Chapter Twenty #2
They began to sway to the music, and Reese was struck by how intimate slow dancing really was.
Their bodies close. Their hands joined. The soft shift of hips to the beat.
There was nowhere to look but into Matty’s eyes, nowhere to hide from the pull of her.
The rest of the party seemed to fall away until it felt like they were the only two people left beneath the lights.
Reese could have stayed in that moment forever.
“I’m really glad you came with me tonight.”
“Me too. This has been a great night.”
Matty’s hand pressed a little firmer on her lower back. Reese couldn’t tell if it was an invitation to come closer or if she was simply reading too much into it, but the touch sent a ripple through her body all the same, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
“Are you cold?” Matty asked, noticing.
“A little,” she lied. How could she admit it had nothing to do with the cool air and everything to do with her?
“Come here.” Matty’s arms drew her in until there was no space left between them.
The feel of her was dizzying, soft and solid all at the same time.
The press of their breasts, the strength of her body, and the security of her arms wrapping around Reese like she was something worth holding onto.
Reese went willingly, tucking herself against her and pressing her face into the curve of Matty’s neck, breathing in the same warm scent she had first discovered in that tiny bathroom.
Woody and smoky and something deeper that she couldn’t pinpoint.
A soft sigh slipped from her lips before she could stop it. Everything about the moment felt right. Too right. Like some part of her had been reaching for this long before she ever let herself experience it.
They stayed in the embrace for two full songs. Songs that weren’t slow, but neither of them moved to part. The whole world had faded to the side. It was just the two of them for a full nine minutes until another couple bumped into them, breaking the spell.
They pulled back with sheepish grins, then returned to the table where Kenny was giving them a curious look. He was definitely a nosy man.
***
The ride home was charged with energy. Reese might as well have been floating.
The entire evening had gone perfectly. She hadn’t realized just how much she needed it.
A night without the pressures of fixing her home.
Without clients or paperwork. Just a few hours with Matty, celebrating a couple who were so much in love it was evident just watching them.
When they were just a few blocks from her house, the energy turned nervous. The end of a first real date. What did they do? Hug it out? Thank her for a great evening, then slip out of the truck? Grab her shirt and pull her close?
By the time Matty pulled into the driveway, Reese was about to buzz right out of her seat.
Matty turned the truck off, nodding her head to the door. “Let me walk you to the door. I’ll watch out for the sidewalk this time.”
Reese laughed. “I’ll try to catch you if you miss again.”
The air was even cooler now without the lights and party-goers’ heat. It was just them, a clear moon, and the glow from the streetlight. She had forgotten to turn the porch light on.
“Does the porch light work?”
“Surprisingly. I just forgot to turn it on,” she answered as they walked up the steps. Her heels clicked on the concrete.
They stopped at the door, facing each other. There was enough light to make out Matty’s soft, handsome face. “Well, um, thank you for going with me tonight. I really liked spending time with you.”
“Yeah, same. It was so good to get out of the house and The Church.”
“Totally.”
Silence fell between them thick as fudge.
Reese wanted at least a hug before they parted.
Something so she could feel Matty against her once more.
Just a little more connection, then she’d go upstairs and spend the rest of the night reliving how amazing Matty’s arm felt around her.
Maybe daydream about what those rough hands would feel like against her bare skin.
Matty’s voice cleared the thought from her mind. “Uh, well, I guess I should go. It’s getting late.”
“Yeah, it’s a little cold out here, too.”
They didn’t move for a solid thirty seconds before Matty lifted her arms. “Come here.”
Those words were like a command she couldn’t deny. She immediately shifted her purse on her shoulder so she could wrap both arms around Matty.
It was just as wonderful as earlier. Being embraced by Matty made her feel safe. It had been so long since another person had made her feel safe. So long since someone other than Haley actually cared about her.
She pulled back, giving Matty the opportunity to kiss her.
And for a moment, she was sure it was going to happen.
Matty’s eyes dropped to her mouth. Her lips parted like she meant to lean in, but then she stilled.
Reese felt the hesitation in the hand at her waist, in the shallow hitch of her breath, in the way her teeth briefly nibbled at the corner of her own lip.
Matty wanted to kiss her. Reese knew she did.
But she was nervous. Cautious of getting it wrong.
And somehow that made the moment even sweeter.
Fuck it.
She reached up, cupping the back of her head, then pressed her lips against Matty’s, and once again the world fell away.
Her insides melted as Matty instantly kissed her back, pulling Reese against her tightly.
The chill of the night disappeared beneath the heat of their bodies.
A shiver ran through her as Matty’s lips moved against hers, soft at first and then with more pressure, like she had been wanting this just as badly.
Matty’s fingertips pressed hard into her back while Reese’s fingers finally got to thread through her hair.
She’d wanted to touch it since the first time she saw her, and now the silky strands were finally hers.
After a couple of minutes, they parted, hands sliding together as they gulped air like they had just remembered they needed it.
“That was...wow,” Matty finished lamely, but Reese understood. Words were hard when your body had a mind of its own.
“Yeah, 'wow' is about right. I—I’d really like to move this upstairs, but I think that would be too much too soon. Don’t you?” Vulnerability laced her words. She needed Matty to help her know it was the right decision. She tightened her grip on Matty’s hand.
Matty squeezed back, stepping closer and cupping her cheek with her free hand. “Hey, this is whatever we want and at whatever speed we want, okay? We’ve both been through some shit. It makes sense to take our time.”
A heavy weight left Reese’s shoulders. She nodded, taking comfort in Matty’s words. “You’re right. There doesn’t have to be a timeline.”
“Right. Besides, it’s kinda hot to get this worked up and hold out. It makes it more exciting, don’t you think?”
Reese laughed. “It does add a little anticipation to it.”
“Well, I should probably get going. I need to go home and replay this moment in my head a hundred times.”
“Same.”
They shared a laugh, then a light kiss, before bidding each other goodnight. It would be a night Reese didn’t think she would ever forget.