Chapter 15 #2
“No, you said no kissing.” The corner of his mouth lifts in a smirk. “Already backing down on that one? You know what you have to do.”
“Not happening.”
There is no way I’m playing his game. No way, no how.
He quirks his brow, an unmistakable challenge shining in his eyes. “Famous last words, Trouble. Famous last words.”
My stomach quivers as he lets his hand fall, landing on my knee. His long fingers skim over the inside of my thigh. A short tease, that’s all it is, but I know I’m screwed.
Trouble.
I’m in so much freaking trouble.
I had no idea what to expect when I agreed to this double date, but this sure isn’t it.
“Bowling? You brought us bowling?”
The last part of my sentence is swallowed as one of the machines lets out a noise to signal somebody just got a strike. Cheers and boos spread through the space along with the other chatter and music blasting through the speakers.
“Have something against bowling, Trouble?” Matthew asks, but instead of shouting to be heard over all the noise, he leans down, his warm breath tickling my skin as he whispers into my ear.
“No,” I reply immediately, my voice hitching, if only slightly. “Bowling is fine.”
“Good.” Matthew hands me the shoes, and we all sit down to put them on before going to the lane that was assigned to us.
“Have you ladies ever played?” Nico asks, his attention firmly fixed on me.
Mae rolls her eyes. “Who hasn’t bowled before? Seriously, what do you think? We’re some damsels in distress that need a man’s help to roll a freaking ball? Trust me, nobody sane would rely on a man for anything.”
“Seriously?” Nico asks her, his voice dropping lower. “It was just a stupid question. Saying ‘yes’ is perfectly fine.”
“Oh, please, I was just waiting for the”—she makes her voice deeper, to imitate Nico’s—“‘Don’t worry, babe. I can teach you.’ moment.”
“Are you always this feisty, or am I that special?”
Mae scoffs. “Don’t flatter yourself, Rivera.”
“How about we make a bet, then? If you’re so sure of your ability.”
“Sure. After I’m done wiping the floor with your ass, I want a promise that you’ll stay away from me.”
“Okay. And if I win, you owe me a date. A real one.”
He extends his hand toward her so they can shake on it, but Mae just glares at him, which makes his smile grow bigger.
“What? I thought you’re sure in your abilities, Doc.”
“Fine,” she grits, placing her hand in his for a quick handshake before pulling it back almost as if it burned her.
“Well, if you’re done with your bickering, we can start the game.” Matthew’s arm falls over my shoulders. “Trouble and me—”
Mae brushes it away with a sweet smile. “Easy there, lover boy. It’ll be Jessy and me against you two.” She gives him a pointed look. “Just because I allowed you to take my bestie on this date doesn’t mean you’ve earned it. Now, shall we begin? Ladies first?”
She doesn’t wait for an answer before she walks us over to the rack with balls and tries a few of them.
“You’ve got some serious explaining to do,” I mutter softly, grabbing a ball and weighing it in my hand.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Hmm… This one.” She looks at me, her expression innocently blank. “You done?”
“Picking the ball? Sure. With you? Not even close. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you this mean.” Her eyes narrow, which makes me sigh softly. “Be nice. Please? Remember, this was your idea.”
“My idea for you. I don’t need a man in my life. Especially not that kind of man.”
“And what kind of man is that?”
“Big, overbearing, self-centered…”
“A cop?” I challenge.
The muscle in her jaw tics. I expect her to bite back, but she just presses her lips together and spins on her heel, turning her attention to the pins. Lifting the ball, she holds it as she takes a moment to collect herself before she gets into position and throws it.
The ball rushes down the lane in a perfect line, knocking down all the pins.
Mae slowly spins on her heels, a wicked smile spread across her lips. “Who’s next?”
The men exchange a glance before looking back at my friend, who’s sashaying her way back to us.
Instead of being intimidated, Nico just cracks his knuckles. “Oh, game on, Doc.”
I shake my head as he makes his way down the lane where the pins have been put back in place. He opens and closes his hand a few times before slipping his fingers into the holes of the ball and making his move, downing all the pins in one go as well.
A smirk on his face when he turns to us makes Mae scowl. Seriously, these two.
The game is intense.
I’m nowhere near as good as Mae, and thankfully neither is Matthew, but we try to keep up. Though Mae and Nico have taken this whole rivalry thing to another level altogether, and I’m not sure if I should laugh or be worried.
A hand sneaks around my waist, a warm body pressing against my back.
Matthew’s taken this whole PDA thing way too seriously, and I swear if his hand is not on that damn ball, it’s on me. Brushing against mine, touching my shoulders, my hand…
“I changed my mind,” Matthew whispers into my ear, his warm breath making goosebumps rise on my skin.
“About?”
“They’re definitely going to fuck.”
A strangled laugh escapes me.
I can’t even protest because, well… I don’t really think he’s wrong.
“Now, look at who we have here.”
We both jump apart at the interruption and turn around to find none other than Mrs. Miller and Mrs. Tyson, who are watching us with matching smiles on their faces.
Mrs. Miller’s sharp eyes move from me to Matthew, her grin growing bigger.
“Oh, I think they’re on a date, Trish!” Mrs. Tyson gushes. “We shouldn’t have interrupted them.”
“Please, if they wanted to be alone, they wouldn’t be here.” Mrs. Miller waves her off and lightly pounds her cane against the floor, mere inches from my feet. “You treating our girl right, Matthew?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Good. She’s our favorite, so you better not mess this up.”
“I would never, Mrs. Miller.”
The older woman harrumphs. “Well, y’all have fun. We’re going back to our own dates.”
My brows shoot up, but the two are already walking away, and sure enough, they join two gentlemen who’re waiting for them a few lanes down from ours.
“That woman scares the living hell out of me,” Matthew mutters.
“You’re not the only one.”
“Was that Mrs. Miller?” Mae asks as she joins us, her gaze scanning the space.
“Sure was. Apparently, we’re not the only ones on a double date tonight.”
“What?”
Mae’s mouth falls open, so I tilt my head in their direction. Mae spots them just as one of the gentlemen swats Mrs. Tyson on the ass.
Her eyes turn to saucers. “Well, I’ll be damned. You’ll need to tell me all the gossip once you get it, because I need to know all the details.”
“All the details about what?” Nico asks, following our line of sight. “What are we looking— Ah.”
“Why do you not sound surprised?” Mae spins on her heels and glares at him.
Nico shrugs. “I saw them some fifteen minutes ago.”
“You can take the guy out of the uniform, but you can’t take the uniform out of the guy,” Matthew chuckles.
I watch as my friend’s face darkens. “Can’t forget about that.”
She turns around and marches to the lane. It’s my turn, technically, but I don’t try to stop her. I can use the extra points.
I fix my gaze on the man next to me. “Not so sure about these two.”
Matthew wiggles his brows. “Wanna place a bet? Make it fun?”
“God, no.”
I’m done making bets or bad decisions. I have my hands full as it is.
In the end, when our time is up, the result is tied. Mae and Nico want to continue playing to get a winner, but both Matthew and I protest, claiming we’re ready to go home.
When we get to my street, I thank Nico for the drive as we slip out of the truck. I look over my shoulder for Mae, but the passenger side door never opened, and I can see Nico and Mae arguing inside.
I knock on the window, and Nico lowers it.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing, we’re just talking.”
“Let me out, you ass,” Mae demands.
“She doesn’t have a car, so I’ll drop her off at home.”
“I can walk just fine,” Mae mutters, trying the handle again. “I can’t believe you put the child lock on.”
“When the situation calls for it…”
Nico lets the rest of the sentence hang in the air, and if it weren’t so dark, I could probably see the fumes coming out of my best friend’s ears. “I swear, I’m going to strangle you.”
“I don’t think it’s wise to threaten a police officer in the presence of his colleagues.”
Matthew shrugs. “Do I look like I care?”
“I’ll see you two later.” Nico waves at us as he lifts the window and slowly drives away, Mae still going off on him.
I bite the inside of my cheek, staring after them as the car disappears around the corner.
“So that was… interesting.”
“I still think we should place a bet.” Matthew turns around, and even in the darkness, I can see a frown appear on his face. “Why is your light not on?”
“I guess I forgot to turn it on before I left.” I shrug. “It’s fine.”
“You should install automatic lights. It’s safer.”
“This is Bluebonnet Creek.” I roll my eyes, but Matthew is having none of it.
“When has that ever stopped bad shit from happening?”
I open my mouth to bite back at him but close it, because, damn, he’s right.
“I’ll look into it,” I promise, placing my hand on his and giving it a squeeze.
His body relaxes, if only slightly, and he nods. “Good.”
I graze my teeth over my lower lip, suddenly realizing that for the first time today, we’re alone. In the darkness. Just the two of us.
“I should go inside.” I let my hand drop. “Thank you for today?”
His brow quirks up. “Is that a question or a statement?”
“Both?” My tongue darts out, sliding over my lips. “I still think this is crazy.”
“It’s just for a little while.”
Right.
Three months.
“Good night, Matthew.”
Taking a step back, I turn and walk to my porch.
I can feel Matthew’s gaze on my back as I pull out my key and unlock the front door, flipping on the light as I slip inside.
Closing the door, I find Matthew putting his helmet on, the black visor shielding his face from view as he swings his leg over the bike.
The engine revs to life, and he tips his chin at me before he drives away.
Only when he’s out of view do I lower my gaze.
Another pink rose is placed on the mat in front of my door, the petals crumpled from when I stepped on it in the darkness. Crouching down, I take the envelope and pull the note out.
I know the game you’re playing. You’re mine, Jessy. Don’t forget that.