Chapter Twenty-Four
Iris jumped when fingers snapped in front of her face. She frowned. “Why did you do that, Pam?”
“You were daydreaming again. You’ve been doing that since you got here.”
Her best friend was probably right. But she blamed it on Matt.
He had given her a lot to daydream about.
Her body throbbed in certain areas when she recalled all that they had done during her last week in LA.
She hadn’t known the mattress on her bed had such good springs.
He hadn’t gone home that night, nor the next two that followed.
More than once since arriving at Westmoreland Country, Pam had commented on how relaxed Iris appeared.
If her best friend only knew. Hmm, maybe it was time she told her.
They were alone, since Dillon and the kids had gone to visit his brother Ramsey.
Christmas had come and gone, and she had awakened knowing it was the first Christmas she and her son would not share.
However, he had called bright and early.
He said he missed her, he was having a great time skiing and he couldn’t wait to see her on New Year’s Eve. He would be bringing Mandy.
Good to his word, Matt had also called. He said that although he was enjoying his cousins’ company, he missed her.
He had also told her other things that made her blush.
Namely, what he planned to do to her when he saw her again and got her alone.
Like Garlan, he would arrive in Westmoreland Country on New Year’s Eve.
“Now you’re sitting here blushing.”
Iris blinked and glared across the table. “Do you have to notice every single thing about me?”
Pam smiled sweetly. “Why not? You’re an interesting study. Now, how about telling me why you’ve been daydreaming and blushing a lot since you got here?”
Iris took a sip of her tea, and then said, “Matt and I shared a bed.”
Pam rolled her eyes. “How about telling me something that I don’t already know.”
“It was my bed.”
Pam went still, holding her coffee cup midway to her mouth. She placed it back down on the table. “You allowed Matt past the living room, kitchen and washroom?”
Iris grinned. “Yes.”
Pam stared at her, and for a moment Iris felt like the “interesting study” her best friend had accused her of being earlier. “Does that mean you’re finally losing those inhibitions you’ve been harboring for years?”
Iris shrugged. “To a certain extent and only for Matt. He is something else, Pam. However, I don’t want you to get anything twisted. I still don’t want anything permanent. All I’m doing is finally stepping outside my comfort zone and expanding my horizons, but just for him.”
“Why just for him?”
That was an easy question. “Because I like him. He’s nice, kind and…”
Pam lifted a brow. “And what?”
“Everything I would want in a man if I were into the forever thing again.”
Pam didn’t say anything. She merely stared at Iris over her coffee cup as she took a few sips. But Iris knew that Pam Novak Westmoreland look. Iris braced herself when Pam finally said, “You know what I think, Iris?”
Iris knew she shouldn’t ask, would be a glutton for punishment to do so, but couldn’t help herself. “No, what do you think, Pam?”
“I think you care more about Matt than you want to admit. I believe it’s more than you stepping outside any comfort zone and expanding your horizons. I honestly think you’ve fallen in love.”
Iris sat up straight in her chair as if she’d been slapped. “I have not!”
Pam smiled and then said in a Shakespearean accent, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”
“The lady thinks you’re insane to think such a thing.”
Pam chuckled. “We’ll see. Matt will arrive in three days, along with the others, for the charity ball. I can’t wait to see your reaction when you see him, after all that daydreaming and blushing you’ve been doing.”
“My reaction to seeing Matt won’t mean a thing.”
Pam gave her a mischievous grin. “We’ll see.”
* * *
Matt glanced around the ballroom of the Pavilion Hotel where the annual Westmoreland Charity Ball was being held.
He had arrived in Westmoreland Country around noon.
Before even getting settled in the cottage where he would be staying, he had driven to Dillon and Pam’s home to see Iris.
For some reason, he had needed to see her, look into her gorgeous face and even hold her in his arms. However, when he got there, Dillon had informed him that Iris, Pam and some of the other ladies were assisting Riley’s wife, Alpha, with the decorations at this hotel.
Alpha was the event planner for tonight.
He had even tried calling her twice, but his calls had gone to voicemail, and she hadn’t called him back.
That was probably the reason his gaze kept going to the entrance every time someone arrived.
He’d seen Deena, Shauna and Charm. He’d even seen Garlan, who had introduced him to his date, Mandy.
He had come close to asking them about Iris but decided not to.
Hopefully, she would be arriving soon. Hell, he hoped so.
“You okay, Matt?”
He glanced over at his cousin Cole. “Yes, I’m fine.”
Cole nodded. “Thought I’d ask. You seem somewhat anxious.”
He was, but he would not admit it. “No, I’m fine.”
“Well, you’ll probably be feeling even better now that your lady has arrived.”
Matt jerked his head toward the entrance of the ballroom and saw her.
Iris was walking in with Pam and Dillon.
And she looked amazing. The maroon-colored gown she wore looked absolutely ravishing on her.
It complemented her skin tone, her curves and the perfection of her cleavage.
The gown’s side split showcased what a gorgeous pair of legs she had.
He even liked her hairstyle, piled high on her head with a few curls dangling around her face.
He watched her, mesmerized, and when their gazes met, it felt as if his heart skipped a beat. Then, when she began walking toward him, he had a feeling that same heart was now beating in sync with hers.
“Excuse me, Cole,” he said as he moved toward Iris, to meet her halfway. He wished he could pull her into his arms and kiss her senseless. Give her what she liked to call a Matt Caulder kiss. However, he knew he couldn’t do that, even if the temptation to do so was nearly killing him.
He paused long enough to snag two flutes off the tray of a passing waiter. One for him and the other for his lady, as Cole had referred to her. Yes, she was his lady, he would claim her with every cell in his body, and he had to believe that one day she would love him, too.
“Hi, Matt,” she said when they finally reached each other in the crowded room.
“Iris,” he responded, handing her one of the flutes.
“Thanks.”
“You look gorgeous.”
“Thanks. And you look dashing yourself, Mr. Caulder.”
“Thank you.” He glanced around the ballroom. “Have you ever been to an event at this hotel before?”
“Yes. The Westmorelands have held the charity ball here for the past few years. Why?”
“I’d love to walk around to see their artwork.”
She met his gaze over her flute. “Would you?”
“Yes, I would.”
“Sounds like you need to escape again,” she said, with a twinkling in her beautiful eyes.
If only she knew how much he needed to be alone with her, even if it was only for a minute. “Yes, I do.”
“Alright,” she said, placing their empty flutes on a nearby table. She then hooked her arm in his and said, “Let’s take a walk.”
* * *
Iris breathed deeply as she strolled beside the man who was never far from her thoughts.
The man she dreamed about each night. The man she now knew had not only gotten under her skin but had somehow wiggled his way into her heart.
Pam had been right. She did love him. All it took was seeing him tonight, after not having seen him for almost two weeks.
The moment she had gazed into his face, she had felt something she had not experienced since Garlan.
An emotion so strong she’d almost lost her footing while crossing the room to him.
Now they were here. Walking together and holding hands while desperately finding a private spot where they could—of all things—share a kiss. A kiss she so desperately needed. And from the way he had looked at her when they left the ballroom, he needed it, too.
They passed numerous paintings on the walls and some eye-catching statues along the way.
However, nothing held their interest. They didn’t even pause since they were on a more serious mission.
She could just imagine what Pam was thinking right now.
Iris didn’t care if the look of love had shone all over her face.
She would deal with that later. However, now…
“Finally,” Matt said, reclaiming her full attention as he stepped out into what looked like a beautiful flower garden. “I couldn’t imagine this place not having one.”
As soon as the entrance door closed behind them, and he made sure they were alone, he pulled her into his arms. “I missed you so much, Iris,” he hotly whispered in her ear.
She was about to tell him she had missed him, too, when the mouth that came down on hers froze the words on her lips.
This was what she wanted. What she needed.
His taste. Being held by him, and the presence of his aroused body pressed hard against hers, letting her know he wanted and desired her.
She figured, from the way she was returning his kiss, that he knew the feeling was mutual.
When he released her mouth, she dropped her face into his chest and drew in his scent. This man did things to her like no other. Whenever he touched her, she felt like she would incinerate there on the spot, and whenever he kissed her, he stirred sexual energy so powerful, it filled her.
She slowly lifted her head to look at him, and the naked desire she saw in the depths of his dark eyes had heat curling inside of her. “Don’t.”
He smiled. “Don’t what?”
“Tempt me to strip naked here and now.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “Can you imagine the talk that would cause if someone walked in on us?”
She didn’t want to imagine such a scene. “When are you leaving here?”
“I plan to fly out in the morning. What about you?” he asked.
“The same.”
“You and Garlan?”
“No, just me. Garlan is staying an additional day, and then he’s heading back to school.”
He nodded. “What airline are you using?”
When she told him the airline and the time, a smile spread across his face. “We’re on the same flight.”
Her eyes lit up. “It would be too much to hope our seats are close.”
“They will be. I’ll make it work.”
She wasn’t sure how he could, but she knew he would. “We left the party so abruptly, we need to go back before people start getting ideas.”
He grinned. “You’re probably right. By the way, I met Garlan’s friend Mandy. She seems like a nice girl.”
“I think so, too, but he claims they are nothing more than friends.”
He chuckled. “Like Alisdare and Deena.”
“Yes, but at least AJ and Deena are established in their careers, so I’m hoping the ‘nothing more than friends’ thing is for real for Garlan and Mandy,” was her response.
Then he took her hand as they left the flower garden.