She worried that he’d grow tired of seeing her every day, but that thought eventually disappeared when she didn’t see any signs of him easing up. Something else had changed about this second time around for them, too. Before, she’d been intimidated by how other women fawned all over him when she’d attended a couple of his coaching sessions at the community center. She’d often felt ignored and less than feminine in her casual clothes when confronted with the challenge of the other women’s attentions.
Matthew would bend his head and listen closely to whatever they had to say, a way he had of giving someone his undivided attention. She’d put up with it, swallowing down her insecurities as the women flirtatiously touched his arm or reached up to whisper in his ear.
He continued to offer his attention, but she noticed he kept an appropriate distance from them now. Unlike before, he introduced her to everyone, making sure they knew who she was, using words like “my girlfriend,” “my better half,” “my future wife.”
My future wife. She still hadn’t recovered from that one. Every time she thought about it, happiness filled her, and her heart did a little tap dance of pleasure.
By his behavior, she could actually believe he’d changed, and that he did love her.
****
One night, they sat together watching a baseball game. They’d fallen back into their routine of watching sports together.
“Ah, come on!” Matthew yelled from the sofa in Lorena’s living room. He grabbed his head in dismay as a player for the Phillies hit the ball up into the stands, sending two players to the home plate and ending the game with a 6–4 win over the Marlins.
Lorena jumped to her feet. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” she cried out, pumping her fist. She got in Matthew’s face. “You owe me twenty bucks.”
“Get out of my face.”
“Sore loser. Suck it. You owe me.” She started doing a victory salsa dance.
“You’re overdoing it,” Matthew warned.
She ignored him, tossing her head from side to side so her hair swished across her face. She spun around, continuing to move her hips, kicking her feet and dancing to her own private melody.
“Loser,” she sang.
“All right, Victor Cruz, simmer down,” Matthew said, referring to the Puerto Rican NFL player who salsa danced after each touchdown.
“Suck it.”
He’d had enough. He rose swiftly from the sofa and picked her up. She let out a little scream and a laugh, her legs going immediately around him.
“I got something for you to suck,” he said.
Lorena placed her hands on his shoulders. “You’re supposed to do the sucking,” she reminded him, her voice filled with laughter.
“Suck what?”
“Suck deez!” She shook her breasts in his face.
“You’re out of control, you know that? I’ve created a monster.”
“A greedy little monster.” She dropped a light kiss on his mouth.
He headed toward the bedroom with her. “I better feed the monster.”
They temporarily forgot about any more sports.
****
“Matt, wake up.” Lorena’s voice penetrated the sleepy fog of his brain. “Wake up, or you’ll miss your flight.”
“Five more minutes,” Matthew mumbled into the pillow.
He needed to get up, but he didn’t want to. He was headed to an IT conference in New York. Almost a whole week without Lorena. He’d tried to convince her to come with him, but she’d insisted she couldn’t take the time off. She needed to wrap up the grant proposal this week, and the proposals for two smaller grants she’d found on her own. She’d chosen not to charge the community center for writing them, inspired by Matthew’s dedication and his work with the children. The two new grants were smaller individually, but together they equated to more money than the first one.
“Come on, sleepyhead.” She nudged his back. When he didn’t move, she said, “Since you’re not getting up, I don’t have to take you to the airport. Don’t blame me if you miss your flight. I’m getting ready for work.”
He felt her leave the bed and rolled over onto his back to watch her walk naked toward the bathroom. The dark mane of her hair fell down her back in a shiny display of rumpled curls. He looked, in masculine appreciation, at the concave curve of her waist just above the sensual flare of her hips. The toned muscles of her thighs flexed with each step she took.
How could he have run from this, letting fear almost make him lose out on such a fun-loving, generous person?
“Come back to bed, woman,” he said. Watching her had stirred his body below the waist and hardened him in preparation to take her.
She twisted her head, smiling flirtatiously over her shoulder. Her eyes lingered on his erection tenting the sheet, which made him harden even more. With the toss of her head, her silky curls swung across her bare back.
“Come join me in the shower,” she said. Her lips held a mischievous smile as she watched him beneath her lashes.
Man, he loved her!
He had no choice. He bolted from the bed and followed her into the bathroom.
****
Lorena pulled her car up to the sidewalk outside the airport terminal. She and Matthew both had been unusually quiet as she drove down the highway, finding it hard to make small talk. She already missed him.
“Sure you don’t want to come with me?” he asked. His smile didn’t quite make it to his eyes. He felt it, too. The same heaviness. It was only a week—five days, really—but it would seem like forever after the past weeks.
“No, I can’t. I have too much to get done, and you know I’m the speaker at the Latin American Association’s luncheon on Friday.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed his hand down his slacks. “Well, I better go.”
She leaned in for a kiss.
“I’ll miss you,” he whispered when they separated.
“I’ll miss you, too.”
“I’ll call you when I get there.” He reached for the door handle.
“I love you.”
He turned stunned eyes on her.
She bit her bottom lip. “I’ve wanted to say it for weeks.”
He suddenly reached for her, grabbing her face between his two big hands and planting a long, amorous kiss on her mouth. She clutched his muscular forearms, giving as much as she took, her heart racing with happiness. They only came up for air when someone tapped the window on the passenger side.
A female cop frowned in at them. “Keep it moving, please. Find somewhere else to park if you want to make out like a couple of teenagers.”
Matthew smiled at the woman, but he muttered a curse between his teeth.
He swung his gaze back around to Lorena. “I needed to hear you say that.” He took her hand and kissed the knuckles.
“I needed to say it.” They stared at each other.
He shook his head. “I better get out of here before she gives you a ticket.” He snatched another quick kiss before he hopped out of the car and grabbed his garment bag from the backseat. He ducked his head and took another look at her through the glass. She powered down the window.
“Bye,” they said at the same time.
On his way inside the terminal, Matthew stopped on the sidewalk and dropped his bag. With people teeming around him, he lifted his hands toward the sky and hollered, “She loves me!” He turned around to face the car. “I want to hear it again.”
“You’re crazy!” she yelled at him.
They’d captured the attention of other passengers milling about. Some people frowned at their loud display. Others—the romantics—paused and smiled. One man patted Matthew on the back.
“I want to hear it.”
Lorena laughed, covering her face in embarrassed delight. “I love you, Matthew Hawthorne.” She blew him a kiss.
A beaming smile spread across his face, identical to the one on hers. “I love you, Lorena Vega.” He grabbed his bag, and after one last look at her, disappeared inside the
terminal.
Lorena shifted the car out of park and pulled into the stream of traffic exiting the airport. She would probably have a smile on her face the rest of the day.
She’d never been happier.
Chapter Twelve
Friday afternoon, Lorena rushed into the office building where she worked. After she left the association’s luncheon, she’d texted Rahab and asked her to check for available flights to New York. The last-minute ticket cost way more than she should have spent, but it would be worth it to see the look on Matthew’s face when she surprised him at the hotel.
The thought of surprising him had entered her mind last night while they talked on the phone, one of the few times they’d been able to speak this week. She’d been busy, working hard to give the proposals for the community center one last review, and working on other projects, which included preparing for today’s speech. The luncheon had been successful. She’d picked up a couple of clients and earned the association president’s promise to send business her way. Matthew had been busy, too, held up in workshops all day and networking events at night.
She stopped at the receptionist’s desk. Rahab handed her a copy of her confirmed ticket and boarding pass. “All set, boss lady.”
“Awesome. You’re a lifesaver.” She scanned the ticket, double-checking the flight times. Matthew planned to fly back tomorrow, but she knew she could convince him to fly back with her to Atlanta on Sunday so they could spend a little time together in New York. She hadn’t visited in years, and it would be nice to get in some sightseeing.
“These came for you.” Rahab brought forward a vase of summer flowers from behind the partition and set it in front of Lorena. A big heart-shaped balloon with “Thinking of You” printed on it floated above the bright bouquet.
“Again?” Lorena said happily.
She opened the small envelope to read the message. I love you, it simply said. The constant attention Matthew paid to her went straight to her head, as he’d planned. She was too easy.
“Flowers every day of the week for no reason,” Rahab said with a sigh. “Just like in my romance novels. Does this man have a brother?”
Lorena smiled at her friend. Rahab was a hopeless romantic. Every time Lorena had ever seen her with a book in her hand, it was a romance novel. She read tons of them every month.
“Yes, two, and they’re both married.”
“Just my luck.”
“I’ll be back to get the flowers,” Lorena said, heading to her office. “I need to grab the proposals to send them by FedEx before I go to the airport.” With the proposals done, they had to wait for the committees to review them. The winners would be announced next year.
“Does he have any single cousins?” Rahab called out.
“Get back to work, Rahab,” Lorena said with a laugh over her shoulder.
****
Matthew shoved the keycard into the slot of the door. When the light turned green, he entered his hotel room. He’d begged off of dinner with his colleagues, planning to take a shower and order room service before going over the day’s notes. He would call Lorena while he ate to see if she was free to talk for a bit.
With both of them so busy, this had been a rough week. He couldn’t wait to see her tomorrow. Instead of catching an afternoon flight, he was going to the airport first thing in the morning to see if he could get a flight on standby. There wasn’t much going on tomorrow anyway, because most of the important workshops had been conducted during the week. He didn’t plan to attend the networking breakfast tomorrow. He’d done enough networking to last him until the next IT conference.
Unbuttoning his shirt on his way to the bathroom, he paused when he heard a soft rap on the door. Frowning, he looked through the peephole.
He muttered an expletive. What the hell was she doing here?
He swung open the door.
“Hi, Matthew.”
“Hi, Reshemah.”
Reshemah Wright. Temptation personified. Her lilac-scented perfume filled the air around them.
She had a body that wouldn’t quit and leaned in the doorway, her arm draped above her head on the frame in a sexy pose. The Texas hottie had rocked his world at the last two conferences. They’d hooked up a third time after she’d looked him up when she had a layover in Atlanta on her way to visit family in Florida.
Her easygoing, playful attitude made her an anomaly in the IT world. Everybody liked to be around her, and she was known for playing pranks on unsuspecting victims. Maybe another time they could have worked out, but Lorena was the only woman he had any interest in.
“Aren’t you going to invite me in?” she asked. Her brown eyes ran idly down his bare chest, exposed because he’d unbuttoned his shirt on the way to the bathroom.
Matthew fumbled with the buttons, closing them up. “That’s really not a good idea.”
“Oh, come on, Matthew, I saw you in the elevator. I stood way in the back, and I couldn’t believe you were here. I had to get off and follow you so I could find out what’s going on. You gave me the brush-off the last time I came to see you in Atlanta. You seemed to be going through some things, so I forgave you, but I want to know why.”
She sidled by him and sashayed over to the bed, her hips moving in a tantalizing manner beneath the stretchy fabric of her miniskirt. Something must be wrong with him, because all he could think about was how inappropriately she was dressed for a professional conference.
“I can’t believe you’re here and didn’t call or send a text. My feelings are hurt.” She sank onto the bed with a pretty pout and crossed her legs.
“Look, Reshemah,” Matthew started, rubbing the back of his neck, “the reason I didn’t call is because I’m seeing someone. Me and you…I can’t do this again.”
Reshemah fell quiet and seemed unsure. Then she smirked. “Okay, Matthew, we’ll play it your way. You want to be a good boy, I’ll make it easy for you. One more time for old times’ sake.” She leaned back on her elbows and tossed him a come-hither look. “I won’t tell if you don’t.” She uncrossed her legs. “By the way, I’m not wearing any panties.”
****
Lorena stepped off the elevator, her heart galloping in excitement. She’d found the restroom downstairs and removed her underwear—a bold move she’d read about in Cosmopolitan magazine that said going pantiless could drive a man wild. She’d never done anything like this before, and it made her feel so naughty.
She turned the corner, searching for the room number she’d cleverly finagled from Matthew when they talked the night before. She often wore slacks, jeans, or sweats, feeling more comfortable in those clothes. Today, she’d gone all out to impress him. After rushing home, she’d put on one of her few dresses, a colorful ensemble in green and yellow with an A-line skirt that made her look as if she had some curves. The silver-toned necklace and matching bracelet complemented the outfit, and a pair of heels finished off the look. She couldn’t wait to see his face.
She stopped in front of room 1020 and set the small rolling suitcase beside her. Planting a big smile on her face, she raised her hand to knock. Wait a minute. Maybe she should strike a sexy pose.
No. How silly. She quickly swept her fingers through her curly locks and checked her face in the compact in her purse. She wore more makeup than usual, but it was all part of the plan. He wouldn’t be able to resist her. She was certain of it.
She knocked on the door and waited, but when it opened, the smile on her face died.
“Can I help you?”
Time screeched to a halt, and her heart stopped.
Matthew didn’t stand in the doorway. A woman did, with flawless brown skin, wearing a tight miniskirt and a clinging top that showcased her long legs and hourglass figure. She had the kind of curves Lorena wished she had.
And that scent. Her stomach contorted into knots…lilacs.
The same perfume she’d smelled on Matthew the night they’d argued before their breakup two days later. It couldn’t be a coinc
idence. The unmistakable cloying scent of the perfume permeated the air.
This was her—the woman he’d claimed nothing happened with.
No…no.
Nothing happened. Right. Lorena surveyed the other woman with envy, feeling as though she fell short. No way could a man resist this woman—certainly not a man as highly sexed as Matthew.
Bile burned up her throat.
“I-I…um,” she stammered, seeking a way out. Please, please, let it be a mistake. “I-I was looking for someone.”
“Are you looking for Matthew? Do you want me to get him?” She turned her head to yell into the room. “Hey—”
“No!” It wasn’t a mistake. This was his room, and this…this woman was here with him. Lorena laughed, pretending to be embarrassed. “Wait a minute, this is room 1020. I’m looking for my friend, and she’s in room 1002. I’m sorry to disturb you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. I think room 1002 is down the other hall. When you got off the elevator, you should have turned left instead of right.”
“Of course.” She could barely get the words out. She wouldn’t fall apart in front of this woman. “Thanks.”
She took the handle on her suitcase. As she turned away, she heard Matthew’s distinct voice ask, “Who was at the door?” right before the door clicked shut.
As if he’d touched her, her skin burned from the mere sound of his voice. How could he do this?
“I love you,” he’d said.
Today he’d sent her a text. I miss you.
I miss you too, she’d texted back, taking secret pleasure in knowing before the end of the day they would see each other.
On unsteady feet, she stumbled and the suitcase bumped her leg, a sob breaking from deep inside of her. He’d lied.
She sagged against the wall, immobilized by her pain. Tears streamed down her face, and she shook uncontrollably.
“Ma’am, are you okay? Do you need some help?” a uniformed staff person asked, deep concern filling his voice.
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