Chapter Eight
“Ithought you had left to go into the city.” Matthew glanced up and nearly swallowed his tongue. Carmen was standing in the kitchen doorway dressed in a two-piece bathing suit with a sheer, short sarong wrapped firmly around her small waist that placed emphasis on her curvaceous hips and beautiful long legs. Her hair was pulled up into a knot displaying the gracefulness of her neck, and even from across the room he could smell her luscious scent.
He felt a flash of anger with himself that she could still have this kind of effect on him. But last night had proven just how things were between them. Of course sex had never been the issue—her inability to believe she was the most important thing in his life had been. What he resented most was her not giving them time to work anything out. And once the media had gotten wind of their problems, they had made a field day of it, printing and stating things that hadn’t been true.
But seeing her now almost made it impossible to recall why there were problems between them. She was the most beautiful, desirable woman he had ever laid eyes on.
He lowered his head and resumed eating. It was either that or do something real stupid like get up from the table, cross the room and pull her into his arms.
“I figured since you have business to take care of in Manhattan, you would have left already,” she explained, looking genuinely surprised to see him.
He wondered if she’d actually been hoping their paths would not cross today, and he knew that was a pretty good assumption to make. Sighing, he picked up his coffee cup. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’ll be doing most of my work from here.”
“Oh,” she said. He continued to watch her as she crossed the room to the stove.
“I take it you’re spending the day on the beach?” he asked, wondering why she had to look so ultra-feminine and much-too-sexy this morning. But then she always looked good, even when she’d just woken up in the morning. He’d so enjoyed making love to her then, stroking the sleepiness from her eyes as he stroked inside her body.
“Yes, that’s my plan, after taking a dip in the pool first,” she said, pouring a cup of coffee. She took a sip and smiled. “You still make good coffee.”
He chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. “That’s not the only thing I’m still good at, Carmen.”
Carmen swallowed hard, thinking that he didn’t have to remind her of that.
Her heart began pounding in her chest and she felt breathless when he stood. All six feet three inches of him was well built and dangerously male. And she thought now what she thought the first day she’d laid eyes on him: Matthew Birmingham had the ability to ignite passion in any woman.
Focus, Carmen, focus. Don’t get off track here. You need to win back the upper hand. Remembering her call from Rachel, she asked, “Has Candy Sumlar called you yet?”
He pushed his chair under the table and went to the sink, pausing for a moment to glance at her. “Is she supposed to?”
Carmen shrugged. “Don’t be surprised if she does. Someone took a picture of us yesterday and it made the front page of the Wagging Tongue.”
He turned toward her after placing his cup in the sink. “I know. It could cause a problem or two, I suppose.”
He took a few steps toward her until Carmen had to tilt her head back to look up into his face. “Then why did you kiss me?” she asked.
“Because I wanted to.”
His words, precise and definitely unapologetic, gave her a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach. Sexual tension filled the room and for a moment, she was mesmerized by his gaze—those extraordinary dark eyes could render a woman breathless if she stared into them for too long.
So she broke eye contact and moved away. “Doing things that you want to do without thinking about the possible outcome can get you in trouble.”
“And who said I didn’t think about it?”
Carmen fell silent. Was Matthew insinuating that he’d kissed her knowing full well what he was doing? That he would have done so anyway, even if she hadn’t made a move first with that kiss on the cheek? She ignored the tingle in her stomach at the mere thought that this was more than a game to him. That perhaps he had wanted her and initiating that kiss had been just the thing to push him over the edge.
Umm. The thought of that had her nipples feeling hard and pressing tight against the bikini top. She drew in a deep breath and as her lungs filled with the potent air they were both breathing she felt her nipples grow even more sensitive. He was leaning against the counter, his eyes roaming up and down her body. She wanted him to check her out good and assume that he could get more from her than just the hot-and-heavy kiss they’d shared last night. Then she would gladly show him how wrong that assumption was. If he was playing a game, she would show him that two could play.
She moved toward the table to sit down, intentionally swaying her hips as she did so. She took a sip of her coffee as she felt heat emitting from his gaze.
“There are some muffins in the refrigerator if you want something else to go with your coffee,” he said.
“Thanks, I’m fine.”
“There’s another polo match tomorrow. Do you plan on going?” he asked.
“I do,” she replied.
She knew why he was asking. By tomorrow, a number of people would have read the article and all sorts of speculations would be made. The main question was, how would they handle it?
The room got quiet. He finally broke the silence by asking, “What about Bruno? Will he get upset when he hears about the article?”
Carmen looked over at him and plastered a smile on her lips. “No, because he knows he has nothing to worry about.” She knew that comment irked him. Back in the day when he’d been a movie star, Matthew and Bruno had been rivals as Hollywood heartbreakers. The two never developed a close friendship and even now merely tolerated each other for appearance’s sake.
“Good. I wouldn’t want to cause friction between the two of you.”
“You won’t.” Seeing she would not be able to drink her coffee in peace while he was around, she stood and announced, “I’m going to the pool.”
Matthew watched her leave, irritated by what she’d said about Bruno knowing he had nothing to worry about. The very thought that the man was that confident about their relationship didn’t sit well with him. A sudden picture of her in Bruno’s arms flashed through his mind and he felt anger gathering in his body, all the way to his fingertips.
He drew in a deep breath and then let it out slowly, wondering what Bruno would think if he knew his girl had gotten pleasured by her ex last night. Although they hadn’t made love, Matthew knew her well enough to know that that orgasm had been real and potent. In fact, if he didn’t know any better, he’d think it was the first she’d had in a while, which meant Bruno wasn’t taking care of business like he should.
But the thought of that man taking care of business at all where Carmen was concerned had steam coming out of his ears and a tic working in his jaw. Deciding it was time to rev up his plans of seduction a notch, he left the kitchen to go upstairs to change.
Carmen opened her eyes when she heard footsteps on the brick pavers. She took one look at Matthew and wished she’d kept them closed. He was walking toward her wearing a pair of swim trunks that would probably be outlawed if worn in public.
Her gaze settled on his face and the intense expression she saw there, before lowering her eyes to the sculpted muscles of his bare chest and then sliding down to his midsection. The waistband of his trunks hung low and fully outlined a purely masculine male.
She stiffened slightly when she felt a deep stirring in the middle of her stomach and fought to keep perspective. She sat up on the chaise longue and held his stare, wishing her heart would stop beating so rapidly.
And wishing she still didn’t love him like she knew she still did.
That stark realization had her moving quickly, jumping out of her seat, nearly knocking over a small table in her haste. “What are you doing here, Matthew?”
He came to a stop in front of her. “Why do you always ask me that like I’m out of place or something?”
Silence hung heavy between them. Then she lifted her chin and said, “Probably because I feel like you are. I’m not exactly used to having you around.” She then moved toward the pool.
Matthew didn’t say anything, mainly because he was focused on the pain in her voice—as well as the realization that she was right. This was the longest they had been together in the same place in a long time—including when they were married.
Suddenly, he couldn’t even fortify himself with the excuse that all those hours he’d been away working had been for her. Because in the end, he’d still failed to give her the one thing she’d wanted and needed the most: his time.
He had missed this—her presence, the connection they’d shared in the beginning but had somehow lost in the end. How could he have been so wrong about what he thought she truly wanted and needed? He had wanted them both to find happiness, but they sure as hell weren’t happy now. At least, he wasn’t. His stomach clenched at the thought of just how unhappy he was. His plan for revenge didn’t taste as sweet as it had yesterday, and he had no idea what to do.
He watched as she stood by the pool, untying the sarong from around her waist and dropping it to the ground. And then she dove in, hitting the water with a splash. He stood watching her, remembering when all he’d wanted was to make her his wife and to have children together one day. He had loved and wanted her so much.
And I still love her and want her.
The admission was like a sharp punch to his gut. Nothing mattered at that moment—not the humiliation he’d felt when she left, nor the anger or frustration he’d suffered when she chose to file for a divorce. What he was sure about more than anything was that he wanted her and if given the chance to repair the damage, he would handle things differently. What he was unsure about was whether or not she wanted another go with him. There was one way to find out.
It was time he was driven by a different motivation, not of revenge but of resolution. He moved toward the pool and dived in after her.
It was time to get his wife back.