Chapter Twenty-Three
Matt stood at his office window and looked out at LA’s beautiful skyline.
The past weeks had seemed to fly by quickly for him and Iris.
Next week would be Christmas. It was now a common occurrence for them to go to lunch together, unless he was stuck in court or she had meetings.
They’d decided the weekends belonged to them.
She would arrive at his home after work on Fridays with her weekender bag over her shoulder, and she would remain with him until Monday morning.
They took turns planning their weekends.
Sometimes they went to the movies, football games or concerts.
This weekend was a chill weekend for them.
They spent the entire time indoors, playing checkers, watching movies and making love.
They also tried out new recipes together.
Iris still served as his PR specialist, and upon her advice, he had accepted a meeting with Brandon Birmingham at her office.
The movie director–producer explained why he wanted to make a movie based on Sid Roberts’s life.
Birmingham admitted that, like most kids growing up, Sid Roberts had been his hero.
He felt it was important a movie be done that highlighted his life and the good that he did—on the rodeo circuit, as a renowned trainer and horse whisperer, as well as his campaign to save wild horses.
The latter was what a lot of people hadn’t known about Sid, and Birmingham felt it was about time they did.
It would not center on Sid Roberts’s love life.
He even agreed to allow Matt to approve the script before they began filming.
The man was a tough negotiator, and Matt had liked him immediately. He’d told him he couldn’t make a decision until he first discussed it with his cousins, the triplets. They’d had a vested interest in his father’s affairs long before he’d discovered Sid Roberts was his father.
Matt had held a virtual meeting last night with Clint, Cole and Casey.
They thought a movie about Sid’s life and his love of horses was a great idea, and with Brandon Birmingham at the helm, there was no doubt it would be a successful project.
Matt told them he would only agree to do it if all his proceeds from the movie went to the foundation’s Save the Horses.
His cousins tried giving him pushback on that, but he would not change his mind. In the end, they had agreed.
Another thing he would not change his mind about was his pursuit of Iris.
He loved spending time with her, and the more he did so, the more he knew he was falling even deeper in love with her.
Of course, now that Deena knew he and Iris were an item, she took credit for everything.
Two nights ago, he and Iris had gone out to dinner with Deena to celebrate her win in the courtroom with that medical malpractice case she’d been working on.
He glanced at his watch. Due to an unexpected meeting with one of her clients, Iris had canceled their lunch date.
However, she had invited him over to her place after work for dinner, which included spaghetti and salad.
She asked if he would stop at the store and grab a bottle of red wine since all she had was white.
He had no problem doing that. He hadn’t eaten at her place since that day she had invited him to lunch for meatloaf sandwiches, and he was looking forward to dining with her there again.
* * *
Iris had just taken the rolls out of the oven when she heard the doorbell ring.
From the way her heart kicked up, she knew it was Matt.
She blew out a long breath. It happened every time.
She had stopped asking herself why months ago.
He was a man. She was a woman. They both had healthy and hearty sexual appetites.
But she had to admit there was more to their developing relationship than that.
He was easy to talk to. Someone with whom she enjoyed spending her time.
They liked doing the same fun activities.
They had already planned a ski trip to Vail for February and were thinking about taking a cruise to Alaska over the summer.
She hadn’t changed out of the outfit she had worn to work.
Instead, she had tossed her purse aside and headed straight for the kitchen.
She’d had a taste for spaghetti for weeks now and decided to make some using her father’s recipe.
Knowing she would make more than she could eat, she had invited Matt to join her.
She would admit she had wanted to see him since she hadn’t since Monday morning, when he had brought her home after spending the weekend at his place.
She had looked forward to their lunch date and had been disappointed that she’d had to cancel it.
Now he was here, and she was glad to see him, which was why she was walking swiftly to the door.
She opened it, and he stood there with a bottle of wine in his hand and a huge smile on those too-gorgeous lips. “I’m delivering the red wine you ordered, Ms. Michaels.”
She took the bottle he offered and stepped aside. “I appreciate you for stopping to get it, Matt.”
“No problem.”
As soon as the door closed behind them, he turned to her, his gaze roaming over her. “You look mighty sexy today, Iris.”
“I hope not,” she said, looking down at herself. “This is the outfit I wore to work. I wanted to look professional, not sexy.”
He wrapped his arms around her waist. “You look both and you wear both looks well.”
He said the nicest things. “Thanks. Now come join me in the kitchen. The spaghetti is done, and the bread is ready. All I have to do is prepare the salad.”
“Need help?”
“Nope. Just sit there and tell me how your day went.”
“Alright.”
He began talking, and although she was washing the lettuce, she listened.
She couldn’t help but do so since he sounded so good.
When she glanced up after slicing the cucumbers, she saw he had taken off his jacket, exposing those broad shoulders.
There was never a time when she saw Matt that every part of her didn’t take notice of everything about him.
His handsome looks and his immaculate attire.
She didn’t know of any other man who could wear a business suit as well as he did.
And his scent was distinctive and alluring. A combination of musk and man.
And his expertise in the bedroom… Lordy, she didn’t want to go there.
Iris knew that she couldn’t. That she shouldn’t.
Not here of all places, her home. She had her rule and had put it in place for a reason.
Already, he had covered more area in her house than any of her other lovers.
She didn’t want to share any more of her space with him.
“Everything is ready,” she said, meeting his gaze, smiling.
“Okay to use the washroom for my hands?”
“Sure.”
Iris watched him walk off, thinking he was definitely a mouthwatering specimen of a man. She drew in a deep breath, beginning to think it hadn’t been a good idea to invite him to dinner after all.
* * *
“Dinner was great, Iris. Thanks for inviting me. Are you sure you don’t need me to help with kitchen duties? It’s the least I can do since you fed me so well.”
“Glad you enjoyed it. And as far as kitchen duties, that’s what dishwashers are for.”
“Okay, if you’re positive,” he said, sliding into his jacket. “You’re flying out to Denver this weekend, right?” He honestly didn’t know why he was asking when he knew she would be. He missed her already. For the past four weeks, they had spent their weekends together.
“Yes, and you’re flying out to Texas.”
“Yes. There’s a Sid Roberts Foundation meeting that the triplets want me to attend.
It appears they are ending the year with over $10 million in additional funds, thanks to Save the Horses, as a result of the press release we published in the papers last month.
The thought of wild horses getting slaughtered hit a nerve with many horse enthusiasts. ”
“I can imagine,” she said, coming out of the kitchen to walk him to the door.
“Will I get to see you again before you leave?” he asked, hoping he would.
“Not sure. This has been a crazy week, and since we’re closing for the holidays with no plans to reopen until after New Year’s, there’s a lot of ‘end of the year’ stuff to be finalized,” she said.
“I understand. The same with my office. At least I can look forward to seeing you at the Westmoreland Charity Ball,” he said. When they reached her front door, he turned to face her. “That’s more than two weeks away, and I’m missing you already.”
“I’m missing you already, too, Matt.”
He liked hearing her admit that. Reaching up, he pushed a wayward curl back from her face. Their gazes met and held, and he heard both of their breaths. “I’ll call you on Christmas Day.”
“I’m going to hold you to that,” was her reply.
His eyes watched the movement of her tongue as it licked around her lips, before she said, “I’m ready for my Matt Caulder kiss now.”
A smile spread across his face. She had told him weeks ago how much she enjoyed his kisses. “And I’m ready to give one to you, baby,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
The moment their mouths touched, his heart affirmed what he already knew and accepted. He had fallen in love with her. He loved every single thing about her.
He heard her moan the moment he slid his tongue inside her mouth. He had never known a more responsive woman. A woman who gave just as much as she took. That was obvious by the way her mouth greedily mated with his.
Suddenly, she broke off the kiss and dropped her head to his chest. Something he was getting used to her doing after each of their fiery kisses. She was giving herself time to catch her breath, and he was doing the same. Whenever he kissed her, it literally took his breath away.
She slowly raised her head, and the dark brown eyes staring at him filled him with a need so intense he could feel heat rushing through his veins.
“Make love to me, Matt.”
Her words gave him pause. From the serious look in her eyes, he knew she was aware of just what she was asking for. Still, he had to make sure. “In here? On the sofa?”
She lifted a brow. “The sofa?”
Had she forgotten what she had told him and why? “Yes, the sofa. You once said that no man has gotten past your living room. Although I’ve made it to your kitchen and washroom, are you ready for me to go beyond those perimeters, Iris?”
Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she said softly. “I’m ready.”
Matt wondered if she knew she was taking the first step in letting him into her personal space.
A space she had never intended to share with any man, yet she was about to share it with him.
The thought of it filled him with joy. Lowering his head, he kissed her, reveling in a significant stepping stone to what he hoped was a promising future for them.
He would continue to chisel away at her fears of falling in love again, one layer at a time. Filled with hope, and the belief that his second chance at love was within reach, he broke off the kiss, swept her into his arms, and headed for the stairs.