Page 177 of Lovers' Dance

It didn’t stop raining the whole hour they sat in the car. Matt could see her figure walking over in their direction. He was out of the car, Dante following seconds behind, and hurrying over to her. He didn’t bother with the umbrella, it would serve no purpose.

“Poppet,” he murmured as she looked up at him. She was drenched. Soaked to the bone, the legs of her jeans mud-stained with grass sticking in places. The light cardigan she wore over her t-shirt was plastered to her upper body. Her hair was so wet, the curls seemed flat against her head. But what shook him to the core was that empty look in her brown eyes. Her beautiful, expressive eyes reflected nothing, not one single emotion.

“It’s raining,” she said softly.

“I know. Let’s get you in the car,” Matt replied.

Dante slipped his arm through hers as Matt grabbed her hand, and the three of them hurried to the car. Well, they hurried her along to the car. When they stood next to the car, Dante opened the back door, Matt thought to jump in himself and get out of the rain, but he ushered Madi in gently. She smiled at him before laying down and closing her eyes.

Dante shut the door and they both got in the front. Matt started the engine, wanting to get the hell away from the cemetery as fast as he could.

“I’m taking her back to my place,” Matt said sharply. “Where do you want me to drop you off?”

Dante glanced at the backseat. “Madi.”

“Yes,” she murmured.

“Matt wants to take you back to his. Are you okay with that? We’ll go home if you want, sweet cheeks. I’ll stay with you if you want.”

“I want to sleep, Dante. For a little bit. Just let me sleep.”

Dante turned frontward, a conflicted look on his face that Matt didn’t like. Dante was barking mad if he thought Matt was leaving her today. He was taking her back to his place where he could look after her properly.

“She’s coming back to mine,” Matt stated resolutely.

Dante nodded and inside the car fell silent until they got back to Greenwich.

“She’ll be fine tomorrow, Friday at the latest,” Dante said in a hushed tone. “Once she sleeps through today, she’ll be back to usual herself. She’ll reset and this, all of this, won’t matter to her. Until next year.”

“That’s—” Matt peered through the heavy rain beating over the windscreen before stealing a quick look at her in the backseat. “That’s insane and, frankly, alarming—”

“It is what it is, man. Look, if you can’t deal, just drop us off at Madi’s—”

“Shall I drop you off at your flat?” Matt interrupted curtly. So they had a little heart-to-heart earlier on, it didn’t mean he liked the man. Far from it.

Dante looked a bit surprised. “Uh, yeah man, it’s on—”

“I know where it is,” Matt replied evenly. “I had a background check done on you, too.”

“Son of a bitch,” Dante murmured under his breath.

Matt smiled tightly. “Yes, I am. Please try not to forget that.”

In record time, considering the downpour, Matt pulled up in front the building where Dante lived. Dante unbuckled his seatbelt and twisted in his seat, reaching back to run his finger down Madi’s nose lightly. Matt frowned. He’d seen her friends Bret and Marie-Sol doing that yesterday.

“Madi,” Dante called softly, running his finger down her nose again. She opened her eyes slowly and blinked at him. “I’m going now. Matt’s taking you back to his place. And Aunt Cleo called before. Call her when you get the chance.”

She nodded before closing her eyes.

Dante spun around to scowl at Matt. “Let her sleep and she’ll be fine.”

Matt jerked his head towards the door and Dante’s scowl deepened. He got out of the car and ran towards the doors of the building. The second Dante had slammed the car door shut, Matt was driving away.

In the time it took for him to arrive at his place, his concern, his worry, had morphed into downright fear. Stuart, his brother-in-law, was a surgeon. Should he call him? There was no way he could take her to the hospital. The media would be on the story in hours. If they found out about this, the ramifications could be terrible. The impact on her dance company, on her character, catastrophic. It would have to be a private medical facility but, even then, it might still get out. Matt parked his car outside his home and took a minute to breathe.

‘Just love her, faults and all.’ Those had been Nathan’s words, but could Matt do that? The past few days had been an eye-opener, and he wished his eyes had remained closed.

---