“Can’t say many women have been this hesitant to come home with me,” he muses more to himself than me. “Then again, we don’t usually get that far before things get heavy.”
I blanch. “Crass, much?”
He grins, unabashed by his bluntness despite the twisted look I give him. “You don’t seem like the type to offend easily, darling.”
My cheeks heat over his subtle pet name, but I don’t say anything because he’s not wrong.
He shrugs my silence off. “Are you going to come in? We won’t be alone. I have a mongrel that I house, feed, and tend to whenever he needs it. Don’t worry, he’s house trained. Well, for the most part.”
How did I not know that Garrick Matthews has a dog? “I’m surprised people don’t know that you have a pet. The public would eat that kind of stuff up.”
Garrick snickers, gesturing for me to come in again. This time, I do, mostly because I want to see his dog. I had a Chow Chow growing up that passed away the year after I moved, and my parents never got another dog.
Garrick closes the door behind me and leads me further into the home where the foyer opens to a huge open floorplan that has a den, living room, and dining room all spaced out. My eyes are greeted by pops of purples, yellows, and grays, all bright and welcoming, and I can’t help but gape at the nice furniture—all matching in color, style, and size—surprised at how well the décor makes the place feel so…lived in.
It’s not too cluttered or too spacious, making it much homier than I would have imagined a bachelor like the lead singer in front of me would live in, especially considering the outside looks nothing like the inside. “He’s getting up there in age. Twenty-one,” he adds, referring to his pet. “Could benefit from a good bath and haircut. But I love him nonetheless.”
A startled noise escapes my throat when another guy walks into the room with a bowl of something in his hands, surprise on his face when he sees us. One of my hands fly over my fast-beating heart as he says, “I didn’t think you’d be home this early.”
“Speak of the devil,” Garrick chuckles, winking at me and gesturing toward the guy I suddenly recognize as his sibling. He doesn’t get seen in the media too often, especially not with his famous brother, but he made a splash over an interview he gave a year or so ago about an old fling he had that didn’t end well for him. “This is Chase, my little brother.”
Blinking slowly, I turn to Garrick from the curly-haired boy in front of us. “The mongrel you were referring to is your sibling?”
Disappointment settles in.
Said brother scowls. “Why the fuck are you always referring to me as a dog?”
That makes the man who brought me home laugh, his shoulders shaking as his brother glares in his direction. “Because it’s not far off from the truth. I thought you had a date tonight.”
Chase looks away. “It ended early.”
“It ended early, or you didn’t go?”
I feel awkward standing here, but I don’t know where to go or what to do.
“I’m not going to bail on someone, jackass. That’s your style, not mine. It just didn’t go well, okay?” The defensiveness in Chase’s tone makes me shrink back a little, but not as much as when his eyes snap to me inquisitively. “Who is this? If you want some privacy I’ll head to my room or go somewhere else. Just quit making everyone think I’m your damn pet.”
A blush creeps over my cheeks at the implication left wide open and I don’t know how to explain my being there. “Oh, I’m not…we’re…er…”
The youngest Matthews rolls his eyes. “I doubt my brother invited you over to have tea and crumpets, so you don’t have to play dumb.”
“First off,” Garrick refutes in a scolding tone, “I’m not British, so screw off. Secondly, Mum taught us how to respect women, so I suggest you remember that right about now.”
His brother’s cheeks color. “Sorry,” he murmurs, not making eye contact with me. “And I know for damn sure you drink that nasty herbal shit before bed every night, so don’t act like you don’t have a tea obsession.”
As he walks away, Garrick calls out, “It’s good for my throat!”
When it’s just the two of us, he turns to me and rolls his eyes. “Brothers, am I right?”
I shrug awkwardly. “I’m an only child.”
“Ah.” His head cocks to the side. “Is that why you were living in your car? No protective brother or sister to offer you their home?”
My heart plummets into the bottom of my stomach. Unable to confirm or deny his allegation, I gape as he nods once.
“Thought so.” He sighs heavily, scratching at his shaven jawline. “You can stay here tonight until you figure out what to do.”
“I’m not g—”
“I have plenty of spare bedrooms,” he cuts me off, pointing toward the stairs. “And they all have their own bathroom so no one would bother you.”
My lips part, but I can’t force the words out. They’re tangled in my mouth, twisted around my tongue as I stare at the singer worth millions. Why would he offer me this?
I’m not surprised that the first words I blurt are, “I could be a murderer!”
He snorts as warmth licks my skin over the sudden outburst. “Sure, you could be. But I doubt it. Those eyes…” His narrow as he studies the two orbs I’ve always been self-conscious of. People in school used to pick on me over the two different colors. “Those eyes are soulful. I’ve seen them before, haven’t I?”
My heart thuds, thuds, thuds in my chest at the question I hoped he wouldn’t ask. Our interaction was minimal the last time we saw each other. It was a few minutes at best before
