know whether Javier was ever coming back, so Matt tried to comfort her, and they ended up in bed.”
I rolled my eyes. “Matt’s a cad, but at least he’s true to form.”
“What do you mean?”
“He loves women, that’s what I mean. With Matt, sex never implied love or commitment, just a way to express a fleeting feeling. Did Javier ever want his girl back?”
“You know men.” Koa grunted. “Women, too, for that matter. Louisa threw it up in Javier’s face that she slept with his friend, and Javier dropped a rock. He and Matt ended up rolling around in the street.” Koa shrugged. “But they got over it. They’re pretty close now, those two. You should have seen them tonight.”
Koa glanced at his watch. “I’ve got to go, Clare. I’m sorry—”
“No, don’t worry. I don’t hear any breaking glass upstairs. Matt’s probably in bed already, sleeping it off.”
I said good night to Koa, then went to check on Matt. Unfortunately for me, the bed was empty, except for my little coffee bean-colored cat, who looked quite happy, her paws extended, her white belly showing.
“Don’t get too comfortable, Java, another occupant’s on his way.”
I went to the bathroom and knocked on the door. I didn’t hear the shower, and I didn’t get an answer.
“Matt?”
Still no answer.
I pushed my way in. Matt was on the floor, curled up on (and regrettably not in) his black silk kimono. I dropped a towel over his toned flanks and knelt down beside my buck-naked first love.
“Let’s go. Time for bed,” I said, taking his arm.
Matt was still damp from his shower, and just about as slippery as Randall Knox, but I managed to get him on his feet and into the guest room, ignoring his mumbled demands.
“I want some black coffee,” he said as I forced him onto the bed.
(He wanted some other things from me, too, a list of things, actually. All of them would have been stimulating. None had anything to do with caffeine.)
“Forget it,” I firmly told him. “You have to get some rest. You don’t want your eyes to look bloodshot for your wedding pictures, do you?”
“There’s not gonna be any damn wedding,” Matt said. (Okay, I’m paraphrasing what he said. But what’s the point of filling half a page with obscenities?)
While Matt ranted, I stripped away the towel, nudged my little cat over, and forced Matt to lie back on the pile of pillows. Then I covered his hard body with a soft blanket.
“Look, Matt, I know you’re still furious about what Breanne did. It was wrong for her to send every person in your little black PDA book a wedding announcement. But, come on, wouldn’t these women have found out anyway?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. A lot of them live in other countries. I doubt they read New York gossip columns or American magazines.”
“You mean you were actually planning to date some of these women after your wedding?”
“You know how I am, Clare. I like to keep my options open.”
I sighed, nudged his leg over, and sat down on the edge of the bed. “It’s going to be hard for you to hear this, but as much as I can’t stand Breanne personally, I have to confess I admire what the woman did.”
Matt’s bloodshot eyes widened in outrage. “What?”
“It’s smart. She obviously wants you to give fidelity a try.”
Matt frowned. “That wasn’t part of our deal.”
“What deal? This is supposed to be a marriage.”
“Monogamy’s retro. Breanne’s said it herself, more than once.”
“Yeah, well, I don’t care what she said. I think, deep down, Breanne feels the same emotions I used to about you: jealousy, possessiveness, anger—”
He waved me off. “You don’t know Breanne like I do.”
“No. You don’t know women as well as you think you do.”
Matt and I could usually communicate with very few words. At the moment, I felt as though we were talking two different languages. I sat in silence for a moment.
“Tell me, truthfully,” I finally said. “What is it that you love about Breanne?”
This question seemed to baffle the groom. (Not a good sign.) I waited as he searched the bedroom ceiling, finally he met my eyes.
“I . . . I guess I love my life with her,” he said quietly. “It’s always fun to be with Bree, you know, exciting. She can always find a party, no matter what city she’s in. Man, that woman loves to party. And seeing Rome, Paris, Tokyo with her . . . it was great. It’s always the best