Fighting for Love (Second Chances #4)(42)

Kyle: I see you haven’t kicked him out yet. Are you actually going to let him f*ck you after everything you saw? That girl on page 97 was kind of rough. I thought you were the type to have standards. Guess not. Oh well, I guess I need to step up my game.

“Son of a bitch,” I growled, rushing over to the window. That psycho was here somewhere … watching.

Matt rushed up to my side, and since the text message was still clearly visible on my screen, he looked down at it and his whole mood shifted almost instantly. Immediately, he stormed his way outside. “Matt, no,” I shouted, racing after him. Please, don’t let Kyle show himself out there, I prayed.

Fuming, Matt stalked down the steps to the sidewalk. His chest was heaving up and down and his hands were shaking with fury. “I’m right here,” he yelled to the darkness. “Let’s finish this.”

“Matt, please,” I begged. “This is what he wants. You can’t let him get to you like this.”

He scoffed and kept his back to me. “You’re one to talk, Shelby. I knew the moment I walked in your house that something was up, and now I know why. Kyle already got to you.” With his fists clenched tight, he turned around and marched up the steps, his gaze as cold as ice. “What did you see, Shelby? What did he show you?” he demanded.

Closing my eyes, I blew out a shaky breath and nodded. “Okay,” I whispered hesitantly. “I’ll show you, but you have to promise that you won’t go after him. I mean it, Matt. It’s been a hard enough day for me as it is, and the last thing you need is to go to jail.”

“Dammit,” he hissed, putting his hands on his hips. “Fine, I promise. Now show me what the hell he’s talking about.”

I took one last look around outside and turned on my heel to head back into the house. Matt slammed the door behind me and followed me into my room, his breathing ragged and furious. The envelope was tucked away in my desk drawer because I didn’t want it lying around in plain sight as a reminder. Matt glanced down at the envelope in my hand and back up to me, his gaze softening when he could see tears in my eyes.

Hesitantly, he took a step forward and said, “Shelby.”

I quickly put my hand up to stop him. “Please, don’t say anything else right now. Just look at what’s inside before we talk.”

Taking a deep breath, I turned away from him and walked over to the glass curio cabinet, which was in the corner with my trophies from over the years and other valuable trinkets in it. When we went to the prom, we were given glass champagne flutes that had the date engraved on them. I never understood why they gave us those when we were too young to even drink. I still kept them, along with my graduation cap, which sat beside them.

“What the f*ck,” Matt shouted angrily.

Immediately, I peered over my shoulder and saw that he had all of the photos scattered out on my bed. I didn’t dare approach because I didn’t have the desire to see him in them.

His gaze was wild when he looked at me and asked, “How did you get these? You didn’t let him inside your house, did you?”

“No,” I shrieked. “I went out for a run, and then I got a text message that said I had a special delivery. The envelope was by the front door when I got back.” Shaking his head, I watched him look at every single photo, feeling the anger burn me from the inside out. “Believe me, the last thing I wanted to see when I got home was a hundred pictures of you screwing other women,” I sneered.

“What?” he exclaimed, gripping a handful of the pictures. “Shelby, these pictures aren’t of me. Please tell me you didn’t believe this shit.” By the truth in his gaze I knew he wasn’t lying to me.

Gasping, I ran to his side and peered down at the pictures. “Really? But I saw your face. It was you in them.”

Matt picked out a picture and held it up so I could see it. “They were photoshopped, or altered somehow to make it look like it was me. It might be my face, but look at the body,” he insisted, pointing to the tattoos in the picture. “I have tattoos, but when have you ever seen a tribal band around my arm? You know I hate those things.”

“Oh my God,” I cried, eyes going wide. “I didn’t look at them all. I got through three of them and completely lost it. I was so angry I didn’t know what to do.”

Matt threw the pictures onto the bed. “So you’ve been sitting here all day pissed at me, haven’t you?”

Nodding, I closed my eyes, ashamed at having fallen for one of Kyle’s tricks. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t want to look at them that closely. It’s not exactly easy knowing you’ve been with so many women, Matt. You’ve touched and kissed them like you do with me, and it makes me sick to know that.”

Matt sighed and placed his hands on my cheeks. “No, angel, I never touched them or kissed them the way I do with you. I actually feel your skin, the way it connects with mine when I glide my fingers over it.” His fingers tickled my skin as he trailed them down my cheeks to my neck, and back up. “It’s the most amazing feeling I’ve ever felt. It’s like your body responds to me and heightens every single touch. When I kiss your lips it’s the same thing.”

He leaned down and brushed his lips across mine, nipping my bottom lip. That feeling he spoke of tingled all the way down my body, making me shiver. He was right; I had never felt that with anyone other than him.