Page 80 of The Other Room

“Matt. Seriously. Stop it.” She stuck out her lower lip, and I saw her teeter.

“How drunk are you?” I asked, hoping she’d teeter again and stumble out of my way.

Gesturing with her fingers, she giggled. “A little buzzed.”

“Well, take your way-more-than-buzzed ass the hell away from me, Nikki. We have nothing to talk about. Now go. Please.”

“I’m sorry, Matt.”

Nikki sorry? Well that had to be a first.

“I am. I’m sorry I caused you so much trouble. But I really did care about you, Matt. I always have.” Reaching out, she tried to wrap an arm around my neck, but I sidestepped her. She lurched toward me and away from my door. I used the moment to leap forward, whipping open my door and sealing myself inside.

“Matt! Come on! This is crazy! Just talk to me!” She pressed her hands against my window.

I fumbled to get the keys in the ignition.

“You’re not leaving until you talk to me,” she demanded, then marched to the back of my truck.

I looked in my rearview mirror and groaned. Nikki stood behind my bumper, arms crossed and wearing that look of determination I knew well enough to know she wasn’t moving.

“Fuck!” I slapped the steering wheel, then sat back and exhaled a breath.

I glanced at my phone. No response from Jo. Hoping she was still at work or had at least gotten my text, I opened the door and jumped out. The sooner I dealt with Nikki the sooner I could get the hell out of here.

“What?” I shouted, slamming the door after I landed on the ground. “What do you want?”

“To talk,” she whined.

“Okay, then. Talk. But make it quick.”

“Why are you so mad at me?”

“I’m not mad at you, Nikki. I don’t care enough about you to be mad at you. I just don’t want you anywhere near me. You fucked up my life enough already.”

“Hey, you were part of that decision, too!”

Exhaling a groan, I scrubbed a hand down my face. “You’re right. I was part of that decision. And it was a bad one. And I stopped it before it went even farther. That was a good decision. And the best decision right now is to get you as far away from me as possible. I don’t want you in my life, Nikki. So please, just let me go.”

“I still have feelings for you, Matt.” She reached forward, but I stepped out of her reach.

“No, you don’t. You don’t have feelings for anyone other than yourself. You only want me because you can’t have me. And you can’t. Not ever again.”

“Matt, I have always wanted you. You know that. And now we can finally be together. Jake is engaged now so he can’t even be pissed.”

Her motivations slapped me in the forehead. She heard Jake got engaged, and she wanted to use me to get back at him. Typical Nikki.

Not happening.

“We will never be together. Are you listening, Nikki? Never. Now, we’re done talking and I am out of here. I’m getting back in my truck, putting it in reverse and driving out of here. If you’re still behind it when I do, then that’s your problem.”

I turned to leave, but she grabbed ahold of my shirt. “Matt, stop!”

Desperate to be as far away from her as possible, I yanked myself out of her grip. The force of my movement sent her tumbling forward, and she screamed as she tripped and headed toward the ground. Even though I hated her, I would never be the kind of man who would let anyone, even Nikki, fall.

I scooped down and caught her in my arms, steadying her as she stumbled back to her feet. She wrapped her arms around my neck as I waited for her to find her balance.

“You’re my hero,” she whispered, pressing her face into my neck.