24. Matty
Chapter 24
Matty
I PULL UP in front of Agatha’s house and hop out of my truck, only to be stopped by the suspiciously happy woman herself.
“Matty! Hello!” She waves and sing-songs my name.
I throw a hand up in greeting, but don’t veer in the direction of her porch. “Hi, Agatha.”
Sensing my plan to slip by without a conversation, Agatha hustles down her porch steps and aims toward me. Damn. Guess we’re talking. “How are things with our girl?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Willa? She’s…good?” I’m not sure how to answer.
She swats my arm gently. “Oh, you’re funny. Not Willa, silly. Goldie. How are things with Goldie ?”
I blink. How the hell—you know what? Doesn’t matter. “Things are…fine,” I answer. I’m not loving the way I keep hesitating to answer her questions about the Dash sisters, but this whole line of questioning has me way out of my depth.
Agatha’s eyes brighten. “That’s so good to hear! You know, when she was messaging you on that app, I thought it was the most amazing thing. The two of you—who would have thought I’d be responsible for both those girls’ happiness?” She holds a hand over her heart and gazes into the distance. “Truly wonderful. A gift, really.”
I have no idea what she’s going on about, but I also know that I need to wrap this up. Immediately, if not sooner. “A gift,” I echo.
She beams, which tells me I’ve probably said something really stupid.
Wouldn’t be the first time.
I hitch a thumb toward the carriage house. “I’ve got to, you know, go.”
She clasps her hands to her chest. “Of course you do.” She leans forward and winks. “Be good, now.”
If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear she was talking about…well.
“But I’m sure you are,” she says as she turns.
My jaw drops open. Holy shit. She really was talking about sex.
Shaking my head, I close the short distance to Goldie’s door and rap on the window.
“Come in!” she calls. “Door’s unlocked!”
I open the door and cross the threshold. I’ve not been in the place since Willa lived here, and a lot is the same. As I move through the kitchen and into the living room, though, one thing is noticeably absent. “Where are the doilies?”
Goldie snorts from the bathroom. “Packed away like the menaces they are.” She emerges with a bright smile, and I’m shocked into silence again.
She’s gorgeous.
Absolutely, drop-dead, I-have-been-an-absolute-fool-all-these-years flawless.
Seeing my obvious glitch—which, come to think of it, seems to be a pattern of mine when faced with Goldie lately—she twirls. When her bright blue eyes meet mine again, she asks, “You like?”
“I like,” I croak. Then I clear my throat. “You’re wearing that to Mexican?”
She laughs. “Matty, I’ve worn this around you before. Literally. This exact same outfit.”
“Well, that settles it.”
She furrows her brow slightly. “Settles what?”
“That I’m an absolute idiot,” I declare. “Because you look amazing.” I close the distance to her, unable to take it anymore, and pull her to me. She’s in tight, dark denim that flares over platform sandals and a simple yellow tank top, with a flowy sheer yellow shirt on top. I have no idea what to call it, but she embodies effortless beauty. How in the ever-loving hell have I missed her all these years?
Again: an absolute idiot. Me. Very stupid.
She drapes her arms over my shoulders as I run my palms down her sides to rest on her hips, then smirks. “You gonna kiss me, Matty, or just look at me like you’re gobsmacked?”
“Can I do both?”
She threads her fingers through the hair at the nape of my neck. “Kiss me, you fool.”
Gladly. I close the distance and thank whatever heavenly creature was clearly looking over me all these years. Because if I’ve got the chance to make Goldie mine? I need to take it.
In the truck, I keep my hand on her thigh, needing to touch her no matter how insignificant the contact. And in the restaurant, it takes everything I have to sit directly across from her instead of sliding next to her in the booth.
We each order a beer, but when the server walks away to get them, I fix Goldie with a stare. “I’m only having one drink,” I tell her.
She nods, a soft smile on her lips. “Yeah?”
“I don’t want to fall asleep like last time.”
Her eyes twinkle. “You sound awfully confident something’s going to happen.”
I lean forward. “See, that’s where you’re wrong.”
The server returns with our beers, and we order our food: street tacos for Goldie and enchiladas verdes for me. When he leaves, Goldie arches a brow as she pops a chip in her mouth. “How exactly am I wrong?”
I grab a chip and dunk it in the salsa. “I didn’t say anything was going to happen. But you just did.”
She grins. “I most definitely did not.”
“You insinuated it.”
“ You insinuated it, not me!” Her smile widens.
I shrug. “Guess we’ll just have to see.”
She shakes her head. “I like you like this, you know,” she says, her voice softening.
“Like what?”
“Like…like you’re James. Except you’re Matty.” She breaks eye contact. “I don’t know if that makes sense.”
“It does. And for the record,” I take another chip and swim it through the salsa, “it’s taking everything I have not to reach over and hold your hand right now.”
Bright spots of color appear on her cheeks. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Then I lower my voice. “I liked it better at Hall’s, where at least we knew Anthony didn’t give a damn about what was going on.”
She smiles in agreement. “He’s something, isn’t he?”
“If by ‘something’ you mean speaks in grunts and short sentences and is so different from Ox and Levi that it’s hard to believe they all came from the same parents, then yes, he’s something.”
Laughing, she agrees. “That’s exactly what I mean.”
When Carmen comes by after our meal to see if we’d like a round of shots, we decline. “You sure? Last time you were here…” She trails off and smirks.
Yeah, last time I was here was my birthday, when I was beyond drunk . “I’m sure,” I say. Carmen leaves and I meet Goldie’s gaze. “You know, that’s the night I created my profile.”
Her eyes flare. “Your birthday?”
I nod. “I kept looking at Willa and Reid and thinking how much I wanted what they have.” An embarrassed snicker comes out of me. “Sorry. I shouldn’t?—”
“I’m glad you did,” Goldie interrupts me. She looks around furtively, then reaches her hand out to touch my knuckles. “I can’t imagine this past month without…” She clears her throat. “Without you.”
My heart swells. This could really be happening. “Yeah?”
Her expression is soft. “Yeah.”
I grab the check and stand. “C’mon. Let’s get out of here.”
She rises. “Your place or mine?”
“Is mine okay? The dogs…”
“Of course,” she agrees.
I pay and we leave, and this time, her hand rests in mine all the way home. I’d like to say I don’t think about how well our hands fit together, but I do.
Inside, I let the dogs out and Goldie wanders over to Hedgie’s tank, cooing over him as though he’s the cutest thing she’s ever seen.
“Wanna let him out?”
She looks over at me, her face pure delight, but it’s gone a second later. “Not right now.”
I cross the room. “Something wrong?”
Her cheeks redden again and she looks down. “It’s just…”
I hook my fingers through her belt loops and pull her to me, inhaling her summery scent. “Just what?” I murmur, leaning down to kiss her.
She sighs against my lips. “This is why.”
I pepper her chin with kisses as I make my way to her ear, kissing the skin just below it. “Why what?” I prompt.
Killer barks and scratches on the door. Goldie giggles. “Because I’m not interested in playing with a hedgehog when I can play with you.”
My dick agrees with that, twitching as I continue kissing her neck. “Fair,” I mutter.
Killer yips again.
“You gonna let him in?” Goldie asks, amused.
I groan. “Hold that thought.” When I return to the living room, Killer and Kitty hot on my heels, Goldie pulls off the sheer top she’d had on over the tank, revealing a sliver of skin above her jeans. My mouth dries.
She drops the shirt onto the couch with a smile. “I like that look.”
I take a step toward her. “And what’s that?”
“Like you want to devour me.” Her voice is breathy.
“Because I do.”
Her eyes darken as she licks her lips. “Good.”
I move, eating the distance in two steps and cupping her head to bring her mouth to mine.
She tips onto her toes, thrusting her tongue into my mouth and matching my intensity. I walk her backward, guiding her to my bedroom and away from the animals. She doesn’t hesitate, trusting me to move her where she needs to go.
When we get to my room, I kick the door shut, sealing us in darkness.
“Wait,” she says, coming up for air.
I stop everything, putting my hands up and releasing her.
“Light. I want light.”
I smirk. “We’ve done pretty well in the dark, don’t you think?”
She laughs quietly. “I want to see you, Matty.”
And even though the words are brave, her vulnerability is clear. I understand immediately, and move to turn on the bedside lamp. The room is thrown into a soft light, and Goldie’s shoulders drop.
“Good?”
She nods. “Good.”
This time, it’s her who closes the distance, her knees knocking against my legs as she meets me beside the bed. “Are you nervous?” I ask.
She bites her lip. “I shouldn’t be.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t be.” A beat passes, then I admit, “ I’m nervous.”
Her eyes fly to mine. “What do you have to be nervous for?”
“Are you kidding?” I run my fingers down her cheek, to her chin, then down to the neckline of her tank top. I trace it, watching the goosebumps form in my wake. “I’ve got the most beautiful woman in the world in my bedroom, and it’s been…a long time since I’ve been with anyone. It’s entirely possible I’m going to mess this up.”
“I’ve seen your dick, Matty,” Goldie assures me. “There is absolutely no way you can fuck this up.”
I throw my head back and laugh. Then I nearly swallow my tongue because when I look at her again, she’s pulled her tank top off.
And she’s wearing a yellow fucking bra.