like trying to keep a moth from the flame.
Chapter 6
Chocolate is not a matter of life and death—it’s more important than that.
M att spent a few mornings a week in the gym, usually in the ring with Ty Garrison. This morning they were doing their usual beat-the-shit-out-of-each-other routine. He ducked Ty’s left hook, feeling pretty damn smug for one solid beat—until Ty snuck a right uppercut to his gut.
Matt hit the floor with a wheeze, and then it was Ty’s turn to be smug. “Gotcha.”
Hell, no. They’d been at it for thirty minutes, and Matt was exhausted to the bone, but the last one down had to buy breakfast. Kicking out, he knocked Ty’s feet from beneath him. Then it was Ty’s turn to land with a satisfying thud.
“Jesus,” Josh muttered from the weight bench.
Josh was also a good friend, but he didn’t know much about having fun. He was a doctor, which left his taste for occasional recreational violence greatly diminished.
“You keep going at each other like that,” Josh said, “and you’ll end up in my ER.”
Breathless, Matt rolled to his back. “Sorry, I only play doctor with the ladies.”
Josh snorted and kept lifting. In Josh’s opinion, weights were much more civilized.
Matt swiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm, keeping a close eye on Ty, a formidable opponent, as Matt knew all too well. They’d been in the Navy together. Matt had left after four years of service and gone to Chicago.
Ty had gone on to the SEALs. He wasn’t someone to mess with lightly so Matt stayed back and gave him a careful nudge with his foot. Actually, it might have been more of a kick, but he knew better than to turn his back.
Josh stopped lifting. “At least check him for a pulse.”
Matt poked Ty again. “Not falling for the dead possum shit, man.”
“I’ve got an adrenaline pin I can stick him with,” Josh said mildly. “Hurts like hell going in, but it should wake him right up.”
“Come near me with a needle,” Ty grumbled, “and you’ll be the one who needs medical attention.” He groaned and rolled over, eyeing Matt. “And that was a total pussy move.”
“Yeah? Who’s flat on his back?”
Ty swore and laid an arm over his eyes, still breathing heavily.
Matt collapsed back to the ground himself. He felt like he’d been hit by a bus, but at least his brain was too busy concentrating on the pain rather than on what his next move should be with Amy. If he didn’t come up with something good soon, those few kisses would be all he’d ever get, and they hadn’t been enough.
Not even close.
Ty staggered to his feet. “Another round.”
Ty liked to push himself. Matt didn’t mind doing the same, but he’d prefer to move onto something else—say a big plate of food. “I’m starving.”
“Yeah,” Ty said. “Because you skipped dinner last night. Loved getting stood up, by the way. I could have been with Mallory, and dinner with Mallory includes things you’ve never offered to do for me.”
Matt laughed. He’d have pegged Ty as the
last
guy on the planet to hook up with the same woman more than once, much less commit to her, but that’s exactly what Ty had done. He’d gotten serious with Mallory Quinn, Lucky Harbor’s sweetheart. “Told you,” Matt said. “Something came up.”
“Like…?”
Like kissing Amy. “Had to see someone. About a work thing.”
“A work thing? Since when do you work at night?”
“There was a lost hiker, and some follow-up.” There. That was at least half the truth. Okay, maybe a quarter of the truth.
Ty flashed Matt a full-on smile. “You do remember I’m sleeping with the woman that Amy called first that day, right?”
Well, hell. “Fine, so I was visiting the lost hiker, who turned out to be Amy.”
“Interesting,” Ty said.
“What?”
“That you only go to the diner when Amy’s working. And now you’re finding excuses to ‘visit’ her.”
Suddenly Matt was ready for round two after all.
Chapter 6
Chocolate is not a matter of life and death—it’s more important than that.
M att spent a few mornings a week in the gym, usually in the ring with Ty Garrison. This morning they were doing their usual beat-the-shit-out-of-each-other routine. He ducked Ty’s left hook, feeling pretty damn smug for one solid beat—until Ty snuck a right uppercut to his gut.
Matt hit the floor with a wheeze, and then it was Ty’s turn to be smug. “Gotcha.”
Hell, no. They’d been at it for thirty minutes, and Matt was exhausted to the bone, but the last one down had to buy breakfast. Kicking out, he knocked Ty’s feet from beneath him. Then it was Ty’s turn to land with a satisfying thud.
“Jesus,” Josh muttered from the weight bench.
Josh was also a good friend, but he didn’t know much about having fun. He was a doctor, which left his taste for occasional recreational violence greatly diminished.
“You keep going at each other like that,” Josh said, “and you’ll end up in my ER.”
Breathless, Matt rolled to his back. “Sorry, I only play doctor with the ladies.”
Josh snorted and kept lifting. In Josh’s opinion, weights were much more civilized.
Matt swiped the sweat off his forehead with his arm, keeping a close eye on Ty, a formidable opponent, as Matt knew all too well. They’d been in the Navy together. Matt had left after four years of service and gone to Chicago.
Ty had gone on to the SEALs. He wasn’t someone to mess with lightly so Matt stayed back and gave him a careful nudge with his foot. Actually, it might have been more of a kick, but he knew better than to turn his back.
Josh stopped lifting. “At least check him for a pulse.”
Matt poked Ty again. “Not falling for the dead possum shit, man.”
“I’ve got an adrenaline pin I can stick him with,” Josh said mildly. “Hurts like hell going in, but it should wake him right up.”
“Come near me with a needle,” Ty grumbled, “and you’ll be the one who needs medical attention.” He groaned and rolled over, eyeing Matt. “And that was a total pussy move.”
“Yeah? Who’s flat on his back?”
Ty swore and laid an arm over his eyes, still breathing heavily.
Matt collapsed back to the ground himself. He felt like he’d been hit by a bus, but at least his brain was too busy concentrating on the pain rather than on what his next move should be with Amy. If he didn’t come up with something good soon, those few kisses would be all he’d ever get, and they hadn’t been enough.
Not even close.
Ty staggered to his feet. “Another round.”
Ty liked to push himself. Matt didn’t mind doing the same, but he’d prefer to move onto something else—say a big plate of food. “I’m starving.”
“Yeah,” Ty said. “Because you skipped dinner last night. Loved getting stood up, by the way. I could have been with Mallory, and dinner with Mallory includes things you’ve never offered to do for me.”
Matt laughed. He’d have pegged Ty as the
last
guy on the planet to hook up with the same woman more than once, much less commit to her, but that’s exactly what Ty had done. He’d gotten serious with Mallory Quinn, Lucky Harbor’s sweetheart. “Told you,” Matt said. “Something came up.”
“Like…?”
Like kissing Amy. “Had to see someone. About a work thing.”
“A work thing? Since when do you work at night?”
“There was a lost hiker, and some follow-up.” There. That was at least half the truth. Okay, maybe a quarter of the truth.
Ty flashed Matt a full-on smile. “You do remember I’m sleeping with the woman that Amy called first that day, right?”
Well, hell. “Fine, so I was visiting the lost hiker, who turned out to be Amy.”
“Interesting,” Ty said.
“What?”
“That you only go to the diner when Amy’s working. And now you’re finding excuses to ‘visit’ her.”
Suddenly Matt was ready for round two after all.
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