miss me standing here.

“Hey, how was your day?” I ask, surprised my voice is steady. Excitement has butterflies flapping around in my stomach. I look over my shoulder to see Matthew sitting on the bench in the mudroom, taking off his shoes. I turn to face him and dry my hands off at the same time. Sergio weaves in and out of his legs, and Matthew scratches between his ears. I was surprised at how quickly Sergio warmed up to living here. I thought we’d have way more issues, but he’s settled in without a single complaint.

“Productive. I only had a couple of meetings this morning, which gave me a chance to… catch… up.” Matthew’s words trail off when he gives me his full attention. His eyes trail down my body before racing back up to my face.

A little part of me preens from his attention, but I manage to keep my face neutral. “That’s great. I hope it’s okay that I started dinner. I’m starving.”

Matthew swallows. “Totally fine. I’m gonna go change.” He throws his thumb toward the stairs while his eyes slide down to my legs again. He shakes his head and turns for the stairs without another word.

My grin finally breaks across my face. Maybe Ellie is right. At the very least, I know he finds me attractive. Now, I just have to add a little flirty banter and see if he flirts back.

God, I can’t believe I’m going to attempt to flirt with Matty Ellis.

I put the final touches on dinner at the same time Matthew comes down the stairs in only a pair of gym shorts. His muscular chest is on display, showing off his six-pack and the sexy V-lines that disappear into the waistband of his shorts. I want to lick every single line on his body, and I narrow my eyes at him.

He’s good, I’ll give him that.

I didn’t expect him to match my efforts, which means things are about to get interesting.

CHAPTER14

Matthew

Iignore Tilly’s narrowed eyes and open the fridge to grab a can of sparkling water. When I saw her standing in my kitchen with next to nothing on, I almost swallowed my tongue. The woman has these lithe curves that make me want to drool. I could get used to seeing them on display when I come home from work every night.

We’re both playing a dangerous game, but I couldn’t let her get away with surprising me like that. Making her feel the same way I did was my only option.

“What did you make?” I ask, leaning over her shoulder to look into the dish.

“Shredded chicken tacos.”

“Mmm. Smells good.” And so does she, but I don’t say that out loud. Tilly always smells like oranges, and there have been multiple occasions where I’ve had to grit my teeth to keep from shoving my nose into her neck to get a better whiff.

The heat of her body seeping into my chest pulls me out of my stupor, and I quickly step away from her. I grab a couple of plates, setting them on the counter next to Tilly. I ask her about her day, and she tells me about Ellie coming over.

Adam told me she might stop by after her classes, and I’m glad she did. I hate that Tilly has to spend most of her time here alone. Hopefully, the two of them can become good friends so Tilly has someone to spend time with other than me.

We sit down at the island to eat, catching up on what we did today. It’s become a routine to have dinner together every night. We started it when she was here the last time and naturally began doing it again when she got here last week.

“Do you want to do anything next weekend?” I ask her when we’re finished eating.

“Oh, I figured you already had plans. Don’t feel like you have to include me if you do.”

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