Tame the Beast : Small Beach Town, Single Mom Romance

My very first thought is how fast can I run to make it to the bathroom to throw up, but then I stop. Maybe this is what I need.

Zoe is clearly moving on, so should I, right? Granted, Linsey is not the best choice for that but at this point I will do whatever it takes to stop that roaring in my head and burn in my chest. So, I stroll over to where this Barbie-wannabe is sitting, trying to concentrate on her tits. Because tits are tits, they always do the job for me.

Except the longer I look at hers, the stronger the urge is there to throw up. Unfortunately, Linsey interprets my twisted face as one for wanting her and leans even more over the bar.

Jesus Christ, I can see her nipples.

Breathe, Matteo. Don’t you dare leave. You need to get out of that stupid funk and get laid again. You need to get back to your normal lifestyle.

“Hey, Matty baby,” she says in her overly sweet voice.

“Hey, Linsey.” Concentrate on her lips. Maybe those will be better. Nope. They are not. “What can I get ya, darlin?

Oh hell, why did that taste so sour on my tongue? That is the most innocent line I’ve ever used on the ladies.

Linsey’s eyes light up and I watch as her chest expands, breathing heavier. “You, Matty.”

“Um, what?” What do you think she means, idiot?

“Come on, Matty, you know what I mean.” She draws her pink nails over her pink lips, and I feel my dick not only not getting hard, but I’m pretty sure he’s shrinking in size. “I knew you still want me the way I want you. I saw you checking me out the whole evening.” She giggles while I’m trying to figure out when did I look at her before a minute ago. “Let’s go up to your room, Matty.”

Well, talk about being straight forward.

Say yes, Matteo. Say fucking yes and get over whatever hang up you have in your stupid head.

Only the mere thought of touching her makes my skin crawl with disgust. I look up to the heavens, silently asking “why me” then sigh, and pinching the bridge of my nose, turn back to Linsey. “Sorry, that won’t be happening.”

“What?” she shrieks, loud enough for the whole bar to hear. “But you want me!”

“Um…”

“Um? What is um supposed to mean, Matty baby?” That stupid nickname.

“Jesus, stop calling me that. And I’m sorry, but you got the wrong impression, Linsey. You are a pretty girl and all, but I’m…”

I’m what? Hung up on someone who is never going to be mine? Thinking of being a husband and a father? I’m fucking what? None of that is what I actually want so why was is the first thing I’ve thought about?

“You need more time?” Linsey asks, her brows pulled together. “Because I’ll wait for you, Matty baby. I’ll wait forever.”

I wince. “Please don’t.” I’m a dick but no matter what, Linsey is not the girl I am going to sleep with ever again.

She opens her mouth to say something but anther voice from the other side calls me over. “Hey, son.” I know that voice and when I look his way, I see Zoe’s dad sitting on one of the bar stools, waving me over and I gladly take the escape he unknowingly provides.

I feel Linsey fuming in the back of me. What the hell was I thinking coming up to her and even considering sleeping with her again. Ugh, I fight that shudder again.

“Hello, Mr. Holsted. What can I get ya?” He’s been to the bar a couple of times since Mellie was born but he was always in the company of his friends, Rick Levine and Sam Colson, or with Mrs. Lovesil and we haven’t spoke again since the day he punched me.

“A beer would be nice, your choice.”

“Coming right up,” I tell him and go to pick one of those sparkling clean glasses, filling it up. “There you go.” I slide it over to him. “Anything else?”

“Yeah,” he says but instead of continuing he just looks at me long and hard.

Why is he looking at me like that? Is it hot in here all of a sudden?

Kevin Holsted is not a huge guy, more like a teddy bear kind and not someone you would find threatening, yet here I am, basically shivering from the assessing look he’s giving me.

The pause stretches, making me squirm under his gaze, and mind you, I’m not easily intimidated but I haven’t been myself in a long while so maybe I need to get used to this new version of Matteo. I’m about to turn around and flee when he says, “You can tell me if you are done being a chickenshit yet?”