Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
Evie
Our date was perfect.
“How do you feel about dessert?” I asked.
He glanced over at me, his gaze drifting toward my breasts. I raised a brow.
He’d been the perfect gentleman all night, but I knew he wanted me. I wanted him just as much.
“You can find out what I picked,” I whispered.
Matthew groaned. “I told myself I was going to be good, Evie.”
“Now, why would you do something like that?”
He was quiet for a few moments, but before I could start to doubt myself, he spoke. “What about your burn? I don’t want to risk hurting you.”
“It’ll be okay, unless you plan on grabbing my forearm. We can be careful, doctor.”
He groaned, but then nodded. “Well . . . I have wine and fruit at my place. Nick helped me pick it out.”
My brows shot up. “Nick helped you?”
“Yeah. Ran into him at the grocery store.”
We’d managed not to talk about Nick or Austin the last three hours, but now . . .
“I like him. A lot. I see why you like him.” The corner of his mouth tugged. “Would you like to come home with me tonight and enjoy the fruit and wine your other boyfriend picked out?”
Butterflies rippled through me. “Boyfriend?” I said slowly.
“I don’t know what else to call him.”
I didn’t either. “Let’s see what kind of wine and fruit you have. And you can find out what kind of lingerie I picked. Win-win.”
“Perfect.”
He took a sharp right and rerouted us to his place. I took the chance to send Avery and June a couple texts, assuring them I was alive and pointedly ignoring their nosy questions for now. Sunday, I’d tell them everything, but for now . . .
I just wanted Matthew to myself. I wanted him without any pressure or wild hopes that he would be the one or one of the ones.
Not that there was pressure on me to settle down, but I wanted it.
I wanted the phase of my life where I woke up in the morning next to whoever I loved and we made breakfast and existed together.
I wanted the mundane things like a cup of coffee together or doing laundry or holding hands while falling asleep.
Matthew pulled into a driveway of a tiny blue house that was so close to the hospital, I could see the glow of the lights in the night sky. I reached for my door handle but he made a noise, leaning over me and opening it before I did.
“Are you always going to do that?” I asked.
“Yep.”
He held my gaze, and my stomach jumped with excitement.
It was too soon to say I was in love with him, obviously—but maybe I was anyway.
“Are you sure you want this?” he murmured.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m absolutely sure.”
I slid my fingers through his beard, cupping his jaw as I kissed him hard.
His lips were so soft and inviting, and I kept kissing him until he melted against me, a moan leaving him.
Desperation flared through me as he circled his fingers around my wrist and tightened, holding my palm against his face.
His eyes closed, and I smiled to myself, studying the way his dark lashes feathered out.
His forehead pressed against mine, his lips brushing my mouth again. He deepened the kiss until I felt a throbbing between my thighs, my arms winding around his neck.
I needed to be out of this car and in his bed.
“Wine after?” I rasped.
“I was going to seduce you.”
“You don’t need to do that,” I protested. “I’m pretty sure I’ve been wet since you showed up on my doorstep.”
He chuckled and stole one more kiss. “You can never be too wet, and you deserve to be seduced. Come inside, Evie.”
The two of us got out of the car and were through his front door in a blink. I put my things down, we took off our shoes, and his fingers tangled with mine as he led me to his living room. He flipped on a light and I paused in the doorway, grinning as I looked around.
“Matthew, you’re a complete nerd,” I exclaimed.
He offered a slightly embarrassed smile. “Maybe. I try not to mention my hobbies too much.”
I shook my head. “I want to hear all about them.”
He had at least three floor-to-ceiling shelves with books, all about Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons.
Heavy fantasy books with gilded spines. Figurines he’d undoubtedly painted himself.
I kept grinning as I got closer, inspecting some of the tiny creatures.
Goblins, maybe? I wasn’t really sure. I’d never played games like this.
“Expensive hobbies,” he said as he rocked on his heels. “Pretty much why I need a doctor’s salary.”
“Can I pick up the figurines?”
He hovered closer. “Yes, but just be careful with the ones that are propped up.”
“Yes, sir.”
Matthew lingered close by as I picked up a tiny purple dragon. “I’m going to grab some of the wine and fruit.”
I glanced back and smiled as he went to the kitchen that adjoined the living room.
My eyes wandered around the room and landed on the giant TV with the console underneath.
He had many video games, too. I couldn’t stop smiling as I put the tiny dragon back and wandered past the shelves, looking them up and down.
I needed to get back into reading. I went through a phase where I listened to audiobooks while at the bakery, but one day, my bluetooth disconnected and I blasted a threesome at full volume to a couple of elderly women visiting from out of town. I hadn’t seen them again since.
Glasses clinked from the kitchen and I heard the pop of a cork. A couple minutes later, Matthew returned with a tray of berries and two glasses of wine. He set them down on the coffee table in the middle of the room and held out his hand. I went to him and took a seat, letting him pull me close.
“You’re too cute,” I whispered. “I don’t know what I’m going to do about you. Tonight has been perfect.”
“It has been,” he agreed. “Do you want to sit on the couch or put pillows on the floor and sit closer to the table? I sometimes do that while reading.”
“Let’s do that, it sounds cozy.”
He grabbed a couple pillows for us and laid them on the floor.
We sat down together, our shoulders bumping.
I leaned against him, more butterflies fluttering through me.
This was foreplay. Knowing that the wine and fruit we were having was just going to lead to the bedroom.
He was patient and taking his time with me, and I loved it.
There was no rush for anything, and that only made me anticipate it all the more.
“What kind of wine did you get?” I asked.
“Nick talked me into pinot noir.”
I grinned as I grabbed the stem of the glass and gave it a gentle swirl. “Do you ever drink wine?”
“When other people hand me a glass, yes.”
I laughed as I took a sip and hummed. It was tart and earthy with a hint of something floral. “It’s perfect.”
“Good.” He took a sip and made a face.
“Not good?” I exclaimed.
“It’s horrible.”
I laughed as he put his glass down. “Next thing you’re gonna tell me is you don’t drink coffee.”
“Well . . . I prefer tea.”
My mouth dropped. “Oh my god. How do you get through your shifts without coffee?”
“I’ve been known to have the occasional energy drink if I really need it, but I do try to avoid caffeine. You’re usually the pick-me-up I need in the mornings when I stop by the bakery.”
I blushed and turned towards him, propping my elbow up on the couch cushion. “So that’s why you come in almost every day? Not for my amazing pastries?”
“Your pastries are great, but you’re better.”
I narrowed my eyes, doing my best to fight my smile, but I couldn’t. My cheeks hurt. I’d been grinning at him all fucking night. “Smooth. Real smooth.”
“I mean it,” he said as he reached for a strawberry. “I’ve been told I could feed these to you and it would be sexy.”
I started giggling as he offered me the tip of the berry. I bit into it, and juice immediately gushed over my lips and down my chin. I squeaked as I swallowed, and reached to wipe it, but he stilled my face and leaned in, kissing it away.
All my laughter melted into need. I kissed him harder and he grunted as I set my wine down and rose up on my knees. His hands settled on my hips as I straddled his lap.
“That was sexy,” I said. “But put the berry down and touch me, or I’m going to combust.”
He groaned as he put it back on the platter. “Are you seduced?”
“Completely.”
“Wonderful.”
I squealed as he slid me off him and helped me to my feet, our lips colliding as he led me out of the living room.
I grabbed his jacket and tugged, his clothes leaving a trail on the floor as we made our way to the bedroom.
Warm amber light flooded the room as two lamps on the nightstands flipped on.
Matthew was now shirtless, his belt unbuckled and pants open.
Dark curls covered his chest, trailing over his stomach, and down lower.
I wanted to lick the V of his hips. I craned my head back, holding his gaze as I slid my hand inside his pants.
His eyes closed with a throaty groan as my fingertips glided over his hardening cock.
He gently grabbed my hand before I could go any further and drew it above my head, followed by the other, careful not to touch my burn. He grabbed the hem of my dress and slowly lifted, working the soft fabric off me until it joined his clothes on the floor.
Matthew sucked in a breath and took a step back to admire me. “Fuck. You’re so fucking beautiful, Evie.”
Going with lingerie had been one of my best ideas ever. “Do you like the red?” I whispered.
“I love the red. You look so good.” His gaze dipped to my breasts then lower, a low moan following. “Fuck. Lie back on the bed, baby.”
I did as he asked and lowered myself onto the blankets, sprawling out in the center of the mattress. I sank my teeth into my lower lip as he pulled his pants off, followed by his underwear.
He was so insanely sexy. The bedroom light warmed his rich brown skin, his glasses reflecting as he pushed them up his nose. Every time he did that, I swore my pussy pulsed. I couldn’t take my eyes off him as he opened the drawer of his nightstand and pulled out a condom.