Page 59 of Lovers' Dance

“Matt, everything’s changed. How can you say that? The whole world knows about us.”

“You and your outrageous exaggerations,” he murmured, while stroking a hand up and down my back. “The whole world doesn’t know about us and that wasn’t what I was referring to, poppet.”

“What were you referring to then?” I asked, exasperated and beginning to feel angry again. He had a background check done on me. Before we hooked up.Who does that?

“What did I tell you last night?” he asked, eyebrow arched sternly. I tried not to smile over the memory of last night. He said he loved me. Despite everything else that was going on, the fact he said he loved me made me feel mushy inside.

“To always wear my seatbelt?” I deliberately feigned misunderstanding. Matt lowered his lips to claim mine. This kiss was the sweetest he’d ever bestowed on me to date.

“Nothing has changed,” he whispered fiercely when he let me up for air.

“Sorry I slapped you.” I apologized with throbbing lips. I raised my hand to rest it gently across his cheek. Matt twisted his head to press a kiss to my palm.

“It was deserved,” he acknowledged ruefully.

“I’m still mad at you,” I warned. He grinned and my heart went pitter-patter.

“Sorry to interrupt your ill-timed canoodling.” Nathan’s voice made me jump. I’d forgotten he was in here with us. “But there is the urgent matter of the press congregating outside. I need you to go over this statement with me, Matt.”

Matt levelled Nathan with an expectant look as I stepped out of his embrace. “Isn’t there something you need to say, Nathan? To clear up any false impression Madi may have?”

Nathan returned Matt’s expectant stare with a bland one of his own. “I have no idea what you’re talking about. Can we please focus on what I want you to say, or would you prefer I speak to the press on your behalf?”

Matt regarded Nathan for a charged moment and Nathan’s complexion took on a faint pink hue. He was wearing a casual suit, managing to pull off the fine balance between businessman and trendy partier. The suit probably cost more than my car.

The door opened and Dante walked in, blatantly frustrated if his jerky strides were anything to go off of. He pointed to the phone on the desk. I looked over and saw the flashing red light.

“Gloria patched a call through. Your aunt Cleo’s on the line 1. She’s been trying to contact you since yesterday morning.”

If there was ever a time I wanted to disappear, now was it.

“Does she know I’m here?” I wrung my hands together, then let out a groan when Dante nodded.

“Gloria told her you were.” He pointed to the phone.

“Does she know about…” My voice trailed off as Dante nodded again. God help me.

“Where’s the handset?” I asked, eyes riveted on the flashing light.

Dante walked back to the door and yelled down the hallway, “Who’s got the handset for the office? I’m tired of telling y’all about this. Gloria? Gloria?”

A faint, “I don’t know, Dante. Ask Liam,” came back.

Dante exhaled loudly. “You better take that call, Madi. When I spoke to her last night she didn’t sound happy.”

I didn’t want to talk to my aunt, not with Matt and his friend in the office and a missing handset. I would have to put her on speaker and, if she knew what was going on, she would be pissed off. An angry aunt Cleo was a force of nature.

I scurried to the door under Matt’s watchful gaze. “Liam. Where’s the handset? Damn it. Why are you guys always taking stuff from the office?”

“Liam isn’t here yet,” Gloria shouted.

“Then why the hell did you tell me to ask Liam?” Dante responded. We both stood squashed in the doorway, glowering up and down the corridor. We shared the same fear: Aunt Cleo was mad. Someone would bear the brunt of her anger.

“Madi,” Matt called. “Aren’t you going to take the call?”

I turned around, chewing my lower lip. “Uh, can we have privacy?”

Nathan immediately started walking across the room, while Matt arched an expressive eyebrow at me.

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