"I like your friends." Matthew shrugged, and he couldn't hold back a smug smile.
While most of my friends expressed some appreciation for the beauty that was Matthew Walsh, only Elsie set my teeth on edge. She went in for the hug instead of the handshake, and wrapped her hands around his bicep while she talked about some remodeling she and her husband, Kent, were considering.
I had no business being possessive or territorial or even jealous, but I was. At this moment, Matthew was with me, and she was a little too grabby for my liking.
I rolled my eyes. "My friends liked you, all right. They wanted to drag you out back and take turns on you. Do you always have that effect on married women?"
Matthew stopped in front of the marina outside his building and wrapped his arms around my shoulders, his face taking on a happy, serene quality that seemed unusual for him. "Marry me and find out."
"For the love of tiny purple ponies, Matthew."
I laughed and pushed out of his arms. If I didn't get out of these shoes soon, I was taking them off and walking down the street barefoot. According to the Commodore, that was the best way to pick up gangrene and lose a foot, and a girl needed both feet and all ten toes. He was also fundamentally opposed to my heels (too difficult to flee when the situation demanded it), necklaces (an invitation for strangulation), and long hair (something else attackers could grab).
"Is that a yes?"
"You really are a caveman," I said. "I'm tired, I'm cold, my feet hurt, I have to pee, and I want to be out of this dress and eating this cake"—I held up the leftovers from the party—"in the next ten minutes, and we agreed to drinks."
He sighed. "Then we need to talk about citrus fruit."
Grabbing his hand, I towed him inside. "I'm not even going to ask what that means, Matthew."
He leaned against the elevator walls and crossed his arms, his brows pinched in thought. He didn't speak again until we reached his floor. "But I'm a little wounded you turned down my proposal. That shit was heartfelt."
*US/UK again, I'm so sorry!
