Chapter 28
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
F ive days later, Scarlet scanned the crowded bar area of Monty’s Tavern and smiled. Her stress levels were decidedly lower. After having dinner with Jake and Carmen on Friday night, they’d ended up spending the entire weekend with the couple, and it had been... surprisingly wonderful.
Jake and Carmen were awesome. She loved the way they looked out for Matt, and they were fun to be around. Plus, their interests sparked a million stories. Her jaw had dropped when she’d found out Jake was the creator of her favorite game on her phone, and she’d been inspired when Carmen had talked about the nonprofit she ran that provided clean drinking water to towns and villages in developing countries. Then, when Gavin had joined them for dinner on Saturday night and the guys had talked about these crazy superspy cameras Jake had developed, her mind had officially been blown.
In any other situation, Scarlet would have been ridiculously intimidated by the couple. After all, there was successful... and then there was them . But she wasn’t. Because it was Jake and Carmen. Matt’s family. And they’d immediately put both her and Daisy at ease with their warmth, humor, and obvious love for Matt.
Now, taking a sip of ice water, she glanced around the crowded room. Four had roped off the entire bar area for a “private party,” and Daisy, Rocco, and two other little kids had commandeered one corner. Xander and another one of Hudson Security’s PSOs stood nearby, watching. Not that anyone would be stupid enough to try anything tonight.
They were gathered for a mid-week surprise party to celebrate Cade and Poppy. The event’s theme was a combination of “Welcome Home” and “Congratulations,” and their friends from town, De La Rosa Gym, Hudson Security, and Hudson Tactical filled the space. Meaning the sheer number of straight-up badasses in the restaurant was a little ridiculous. Not to mention the amount of testosterone.
A sharp whistle cut through the din, and the crowd turned toward the entrance. Seconds later, everyone shouted “Surprise!” as the happy couple entered the bar.
Scarlet grinned at her dear friend. Glowing—Poppy was absolutely glowing with joy.
She patiently waited her turn as the couple hugged their way through the crowd. Then she pounced.
“Congratulations,” she said, hugging Poppy tight. “I’m so happy for you!”
“Thank you!” Poppy stepped back and wiped away a tear. “It was so fabulous.”
“You’ll have to tell us all about it. The trip, the food... All of it! But come on, girlfriend, how did he pop the question?”
Poppy’s grin widened, and fresh tears filled her eyes as she looked across the room at Cade. With a giant sigh, she said, “You guys.”
Scarlet was all smiles, as were the surrounding women.
“The morning after the big fights, we were obviously still in London. Cade ordered room service for the two of us. I was still in bed when he brought the tray in. And... there it was. The ring was right next to the strawberry crepes.”
Clasping her hands to her chest, Scarlet let out a squeal. Then a strong arm draped across her chest, and Matt drew her against him, his lips pressed to the top of her head.
Poppy’s jaw fell open before she flashed them a grin. “You know, Matt, Cade said he took your advice on the whole proposal thing.”
“Is that so?”
Poppy nodded, eyes ping-ponging between them, and Scarlet couldn’t help but laugh.
“But if you’ll excuse me.” Poppy snagged Scarlet’s hand and tugged. “I’m stealing this one from you.”
“As long as you bring her back,” Matt called as they hurried away from him.
Poppy mock-glared at her. “Uh, when did that happen?”
She smirked at her friend and lifted her shoulders in a bored, casual shrug. “What do you mean?”
Poppy’s eyebrow arched.
“Okay, okay,” she said, unable to contain her laughter. “It’s crazy, right?”
“It looks cozy to me.”
Scarlet scanned the room and smiled when Matt caught her eye. “It is, Pop. It really is.”
Poppy pulled her into a hug. “I want details, girlfriend! All. The. Details!”
“Did you have a fun night?” Matt asked, following Scarlet into the house. With Daisy comatose in his arms, he closed the door to the garage behind him.
Scarlet disarmed the alarm, then returned to him to remove Daisy’s shoes. “I did,” she said with a grin, resting her hand on Daisy’s back. “If you put her in bed, I can get her all changed.”
With a nod, he carried the little girl to her room and gently laid her down. While Scarlet gathered Daisy’s pajamas, he ran his hand over the sleeping child’s hair. His heart seemed to sigh at the contact.
“Thank you for this, Scar.”
“For what?” she asked, appearing next to him. She expertly changed Daisy into a sleep dress.
“For letting me be part of your life—Daisy’s life. It means everything to me.”
Scarlet’s hands stilled in the middle of pulling off one of Daisy’s socks, and she peered up at him.
Worry slithered down his spine. He couldn’t read her expression.
She let out a breath and returned to her task, getting Daisy changed. In a matter of minutes, the little girl was curled under her blanket with her stuffies.
Scarlet snagged his hand and pulled him out into the hallway.
His worry grew; she had yet to say anything.
Once they were in their room, she closed the door and locked it. Then leaned back against the door.
“Scar?”
“There’s nothing to thank me for, Matt,” she said softly. “You being part of our lives is everything. Not the other way around.”
He pressed his lips together. “Sorry, baby. We’re just going to have to agree to disagree on this one.”
“Do you know what one of the best things about tonight was?”
He shook his head.
A small smile tipped her lips. “Seeing how happy Poppy is with Cade and knowing that I’m just as happy.”
His heart filled. God, he loved her. So fucking much. “Come here, baby.”
Her smile widened as she pushed off the door and closed the distance between them. When she was a step away, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted. Her legs locked around his waist. With one hand under her delectable ass, he snaked the other into her hair and kissed her. Devoured her until they were both breathless.
He pulled back and met her gaze. “You make me so damn happy, Scar. You have to know how much I love you.”
“I love you, too,” she whispered, eyes shining with hope and desire. “I never dreamed that I could meet someone like you.”
“You’re everything to me. You and Daisy have become my world. To cherish. To protect. To love. Let me show you how much.”
“Yes, please.” Scarlet unhooked her legs from around his waist and dropped her feet to the floor. She gave him a gentle shove, and he took a step back. Her grin was sweet and sexy and wicked all at once. “But me first.”
Before his brain could make sense of her words, she lowered to her knees. He sucked in a breath as her hands made quick work of his jeans, shoving them to his ankles along with his boxers.
His heart raced, and every muscle in his body tensed when she took his rock-hard cock in her hand, stroking him with a firm grip. Her dark-brown gaze captured his and the sexiest smile he’d ever seen lifted her lips. Then her tongue darted out and licked him from his balls to the tip of his dick.
“Holy fuck,” he groaned, winding a hand through her hair.
“Like that?” she teased, her tongue flickering the sensitive underside.
He growled and tightened his hold on her hair.
Smiling, she pressed wet kisses along his shaft. “I take that as a yes.”
“Holy shit.” His hips jerked forward. He was desperate for more. “Suck me, baby. Fucking swallow my cock.”
And she did.
Her mouth was fucking heaven. He wanted to throw his head back and lose himself in the sensation, in the feel of her sucking him off. But there was no way in hell he was taking his eyes off her. Watching Scarlet take his cock, watching her take him deep down her throat, watching her head bob up and down on his dick was almost too much. He desperately wanted to fuck her mouth and come down her throat.
His spine tingled in warning.
No, not yet.
If he was coming, it was going to be in her tight, wet pussy. With one last thrust, he pulled out of her mouth. She groaned a complaint, and he grinned. Goddam, she is so fucking hot.
Matt picked her up off the floor and tossed her over his shoulder fireman-style. Her laugh turned into a moan when he slapped her ass and squeezed her cheeks. Stepping out of his pants, he placed her on the bed with a growled, “Clothes off, baby. On your hands and knees.”
Removing his shirt and socks, he grabbed a condom from the nightstand and rolled it on. Turning back to the bed, his cock hardened further at the sight before him.
Scarlet. Naked. On her hands and knees. Legs apart so he could see the glistening lips of her pussy.
Holy. Fuck. He’d never seen a more gorgeous fucking sight.
In an instant, he was positioned behind her. He rubbed the head of his cock over Scarlet’s folds, teasing her, and she moaned, “Yes, Matt. More.”
“You want me?” He pressed into her heat a couple of inches, then withdrew.
Her hips lurched backward, following him. “Please, Matt.”
Hands on her ass, he squeezed her cheeks, spreading and molding them as he watched his cock slowly disappear into her core. “You want me to fuck you soft or hard, baby?” He pulled out slowly and was transfixed by her juices coating his cock.
“Hard,” she moaned, rocking against him.
He thrust into her. “Like that, sweetheart?”
“Yes, yes, yes,” she whimpered.
When her hand reached between them and she began strumming her clit, something inside him broke open. Mine. This woman is fucking mine .
He slammed back into her. Hard. Over and over again. Their groans filled the air, and the sound of their bodies slapping together was obscenely loud. He knew they needed to be quiet, but he just couldn’t. She was too fucking amazing.
He was close, and he needed her to be, too.
“Get yourself there, baby,” he murmured.
He pressed a hand to her back, and she lowered her chest to the mattress, moaning at the new angle. Her inner muscles clenched around his cock. He gripped her hips tight and pumped faster. With a cry, her body tensed and trembled.
“Holy fuck, yes.” His heart hammered in his chest as he slammed into her one final time, clutching her tight against him. Stars filled his vision as he came.
For a moment, they were both still, their loud breaths the only sound.
“Ohmygod, that was amazing,” Scarlet murmured with her face buried into a pillow.
“Agreed.” Chuckling, he pulled out and pressed a kiss to her shoulder blade. “I’ll be right back.”
After taking care of the condom, Matt grabbed a washcloth and wet it. He returned to the bedroom and smiled. Scarlet hadn’t moved. She was still on her knees, face buried in a pillow. Crawling onto the bed behind her, he kissed her left ass cheek, then her right, and wiped the washcloth gently between her legs. Her eyes remained closed as he eased her onto her back.
Lying on his side, he traced his fingers from the base of her neck to her breasts, then down around her belly button to the top of her mound. Goosebumps rose on her skin, and a possessive satisfaction filled him.
He needed to have her again. No question.
“You still awake, sweetheart?”
Scarlet’s answering grin was satisfied and sleepy. “I can be. With the right motivation.”
“Good,” he said, nudging her thighs open. Her grin grew as he settled between her legs and moved down her body. “Because I need more of you.”
After worshiping every inch of Scarlet, they lay together, limbs tangled in the center of their bed. Matt couldn’t get enough of this woman. He really couldn’t. He’d taken her twice, and already his cock was stirring, begging for more.
Trailing the tips of his fingers down her spine, she shivered. And he smiled. There was no denying it. This was what he wanted.
“Will you stay?” he asked.
“Oh, I don’t think I can actually move.” Rolling onto her back, she let out a blissful sigh.
“Mission accomplished, then.” He kissed her lips. “But I meant, will you stay here ? Move in with me?”
Surprise flashed over her face.
He hurried on, “I know your place is supposed to be ready to move back into sometime next week, but I don’t want you to go.”
“Matt . . . are you sure?”
“More than anything, I want this .” He squeezed her tight. “Going to sleep with you. Waking up with you. Having dinner and movie nights with you and Daisy. All of it. Before you and Daisy, this was just my house. A place where I lived. But now? It’s my home. Because of you and Daisy.”
Her mouth fell open. Shock and hope and love flickered across her face. Then those beautiful brown eyes filled, and two tears spilled over. He brushed them away with his thumbs.
“I love you, Scarlet. So much.” He shifted to settle between her spread thighs. “Stay with me?”
She nodded, and he dropped a kiss to her forehead.
“Live with me?”
Again, she nodded, and he kissed the tip of her nose.
“Marry me?”
She gasped, and Matt held his breath. Then her lips stretched into the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. With tears sliding down the sides of her face, she nodded again.
“Yes,” she whispered.
His mouth claimed hers, and his heart soared.