Stray Hearts

by Jane Graves

  “At work.”

  “I don’t like him.”

  Kay blinked with surprise. “You don’t even know him.”

  “He wears wingtip shoes.”

  “He’s a lawyer. It’s part of the uniform.”

  “A lawyer?” Matt rolled his eyes. “Come on, Kay. Haven’t you learned that lesson by now?”

  Kay’s lips tightened. “Jason’s not Robert.”

  “Give him a few years. Where’s he taking you?”

  “Rodolpho’s.”

  Matt winced at that little twist of the knife. It wasn’t the most expensive place in town, but he distinctly remembered three little dollar signs beside its review in the newspaper. He’d be lucky to be able to take Kay to McDonald’s for a Big Mac.

  Kay started down the stairs. Matt followed, torturing himself by watching the provocative back and forth shift of her hips inside that shimmery little dress. When they reached the first floor, an expression of wolfish delight sprang to Jason’s face the moment he caught sight of her. He stood up and gave a low whistle. “Now that,” he said, “was worth the wait.”

  Kay smiled at him, and Matt wanted to die.

  Jason took her arm and started for the door. Matt stood there helplessly, desperate to think of some way to stop her. Jason was clearly one of those guys who couldn’t wait to carve another notch in his bedpost. How could Kay even think of going out with someone like him?

  “When will you be home?” Matt asked.

  Jason got a solemn, obedient look on his face. “Don’t worry, sir. I’ll have her home by ten o’clock. Unless, of course, the sock hop runs late, or we decide to go necking under the bleachers.”

  Smart ass. Now he really did feel like Ward Cleaver.

  “Ready to celebrate?” Jason said, opening the door for Kay.

  “Celebrate?” Matt said.

  Jason turned back. “Old man Breckenridge offered her a job. Didn’t she tell you?”

  Matt felt sick. No. She hadn’t told him.

  “I didn’t get the chance,” Kay said. “I—”

  Before she could say anything else, Jason took her arm and hustled her out the door. Then he stuck his head back in, a sly grin on his face. “Don’t wait up.”

  Jason clicked the door shut. Matt peered through the blinds, watching as he walked down the porch steps with Kay, his hand resting with way too much familiarity against the small of her back. A slow burn of jealousy started in the pit of Matt’s stomach and spread through the rest of his body. Kay had gotten a job, and she was celebrating with him?

  Then he had a really horrible thought. What if the worst happened? What if she came home late, a little rumpled, with a smile of ecstasy on her face?

  What if she didn’t come home at all?

  He watched Jason walk Kay to his car. Once she turned and looked back toward the house, and Matt’s heart stopped. But then she continued on, into Jason’s Mercedes and probably out of his life for good.

  He let go of the blinds with an angry clatter. What could Kay possibly see in a guy like that?

  Oh, hell—why shouldn’t she want a guy like that? He could support her in style. She wouldn’t have to eat macaroni and cheese from a little blue box, use pizza coupons or live in a turn‑ of-the-century monstrosity that hadn’t seen updating since World War II. If it was between a guy like that and a broke veterinarian, who was she going to pick?

  And Jason was just the kind of guy she could take home to meet Mom.

  For the next three hours, every time Matt thought he heard a car door he muted the TV, leaped up and went to the window, only to discover it was a neighbor’s car, or someone rattling a garbage can lid, or absolutely nothing but his own imagination kicking into overdrive. Tired of getting shoved out of Matt’s lap so many times, Buddy finally crawled under the coffee table and fell asleep.

  Matt had just collapsed on the sofa for the umpteenth time, reaching the conclusion that Kay wasn’t going to come home at all, when he heard the crunch of tires on gravel outside. He ran to the window again. Jason’s Mercedes swung into the driveway.

  He tore out of the living room, took the stairs three at a time, then screeched to a halt at the front door, lucky he hadn’t tripped over anything in the dark. He flicked a slat of the blinds and peered out.

  Jason got out of his car, circled around and open the door for Kay. He took her hand and helped her out, the pale glow of the streetlight tossing their shadows down on the sidewalk. He leaned in and said something to her when she stood up beside him. She laughed, and Matt’s heart dropped to his toes.

  They walked toward the porch. Matt reprimanded himself for not thinking to turn on the porch light earlier. It was dark out there. Things happened in the dark that might not happen in the light. But he couldn’t do it now or they’d know he was watching.

  They climbed the porch steps, and Jason didn’t waste any time. He eased his hand around Kay’s back and pulled her against him. She didn’t meet him halfway, but she didn’t stop him, either. And when he leaned over to kiss the woman Matt wanted more than anything in the world, the slow tremor of jealousy he’d felt all evening exploded into a full-blown earthquake.

  He flipped on the porch light, yanked open the door and glared at Jason. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Kay spun around, staring in disbelief. Jason’s eyes widened, but he kept his surprise in check. He merely focused his attention on Kay again, then smiled. “Well, if you must know, I was thinking about kissing Kay goodnight.”

  “Think again.”

  In one smooth move, Matt grabbed Kay’s arm, pulled her from Jason’s grasp and hauled her into the house. Then he poked his head back out the door.

  “Sorry, fella. Date’s over.”

  He slammed the door, locked it, then flipped off the porch light. Jason tried the door, then started banging. “Hey! Open up!”

  “Matt!” Kay gaped at him. “What are you doing?” Ignoring her protest, Matt slid his hands along either side of her neck, his fingers cradling her head. She took a reflexive step backward, bumping into the wall, her eyes wide with astonishment. He moved closer and tilted her face up until he was looking directly into her eyes. Every bit of the desire he’d suppressed for the past several weeks welled up inside him until he felt like a volcano ready to blow. He’d crossed the line, and there was no going back. To hell with Robert Hollinger. He needed Kay desperately, and he needed her now.

  “You want a kiss,” he whispered.

  Slowly her gaze fell to his lips, hovered there a moment, then rose to meet his eyes again. “Yes.”

  “From him?” Matt gave a nod toward the door, then dropped his head toward Kay’s, so close he could feel her breath against his lips. “Or me?”

  Kay stared up at him, her china-blue eyes shimmering in the moonlight, and all at once the invisible wall that had stood like a fortress between them crumbled into dust. “You,” she whispered. “It’s always been you.”

  Chapter 12

  As soon as the words were out of Kay’s mouth, Matt’s lips fell against hers in a kiss that was so hot, so hungry, so passion-filled that for a moment all she could do was melt in his arms and let it happen. After all these weeks of wanting him so desperately, she was finally in his arms, and he was kissing her as if he couldn’t get enough of her. She clutched blindly at his shirt with one hand and clung to his shoulder with the other, trying to get her bearings in a world that had suddenly, joyfully, turned upside down. Then she realized she didn’t want any bearings, any solid ground, any direction at all. She wanted to stay lost in his kiss forever.

  Jason banged on the door again, and they both jumped. “Hey!” he shouted. “This date’s not over until Kay says it’s over!”

  Kay pulled away from Matt, barely able to catch her breath. She leaned toward the door, fumbled with the lock, then opened it slowly. Jason stared through the crack like a wounded bull.

  “Date's over," Kay said.

  When he stared at her speechlessly
, she closed the door, then locked it with a sharp click. Matt pulled her back instantly and kissed her again, teasing his tongue against hers in a dance of pure, slow seduction, and she was so lost in the feeling that she barely heard Jason stomping down the steps and the purr of his Mercedes as it disappeared down the block.

  Kay didn’t remember exactly how they made it up the stairs, only knew that Matt had stopped halfway up to pull her against him again, his lips trailing hot kisses beneath her ear, along her throat, in the hollow of her neck. At the same time his fingers curled beneath the hem of her dress, inching it upward until his palm rested against her thigh. She moaned softly, deep in the back of her throat, and Matt tightened his hand against her thigh and found her lips with his again. Mindless waves of pure pleasure washed over her until her heart was beating so wildly she seriously wondered if her body could withstand the assault.

  At the head of the stairs Matt wrapped his arms around her again, but this time he found the zipper of her dress and drew it slowly downward.

  “That’s better,” he murmured, his hands caressing her back. “Zipping it up earlier—that’s what nearly killed me."

  Kay’s brain surfaced momentarily. He clearly hadn’t wanted her to go out with Jason. So why hadn’t he said something? And why hadn’t he told her how he felt about her during one of the hundreds of other opportunities he’d had? Why had he driven her crazy with wanting him and never given her anything in return?

  She pressed her palms against his chest. “Matt—stop.”

  He stared down at her.

  “I have to know.”

  “Know what?”

  “Why.”

  He stared at her blankly for a moment as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. Then a look of understanding came over his face. Still, he didn’t respond.

  “I’ve wanted this for a long time,” she whispered. “So long. But I didn’t think you did.”

  “I did want it, Kay, more than you’ll ever know.”

  She looked at him with surprise. “But all this time—”

  “I know.” He closed his eyes. “I know. Don’t think about that. Think about this.” He brushed his lips against hers. “No matter what happens, this is exactly where I want to be. The rest will just have to work itself out.”

  She started to ask him what the “rest” was, but then he curled his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her into another kiss so hot that any misgivings she had slipped away like sand through her fingers.

  I did want it...more than you’ll ever know.

  Kay still didn’t understand, but she held on to those words like a drowning man clinging to a life preserver. All that mattered right now was that Matt had wanted her as much as she wanted him. She’d worry about the why later.

  He pulled away slightly and eased her dress off her shoulders. She shimmied a little, and the dress fell in a pool at her feet. She tugged the hem of his T-shirt from his jeans, and he yanked it off impatiently, then pulled her against him again, the lacy cups of her bra teasing his bare chest.

  “Bed,” he whispered.

  That single word sent Kay’s emotions into chaos. She’d fantasized about this so many times that she was actually shaking when she took his hand. As she led him into the darkness of the pretty little room he’d created for her, she realized that dreams really did come true.

  In the pale moonlight filtering through the lace curtains, the rest of their clothes seemed to melt away between them. Matt stretched out beside her on her cozy brass bed, enveloping her in his arms and pulling her against him, whispering nothing words against her ear until warm shivers ran down her spine. She was delighted to discover that he was the same here as he was in the rest of his life— kind and sweet and generous—at the same time showing her a repertoire of erotic talents that set her senses on fire.

  Then Kay eased Matt onto his back, embarking on a slow, sensual exploration of her own. She dropped feather light kisses against his jaw, his throat, his chest. At the touch of her lips he closed his eyes, his breath coming faster, his muscles tensing as if she was bringing every nerve ending to life. She touched him everywhere, hungry for the feel of him, moving over his body with a boldness she’d never felt with any man before. And she knew it was because she’d never wanted any man the way she wanted Matt.

  As the moments of the night slipped away, he took everything she gave to him and gave her even more in return, driving her crazy with pleasure, crazy with need, crazy with the knowledge that this really was Matt she was with, and it was his hands and his lips and his soft-spoken words that made her think she was going to die just from the pleasure of being with him. She felt as if he were showing her a sweeping, panoramic view of a secret paradise she’d barely even glimpsed before.

  Later they clung to each other, Matt’s breath hot against the hollow of her neck. Then his breathing became softer, more measured, and he rolled to one side and pulled Kay against him. In the cool darkness of her bedroom, she relaxed in his arms, feeling delightfully alive and nearly dead from exhaustion at the same time.

  “You’re not going near that guy again,” Matt said, lacing his arms protectively around her.

  “No,” Kay whispered. “I don’t think I am.”

  “If you do, I’ll have to neuter him—without anesthesia.”

  Kay laughed softly. “You’d be doing womankind a favor.”

  “If you don’t like him, why did you go out with him?”

  Her smile faded. When it came to her feelings for Matt, she never intended to hide them again. “Because I couldn’t stand the thought of spending one more night next to you on that sofa when I wanted so badly to touch you and couldn’t.”

  Matt sighed gently. He rolled her onto her back and stared down at her. “That won’t happen again,” he said, brushing a stray strand of hair away from her cheek. “I don’t want to go five minutes without you touching me.” He met her lips for yet another long, lazy kiss, and Kay decided she’d do everything she could to make sure the five-minute mark was never reached. Even before Matt had touched her tonight, she’d already known she was in love with him. But now as his kiss sent her back into blissful oblivion, another thought fluttered through her mind, then floated downward until it lit gently on her heart.

  He loves me, too.

  A little before seven the next morning, a whisper of daylight filtered through the curtains of Kay’s bedroom, nudging Matt awake. Kay lay beside him, tangled in the sheets, her back to his chest. He rose on one elbow and looked down at her, and decided he’d be content just to stare at her forever. He rested his hand lightly against her hip, then traced a path down her thigh to her knee and back up again, relishing the warmth of her silky skin beneath his hand. She settled even closer to him, and he felt himself getting aroused all over again.

  He’d thought he knew what it would be like to spend the night with Kay, to make love for hours, to hear her soft breathing and feel her move beneath him. But he hadn’t had a clue. As vividly real as his fantasies had been, not one of them had even approached what they’d shared last night.

  Then he thought about the little dance of deception he was going to have to do to keep Kay from finding out about the deal he’d made with Hollinger, and a wave of guilt hit him hard. He wished he could ease her awake, tell her the truth and take whatever came. But he couldn’t. The truth could drive her away forever, and he couldn’t stand the possibility of losing her.

  He had no choice. He’d have to find a way to go to that awards ceremony without her knowing. He couldn’t risk her coming along and finding out even a hint of truth from Hollinger.

  He squeezed his eyes closed and shoved those thoughts from his mind. He leaned over, intending to kiss Kay awake and pick up where they’d left off last night, when all at once he heard the muffled sound of tires on gravel. He breathed a soft curse. This early, it had to be a patient. An emergency.

  He slipped away from Kay and eased out from beneath the covers. She stirred a little,
then was still again. He went to the window and looked out, and apprehension swept over him like a hurricane-force wind. The door to a white Lexus opened, and Robert Hollinger stepped out. No, no, no!

  Matt leaped into his jeans and yanked on a T-shirt, praying Kay would stay asleep. He flew out the bedroom door and down the stairs, hitting the bottom step at the same moment Robert rapped loudly on the door.

  Stay asleep, Kay. Stay asleep!

  Matt stopped for a moment with his hand on the doorknob, trying to get a grip on his respiratory system so he wouldn’t sound like he’d just ran a marathon. He opened the door, slipped out onto the front porch and pulled the door shut behind him.

  “Robert,” he said, trying to sound nonchalant and failing miserably. “What brings you out so early?”

  “I was in the neighborhood.”

  Matt didn’t like this. Not one bit.

  Hollinger turned and leaned against the porch railing, his arms folded over his chest, staring at Matt long and hard. “You’ll never guess who I met at my club last night.”

  Matt eyed him warily.

  “Jason Bradley. Name ring a bell?”

  Matt nearly choked.

  “Yes. He dropped in to drown his sorrows. It seems he’d spent a lovely evening with a woman, only to have her shove him aside for—of all things—a veterinarian. We had the most interesting conversation.”

  Slowly Hollinger’s mask of phony congeniality melted away, exposing an expression of barely concealed fury. “How long has Kay been living here?”

  Matt stared at Hollinger, his mind spinning like crazy. What was he supposed to say? Denying it was foolish. Jason knew better, and he clearly hadn’t hesitated to enlighten his lawyer buddy.

  Matt met Hollinger’s gaze, trying to keep up his shaky facade of nonchalance. “Kay was low on money. She needed a place to stay. That’s all.”

  “How charitable of you to open up your home to her.”