Page 132 of Lovers' Dance: Vol. 2

Say what? Matt did not just bet his Bugatti. What on earth was wrong with these men?

“You’ve always admired my Caravaggio,” Nathan’s words trailed off.

A speculative glimmer entered Matt’s eyes. “Yes.” He turned, grinning at me. “Would you like a Caravaggio added to our art collection, poppet?”

Nathan scoffed in derision. “You haven’t won yet, mate, and I’m not planning to lose anyway. Bella loves that painting, it was a gift from my father.” Nathan started to grin.

Matt chuckled and shrugged at his friend. “Fine. Let’s go.”

I grabbed his arm. “Can I come too? I’ve only seen clay shooting on tv.”

“Of course,” Nathan answered before Matt could. “It’s about time you saw Matt taken down a peg or two. He struts around as if he’s king of the manor.”

“Yes,” I nodded in agreement as we started towards the back of the property. “He does, but I bet he’ll win. I worry about you, Nathan. What sort of bet is this? Matt’s car isn’t worth as much as a Caravaggio. Is this a joke to you? Ha, you’re going to lose and Bella is going to kill you.”

Nathan snorted under his breath then asked, “Care to place a side wager, Madi?”

“No.” Matt said a touch sharply. “Don’t drag my wife into our games, Nathan.”

Nathan hid his roll of eyes. I did too. Why couldn’t I get in on the action? I could bet my designer shoes. When we got outside I was impressed by the set up. There were floodlights stationed around the immense grounds, enabling the shooters to see their targets. A couple of guests were enjoying themselves as members of staff handled the numerous traps, and it was very loud.

“What’s that, Matt?” I asked, fascinated at the object but hesitatingbehind Matt. Guns were dangerous, there were a lot of guns on show. I’d never seen a real gun this close before.

“An automatic thrower, poppet.” Matt’s tall frame was vibrating with caged energy. He was definitely up for this, as was Nathan who strode over with purpose to a table laden with shotguns.

“That model holds up to 600 targets,” Matt went on to explain as he urged me forward. I resisted. “That chap there uses a remote to release the target and it’s pneumatically operated so the speeds and trajectories can be modified with ease. Would you like my dinner jacket? It’s chilly.”

I glanced at my boobs, only because Matt’s eyes were fixated there. Yeah, it was a bit chilly, my nipples were poking out against the material of my dress. “I’m fine.”

Matt was already shrugging off his jacket. “I’d rather you not get cold.”

Before I could reply he held it out with an expectant frown on his face. Huh. Taking the jacket I shook my head and slipped it on. I was immediately swamped by the size of it.

“Happy?” I mocked my possessive husband.

“Much better.” he shot back. Nathan was beckoning him over. Matt tucked my curls behind my ears. “Stay behind us.”

I nodded and we walked over to the table. It was always fun observing Matt and Nathan interact. The way they ribbed each other brought a grin to my face. Good-natured insults only close friends could make with impunity flew between them. When Matt picked up a shotgun, my eyes grew wide. He handled it with confidence, and caution. I’d seen him and Nathan giving hard stares at a couple of men who had come over to get some guns. Matt had gently pushed me aside while they geared up and Nathan had commented harshly that the bolts on those types of guns should be drawn back when carrying them.

The two men were put out, mumbling under their breaths until Nathan had point-blank told them to get back inside if they didn’t follow safety protocol. Under the glare of my husband and his friend, the two men simmered down, sheepishly gathering ammunition and slinking away.

“Tossers,” Nathan said, loud enough for it to reach their retreating backs.

“Indeed,” Matt agreed, deciding on a shotgun.

I was carefully observing the people shooting. There was a woman handling her business while her companion cheered on. Dressed to the nines and meticulously blowing the targets to smithereens. Damn! I wanted to bust a cap in some clay’s ass too. See how easy it was to get sucked into this world. I was picturing myself as a female Rambo, firing shots off like a pro.

“Poppet,” Matt broke me from my fantasy as he tucked some ear plugs in. Where were mine? Didn’t I need some too? He kissed me, fleetingly, and pointed to a spot a ways behind us. “Stay right there. Ok?”

I nodded.

“Ok?” he repeated again with a warning look on his face. He’d probably seen me eyeing the woman.

“Yes, yes,” I waved him away. “Go shoot something.”

Only when I walked over and stood in my allocated spot did he turn around and face off Nathan. They grinned at each other before heading towards that automatic thrower contraption, jokingly needling each other about their skill sets and who was going to emerge victorious.

I stood clutching my purse to my chest and tried not to wince over the crack of every shot. It was very loud. Soon enough I got bored of Matt and Nathan firing shots off. At first I was impressed, hell, I got kind of turned on the way Matt expertly held the shotgun and blasted some clay pigeons into pieces. The concentration on his features, the way he held himself as round after round hit its target…I got turned on. Men and guns, who knew it could be an aphrodisiac? I always thought if faced with a man holding a gun I would pee myself before handing over my cash and whatever else I carried while sobbing for my life to be spared.

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