Dead Politician Society

Chapter 56: Matthew

Matthew knew he should let Clare leave, that she was more trouble than she was worth. But she seemed so sincere—so adorably sincere. He hated to send her alone and confused into the night.

If she was telling the truth.

He sighed. “I’m sorry, Clare. Please stay.”

She froze and looked at him. One arm was already inside her jacket. The other held the sleeve it was about to slip into.

“Why should I?”

“Because you’re right. It’s not that another woman burned me, per se. But she’s made it hard for me to drop my guard again. You don’t deserve the suspicion I’ve treated you with. From day one.”

Clare perched on the arm of the couch. Her coat was still half-on, half-off. “You need some time, then? To yourself?”

“I’ve had four years to myself.”

Clare chewed on her lip. He hoped she didn’t cry. He hated when women cried.

“You’re lucky, Clare. You’re still young. You haven’t screwed up your life yet.”

She looked tiny. Was she shivering? Why couldn’t he go to her, put his arm around her, warm her up and make everything fine?

“I just don’t understand your suspicion. What do you think I want from you? Besides extra credit for blow jobs?” She copped the smallest grin.

Of course he couldn’t answer that. If he was wrong, she’d tell the whole class he was paranoid she was a cop and he’d be a laughingstock. If he was right, she’d have to tell her boss that her cover had been blown and she’d be pulled from his class. And—this was the strange part—he would miss her.

He swallowed. “There’s a club that I head up. It’s a secret society that is less secret with every passing day. I guess I thought you wanted in.”

“The SPU?” Her eyebrows shot up. “The club Brian wants into so badly.”

So she had been eavesdropping.

“Will you keep it a secret? I’d love to invite you in, but there’s a strict code of entry and I’d never clear a new person with the current membership. Especially if they ever got wind that you and I were in a relationship…”

“A relationship?” Clare laughed lightly.

Ouch. Wrong word, clearly. Matthew wondered what was happening to him. First he wanted more of Annabel, now he wanted to get serious with Clare? The women hadn’t changed. So what was different?

Elise’s face appeared in his head and she waved him away, a dismissive shake of her hand. Was that it? Was he free again to fall in love? It couldn’t be so simple.

“Of course I’ll keep your club a secret,” Clare said. “Now can we get out of this dark room and grab a drink somewhere more lively?”