Chapter 18 #2
The thought of him exposing our charade made my stomach churn and left me grabbing at straws. “You’d rat me out to the press even if it might cost you En Vedette? That was a serious threat. I’m not bluffing. I’ll make you sell your boat.”
A hateful glimmer lit up his eyes. “And if I get a piece of your company, I can afford to buy a nicer one. The wonderful thing about you, Lauren, is that you’re the ultimate worker bee.
Your company will continue to grow and thrive, and I want a part of that success, especially the juicy syndication deal you’re negotiating. ”
Shit. He had me in a bind, and he knew it.
“One week,” I said. “Give me seven days to talk to Tori and figure out what we’re willing to give you.” I wasn’t giving him anything, but I needed to buy myself some time.
“Just don’t wait too long to contact me with your decision. I’m leaving the ranch tomorrow morning, so you’ll have to call me or my lawyer when you’ve come to an agreement with Tori.”
“Fine.”
He might have been leaving the ranch soon, but what I really needed was for Freddy to exit my life.
* * *
When you’ve been waiting forever—or what felt like forever—to kiss someone, the minutes seemed like hours.
I paced around my cabin like a caged tiger, re-brushing my teeth and obsessing about whether to apply lipstick.
I looked better with a little color on my lips, but did men hate the taste of lipstick or was that a myth?
Not having dated in decades, I couldn’t decide.
“This is silly,” I whispered to myself as I applied a light layer of scarlet to my lips, then blotted most of it away.
Maybe it was a little ridiculous to be acting head over heels for a man at my age, but that didn’t stop me. The clock was ticking on my time at Silver Sage, and I wanted to make more memories before I went home. And by memories, I did mean sex.
Obviously, sex wasn’t something you could forget how to do, but I was out of practice. Would I disappoint Matthew by not knowing the latest sexual tricks and trends?
No, that was silly. People had been doing it since the beginning of time, and I knew enough to get him off.
The bigger question was, would I be able to climax?
Even with the help of a vibrator, it didn’t happen every time for me.
Freddy had taken it personally when I couldn’t finish, and that added pressure to the situation that only made things worse.
A knock at the door drew my attention, and I hurried to open it. Matthew was standing outside with a bouquet of purple and red wildflowers.
“Hello.” He sounded shyer than usual. “Are you ready for our walk?”
Everything about him lit me up from the inside out.
He was wearing a soft flannel shirt and holding flowers.
Hardy wildflowers he’d plucked with those powerful hands of his that could hammer in a fence post and control a headstrong horse.
What else could they do? What other beautiful, amazing, devastating things could those work-roughened hands do to me?
I was going to climb him like a tree and find out.
Taking the flowers in one hand, I used the other to capture his shirt front and pull him inside my cabin. Before the door even swung shut behind him, I’d planted a kiss on his mouth. He tasted like warm sunshine and fresh air.
With a grunt of pleasure, Matthew took my face in his hands and kissed me back.
His tongue teased at my lips, and I welcomed him inside, my body warming in response.
Without turning my head or interrupting the kissing, I dropped the flowers onto the bed and wrapped both arms around his waist. My head spun as he moved me up against the wall.
Our tongues tangling, we kissed until we were breathless.
Was I someone who slid her hands onto a man’s ass and squeezed those cheeks like I was sampling cantaloupes in a grocery store?
In Wyoming, yes, I was that woman, and Matthew Hart’s ass felt as good as it looked in his jeans.
The jut of his erection made me wild for him, and I pushed and rubbed against it with scandalous fervor.
I hadn’t cared about sex in years, and now I felt like I might explode if I didn’t have him inside me.
A tiny moan escaped my mouth, and he grabbed my right leg and hitched it up above his hip so I could have more friction.
Delicious hot friction. We’d gone from zero to sixty in seconds, but I didn’t want to stop. My body needed him to keep going.
Finally, our mouths broke apart so we could catch our breath, and Matthew released my leg as he drank me in with hooded eyes. “I’m bringing flowers every day.”
“It’s not the flowers.” My hands had inched up to his waist again, and I slid them under his untucked shirt. “It’s you.”
He shivered in response to my touch and bent down to press his lips to the side of my neck. “Was it the waiting?” he whispered against my skin. “Because I could barely think of anything all day except kissing you.”
“Me too. Oh, my God.” As he nibbled a path to my earlobe, warmth spread along my inner thighs.
I didn’t know a man’s kisses could make me feel drugged.
Places on my body that had been barren wastelands were suddenly dewy with desire.
Matthew ran his hand over my breast, his thumb teasing my nipple through the fabric of my dress.
He gave it a little pinch and my entire body shuddered.
“Yes,” I said through a moan. “That.”
Our mouths found each other again, and our kisses became deep and hungry.
“Too much fabric.” Matthew tugged up the flowy material of my dress. His hands skimmed over my thighs, and I trembled in response. As his fingers deftly tugged down my underwear, I shimmied until they fell to the floor. His eyes closed when he touched the cleft between my legs.
“You’re so ready,” he rasped.
“Take me to bed,” I begged as he stroked me.
“I want you right here. Put your hands over your head.” I’d never heard that deep, commanding voice from him before, but I liked it.
God, I liked it. I raised my arms up, and he took hold of my slim wrists with one of his powerful hands, securing me against the wall.
With his other hand, he found a new place, one that made me forget my words.
My mind swirled as every nerve ending around his fingers came alive, like a cello with a virtuoso working the strings.
When he asked if I was okay, all I could do was give a quick nod.
I’d always been the breadwinner, the supervisor, the one to take charge of everything during my married life, even in the bedroom.
When Freddy and I were still having sex, he enjoyed me performing for him and on him, but he never took control this way.
Matthew’s eyes burned with a hunger that only my body could satiate.
“Matthew,” I whispered. “Please.” I was so close to the edge. My stomach muscles tightened as my attention focused on that one space where his fingers played.
“I don’t have a condom.” His voice was low and raspy. “I didn’t know you wanted this so badly.” He ramped up the speed of what had been slow lazy circles over my tender skin. “Just let go, beautiful girl. Let go.”
The dam opened and waves of pleasure spilled forth, making me shake and cry out.
“That’s good,” he whispered. “So good.”
Tears of joy welled in the corners of my eyes as Matthew lifted my chin and feathered a kiss on my lips.
“Thank you,” I whispered against his mouth.
He smiled like he understood I was thanking him for more than that moment. “Making you happy is my pleasure.”