‘Will you need me then?’
He choked back his instinctive reply.
‘I’ll keep in touch. Now I’d better get you home.’
He took her hand, led her to the laundry and reached for the door knob to the garage. His brain urged caution. Every muscle tensed with craving. Every cell in his body clamoured, ‘Ask her to stay.’
Lauren wasn’t his ex, she was as wary as he was. He saw his knuckles whiten and he let go, slamming his hand onto the wall beside her head.
Her eyes widened, her lips parted and her breasts lifted as she sucked in air. He drew her into his arms, his forehead resting on hers. He heard her bag hit the floor and felt one arm encircle his waist. The other hit his chest between them.
It felt good, so good. But not enough. He ached for something unattainable, something that didn’t exist. He’d have to settle for whatever she was prepared to give. For being close and building up memories that wouldn’t turn sour in acrimony.
She leant into him, and had to be aware of his harsh breathing, how hard his heart was thumping. How aroused he was.
He bent his head. She lifted hers to meet him. He kissed her gently, using every ounce of restraint he could muster, shuddered as her fingertips pushed up his chest to trace a fiery path over his already heated skin. Her unique aroma stirred him with every breath.
He teased her lips into opening, and tasted sweet coffee, mellow wine and Lauren. Encouraged by her muted sighs, he strengthened his hold, stroking and caressing, binding her to him. Only when his lungs screamed for air did he break the kiss, trailing his lips across her neck.
Her eyes moved under closed lids. Her trembling vibrated through him, or were his tremors affecting her? He willed her to look at him and his heart slammed into his ribcage when she did. Gold specks glittering, her hazel eyes smouldered with desire. She wanted him. Primal macho pride surged through him.
But before he allowed himself to accept what her eyes were offering, that same pride decreed he be totally honest, even if it meant she didn’t stay. He pressed her head to his shoulder, not wanting to see her expression change, fighting for a softer way to tell her.
There wasn’t one. He watched his breath stir her hair as he forced out the words.
‘One thing life’s taught me is there’s no rose-covered cottage with two dogs and a cat and a happy-ever-after waiting for you to find it. Flowers don’t last and having a one true love is as rare as a priceless diamond.’
She made a strangled gasp into his shirt. He cupped her chin, raising her head until their eyes met, and felt a strong urge to take it all back just to see the pain vanish. He couldn’t. He wouldn’t deceive her.
‘I want you, Lauren. I want to make love to you so badly it’s driving me crazy. But I won’t lie. I don’t believe in soulmates and endless romance, I’ve seen too much anguish caused when others have. However, I do believe in and expect complete fidelity.’
Lauren’s heart twisted. Someone had hurt him, broken him, making him doubt every other woman he met. She fought for composure. If she gave in to desire, she’d be the one counting the cost.
Her heart didn’t care, deeming every moment spent with him worth any pain. There was no yesterday, no tomorrow, only now. There was only Matt Dalton, his skin hot under her hand, his body trembling in sync with hers and his heartbeat pounding against her breast.
She inhaled, drew in ocean spray and aroused male. Wanted, ached for more. All-consuming heat coils spiralled from her core. Her fingers itched to unbutton his shirt and caress the muscles it defined.
‘Matt?’ A dry whisper, pathetically weak for the powerful emotions controlling her.
Passionate blue eyes darkened, his nostrils flared, his lips parted. Something akin to euphoria swept through her. He was no longer the aloof, self-contained executive of fourteen days ago. This was primal man. And tonight she would be his.
‘Lauren. I...’ Rough. Grating. Emotional.
She touched one finger to his mouth. ‘No promises. No tomorrow. Only us tonight.’
With a triumphant growl, he scooped her up, claiming a conqueror’s kiss as he strode towards his room. To that massive bed with its rumpled sheets and pillows sure to smell of ocean waves.
* * *
The sudden shudder from head to feet took Matt by surprise. His body resonated with the aftermath of the most intense, satisfying sex of his life. As if they’d been transported to a new dimension where only they existed. Lauren had been his, totally, utterly his from the moment he’d lain beside her, kissing and caressing her, moulding her body to his form.
Tightening his arms around her, he held on, riding out the incredible feeling, wishing he could see her beautiful face and her lovely expressive eyes. There was only the faintest light seeping round the edges of the window blinds, only enough to see shadowy outlines.
She was stroking his chest, threatening to reignite the fire that had consumed them both. His willingness to be engulfed by the flame warred with the suspicion that she didn’t realise the fervent effect her gentle action evoked.
He placed his hand over hers, sought and found her lips. Keeping the kiss soft and light, he tried to let her know how he felt, elated yet humble, primal yet emotionally moved.
Her soft sigh motivated action.
‘Don’t go away.’ He went to the ensuite, turned on the light, then left the door ajar, allowing subdued light to spill into the room. Bunching up the pillows, he slid into bed and nestled her tight against his side, her head on his shoulder. Her breath blew across his chest, tickling his skin in the nicest sensation imaginable. Her hand lay over his rapid-beating heart.
He’d never initiated after-sex talks, curtailed them as quickly as possible if his partner did. This new desire to learn all he could about Lauren was unnerving and compulsive, so not him. Confidences led to familiarity, which equated with vulnerability. And that he’d determined never to risk.
He stroked her hair for a moment, pressed a kiss on her forehead.
‘Why are you so wary of guys like me? Maybe not me so much any more, but it’s there. With Alan too.’
Lauren didn’t answer. Her body stiffened, she stared at his chest, and her fingers curled. Idiot, he’d pushed too soon. If he could see her face...hell, he knew what he’d see. Fear. Reluctance.
He’d had no choice but to tell her about his father, had given her no reason to believe she could confide in him.
‘There was a woman in London I’d known and dated for quite a while. I liked her a lot, though after I wondered if she’d shown her true self to me at all. We shared mutual interests and friends, got on well and I believed we could have a mutually advantageous marriage. It’s surprising how many people settle for that. Love wasn’t a factor at all.’
He had no idea why he’d confessed his humiliating experience unless it was to show her she could trust him, that she was different from other women he’d known. His calm, rational approach to the relationship with Christine was worlds away from the mind-blowing emotions Lauren aroused simply by being in the same room.
She stirred as if preparing to pull away. He held on, needing contact, and rushed the end of his embarrassing story.
‘Luckily for me I discovered she was also involved with a married man before I proposed. I ended the relationship immediately.’
She raised her head and he was stunned by the honest sympathy in her eyes, not a hint of disapproval for his cold approach to a lifetime commitment. He kissed her, holding back the passion that flared. Having her confide in him was paramount even if he wasn’t sure why at the moment.
‘We’ve all done things we regret or had them done to us. I have no right to judge anyone, Lauren. Will you tell me? Whose actions did you brand me, Alan and umpteen other guys with?’
Her eyes clouded a second before she dropped her gaze.to h
is throat. She quivered, and sucked in a long breath. Feeling like a louse, he was about to tell her it didn’t matter.
Lauren blurted the first words out in a breathy rush then steadied as Matt soothed her back with rhythmic caresses.
‘Just after Christmas, the same year you and I...you know... There were often weekend barbecues in our place, crowded, noisy, lots of drinking. My brothers’ friends got a kick out of teasing me, and calling me little sister to make me blush and get tongue-tied. To them it was harmless fun. I hated it.’
The almost forgotten feeling of helplessness crashed back, clogging her throat, rendering her speechless. Followed just as suddenly by an empowering sensation. She was no longer a victim. She’d grown and moved on. Hadn’t she talked to them at Easter without any childish awkwardness?
‘I can see now it was thoughtless but never ill intentioned. If I’d been closer to any of my family I’d have been able to tell them how I felt. Instead I used to spend most of my free time with friends. That night the house was quiet inside when I was dropped off. I didn’t see my brother’s best friend leaning on the dining room door jamb until he lurched out and grabbed me in a bear hug.’
Matt pushed up against the bedhead, taking her with him. ‘Lauren, if you—’
‘He mumbled, “You’re pretty, li’l sister,” and kissed me. He stank of beer and sweat and to me it was gross. I remember kicking his shins, breaking free and looking over the top of the stair rail with revulsion. He was slumped against the wall, finishing off his can of beer.’
‘And you lumped our kiss on the balcony with that?’ His incredibility was tinged with anger.
‘No! You were...’ In her eagerness to appease him she almost divulged how special his kiss had been, how she’d created fantasies of him over the years.
‘Matt, I’m sorry, truly sorry. I let one drunken incident influence my judgement of certain types of good-looking men. From his attitude on the few occasions we’ve met since, I’m convinced he doesn’t remember it at all.’
‘Lauren Taylor.’
She recognised the corporate tone from their earliest meetings and squeezed her eyes shut as if that would prevent the coming declaration. He tilted her chin up, coaxing her to look into determined midnight-blue eyes.
‘You are very special and I intend to banish every skerrick of that image from your memory. In the best, most personal way possible. And I promise you won’t want to run from me.’
His kiss was sweet and tender, and, for her, much too short. Humour glistened in his eyes as he raised his head.
‘So you think I’m good-looking? Tell me more.’
CHAPTER TWELVE
THERE WERE FEW vehicles on the roads as Matt drove home after leaving Lauren at her hotel room in the early hours of the morning. Gently nudging her through her door and not following tested his resolve. Pulling it shut to enable him to walk away from her sweet smile, flushed cheeks and slumberous hazel eyes was the hardest action he’d ever taken.
He could still feel her soft lips responding to his in the longest, sweetest goodnight kiss he’d ever had. No holding back. No expectations.
He’d asked her to stay all night but understood her need for distance after their shared confessions and lengthy conversation after. It had been soul-searing for them both. They’d have distance all right, three days, two nights and who knew how many kilometres.
He parked in his garage, switched off the engine and clicked the remote to wind down the roller door. Didn’t move. Didn’t want to go into that empty unit where her tantalising perfume lingered and her presence was now indelibly implanted into the atmosphere.
Reclining the seat and pushing it back, he lay staring at the roof. New, clean, unmarked, like everything else he owned in Australia. Limbo land. Between the old and the unknown.
He closed his eyes—body weary, mind wide awake. His impulsive kiss so long ago had caused repercussions he’d never have believed, and distress for Lauren. He’d allowed his perception of his parents’ relationship to affect his attitude. Love might not be blind but maybe it blurred faults in those you cared for.
Lena and Mark, Duncan and Clair. There were other happy couples he knew too. Did his mother’s love override the pain of his father’s affairs?
He yawned, ought to go in, get a few hours’ sleep to cope with the long day ahead. He’d miss her in his bed—probably lie awake remembering the passion they’d shared. Had those harsh, ecstatic groans of release mingling with her joyful cries come from him? His lips curled, his body shifted as he remembered her kittenish mews. He slept.
* * *
Lauren woke early, a faint ray of daylight competing with the street lamps to dispel the night. She quivered as memories teased her from sleep, and grew stronger, more vibrant. More intimate.
She blushed as she recalled how forward she’d been, so unlike the compliant participant in her other relationships. Matt had gently encouraged her, kissed her until she was molten lava in his arms then taken her to the stars and beyond.
It was because of those new and tumultuous sensations, followed by the sharing of their innermost secrets, that she’d asked him to take her back to the hotel. Part of her had longed to stay, to sleep cradled to his body and make love in the morning as the sun rose. The other half had felt vulnerable, shocked by her ardent responses, and needing solitude to decipher why now? Why him?
A similar duel had her torn between knowing how much she’d miss him and feeling an inexplicable inclination to re-erect the defence shield round her heart. She had three days to...who was she kidding? Her surrender had been complete.
* * *
Thirteen hours later she pushed her dinner plate to the far corner of the table and opened the green patterned spiral notebook she’d bought in the quirky gift shop a few hours ago. Along with presents for friends’ future birthdays.
She’d never been one for writing copious holiday descriptions, relying on photos, brief notes and her memory. She’d kept Matt’s image at bay as she drove, forcing her mind into work mode where nothing was allowed to intrude on the task at hand. New vehicle, new roads, though there were fewer freeways than in New South Wales.
As she wrote and sipped delicious rose tea she noticed the small ceramic vases on the dining-room tables, each one unique and holding two fresh flowers and a sprig of greenery. Her vase with orchids was swathed in bubble wrap and secured behind the passenger seat of the car.
Laying her new special green pen down, she cradled her cup, recalling his tenderness and sensitivity, and the way his passion, matching hers, had overridden both. No one had ever made her feel so feminine, so aroused. She relived the evening from the initial eye contact across the road to his reluctant expression as he’d closed her hotel-room door.
Lost in reminiscence, she jumped when her mobile rang, rummaged for her phone with unsteady fingers.
‘Matt.’
‘Hi, having a good day?’
His now oh-so-familiar raspy voice triggered a rush of heat through her veins. She leant her elbow on the table, and pressed her mobile tighter to her ear as if the action would bring them together.
‘Yes, I turned off at any interesting sign, and stopped at almost every town I went through. The autumn colours are incredible. I took lots of photos and bought a few presents.’ She was babbling, couldn’t seem to slow down.
‘Did you miss me?’ Deeper, hopeful tone.
‘If I say yes, you’ll claim an advantage. How did your meetings go?
‘Chicken. I missed you. Only had one. Where are you now?’
She clutched her stomach to quell the fluttering his confession created, steadied her breathing, and fought for her normal placid tone when she replied.
‘Nuriootpa for the night. Tomorrow, who knows?’
‘You will be back on Friday?’ The teasing
note disappeared. He sounded serious, surprisingly uncertain.
‘That’s the plan. Is there a problem?’
‘Not from my end. You’ll be getting a call from Clair in the next hour or so. We’ve been invited to their home in the Hills for the weekend.’
‘We?’
‘As in you and me, Lauren. Duncan wants to discuss the company’s current position, and the business proposal I pitched to him a couple of weeks ago in a relaxed atmosphere. They want you to come with me.’
‘Why? I’m not part of your deal at all.’
‘They like you.’
Not exactly the answer she wanted to hear.
‘Lauren, I want you to come. You know them, said you liked them. If it’s our relationship worrying you, I promise nothing will happen between us unless you want it to.’
Of course she wanted it to; the location was irrelevant. Last night had been the most wonderful experience of her life. The dilemma was the when and where.
‘A whole weekend in someone’s home is a giant leap from having dinner with them.’ With added pressure if they believed she and Matt were involved.
He made an exasperated noise in his throat.
‘I wish I could see you, reassure you. Will you please consider it? Talk it out with Clair?’
She shared the same desire to be with him but she was also aware of how much he was counting on making a deal with Duncan Ford. Would it make a difference if she could see his expression? Moot point so far apart.
‘Okay. I’ll decide when I talk to Clair.’
‘Let me know. Now tell me where you went and what you did.’
* * *
Matt almost rolled off the lounge as he lunged for his mobile an hour or so later, failing to stifle a harsh groan as his elbow hit the side of the coffee table, and his mug fell off.
‘Lauren.’
‘What was that?’
Simultaneous voices, then silence.
‘Matt, are you there?’ He liked, more than liked, the concern in her tone.
A Bride for the Brooding Boss Page 12