Close Your Eyes (18 page)

‘Those are happy memories
.
’
She
nodded
agreeably
. A
tiny pinch of nostalgia for those simple,
un
pretentious times
insisted on making her melanchol
ic
.
Life was simpler when they were younger.
No obligations, no expectations to live up to, no watchful eyes…

‘
What are your plans now that you
’
re
back for good
?
’
She eagerly changed
the topic. There was no point
in getting
all
misty-
eyed for something that couldn’t be
brought back.

‘I’ve been offered a position of a junior consultant in our America
n
branch
.
’
He
saw her blank expression and laughed, his voice warm and rich. ‘
Yeah
, I guess you are just as clueless as I was as
to
what
that
means,
Meg
.’ They were moving across the dance floor to the other end, their feet gliding effortlessly in unison.
‘I suspect that my family wants to make extra sure I won’t mess up anything too close to home. And I made it clear that I wouldn’t mind a few
more
year
s
exile
d
in
the States
,
either.’

‘But why?’
Meg
looked at him
,
exasperated
and upset at
the idea of him disappearing again for a long period of time.
It m
ust
be
because of
Ry
and his close relationship to his brother
.
S
he knew Ry
an
missed
Matt
a lot while he was away. ‘Why would you go away so soon,
Matt
? I
’
m pretty sure there must be something nearer home, isn’t there?’

He looked torn. She could tell there was something he didn’t really want to tell her
. T
he reason for his decision
was
too private to be discussed with his brother’s girlfriend. She knew him well enough to be able to read between the lines.
The truth was hiding behind
his
carefully measured expression
and cautiously veiled
blue gaze. For a second
,
she thought that his
usual honesty would win the battle, but was disappointed to realize her mistake. Whatever prompted him to take on the offer was too private and too important to be
talked about
,
full stop
.

‘Well, maybe Sonia can make you change your mind
.
’
She
smiled playfully, hoping she didn’t sound too interested. After all
,
the decision was his
,
and
her
input
was
totally unnecessary and uncalled for. ‘Unless she is moving with you, that is.’

‘
Good
grief, no.’ His face wrinkled in a mischievous smile
. H
e twirled her around, the smooth move suddenly sending her head spinning. The world shr
a
nk to the tiny private universe where his arms
, strong and secure,
were the only thing preventing her from falling as he held her close. She could only cling to him
. H
er seashell
-
pink nails d
ug
into the fine fabric of his crisp, white shirt until she felt the firm
flesh
barely yielding to her touch. The people, the room, the music
—they
all seemed to have disappeared, leaving her alone at the mercy of the man she had thought
she knew
inside out.

But I don’t really, do I?
The familiarity, the friendly relationship,
and
the common memories weren’t enough to disperse
the
sudden realization
that
he was something else entirely. Alien
and frighteningly appealing,
Matt
Harper
was suddenly light
-
years
away from the
easy going
, funny boy
that had walked
in Ry
an
’s shadow for as long as she could remember.

‘Sonia isn’t interested in us staying to
gether
.
’

Their dance slowed, but Megan’s
heart rate
was still too fast
.

‘We are kind of cooling it off
,
really. I guess I am not that much of a catch
,
after all. We’ve been together for a long time
, but
she had realized that my future lifestyle
isn’t
necessarily something she was looking forward to. Instead of a
long-
term fun and glamour, I
’m going to
start working in the family business and be pretty busy.’

Megan
was amazed by the note of bitterness creeping into
Matt’s
usually smooth voice.
She wondered if he was heartbroken or just disappointed.

‘I really don’t get it
.
’
Her
inborn honesty took the front seat
.
She searched
his face as she asked
,
‘
You
came together and were practically glued together on the dance floor,
Matt
. It’s not
the
behavior of a couple that is on a verge of breaking up, I would think.’

He laughed, his warm, rich voice turning some heads
near
them.

‘Well, I know that’s how you see it.’
His eyes and the smile that stretched the corners of his
sensuous
mouth were warm.
‘You aren’t used to any other kind of relationship,
Meg
.’

She opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her with a smile
,
then
continued
in a low voice, his words for her ears only.

‘You see, Sonia and I, we have
had
an understanding
going on for quite a while now
. Something like in one of those horrid romantic comedies,
just
sex with no strings attached. It suit
ed
us both quite well, I think.
Still, it’s over now
,
and we are trying to part way
s
on
as friendly
terms
as possible
.
She
didn’t come
here with me because of her undying love,
Meg
.
It has been over for quite a while now, but neither of us wanted to do anything about it. We just let it happen and hoped that the other person would
make
the first move.
All she wanted was to come and get the chance to meet some useful people. I figured I owed her
that much
,
and it didn’t cost me anything
,
really. Plus, I got to annoy my pompous relatives.’ He winked at her conspiratorially, making it impossible to remain totally serious.

‘I know, you mentioned it once before.’ She shook her head, disbelieving. ‘Only in those films, the couple usually ends up
becoming
much more,
Matt
. You can call them horrid and naïve, but I like it that way.’

‘I figured that much
.
’

The
music stopped, but they remained standing together, oblivious to the silence. Another song started
,
and they moved in unison
. H
is confident and effortless lead
made
it very easy
for Megan
to follow.

‘I still think it’s rather weird to make out like that if you don’t really care for someone
,
’
she said, referring to
their
earlier kiss on the dance floor.
Terrified, s
he bit her lip, cursing her own impulsive honesty. After all, who was she to lecture him on relationships? There was never anyone
else but
Ry
an
in her life,
and she considered
her experience t
o
o minimal
to be
able to have an opinion.

‘Touché
.
’
He
had the guts to laugh, his eyes merry once more. ‘
Ry
doesn’t approve of it
,
either. But as I said, we are parting our ways
,
and coming here was her idea.’