Page 39 of Love on Tour
Christine wasn’t sure what Matt meant, but when he started unbuttoning Austin’s pants, she didn’t stick around to find out. She headed down the hall.
“If you need me, I’ll be in the bedroom to the far right of the hall,” she said.
“Got it.”
The sound of the shower filtered down the hallway before Austin started yelling, probably due to the cold water hitting him. Matt was yelling something back. Eventually, the noise abated. It had been an hour since they’d arrived, and between the coffee and the shower, she figured Matt would feel comfortable letting Austin go to sleep.
Christine got ready for bed and tried to relax. But she couldn’t. Matt was right down the hall. Should she go into his room and make a move? Would he reject her? Was it worth the risk? Had he remembered her drunken night fondly or had she disgusted him with her come-on? So many questions she didn’t know the answers to. With him right down the hall, she needed to know, and there was only one way to find out.
She got out of bed full of confidence, but it dissipated a moment later, and she crawled back under the sheets. She wasn’t prepared for something like this. She imagined all the seductive things she could say. “As long as we’re both here, would you like some company? I can think of a few ways to occupy our time.” Or maybe, “Is that bed big enough for two?” Ugh. Even she could tell how stupid that would sound. It wasn’t in her nature to be bold or aggressive toward a man. She needed to channel her inner Phoebe, but she didn’t have an inner Phoebe. Not without weed cookies, anyway.
Thoughts kept running through her mind until she couldn’t stand it any longer. She got out of bed and, as quietly as she could, made her way down the hall to where Matt was sleeping. His door wasn’t closed tight, and she pushed it open far enough to peer in.
“Christine?” Matt propped himself up on his elbow, the sheet falling away and exposing his bare chest. Christine’s vocal cords seized up and she couldn’t think of a thing to say.
“Come in,” Matt said.
She walked into his room and stood in a pose that she hoped was sensual. But she knew she looked ridiculous. She tried a hair flip, but her fingers got tangled in her curls.
Matt stared at her. It was now or never.
All the things she had wanted to say suddenly refused to come out of her mouth. She stammered while Matt looked at her with squinty eyes. She assumed he was trying to make sense of why she was standing in his bedroom. Hell, she was trying to make sense of it.
“I’m sorry. I thought I heard something. I worried Austin had gotten up and fallen.” Christine could hear how lame that sounded. Even to herself.
“I didn’t hear anything. Do you want me to check on him?”
“No, I’m sure he’s okay. I may have dreamt it. It’s been a strange night.” She felt foolish.
“Kind of the norm with Austin,” Matt said with a chuckle. The moment was quickly sliding down into being awkward. Too awkward.
Christine took a step toward the bed. She was trying to muster all her confidence when she blurted, “Okay, then. Good night.” She turned and practically ran out the door.
“Uh, good night, Christine.”
She sprinted to her room, closed the door, leaned against it, and silently screamed.I’m such a dork, she thought. She climbed into bed, then tossed and turned and stared at the clock as it laboriously made its way around the night.Damn it. Why can’t I be the type of woman who takes what she wants?She punched the pillow, beating it like it was an assailant who had attacked her. Slamming back against the bed, she drifted to sleep around four, only to find herself wide awake three hours later.
She met Matt in the kitchen, and without saying a word, he slid a cup of coffee in her direction.
“How’s Wonder Boy?” she asked.
“Fine. I checked on him half an hour ago and gave him some Pedialyte. He thanked me, told me to thankyou, and now is sleeping it off.”
“Lucky him. I think I slept a total of three hours,” she said, not able to look at him.
“I worried about him, too,” Matt said.
“Huh?”
“You couldn’t sleep for worrying about Austin, right?”
“Oh, yeah. Of course. What else would it be?” She looked down at her coffee mug and hoped her cheeks weren’t as red as they felt.
Matt walked to the sink, rinsed his mug, and set it in the dishwasher. He reached for Christine’s as she drained the last few drops and handed it to him.
“I’ve got a meeting at the management company in an hour, so I’ve got to run. Are you okay?” Matt asked.
“Yeah. I have to get going myself.”
