Page 49 of Conviction

Matt pulls to a stop and comes around to the back of the car and opens the door.

She doesn’t stir.

“Meebs, baby. Wake up.” She rolls her head in a circle, stretching her neck.

“Nooo. Let me sleep, Soph. I was dreaming of Conner.”

I can’t help the shit-eating grin that spreads from ear to ear, across my face. I look at Matty like I’m expecting a pat on the back. He frowns at me, a total look of confusion on his face. He doesn’t get it. He doesn’t understand how happy, how fucking elated I am to hear that she wants to keep sleeping so she can dream some more about me.

“Get the front door Matt, I’ll carry her in.”

He looks from me to her with a frown. “She all right is she, Reed? Not on anything?”

“She’s fine, Matt. Just too much to drink. Get the door and punch the alarm code in before that goes off and sets my dad and the dogs off.”

He looks at me for a few seconds more.

“What the fuck, Matt, she’s pissed. I haven’t drugged her, and I’m not gonna touch her. Her name’s Nina, and I’ve known her years.”

Why the fuck am I explaining myself?

“It’s just that she didn’t seem too keen to get in the car with you, boss.”

“Matt, I’m not a fucking rapist. Now open the front door.”

I actually admire the fact that he’s worried about her safety but hate the fact he thinks I’m capable of something like that.

He heads toward the big front doors of my house and unlocks them. My dad and Sandra are about somewhere, but probably over at their own place. I’m assuming the dogs are inside with them seeing as they’ve not come charging over yet.

I slide out of the car with Meebs in my arms. She wraps her arms around my neck and cuddles in closer and the urge to kiss her, hard, almost stops me in my tracks. I walk with her through the house to the kitchen and living room and lay her down on one of the big leather sofas. I’m surprised when I look up and see Matty standing watching me.

“This must be her phone, it was on the back seat.” He passes me a phone in a shiny pink case.

“Cheers.” He doesn’t move.

“Her name’s Nina Matthews. She’s thirty-one and owns a chain of hair salons called Amicus with her business partner Sophie Gardner. If she’s on the news tomorrow because she’s missing, then you know where to send the old Bill.”

He swallows and nods.

Fuck me. Do I actually look like a rapist or sex offender?

Yeah, don’t answer that.

Waves of consciousness slowly startto lap against, first my mind and then my body. I try to cling to my dream for a few moments longer. I can’t remember what it was about, but Conner was involved. I could feel him, smell him. . . Then boom, out of nowhere, a big fat tidal wave of reality comes crashing down on me. My eyes fly open.

He was here.

Right here.

Sitting in an enormous leather bean bag.

Watching me.

“I fell asleep.” Yeah, when in doubt, state the obvious.

“You did,” he smiles as he speaks, and my heart and my belly perform a synchronised jig.

He’s so fucking beautiful.