I move closer to him, my free hand gripping his shirt. We pass by our table, but Matthew doesn’t slow down, just nods as he pulls me toward the door, our friends looking after us with a mix of glee and surprise.
“Matthew!” I giggle softly as he hurries his steps to the point that I have to run after him to keep up with his pace.
The chilly night air slams into me the moment we get out of the bar, making goosebumps appear on my skin.
He goes left, but I tug at his hand. “My car is in the opposite direction.”
Matthew glances over his shoulder. “My bike isn’t.”
“I’mnotgetting on that death trap.”
“You’ll have to get on it at some point.”
“Nope.” I shake my head. “Not happening.”
I walk backward, our hands still linked, as he watches me with his heated gaze. This time, when a shudder goes through me, it has nothing to do with the cold and everything to do with him.
Matthew takes two long strides, catching up to me, and the next thing I know, my back is pressed against the car. My lips part in surprise as he cages me in, his head bending down slowly.
“You know, you said the same thing about kissing me, and yet, here we are.”
“D-did I?” I tilt my head back, my gaze zeroing in on those full lips that were on mine only minutes ago.
How is it possible that I’ve spent years not kissing him, and now it’s the only thing I can think about?
“Mmhmm. I’ll get you on that bike sooner or later, Trouble,” he whispers against my mouth. My fingers fist in his shirt, tugging him closer when he tries to pull back, and I can hear a low growl come from deep in his chest.
He nibbles at my lip before breaking away. “Get in the car if you don’t want us to hook up in the back seat like a pair of teens.”
Damn him.
“Fine.” My fingers are shaky as I find my key and unlock the door. The lights flash, and I reach for the handle. “Are you goin?—”
“Wait.” Matthew stops me as his eyes narrow, his attention on the back of my car. He pulls out his phone and turns on the flashlight, directing it at the ground.
“What’s—”
He curses under his breath and crouches down to more closely inspect whatever caught his eye. “It’s flat.”
My brows pull together. “My tire? But I just got new ones a few months ago.”
“Well, it’s flat.” Matthew stands up. Any trace of passion shining in his dark gaze is gone.
“I mean, maybe I ran over something?”
Nothing felt strange when I parked, but then again, who knows?
He opens his mouth, his eye twitching slightly as he glances once again at the tire. He presses his lips into a tight line and walks around me to the front, directing his flashlight at that tire.
“Motherfucking son of a bitch.”
He moves to the next one and then the next one, still cursing under his breath.
“They’re all flat.”
“But…”
I could see one tire going flat, but all four of them? What in the ever-loving?—
