Maybe Matt's Miracle(50)

Joey tugs on my hand, and I look down at her. “What’s wrong?” I ask.

“I have to go potty,” she says.

Matt points toward the bathroom, and I go in that direction with her. Sorry, I mouth over my shoulder at Matt.

He grins and shrugs. “When you gotta go,” he says.

“I can do it,” Joey says when I try to go in the bathroom with her. She shuts the door in my face.

“Okay…” I say to myself.

I turn around and run directly into Matt’s chest. He grabs my elbows to steady me, and I find my nose against his shirt. And I like it there because he smells like Matt. And I like Matt. A lot. “You smell good,” I say quietly, my mouth against his chest.

He bends his head and nuzzles the side of my neck. “So do you,” he whispers. I tilt my head to give him better access.

Suddenly, there’s a loud cough directly behind us. Matt groans and lifts his head.

“Would you knock it off?” he says.

Paul just laughs and nods toward Mellie, who is still holding my hand. “There are kids in the room, numbnuts,” he says. He reaches down, and I see a tiny blonde standing beside him.

“Who is this?” I ask and point toward the little girl.

Matt motions her forward as he squats down. She perches herself on his knee. “I’m Hayley,” she says. She has blue eyes and blond hair just like all the Reeds, and she’s adorable.

“My daughter,” Paul says. He nods toward a door down the hallway. “Do you want to take the girls to play in your room?”

Hayley nods and smiles. They wait for Joey to come out of the bathroom, and then Hayley takes one of Joey’s hands and one of Mellie’s and drags them into her room. She closes the door behind them with a loud bang.

Paul scratches his head. “I guess I should get used to that. But I’m not sure I can,” he says. He shakes his head.

“Are they okay in there?” I ask Matt. I kind of want to go see where they’re playing.

“We’ll check on them in a second,” Matt says. His gaze darts around the room, and then he opens a door behind me and pushes me into a bedroom. He closes the door after us and flips me back against the wall with a gentle shove. “I missed you,” he whispers.

His hands bracket my face, and his knee slides between my legs, which is kind of good because my knees go wobbly when he grabs me. “Matt,” I warn. “The kids.”

“Are all taken care of,” he says. His lips touch mine, and he groans against my lips as his tongue sweeps inside my mouth. He takes my breath away with every touch. His tongue tangles with mine, mimicking the way he licked me all over in bed yesterday, and my heart starts to thump.

I clench my hands in his shirt and try to keep myself on my feet. He pulls back and looks into my face. “I’m glad you’re here,” he says quietly. He brushes my hair back from my forehead and then steps back.

“Whose room is this?” I ask. But I know immediately. From the books stacked on the nightstand to the overall neatness, I know it’s Matt’s.

He grins. “It’s mine. Who else’s room would I drag you into?” He snorts. “You wouldn’t want to see Paul’s room. There’s some kinky shit in there.”

“Seriously?” I ask.

He grins. “No. I’m kidding. But the look on your face is priceless.” He laughs, and I love the sound of it.

“Paul’s daughter is adorable,” I say. I run my finger across the photos taped to his dresser mirror. They’re all of him and his brothers and the girls in their lives—Reagan, Emily, and Friday. “Are the girlfriends coming tonight?” I ask. “Or am I the only one?”

“They’ll be here soon. Are you kidding? They would not miss a perfect opportunity to grill you.” He smiles. “So be ready.”

They’re going to grill me? I drop the bottle of cologne I picked up, but Matt catches it before it can hit the floor.

“Quit worrying,” he says. “They’re harmless.” He rocks his head back and forth like he’s thinking it over. “Well, I wouldn’t call Reagan harmless. She can drop kick the best of us. But with you, harmless.”

I don’t know what to say to that.

“Don’t worry,” he says again. “They like you. And they know that I love you, so they’ll be on their best behavior. I promise.”

My heart swells. I’m not used to Matt’s declarations yet.

“You still love me, right?” Matt asks.

I roll my eyes, trying to be nonchalant. “Nothing has changed since yesterday.” I looked up at him from beneath lowered lashes. “Anything changed for you?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I want you more than I did yesterday,” he says, his voice soft and harsh all at the same time.

A knock sounds on the door, and it opens a crack. “Are you decent?” a female voice asks.

“Open the door and find out.” Matt calls back.

The door opens slowly, and Emily pops her head in. “Oh, thank God,” she breaths.

Matt narrows his eyes at her. “What?”

“You’re both dressed. I thought that was going to be uncomfortable after I found both of you naked or something.”

“Then you should have stayed outside,” Matt says, but he pulls her into his side and gives her a noogie. She grins and fends him off. “What did you want?” Matt asks.