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In an effort to focus her mind elsewhere, she strained to listen to the discussion taking place next door, but she couldn’t hear anything above the whir of the extractor fan. ‘I don’t know who I feel more sorry for, Zac or Megan.’
Matt raised an eyebrow. ‘Zac’s the injured party.’ There was no accusation in his words, he was merely pointing out the truth, and she couldn’t argue otherwise.
‘Megan didn’t do this to deliberately to hurt him. She loves him, she’s genuinely heartbroken.’
His eyes met hers. ‘Keeping such a big secret was never going to end well.’
Beth sighed. ‘You’re right, and I’m not defending her, but my sister’s an unrelenting optimist, to the point of delusion. She sails through life believing everything will turn out okay, and usually it does. I know this is going to sound weird, but this honestly wasn’t a big deal to her. Getting hitched in Las Vegas was a silly prank, like acting out a scene from a play. It wasn’t real, if that makes sense. She never loved Freddie Wood. He was just an inconsequential moment from her past life, like a load of other incidents involving unsuitable men and drunken misdemeanours. That’s not to say Megan isn’t a good person – she is, she’s the best. She’s funny and theatrical and passionate. Life is a series of adventures, a playground. In a way, I envy her. Most of us live life fearing the worst, mitigating against mistakes, and being cautious and worried about money or job security. It must be so freeing to act with such abandon.’
‘Until someone gets hurt.’
Beth sighed. ‘I guess there’s always a price to pay, however you live your life.’
‘Being cautious isn’t a crime, as long as you don’t let it stop you being happy.’ His voice had softened, the resonance low and vibrating through her ribcage.
She risked looking up into his blue eyes, which had dilated to the point of being virtually black. ‘When Megan told me Zac had proposed, I was worried for them. I’d never seen Megan serious about anyone before. She treated men like amusing playthings, flitting from one to another and never committing, but I soon realised things were different this time. I’m absolutely convinced she loves him more than anything else in the world. Losing Zac will devastate her.’
Matt reached up and traced a finger down her cheek, ending up settling on her neck. ‘He’ll be devastated, too.’
‘I really hope they can work it out,’ she said, ignoring the tremor in her knees. ‘Thank you for trying to reason with him and getting him to talk to Megan. It was kind of you.’
His fingers slid into her hair, sending shivers racing up her spine. ‘He needs to hear her side of things before making a decision.’
Beth swallowed. ‘Do you think he’ll forgive her?’
‘Yes.’
‘How can you be so sure?’
Matt’s serious expression was filled with heat. ‘He’s crazy about her.’
The knee-shaking hiked up a notch. ‘But she lied to him.’
‘No one’s perfect.’ He leant closer and kissed the side of her neck.
She sucked in a breath.
‘I like your hair down.’ He kissed her again, his lips warm and soft, and the feel of his beard brushing over her skin was tantalisingly good.
Her knees weren’t the only thing shaking – her thighs had joined in.
‘And you look amazing in this dress.’ His hand cupped the back of her neck and drew her closer. ‘But I miss your glasses.’
‘You do?’
‘They never sit straight on your face,’ he said, with a wry smile. He kissed one eyelid, then the other, his lips brushing against her skin. Any chance of controlling the shaking went flying out of the window… not that there was a window, but still.
His lips closed around hers, as one hand held her head and the other slid slowly around her waist, pulling her closer.
She’d gone from shaking to melting, her bones losing their density, her insides disintegrating like confetti in the breeze. Heat began to build, hands began to roam and the silence was broken by a soft moan that acted as encouragement to both sides. God, she liked kissing him. She couldn’t get enough, he was intoxicating, addictive, an itch she couldn’t scratch.
And then his sodding phone rang.
Talk about rotten timing.
The noise caused him to still. His lips were still pressed against hers, but he was no longer moving with such intensity and wanting. Reluctantly, his grip loosened and he pulled away. ‘I’d better see who it is.’
‘Sure… I mean, sure.’ She’d lost the ability to form a coherent sentence.
