Page 161 of Lovers' Dance

“Crazy,” Matt muttered in a frustrated voice.

“I beg your pardon?” Nathan grumbled, insulted at Matt’s dig.

Matt looked at him. Seeing his friend’s offended demeanour, he explained, “It means crazy. The urban definition of cray-cray means crazy.”

Nathan arched a blonde eyebrow at him and chuckled. “It’s scary that your girlfriend uses slang understood by your seventeen-year-old niece, Matt.”

“Tell me about it,” Matt mumbled, rubbing his temples slowly. “It’s moments like these I realize I’m not as young as I think I am.”

Nathan snorted in agreement before speeding up. The traffic was easing. They should be there soon. At least he hoped so.

Almost an hour later Nathan parked across the street from Madison’s terrace. Matt was simultaneously filled with aching eagerness to see her, yet anxious over the state she would be in. He jumped out the car and strode over the street before Bella had parked behind Nathan.

“Wait up, Matt,” Nathan yelled as he hurried over to get Bella.

Matt let out an irritated grunt, wishing he’d come on his own. When they all finally walked toward her front door, he could feel the beginnings of dread stirring inside his gut. How inebriated was she?

Matt pulled his keys out and opened the door, striding in seconds later.

“The hell?” A bare-chested white man yelled in surprise, jumping to his feet with clenched hands as he stared at Matt, Nathan and Bella.

“Chill out, Bret,” Dante immediately called from his side, peering at Matt as he jerked his head in his direction, a form of hello. “That’s Madi’s boyfriend.”

The Bret fellow glanced from Matt to Dante, still looking suspicious as he said, “Dude waltzes in like he owns the place?”

Dante shrugged and brought a bottle of beer to his lips. “Seems so.”

Matt’s eyes took in the scene before him. It looked like they’d been partying hard, empty beer bottles strewn everywhere. His jaw tightened.

“Where’s Madison?” he asked tersely, gesturing Bella and Nathan forward before shutting the front door harder than necessary.

“MSG,” Bret called. “Your man’s here.”

Matt heard laughter coming from the kitchen and forced himself not to make his way there. He couldn’t leave Bella and Nathan, even if he wanted to. He could see their uneasiness as they stood together.

“MSG,” Bret hollered. “You’ve got guests.” He regarded Matt. “Damn man, you’re bigger than I expected.”

Matt eyed the man closely. Slender framed, with skinny arms and a few tattoos on his arms and upper chest, and brown locks in wild disarray around his narrow face.

“How’s it hanging, man?” Dante drawled, eyes on the TV.

“Fine.” Matt could only assume Dante was asking how he was, and his reply was a polite one. “And yourself?”

“I’m cool. Hey, Bret, sit down man, you’re missing the start of the game.”

Bret slumped on the couch, feet up on the coffee table as he picked up a beer and mumbled while tugging a t-shirt on. “Dude walked right on in. People get popped for shit like that.”

“Yup,” Dante responded dryly, before twisting in the couch and calling in a raised voice, “Sweet cheeks. Come in here for a second.”

Matt was about to head for the kitchen—Nathan and Bella would have to fend for themselves—when he saw Madi and another woman coming down the hallway giggling to themselves.

“Why are you guys yelling? MSG and I are cooking,” the woman groused as she held an arm around Madi’s waist.

His poppet’s head was down and Matt’s gaze slid over her clothing, or lack thereof. Both women sported extremely short shorts and boob tubes. The striped, knee-high socks were a strange addition.

“Poppet,” he called, and her head snapped up.

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