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“What the hell?” Dax exclaimed, and Matt had to agree with him. He had expected this evening to be terrible, but not like this .

“Maddie,” he said through his teeth.

She glanced up, confused. Her cheeks were slightly red, but her expression was not at all guilty. “She asked if there was anything new. This is something new.”

His throat constricted. He saw Lucy’s eyes opening so wide that they were threatening to fall into the tomato sauce alongside Dax’s spoon. “What? When? How? Why?” she cried out.

Matt wondered if it was about time he passed out. Could he do it on command? If not, he should learn as quickly as possible.

“Man, I’m glad I came,” Jack muttered in pain. “This isn’t uncomfortable at all.”

Maddie rolled her eyes when Dax said, “I know, Jack, you don’t like drama. Get over it. And I repeat; what the hell ?” Then his eyes landed reproachfully on Matt’s face.

As if it was his fault! As if he had used black magic to convince Maddie to jump into bed with him. As if he had the right to blame him for the most amazing night of his life.

He didn’t, though. He ignored Dax and instead, stared at Maddie, thunderstruck. “ Why ?” he exclaimed in disbelief. “Why the hell would you say that out loud?”

She blinked, perplexed, and then shrugged. “I don’t know! Because it would probably interest her?”

“Oh, it does,” Lucy said, feigning seriousness. “Very much so. Tell me more.”

“Stop talking right now,” Dax exclaimed loudly.

“Oh shit,” Matt muttered, pressing a hand to his eyes.

“Why exactly am I here?” Jack demanded loudly. “I don’t want to be here.”

“It’s no big deal! That’s why I’m telling you!” Maddie stated emphatically. “It was a one-time thing. It doesn’t change anything. I just didn’t want it to remain a secret. To make it easier. So that nobody goes making a mountain out of a molehill.”

Matt pressed his lips together and gritted his teeth. He had a strong feeling that Maddie was that nobody, that she was revealing it so she could pretend their night together was just a funny anecdote — not the best damn sex they’d ever had.

How the hell could she get him into such a mess? She must have known what he was going to have to listen to, as a result! Why didn’t she discuss it with him if they were going to reveal it or not — then he would have quickly made his point: Shit, no !

“Just out of curiosity,” Lucy said in a conversational tone, “is Matt more of a mosquito or an elephant?”

“Lucy!” Dax replied sharply.

“I’m just curious.”

“Don’t say another word, Maddie,” Matt growled.

“Dude.” Jack looked at him, shaking his head. “I meant that you should talk to her! Not sleep with her!”

Dax and Maddie immediately turned to him. “You talked about it?” both shouted at the same time, equally shocked.

“No, we didn’t,” Matt said harshly. “Not directly, at least.” Angry, he turned to Maddie, “And you seriously accuse me of TMI?”

Maddie sighed heavily. “I don’t understand why everyone’s freaking out. Like I said, it’s no big deal.”

“Matt’s mosquito or your night together?” Lucy wanted to know with interest.

Matt’s jaw cracked loudly. “Just shut up, Lucy.”

“Hey, don’t talk to her like that,” Dax replied angrily, and then added more softly to Lucy, “you should probably just stop talking.”

She flipped him the bird and glanced at Maddie again. “I’m so glad you were open about it, Maddie. Really. Very!”

Uncertain, Maddie shrugged. “Well, you can’t blame me for not opening up anymore.”

“You’re absolutely right,” her sister said with a grin. “With Clemens, you didn’t tell me until nine months later that there was a guy you were sleeping with.”

Clemens. That name again. Who was that guy? And how did Lucy go from Maddie sleeping with him to her ex-boyfriend so quickly? He didn’t like that.

He didn’t like the whole situation!

“I honestly didn’t think you’d be so surprised,” Maddie said. “I mean you two have been having one-night stands with half of Los Angeles all along.” She gestured between Lucy and Dax. “Why is it something crazy between us now?”

“Maddie,” Matt murmured pleadingly, but Lucy drowned him out.

“It’s not! We were just…caught off guard,” she replied lightly. “So, you had sex. How was it?” She looked innocently at Matt.

He snorted loudly. There wasn’t even the slightest chance he would say anything about it. And Maddie would never…

“Oh, Matt is incredibly good in bed,” Maddie stated matter-of-factly. “But I expected that. He has pure instinct. In everything he does.”

“God, kill me now,” Jack muttered, then grimaced and added, “I wish I believed in God.”

“How many times have you done it?” Lucy asked immediately.

“Well…”

Matt didn’t let Maddie finish. He crossed the kitchen in two steps, wrapped his arm around her neck, and pressed his hand over her mouth.

“I swear to the god Jack doesn’t believe in,” he growled in her ear, “if you say another word about this, I’ll tell ESPN that Match Me! is a money laundering scheme for a prostitution ring.”

She stared at him wide-eyed, as if she didn’t understand the situation. Hell, that made two of them!

“Maddie!” he said abruptly, dropping his hand. “We’re not going to discuss our night together with these idiots.”

“Why not?” she asked, surprised. “There’s nothing wrong with it. We’re two grown people who decided to give in to our…needs and…”

“I think I’m going to throw up,” Dax interrupted.

“You take the big bathroom, I’ll take the guest bath,” Jack muttered.

“I love this evening!” Lucy declared, her eyes shining.

“Lucy!” Matt hissed darkly.

“What? I…”

“Dinner is ready,” Dax interrupted tonelessly. “Would anyone like pasta Bolognese with a few sexcapade stories on the side?”

“Yes, me,” Lucy said cheerfully. “And then a round of Uno?”

Matt narrowed his eyes and rubbed his face. At least no one was talking about him and Dax arguing anymore.

Shit, though, that was the only positive thing he could say about the evening. That, and that it ended after an hour and a half. Unfortunately, he had to take Maddie with him, even though he didn’t feel like being alone with her when he was angry. How could she…how could she… why would she…

“You seem angry,” a gentle voice on his right said.

He stopped short at a light and turned toward her. “I am mad, Maddie!” he said, stunned.

She raised her eyebrows in surprise. “Why?”

“Because you announced to all my friends that we fucked!” he exclaimed, aghast.

“Oh, I see. That.” She waved her hand. “It’s fine. I wanted everything to stay normal, so I told them.”

“You… In what world is it normal to tell them that we had sex?”

“If you were any other guy I had a one-night stand with, Matt, I would have told them,” she insisted, shifting restlessly in her seat.

“I would have giggled and told Lucy about the hot hockey player who ended my dry spell. Dax would have sat there pretending not to listen even though he would have been paying attention. So, I didn’t want it to be a big thing that stood between us forever. That’s why I spilled the beans.”

“But it wasn’t just you alone, Maddie!” he snapped. “It was our night. Not yours . So, it was our information , damn it, not yours alone! You can’t just decide for both of us.” He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “That’s not right!”

“But, Matt!” Her voice was getting louder now. “When something not too significant but interesting happens, you tell your friends, right?”

His mouth went dry. When something not too significant … What the fuck?!

“I thought it would be better if we were open about it,” she continued undeterred.

“Open with each other , yes!”

“Matt, I didn’t think it would be such a problem for you!”

“Well, it is!”

“Okay. Now that I know…”

“You can’t take it back.” Just like that shitty something not too significant just now!

Maddie sighed. “I’m sorry, okay? I just wanted to be…honest.”

Matt pressed his lips together and stared at the road ahead. “Great. Did you think about talking to me about it?”

“No, because, normally, I wouldn’t have done it with the guy I’m…”

“I get it!” he said harshly. “It’s no big deal what happened. Not worth mentioning. Not a dirty little secret. So, you probably posted it on Instagram with the hashtag #IBangedMattPayne .”

She was silent for a few seconds. Then she whispered, “No. That would be tasteless. It’s #MattPayneSexGod .”

He snorted and cursed his traitor body for the smile that wanted to show on his face. Shit, he was still angry!

How could she have talked about it so matter-of-factly? How ?

God, and Saturday they were going to his parents’ house, since they had invited Maddie, too, and…fuck.

“It’s fine, Matt,” Maddie murmured, gently patting him on the shoulder. “Honestly. I’m sorry. I should have talked to you about it. I just thought we agreed there shouldn’t be any drama. And drama only happens when you have secrets.”

“Mm hm,” he replied.

He didn’t understand why she had ruined it. It could have been the perfect night. A meaningful night that changed nothing.

He pulled away when the light turned green…and there was this little voice in his head whispering, could it have been, Matt? Could it have been a night that changed nothing?

He swallowed and dug his nails into the leather steering wheel.

Why the hell hadn’t he made up with Dax? It was obvious he needed help!

Also, how was he going to get through a weekend at his parents' house without Maddie telling them that their only son had done dirty things to her? Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. She would probably give a speech. Besides, there would be a seven-hour, awkward car ride together beforehand!

“Great. Just great,” Matt muttered.

Maddie didn’t reply. He had the feeling she knew exactly what he meant, though.