Nova
My eyes flutter open at the sound of laughter. I quickly close them as the bright light blinds me seeping in through the open curtains.
The events of last night come back to mind, giving me a mild headache. My gut feeling tells me that I need to talk to Dallas in person before Monday. That I need to sort everything out. But how?
I roll over to Matt's side of the bed, reaching out to cuddle up against him. All I feel are cold empty sheets. I peek through my eyelashes and conclude that he's already up.
Another giggle seeps through the open window and I wonder who this adorable laugh belongs to. I rise from the bed and make my way to the window facing the beach.
A little girl about five years old sits on her knees in the sand. Koda is running around her, barking happily. I spot Bear in the water, being Bear chasing birds and seaweed.
I look around to see her parents. Strangely enough, it's only the girl with the dogs. I know Koda will never hurt her, but you don't leave your child with two dogs, right?
I rush to my bag to put some clothes on, feeling the need to go check on her and find it empty.
Okay, then this will have to do, looking at my satin top and shorts. People walk barer on the beach than this.
I run down the staircase to the terrace doors and stop abruptly. My heart melts at the sight in front of me. Matt sits on his knees next to the little girl, handing her a juice box. And the only thing I can think of is...
Why does he have juice boxes in the house?
I let my shoulder and head lean against the doorframe and watch the adorable scene in front of me. Matt calls Koda, she listens immediately and sits in front of the girl. I'm too far away to hear what he is saying, but I think she wants to pet her.
Her hand goes towards Koda and when she almost can touch her, she pulls back and shakes her head no. Matt shows her it's nothing by rubbing her fur.
It's stupid how proud I am that Koda just sits there and allows it. Bear is an unguided projectile, running in and out the sea chasing ghosts.
My eyes land back on the two. Matt takes the girl's hand and lets it make contact with her fur, earning a loud giggle from her. Koda takes it as a sign to give the girl a wet lick over the face. The giggles are going straight to my heart. I always imagined that I would be married and have kids by now.
I retreat and place myself sideways on the couch, pulling my knees to my chest and leaning the side of my head against it. I scan the room where I have been more than once, but it feels different somehow.
This is going to be my home for the next week.
I know he didn't force me to live with him, but did I have a choice? It was this or nothing.
And then we have the whole Dallas situation. I need to talk to him before Monday. I don't think Matt is gonna let me go back to central LA and see him, though. How is it possible that I got myself in this situation? Life is so much easier without men.
My head starts to throb again and my stomach decides to growl loudly. What's the time?
Only a quarter past twelve, which means I got three hours of sleep. That's why I feel like the walking dead.
I groan and push myself off the couch to find something to eat and maybe if I'm lucky painkillers.
Matt surprises me when he wraps his arms around my waist as I am rummaging through the kitchen cabinets.
"Hi, sweetheart," he mumbles and kisses the side of my neck. I freeze when his hands wander under my top and elbow him in the stomach, looking around for the little girl. Her eyes are too young for this. She's not in the house, thank goodness.
Matt rubs his stomach and gives me a grin. "Bad mood, babe?"
"No... Yes, I have a headache." I groan.
He pulls a cabinet open and throws a bottle of aspirin my way. I swallow two with a glass of water and throw it back at him.
He studies me for a moment and my breath gets stuck in my throat when he walks towards me like a predator.
Why does he have this effect on me!
His eyes show a burning desire and I feel myself become redder as he traps me in the corner of the L shape of his kitchen, closing me further in with each step he takes. He places his hands on the countertop beside me and pushes his body against mine.
My breathing becomes unstable when he leans in and says in a husky voice, "Do you know what helps against your headache?"
Unable to speak I shake my head no.
I let out a small whimper when he scratches his teeth along my throat, his lips brushing up over my jawline until they are resting against my mouth. My lips open partly and he whispers against them, "Breakfast."
He places a quick peck on my cheek before turning around, leaving me with jelly legs and a troubled mind.
"What do you want sweetheart? Pancakes, yogurt with fresh fruit, or toast. Name it and I will make it." he asks, probably with a stupid but oh so sexy grin displayed on his features.
I'm still trying to regain my posture when he pops his head out of the refrigerator. He knows all too well that he turned me on, showing me a smug smile, making me grumble, "Don't care. I will have what you have."
"Okay, cranky pants." he smiles.
I want to say I'm not, but refrain from answering back. I can be a tease just as bad as him, maybe even better.
He is busy mixing pancake batter when I grab some plates right next to him out of a cabinet. Standing on tiptoes I stretch out so my stomach is showing, placing them on the kitchen bar with cutlery.
Feeling suddenly very thirsty, I open the fridge and lean forward with my butt towards Matt. I look behind me and catch him staring at me, as expected. I give him my most innocent smile ever and grab a bottle of water before hopping on the countertop where he is flipping pancakes. He grins and shakes his head in amusement.
You brought this on yourself, Matthew, and I'm not done.
I bring the bottle of water to my mouth, take a small gulp, and make sure some of it spills. A drop runs down my neck into my cleavage down to my belly button, making me shiver by the coldness of it. My nipples harden in a second and I see Matt lick his lips.
He closes his eyes and groans like he is in pain, "Stop it, Nova."
"Stop what?" I ask innocently. "I'm just watching you make pancakes."
He chuckles and focuses back on the task in front of him. I watch him intently. The way his biceps shift with every small movement. His shirt hugging his body in all the right places. The dark brown strands of hair brushing against his forehead and that razor-sharp jaw that I would not mind kissing right now. Heck, I would not mind kissing all of him.
Nova! Concentrate on your mission.
I jump off the countertop and stand behind him, letting my hands slide under his shirt and he shivers slightly from the cold of them. I start to massage his lower back with my thumbs and slowly make my way up to his broad shoulders, needing to stand on my tiptoes to purr in his ear, "Why is it so hot watching you cook?"
He swallows harshly when my hands slide to the front, pressing my breast against his back. I trace the lines of his perfect abdominal muscles from the top to his very low-hanging sweatpants and let the tip of my fingers slide under the waistband and moan, "Baby, I'm so hungry."
I see goosebumps rise on his arms and there is growing something just below my hand.
I got you!
I snap his waistband with a wide grin plastered onto my face and ask, "So when are those pancakes ready?"
I'm unable to repress a laugh when he grunts loudly, "You're mean, Nova!"
He turns around and catches me by my buttocks, lifting me with ease. My legs automatically wrap around him, while I try to free him from his shirt, assuming we are going to his bedroom.
He suddenly drops me on one of the barstools and gives me a quick kiss, "Now sit here and let me make you breakfast."
I look at him with big eyes, not exactly sure what the heck happened. He comes back with a stack of pancakes and places them in front of me, instructing, "Eat babe, I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" I squeal.
It better be a good one, because I was imagining myself covered in sweat and between his limbs for the rest of the day.
He grins and of course, won't tell me anything else. I quickly eat, shower, and dress into something comfortable with Matt's advice.
He took care of Bear and Koda, giving them food and water and placing them in the dog room.
The drive is long for someone who wants to know what the surprise is and when we finally reach our destination I don't get it.
"What are we doing here, Matt?" I ask unsure.
A tender smile graces his lips, "Just wait and see."
He opens the door and the sound of roaring engines and squealing tires fill the car. I let myself out and stare at the cars racing by.
Matt takes me by the hand and leads me to a building with more garages than I can count where we are greeted by a man with silver hair, patting Matt on the back like they are long-time friends.
He must have been here a lot of times.
The man leads us through some hallways and stops by the dressing rooms. He hands me a helmet and clothes that look like I'm gonna drive a formula one car and instructs me to change into them.
Matt gives me a wide smile and pushes the door open into the men's dressing rooms, leaving me dumbfounded in the hallway.
I don't know if I have to take my clothes off or just put them over what I'm wearing already. I decide to keep my shirt on and pull my pants off, that is what I would do when I wear my motorcycle clothing.
The same man explains to me that the track is 1,2 miles and technical with eight turns and 1,600 ft straight, with no speed limit when we meet him in front of one of the many garages.
A car is driven in front of us and I gasp for air. What the hell, it looks like a need for speed, something you would see in the Fast and the furious.
"This is The EXR LV02 and it will make you feel more than alive," he explains, looking proudly at the car.
"Don't we need driver's lessons or something?" I stutter nervously.
"No, you're safe with this man," he says, patting Matt on the shoulder and opening the door for me to take a very low and hard seat.
I struggle to fasten all the straps attached to the seatbelt and I'm happy to get a helping hand. "Have fun you two." he smiles at me before closing the door.
The glass of my helmet fogs with my heavy breathing. Matt squeezes my leg and asks with a wide smile, "Are you ready?"
Om my God! I like speed, I do. My father cursed at me for racing on my motorcycle more than I can count. So, no. I'm not afraid to race but only when I'm in control.
I give him my thumbs up because I can't speak without sounding panicked. The engine roars violently and my body is pushed into the seat when Matt pushes the gas paddle.
The first round I have my eyes closed, praying it will be over rather quickly. Unfortunately, we don't stop and I scream in horror when I open my eyes at the speed we're going, grasping the door handle and Matt's leg in terror.
I hear him chuckle, "Babe, relax. Focus on the track, on the turns."
It takes me a few laps before I'm able to relax and surprise myself enjoying it. Matt knows exactly where to break and where to push the limits. I push him to overtake other racecars, cheering loud when he overtakes them one by one.
The hours fly by and I feel sad that it's already over. He parks it in front of one of the garages and takes his helmet off, asking, "Ready for your surprise?"
"My surprise? this wasn't the surprise?" I gawk at him.
Matt laughs, "No babe, this was just to show you that I can handle a car. To show you that you don't ever have to feel afraid when I'm driving and a bit for my fun as well."
The same man as before opens my door and asks me to follow him. Matt is on our heels with an even bigger smile and I wonder what else he has in store for me.
I frown when we return to the dressing rooms and the man says, "You can change again. Your suit and shoes are in locker number 27."
He pushes me inside before I can ask anything else. I open the locker and my heart jumps with joy seeing the suit. My hands slide over the white leather and I can't wait to put it on.
It's a bit more uncomfortable than the one I have because of the stiff back protector. But I love the feeling anyway. I walk out of the room to find Matt in a motorcycle suit, too.
Confused, I ask, "You can ride a motorcycle?"
"Yes, I have my motorcycle in the garage. This is why I want you to live with me because we should already know things like this."
We are interrupted before I can say something back, racking my brain why I never saw a motorcycle in his garage.
We walk out and two motorcycles stand in front of me and I almost drool when I see what I'm going to ride.
"A freaking Yamaha YZF-R1." I squeal.
A deep laugh comes from behind me. "Your girlfriend has a nose for the good stuff."
I ignore the comment and let my fingers run over the seat, dying to ride this. I swing my leg over the machine and feel how heavy it is.
Matt stands beside me, speaking to me with concern in his voice. "Nova, please take the first-round slow and watch out for the cars. I want you to have fun and not to end up in the hospital."
I nod eagerly and put my helmet on. I don't wait for him and start, riding slowly out of the pit lane. Matt is very quickly beside me. It's hard not to open the gas, but I keep as promised a steady pace in the first round.
In the second round, I can't resist anymore and open the gas. A smile from ear to ear covers my face. Each round I feel better about how the motorcycle reacts, allowing me to go faster and making me comfortable in overhanging in every bend. Someone orders me to drive back into the pit lane way too soon for my liking.
Matt also drives off the racetrack after a short wait. He takes his helmet off and looks not happy, roaring, "Are you crazy Nova!" and heck, he doesn't sound like it either.
"What! What did I do?" I ask wide-eyed.
The silver-haired man interrupts us and I think it's for the best catching a glimpse of Matt's face." he is jealous that you ride better than him." giving Matt a grin. "Girl, you have guts of steel." patting me a bit too rough on the shoulder. "Feel free to come back anytime," he says, walking away after patting Matt on the back as well.
A silence falls between Matt and me, both staring at each other. He's the first look away, shaking his head in disappointment, "Seriously, Nova. I thought you were gonna crash."
"You heard the man, I have guts of steel," I say playfully, giving him a wink, but he looks really upset.
I step forward, draping my arms around his neck, and plead, "Come on Matt. I was having fun, as you asked me to do. Nothing happened." batting my eyelashes and giving him a good smooch, I end with, "Thank you for this surprise, I love it."
He stays indifferent to my attempt to lighten the mood, making me pout. "Please, don't be like this?"
His face stays flat, forcing me to use the advantage of being a woman. I kiss his lips again and bring my mouth to his ear, purring, "I know how to put this frown upside down. Meet me in the woman's dressing room."
Finally, I get a response. He grabs my ass and rests his head in the crook of my neck, feeling him smile against my skin, "Nova, you have a filthy mind."
Time to turn it up one notch, I bite his earlobe and whisper, "I can't help it that I like to ride a beast." making him grunt loudly.
"You sure know how to make me want you... but we can't. There are cameras all over the place."
Damn, that's the second time this day. Hello, cold shower here I come.
We change back into our normal clothes and drink something at the bar before driving back to his home. Matt cooked us pasta while I took the dogs out for a walk.
My mind keeps drifting back to my first thought this morning while Matt and I share dinner. I know it will keep haunting me if I don't get it off my chest.
"Can I ask you a favor, Matt?"
He nods, with his mouth full. I can hear him swallow the chicken pasta we are eating, before he speaks, "Yeah, sure."
Here goes nothing. "I want to talk to Dallas in person. Do you mind if I ask him to come over? I understand if you don't want him in your house. It's that I need to know if he has feelings for me. You can stay with me if you want and..."
"Nova." he reaches out for my hand, stopping my rant, "It's fine. Call him and make him come this way. I know it's killing you."
"You're sure?"
"I'm sure."
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Hi loves,
Matt is on the right track, don't you agree?
And why did Dallas kiss her forehead?
You'll find it all in the next chapter, where there will be a pov from Dallas, too.
Make me smile and press the star and don't hesitate to drop some comments.
❤️Lots of love. ❤️
Gabriëlla