Breaking Matt - Loving Bad Series (Sample of Published Book)

Chapter 2 - Part 2

"Here," she said, giving me a plastic cup. "You need it more than I do."

I downed the liquid, feeling it burn down my throat. My eyes watered and I handed her the empty cup as I began to splutter.

And at that moment I caught Matthew watching me across the room. No girl in sight. I averted my gaze from his, refusing to acknowledge him. He'd had his chance. I didn't pine for any guy. I had put his initial actions down to someone who was playing his own game of hard to get, but I had to admit I had probably been more interested than he had been.

"The sexy stranger is watching you like a hawk," my friend whispered under her breath.

"He had his chance." I gave my shoulder a lift and dropped it. "It's time to find someone else to help me give Ryan the message that I'm not interested."

I scanned the crowd, looking for a suitable replacement for Matthew.

"I need another drink," Courtney said before she headed in the direction of the kitchen.

I swung my hips slightly in rhythm with the music as I tried to shake off the anger I was still feeling. It was a useless emotion that wouldn't get me any closer to my goal of finding a nice guy to flirt with. And I had to find one quickly before Ryan found me.

There was a cute blond guy in the corner, but I dismissed him. I liked tall guys, and he wasn't tall enough. It wasn't just his physical attributes that failed to keep my interest. There was no connection.

My gaze slid to my next potential guy. He had dark, tousled, come-to-bed hair. His eyes caught mine and he gave me an appreciative smile. He was dressed in a pale-blue shirt and faded jeans. While he checked me out I did the same to him. The thing was, even though he was hot—there was nothing wrong with him—I just didn't want him. Despite his looks I didn't feel any attraction.

I frowned. What was wrong with me? Maybe I needed to try someone else. My next candidate I found in a group of four guys to the left. He was tall and lean but it was hard to make out his features because he had his back to me. He turned slightly and I got a closer look at his profile. Nice. But when he angled himself differently so I could see his features better, I didn't like the shape of his eyes or the fact that he had freckles.

Matthew had smooth skin and not a freckle in sight. I caught myself. Why on earth was I comparing guys to Matthew?

With him on my mind I found myself scanning the crowd, but he was nowhere in sight. No doubt he'd gone to find the blonde he'd been talking to before.

Distracted, I never spotted Ryan until it was too late and he had stepped in my line of vision. I had spent valuable time thinking of Matthew when I should have been flirting with his replacement. And now I didn't have anyone to use to get rid of Ryan.

"Sarah," he said in that seductive voice that I found irritating. He reached out to touch his hand to my arm but I swayed slightly out of his reach. I didn't want him to touch me.

"Ryan," I greeted, unable to hide my annoyance.

I tried my best to look at the crowd, which was getting a little rowdy, so I wouldn't get pulled into a conversation I didn't want to be a part of.

"Did you come alone?" he asked, sliding close beside me—too close. I pulled away slowly, trying to put some space between us.

"It doesn't matter if I have or not," I said, feeling bitchier by the minute. My patience had been pushed too far and I was done trying to be nice.

"I think what you say and what you feel are two different things," he said arrogantly. "You're too headstrong to admit you made a mistake by breaking up with me."

My mouth dropped open. I was stunned. He was so oblivious, living in his little bubble where his thoughts tied everything up neatly in a bow.

Had he never been dumped before? Was that it? Did he not know how to graciously handle a brushing off? He did remind me of the type who was so used to getting what they wanted that they struggled to process the unexpected.

"Ryan," I started, feeling my temper rise. My hands curled into fists as I tried to maintain control of my rising anger. I was over this. We were finally going to have the conversation I had been trying to avoid the past weeks. Being nice hadn't helped. It was time to be direct and to the point, and if needed, I would be mean.

"There you are!" a voice interrupted behind me as a hand touched the small of my back. The touch took me by surprise.

I didn't have time to figure out what was happening. Matthew stood beside me, leaning closer, and then he was kissing me. It turned out to be only a brief touch of his lips against mine but the effect was instant shock and it vibrated through me. He smiled as he straightened beside me, showing off his dimples before he turned his attention to Ryan.

I touched my fingers to my lips, still unsure of what had happened. I was still seconds behind as I tried to figure out why the sexy stranger had kissed me. I began to frown. Matthew's hand rested on my waist and I was about to pull him off me.

"And you are?" Matthew asked Ryan. His eyes were intense with an unspoken threat.

Ryan swallowed as he looked from Matthew to me. I dropped my hand as the realization reflected in his features. Then it finally dawned on me what Matthew was doing. He was helping me make a point to Ryan.

I put my arm around Matthew's waist, making a point of leaning into him slightly as I watched Ryan take in the affectionate action.

"You and him?" he asked slowly.

"Yes." There was no hesitation. Even though I was still angry with Matthew, I went along with it. I needed this. To emphasize my words, I looked up at Matthew and at that point he looked down at me.

The way he looked at me pulled the air from my lungs. I was glad I had the support of my arm around him to keep me up. He looked like he couldn't wait to get me into the nearest room—and naked. I swallowed.

"I...didn't...realize," Ryan stuttered. Even though I didn't want to pull my attention from Matthew, I caught Ryan turning and leaving.

Thank goodness. He had finally gotten the message.

"Thanks," I muttered under my breath to Matthew as I dropped my arm from his waist.

"I think you should stay close," Matthew whispered with his eyes still fixed on the back of Ryan, who was making his way through the crowd. His hand was still on me.

"Surely that isn't necessary. It's not like he thinks we would lie about it," I argued. I didn't want to spend any more time than I had to in Matthew's company.

He let out a deep breath before he turned to face me.

"Do you really want to take the chance?" His eyes were as hard as emeralds.

The direct impact of his eyes on me made me swallow again. I hated how he affected me. I became a stuttering idiot every time he set his sexy eyes on me.

He had a point. If I ran the risk of Ryan discovering we were a lie, then he would never take me seriously again, even if I did move on for good. I pressed my lips together, not liking that I would have to spend the rest of the night in Matthew's company.

"Fine. Just no chatting up any other girls," I said, making it clear I wouldn't be made a fool of.

His forehead creased slightly.

"I was just talking to her, nothing more." He clearly felt the need to explain.

"I don't care." I looked away, scared he would see the truth in my eyes. "I just need you for tonight. After that, you can do as you please."

He studied me for a moment with a pensive look.

"I don't want to screw every girl I talk to."

Why did he feel the need to explain that to me? Was I making something out of nothing? I shrugged my shoulders, acting like I didn't care—but the truth was, I did.

I cared way too much.