“That’s the problem,” she choked out with a hoarse laugh. “I want to do it so badly that if I don’t go inside right now we may just end up giving any guests who may be looking at us through their windows a free show.”
“Don’t tempt me,” he said. “A scandalous sex tape just might be the thing to put my campaign on the map.”
Her head flew back with her laugh. “I’m not sure that’s the route you want to take.”
“Ben would have a coronary,” Matt said with a laugh. He leaned forward and whispered against her neck, “If I steal another kiss, will that get me in trouble with the teacher?”
“Why don’t you try it and find out?” she suggested.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head back, but Matt only pressed a light peck on her forehead. She opened her eyes, looking up at him in confusion.
“If I did anything more than that I would have to follow you inside.” He gestured toward the Victorian. “Good night, Professor.”
“Good night,” she said with a sigh. She lingered in his arms for a second longer before turning and heading for the B and B’s porch steps. Matt maintained his stance against the car. His legs trembled with the need to follow her, but he managed to stay rooted to the spot until she entered the house.
Then he walked around to the driver’s side, slid behind the wheel and grabbed on to it with both hands, holding on so tightly Matt was sure he’d find imprints of his fingers when he finally released it. It took all he had within him to finally turn the ignition over and pull away from Belle Maison, but he managed to do it.
Barely.
Chapter 7
Matt uncapped the bottle of water he’d grabbed from the refreshment table and looked over the large crowd gathered in the Gauthier High School auditorium. Matt hadn’t expected his first public debate against Patrick Carter to garner many people, but interest in the campaign had escalated after the most recent commercial issued by Carter’s camp.
His opponent’s latest attack revolved around Matt’s “string of women,” as the ad stated. To say he was pissed off didn’t even begin to describe the anger that flowed through Matt’s blood just thinking about it. It was both inaccurate and out of line, and it cast him in the kind of light he definitely didn’t want Tamryn to see him in.
Matt had showed her the video on his phone last night while they were at dinner—the third dinner they’d shared this week. He hadn’t wanted her to see the commercial on her own and get the wrong idea. He’d explained that Carter had dug up every woman he’d dated since college.
He never professed to be a saint, but he wasn’t some philandering playboy, either. He was single and had had his share of girlfriends, but he was fiercely monogamous, even when some of the women he’d dated had not been.
In the ad Carter had accused him of using his status as a Gauthier to “add to the notches on his belt” and that pissed Matt off more than anything else. He’d never used the Gauthier name as a means of getting women, even though some of the women he’d dated had pursued him solely because of his family’s money and prestige.
Ben’s response had been to hit back hard, and Matt had to admit that the desire to stoop to his opponent’s level was stronger than ever, but he refused to sink that low. He would have to be satisfied with complete annihilation of his opponent in this debate.
Matt walked down the aisle of the auditorium, stopping along the way to chat with some of the people in the audience. He wasn’t surprised by the number of Gauthier residents in attendance for tonight’s town hall–style debate. Ever since the civic association had formed a couple of years ago, more and more residents had begun to take a more active role in things that concerned the town.
As he continued down the aisle, Barbara Cannon, wife of Lou Cannon, who owned the dry cleaner’s on Main Street, stopped him.
“Thanks for contacting the parish government about the water pressure on Main,” Barbara said. “They finally told us that they’ll be here tomorrow to see what’s happening with the line.”
“Good,” Matt said. “It took them long enough.”
“At least you got them to contact us at all. I’ve been trying for a week.”
“I’m just happy something is finally being done,” he said. Something in Barbara’s hand caught his eye. Matt stopped short. “What’s this?” he asked.
“Oh, I found it at the house when I got home,” she said, holding up the kind of flyer that hung on a door handle.
“Can I see this for a minute?” he asked.
He took the flyer Barbara offered. His blood began to boil with each word he read.
“Do you mind if I borrow this?” he asked.
“Not at all,” she said. “Good luck tonight. You’ve already got my vote. Lou is the one who still thinks Patrick Carter is actually good for this place. I went cold on him a long time ago, ever since he voted to end the art program at the high school.”
“That art program is starting up again next year,” Matt told her. “We’ll work on Lou.”
He patted Barbara’s arm and headed straight for the area behind the stage where he’d left Ben.
“What the hell is this?” Matt asked, holding up the flyer.
Ben folded his arms over his chest. “It’s a list of all of Carter’s past misdeeds, including the DUI everyone tends to forget about.”
“He got that DUI before he got into office,” Matt said. “It’s not even relevant. And I told you I wasn’t going this route, Ben. I’m not stooping to mudslinging.”
“Do you want to win this thing?” Ben asked.
“Yes, but because I’m the right man for the job,” Matt said. “Not because I’m the lesser of two evils.”
“Whether or not you’re the right man for the job is only about 50 percent of what will determine whether or not the people here will vote for you, Matt. You have to show them why they shouldn’t vote for Carter.” Ben held his hands up. “Look, you hired me to run this campaign because it’s what I do. Trust me to win this damn election for you, Matt.”
He slapped the flyer to Ben’s palm. “I want these destroyed. I mean it.”
Ben just rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“I mean it,” Matt said.
“Mr. Gauthier, it’s time.” Matt turned toward the organizer of the town-hall debate, who was waving for him to follow her onto the stage.
He sat down on the stool on the left side of the stage and returned Patrick Carter’s fake smile. Matt was so rattled after his blowup with Ben over the flyers that he stumbled through the first two questions, but when it came to the issue of defunding the elderly-assistance program, something Carter had tried to convince citizens would save money in the long run and put the burden of taking care of elderly parents where it belonged—on their children—Matt went for blood.
“Taking care of the elders of District Twelve isn’t a burden, Mr. Carter, it’s a privilege. When I was growing up, Mr. Boyd LeBlanc used to fix the bikes of every kid in Gauthier free of charge. Mr. LeBlanc no longer has family around to help take care of him. So who would bear that responsibility if not for our elderly assistance program?”
Matt turned to him. “Maybe if you had actually grown up in District Twelve, you would have a better understanding of just what it means when we say that we take care of our own.”
“I’ve lived here for over twenty years,” Carter blustered.
“It’s not the same as growing up here. This area is in my blood. I know what it means to be a proud son of Gauthier.”
Applause erupted from the crowd. Carter’s face looked to be on the verge of exploding.
By the time the debate was over, Matt’s earlier stumble seemed to have been forgotten. He stayed around for another forty-five minutes, shaking hands and assuring the people in the crowd that he would fight fo
r them if he made it to the state senate. However, there were still a few who were not convinced that he was old enough.
“Carter has clout,” Norm Donaldson told him. “He knows how to get things done in Baton Rouge.”
“Patrick Carter didn’t go into public office knowing how to get things done. He had to learn. I’m willing to learn, just as he did. I’m going to prove it to you, Norm. Give me a chance and I’ll prove it to you.”
The older gentleman didn’t look convinced. Matt didn’t know if he would ever convince some of them that he was the right man for the job, but he left the auditorium feeling more confident about his chances than he had when he’d walked in tonight.
He got in his car and drove right past the Gauthier mansion, heading straight for Belle Maison. After pulling into the lot, Matt quickly got out of the car and headed up the steps of the stately Victorian. He walked up to the front door and was about to knock when he heard, “How was it tonight?”
He whipped around and found Tamryn sitting on a white rocking chair on the huge porch.
“What are you doing out here?” Matt asked, walking over and planting a kiss on her lips.
“I was waiting for you. I haven’t even gone inside. I figured you would be on your way.”
“Am I that predictable?”
“I just figured that if you were anything like I am, you’ve been missing this,” she said, pulling him in for another slow, hot kiss. Never leaving her lips, Matt pulled her out of the chair and switched places with her, settling her onto his lap and wrapping his arms around her.
“You’re right,” he said. “I’ve been thinking about that all day.” He nuzzled her neck, planting delicate kisses along her throat. “What do I have to do to convince you to come home with me tonight?”
“Not nearly as much as you’re probably thinking,” she said. “I barely made it through last night’s dinner without attacking you.”
Matt slanted her a look. “Don’t tease me,” he said. He went for her neck again, giving the spot just above her collarbone a gentle bite. “If you’re not ready for me to take you to my place just yet, I don’t have a problem staying here with you.”
“Do you know how many tongues would wag if people found out you spent the night here?”
“Baby, they are already wagging, believe me.”
She laughed. “Seriously, how did it go tonight?”
He gave her a quick rundown of the debate, including the flyer Ben had made.
“I saw it on the table at breakfast this morning,” she said. “They must have passed them out yesterday evening.” She ran her fingers down his cheek. “It’s admirable that you’re refusing to go that route,” she said. “You don’t need to. If anyone can win that seat based on his merits, it’s you. You have been nothing but good for the people in this town, Matt. And they know it. I’ve witnessed that after only a few weeks here.”
The people in this town had no idea just how detrimental he had been to it, but Matt didn’t want to think about that right now.
“Why don’t we go upstairs so you can tell me all about the exciting lecture you listened to tonight? Was it on Asia?”
“Egyptology,” she said with a laugh. “And you know that if we go upstairs you will not let me get a word in about tonight’s lecture.”
“I’m not an ogre. I’d let you get at least three words in. ‘It was good’ should sum it up, right?”
“Actually, it was fascinating.”
“See, three words. That’s all I need to know about it. Now, let’s go upstairs.”
“How about I go upstairs, and you go home and rest after your successful debate?”
Matt dropped his head to his chest. The cold showers only worked to a certain point. He was going to spontaneously combust if he didn’t release some of this pent-up lust soon, and the only release he wanted was the kind he would find in bed with Tamryn.
Because he was a damn Southern gentleman, he left her with a simple good-night kiss. As he drove home, his cell phone trilled. Matt glanced at the touch screen and frowned.
Great. Just who I don’t want to talk to.
“Hello, Your Honor. What can I do for you?”
“Why didn’t you hit Carter with his DUI tonight?” his father asked.
“I should have known you were behind those flyers,” Matt said.
“I don’t have time for playing around. I’m due in court early tomorrow morning, Matthew. I need to get to bed.”
“Who’s stopping you?” Matt asked. “You’re the one who called me. Now, is there a reason you called?”
“Did you see that commercial Carter’s camp threw together? You need to fight fire with fire, Matthew. I handed you the DUI. You should have used it.”
“Forget it. I’m not bringing up old news just so I can sling mud at Patrick Carter.”
“You get this softhearted shit from your mother. You need to grow out of it. You’re not going to win this election playing Mr. Nice Guy.”
Matt’s grip tightened on the steering wheel.
“You need to get to bed so that you’re up early for court tomorrow,” Matt said. “Goodbye.” He hung up the phone before his father could say anything more to piss him off.
Too late. He was good and pissed, which was his typical state of being whenever he had an encounter of any kind with Leroy Gauthier.
* * *
Tamryn adjusted her earbuds as she jogged along the dirt path that ran parallel to the narrow two-lane highway. The only thing that stopped her from ignoring the alarm when it went off at 6:00 a.m. this morning was the promise of the homemade buttermilk biscuits that she knew would await her when she returned to Belle Maison. She was running for biscuits.
She turned onto the graveled driveway that led to a small recreation park, which boasted a baseball diamond and a running track. She spotted a black Mercedes parked under the twisty branches of a huge oak tree, and a smile drew across her face. She spotted the man leaning against the trunk of the tree and her smile widened.
Tamryn came up to his car and pulled out her earphones. She leaned over, putting her hands on her thighs and pulling in several deep breaths.
“Thank you,” she said, accepting the bottle of water Matt handed her. “And good morning.”
“Good morning.” His velvety-smooth voice was much too stimulating this early in the morning. “Are you ready to start my training session?” he asked.
“Training session?”
He nodded. “You offered to train me for this weekend’s 5K, remember?”
Bracing one hand on the hood of his car, she bent her leg back and caught her right ankle, stretching her quad muscle. “Don’t you think it’s a bit too late to start training for a 5K you’re planning to run this weekend?” Her eyes traveled from the top of his head to the tips of his running shoes, taking in the way his sweat-soaked shirt clung to his abs. “Besides, from where I stand, it doesn’t look as if you need much training at all. I don’t think I have anything I can offer.”
Matt shoved off the base of the tree and sauntered toward her.
“I disagree,” he whispered. “I think there’s a lot you can teach me, Professor.”
He shoved both hands into her hair, cradling the base of her head and holding her steady as his mouth descended upon her. Without releasing her, he moved them over to the tree and braced his hands on either side of her head. The knobby bark dug into her back, but her brain hardly registered it. All she could feel was Matt. She felt him on every single part of her body, from the tips of her feet to the very top of her head and all points in between.
One part in particular throbbed for him as his lips moved up and down her neck. He fitted himself more firmly against her, his hard length nudging her stomach. Tamryn closed her eyes and fell into the moment. She wanted him beneath
her, inside of her. She wanted to tear the clothes off him right now and climb on top of him. She wanted to lose herself in him.
“Please, come home with me,” Matt said against her neck. “This is crazy, Tamryn. I’m ready to lay you down and take you right in the middle of the damn park.”
God, she wanted to go with him. Her body was begging for her to go with him.
So why in the hell wasn’t she? Why was she fighting something they both so desperately needed?
“Okay,” she said against his lips.
His head snapped up. “What?”
“Okay,” Tamryn said, struggling for air. “Let’s go.”
Matt’s eyes widened for a moment, then he snapped to attention, taking her by the hand and leading her to his car. Just as they reached it, a late-model brown sedan pulled up to them.
“Son of a bitch,” Matt cursed under his breath.
The door opened and a portly man with a shock of white hair got out.
“Matt, I’m happy I ran into you.”
“John. Hi,” he said. He turned to her. “Three minutes. I swear, that’s all it’ll take.”
Fifteen minutes later, Tamryn found herself jogging alone on the dirt path back to Belle Maison, her body humming with unsated lust. John Devereaux, the councilman from neighboring Maplesville, had not taken Matt’s many hints, or just didn’t care about the daggers both she and Matt threw his way as he rattled on about the upcoming fair in Maplesville that was scheduled for the same weekend as the festival in Gauthier.
Even the mouthwatering aroma of Phylicia’s buttermilk biscuits wasn’t enough to lift Tamryn’s spirits as she entered the B and B. She’d finally decided to take that next step with Matt, and now that she’d been stymied, she was angry.
She slogged up the stairs to her room, grabbed the clothes she’d laid out before she’d left for her morning jog and went down the hallway to the bathroom. Most of the Victorian’s other guests were still asleep, so she didn’t have to worry about hogging the bathroom.
Yours Forever Page 11