Ah, hell. As if this night couldn’t get any worse, some idiots looking for trouble had broken out the window of his beloved Lexus.
“Such a shame,” the first man said in a sorrowful voice.
“Look, I don’t want any trouble. Why don’t you guys keep driving, and I’ll pretend this didn’t happen.”
“You hear that?” White Guy asked. “He doesn’t want any trouble.”
Black Guy laughed. “If he doesn’t want any trouble, he shouldn’t cause any, don’t you think?”
A car whizzed by.
Suspicion tingled at the base of Matthew’s spine. This wasn’t a random encounter. “Who are you guys?”
White Guy stepped to him. A few inches shorter than Matthew, he had a body built like a tank. “We have a mutual friend.”
Quiet movement behind him alerted Matthew that Black Guy had come all the way around the vehicle. But he had only enough time to see the long pipe from the corner of his eye as it lowered, landing with a solid thump across his back. Pain shocked his system, shooting along his spine in both directions.
With a low grunt, he staggered and fell to his knees in the dirt. Another vicious blow forced him onto all fours.
The two men started to laugh. “We’ve got a message. From Lewis. Think you can get his name right now?”
They laughed again, and White Guy kicked him in the side with a booted foot. Matthew groaned in agony. The blow knocked the wind out of him and left him gasping for air.
“We saw you tonight sitting outside of Lorena’s house. Stay away from her. Understand?”
Matthew briefly shut his eyes to dispel the dizzying effects of the pain coursing through him.
“Anything you have to say for yourself?” White Guy asked.
“Nothing to say now, huh?” Black Guy taunted.
Taking in a painful breath, Matthew managed to get out a couple of words. “Send more.”
“I can’t hear you,” White Guy said in a singsong voice.
When his booted foot landed in Matthew’s side again, this time he was ready. He tightened his abs to lessen the strength of the blow.
“I said…” He clenched his teeth and curled his fingers around a handful of dirt and rocks. “Tell him next time, send more.”
He went into a different place in his head. A place where he didn’t feel pain. The same place he used to go when he played football so the constant blows didn’t weaken him. So he could dish out as much pain as possible, using his body as a weapon of destruction, plowing through his opponents to sack a quarterback or tackle a receiver.
He lifted his head and glared at this latest opponent. White Guy’s face lost its cocky smile. “Two of you is not nearly enough.”
Matthew lunged to his feet and tossed the handful of dirt into the face of the man holding the steel pipe behind him. Black Guy sputtered and stumbled back, which gave Matthew just enough time to turn in one swift movement toward the other man. He had the pleasure of watching his face blanch.
Right before he slammed his closed fist into his jaw.
Chapter Nine
The water drained from the large claw-foot tub. Lorena stepped onto the bathroom rug and patted her skin dry. With its cast-iron feet and fixtures, the antique-inspired tub had been an expensive indulgence, but one she hadn’t been able to resist.
She’d started taking baths to soothe her sore muscles when she used to run long distance, but she’d found them to be equally soothing whenever she was troubled. The time alone in the rose-scented water had eased her mind, and she felt better about the decision she’d made tonight.
In her bedroom, she let down her hair, shaking out the chestnut curls to fall on her shoulders before she began to smooth lotion onto her skin. Not long into her task, she heard a knock on the front door. Not a knock, really. More like a loud pound.
She slipped on her silk robe and shoved her feet into slippers. On her way to the door, the pounding started again, so loud the door vibrated on its hinges. Only one person dared to assault her door in such a manner.
After her decision tonight, her abdomen tensed in preparation to see him. She didn’t want to face him yet, but it seemed he’d taken the decision of when and where out of her hands.
Lorena took a deep, steadying breath before she opened the door.
“Tell me where to find Lewis,” Matthew demanded as soon as he saw her. He looked furious, his face tense as if he’d explode at any moment. “I know he was here earlier. Where is he?”
His disheveled appearance shocked her. “What happened to you?” she gasped.
A large reddish bruise marred his forehead over his left eye. His shirt was dirt stained and hanging open. The buttons seemed to have been yanked off with such a level of violence, they left only the loose threads attached. Dark red spots blotted his white, tight-fitting sleeveless undershirt, and in his hand he held a long metal pipe.
“Tell me where to find him, Lorena. We have a score to settle.” His body seemed to vibrate with unspent energy.
“Wait a minute. I—no. I’m not telling you where he is.”
Her heart hammered erratically behind her rib cage. What was going on? Matthew looked as though he’d been in a fight. Why was he looking for Lewis? Coupled with the tight grip he had on the steel weapon, and his angry demands, she feared Matthew wanted to kill him.
“So you’re going to protect him?” His eyes flashed with fury, and his face filled with stony determination that sent another shaft of fear through her.
“Tell me what’s going on. Why are you looking for him? And what happened to you? You look like you’ve been in a fight.”
“I’m going to be okay,” Matthew said. “I can’t say the same for my attackers.”
“I don’t understand. Who attacked you? My goodness, you have blood on your shirt.”
He looked down as if it was the first time he’d seen the blood. “It’s not mine.”
“Whose is it?” Lorena asked in a hushed voice.
He looked steadily into her eyes. “The two men I left on the side of the road. The two men Lewis hired to follow me and beat me up to keep me away from you.”
The shock of his words ricocheted through her. He had to be mistaken. “That’s a horrible accusation to make,” she said softly, hoping it was a lie.
“It’s the truth,” Matthew told her. “It happened, whether you believe it or not. He won’t fight me like a man, so he hired two pathetic goons to teach me a lesson. Trust me—he didn’t get his money’s worth.”
Lorena’s eyes lowered to the pipe. “How do you know Lewis hired them to attack you?” she asked, fighting back a swell of nausea at the ghastly sight of blood smeared on it.
“Because they gave me a message from him. They told me to stay away from you.”
Her head started spinning. She never suspected Lewis could be capable of hiring thugs to attack another person. Now Matthew wanted retribution for tonight’s attack.
She needed to defuse the situation, and fast. “As flattering as it is to have two men fight over me, I think you need to calm down.”
“Tell me where to find him, Lorena.” His face looked dark, his eyes stormy, like black clouds swarming overhead before a thunderstorm.
“No,” she replied. “Wait, don’t leave!” She lifted her hands in supplication. “Why don’t you come inside, Matt? Please. You have an ugly bruise on your face. Let me put some ice on it to keep the swelling down, and you can tell me what happened.”
She held her breath and waited for his response. He could be hotheaded at times—an unfortunate trait they had in common. She spoke in a calm voice, hoping he’d listen. His dark brown eyes filled with uncertainty during the internal debate of whether or not to stay, or leave and try to find Lewis. He was amped up on anger, and she could practically see the adrenalin-fueled energy running through him. Common sense prevailed, however. He came toward her, and she stepped back to allow him into the house.
“Um, could you leave the pipe outside
?”
He tossed it behind him, and it clanked on the cement. She shut the door, closing them in together. He dominated the room with his presence.
“You know where the bathroom is. You can go in there and wash up. A bottle of alcohol and cotton swabs are under the sink to take care of those scratches on your hand.”
Without a word, Matthew headed toward the hall bathroom, and she went into the kitchen. Her mind raced with the accusations Matthew had tossed out. She couldn’t believe Lewis had come by to discuss their relationship, while at the same time he had two men trailing Matthew, intent on harming him.
She searched the kitchen cabinets for a spell before she found a box of freezer bags in the pantry. She started to fill one with ice. Her hands shook a little at the thought that Matthew could have been badly hurt.
Behind her, she heard him enter the kitchen, and when she glanced over her shoulder, she saw he’d positioned himself with his back against the opposite counter. He didn’t say a word, and she finished filling the bag. The heat of his stare bored into her back, and it made her remember that in her haste to get to the door, she hadn’t put on any clothes and wore absolutely nothing under her robe.
She closed the freezer and squeezed the excess air from the bag before zipping it closed and facing him.
He’d removed his damaged shirt and balled it up on the counter. Her eyes brushed across the sweep of his broad shoulders and the bulging muscles of his chest and abs beneath the clinging white cotton of his undershirt. He examined her, too, his gaze roving over her, making her nipples pebble in response. She hoped he didn’t notice. The air grew thick with the heat that swirled around them.
Part of her felt like she shouldn’t glory in violence of any kind, but she’d never seen him look so rough—and so sexy. The room smelled of sweat from his physical exertion. The thought that he’d gotten the best of two other men was highly erotic and awakened primitive excitement inside of her.
“You know you brought this on yourself,” she said.
“Yes.” His voice was flat and emotionless.
“But you don’t care.” She extended the bag of ice.
“No. I’d knock him down again. I don’t like liars.” He took the ice.
“I guess so-called liars don’t care for you, either.”
The way he watched her, she felt some of his anger was directed at her. “I came by earlier tonight, and I saw you with him.” The words sounded like an accusation. “You brought him into the house,” he said tersely. “Did you sleep with him?”
“I don’t think—”
“Are you sleeping with him? Did you sleep with him tonight? Is that why you’re naked under there?” The words came out in quick succession.
“I’m not going to answer your questions. I don’t—”
He tossed the bag of ice to the floor and approached her. “Oh, you’re going to answer my questions. You’re going to answer every question I ask you, if for no other reason than I had to fight off two men who ambushed me because of you.”
Her eyes grew wide. “I didn’t cause you to get attacked. You did, by your own actions.”
“Did you sleep with him tonight?” He completely ignored her protests, coming closer, backing her against the counter. “I can smell your bubble bath. Did you have to clean up after you slept with him?”
Lorena swallowed, reluctantly deciding to answer the question. “No.”
“Are you sleeping with him?”
She took a deep breath. “No.”
“Are you in love with him?”
“Okay, that’s enough. It’s none of your business—”
“Answer the question!”
“You will not bully me, Matthew Hawthorne!”
“Why won’t you answer the question?”
“Because it’s none of your business,” Lorena said. In desperation, she pointed in the general direction of the door. “Get out. I should have never let you in here. I had pity on you, but that was a mistake.” Her eyes darted around, looking for an escape from him, but he had her cornered, hemmed up between his rock-hard body and the kitchen counter.
“Answer me, Lorena. Are you in love with him?” He refused to budge, a fierce intensity filling his dark eyes.
“Get out. I said I don’t want you here.”
“Are you in love with him?”
“Stop badgering me!”
“Are you in love with him?”
“Stop it.” She was half pleading, half yelling.
“Are you in love with him?”
“Noooooo! No. Are you happy now? I’m not in love with him. I sent him away and told him I couldn’t see him anymore.”
“Because you still have feelings for me.” There was no smugness, only a statement of fact.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t summon even a smidgen of the feelings she had for Matthew for Lewis. It was unfair to keep leading him on when she had no more than a lukewarm reaction to his kisses and his embrace. She couldn’t imagine lying in bed with him, making love. She couldn’t imagine being so intimate with anyone else but Matthew.
She’d confessed her indiscretion to Lewis, and at first he’d said he’d forgive her. When she explained she could no longer continue to see him, the conversation turned ugly. Angry and humiliated, he’d lashed out.
“What are you thinking?” Lewis had asked. “If you think you have a chance with him, you’re wrong. He’s going to hurt you again. Men like him don’t settle down. When he breaks your heart, don’t bother calling me because I won’t answer. I’m not going to be your second choice, and I won’t be in a relationship with you knowing you’re wishing you could be with him.”
She’d let him rant and rave for several minutes because she’d realized he needed to get it off his chest. Because he was a good catch, he couldn’t understand why she no longer wanted to see him.
“You don’t have to respond,” Matthew said quietly, dragging her back into the present. “I already know.”
“I don’t have feelings for you,” Lorena lied. She had to protect her heart. “I don’t care about you.”
“Yes, you do. That’s why you’re afraid. I’m afraid, too—of how I feel about you. Isn’t it funny how our experiences determine how we react to relationships? You’re looking for a relationship like your parents have, and I’m looking to avoid one like my parents had. We have two different examples to guide us. Neither one of us wants to be vulnerable to pain caused by loving someone—pain that hurts so much it feels like you’re dying. It’s the worst pain in the world.”
The truth of his words swept over her in a rush. It hurt to remember his rejection of her and her love. She lowered her gaze to the floor. “Get away from me, Matt,” she said, her voice shaking, as the agony of longing filled her heart. “I mean it.”
“Give us another chance. Don’t fight it.” One blunt fingertip propped her chin up, forcing her to look at him.
He stepped closer. She knew what he wanted, and she was helpless to stop him. He dipped his head an inch, and when she didn’t move away, he lowered it all the way, touching his mouth to hers. From the moment their lips touched, desire soared through her—all encompassing, demanding she satisfy it.
Frightened, she pushed against his hard chest—an ineffective action. He didn’t move an inch. “No,” she said weakly.
“Don’t fight it,” he whispered again.
His thumb caressed her chin, and he plied her mouth with gentle kisses. His lips were warm and soft as they tasted hers. He was wearing her down, barreling through her defenses. If he were rough, maybe she’d have a chance because she could get angry and fight him, but she couldn’t fight against this tenderness.
“Don’t do this to me again.”
“I’m not going to hurt you. I promise.”
He grasped her slender wrists and pulled her close so she could feel the heat of his hard thighs against hers. “Don’t think about it,” he whispered. One of his hands slipped between them to brush her b
reast. She inhaled sharply, desire stinging her quivering nipples. “Let me make you feel good.” He lowered his head, shifting aside a thick swathe of her dark brown hair with his nose to gain access to her neck. She shook from the exquisite sensation of his mouth against her sensitive skin. Her fingers curled into the brawny muscles of his arms. “Let me suck your neck,” he whispered, then flicked his tongue along her jawline. “Suck those sweet nipples. Let me get at those toes.”
She moaned, because everything he mentioned she wanted him to do.
Their mouths met again, rubbing against each other before she pried hers apart to invite the entry of his velvet tongue. She moaned as he caressed her back, his hands molding her to him, sliding down past her waist to splay over the cheeks of her bottom, drawing her tighter, pressing her stomach into the hard ridge of his arousal. She filled with heated anticipation.
He lifted his head, about to speak, but she didn’t let him. His withdrawal evoked a low moan from her, and she followed him, getting up on tiptoe, tightening her arms around his neck, her lips clinging to him in a desperate clamor for more. Every muscle fiber strained toward him. With a groan, he matched her enthusiasm, his kiss turning blatantly possessive, reclaiming her as his and scrambling her brain.
“Mmm,” he finally managed. “So damn greedy.” His fingers delved into her silky hair and pulled her head back at an angle. “Are you going to let me make love to you tonight?”
There was only one answer to give as he looked down at her with hooded eyes filled with a deep hunger that matched the out-of-control desire he’d released inside of her.
“Yes.”
Chapter Ten
In the bedroom, Matthew stripped off the white shirt, his sore body groaning under the movements because of the battering he’d withstood on the side of the road. None of it mattered, though, because he was back where he belonged.
They fully undressed and lowered onto the bed, their naked bodies searing together in a fiery embrace. Lorena smelled like roses from her recent bath. She opened her mouth to him, willing and eager to please. Her lush lips moved beneath his, making him grow harder at the sweet invitation in her kiss. His tongue entered, seeking the moistness of her mouth as it scraped across her teeth.
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