Page 120 of Lovers' Dance

“We’re almost there,” Matt supplied helpfully. “I’ll be out of your hair in about five minutes. Carry on, Nathan. Bella and I are anxiously awaiting your next sentence. It should start with a ‘will you’.”

“Will you shut up, you wanker?” Nathan exploded. His face was more of a deep, embarrassed red than the angry purple of a few minutes ago.

“Nathan,” Bella rebuked him at his tone. “Don’t speak to Matt like that.”

“Whose side are you on?” Nathan shouted, before dropping his head into his hands. “God. Everyone be quiet for a moment.”

The back of the limo descended into silence. For ten seconds. Then Bella stroked a hand through Nathan’s ruffled blonde locks, eyes glistening with tears.

“The answer is yes, darling. Whatever you want to ask me, whenever you want to ask me, the answer will always be yes.”

Nathan raised his head slowly, a tremulous smile on his face. The relief pouring out his eyes made Matt feel downright ecstatic for his closest friend.

“Even though it’s long overdue?” Nathan asked softly, reaching for Bella’s hand.

Bella laughed, nodding. “Years overdue but, yes, Nate. The answer will always be yes.”

Nathan made a sound at the back of his throat, then grabbed Bella to him. Matt averted his eyes as his friend passionately kissed the woman he cherished. He was excited for them, but seeing their happiness only cemented the fact Madi was the only one for him. Did it matter they hadn’t been in a relationship for long? Did it matter their difference in age? Did it matter they were from two completely different worlds?

No.Matt thought to himself.No to all those questions.This was his life and he wanted Madison DuMont in it. He needed her in it. And that was the most terrifying thing of all. The way he needed her. Of course, he wasn’t going to ask her to marry him immediately. That would be foolish and most likely to scare her away. No, he would need to take his time with her. She was inexperienced, true, and he knew how completely dominating he could be. There was also the issue of their respective families to deal with. Matt chewed his lower lip, eyebrows pulling together with worry as the sound of Nathan intensely snogging Bella continued to fill the limo.

A year. A year should be enough time to smooth everything into place. A year was sufficient time to make Madi so completely addicted to him that the thought of being without him would be inconceivable. That evening those few months ago, when Nathan had barged into his home with the file that changed Matt’s life, he’d decided he would have her. She was his now, and he planned on keeping her.

The limo turned down her street, cruising slowly until it stopped in the middle of the road. Matt frowned when he couldn’t see his grandfather’s car. His frown deepened as he peered out at her terrace. He was sure he’d turned the living room lights off when he locked up after them.

“This is my stop,” he said dryly to his friends.

Nathan lifted his head, eyes glazed and breathing heavily. Bella was as bad—lipstick smeared and an unfocused look on her face.

“Wait, Matt,” Nathan said as Matt unbuckled his seatbelt. “We’ve not finished our discussion.”

Matt’s gaze went to Bella before returning to Nathan’s flushed features. “I think you have more important things to deal with tonight, mate. And remember, she may have said yes but you still need to ask. You can thank me tomorrow.”

Matt opened his door and got out before Nathan could respond. He shut the door and strode across the street, pulling his keys from his tuxedo jacket. He was certain he’d flicked off the lights when they left earlier…

“She’s crazy, D.” I said, grinning at my best friend as he chewed the ham sandwich I’d made him.

Dante swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, but I knew that from the start.”

I had to laugh at that. We’d been hanging in my kitchen for the past hour and it was nice. A little while after leaving the ball, I realized I hadn’t brought my keys. I was worrying about getting into my house without having to break a window when I remembered Dante kept a spare set.

Then Grumps had a little talk with me. It wasn’t really ‘with’ me; more like he talked ‘at’ me. If I never saw Matt’s granddad again, it would be too soon. He won the showdown, his pistol faster than mine as he riddled my body with fatal bullets, then kicked my carcass for good measure. The tumble weeds were still rolling around the blood-stained dust. The talk hadn’t been nice. And I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I didn’t want to see another person with the surname Bradley, including my sweet knight. After Grumps had dropped me off, I’d knocked on my neighbour’s door. He hadn’t been pleased at my disturbing his late night Sunday telly, less so when I asked to use his phone to call Dante. Tomorrow I would make him a cake as a thank you.

“So, what now? Are you going to let her move in?” Even though we were laughing over Dante’s girlfriend wanting to move in with him, it made me feel uncomfortable. I needed to know his answer.

“Are you crazy?” Dante scoffed and the tenseness in my shoulders eased.

I fiddled with the edge of my t-shirt. My ruined dress was hanging upstairs in my bedroom. It hurt to look at it. When Dante had arrived at my place, I’d been leaning against my front door battling the simultaneous urge to burst into tears and sorely regretting not throwing stones at Grumps’s car when I had the chance. It had been a horrible talk in the backseat of his car.

Dante had taken one long look at me, commented on how sexy I looked, then asked if he needed to buy me a sippy cup. I knew it would look as if I couldn’t drink from a glass properly.

Once he’d opened my front door, I had gone straight upstairs and had a hot shower to wash away the night’s events. I changed into a t-shirt that was big enough to cover my panties and went back downstairs. Dante and I were used to seeing each other in sometimes next to nothing, and all the important bits were covered. It was no big deal.

“It’s been what?” I plucked the ham out from between the two slices of bread on my plate and folded it in half. “Eight months since you two have been going out?”

“Yeah,” Dante confirmed as I popped the ham in my mouth and chewed silently. He shook his head slowly. “Eightlongmonths, sweet cheeks.”

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