“Then the hot dogs and cotton candy and ice cream on your teeth will be a delicious feast for the cavity monsters who come out when you’re asleep.”
She held back a smile as the boys scrambled out of bed and raced to the bathroom.
While they were brushing, she crossed the room to where Matt was standing and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“Being so great with the boys.”
“They’re great boys,” he said, with an ease that assured her he meant it.
“I think so,” she agreed, then smiled. “Most of the time, anyway.”
The boys raced back into the room, stopping in front of Georgia and opening their mouths for the ritual inspection to ensure there wasn’t anything left for the cavity monsters to snack on in the night.
“Looks good,” she said approvingly.
Then there was a round of hugs and kisses and she tucked them into bed again. Matt glanced at his watch as he followed her into the hall, and she knew he was eager to head back over to the park. But when they made their way down the stairs and into the empty living room, he frowned.
“Where did Brittney and Nina go?”
“I sent them home.” She hoped she sounded more confident than she felt, because now that they were really alone, her stomach was in such a mess of knots she didn’t think they’d ever untangle.
“I thought we were going back to the park to see the fireworks.”
“I changed my mind.”
“Don’t I get a vote?”
She shook her head. “No, but you have a choice.”
“What choice is that?” Matt asked her.
She lifted her arms to link them around his neck. “You can go back to the park for the fireworks—” her fingers cupped the back of his head, drew it down towards hers “—or we can make some of our own right here.”
And then she kissed him.
* * *
To his credit, it didn’t take him long to catch on to the change in their plans. In the space of a heartbeat, surprise had given way to seduction. He didn’t respond to her kiss so much as he took it over—and she let him, because she’d never known anyone who kissed like Matt Garrett, with singular purpose and intense focus.
His lips were firm and masterful, confident and seductive. His tongue slid between her lips, stroked the roof of her mouth. Tingles of anticipation danced over her skin, desire shot through her veins. She wanted this—wanted him—more than she’d realized. And as glorious as it was to be kissed by Matt Garrett, she wanted more. She slid her hands over his chest, where she could feel the beat of his heart beneath her palms—strong and steady. Just like Matt.
She wanted to touch him, to feel the warm texture of his skin beneath her hands. Intent on her goal, she started to tug his shirt out of his pants, and nearly whimpered in protest when he caught her wrists in his hands and held them at her sides.
She eased her mouth from his and looked up at him, her gaze steady and sure. “I want you, Matt. Now. Tonight.”
His eyes darkened, as much she suspected with satisfaction as with desire, but she didn’t care. He could be as smug and self-righteous as he wanted, so long as he was with her.
“No doubts?”
She shook her head. “No doubts.”
His lips hovered over hers again, tantalizingly close and oh so far away. “Are you going to let me strip every piece of clothing off your body, then touch you and kiss you all over until you’re begging for me?”
Georgia wondered how she’d so quickly lost control of the situation. She’d set out to seduce him, and with just a few well-chosen words spoken in that low, sexy voice, he practically had her on the brink of climax. It made her wonder what would happen when he finally touched her—and made her desperate for his touch. But before that could happen, she had to make one thing clear. “I don’t beg.”
He grinned. “We’ll see.”
He captured her mouth again, kissing her so deeply and thoroughly she wanted to beg him to never stop. He finally released his hold on her wrists, skimming his fingers up the length of her arms to her shoulders, over her collarbone. Her skin burned everywhere he touched, and her body yearned everywhere he didn’t. He traced the V-neckline of her blouse, raising goose bumps on her flesh. Then his thumbs brushed over her nipples, and she moaned as sharp arrows of pleasure shot to her core.
His hands immediately dropped away. “Did I hurt you?”
“No.” She shook her head and grasped his wrists, drawing his hands back to her breasts. “I love the feel of your hands on me.”
“Good. Because I want to touch all of you. I want to explore every inch of your satiny skin, every dip and curve of your exquisite body.” As he spoke, his hands moved over her, from her shoulders to her breasts to her hips and her thighs, making her shudder.
“Are you planning to do all of that in the middle of my living room?” she asked.
“I guess a room with a door would be a better option.”
“Upstairs,” she said.
“I know,” he said, and scooped her into his arms.
He knew because he’d taken her to her bed once before. At the time, she’d been practically comatose and unable to appreciate having a strong, handsome man at her disposal. She was definitely going to appreciate him tonight.
And despite having told him that she never wanted a man to sweep her off her feet, she couldn’t deny that there was something incredibly romantic about being held against a solid, masculine chest with a pair of strong arms around her.
He set her on her feet just inside the room, then turned and closed the door with a soft click. Then he waited, as if giving her one last chance to change her mind. She took his hand and led him over to the bed.
Her heart was racing and her knees were shaking, not because she was afraid but because she’d never wanted anyone as much as she wanted this man now. He laid her down gently on the mattress and lowered himself over her. Then he kissed her again, and she sighed in blissful pleasure.
She wasn’t aware that he’d unfastened the buttons of her shirt until he pushed the fabric over her shoulders and down her arms. Then he dipped his head to kiss the hollow between her breasts before he unclipped the front of her bra and parted the lacy cups. She tensed, because her breasts were ultra-sensitive as a result of nursing Pippa, and nearly lost it when he touched his tongue to her nipple.
He continued to focus his attention on her breasts, alternately licking, kissing and suckling until she was very close to begging. And then his mouth moved lower, raining kisses over her rib cage, the curve of her belly, and lower still. She tensed, her hands fisted in the covers, as he removed her jeans.
His fingers trailed along the soft skin inside her thighs, coaxing them to part. Then his tongue followed the same path to the apex of her thighs, and with the first touch of his tongue to her center, she simply and completely shattered.
“Matt.” His name was both a whimper and a plea, but not even Georgia knew if she was begging him to stop—or not.
He didn’t alter course. With his lips and his tongue and his teeth, he continued to tease and torment her, driving her higher and higher, ever closer to another pinnacle of pleasure. She bit down hard on her lip to keep from crying out. She wouldn’t have thought it was possible, but somehow the second climax was even more explosive than the first.
“Now. Please now.”
He paused only long enough to take care of protection, and her body was still pulsing with the aftershocks when he finally levered himself over and into her. She cried out as another wave of pleasure crashed over her. She didn’t think it was possible, that she’d had anything left to give, but Matt proved her wrong once again. As her body found its rhythm in concert with his, she was flooded with new sensations, unimaginable pleasures.
She arched beneath him, lifting her legs to hook them over his hips, drawing him even deeper inside her. His groan mingled with hers, and he began to thrust faster, harder, deepe
r. Her fingers dug into his shoulders, the short nails scoring his flesh, as her body tensed again.
This time he rode the wave with her, crest after crest, until he finally shuddered his release into her.
* * *
Matt had dreamed of Georgia, hot and naked and screaming his name. But as vivid as those dreams had been, they paled in comparison to the reality of the woman in his arms. Making love with her had transcended all of his expectations. She was passionate and playful, and the result was an experience both gloriously intense and unexpectedly fun.
But the best part about making love with Georgia was that even after his body was sated, he still wanted to be with her. He wasn’t proud to admit it, but he’d had a few interludes after which he couldn’t wait to put his clothes back on and go home. And that, he’d finally understood, was the difference between meaningless sex and true intimacy. Both served a purpose, at least with respect to satisfying basic physiological needs, but he’d quickly grown bored of attraction without affection. Thankfully, with Georgia, there was plenty of both.
When he finally managed to catch his breath, he propped himself up on an elbow and couldn’t resist teasing, “You begged.”
One bare shoulder peeked out from the sheet as Georgia shrugged. “It seemed to matter to you.”
“Oh, yeah?” He touched a fingertip to that bare shoulder, traced a path down below the sheet, over the curve of her breast to circle a taut nipple. “That was the only reason?”
“That and the fact that—” her breath caught when he gently tweaked her nipple “—you made my knees weak and my head spin.”
He frowned, feigning concern as he shifted his attention to her other breast. “Sounds like a serious medical condition. Maybe you should see a doctor.”
She smiled at that. “You don’t really expect me to let you play doctor with me, do you?”
“I don’t care what you call it—” he replaced his hand with his mouth, gently licking and nibbling until she was writhing and panting “—so long as you let me play.”
“I can’t think...of any...immediate...objections.”
His hand slid over the gentle curve of her belly to the center of her femininity. And smiled with satisfaction when Georgia’s breath whooshed out of her lungs and her eyes drifted shut.
“In fact...I can’t think...at all.”
“I like when you don’t think,” he told her.
She bit down on her lower lip. “Part of me wonders if I should be insulted by that remark.”
“And the other part?” he prompted.
“All the other parts are too aroused to care.”
“Are you going to beg again?”
“Make me,” she challenged.
And because he’d never been able to resist a challenge, he did.
Chapter Fourteen
Georgia had known that Matt would be a good lover. He was too attentive and thoughtful in every aspect of his life to be otherwise in the bedroom. Not that she had much experience for comparison. She’d never been with anyone but Phillip, and she didn’t know if that was the kind of admission she should have made to a potential lover.
She didn’t know what Matt’s expectations were when he took a woman to his bed. All kidding aside, the man did have a reputation. He’d dated a lot of women, probably slept with a lot of women—women who were likely more sophisticated and experienced than she. And women whose bodies didn’t bear the evidence of having carried three babies.
She wouldn’t trade any one of her children for anything in the world, but that didn’t stop her from wishing—at least in the moment—that her hips were a little less round and the skin on her belly a little more taut. But Matt didn’t seem to have any issues with her body during their two intense rounds of lovemaking. Which might explain why she was so thoroughly exhausted—three games of baseball followed by energetic bedroom activities would wear out anyone.
Georgia stretched her arms up over her head, trying to ease some of the kinks out of her body. Rolling over to face the other side of the bed, she was surprised to find it empty.
Obviously Matt had decided to go home, and while she was undeniably disappointed, she figured it was for the best. They really hadn’t talked too much before they’d fallen into her bed, so it was probably wise for them both to take some time to think things through and reestablish boundaries. Because there had been absolutely no boundaries when she’d been naked in his arms.
After a quick trip to the bathroom, she noticed that soft light was spilling out of Pippa’s partially closed doorway. Tiptoeing closer to peek into the room, she saw Matt in the rocking chair, feeding Pippa a bottle.
He’d pulled on his pants but not bothered with a shirt, and the sight of her baby girl cradled against his solid, masculine chest took her breath away. He should have looked ridiculous—a half-naked man in the midst of all the ultra-feminine décor; instead, he looked perfect—as if he belonged there.
“I raided your freezer stash again,” he explained, whispering so as not to startle the baby.
“I can’t believe I didn’t hear her fussing.”
“She didn’t make too much noise,” he assured her.
“You should have woken me up.”
“I figured it was at least partly my fault that you were so exhausted, and I wanted to let you sleep.”
Even before tonight, even before she’d watched him with her boys, she’d been more than halfway in love with him. But she’d refused to admit it, so sure that she could control her emotions. Then she’d made love with him, and she’d tumbled the rest of the way.
Now, seeing him here with Pippa, looking every bit as if he belonged there, made her wish that Matt Garrett could be a part of her life—and her children’s lives—forever. Except that there had been too many stepfathers in and out of her life for Georgia to let herself even hope. Nothing was forever, and the sooner she put an end to such foolish fantasies, the better.
As he rose to put the sleeping baby back in her crib, Georgia turned away so he wouldn’t see the shimmer of her tears. But he was somehow attuned to the change in her mood, because he followed her into the hall and tipped her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze.
“What’s going on, Georgia?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. You’re right—I’m just really tired and...I think you should go now.”
He seemed more amused than offended by her impulsive suggestion. “Where do I have to go?”
“Home.”
“Why?”
The gentle patience in his tone made her want to scream. How could he be so calm when she was on the verge of a full-scale panic?
“Because it’s late,” she snapped.
He smiled at that. “I don’t have anyone waiting up for me.”
“The puppies,” she suddenly remembered, seizing upon the excuse. “Don’t you have to let them out?”
“I already did,” he told her.
“Won’t they be scared, alone in the house without you?”
“They’ll be fine,” he insisted, and drew her into his arms. “What I want to know is why you’re suddenly scared to have me in your house with you.”
“I’m not scared,” she lied. “I just think we should take a step back.”
His amusement faded. “You want to take a step back?”
She nodded. “Sex is sex, but sleeping together implies a certain level of intimacy.”
“Yes, it does,” he agreed. “And I intend to spend the night with you, Georgia—to sleep with you in my arms and wake up with you in the morning.”
She wanted that, too, far more than she should. Because if she let him stay tonight, she would want him to stay the night after that and the night after that, and eventually she would start to count on him being there.
“Do you want me to beg?” His tone was deliberately light, but she could tell by the intensity of his gaze that he understood this was a big deal to her.
“Would you?” she wondered.
His g
aze never wavered. “I would do anything for you, Georgia. Don’t you know that by now?”
“I guess I do,” she finally said. “And maybe that’s what scares me.”
“Have there been so many people in your life who have let you down?”
“Each of my mother’s four husbands, including my own father. Every single one of them claimed to want her and her kids, and every single one of them dropped out of our lives.”
“And then your husband did the same,” Matt noted with surprising insight. “Not that it was his choice, but the result was the same. He promised to be with you forever, and then he was gone, leaving you alone and your children without a father.”
She nodded.
“And if even he didn’t stick around, why should you trust that I will?”
She nodded again. “And before you point it out, yes, I know that I was the one trying to push you out the door.”
“Because then it would be your choice,” he noted.
Even she hadn’t consciously understood the rationale behind her actions, but now she realized he was right. Every time her mother had walked out on one of her husbands, it had been Charlotte’s choice, and her daughters had no option but to follow her out the door.
“Okay, you get to decide,” he said. “Do you want me to stay—or do you want me to go?”
She should have been relieved that he was letting her choose, because her choice was already made. Except that somehow, during the course of their conversation, she’d started to question the wisdom of her decision to push him away. He’d proven that he understood her as no one else ever had, and he wanted to be with her anyway. And the fact that he had enough faith in her to put the choice in her hands gave her the courage to trust her heart.
She reached for his hand and linked their fingers together. “Stay.”
* * *
Matt understood how hard it was for Georgia to say that single word. Because while it might have seemed like an easy response to a simple question, he knew that it was much more than that.
For Georgia, admitting that she wanted him to stay was the equivalent of putting her heart directly in his hands. And he was both grateful and relieved that she’d found the courage to do so, because whether she knew it or not, his heart was completely in hers.
From Neighbors...to Newlyweds? Page 16