Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46448 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 232(@200wpm)___ 186(@250wpm)___ 155(@300wpm)
She turned off the ignition. “Matthew,” she said.
“Luna.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Taking in the hot day. Walking the streets.”
“We don’t live close together.”
“I know, but I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d come and see how you’re doing.”
She wondered if Holly had told him that she’d been rude. Had she been rude? Probably, but she was also a little pissed off.
She hadn’t broken Matthew’s heart. It was the other way around. He broke her heart, and quite easily.
“I am mowing the lawn,” Luna said.
“You hate mowing the lawn.”
“True, but that’s what I’ve been asked to do.” She shrugged. “Nice seeing you.”
“Was it?” Matthew asked.
“What?” Luna asked.
“Nice seeing me, or are you just being polite?”
She opened her mouth and closed it.
Matthew held his hand up and then jumped over her fence. “Don’t answer that. How about I mow the lawn for you?”
“Mow the lawn for me?”
“Yeah. I can do it. I know how. Trust me. It’s a piece of cake.”
Luna nibbled on her lip. “I don’t think you should. It is my responsibility, you know. I should be the one to do it. My parents asked me.”
“And I’m offering to help you out. Come on, Luna. You hate mowing the lawn.”
Late one night, years ago while studying, she’d told him that. She’d hurt her shoulder and he’d given her a massage. It had been a pretty good one.
“Er, okay, but I have to feed you or something.”
“Food sounds good.” He walked over to the lawn mower and started. The machine wasn’t too heavy for him, and he moved it with an ease that said he was used to mowing lawns.
She stood watching him for a few minutes, not exactly sure what she should be doing.
Once she realized she was gawking at him, she quickly moved, grabbing the tools that needed to be put away, and pottered around the yard.
At some point, Matthew took off his leather cut and his shirt. He’d placed them on the front porch. Luna picked them up and carried them around the back.
It wasn’t long before he finished the front lawn and got to work on the back.
He had done one long length when Luna stopped him with a glass of lemonade. She watched as he drank. The thick muscles of his neck tightened as he swallowed.
That shouldn’t arouse her. What the hell was wrong with her?
He wiped his lips with the back of his hand and gave her the glass, which she took.
Matthew got back to work, and she disappeared into the house, watching him.
He had changed since she last saw him partially naked. He’d gotten a tattoo. The same design as what was on his jacket. The Trojans MC insignia of a horse with two Glocks pointing toward each other. Above the horse was the word Trojans, and below, MC. On one arm, there was a bunch of shapes that she recognized as tribal ink, and that was about it.
Still, the artwork was amazing. She had thought about getting a tattoo herself, but each time she tried, she chickened out.
“Food, Luna, food. He’s not here for you to ogle. Get your act together.” She went to her fridge and was pleased she’d actually gotten groceries. She pulled out a couple of steaks.
On one of Holly and Mary’s blog posts, there had been a recipe that Luna had memorized. The steak that Matthew loved. There was a whole descriptive post on how much he loved this recipe. Luna had read that damn post so many times, had memorized and tried it.
And now, she quickly marinated the steaks, and of course, he always had to have it with buttery boiled herbed potatoes and a salad. That was the meal she was cooking.
She was a loser. The last thing she should be doing was cooking for him, and yet, here she was, meal prepping for him.
The grill outside on the back porch was her dad’s pride and joy.
With the potatoes in to boil, Luna made them both a salad but assembled it on the plate. She made a quick dressing, the one that went with this meal as per Matthew’s love.
When Matthew was close to finishing, she drained the cooked potatoes, allowed them to steam dry, and then tossed them with the herb butter she had made. With them done, and the salad finished, she went to the grill, fired it up, and cooked the two steaks.
She hated cleaning her dad’s barbeque, but it would be worth it.
Once it was set up, she threw the steaks on the grill and watched Matthew. He wiped the sweat from his brow, cleaned up the machine, and placed the grass clippings around the flower beds. Her mother did it all the time. She swore by the grass clippings, which was a surprise for a woman who loved everything to be clean. There was an exception to the rule. Fresh grass clippings. Done on the same day. Her mother would never mix them.