Page 19

Three Months Ago

I lifted my arms and swayed my hips to the beat, getting lost in the music. Matty’s hand slinked around my waist, pulling me in possessively as he held my ass to his crotch.

Could I feel his erection?

Yes.

Did it feel wrong?

Not in the slightest, but being constantly teased like this by my best friend was new. He was so possessive, so manly, so much more than I’d ever wanted, and we’d only been touching each other like this for the last four hours. What was the rest of our lives going to feel like?

Yes, I said the rest of our lives. I had no intention of going anywhere without him. Not after finally getting him and feeling how good it was to have his hands all over me.

With my eyes closed, I rested my head against his shoulder and let the music take over. Matty’s hand clutched at my hip, moving me in a way that could be mistaken for sex if we weren’t wearing clothes and in the middle of the dance floor. I wanted him, that was no surprise, but I was enjoying this endless teasing we were partaking in. Touching Matty like this felt nothing like I’d ever experienced with any other guy. We were already so comfortable with each other that when he touched me, all I could think about was what it would be like when he took my clothes off.

He pressed his lips against my temple before whispering in my ear, “You’re everything, pretty girl.”

I inwardly smiled and cupped his neck. I just couldn’t get enough. I wanted his body melded to mine. His hand trailed over my abdomen, and he was so close to my center that my body tingled at the mere thought of him touching my clit in ways I’d only ever dared to dream of.

“Matty,” I said just loud enough for him to hear over the music. “Not here. Not in front of everyone.”

“I can’t help it. Do you know how long I’ve wanted to be able to do this? To be able to touch you like you’re mine?”

“I am yours. Always have been.”

His fingers tickled on their descent toward my center. Right before they got to the apex of my thighs, I pushed my hips back, grabbed his hand, and laced my fingers with his to stop him.

“Our friends are here.”

“And none of them are watching.” I lazily opened my eyes, looking around the members’ lounge, and he had a point. With only guests of the wedding party present, it was a small group, but even that had dwindled down to the friends from Covey U. All of whom were in their own conversations, and not one of them was looking at us. I assumed it was because the shock of us being together had worn off. It was inevitable. That was what they’d all said, at least.

Matty spun me around before grabbing my hand and bringing it up to his lips, then kissed every one of my knuckles. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”

I didn’t have time to think or react before he was leading me out of the VIP lounge. The only thing I could do was watch our friends talking as we strolled through the doors. “But what about everyone else?” I asked, looking back into the room.

Matty gripped my hand tighter, determined as ever to pull me out of the club, and I laughed. It wasn’t like I needed any encouragement to run away with him. I’d go wherever he wanted me to.

Pushing open the club doors, the noise dissipated, and the cold air whipped across my arms. Matty turned to me with a smile, and although strangers walked the street beside us, it felt like we were alone.

He took me in, giving me the same lopsided smile he gave me at the bonfire. The night I fell head over heels in love with him.

His eyes tracked my face, stopping at my lips as he cupped my cheek. I placed my palm over his and rubbed my thumb across the skin there. Matty had looked at me plenty of times through the years, but tonight felt different. Like maybe he was allowing himself to look at me for the first time as something other than his best friend.

The sky was still dark, but the bright lights of the strip made it feel like the night had only just begun, or was it early morning now? I had no idea. I just didn’t want whatever was happening between us to end.

“When are you going to realize that I don’t care about everyone else? We’ll see them at breakfast. It’s you that I want.”

Matty waffled his fingers with mine and squeezed before leading me to the taxi rank. My heart rate spiked. He hadn’t stopped touching me the entire night, and my head was spinning thinking about how amazing our senior year together would be.

I came to this wedding single and ready to maybe mingle with some of Devin’s hot cousins. The ones Reign had spoken so fondly of, but instead, I made out with my best friend, then dry humped him to oblivion. And now he was taking me back to the hotel.

I shivered thinking about the things we would get up to when we were alone. Matty pulled me forward to get my attention.

His eyes were bloodshot, and his face was flushed from all the drinking and dancing. “Are you cold?” He took off his tuxedo jacket before I answered.

Biting my bottom lip, I nodded, liking how it felt to be taken care of by him. When he draped the jacket over my shoulders, I slipped my hands through the arm holes, drowning in Matty’s cologne. Spicy and woody. It was the same cologne he wore the first night I met him, and it brought me more comfort than I’d imagined.

He held me close, kissing me again as though it was the first time he could. When he backed away, I swiped my tongue against my lips, wanting to savor the taste.

Tonight had to be the best night of my life. Finally, Matty and I were together.

Standing in the line for the taxi rank, Matty couldn’t stop touching me. If his lips weren’t on me, his hands were tickling a part of my body he’d never explored.

When we got closer to the front, Matty stepped behind me so he could wrap his arms around my waist. Once I was firmly in his hold, he rested his chin on the top of my head. I wasn’t a short girl but having Matty hold me like this made me feel safe and protected.

Smiling, I leaned my cheek against his bicep and closed my eyes.

Tonight was perfect. Had I said that already? Because it still didn’t feel like I’d acknowledged it enough. I was finally with the guy I’d always dreamed about, and I wasn’t ready to act like it was normal.

Matty nuzzled his nose against my hair and said something, but it was too muffled to make out. I twisted my neck so I could look at him.

“What was that?”

He gave me a lazy smile. “Nothing.” He dropped a kiss on my lips and looked up at the line attendant. “Sky’s Vineyard please.”

Matty helped me into the taxi before rounding the car and joining me on the other side. His hand gripped my thigh, and I placed mine over his, not wanting to lose our connection.

“It’s going to be about forty minutes,” the taxi driver said.

My pulse spiked. Forty minutes of sitting in the back seat with Matty and not being able to touch him like I wanted. How the hell was I supposed to do that? Matty’s face was as strained as mine.

The lights of the Las Vegas strip flashed across his features, and I stopped myself from suggesting we find an all-you-can-eat diner to try to make this night last longer. Leaning across the middle seat, Matty cupped my cheek and kissed me long and slow. We’d done a heck of a lot more in the club, but this was just between us… and the cabbie, if we were being pedantic.

“You’re everything,” he whispered against my lips, sending my heart soaring into the clouds. His calloused thumb stroked my cheek as he gazed into my eyes. “And I can’t believe that I can finally touch you like this.”

“I can’t either.” I flicked my gaze to his lips, enjoying the fact I now knew what they tasted like. “I don’t want this night to end.”

“I love you, Britt.” That drew my attention back to his eyes. “I know it might sound crazy, or you might not believe me, but I love you with everything that’s inside me.”

“I love you too.” I winced, embarrassed I blurted that out before I could really think about it. We’d only spent a few hours kissing, and we were already declaring our love for each other? Were we moving too fast?

Matty grinned, pulling me in for another kiss, and I melted into it. This was it. I knew it. We weren’t moving too fast. We were meant to be. I could feel it deep in my bones.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against mine. “Excuse me,” he said to the taxi driver. “We’ve changed our minds. Can you stop here?”

“Are you sure? We’re not even off the strip yet.”

“That’s the point.”

When the taxi came to a halt, Matty threw a bunch of bills in the driver’s direction and got out of the car. He was by my side before I could open the door, and as my feet hit the sidewalk, I took in a sharp breath.

Right in front of us was the replica of the Eiffel Tower, and admittedly, in the daylight I might have thought it was a little tacky, but it was still dark and the lights gave it this nice glow.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you.”

Matty hadn’t bothered to look at the tower. His eyes were focused on me, and it felt like there was something on the tip of his tongue.

He stepped toward me, kissing me again before saying, “It’s only you, Britt. It’s always only been you, and I was stupid to ever think that being with someone else would make me feel a morsel of how it feels to kiss you.”

He brought my hand to his chest so it was resting over his heart. “This feeling. I’ve only ever had it for you. You’re the only person I’ve ever wanted in this entire world.”

I gulped, not sure what to say, not that he gave me any time to respond.

Still holding my hand, he dropped to one knee and looked up at me with a haphazard smile. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, and his bow tie was flapping in the wind. The gel that slicked back his hair earlier on had worn off, but everything about him was perfect to me. He was all I’d ever wanted too.

“I don’t want to live another day without you being completely mine.” My heart fluttered, and I was so lost in how beautiful he looked that I was taken by surprise when he said, “Britt. Will you marry me?”

I burst out laughing and did my best to pull my friend up.

If only he were serious.

“I am serious.”

Oh, shit. Did I say that out loud? I was a little too drunk to be making good decisions.

When he finally stood, he cupped my cheeks. Then he kissed me. A kiss full of promises. “I’m so damn serious about you it’s driving me insane. You’re my best friend and the only person I trust in the world. I know enough about you to know that I don’t want anyone else. I never will.”

“But Matty. We’re not even dating.”

“We don’t need to. I already know. You’re mine. Am I yours?”

“Yes.” Wait, did I just say that?

“Yes? To what?”

I did. I felt it too, and I shouldn’t be scared that he was the first person to voice it. We were meant for each other. I knew it.

“Yes, you’re mine and I’m yours.” It felt like a weight off my shoulders. I’d been holding onto that confession for years.

“Then let’s make this official.”

Official? With my best friend and the only guy I’d been crushing on since I got here?

Marrying Matty sure did feel like a leap, but what was life if you didn’t take a few chances? I’d been waiting so long for him to see me the way I saw him, and now that we were here, it felt wrong being the one to hold us back.

“Okay,” I said, sure of my decision.

Matty couldn’t contain his smile, lifting me and spinning us in a circle.

As my hair whipped in the wind, I knew this was crazy and my parents would probably kill me, but I didn’t care.

Everything about this felt so damn right.

“You’ve just made me the happiest man alive.”

Tears streamed down my face, and my heart was skipping to the point that I thought I might need to sit down for a minute, but I didn’t want to taint this memory.

He brought my left hand up to his heart and looked down at it. His thumb traced over my third finger, rubbing the space below the knuckle, right where a ring would sit.

“I’m sorry. I don’t have a ring, but we’ll get you one. Tomorrow. I’ll take you to the fanciest place here and get you whatever the hell you want because nothing is too much for my wife.”

Wife? Why did I love the way it sounded?

Squeezing my hand, he surveyed the area. “Come on. Let’s go find somewhere to make this official.”

I squealed, slowing because I couldn’t keep up with Matty in my heels.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

“Are you sure? We don’t have to do this.”

“Yes, we do.” I bit my bottom lip, trying to hide my excitement, or nervousness. I wasn’t sure which one it was because I was too high on the Vegas lights to care about the consequences.

All I cared about was going on this adventure with my soon-to-be husband.