Daniel’s muscular thigh felt good against hers, his large hands warm and pleasant when he touched her. So what if she wasn’t swept away by him? That was mostly raging lust, anyway. And she could certainly conjure enough lustful feelings about Daniel, with his warm, brown eyes and his chiseled chest and broad shoulders.
They chatted about classes, how the semester was shaping up, and Megan’s upcoming show.
“Are you going to the party at the gallery next weekend?”
Hannah groaned and let her head drop between her arms on the table, remembering the phone call with Megan earlier in the week. “I know you and Matt broke up,” she’d said, “and I’ve slapped him around for that, I promise, but you still have to be there. You’re a model in one of the best pieces. You already promised you’d come. You can’t back out.” Megan had overridden every protest Hannah had made. Hannah had grudgingly agreed to at least make an appearance. Megan had taken that as good enough.
“Yeah. Megan made me promise to be there, so I guess I have to go.”
Daniel chuckled, his white teeth flashing. “Yeah. She made me promise too. Wanna go together? I could pick you up, and we could make sure we have a good time. Especially since you sound like you don’t want to go.”
She thought about it for a moment, studying his face, and let out a sigh. “It’s not that I don’t want to go. It’s just—” She shrugged. “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear this, but, I really don’t want to see Matt. And he’s her roommate, so I’d bet money he’ll be there. I—” She paused and licked her lips. “It’s only been a few weeks, and I’m not ready to face him again yet. If ever.”
Daniel wrapped an arm around her, squeezing her against his side. “All the more reason for us to go together. If you’re there with someone else, he’ll keep his distance. I’ve never known Matt to go after someone else’s girl.”
Hannah opened her mouth to suggest that Matt might not be ready to see her as someone else’s girl, but changed her mind. “Alright. I guess we can go together. If nothing else, at least this way I’ll have someone else to talk to besides Matt’s friends.”
He stared down at her, his eyes roaming her face and lingering on her lips. But she looked away, breaking the moment. It felt wrong to let Daniel kiss her now with Matt fresh in her mind. But the more she thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea to go to Megan’s show with Daniel. And she hoped Daniel was right—that Matt would leave her alone if she showed up with another guy.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Matt glanced around at the people already crowding the downtown gallery space with more coming through the door. The walls showcased Megan’s paintings, the whole place dedicated just to her art. Matt felt a swell of pride for his friend. He knew how hard she’d worked to pursue her dream, both in terms of the time she spent painting, but also the split with her family over her decision to pursue art as a career. There was more to it than that, he knew. More to do with her relationship with Chris, which seemed crazy to him. Sure, Chris had slept around before he and Megan got together, but he’d been loyal to her since they’d been together. Since before they’d given into their attraction to each other, actually. Seeing how happy they were together, Chris with his arm around Megan while she greeted friends, patrons, and potential buyers, Matt was glad that Chris hadn’t listened to his warnings.
A twinge of jealousy sparked in his gut at the sight of them, the easy affection they had for each other. He’d had that. And he’d fucked it up. Hannah wouldn’t return his calls, wouldn’t look at him at work. The few times he’d seen her at the office, she’d looked away and avoided him except that one time. And then the only thing he’d gotten out of her was a nod and his name before she bolted. He wanted to tell her about his plans, but he couldn’t if she wouldn’t talk to him. He’d decided that if he couldn’t get her to talk to him before he left Eco Utilities for good, that he’d barge into the marketing department on his last day and talk to her, even if he had to spill his guts in front of everyone.
As though thoughts of her had conjured her into reality, she walked through the door, wearing the same red dress she’d worn Valentine’s Day. And Daniel Carter right behind her, his hand dropping around Hannah’s waist and pulling her close.
Matt’s hands tightened on the clear, plastic cup in his hand, cracking it, and the rest of his drink seeped out over his hand. He couldn’t tear his eyes away, frozen there, watching her smile up at him, laughing at something he said. They made their way over to Megan and Chris. They both turned to look at him when Hannah and Daniel approached. Megan broke first, turning her attention to her models, gesturing toward a large painting on one wall, that he now realized must be the one Hannah and Daniel posed for.
“Hey, man. Here are some napkins. Let me get rid of that for you.”
He turned to find Lance standing at his side, pushing tiny cocktail napkins at the hand holding his splintered plastic cup. Lance took the cup, turning and taking a couple of steps to toss it into a trash can. Hands from his other side pressed napkins into his hand, dabbing at the cut on his palm from the sharp plastic.
In a daze, he watched one of the hands tending his cut push strawberry blonde hair behind a feminine ear before holding his hand in both of hers, putting pressure on the cut. Abby. Lance stood next to him again, both of them watching Hannah and Daniel talking with Megan and Chris. Chris kept shooting glances his direction, and Megan made eye contact over Hannah’s shoulder when she leaned in for a hug, her face troubled.
Had she known Hannah would come? Did she know that she’d come with Daniel? The way he kept touching her, it was obvious they were there together.
Fuck.
He knew he’d screwed everything up, but he hadn’t expected her to move on this fast. It had only been a few weeks. And she was dating someone else? Someone who’d already had his arms around her when they were both almost naked.
Matt turned away, unable to stand looking at them anymore. Concern shone in Lance’s dark eyes, and Abby came around to stand next to him. Once again, everyone around him belonged to a happy couple, leaving him as the odd man out, the woman he loved here with some other guy.
Visions of Hannah and Daniel together flashed through his head, all too easy to conjure from the easy way they stood together and having seen both of them in various states of undress. He found himself staring at the painting of the two of them, though from the way Megan had zeroed in on specific parts of their bodies, you couldn’t tell which paintings were who. There were no faces in any of them.
The one of Hannah and Daniel appeared to be their lower torsos, hips, and thighs in profile, his larger body wrapped protectively around hers, an arm around her waist.
Fuck.
Had she enjoyed that? Was that why she could move on so easily? Daniel had been interested in her at the time. Hell, he’d walked in on Daniel asking her out. She’d admitted to finding the guy attractive.
He tore his eyes away from the painting, pushing his way toward the back, his chest heaving, afraid he might puke in the middle of everything. He needed to get away, get some air, get his head on straight, and get his emotions under control. The last thing he needed was for Hannah to see him this way. And he didn’t want to ruin Megan’s big night by making a scene. She’d probably cut his balls off, and Chris would beat the shit out of him for upsetting his girlfriend.
Voices murmured behind him as he stood with his arms braced against a wall in a back corner. A hand touched his shoulder. He flinched at the unexpected contact, so wrapped up in his own head that he hadn’t realized anyone had approached him. He turned to see Megan looking up at him, her brown eyes concerned.
“I’m sorry, Matt. I wasn’t sure if she’d come or not.”
“You invited her?” He rasped out the question, still fighting for control of himself.
She nodded slowly. “Of course. I invited all the models. But I didn’t know she’d come with a date, much less Daniel. I’m sorry about that. I was
as surprised as you were.”
With a grunt he looked up to find Lance, Abby, and Chris in a semicircle behind Megan, blocking his view of the party. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he looked back at Megan. “I wish you would’ve warned me that she was coming. I don’t know how long I can stay, Megan.” I don’t know how long I can take seeing someone else touch Hannah without punching his face in.
Megan’s eyes roamed his face. “I understand. I’m going to give a little speech where I talk about the paintings and thank all my models. I’d appreciate it if you could stay until then, at least.”
He nodded, taking another deep breath and straightening his spine. It was Megan’s big night, and she was one of his closest friends. He could put aside his own shit for another hour or so at least. “Alright. I’ll stay until your speech. But I’ll probably bail pretty quick after. If I don’t get the chance to tell you later, your paintings are amazing. This is a great show. I hope you sell out.”
She smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug, her head only coming up to the middle of his chest. It felt strange to have another girl in his arms, one who didn’t fit so right. Of course, Megan wasn’t his, so it didn’t really matter.
She pulled back and looked up into his face. “I know she came with someone else, but I think you should try to talk to her before you leave.”
He started to shake his head and opened his mouth to tell her that Hannah obviously didn’t want to talk to him, but Megan kept going, not letting him speak.
“You’ve been miserable since she left, and since I know she hasn’t returned any of your calls, she doesn’t know about your plans. She needs to know so she doesn’t regret her decision sometime down the road when it’s too late to change anything. Talk to her, Matt. Don’t leave tonight without taking advantage of the opportunity when fate drops it in your lap.”
He pressed his lips together, not sure what to say. He wanted to talk to Hannah. That hadn’t changed in the weeks since she’d broken up with him and sent him away. But he didn’t know how Hannah would react. Or if he could keep it together in front of the crowd.
He meant to tell Megan that it was hopeless, but instead he nodded. “If I get the chance, I’ll talk to her.”
Megan smiled, her face brightening. “Okay, good. Now, I must get back to my adoring fans.”
He couldn’t help chuckling a little along with her, his eyes following her as she took Chris’s hand and led him back out to the party to greet more people who had arrived while they had their impromptu meeting in the back.
Lance gripped his shoulder. “You alright, man?”
No. But he nodded. “Yeah. I’m fine.” Or he would be eventually. “Thanks, man.”
“Anytime.”
The three of them moved back into the crowd. He went to the drinks table to get more punch, hoping that he didn’t crush this one. When he looked up, he scanned the crowd, needing to find Hannah and see what she was doing, his eyes drawn to her like metal filings to a high-powered magnet.
She stood in one corner of the gallery, Daniel next to her, not touching her for once, chatting with a few other people. As though she could feel his eyes on her, she turned, her gaze colliding with his. Even from across the room, he could see her green eyes widen and her face pale. She spun back around, her posture stiff.
Well, fuck. If she reacted like that to simple eye contact, how would he get the chance to talk to her?
Hannah stiffened, her eyes going wide when they clashed with Matt’s. She turned back to the group she stood with, trying and failing to focus on the conversation flowing around her. She had no idea what they were talking about anymore.
Daniel seemed to notice the sudden change in her posture, glancing down at her, his eyes curious. “You alright?”
She shook her head, then nodded. “I’m—I’m fine.” God, how ridiculous that just making eye contact with Matt across a crowded room reduced her to a stammering wreck. They weren’t together anymore. She’d ended it. He didn’t care as much about her as she did about him. It couldn’t work. She was moving on. That’s why she came with Daniel, after all, but when he tried to wrap his arm around her waist again, she stepped away, unable to bear his touch. Not with Matt in the room. Not with the memories of her and Matt playing through her like a film projector and her body the screen. The memories were visceral things. Each touch, each caress, each kiss played over her skin like a real, living thing, instead of the phantoms they were.
Daniel looked surprised when she didn’t let him touch her, and she couldn’t blame him since she’d allowed it up until now. He glanced behind him over his shoulder, and when he looked back at her, his face was grim. “You saw Matt.” It wasn’t a question.
She nodded, the movement little more than a downward jerk of her head. She wouldn’t look at him, but she felt his eyes studying her.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded again, this time a little more convincingly. “Yeah. I was just surprised.” Though she didn’t know why. She’d expected him to be here. But she’d scanned the room after talking to Megan and Chris and hadn’t seen him. So to make eye contact with him so suddenly had shaken her up. Had he gotten there while she wasn’t paying attention? Or had he been hiding somewhere? Was he as affected by seeing her as she was from seeing him?
She gave herself a mental shake. What did it matter? They weren’t together. They couldn’t be together. They’d both chosen their careers over their relationship, and that was the the way it was. Nothing else could be done.
But if she still had this kind of reaction to him, how would she survive a whole summer with him as one of her managers? She wouldn’t be able to avoid him then like she could now. Ignoring him could be considered insubordination. She let out an involuntary groan at the thought.
Daniel glanced down at her, looking over his shoulder to locate Matt, and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her close in a gesture of undeniable possessiveness. She let him this time, because part of the point of coming with him was to keep Matt away. If she constantly stepped out of his hold or shrugged him off, Matt might realize it was just for show and come talk to her anyway. Plus, Daniel was a nice guy. She didn’t want to hurt his feelings or discourage him too much. She enjoyed spending time with him, and she normally liked his touch even if she didn’t crave it like she did Matt’s. If she acted like she couldn’t stand him tonight, he might take it as a wholesale rejection, and she didn’t want that.
She spent the next hour or so trying to distract herself with conversation with Daniel and people he knew at the party, mingling and meeting new people. But every few minutes she couldn’t help scanning the room for Matt. Each time she found him, he was either watching her already, or turned and looked at her just as she found him, like he could tell she was looking for him. Or he was looking for her just as often.
After Megan’s speech thanking everyone for coming, the models for their assistance, the gallery owner for hosting the show, and her professor for setting it up for her, Hannah needed to escape. She excused herself to Daniel, tossed her empty cup in the trash, and headed for the ladies’ room. She washed her hands, running cool water over her wrists, taking deep breaths, trying everything she could to keep herself together. She might have to bail soon, and Daniel seemed like he was having a good time, so she hated to cut his night short. If she got desperate, maybe Elena could come get her. She knew coming tonight would be a bad idea. Why had she let Megan talk her into it? And what was Megan thinking? Did she want to torture her? And what about Matt? Weren’t they friends? Why would she do this to him?
Deciding that she couldn’t spend any more time in the restroom without people wondering if she’d snuck out the window, she pushed those thoughts aside and opened the door.
Matt stood on the other side, leaning against the wall. He raised his head as she stepped out of the restroom, his mouth a firm line, a muscle in his jaw ticking, his blue eyes full of pain.
She froze, having barely stepped t
hrough the door. When it swung closed, it smacked into her, pushing her forward, her breath coming out in an undignified oof.
Matt caught her by the arm as she took a stumbling step. The feeling of his hand wrapped around her arm made her gasp as heat raced through her body. Dammit, how was she supposed to get over him when the most innocent contact had her reacting like this?
“Hannah?”
She looked up into his expectant face, realizing that he must’ve asked her something. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, what?”
He let out a loud exhale, almost a sigh. “Can we talk? Please?”
After a moment, she nodded. Maybe if she talked to him, they could figure out a way to coexist without bad feelings since their paths would inevitably start crossing more in about a month and a half.
His hand still on her arm, he led her to the end of the little hallway past the restrooms. Once there he let go of her and ran his hands through his hair, pacing back and forth a few steps up the hall and back to where she waited. He looked agitated, and she waited for him to talk.
After a few minutes, he still hadn’t said anything. She raised an eyebrow. “Matt? Did you want to talk to me about something?”
He looked at her, then at the ceiling, his hands clenched in his hair, a groan escaping from him. Dropping his hands, he speared her with his ice-blue gaze. “Are you dating Carter?”
“That’s why you dragged me back here? To ask if I’m dating someone else?” She injected as much irritation into her voice as she could, even though on the inside she got a little thrill that he was jealous.
Always You Page 21
