Chapter 51
Scarlett
I’ve been helping Libby clean up dinner. She’s stopped with her interrogation and is humming to herself as she washes dishes.
“Thank you for dinner. Getting tofu dogs was very nice of you,” I say.
“Any time! You brought us the best thing we could ask for—seeing our son. Make sure to bring him around more often, okay?”
“I’ll put it in his calendar. He likes a plan.”
“He’s very organized, isn’t he?”
That’s an understatement. I nod my head, agreeing with her.
Matt and his dad come back in. Matt comes over to me, wrapping an arm around my lower back.
“You ready to leave, sweetheart?” he asks close to my ear.
“If you are.”
Matt turns to his parents. “Okay, mom, thank you for having us, but we should be going.”
“Already? You two could stay the night, you know. Join us for church in the morning.”
“That’s okay, mom. We have to get out of here early tomorrow. Scarlett isn’t much of a morning person, so we need to head back. ”
“It better not be more than three months until I see you again.” She points at him.
“I’ll see what I can do, mom.” He kisses her on the cheek and gives her a hug. He shakes his dad’s hand, “Bye dad. See you again soon, old man.”
“Ain’t no one old around here.”
“Whatever you say.”
It’s my turn now. “Bye, Libby! Thank you for everything.” I go to shake her hand, but she pulls me into a hug. The smell of a floral perfume consuming me.
“It was so nice meeting you, Scarlett! See you again soon!”
I shake his dad’s hand, and off we go to Matt’s truck. An hour later, we’re back at Matt’s ranch home hanging out in the pool. My feet dangle in the water while I sit on the edge.
I don’t want to leave tomorrow.
Matt keeps taking me to dream land. I’ll have to function back in real life come Monday.
After an hour, I head inside for a shower.
Once I’m clean, I get some yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt on.
Then I catch up on some e-mails in bed while I wait for Matt.
Before I left work, I was in the middle of trying to convert two offices into a children’s day care area.
It was an idea I was playing around with so we could potentially increase profits.
I wanted to do some research before I brought it up to my partners.
Matt turns off the shower and then comes into the room with a towel wrapped around his waist. Water droplets highlight the muscles on his chiseled body. I bet I’m drooling.
He drops the towel and slides into the bed.
He cups my head in his hands and gives me a tender kiss, with the slightest amount of tongue.
His body presses against mine to be closer, our legs and arms entangled with one another.
We kiss for at least five minutes, grinding on each other, before he starts removing my shorts.
He puts himself over me and teases me by nudging his dick over my clit.
After a few strokes he inserts himself, slow and determined, without a condom for the first time.
My breathing stops for a moment with the smooth sensation.
It’s another level of intimacy I wasn’t ready for.
This emotive side of him during sex is new. Are we making love?
Holy shit. Is he trying to tell me he’s in love with me without telling me?
He breaks the kiss then starts pushing in and out, keeping eye contact with me, his forehead on mine. His pace is slow and deliberate. It’s as though he’s memorizing every feeling between us right now.
There’s a tightness in my chest. I swallow, trying to remember I need to breathe. The intimacy between us has grown and I don’t know how to hold it together. I’m not going to be one of those girls that cries during sex. I close my eyes to hold back tears.
“Scarlett.” He stops, just holding himself over me while I’m filled with him. He kisses my eyes. “Don’t hide from me, sweetheart.”
I open them as a tear slides down my cheek. He begins pumping again and then cups one of my breasts in his hand, teasing my nipple with his thumb. He brings his mouth to mine, making me thankful he isn’t staring at me as more tears slide down my cheeks.
I have no idea what’s happening right now. I’ve never fallen apart during sex. I’ve also never been in love. The intensity is overwhelming—I let myself release, spasming underneath him .
He goes even slower, feeling me pulsate on his dick. Once I’m done, he picks up his pace, faster, but still tender. He kisses my neck at the spot below my ear. After a couple seconds, he moves to my lips and then breaks away to the other side of my neck.
I’m completely in the moment and am hanging onto the back of his neck as though it’s my lifeline to stay in my body.
Then he starts thrusting faster, bringing his mouth to mine again. His moan vibrates to my core as we’re making out. I think he’s close to coming.
He pulls away. “Come for me again, sweetheart.”
I do. I feel him release with me.
After we’re both done shuddering, he turns us on our sides while staying inside me and holds me for at least ten minutes, facing one another. We don’t say a thing. We just stare at one another, forehead to forehead, still connected.
I can’t stand the silence anymore. “That was intense.”
He relents with a small laugh. “You okay?”
“Uh, yeah. What just happened?”
“Well, a male has a penis, and he will insert it into—”
I interrupt him. “I know we just had sex.” I push his chest. He doesn’t budge much, but I feel better. “But didn’t it feel different to you? You just decided tonight was the night for no condoms?”
He pulls out of me and kisses my forehead. “Don’t worry too much about it, Scarlett.” Then he walks off to the bathroom.
That’s not going to fly. I get up and pull my pants on as quick as I can. I’m in such a rush, I trip putting a leg in and fall over the bed. I stand and march into the bathroom with clenched fists at my sides.
“Matt! You can’t just do that with me and then leave me in the middle of a conversation! What the heck just happened?”
“What do you want me to tell you? Don’t read into it too much. It was sex.” He goes into the shower.
“Oh, okay, like I’d believe that for a second.” I cross my arms over my chest, staring at him through the glass.
He gets out after a quick rinse, then grabs a towel and flings it around his waist. “Fine. It was me telling you I’m glad you came on this trip. I want you here with me, when I come back to Texas. I like seeing you here in my house. I liked taking you to my parents. I see the two of us in Texas.”
“Oh.” I pause and uncross my arms. “I like seeing you in Texas too. You’re different here. I know you’re comfortable here.”
He grabs my hands. “So does that mean you would move out here?”
I bite my lower lip unsure how to answer. A couple of minutes ago, I was thinking about renovation plans for the gym. Now I’m close to agreeing to move to Texas.
I think meeting his family and then not knowing what’s going to happen with us has been stressing me out.
What happened in the bedroom just confirmed I’ve fallen in love, and I’ve fallen hard.
I think he’s developing feelings just as strong as mine but won’t talk to me about them.
Why else would he want me to meet his family?
Why else would he change the way he has sex?
“Scarlett, I’ve made you my girlfriend when I haven’t done that since high school. I brought you to meet my parents. I want to move forward with you.”
“I just got the gym. If I’d move here, I’d be leaving my friends, family, and career.”
“There are other gyms. I could buy you a gym out here. You could make friends out here. I’ll fly your friends out whenever you want.” He holds my eyes with his. “You being here makes sense.”
Matt has finally answered my question of where he sees us going in life—not that I have my answer.
I still don’t know what to do. I can’t ask him to move out to Washington after seeing him here; Matt in Texas is the guy I know he truly is.
I would be asking him to give up his business and identity if he stayed with me in Washington.
I look around the room, thinking over my options and what to say. He has a point with me moving to Texas. I could start a gym here. Maybe we could expand sooner than I was thinking. I could make sure everything is taken care of at the Washington gym, then I wouldn’t feel guilty moving here.
“What do you say, Scarlett? Move in with me?”
I give him an unsure grin and nod my head yes. He responds by picking me up and twirling me around.
“I knew you would love it here! This is going to be good,” he tells me with a kiss to the top of my head.
I’m in shock I agreed. I agreed without a plan, without thinking. Matt makes my brain stop working. I think I let it go because I trust him; I know he’ll be there for me. Now I know I’m in love with him and I don’t want to let him go. I don’t see another option if I want to stay with him.
I’m going to need a plan and I’m going to need one quick. He told me he’d be in Washington for six months, so I have three more to figure out how the gym can move forward. I’ll also have to figure out what the hell I’ll be doing in Texas. My friends are going to flip.
“My mom loved you.” Matt interrupts my thoughts.
“Your parents were nice to meet.”
“I was hoping you’d like Texas.”
“Oh, I see, this was all a part of your plan. Bring me here without telling me why. ”
“I do like a good plan. Sometimes seeing and experiencing things without any pressure is helpful.”
“Talking. Communicating. That’s also helpful.”
“I do believe we talked. We agreed you’re moving to Texas soon.” He smirks.
“We did.” I nod my head. “I have a lot of work to do so I’m going to get back to that, okay?”
My head is spinning. I have so much to figure out. I need to get working on solutions. As I start my plans, I realize neither of us have admitted our feelings for each other.