“I’m sorry, Mattie.” I turn my body and hear the click of a camera. The simple noise makes me bury my face inside his leather jacket.
“Fuck,” he growls. “Don’t move, Butterfly. I doubt they caught you on camera, but we have a code red.” His hand moves on top of my head before I hear him speak. “Hey, I’m at the coffee shop right across from the hospital. I’ve been recognized. Can you get me out of this one? I managed to keep my girl’s face out of the media.”
Matt doesn’t say a word, but begins to walk while covering my body. “I owe you coffee, baby, but we have to go.” I nod, counting in sets of three as I make sure that my breathing remains even. “This is going to be a long day. Ready?” I shake my head. The clip of my hair snaps, my curls become loose, and I finally have something to cover my face. Damn, why didn’t I think of that?
“We’re walking fast; I doubt anyone can see your face.” Matt places a protective arm around me. As we walk I spot it—Jacob’s black truck. The tinted windows conceal the identity of the passenger and the driver. “Hop in, and we’re safe.”
“What happened?” Jacob asks as he pulls out of the parking spot and into the traffic.
“They confused me with you. I heard one say, ‘That’s JC Decker and his girl,’” Matt growls, running a hand through his hair. “I’m shaving my head tomorrow.”
“You can always go back to the dreadlocks,” Pria says, laughing.
What dreadlocks, I want to ask, but I don’t have time. Matt’s phone rings at the same time as Jacob’s does. They both answer the phone.
“Grandma is out of surgery,” they announce in unison, and we head back to the hospital.
As we arrive at home, Tristan is waiting for us. The dining table is set up, and dinner is already waiting. If he had been with us today, he’d know we don’t need dinner. I understand he had a business matter to take care of, but that didn’t take all day long. He should’ve been with us. With Matt.
“How’s your grandma?”
Matt growls. Tristan’s eyes switch their attention to me.
“We had a scare.” I hold onto Matt who isn’t willing to speak or let me go. “Her heart stopped for a few seconds, so they used a defibrillator and her heart started again.” It was our turn to visit her, as they limited her to only two visitors. The monitors went flat, and my heart spiked as the nurses stormed inside screaming code blue and pushing us out of the room. Matt begged them to help her, to save her. The three siblings held on to each other while the nurses worked on their grandma. Their grandfather closed his eyes and mumbled throughout the entire time. When the nurses and doctors came out saying we could go back in, everyone began to cry letting the emotional roller coaster wash away. “It hasn’t stopped since then. She’s going to be fine.”
There were technical terms said, I’m sure, but the doctor spoke in a hushed voice only to Matt’s parents. I didn’t want to step right beside them and listen to the conversation. When he left, Chris gave us the condensed version: “They have it under control. If we follow his instructions, she’s going to live a long life.”
“I’m going to the third floor.” Matt finally lets me go and disappears through the stairs. “When I’m ready, I’ll come back—wait for me in my room, Thea,” he orders, making my eyes open wide and my legs quiver. “You promised.”
I watch this strange overlord persona vanish through the steps, and leaving me confused as hell after that little display. It bothered me, but my panties are ready to be ripped apart along with my dress.
“Why didn’t you come to the hospital when you were done?”
He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “They already had enough on their plate—the Deckers. Matt had his grandma to worry about. I wouldn’t have been good company. The meeting I had . . . it was a fucking mess and . . . I’m sorry.”
Giving him a piece of my mind is my first thought, but I swallow the argument. Being upset on Matt’s behalf isn’t right. Their relationship, their business. Both need me, and my support, so I let the bitterness slip away.
I open my arms for him, and he doesn't hesitate to walk into my embrace. “What happened?”
“I’d rather not discuss it.” His arms lazily glide up and down my back. “I need you, baby.”
Janine is part of my family, and I witnessed those moments of loss. As much as I want to be strong for Tristan and help him, I can’t. There’s no way I can go through what I went through yesterday. He left my bed. He left me for the remainder of the night because he had a thing with his family. I certainly don't expect him to behave like Matt does, but I crave cuddling time afterward. One night tumbling in bed and he didn’t hug me long enough for it to feel . . . intimate. Don’t be a chick, Thea, move it along. Trying to be that girlfriend he loves, I take the friendly approach.
“What does that mean?” I’d rather talk for now, find out what happened with his father. “You weren’t in the mood. What really happened?”
“It means I don't want to talk about it, Thea.” He releases me and takes several steps backward. “Don’t start analyzing me. Not today, please.”
“Okay.” I pivot and walk up the stairs. “Consider everything dropped.” Who the fuck does he think he is? He can take his attitude somewhere else or fuck himself with it.
“In his room?” Tristan frowns, staying outside Matt’s room.
I spin around and realize he followed me. “Oh, you think we’re still fucking?” I release a humorless chuckle. “Drop the attitude, learn to treat me with some respect, and then we’ll talk.” I push him lightly outside and close the door in his face.
“Thea, baby, I'm sorry. I'm just having a shitty day.” He knocks on the door a few times.
“Shitty?” I growl. “Matt had a shitty day. He almost lost his grandma, and his boyfriend ignored him the entire fucking day. You had nothing in comparison. Try googling the definition of the word love. Perhaps head to the library and ask for an old encyclopedia.”
“I fucking love you, Thea.” He slams the door. “Let me show you how you’re my everything, Thea. Everything.”
I lean against the opposite wall from the stairs, waiting for Matt to finish practicing. At least that’s what I think he’s doing on the third floor where his drums are. Playing them hard and fast helps him release the pent-up energy and frustration of the day. That’s what he always says. I wait for him, in hopes that there’s some energy trapped inside him. Energy that he can use to help me forget. Fuck, now I sound like a selfish bastard. A needy, selfish bastard. But I heard it in his voice—the commanding persona was talking over. The firm order he gave to Thea is part of the “I don’t care, I’m going to fuck you until you can’t walk again.” A version of him that my ass loves, that I need.
His heavy steps down the stairs announce his presence. Yep, still not calm. Is it only because of his grandma, or do I have a role in that raging mood? I should’ve joined them after I finished the conference call, but having my father announce my engagement to Victoria in the middle of that call made me fume. I had to call my mother, try to locate Victoria, and then have another long conversation with my father. In the end, I had to lend money to the man so he’d get off my back. I wasn’t in any shape to be upbeat while my boyfriend was going through his own hell.
My eyes finally find him, shirtless, his skin glistening from hours of banging the drums. The ripped muscles of his back hard as a rock, showing the majestic owl that occupies his entire back.
“You can’t go in there like that,” I caution as he’s about to open the door to his room. “Thea can’t help you release all that rage. She shouldn’t have to do it.”
“Are you volunteering as a tribute?” He rests his palms on the door, hanging his head. “Sacrificing for the greater good?”
“She needs to be loved, not fucked.” That much I learned from our long-night marathon.
“Now that you mention how we should make love to her, just because you made it slow, it doesn’t mean that you made it right.” He
pushes himself off the door and gets in my face. “Did it ever occur to you that maybe, maybe she needed intimacy? You left her, you fucking left her after she loved you.”
I freeze, understanding what he says. I feel like a class-A asshole for leaving her for my father. Earlier she wasn’t talking only about Matt; it was about her too. Thea wanted to know what was so important that I had to leave them both hanging. Making it up to her might not be easy, but . . . my time to think about earlier today is over. Matt fists one hand tightly in my hair, forcing me to him, crushing his lips against mine. He kisses me like a thirsty man, quenching his thirst. I part my lips, letting his tongue penetrate with full force.
“Never fake some kind of sacrifice to get laid,” he says between raspy breaths. “Thea told me that your family is on your case. I know what you need. You need me to give you a good fuck, hard, fast. And lucky for you, I’m in a giving mood.”
He opens the door, the light is off, and Thea is in the bed fast asleep. “Let’s get in the shower.”
The loud sound of doors opening and closing wake me up. I check my phone, eleven twenty-five. Matt hasn’t come back to bed yet. Tristan gave up on me only minutes after saying I was his everything. Unless there was something more pressing, like work, his parents, or work. This is why I failed my paper on modern-day and loving relationships. After reading the case of a couple that were better off separating than staying together, I recommended divorce. My teacher recommended I pick up the slack and try harder. As a marriage counselor I’d get paid to identify issues, then suggest strategies the couples can try to fix their own marriage, not to give up during the first appointment.
Hence, I’ll never consider going into marriage counseling or couples therapy. Those have a lot to deal with, like my own counselor who keeps asking, “Where is Tristan?” Or the best one is, “Are you sure he wants to work this out?” Nope . . .
“What do you want?” I hear a loud voice. Matt?
I rub my face and walk to the bathroom. The door is slightly open and from where I stand, I see my two men in the shower. The glass door is closed but it does little to hide the perfection of both bodies. Matt’s flying owl is visible, painted over the lines of his broad, well-built back. His wide, broad shoulders hover over Tristan. They kiss under the shower in a way I’ve never seen before. Rough, passionate, consuming. As if they’re fighting for some kind of power. Matt’s fingers are interlaced in Tristan’s hair. They look so beautiful together. I want to watch them forever.
Matt pushes Tristan over the tile wall and my eyes land on the lines of Tristan’s firm eight-pack. He’s leaner than Matt, but just as beautiful. Watching them makes me want to touch myself, to join them, or just continue to stare in awe.
I am admiring Tristan who leans against the wall, the shower hitting his suntanned chest, water cascading through the lines of his rippled muscles. He looks flawless, stunning with his eyes shut and his facial features burning with desire. Matt moves closer again, running his mouth over his jawline. He bites his way down, from his neck to his hard chest, his abdominals, and finally he’s down on his knees, looking up at Tristan.
I bite my lip as my body fills with desire. My panties are drenched, and the ache between my legs increases each time Matt’s calloused fingers and insistent mouth slide over Tristan’s slick, wet skin. My pulse beats erratically, and doubles its speed when Matt sticks out his tongue and licks Tristan’s length like it’s the first taste of an ice cream during a hot summer’s day. His mouth goes wider and swallows the long thick cock, taking him deeply over and over, while his hand cups his balls and follows his luscious mouth.
My insides clench with desire. I want to be Tristan and feel Matt’s mouth on me, but also want to be Matt being the one making Tristan moan with such desire, screaming with a primitive sound while arching his back and thrusting inside Matt’s mouth.
“Please, fuck me. I need you inside,” Tristan begs the same thing I’m begging inside my head. I need one of them so badly.
Matt stands up, turns Tristan around, and rolls down a condom after opening the square foil. It’s beautiful to watch Matt lean against him while whispering in his ear and pushing inside Tristan. It’s awe-inspiring to watch the striking display, as they furiously slam against each other searching for their mutual release. The raw emotion between them, anger and love, collide within each wave. The grunts and moans are like an orchestrated symphony, a prelude to a tidal wave. The moment the crest of the wave reaches its highest point, the surge of energy it causes creates a loud quake coming from both men, causing their bodies to shudder from the climax.
I let out a big breath. The haze caused by watching that beautiful moment makes me realize I’m invading their innermost private moment. Like a mouse pilfering a piece of precious cheese, I walk back to the bed, touching myself, replaying in my head every second I watched, sending a rush of ecstasy through my body, as I imagine them touching me, loving me the way they just did.
It isn’t long before Matt makes his way next to me, pulling me to his hard body, placing his lips right behind my ear. “Did you like it?” My back stiffens at his question. He saw me? “Next time you should join us, Butterfly. We’ll make sure you enjoy it.”
I turn my body around to face him. “How . . . ?”
“I can feel your eyes on me,” he whispers on my lips and then takes them. The door of the bathroom closes right before Matt kisses me. He stops. “Coop, stay with us.”
He rubs the back of his neck, turning it from Matt to me and then gazing at the door. “I . . . Are you sure?” Tristan’s insecure voice is a different side I’ve never heard.
“Yes,” I whisper. “Would you stay for the night, please?”
He sighs, and the relief from his lungs fills the entire room. I don’t have to ask twice. The bed sinks over my side, where he slides next to me and covers the other side of my body with his strong arms. Matt kisses my lips at the same moment Coop kisses the nape of my neck. I turn to capture his lips, releasing the sadness and tension of the last twenty-four hours. As we finish it, he kisses Matt before we all rest in the same bed for the first time. At least for tonight, we’re in harmony.
This is the first year our grandparents spend Thanksgiving with us in Washington State. AJ decided to host, and include her father-in-law and his wife. Which is cool. Arthur Bradley has worked for my father for years and spent holidays with us more often than he did with his own family. However, having the wife is plain weird. Every time I say hello she looks at me as if I’m going to give her syphilis, and she does the same with Jacob. Not that it matters to us, but tonight her attitude is not flying well in my radar.
She’s staring at Thea’s hand, as if she might contract some deadly disease from her touch. I move my eyes from that to Arthur who is frowning at his wife.
“Arthur Bradley.” He shakes Thea’s hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
His wife gives him a petrifying glare and leaves us standing there. What the fuck just happened?
“Thank you for lending me your apartment, sir,” Thea says, giving him that sweet smile of gratitude that she’s so eager to share with everyone. “It was really kind of you.”
“No problem.” Arthur stares at her. “Do I know you?” She shakes her head vigorously as if that’ll convince him that they’ve never met before. He points at his eyes. “Sure? That eye coloring isn’t common.”
Thea lifts her hand where she’s carrying the vegan pie and I remember we’re heading to the kitchen to place all the food we’re bearing. When we walk around the dining room, I realize that each one has a name place. My sister needs a hobby, or another child. Name places?
“You like it?” Thea asks. “Pria, AJ, and I made the decorations—a new family tradition.”
Great, the crafty woman is bonding with the other two. We should run in case they have us cutting snowflakes before the night is over. The joke sounds great in my head, but before I open my big mouth, I notice Thea staring at one of the sea
ts. Tristan. Just right next to Thea. Fuck, did I forget to tell my sister that my boyfriend isn’t coming? Or that maybe, we broke up with him?
“Hey, Mattie,” AJ greets me. “Umm, you never confirmed how many were coming.” AJ shrugs when I point out the extra plate in the table. “I thought . . .” She lowers her gaze, spins around, and leaves.
She doesn’t finish her sentence. Thea and I believed Tristan would be coming too. We’ve discussed Thanksgiving all week. Thea spoke over the phone several times with Pria and AJ about ideas and recipes for tonight. Yesterday afternoon he packed his shit, said goodbye, and left for fucking Connecticut.
“Matthew, I have to go. They’re my family,” he said as he was leaving.
“I thought we were your family.” Thea’s small voice quivered. “The Deckers invited the three of us to share dinner with them. Because we’re—”
“Thea, I understand where you’re coming from, but this year I think it’s best if I spend it at home. My father has a load of issues that he needs help with and . . .” The dull tone enraged me, but I understood. His family might be different, but he loves them. “Next year. We can see where we’re at next year.”
“How about Christmas? Are you staying with us?” The rage building inside me could melt the snow falling outside.
“Damn, this holiday isn’t over and you’re already asking about the next. You sound like my mother. Give me a fucking break, Matt,” he’d growled. “One fucking break to enjoy the holidays without worrying about you two and this life I’m trying to mold to.”
“You need a break from us?” Thea got in his face. “Well, excuse me for being a supportive-understandable bitch that only asks for you to be with me.” The sweet one turned into a fire-breathing dragon. “I should be fucking done with you.”
“If that’s what you want, so be it.” He stormed out of the house and never said another word.
Thea and I chose not to discuss what happened. Not until Thanksgiving is over. We agreed to enjoy the holiday. Earlier today we went with Mason, Jacob, and Pria to the soup kitchen where they volunteer. AJ stayed behind to prepare the real turkey and tend to the grandparents. Tomorrow we’re going to empty a couple of toy stores and then donate it all to a couple of youth centers. An idea that the girls came up with a few days ago. It’s hard for me to understand that Thea has blended in with the Deckers, but Tristan switches from being part of them to avoiding them.
Uncut (Unexpected Book 4) Page 26
