Page 54 of The Third Girl

CHAPTER 24

SKYLAR

I guess it’s not a big deal that he should be cautious with Terri’s parents, though they’ve left a bad taste in my mouth twice in the same day. I can’t blame Matt for their bad behavior. And the ice cream thing. That was a crock of shit. Who lets a toddler cry when you can just buy her another damn ice cream? Help her eat it so it doesn’t end up on the floor, if you’re going to react so badly to a toddler’s autonomy. I’m glad I went with my gut and stopped off at the grocery store because it was so much fun to watch her dig into that ice cream for dessert.

These two deserve a lifetime of smiles and laughter and happiness. Their circumstances have weighed them down for far too long.

There’s another wail from upstairs.Damn.From what Matt told me, and what I witnessed the first day when I was here at bedtime, Sailor usually goes down easy around six thirty. But here we are, past seven thirty, and he’s having a hell of a time with her. He’s left the room a few times to see if she’ll sleep, but each time he’s looked a bit harried, having to listen to her cry it out.

I make myself useful by cleaning up all the dinner dishes and wiping down the sink. Then, for good measure, I give Sailor’s high chair a thorough scrubbing and take it upon myself to sweep up all the crumbs under the table. And after all that,when he still hasn’t been successful getting her down, I take the Swiffer WetJet to the floors in the dining room and kitchen as well.

With a concerned sigh, I scratch my head, wondering what on earth is going on, but also not wanting to interfere unless he asks for my help. This is his time with his daughter, and I like that they have their nightly routine that they follow. In fact, I’m a tiny bit nervous that it’s my presence that’s thrown things off. It’s something to ask him about later, anyway.

Matt appears at the bottom of the stairs looking decidedly disheveled. To make matters worse, he puts both hands in his hair, tugging on it as he strides down the hallway toward me. “That was a nightmare. I’ve never seen her like that.” He sits opposite me on the coffee table and plunks the baby monitor down next to him. Propping his elbows on his thighs, he buries his face in his hands, groaning low.

I wince at the obvious worry clouding his mind. It’s caused his entire body to tense up. “People of all ages have a bad night every once in a while, right?”

He heaves out a sigh. “Yeah. For sure.”

I was going to ask him about his in-laws, but I can’t bear to do it now. I’m not here to make his life more difficult. Biting my lip, I reach out my hand to him, and he takes it in his, joining me on the couch.

“I’ve got a few hours before I have to get ready for work. I should be sleeping, but—” He pushes me to my back and leans over me, one knee wedged between my legs. His hand grazes a path from my jaw to my breast, firmly cupping me through my clothing. With his chest rising and falling fast, he bends closer, capturing my mouth with his and plunging his tongue inside. I meet him stroke for greedy stroke, my back arching as he massages my breasts—first one, then the other—and tweaks at my nipples, which are already hard like pointy diamonds.

On a groan, Matt nudges my thighs wider, fully fitting himself between them, and lowers himself on top of me. He attacks my neck with his teeth and lips, robbing me of breath. When he touches me, all the bad stuff falls away. All I can see, think, or feel is him. I lift my hand, run my fingers over the contour of his face. He’s a storm cloud, and I want to chase away his dark and bring him into the light with me.

Needing to be closer than close, I wrap my arms and legs securely around his body. His cock is nestled at my center, and as things get more heated, he rocks against me faster and faster. The friction it’s creating as he grinds his thick, hard erection against my clit is going to make me come. Tension coils low in my belly and only gets tighter the longer we go at it.

I can feel myself getting more wound up as he thrusts harder against me and pushes my shirt up. The simple cami I’m wearing beneath is easy to move out of the way as well, and before I know it, Matt’s delivering all sorts of wicked sensations to my skin. The gasps and moans coming from us are like a dirty symphony as he sucks my nipple into his mouth and continues to piston his hips against me. The noises we make take me higher, until I’m afraid I’m going to fall right over the edge. I’m on the verge of saying, “Fuck my period, let’s go get in the shower” when a light rapping sounds on the front door.

Breath ragged, Matt looks toward the door, then blinks down at me, and just from the look on his face, I can tell there’s no blood left in his head for thought.

More knocking.

“Matt? Whoever that is will wake Sailor.”

His chest heaves as he pushes up off me and comes to a stand, his hard-on painfully obvious in his joggers. He scrubs one hand over his face and uses the other to press down on his dick. “Fuck,” he mutters. He takes a few slow breaths while I sit up and scramble to pull my clothing back into place.

“I’ll wait right here.” I tuck my feet up onto the couch, no idea who could possibly be at his door at this hour.

I watch him until he turns and goes out of my line of sight at the front door. There’s some quiet discussion before Matt leads the way back down the hall, his lips drawn into what I know immediately is a fake, pained smile before he mouths that he’s sorry.

My brows shoot up when I see who’s here. Travis, Kennedy, and Lucy trail behind him. I’m fairly certain from the looks on their faces that they’re as surprised to see me as I am to see them.

“Hey, Skylar?” Lucy’s the first to speak, her greeting coming out sounding more like a question than an actual hello. A big, fat, what-the-hell-are-you-doing-here with my brother sort of question.Shit.

I wet my lips, lifting my hand to wave. “Hey, guys.”

Travis looks confused. “What the hell time is it?” I don’t blame the guy. It’s obvious I’m here way before I’m supposed to be.

Kennedy peers at me, then smacks Travis with the back of her hand. “Hush, you man-lush.” She shoots me a curious smile, jerking her head in his direction. “He had a couple beers. Said it was his reward for the last-minute wedding details Lucy and I were discussing over nachos.”

Her happiness pulls a genuine smile from me. “I’d imagine that was painful for him.” I send Travis a wink as he shrugs his shoulders and holds up his hands.

“It was a lot.Anyway.”He chuckles.

Lucy’s shrewd eyes miss nothing, and I know she’s trying to figure out what the hell they’ve walked in on. “So, we popped over hoping to catch you before you went to bed before your shift”—she eyes first me, then Matt—“because we needed to clarify a couple things.”

My face feels hot, which probably means it’s a deep shade of red. And I can feel the burn of a few abraded patches of skin on my neck from the stubble on Matt’s jaw. I’m very glad she can’t see the splotches of pink and red that are surely all over my breasts. Sucking in a breath, I groan inwardly.Can everyone tell that my nipples are still hard?They ache to have Matt finish what he started.

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