Page 3 of Fierce-Matt

Her dress was fitted to her body like a glove, sleeveless, and stopping at her knees.

Sexy black open-toed pumps on her feet. Bright red polish on her finger and toenails.

“I must say seeing you here surprised me.”

Anya laughed, the sexy sound shooting currents through his blood. The same sound her laughter had when she was younger, only there was a husky mature quality to it now.

“I’m not worthy enough to attend a Kelly wedding?” she asked, her eyebrow lifted in a challenge.

“You’re more than worthy,” he said, turning her a little so they weren’t just standing there in each other’s arms.

He had some smooth dance moves but was lucky to get his feet to shift with the way his brain was disconnected from his body in her presence.

“Then why?”

“I haven’t heard your name in years,” he admitted. “Then to see you here caused some curiosity. Nothing more than that.”

Her head tilted, the smile still on her glossy lips.

She looked as if she believed him. She tended to believe a lot of what people said.

He’d always thought she was naïve and all he wanted to do back then was protect her.

Too bad he went about it the wrong way.

“You tortured me when we were younger,” she said sweetly. The blunt blade of the knife cut deep, but anyone watching them wouldn’t know unless they were close enough to hear the words. “Why would you care if you heard my name?”

He sucked air in through his nose as if he was going to gather all the oxygen in the room. “The stupidity of youth.” It was the best he could come up with.

She closed one of those ice-blue eyes at him. “I’m not so sure I believe it.” Her forced smile was still on her face.

“It’s the truth.” He was getting desperate. This wasn’t the same woman he remembered who always returned to his home and gave him another chance to make her laugh. He’d pushed those boundaries, like he did with everything in life back then.

“You’ve never been stupid, Matt,” she said. She leaned up to get near his face, her voice dropping. It was as if she wanted closer contact and he was foolish enough to fall for it. “But you were always a dick to me. Some things are hard to forget.”

She left him standing there like a mic drop while she strutted away to find her date with a welcoming smile on her face that he wished had been directed to him instead.

He was an asshole to her and he’d never get a chance to make it up.

She’d grown up and matured. That delivery wasn’t at all what he expected of someone who’d run and shrieked when he played one too many practical jokes on his sister and her friends.

This time the joke was on him.

1

HER VOICE HEARD

One Month Later

“Hi, Anya.”

“Jolene,” Anya said. “How are you doing?”

“Wonderful. You looked like you were having so much fun at Ben’s wedding.”

Her hand reaching for the glass stilled. The wedding was a month ago. It was an odd statement to make now.

Though she hadn’t seen Jolene since, so that could be part of it.