Chapter 6 Matthew #2
I don’t miss the blush in her cheeks or the way she bites her lip. The sight makes my damn cock twitch and I stand up straighter, gripping her bag as I head for the Starbucks.
“Come on,” I say. “I think we could both use a coffee.”
She nods in agreement, following me as I head over to the line that’s starting to form.
“How much time do we have?” I ask, trying to change the subject so I can focus on anything other than my unruly dick.
“Uh…” She pulls out her phone. “Flight leaves in forty minutes, so they’ll probably start boarding in thirty.”
I nod as we move up, the strange tension between us thick with unspoken words.
“I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable,” I say, feeling a little concerned it was something I said. Maybe I should dial back the enthusiasm.
“Huh?” She turns to me, as if I’ve caught her mid-thought.
“I mean, I wasn’t trying to be pushy or anything given the circumstances…” I run a hand through my hair, feeling suddenly flushed. Before she can say anything, I move up to order our drinks. “I’ll have a grande java chip frappe, and the lady will have…”
She looks at me with a raised eyebrow, as if judging me, then turns to order. “I’ll have a grande caramel macchiato with oat milk, please,” she says in the sweetest, most poignant voice ever.
But that’s just Sophie. She’s perfect, and everything she does is perfect. So out of my fucking league, with or without a boyfriend.
She moves to grab her wallet, but I stop her and hand the guy my credit card. “Absolutely not,” I say as she pouts.
“But—”
“No buts,” I say as the man finishes up the transaction and passes my card back to me. I grab the receipt and gently nudge Sophie down to the end where everybody and their brother are standing.
Once again, we stand side-by-side, the tension between us thick like peanut butter.
“You didn’t have to do that, you know,” she says with a pout.
“Do what?” I ask, my eyebrows furrowing at her sudden shift in tone and mood.
“I can buy my own coffee.” The way she says the words is almost like she’s offended, but not quite offended enough to sound pissed. Annoyed, but I’m not entirely sure she’s annoyed at me.
Could just be this whole situation. Sudden breakup. Impending wedding. Waking up early to catch the first flight out to Paradise.
“Guessing your ex wasn’t the coffee buying type?” I say with a chuckle, trying to lighten the mood. I mean, I thought girls liked it when guys bought them stuff…
Her eyes widen and all at once, I realize my error. Shit.
I shouldn’t have—
Her entire body tenses, her expression shifting from surprise to panic to downright anger.
“Oh my God! He told you?”
There’s no point denying the truth. Not now. I mean, I couldn’t backtrack this if I tried, so I might as well own up to it and reassure her the best way I can that her secret is safe with me.
I just won’t mention that Benny was in the room—er, car—when the admission was blasted for all to hear.
See, I can be smart. I know when to leave shit out.
“I mean, I kinda overheard some of it, so I kind of assumed…”
It’s not a complete lie. I did hear some of their conversation, if by conversation you mean Sophie moaning in delight after Eli’s lips landed on hers. But it’s vague enough that for the moment, it does the trick.
“You…overheard us?” she asks as the barista calls our order. I grab our drinks, handing her the hot grande caramel macchiato with oat milk. Our fingers brush as I hand it off, and for a moment, time itself stands still.
And then, just like it came, the moment fades as she pulls away.
“Yeah,” I say, almost breathless.
My dick jumps, relishing in her touch, however faint and fast it was.
“How long were you standing there, exactly?” she asks carefully, taking a sip of her drink. She lets out another one of those perfect, sultry moans, and I have half a mind to take my damn Frappuccino and my ass into the nearest bathroom to quiet the damn genie in my pants.
But we really do need to get moving to our gate so we’re not late for our trip to Paradise. Pretty sure Benny will kill me if he finds out our tardiness is my fault. Especially if we miss the damn flight.
I lead us toward the direction of our gate. “Long enough.”
If she doesn’t believe me, she doesn’t say anything, and for that I’m grateful.
“I’m not going to say anything, if that’s what you’re worried about. To your parents or anything,” I reassure her.
She doesn’t look at me, just slides her hands in her pockets. “I’m not, I just…haven’t really had time to process stuff, you know? And my mom, just…she always has a knack for knowing when I’m not my best.”
I stop, forcing her to look at me. “Hey…” I catch her gaze with my own. “It’s okay, you know. You don’t have to have all the answers.” I smirk. “Chalk it up to the alcohol, and parents who don’t know boundaries.” She smirks at me as I pretend to zip my lips shut. “Secret’s safe with me, baby.”
Her gaze glistens for a moment and I pretend to throw away the invisible key.
“From here on out, no more talk about asshole ex-boyfriends or pain-in-the-ass parents. It’s just pure white sand beaches and mai tais. After all, I hear the Virgin Islands are the best cure for a broken heart.”
She smiles sweetly. “Is that so?”
“Uh-huh. Sand, sun, and lots of tan buns in Speedos for you to stare at.”
I don’t tell her the set of tan buns in a Speedo will be mine, but I’m sure I’m not the only one at the resort who will be sporting such attire.
“Sounds great,” she says. “I could use a little distraction.”