With Abandon: With or Without, Book 4

Another one showed Matt in a lecture hall writing on a notebook. Spread before him were half a dozen pictures, most taken on the college campus. All of them featured Matt. Every last one of them appeared to have been captured with a telescopic lens and without Matt’s knowledge.
    Aubrey’s head spun. If he hadn’t been sitting, he’d have fallen. It was all he could do not to let out a primal yell and start throwing stuff around. The pictures were threatening just because of the subject
    matter, but the last one disturbed Aubrey the most. He sat paralyzed with fear, clutching the photo in his shaking hands. The photo was of Matt lying on the floor of the apartment in his favorite spot by the dining-room table, looking out the window at the cars below. It would’ve made Aubrey smile if he’d taken it
    himself. This scene depicted one of his favorite sights when he came home from work. But seeing the
    homey scene like this scared him to death. The photographer had clearly studied Matt’s every move. The
    warning was clear, and Aubrey saw red.
    Boskie had no idea who he was fucking with, but he was about to find out.

    “So what’re you going to do with it when it’s done?” Matt dragged his hand along the front fender of
    the 1966 Mustang. The body was in good condition, but it needed a paint job.
    Tara shrugged. “Don’t know. I’m going to try and drive it, but my dad may have other ideas about
    that.” She rolled her eyes, showing exactly what she thought of Jarred’s other ideas. “I had to kidnap it to work on it. My dad has been harping for years about how he’s going to restore it, but I got tired of waiting.”
    “Whoa, wait a minute. Does Jarred know you have his car?” Matt didn’t want to get on Jarred
    Brandt’s bad side. Not only was he a heck of a nice guy, but when Aubrey had taken over the pack last
    weekend, he retained Jarred as his Beta. Matt was going to have to see the man and get along with him.
    “He does now.” Tara grinned, and it was downright mischievous. “He called me this morning after I
    had it towed to my house.” Leaning against the front of the car, she crossed her arms over her chest. Trying to look nonchalant Matt supposed, but he wasn’t buying it. “How was your lunch?”

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    Uh-huh, she was fishing. He’d known as soon as he’d gotten here that her curiosity would get the
    better of her. He was shocked that she’d made it through a tour of the house. “Good.” Actually, it had been more than good. It had felt like they were back to normal.
    “Good? That’s it?” Tara motioned with her hand for him to continue. “Did he apologize?”
    “Sort of. He said he was sorry for the way he said things but not for what he said.”
    “From him? That’s akin to getting down on his knees and begging. He doesn’t apologize…ever. If
    he’s wrong, he might mumble out a perhaps I was mistaken , but that’s it.” She snorted. “I swear I wish he’d just stop with the denial and say I love you and be done with it.”
    “What?” A frisson of excitement rushed through Matt at the prospect. Unfortunately, there was a little
    doubt too. He knew Aubrey liked him, cared for him even, but love? “You think he loves me?” Matt tried
    not to sound like her answer mattered to him, but he wanted to hear what she had to say. She was Aubrey’s best friend and knew him better than anyone.
    A serene smile crossed her face, and she nodded. “Definitely.” In three steps she was across the
    garage. “I know he does. Trust me on this. I’ve never seen him the way he is with you.” She hugged him
    and pulled back without releasing him. “That scene before the party the other night? That was a big hint.
    He’s scared. When he gets scared or can’t control things he does one of two things. He either shuts down or lashes out. If he didn’t plan on keeping you, he wouldn’t care who you told what, but you threatened his safe little world. He got mad because if people know you’re gay, they’re going to eventually know he is too. He’s not in control, and he’s not used to that because Bree is always in control.”
    What she said made sense. He’d already surmised Aubrey was different around him from things
    people said, but could it be because he was in love? What did Aubrey fighting it mean? Did he not want to love Matt? Matt’s excitement dissipated a little.
    “Give him time, Matt. He’ll figure it out.”