Lay It Down: Bastards MC Series Boxed Set (9 page)

I fought the giggle that tried to escape, coughing instead.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” He moved his hand to my cheek, brushing back a strand of flyaway hair. “Did you sleep well?”

I nodded. “Good morning.” I smiled, stretching again, this time into him on purpose. “How 'bout you?”

“You mean other than the snoring and the furnace who insisted she wrap herself around me half the night? Yeah, I slept great.” He sat up, stretching. “What are your plans today?”

I flopped onto my back. “Well, I had a dinner date, but I’ve decided to cancel that. So I’m going to go to the gym and then maybe the movies. You?”

Matty laid back down next to me, head on my pillow. “How you holding up after last night?”

I shrugged. I didn’t want to talk about it. Hell, I didn't even want to think about it. The two of them dancing that way… I sighed, closing my eyes. Knowing your husband hadn't been faithful was one thing; having the image burned into your brain was another.

Matty reached for me, twining his fingers around mine. “It just so happens that my plans for today got cancelled too. I’m gonna go to the beach for a nice long run, read a little, and then maybe go out for dinner and a movie. A nice lazy day. I would love some company.”

I let him hold my hand. It was a sweet gesture, and I was sure it was because he was trying to offer some sort of comfort. I loved how perfectly my hand fit into his. The thought of Matty’s hand made me remember Will’s last night. Of course he’d taken off his wedding ring. What kind of person cheated while wearing their ring? Did he even wear it at work? Maybe he stuck it in his glove compartment every day before going into his office. For all I knew, she didn’t even realize he was still married. She was beyond beautiful and had a perfect body, I’d give him that. Will was everything a girl her age could want: handsome, successful, financially secure, and he had all his hair. I’d loved him before he’d had the success and money though, back when he was just a kid with a dream.

I let go of Matty’s hand and rolled toward him, snuggling into his chest. He hesitated, as if he didn’t know what to do, then he brought his arm over me. I buried my head under his chin. I had so many conflicting thoughts and emotions running through my mind, screaming at me, and I just wanted them to be quiet.

On one hand, I got it. I didn’t give Will enough attention, yet I always made time for Matty. Things between my husband and I were more than a little strained. Plus, it was a little hard to be judgmental of Will’s extracurricular activities considering I was lying in bed with a half-naked man—okay, a mostly naked man—who was engaged to someone else. We’d not only spent the night in the same bed but were locked in what could only be described as an intimate embrace. I sure as hell couldn’t cast the first stone. On the other hand, I’d never cheated.

I’d fantasized about Matty, sure, but I would never actually betray Will that way. I was sure Taylor looked at Matty and me and saw it differently. It really just depended on your definition of cheating. Would I be this upset if Will had an emotional connection with his co-worker? What if the two of them were as close as Matty and me, without having sex; would I be as upset as I am now?

The answer was probably yes. I wanted Will to look at me the way he’d looked at the girl last night, to want me as he obviously wanted her. But I didn’t look at Will the same way I looked at Matty. Will and I didn’t have anything in common. Other than our kids, we just didn’t like the same things. He wasn’t my friend. I sighed as I realized that I really was just as guilty as Will in this whole mess we’d gotten ourselves into.

“That’s a big sigh.” Matty leaned back. “The world’s problems aren’t going to get solved here, kid.” He sat up, getting out of bed and reaching for me. “Come on, let’s go clear our minds with a run.”

Our clothes from last night were still soaked, but Matty insisted he’d be okay in wet jeans until he got dry clothes. In turn, I insisted we take my car instead of the bike. My stomach was in knots by the time we pulled into his driveway, and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Taylor’s car wasn’t there.

Matty laughed at my reaction. “I told you she’d be gone. She has a get-together with her family. I’ll be right back.”

I refused to go in, keeping my car in neutral in case the crazy bitch came back. I didn’t have to worry long though. Matty was true to his word and came out just a few minutes later in gym shorts, a tank top, and sneakers.

He threw a bag into my backseat as he climbed in and grinned at my confused look. “I’m not going to dinner in running gear.”

Made sense.

“Plus, I want to have something to sleep in tonight besides boxers.”

I’d started out of his driveway but slammed on my brakes, snapping my head around to see him.

He shrugged. “Just in case.”

The beach at Popham Fort was only twenty-five minutes from Matty’s. We’d had such a late start that by the time we got there, families were scattered on towels and blankets along the sand and children darted in and out of the cold water. It was one of my favorite places in the world, whether running with Matty or playing with my kids. No matter what time of day, it was just peaceful.

We decided to start at the fort, run down past the old lifeguard station, around the bend, and back to the old lifeguard station. Matty was much faster than I was, a fact I blamed on his long legs, and I struggled to keep his pace. By the time we got halfway down the beach, I had to slow down., the July sun was just too hot. I watched him jog to the bend and turn back before I gave up and started to walk. When he got close enough I waved my hand, “It’s too hot to run.”

He smiled, stopping to walk with me, and grabbed my hand. “It’s never too hot to run!”

I rolled my eyes. “You don’t have to hold my hand, you know. I’m not going to be get lost.”

“Yeah, but I want to.” He paused, giving me a weird look. “If it makes you uncomfortable…”

Holding his hand didn’t make me uncomfortable, it was just… new. He’d held my elbow before, and I’d put my hand in the crook of his arm. Hand holding was just more personal though. I shook my head when he tried to pull his hand out of mine. He yanked me toward him, laughing. He was covered in sweat, hair messed up from the ocean breeze, and was slightly out of breath, but he was completely in his element. When I looked at him out of the corner of my eye, I couldn’t help but smile.

“Feels great to sweat the stress out, right?”

Sure. That’s why I’m smiling.
I nodded and tightened my grip on his hand, holding it all the way to the car.

The rest of the day flew by. We hung out at the hotel pool, me swimming laps and getting some sun while he read in the shade. My kids called in the early afternoon, and I was excited to listen to each talk about what they’d been doing. After that, we went to a matinee and dinner, and were back at the hotel before eight. I’d put my phone on the charger before we left and forgotten it in the room. I was surprised to see eighteen missed calls. I panicked, thinking something happened to one of the kids. Then, scrolling through the call list, I realized they were all from Will.

“I never cancelled with Will!” Appalled that I’d completely forgotten, I hit the recall button instantly.

Matty laughed, but I didn’t see the humor.

“Where in the hell have you been?” The anger coming from the other end of the phone surprised me.

“I’m so sorry! I forgot my phone and—”

“We had plans! I’ve been calling you for hours!” Will interrupted, seething. “If you were going to blow me off, you should have let me know hours ago. I could have—”

It was my turn to interrupt. “Could have what?”
Gone to Portland with your girlfriend again?
I almost let the words slip out.

Will sighed. “It isn’t important. It’s too late now.”

“It’s barely eight, Will.”

“You’re right.” His voice was calmer now. “I can come pick you up.”

I hesitated. It had been such a good day, I didn’t want to end it with a fight.

Sensing my reluctance, he continued. “We need to talk. I’d prefer to do it face to face.”

My breath caught. “I don’t handle your big reveals well in person. Maybe it would be better if you just tell me over the phone.”

“Big reveal? Jo, I’ve already bared my soul. I don’t have anything else to tell you. We need to come up with a plan, that’s all.” I heard him shift. “Why don’t you meet me for drinks and we can talk?” His voice was warm and persuasive. “The house is so quiet without you. I’m lonely without you.”

I shook my head, annoyed. I didn’t know what was worse—his lies or that I’d believed them yesterday and still wanted to believe them today. If I hadn’t seen him last night, I’d be the idiot running home right now. I had though, and I knew I could never trust him again.

I struggled to keep my voice even. “You don’t have any other friends who could meet you for dinner or even drinks? Ya know, so you aren’t so lonely?”

Matty looked up at my tone, a concerned look on his face, and said my name as if warning me to stop talking.

Will didn’t answer. “Where are you?”

“My hotel. Why?”      

“Matty is with you at your hotel?”

I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, he is. He’s been here all day.”

“I see.”

This was going nowhere. “Look, I’m sorry I forgot to call you. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Jo? Don’t you dare hang up…”

I hung up. Seconds later, my phone buzzed. I hit Ignore then turned it off. Sighing, I looked up and met Matty’s eyes.

“What was that?”

I shook my head, unsure what the hell had just happened.

He studied me for a few minutes then turned to sit on the couch. “What do you want to do with the rest of our night?”

We sat together on the couch. I read while he surfed the Internet on his phone and talked to Sam. It was sweet, listening to the two of them talk about their days and read together. I thought Matty would head home at some point, but he said he wasn’t ready to see Taylor. I understood completely. Sitting here with someone I felt comfortable with and pushing the inevitable fight from my mind was easy. Will and I had to talk about last night. I’d have to tell him what I’d seen. I just wasn’t ready to have that conversation.

I didn’t have time to worry about where Matty was going to sleep. He’d put on the pajama bottoms and crawled into bed while I was brushing my teeth. I came out to find him passed out in my bed. I shut off the lights and crawled in next to him, grateful to not be alone. I was almost asleep when a hand grabbed mine.

“Try not to snore so much, k, Jo?”

9

Sunday was another lazy day with Matty. He woke me up early, with all the excitement of a little boy on Christmas morning, and convinced me to go for an all-day motorcycle ride. I had a great time but was exhausted when Matty dropped me back at the hotel late in the afternoon. I stripped off my clothes while walking to the bed, planning to fall in and stay there until morning. Halfway across the room, Matty’s blue bag caught my eye. I stopped and rummaged through until I found one of his shirts. I smelled him on the fabric as I pulled it over my head. Smiling, I crawled into bed. I didn’t think about Will once.

I felt as if I’d only slept a few minutes when a knocking on my door pulled me out of oblivion. I stumbled toward the sound, realizing at the last minute that it was probably Will. I didn’t want to see him and hesitated as I reached for the handle.

“Jo? Are you up?” Matty’s voice called quietly.

I flipped the lock and yanked the door.

“Were you sleeping?” he asked at the exact same time I asked him what he was doing there.

I nodded, stepping back to let him into the room. He was wearing the same jeans and shirt from earlier and had a garment bag folded over his arm.

He shook his head at me. “I’ve been gone for, like, a half hour.”

I shook my head, trying to clear the fog. “Really?” It felt so much later. “I didn’t know you were coming back.” I rubbed my eyes. Grabbing my purse off the table, I pulled out a keycard and laid it down. “Take this. It’s my spare. That way you can come anytime you want. Without waking me up.”

“Thanks.” He smiled. “Taylor’s sisters are in town. I didn’t want to deal with them all when they got back.”

I didn’t blame him. One Taylor was enough, but two more would be too much for any one person to handle.

He opened the closet door, hung up the bag—which I assumed contained tomorrow’s work clothes—and turned back to me. “Is that my shirt?”

It took me a second to remember, but then I smiled, nodding. Putting my hand on my hip, I tipped my head and teased, “Is this where you tell me I can keep it because it looks so much better on me?”

A slow sexy smile grew on his face, and he shook his head. “Nah. It looks better on me.” He tipped his head, mirroring mine. “This is where I tell you I want it back.” He lunged, grabbing the hem.