Matt loosens his tie, sliding the tail out of the knot and letting it hang around his neck.
My mouth hangs open as I stare at him. Even from across the room, I think I could drown in those eyes. He flicks the top button of his shirt open.
I shake my head, trying not to laugh as I mouth the word, “No!” but he flashes those dimples and undoes another button.
“Yes,” he mouths, aiming a wink in my direction. “Say yes.” He pops another button and shakes his ass to the country song being drowned out by the hooting audience.
He undoes his shirt cuffs one by one and goes for the third shirt button. Oh, jeez. He won’t stop unless I say yes.
“I get to pick the date?” I holler up at him. He runs a nervous hand over the scruff on his jaw, and that one adorable moment of insecurity pushes me closer to giving in. As much as I hate to admit it, I’m flattered. No one has ever gone to these lengths for me. Not ever, and especially not for just one date. He’s either stupid, insanely generous, or really wants to see me again. And given his success, I think I can rule out stupid.
“Anywhere, anything, anytime,” he says into the mic. There’s hope laced in his voice and that, more than anything else, pushes me over the edge.
“You’re insane! You know that, right?”
Matt grins broadly. “Is that a yes?”
I hesitate for a long second. I know there are probably hundreds of faces watching me expectantly, but when he smiles like that… It’s hard to look anywhere else. Olive elbows me in the side.
“Okay, okay!” I hiss at her. I scrunch up my nose and close my eyes before nodding.
“Sold!” the auctioneer calls into the microphone. “To the teacher in the back for twenty thousand dollars!”
The audience loses its collective mind. The bachelorette party that bid on the hot cop stands on their chairs and cheer.
Matt jogs down the stage steps, grinning from ear to ear. He pauses at a table by the side of the stage. He reaches toward the man in the front row, who races forward and hands him a check book. Clicking a pen in a way that shouldn’t be so sexy, he leans down against the table to write a check. Signing his name with a flourish I can see from here, he rips the check from the book and hands it to a woman with a cash box. Then he tosses the book back to his friend, and turns toward the crowd, his eyes scanning the room until they land on me.
I cross my arms over my chest and watch him move, as confident as ever. Apparently, performing half a striptease in front of hundreds of people didn’t faze him one bit. In fact, his eyes arestilllocked on me, like the rest of the room doesn’t even exist.
His open shirt cuffs flop around his wrists, and as he strides toward me, he rolls them up his forearms.
“Oh, mama,” Olive whispers. “Look at those veiny bastards. It’s a slip ’n slide over here, Chels.”
“Shut up,” I whisper back, trying not to laugh. “You can’t say things like that.”
“Ugh, fine. You’re no fun. I’m getting back to work. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“Like that limits me at all,” I sass back.
“Exactly.” Olive wiggles her eyebrows at me and backs toward the kitchen. The auctioneer calls out the next bachelor, something about a lumberjack, but Matt is only feet away, and he’s all I can see.
“That was devious,” I tell him once he’s close enough to hear me over the noise of the auction.
“Maybe,” Matt shrugs, but doesn’t look the least bit apologetic. “But I really had my heart set on that date.” His shirt is still half unbuttoned, exposing a swath of broad muscular chest. My fingers twitch, wishing he’d have gotten the fourth one undone too.
“Well, you overpaid.”
Matt steps closer. Close enough that I can smell his cologne. Close enough that I can see those sparks in his eyes. His smile goes soft, and he lowers his voice so only I can hear him.
“Nah, I got the best deal of the night. I don’t think you want to know how high I would have gone. Or how naked.”
“Clearly, you have no shame.”
“None whatsoever.” Matt’s voice rumbles out of his chest and his eyes flick down my body. “But since it’s for a good cause…”
“For the kids?” I tease.
“Sure, let’s go with that.” Matt holds out his hand, palm up, and wiggles his fingers at me. “Give me your phone.”