Chapter Twenty-Two
As far as Iris was concerned, Thanksgiving had been perfect, regardless of the bombshell her son had dropped on her. Garlan had gone on and on about how great the food was, and a part of her felt her son was back to being the fun-loving kid he’d always been.
After helping her clean up the kitchen, they had watched a movie, and during one of the commercials, he’d told her about a girl he had met at college named Mandy, short for Amanda.
They had gone out a few times, and she was part of the group he was skiing with over the holidays.
He said he might invite her to Westmoreland Country when he joined everyone there for New Year’s.
Iris told him she was looking forward to meeting Mandy.
Garlan had left early Friday morning for his flight to Atlanta, and she had remained at the beach house the rest of the day alone, trying to come to terms with everything.
Talking to Dillon and Pam after a walk on the beach had helped.
Like Dillon had told her, a lot could change in two years, even his interest in being a stuntman.
Two years had led to a change for Derringer, who had planned on joining the rodeo circuit after getting a college degree.
And if Garlan’s plans didn’t change, they should all accept his choice in the career he wanted.
Not surprisingly, Dillon had shared that Garlan had confided in him about his fear of Iris’s finding out because the last thing Garlan wanted was for his mother to be disappointed in him. Dillon had encouraged him to discuss it with Iris and had been hoping things would turn out well, and they had.
She had returned home early Saturday morning, deciding not to stay at the beach house through the weekend as she had originally planned.
There was another place she wanted to be.
Namely with Matt. He’d told her on Monday that his flight from Paris would arrive in LA early that morning.
Glancing at her watch, she saw it was noon.
That meant he was probably home now and recovering from jet lag.
He had called on Thanksgiving morning to wish both her and Garlan a Happy Thanksgiving.
Just hearing the sound of his voice had meant a lot, and a part of her had wished he’d been in LA to give her the hug she had needed and the kiss she had wanted.
Twice she had reached for her phone to call him, but hadn’t wanted to wake him in case he’d gone straight to bed.
Straight to bed…
Why was she imagining that? Matt, naked and between the sheets. And why was she thinking that he shouldn’t be in that bed alone? That she should be in there with him, even if it meant they would both do nothing more than sleep.
Iris rolled her eyes. Yeah, right. Even now, she could recall the many times she had fallen asleep after having been made love to in the most passionate way, with the feel of his lips on hers.
Then only to be kissed awake a short while later with those same lips.
Matt was definitely a man known to be thorough.
By the time she had put all the leftovers away that she had brought from the beach house, she had made up her mind what she wanted to do.
Matt had made sure being exclusive meant she could come to his home and visit with him at any time.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t issued him a similar invitation and pushed the thought from her mind as to why she hadn’t.
Conquering the issue with Garlan had been enough for this week, and she didn’t want to tackle another.
Smiling and feeling downright giddy, she raced off to her bedroom to get ready for her Matt Caulder adventure. And this time, she planned to be prepared.
* * *
Matt turned his face into the pillow as he continued to dream, refusing to rein in either his frustration or desire.
His desire for the woman he was imagining in his arms, in his bed, the woman stroking his passion to unlimited heights, and the frustration of knowing deep in the recesses of his sleep-induced mind that this was only a dream.
Why did the woman ooze so much damn sex appeal? Why was the chemistry that flowed nonstop between them so damn strong? And why had he fallen so hopelessly in love with her when he swore after Rhonda that no other woman would ever dominate his heart?
Those were questions with answers he wasn’t ready to dwell on. All he wanted to do now was make love to Iris. His body was hard and ready, his mind was all in and…
The sound of the doorbell brought Matt awake, and he snapped his eyes open.
Damn! Who on earth would be visiting him at this hour?
He glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it really wasn’t a ridiculous time.
It was a little after two in the afternoon.
He then recalled he had arrived from the airport around nine, showered and gotten into bed without bothering to unpack.
The doorbell sounded again. It wasn’t Deena since he had left her in Paris, so it had to be his neighbor, Jack Moreno.
He recalled Jack telling him that he would be staying home this Thanksgiving, but that his wife and son would be visiting the in-laws.
He refused to go because his on-and-off feud with his mother-in-law was on again.
Wiping sleep from his eyes, he eased out of bed, slid into his pj’s bottoms, and headed down the stairs.
Without bothering to ask who was at the door, he snatched it open and then sucked in a startled breath at seeing the vision standing there.
“Iris?” An unexpected visit from her was not on his bingo card for today.
“Hi,” she said, all smiles. “I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.”
He couldn’t help but smile at the thought of that. Yeah, it had definitely been a bad time when he was making love to the very woman standing before him in his dream.
“No,” he said, stepping aside and noticing the overnight bag she carried.
Did this mean what he thought it meant? She had never just invited herself to his place for the weekend.
Could he hope that things were finally looking up for him?
For them? His gaze roamed over her. Damn, she looked good in her short skirt, pullover blouse, and knee-high boots.
“I guess you’re wondering why I’m here,” she said, dropping the overnight bag on the floor by her feet.
No, he wasn’t wondering that at all. The important thing was that she was here, looking as beautiful and sexy as any woman had a right to. Closing the door, he strolled over to her. “Doesn’t matter.” He then swung her into his arms and carried her up the stairs.
* * *
Iris sat at the counter and sipped her tea while watching Matt prepare them a morning meal of what she was beginning to consider his specialty—chicken and waffles. She liked seeing him move around in his huge kitchen with such precision and sexiness while dressed in just pj bottoms.
After an entire day of tumbling between the sheets making love, he had ordered dinner from a Thai restaurant. Then they had watched a movie. Before returning to bed, she had given him a private piano recital. At the end he had stood, seemingly amazed at how well she had performed.
After making love again that night, she had told him how things had gone with Garlan.
Matt told her he was glad things had worked out for them.
He agreed with Dillon that there was a chance that within two years, Garlan’s desire to become a stuntman would change, and if it didn’t, she would have that time to prepare.
She appreciated his thoughtful comments and said he could understand why she would be afraid for her son’s safety, given the tragic loss of her husband. However, he had agreed with Pam and Dillon. Garlan’s choice of a career was his to make.
Wanting to change the subject, she said, “You and Deena flew out late Tuesday night, so I’m not sure if you’re aware that a photo of us was in the Wagging Tongue again.”
He glanced up from seasoning the chicken wings. “And what photo was that?”
“One of us kissing at the football game.”
He nodded, as if the thought of being captured on camera kissing her was no big deal. “I don’t recall seeing us being photographed.”
“I don’t recall it either.”
“What did the article say?”
“It was mainly a dig at Candy for thinking she had a chance with you. The headlines said something about our kiss looking like the real thing, and not fake like Candy said it was when she gave that rebuttal interview.”
Matt chuckled. “That kiss was the real thing. I just don’t understand some of the people working in Hollywood who feel they have to stay in the public eye to remain relevant. Bad publicity or good publicity, some of them don’t seem to care.”
She shrugged. “PR stunts do serve some purposes. That’s how some stars grow their careers. However, there are some actresses and actors who will do just about anything to get attention. Unfortunately, Candy Sumlar is one of those people.”
“Hopefully, one day she will learn. When you know better, you do better,” he said, placing a plate in front of her.
She inhaled. “Everything smells good and looks good, too.”
“I’m glad you think so. Dig in,” he said, taking the chair across from her.
Over breakfast, he told her how the anniversary dinner had gone for Marcello and Megan.
“It sounds like everything was wonderful.”
“It was. I know you’re spending Christmas in Westmoreland Country,” he said, taking a sip of his coffee.
“Yes, I’m flying out the day before Christmas and staying through New Year’s. The Westmoreland Charity Ball is New Year’s Eve. Will you be attending?”
“Yes. I didn’t attend last year. At the time I was still trying to wrap my head around being Sid Roberts’s son.”
She nodded. “What are your plans for Christmas Day?”
“Deena and I have been invited to spend Christmas with the triplets in Texas at the Golden Glade. Then everyone will leave on New Year’s Eve for Denver to attend the Westmoreland Charity Ball.
I’m looking forward to seeing you there.
” He reached across the table and took her hand.
“Now that we’re an exclusive couple, next year I’d like for us to make plans to spend the holidays together, alright? ”
Did he think they would last that long? Was there a reason to think they wouldn’t?
She and Warren had made the one-year mark, so there was no reason why she and Matt wouldn’t do the same.
But then, what would happen after that? She decided not to be concerned with it since he had been forewarned. “Alright.”
“Good,” he said, gently squeezing her hand before releasing it.
After breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen together, Matt suggested they go boating, since it was such a beautiful day. He told her that he owned a boat he kept at Marina Del Rey. She told him she would love to go and that it sounded like fun. She hadn’t gone boating in years.
He took her hand in his as they headed up the stairs. She suddenly stopped and turned to face him. “Thanks, Matt.”
He lifted a brow. “For what?”
“For being you. For not sending me away when I appeared on your doorstep unannounced. For listening to me when I told you about Garlan and understanding. For—”
He leaned down and silenced any more words from her lips. The kiss, as usual, had her swooning in no time. When he finally released her lips, he had a serious expression on his face. Tenderly cupping her chin, he said, “You don’t ever have to thank me for anything I do for you, Iris.”
Then he kissed her again.