Snowstorm in Vermont

ALYSSA

His tall figure and blond hair highlighted him from the rest. Trying not to be too obvious, I stretched my neck to eye him up.

He wore a simple white T-shirt, faded jeans, and boots, and I noticed the lion surrounded in a night of stars tattooed on his left arm with script wrapping all the way around the huge, colored-ink piece.

Fuck.

No mistaking it. It was definitely Matthew. We’d worked together a few years ago, but I hadn’t seen him since I left the job.

My cheeks heated, and the air felt a little heavier to breathe all of a sudden. He was not with anyone I recognized, but the feeling of wanting to drive home immediately surged through my body.

Scooting myself more toward the wall, I opened my laptop and hid behind the screen. My waitress dropped off my requested items.

I guzzled the cherries off the sundae and decided to down my drink as quickly as possible so I could get the check.

That is when a smooth, clear voice came from over my shoulder.

“Hey there.”

I turned to see a good-looking, green-eyed man standing beside me, his hand on the top of my chair. His cologne sifted through my nose, and I was eager to inhale his scent rather than the smell of the old, too-busy pub.

“Hello,” I muttered.

I knew my eyes were flitting as I was trying my best to focus on his face rather than his well-toned body in his tight, black shirt.

“May I sit with you, or are you expecting someone? I noticed you’ve been here alone for a while,” he said, stepping closer to me and speaking into my ear.

“No, just me tonight. You can sit if you want,” I said, peeping at his biceps bulging out of his T-shirt sleeves.

His name was Zach, and he was only here meeting up with some of his college buddies. Admitting he was bored of the football game and monotonous conversations, he told me he thought I was beautiful and seemed to be the excitement he was looking for.

Zach was sweet, and his eyes were kind. He made me laugh several times. Small talk was easier than breathing. I offered him the rest of my sundae, and we ended up going spoonful for spoonful.

“It’s really coming down out there,” Zach pointed out when the waitress dropped off my bill.

My house was thirty minutes away, and the snow had not let up at all. He asked for my phone number, and I eagerly gave it. As we stood up to hug goodbye, a group of men wandered over to us from across the bar.

“Alyssa,” came a familiar voice, filtering over the commotion of the room.

My eyes peeled open while my arms draped around Zach’s broad shoulders. I got off my tippy toes and looked over to see Matthew Brunetti standing there with the group I assumed were Zach’s college friends.

All of the butterflies that I had flickering in my stomach died and fell to the floor of the bar.

“Hey,” I said, trying to remain pleasant. I turned back to Zach, told him it was nice meeting him, and grabbed my laptop and handbag.

“Are you taking her home?” Matthew asked Zach, always so fucking brazen.

He’d always been known for being blunt and having almost unachievable expectations as a boss.

I’d never had a problem with that, since I was quite the workaholic, coming in on my days off and working longer hours than scheduled without complaint. Half the time, I’d done his job for him.

He’d never so much as flirted with me or I him. Sure, I’d always noticed his handsome blond beard and great body, but I’d also never seen him look this casual. This…yummy.

“Uhm, no? I just asked for her number?” Zach said, his voice obviously a little confused and embarrassed at the comment of his so-called friend.

I was embarrassed as well. I’d never done a one-night stand, and despite the fancy panties, I hadn’t really been ready to start now. Not to mention I was truly interested in Zach. If he asked me out, I’d say yes.

“Alyssa, you cannot drive in this,” Matthew’s voice was stern and formidable, as it had been so many times in the past.

But he wasn’t my boss any longer.

“It’s Vermont, Matthew. I have driven in snow before,” I replied, my eyes narrowing and meeting his surprised gaze.

I’d forgotten how dark and intense his eyes were. The slight smile he had when he first walked up flattened after his friends all chuckled.

“You two know each other?” Zach said, crossing his arms.

He was asking Matthew, not me, though Matthew’s eyes never left mine. My former boss tilted his head and quickly looked me up and down. My heart raced for some reason, inexplicably filling me with the need to impress him.

“We used to work together at Gatemind.” Matthew pointed at me and smiled widely now.

It was awkward having the men discuss me as if I wasn’t standing directly in front of them.

“Oh, that Alyssa,” shouted one of the shorter guys standing to the right of Zach.

He smacked his hand on Zach’s shoulder while the other few guys laughed for no apparent reason. I held my breath as I realized I had been discussed in their group before. My cheeks blazed, and my feet felt heavy and glued to the ground.

What could Matthew have said about me that had them acting that way?