Page 20

Maddie stretched her legs and pulled the blanket higher over her as she stared at the giant screen without noticing what was happening in the film.

This day had been…too much. Way too much.

Eggsy had gone viral. A chicken attacking a hot hockey player was apparently worth a click, at least according to Hailey, who had called, all excited, to say that the video already had over six hundred thousand views on YouTube.

Maddie’s thoughts weren’t on the movie or the chicken, though, which was quite a feat considering that she adored romance films and was over the moon that Match Me! had made such a leap forward.

It’s just – there had been a moment.

Today. With Matt.

A brief, fleeting moment when everything had changed. The air had been thick and heavy and her skin had become heated, as had her eyes.

And then there was the way she had behaved this morning. If she didn’t know better, she’d say she was jealous of all the women who threw themselves at Matt! But why?

She’d practically pushed him to go home with other women for a year. She’d selected those women for him and it had never bothered her!

The bathroom accident was just the last straw.

She should have known that Matt looked amazing naked. All the clues had pointed to it: The shirts that clung to his chest like a second skin. She knew his biceps looked fine. Then there was the fact that he was a damn professional athlete!

But imagination and reality were quite different. The reality…God, the reality!

Matt’s body wasn’t normal. She knew he was a professional athlete, but hallelujah! In that moment, she’d heard a few angels playing trumpets – and some fainting.

Yes, she’d seen it all, not only his broad chest and his defined abs – everything . And everything was what had made the angels swoon.

Maddie hadn’t wanted to stare. But it was the truth: The last man she’d seen naked – aside from that one horrible incident with her father, who seemed incapable of keeping a bathrobe closed – had been Clemens.

That had been five years ago. Besides, she didn't want to compare Clemens to Matt. That wasn't fair to Matt.

So, Maddie had stood there with her mouth open, sexually harassing Matt with a gaze so intense, she was shocked the police didn’t come knocking.

Groaning, she leaned her head against the backrest and pressed a pillow to her face. It was all extremely inappropriate! But hadn’t Matt been flirting with her earlier, when he’d practically offered to undress in front of her?

No.

Well, probably – Matt flirted with everyone. Even Eggsy! She certainly laid fifty percent of her eggs for him. His nickname was, after all, Charming .

Damn, she was confused. That could also be because Matt looked so incredibly good in only a towel. They had been friends for a year, but she had never seen him without clothes on. Obviously! They were…clothed friends, not naked.

Hearing the key in the lock, she flinched and hurriedly pulled the pillow off her head, then dug her fingers into it, stubbornly concentrating on the Netflix romance movie playing on Matt’s enormous flatscreen.

It was ten-thirty and she was usually asleep at this time, but she had been so restless…

and had thought that Matt would be late, so she wouldn’t end up seeing him again that night.

Now, however, he pushed the door open and gave her a curt nod as she dutifully turned her head towards him.

“Hey,” she said quietly, pausing the movie. Because that’s what she would normally do, right? “How was your evening?”

Matt shrugged and avoided her gaze.

“So, good then,” she teased and tried to smile.

He sighed heavily, kicked his shoes off wordlessly, and slipped out of his coat, revealing his dark blue Hawks sweater.

“Oh, you’re in a good mood,” she continued the one-way conversation. This was something new: a bad-tempered Matt.

He mumbled something incomprehensible and hurried to the fridge, where he pulled out a package of Babybel cheese. Matt was a stress cheese-eater. She had found that out over the last few weeks. It was a bit strange, but also a bit sweet.

“To be honest, I wasn’t expecting you. You weren’t even gone for two hours.”

He mumbled something again.

“Matt? Did an evil witch turn you into a bear? If I’m supposed to go find the wizard who has the only antidote, blink twice now!”

The corners of his mouth twitched and Maddie smiled in return.

“The wizard wouldn’t look at you with a wand,” he explained quietly as another tiny wheel of cheese disappeared into his mouth. “And no, not a witch. Just Dax.”

“Ah.” She nodded. “The gnome. The witch’s henchman.”

Matt grinned and pointed to the cheese in front of him. “Would you like one?”

“No, keep your unhealthy eating habits to yourself. Give me more information about the Dax thing.” It seemed like a safe topic that they could talk about, like good friends who had never seen each other naked.

Matt sighed again. “Oh, it’s kind of silly.”

“I like silly problems the most.” She patted the couch next to her and purposefully slid to the right even though there was still room on the cushion for a small family. A small family of elephants.

Matt put the cheese away and ran both hands through his hair, then strolled over and sat next to her. He kept a safe distance, though. Had they maintained that distance before?

It was odd, but a week ago, she hadn’t thought about how close they sat together and now, it suddenly seemed important. No, not important, just…interesting.

“We had an argument,” he muttered slowly.

“Really? You argue?” she asked, surprised.

Matt frowned. “So far, not really, no.”

“Okay. What was it about?”

He frowned as his gaze briefly flicked to her and then back to the frozen image on the TV. “Well, it was about him not having time for me anymore.” He snorted as if he was uncomfortable saying it. “It’s stupid, isn’t it? I’m a grown man and…”

“What does that have to do with it?” she asked, stunned.

“It’s always hurtful when someone you’re close to seems to be distancing themselves from you.

That doesn’t change with age and certainly not with gender!

And, you’re right, you know? Lucy and Dax are a little…

self-absorbed. I mean, I get it: They’ve never been in a serious relationship before and are newly in love.

But I get where you’re coming from, too.

It bothers you. You shouldn’t forget your friends when you’re in a relationship, even if it’s inevitable that you have less time. Friendships are…important.” She smiled.

Matt stared at her blankly for a few seconds. Then he nodded. “They are.”

“I think it’ll get better, Matt,” she murmured, squeezing his hand, which was lying on the couch next to his leg. “You’re important to Dax. I’m important to Lucy. If we were in a bad situation, they would be there for us in a heartbeat.”

“They should be there for us at other times, too. When we need to…discuss things,” Matt murmured, frowning.

“Things?” she asked in surprise.

“Things.”

She nodded slowly and pretended she wasn’t incredibly curious about what kind of things Matt had to discuss that he couldn’t talk to her about.

Matt sighed and sank deeper into the couch cushions. “I don’t know why it upsets me so much.”

“Are you afraid he’ll replace you with Lucy?”

He turned his head abruptly. “I’m happy for him!”

“That wasn’t my question.”

Matt expelled a gush of air and pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and middle finger. “I don’t have many good friends, Maddie.”

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “What are you talking about? You have dozens of friends! A whole hockey team full of them. And you have a huge family that adores you, you have…”

“…people who are obliged to like me, Maddie,” he whispered, raising one corner of his mouth cynically.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the guys. I would trust any of them with my life.

Even Leon! But being on a team is different than consciously choosing to form a close relationship with someone.

I’ve been on dozens of hockey teams and it’s just a law among us that we have each other’s backs.

Which is fantastic, I wouldn’t want to do without any of the others.

But…as soon as I left those teams, I lost touch.

With Dax though, I have always been certain that would never be the case.

” He frowned. “It’s probably the same with Fox, but the guy has a serious father-figure problem.

Whatever. Dax is my best friend. The guy I can talk to about anything. Well, at least he was .”

She swallowed and looked at him seriously. “He still is . Matt, obviously you’re both on a team, but I’m sure all those guys would still be your friends if you were…”

“Yeah, maybe. Maybe not,” he interrupted with a sigh. “Bottom line, all I have is my team, my family…” he smiled slightly, “and you.”

She looked at him, her mouth open. “Lucy…”

“Is part of my team.”

“But all the women you’re with…”

“Sleep with me because I’m good-looking and play hockey.”

“And because you’re rich,” she added.

He laughed hoarsely. “Sure. That’s why. My point is the same: I don’t have many close friends who aren’t required to like me. No old classmates I see every Christmas and no former teammates that I keep in touch with. My family moved too much during my childhood and adolescence.”

Yes, she knew that. His mother had worked as a consultant for various wine companies and his father as a craftsman here and there before they bought their own vineyard and finally settled down. By then, Matt had almost finished school.

“So Dax is your best friend and now you’re afraid he’ll become another casual acquaintance?”

“Maybe,” he mumbled, closing his eyes. “I’m trying not to think about it too hard.”

“Oh, Matt,” she whispered. Her heart clenched painfully and she moved closer to him so she could put her arm around his shoulders. “Not all friendships fall apart.”

“Mine have so far.”