Evie #2
The girls are already roping me into this whole book club thing, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to finish the one they assigned themselves this month with only a week left until they meet to discuss it.
I opted to read the next book, which apparently is a cowboy romance.
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited, though.
The way the girls talk about their books is so entertaining, I know I’m in for a good ride.
I lift my glass and take a sip, the alcohol going down smoothly and settling the lingering nerves from earlier. Is drinking the best idea for me right now? Probably not, but here I am.
My phone buzzes in my purse, the vibration felt along my hip. As Cindy fans herself while Layla recounts the spicy scenes, I quickly scan my notifications, an excited thrill shooting through me once I see I’ve been added to another group chat.
CALLING FOR A HOT DISPATCHER
ANGEL
congratulations bitch
you passed our tests
welcome to the best group chat in Denver
fair warning, sexual content and foul language ahead
TRISTAN
you fucking kill me
KALANI
can’t wait to meet the Evie Ellington
thank you for smashing his car. was well overdue in my opinion
EVIE
happy to be of service ;)
TRISTAN
drinks next week?
I have tea on Elevator Man
EVIE
count me in, I need to know who Elevator Man is
ANGEL
get ready for the story of a lifetime
Elevator Man even had my jaw on the floor
and that’s hard to do
TRISTAN
true
you could tell her all about your sexcapades and she wouldn’t bat an eye
ANGEL
you know me well ;)
Just a little over six weeks since my life imploded and I can see the foundations of a new one building. Two amazing groups of people welcoming me with open arms, a new job that fills my heart with a sense of purpose, hobbies that make me feel free and…can I lump Matteo into that sentence?
A shiver makes its way down my spine, and sure enough, Matteo is standing across the deck, leaning against the railing. Johnson, Irving, and O’Connor are talking to him but his attention is fixed solely on me.
“He’s looking at you like he wants to devour you,” Cindy murmurs in my ear.
I’m about to come up with a retort but the music suddenly dies.
Turning, I find Grayson with the widest grin known to man, Bella under his arm, holding a mic the DJ gave him. Bella’s cheeks are flushed pink, and she’s positively glowing.
“Oh my fucking god,” Cindy gasps behind me.
“No way!” Layla adds.
I’m wondering what they’re talking about just as Bella lifts her hand in the air, a broad smile stretching across her face as Grayson declares over the microphone, “We’re engaged!”
The girls and I scream like we never have before.
Cheers, hollers, and congratulations follow. Layla all but tackles Bella. If it weren’t for Grayson’s hold on her, Layla would have taken her to the ground. I have tears in my eyes but they’re nothing in comparison to the ugly sobs coming from her.
“I knew it! I knew it had to be big!” Turning to Kieran, who also has tears of joy in his eyes, Layla slaps his thigh. “You should have told me!”
“You wouldn’t have been able to hold it in.”
“Agh!” Layla calls out before spinning back to her best friend and hugging her once more.
Cindy wipes tears from her eyes. “I’ve never been so happy for a couple before. This was truly destined. Congratulations, you two.”
“Thanks, Cin,” Grayson and Bella say in unison.
“Congratulations,” a deep male voice rumbles behind me. “So fucking happy for you guys.”
Bella’s watery smile lifts to Matteo over my shoulder. “Thanks, Matteo.”
“Thanks, man,” Grayson adds.
I’m not sure what possessed me to bring it, but as I pull my small film camera out of my purse, I’m grateful I grabbed it last minute. Snapping photos of Bella, Grayson, and all their loved ones surrounding them, including his parents, a thrill shoots down my finger.
This is why I love photography—capturing moments like this.
Afterward, Bella shares the tale of how he proposed, which sounds like the proposal of the century.
It happened along a gorgeous lake with the mountains in the background, her favorite flowers, white lilies, surrounding them, while Bella’s favorite photographer hid in the trees capturing every precious moment.
I can’t wait to see the photos.
Once the initial congratulations have passed, I let Bella have a moment with her two closest girlfriends and duck away outside.
Getting a moment to myself, I tip my head back and gaze at the twinkling stars, the pink sunset long gone. I lean my hip against the railing and savor the peace and quiet.
Until it’s not.
“Something on your mind, Dove?”
Matteo steps beside me, placing his hands on the railing. I can’t help but notice the corded veins in his hands rising up his forearms, his navy shirt folded up to his elbows, giving me a glimpse of his tan skin.
Facing the music, I slowly lift my head to his and find myself caught in his gaze.
“A lot,” I answer honestly.
“Anything you want to talk about?”
Not really.
Shaking my head, I bite my lip before ripping my eyes away before his lure me into spilling all of my secrets.
Like how for the first time in my life, I didn’t dissociate when a man touched me. I actually wanted to be intimate. The physical vulnerability Matteo put me in didn’t make me feel as if a thousand ants were crawling all over my skin.
Putting his back to the stars and the mountains, Matteo leans against the railing, crossing his arms over his chest and staring me down. I don’t have to see it to know it, I can feel it on my skin, scorching a path.
“Lucky I brought my camera,” I say, changing the subject.
“Grayson and Bella are lucky indeed.” Holding out his hands, he asks, “Can I see it?”
I give him the camera, stunned to see a slight tremble in my fingers. It’s his scent, enveloping me in a caress that I wish was real. My hands physically itch to reach out to him, to pull him close and kiss him.
I’m so in my head I don’t realize he’s taken the camera from me until a flash strikes my face. As I blink up at Matteo, the camera goes off again.
He slowly lowers it, his eyes boring into mine as he whispers gutturally, “My beautiful Dove.”
A sharp intake of air through my teeth is the only response I can give. My heart has taken flight once more, thumping a wild beat until I force myself to swallow past the lump in my throat and croak out, “Camera please.”
He holds it away from me. “A question in exchange for the camera.”
Arching a brow, I fold my arms over my chest. “Are you blackmailing me, Valenti?”
His lip twitches at the use of his surname. “I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get you talking to me again.”
“I’m talking right now, aren’t I?”
He takes a step forward and I’m forced to lift my chin.
“You’re hiding from me and you know it.” Holding the camera behind his back, he repeats, “Camera for a question.”
“Okay,” I hear myself say before I can truly think on it.
A level of vulnerability enters his gaze, along with a type of guardedness that has me steeling my spine. But it’s shock that thunders through me as he whispers, “Have I fucked this up? Have I ruined us?”
My answer is swift, no pondering needed. “You could never.”
His shoulders drop, tension leaking from his features until he grows wary once more. “Then why are you avoiding me?” My head falls, lips parting, only for two of his fingers to gently grab my chin and bring me back. “Eyes on me, Dove. No more hiding.”
“You’re very bossy tonight.”
He gives me a crooked grin. “And something tells me you love it.”
Licking my suddenly parched lips, I whisper, “I…”
I…what?
I’m scared you only want to use me?
I’m afraid you don’t feel the same?
I’m afraid you just had a momentary lapse in judgment?