He picked up his plate and empty can of soda and deposited them on the breakfast bar before going to look through the peephole. He couldn’t believe his eyes when he saw Lorena stood on the other side of the door. Twice in one day. He couldn’t be so lucky.
“Who the hell do you think you are?” she demanded when he opened the door. “We need to talk.”
Without waiting for a response, she barged in. Matthew closed the door, locking in the familiar scent of her perfume that had drifted in with her.
We need to talk.
Whenever those words left a woman’s lips, it didn’t bode well for the man she said them to, and tonight appeared to be no different if the expression on Lorena’s face was any indication. She stood with one hand on her hip and an angry scowl on her face. Still, he was happy to see her. Her caramel-colored skin glowed and encouraged him to touch, but he knew better, because her beautiful eyes spat venom at him.
She had no idea how sexy she looked angry, and he didn’t plan to tell her.
“What did I do now?” he asked. He didn’t know what had her so upset, but he hoped he could fix it before she scratched his eyes out.
“You know why I’m here, Matthew.” She’d called him by his full name—always a bad sign.
“Actually, I don’t.”
“Okay, play dumb. I spoke to Lewis on the phone tonight on my way back from my Women in Business dinner. He told me you said you want me back and you threatened to punch him out.”
Stunned speechless, Matthew didn’t say anything at first. Then he laughed in disgust. “He told you that? Are you kidding me? What kind of man does something like that? He’s twisted the conversation. What else did he say?” That slimy, no-good…
“So there’s more?”
“No, I just want to know what else Linus had to say.”
“His name is Lewis! L-e-w-i-s. You know good and well what his name is.”
Matthew eased by her on his way to the breakfast bar. As he did so, he took a breath to get another whiff of her perfume. His body came awake. He’d never wanted a woman the way he wanted her—just the scent of her got him aroused. It was extremely dangerous for her to be here alone with him this time of night, looking all angry and sexy.
He picked up the empty soda can and plate. “What do you see in this fool? He’s a pompous jerk.”
“It takes one to know one.”
“If you came over here to insult me, you can leave now.”
He placed the plate in the sink and the can in the recycling container. “It can’t be the money, because you don’t care about money. Why do you think he told you I threatened him? Was lover boy scared? Did he send you to handle the situation?”
He could tell by the firming of her lips she didn’t appreciate the derisive way he spoke about Lewis, which only made him want to do it more.
“He wasn’t scared. He told me because we don’t keep secrets from each other.”
“How sweet.”
****
Matthew’s sarcastic tone and devil-may-care attitude made Lorena angrier with each passing minute. She’d never thought of herself as a violent person, but she really wanted to pound her fists against his wide, naked chest. She wanted to smooth her hands over his large pecs…No, no. The wrong images flooded her brain.
“Did you threaten him?”
“If telling him I’d punch him in the face if he ever threatened me again or spoke to me the way he did is a threat, then yes, I threatened him.” He looked completely unrepentant, but she expected as much.
“Did you tell him you intend to pursue me?”
“Yes.” His answer left her breathless and with a curious excitement niggling in her chest.
“Well then I’m definitely glad I came, so we can put this to rest. There’s no need for you to pursue me. You’re wasting your time, because I am not, nor will I ever be, interested in you again.”
“Now why don’t I believe you?”
“Maybe because you’re arrogant?”
His eyes glimmered with mischief. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much. Be honest with me, Lorena. You’re using Linus to run from what’s between us, trying to pretend you hate me.”
“I’m not pretending. The only reason I’m having anything to do with you is because of the grant.” She gritted her teeth. “And his name is Lewis.”
“Sorry, slip of the tongue. You know how crazy my tongue can get.”
Her heart jumped, and she gave her lips a nervous lick, moistening them after they’d oddly dried up.
Matthew’s eyes took a visual tour from her head to her feet, as if he hadn’t already seen her today in the same outfit. At her feet, his gaze lingered for a moment, and a shiver ran up her inner thigh. She had on a pair of colorful peep-toe pumps, and Matthew had a thing for toes. He liked to suck them.
She filled her lungs with oxygen and tried to remember why she was here. She was here to talk about Lewis. That’s it. She would do well to forget about Matthew’s foot fetish and his toe-sucking ways.
“What is it that you really want, Matt? Because you have to know there’s no chance for us. Not anymore. This competition you want to start with Lewis is silly.”
“You should be flattered.”
“I’m not. I’m annoyed.”
Matthew held her gaze, and she forced herself not to look away. “Are you sleeping with him?”
“That’s none of your business,” she said.
“They say you never forget your first.”
Her body pulsed in remembrance, and unwelcome memories assailed her, not only of their lovemaking, but of the fun times, too, before and after they became lovers: Fight night at his high-rise apartment with friends. Sitting at the table in front of the wall of windows in his living room, playing spades, with her and Cassidy beating the pants off of him and their other opponents. Lounging on the sofa watching ESPN together before dragging their tired bodies up the spiral staircase to bed exhausted, only to wake up in the middle of the night to make love once they’d recharged.
“You may not forget, but you don’t have to dwell on it,” she said. “Wait a minute. You thought I’d be pining away for you, didn’t you? You thought I’d still want you and no one else, sitting up on a shelf somewhere, untouched.”
“Too much to ask for, am I right?”
“I’m not a virgin anymore. You saw to that.”
“I did what any red-blooded man would do if he woke up in the morning with a willing woman in his arms.”
“You’re right, and I don’t blame you. I made it easy for you. Thank you for opening up a brand new world to me I never knew existed.”
He became very still. “So you’ve done it? The two of you are lovers?”
“You have no right to question me.”
“Answer the question.”
“I will not! It’s none of your business. Just like it’s none of my business what you do with the clerk at the community center.”
If he weren’t so dark, his face would have paled. His nostrils flared and his breathing became heavy as something—anger?—pounded through him. “What did he tell you?”
“Enough. Enough to know you haven’t changed a bit. You can’t help yourself. You see a woman and you have to have her.”
His jaw set in an angry line. “He’s a liar. He’s the one who flirted with the office clerk. She gave him her number.”
Lorena shook her head sadly. “You’re pitiful. This is a new low, to try to make Lewis into the bad guy by making up such a story. I don’t know what’s more pathetic—the story, or that you thought I’d believe you.”
“He’s really got you snowed. The sex must be fantastic.”
“It’s not always about sex and all the freaky things you can do to a person.” Images dashed through her head, of the things they’d done, the positions he’d put her in. He’d pulled out all the stops, using all the tools in his arsenal of tricks to turn her into a fiend for his lovemaking. She’d been so uninhibited with him, so e
ager to learn, that he’d started teasingly calling her “a greedy little thing.”
“You’re awfully curious about what I’ve been up to. Have you been living like a monk?” she asked. When he didn’t reply, she continued, her voice turning bitter. “Just as I thought. How dare you ask me about my sex life when you probably had another woman within days of our split.”
“You’re wrong, but we both know it didn’t take you long, did it? You were always very…enthusiastic. Once you got a taste, you couldn’t wait to get more.”
“What I do in my own bedroom is none of your business.”
“It used to be my business.”
“It’s not anymore. That’s the way you wanted it, remember?”
A muscle in his jaw ticked. “I think I’ve made it plain I’ve changed my mind.”
“But I haven’t changed mine.” Lorena lifted her chin a fraction.
“If I believed that,” Matthew said casually, “then I’d let you out of here without touching you.”
“You’re going to do that anyway.” A faint tremor came into her voice.
“Not a chance.” The slow, heated drawl of his voice was unmistakable. “You do realize what a mistake you made coming here, don’t you?”
“You do realize what a mistake you’d be making if you try to keep me here against my will, don’t you? Have you forgotten what happened? Balls, meet knee. Knee, meet balls.”
Matthew laughed aloud, and she liked the sound. She even liked the way he looked when he laughed. His wide lips stretched across his handsome face, and his eyes twinkled. Silly nostalgia was getting to her.
“There’s no way I’m letting you get away with that twice,” he said.
He sauntered over to the door and stood in front of it, crossing his arms over his torso like some big black African warrior readying himself for battle. She struggled to maintain eye contact and keep herself from staring at his wide chest and powerful pecs. An intricate tattoo that looked like a series of connected ebony flames trailed down his left arm.
Flames. How appropriate since he had the ability to set her body on fire with just a look.
“You were right about one thing when you walked in,” he continued. “We need to talk, and we need to talk about us.”
“Why do you want me all of a sudden?” Lorena demanded.
“Who says I ever stopped?”
“You dumped me, remember? You didn’t want me.”
His response came fast. He grasped her by the arms, and she rocked back away from him. “Don’t ever say that again!” His vehemence shocked her into silence. Matthew took a calming breath and lowered his voice. “Don’t ever say I didn’t want you, because it’s not true.”
She couldn’t speak for a moment. “Then I-I don’t understand,” Lorena said, distress filling her at his words. Her arms burned where he still gripped her. “Why did you do it? Why did you cheat on me, and why did you break up with me?”
“I didn’t cheat on you.”
“When you came to my house, you were stinking of another woman’s perfume. Two days later, I get a breakup text from you which included the words I’m no good for you.”
Good sex had turned her mind to mush. Even after the text she hadn’t been able to let go, wondering if she’d pushed too hard, creating excuses for why he’d smelled of another woman’s perfume—refusing to accept the obvious reason. Thinking about it now, she was humiliated.
“I didn’t cheat on you. I swear. You have to trust me.”
“Then tell me why!” Her voice climbed several octaves. “Fear? What?”
“I can’t tell you if I don’t know myself.” He seemed lost, genuinely confused.
“Yet you expect me to trust you and believe what happened was all a big misunderstanding and will never happen again,” Lorena said in a defeated voice.
“Yes.”
A weak laugh trembled from her lips. She blinked back tears. “If I didn’t know your history, maybe I’d be tempted to believe you, but I’ve seen how you go through women, and I was foolish to think I’d be any different. I’m not making the same mistake again.”
She looked at one of his hands, still curled securely around her arm. “Let me go, Matt.”
He came closer, bringing his face within inches of hers. “What if I can’t?”
Tears threatened to choke her. With the anger gone, she felt only an overwhelming sense of sadness. “You don’t have a choice,” she said softly.
“Lorena,” he groaned, pulling her close, his own breath shaky as he brushed his hard cheek alongside hers.
“Matt, please. This isn’t why I came here. Don’t do this to me.”
“How do you think it makes me feel to see you with another man?” he whispered. “It’s killing me.”
She looked into his eyes, feeling trapped by the intensity of his gaze. “I already gave you a chance, and I refuse to be hurt again.”
“I won’t hurt you again.”
“You can’t promise me that.”
“I made a mistake,” he said. His ragged breath kissed the side of her face. “It’s killing me to know you’re…with him.”
She closed her eyes, hearing the pain in his voice and recollecting how the same pain had torn through her at his brutal rejection. Feelings she had stomped down were resurrected, filling her with forbidden emotions she’d hoped never to feel again. Her heart remembered what it was like to love him unconditionally; her body remembered what it was like to have his experienced fingers caress her skin.
Matthew’s hands slipped from her arms and moved to the small of her back. “Did you really think I’d let you walk out of here without touching you? Looking like this?” His voice shook with the intensity of his need.
It had been so long. So…so long.
She reached for him, too, tentatively gliding her fingers along the waistband of his jeans, her fingertips crossing over the smooth muscles of his abs.
She slid her arms around him and let them coast across his back, taking pleasure in the powerful muscles and the way they flexed against her palms. Her brain told her to stop, but she didn’t. It lost the battle to control her actions.
“You know what happens when you touch me,” he whispered. His voice delivered little drops of heat to her blood. “See how hard you make me?” He took her hand and held it against his erection. “Look. Look at what you do to me.”
She closed her fingers around the hard shaft imprinted through the denim. She wanted him so much a soft whimper left her throat, and she shivered with need.
“Matt—”
She managed to say only his name before he kissed her. An immediate flash of passion snared her in its web as soon as his mouth took control of hers. She couldn’t not respond to the kiss. If she’d tried, the effort would have been too great, because she was touching him again, and her lips gave way to the impatient thrust of his tongue, plowing through to dominate with a demanding stroke.
She wound her arms around his neck and held him close, loving how he felt. Hard to her soft. Masculine to her feminine. Every touch of his hand resonated deep within her, awakening her innermost desires.
His hands reached beneath the dress, sliding up her thighs in a heated caress to grasp her bottom and lift her easily from the floor. She tightened her arms around his neck, and her legs folded around him.
“Missed you, baby,” he said against her mouth. With her heart too full to speak, she could only nod.
She clasped her hands around his face. “We shouldn’t.”
“This isn’t wrong,” he assured her, his eyes holding her captive. “It’s you and me, the way we should be—the way we were before I messed everything up.”
He kissed her again, and she let him, running her thumb along his hard jaw, heat pooling between her legs at their close embrace.
Then they moved—down the hall to the living room and the wall of windows, and his big cushy sofa.
Chapter Six
Matthew gently placed Lorena on the sofa
and lowered his body between her legs. He must have been dead for the past few months, because he suddenly felt alive again.
The thought of any other man touching her filled him with jealousy. He had been her first, and he should have been her last. She was the only woman who had ever made him think about forever. It had scared the hell out of him. Despite his fears and his misstep by letting her go, he was getting another chance.
She whimpered when he moved his hand to the warm spot between her thighs. Sliding his hand beneath her panties, he found her already wet. The swollen lips of her sex invited a more intimate caress. He pushed one, then two thick fingers inside of her. She cried out, arching her back, working her hips in tandem with his fingers. Her face contorted into a sexy mask of begging, pleading he wouldn’t stop. She strained against him, and the heel of his hand rubbed her sensitive clit each time he dipped his fingers inside of her.
He lowered his head, trailed his tongue around her ear, and sucked the lobe into his mouth.
“Feel good?”
“Yes.”
Her hands gripped his shoulders as he pressed his mouth against her soft throat. She could protest all she wanted, but it wasn’t over between them. She was sopping wet, and he was hard as a rock. He didn’t dare get out of his jeans, and he didn’t dare look at his fingers sliding in and out of her fully aroused, glistening sex. It was too dangerous. He wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation to slide into her unprotected.
He pushed aside one half of her dress to uncover a simple black bra. No lace, no see-through, yet it drove him insane because he was that much closer to getting a nipple in his mouth. He released the front clasp and her breasts surged free—beautiful, firm caramel mounds with dark toffee tips. His mouth closed over the left nipple, tugging and sucking. It felt so good to taste her again. He groaned, savoring it, licking as though he had a piece of candy, driving her to squirm beneath him.
She was going to make him come if she kept up all that wriggling. Pre-come leaked into his boxers. Her hips lifted off the sofa, and her nails dragged across his back.
Here Comes Trouble Page 5