doesn’t.” I glanced up at him and caught him staring at me in the way he had that made my heart race, and I quickly looked ahead again. “What about you?” I asked to deflect my own attention away from the overwhelming awareness he brought out in me. “Do you have kids growing up too fast? Or maybe already grown?”
“No kids. Just my sister.” His arm brushed against mine, and I broke out in gooseflesh. He didn’t react to the contact. “Linnea has a boyfriend, my mother tells me. He’s got DS, too. He works in the mail room with her and asked her out for ice cream after work one day. Now they’re talking about how they want to live together.”
“Oh, wow. Have you met him?”
“Many times. They’ve worked together for years. They’ve been friends for a long time.”
“And do you like him?”
“As a man? Sure. As a man my sister is living with?” He laughed and shook his head. “It’s hard to wrap my head around it, is all.”
Since the thought of Sophie dating someone gave me hives, I could understand that. “Has she dated before?”
“There was one,” he said cautiously, making me wonder what had happened with that first boyfriend. “It’s been a while, though. And I want her to be happy and have love in her life, but I can’t help but worry. I mean, it was only a few years ago that she moved out of my parents’ house to live in a group home.”
“But she’s done that,” I said. “And she’s fine. Right? She has a job. He does, too. You don’t think he’s trying to take advantage of her, do you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” he rushed to say. “I just never thought she would live on her own, let alone with a man. She keeps surprising me. In good ways.”
The girls were already halfway down the escalator. Mattias put his hand on the small of my back as I stepped onto it in a slightly protective yet somewhat possessive move, and I had to fight the urge not to inch closer to him.
I swallowed hard. “Sophie surprises me every day,” I forced past my thick tongue. “In good ways, too. She’s exactly like her sisters in some ways.”
“Like with having a crush on 501,” he said, chuckling. He was on the step directly behind me, his body heat warming my backside.
“Yes, like that.” I spun so I could see him, but looking up at his face, with him being a step above me, left me dizzy.
He tightened his grip on my waist, steadying me, but that didn’t stop me from reaching out to grab on to him, as well, my hands resting on his torso. My fingers could feel every single muscle underneath them. Six-pack? He probably had eight. He was solid and unmovable, and my knees were weak.
“You all right?” he asked.
I was fine except for the fact that I might have a crush on Mattias Bergstrom even bigger than all the girls’ crushes on Levi Babcock combined. The way he was holding me upright, acting as if I were as light as a feather and it was simply what anyone would do, robbed me of all thought. Including my purpose in turning around to look at him to begin with. All I could do was hold on and hope he didn’t care that I was suddenly sixteen again.
“Fine,” I finally managed to breathe.
“Fine enough to walk? Because we’re almost to the bottom.” He laughed, but not in a way that made me feel as though he were laughing at me.
I turned around and managed to step off the escalator without tripping over my own feet, but that wasn’t saying a whole lot. Mattias kept an arm around my waist, and I was happy for him to leave it there.
We didn’t say anything the rest of the way to the parking garage. The girls were huddled together by my SUV when we got there, still giggling and chattering so much I doubted they’d settle down before midnight at the very earliest. There wasn’t a chance they’d let me get much sleep tonight. Add to that my nerves about this supposed date with Mattias tomorrow…
Sophie spun around and headed our way, arms outstretched. I
“No kids. Just my sister.” His arm brushed against mine, and I broke out in gooseflesh. He didn’t react to the contact. “Linnea has a boyfriend, my mother tells me. He’s got DS, too. He works in the mail room with her and asked her out for ice cream after work one day. Now they’re talking about how they want to live together.”
“Oh, wow. Have you met him?”
“Many times. They’ve worked together for years. They’ve been friends for a long time.”
“And do you like him?”
“As a man? Sure. As a man my sister is living with?” He laughed and shook his head. “It’s hard to wrap my head around it, is all.”
Since the thought of Sophie dating someone gave me hives, I could understand that. “Has she dated before?”
“There was one,” he said cautiously, making me wonder what had happened with that first boyfriend. “It’s been a while, though. And I want her to be happy and have love in her life, but I can’t help but worry. I mean, it was only a few years ago that she moved out of my parents’ house to live in a group home.”
“But she’s done that,” I said. “And she’s fine. Right? She has a job. He does, too. You don’t think he’s trying to take advantage of her, do you?”
“No, it’s nothing like that,” he rushed to say. “I just never thought she would live on her own, let alone with a man. She keeps surprising me. In good ways.”
The girls were already halfway down the escalator. Mattias put his hand on the small of my back as I stepped onto it in a slightly protective yet somewhat possessive move, and I had to fight the urge not to inch closer to him.
I swallowed hard. “Sophie surprises me every day,” I forced past my thick tongue. “In good ways, too. She’s exactly like her sisters in some ways.”
“Like with having a crush on 501,” he said, chuckling. He was on the step directly behind me, his body heat warming my backside.
“Yes, like that.” I spun so I could see him, but looking up at his face, with him being a step above me, left me dizzy.
He tightened his grip on my waist, steadying me, but that didn’t stop me from reaching out to grab on to him, as well, my hands resting on his torso. My fingers could feel every single muscle underneath them. Six-pack? He probably had eight. He was solid and unmovable, and my knees were weak.
“You all right?” he asked.
I was fine except for the fact that I might have a crush on Mattias Bergstrom even bigger than all the girls’ crushes on Levi Babcock combined. The way he was holding me upright, acting as if I were as light as a feather and it was simply what anyone would do, robbed me of all thought. Including my purpose in turning around to look at him to begin with. All I could do was hold on and hope he didn’t care that I was suddenly sixteen again.
“Fine,” I finally managed to breathe.
“Fine enough to walk? Because we’re almost to the bottom.” He laughed, but not in a way that made me feel as though he were laughing at me.
I turned around and managed to step off the escalator without tripping over my own feet, but that wasn’t saying a whole lot. Mattias kept an arm around my waist, and I was happy for him to leave it there.
We didn’t say anything the rest of the way to the parking garage. The girls were huddled together by my SUV when we got there, still giggling and chattering so much I doubted they’d settle down before midnight at the very earliest. There wasn’t a chance they’d let me get much sleep tonight. Add to that my nerves about this supposed date with Mattias tomorrow…
Sophie spun around and headed our way, arms outstretched. I
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