by Joss Wood
Four
Matt deliberately waited until the fundraising meeting was in progress before sliding into one of the many spare seats at the boardroom table. Emily, quickly covering her shock at his presence, paused in her opening statement to ask him, ever so politely, whether he was lost.
His statement that he wanted to help, in any way he could, was greeted with a small round of applause from the ten other volunteers, all women, but he knew Emily wasn’t buying his particular line of BS.
Smart girl.
Forty-five minutes later, Emily called the meeting to a close and thanked her volunteers. Then her eyes clashed with his and he read her order to “sit and stay” as clearly as he read the boring agenda on the table in front of him. Though, he had to admit, Emily plowed through the points of discussion with the ruthless efficiency of a field marshal intent on a quick victory. It was clear that a) she was organized, b) she didn’t like to waste time and c) she was passionate about making Brook Village an even better environment for its residents.
Emily Arnott had a sharp brain behind that gorgeous face and Matt was beginning to believe that most people, including him, underestimated her intelligence. And drive.
It was a mistake he wouldn’t make again.
Matt stood up as a sleek brunette approached him and took the hand she held out. She introduced herself as Gina, Emily’s PA and best friend, and spent a few minutes discussing Brook Village and thanking him for joining Emily’s committee.
Behind her as-dark-as-his eyes, he caught her shrewdness and saw her cynicism. He knew she wanted to ask some hard questions, the obvious being why are you hanging around Emily when you know she’s engaged?
What could he tell her?
That the thought of Nico being engaged to Emily made him sick to his stomach? Sure. He was envious and jealous of her fiancé? Absolutely.
That he wanted Emily more than he wanted to breathe? Triple check.
That he felt out of his depth because women flocked to him and he never overexerted himself in his pursuit of female companionship and this was a strange and unusual situation? God, yes.
“Good night, Gina,” Emily stated, her volume button rising.
Gina pointed a finger at Emily and wagged it. “Play nice. We don’t have that many volunteers and we can’t afford to lose those we do.” Gina grinned and Matt noticed the power of her smile. “And he’s very nice to look at.”
Gina gathered up her bag and her own set of papers and walked out of the room, sending Matt another appreciative glance over her shoulder. He winked at her; she winked back and, with an extra swing of her hips, walked away.
Matt turned his eyes back to Emily and caught her massive eye roll. “You just can’t help it, can you?”
“Help what?”
“Flirting. Whether they are old or young, it’s like you are hardwired to charm.”
Talking to women had never been an issue for him: he liked the species; they liked him back. Up until now, it was a win-win situation.
“She flirted first,” Matt replied, keeping his tone mild.
“You are two peas in a pod,” Emily muttered.
Matt rested his right buttock on the sturdy table and folded his arms across his chest. “Gina told you that you have to be nice to me,” he teased, enjoying the sparks of irritation in her eyes.
“Since Gina works for me and not the other way around, I don’t have to listen to her.”
“I sympathize—I have a bossy PA, as well.”
Emily rubbed her forehead with her fingers and Matt noticed the dark stripes under her eyes. She was exhausted and he couldn’t blame her. Being engaged to Morris was enough to keep anyone awake at night.
“I seem to be asking this question a lot but...why are you here?”
Matt thought about spinning a line but decided she could handle the truth. “I want you—I’ve wanted you every time I’ve seen you. I’m shocked and confused as to why you’re engaged to Morris and I’m not buying your sudden engagement. I don’t believe you want to spend the rest of your life with Morris and nothing about this makes sense.”
Nothing about his need for her made sense either but Matt decided to keep that to himself.
Surprise jumped in and out of her eyes before her expression turned implacable. Matt found that interesting; if he was wrong, he would’ve expected anger, some sort of denial of his words.
“I don’t care what you think, Velez.”
“Oh, I think you do. And I’m also quite curious as to why you kissed me, climbed all over me if you are so in love with your fiancé.”
Emily flushed and Matt wondered if she’d blush like that if she was naked and he was admiring her beautiful body. He hauled in a deep breath, conscious that the fabric covering his groin was a fraction tighter. He’d never wanted anyone more...
And would he want her so much if she wasn’t off-limits?
Man, he couldn’t remember when last, if ever, he gave a woman this much headspace.
Emily opened her mouth to blast him but the words died on her lips. Instead of laying into him, she dropped into her chair and rested her forearms on her knees and stared at the floor. Matt, his attraction to her instantly forgotten as he’d caught the flash of panic in her eyes before she looked down, moved over to her and dropped to balance on his toes, his own arm on his bent knee. “Em, talk to me. Help me understand.”
Emily continued to stare at the carpet and Matt kept his eyes on her face. Up close, he noticed how thick her lashes were, that she had a spray of freckles under her carefully applied makeup and that she had a tiny hole in the side of her nose. Emily had once worn a nose stud or ring and the thought intrigued him. Did a free spirit live under her Goody-Two-shoes, do-no-wrong, conservative persona?
Emily opened her mouth to speak, shook her head and slammed her lips closed. She pushed back her chair and rose to her feet.
Matt looked up at her and slowly stood. Ignoring him, she placed her papers into a fabric folder and closed the lid to her laptop.
He waited for her to face him again, knowing the moment had passed and that she wasn’t going to open up. When she turned to acknowledge him, her remote expression confirmed that she’d shored up her defense. “Why are you hassling me? Is this what you do? Do you get off on pursuing women who are in committed relationships?”
The derision in her voice sliced through him and he fought the urge to hurl a couple of insults back. She was the only one who’d ever tempted him to engage and that was so out of character. Matt kept his emotional distance; if a woman refused his advances, he shrugged her off and moved on.
But Emily Arnott had crawled under his skin and stayed there. Part of it was flat-out desire; part of it was envy that Nico had something that Matt wanted—
Envy, one of the seven deadly sins. Matt was competitive and Nico was one of those guys whose face you wanted to shove into the mud. Beating guys like him was wired into Matt’s DNA.
“Well?”
Matt pulled his attention back to her hot question about his motivations. There was no way he wanted her to know the devastating effect she had on him...he refused to give her that much power.
But, sometimes, the truth, quietly stated, held more power than volatile accusations. “I’m not going to lie to you, Em. I’m attracted to you. And you’re angry because you’re attracted to me too.”
“I gave you a chance to act on that attraction years ago, Matt, and you rejected me.”
Interesting that she didn’t bother to deny her attraction.
“I explained my reasons so stop throwing that in my face,” Matt replied. “Get over it already.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. He waited for her response, wondering whether he’d get a mouthful, a wobbly lip or, God forbid, tears.
Shame flickered in Emily’s eyes. Matt watched, impr
essed, as she pushed starch into her spine and shoulders and held his stare. “You’re right. It’s over and it’s not fair of me to keep tossing that back in your face.”
Matt rubbed his jaw, shocked at her admission. Emily kept surprising him and he wasn’t a man who was easily knocked off his stride. Fighting the urge to kiss her mouth, to pull her into his arms, he walked to the far end of the table where he’d left his half-full glass of water and quickly drained it. Keeping the table between them, he quietly thanked her for her apology before launching another verbal grenade. “I know that there’s something fishy about your engagement to Morris.”
“You don’t know that—you don’t know me!” Emily cried, throwing her hands up in the air.
Matt knew the smile he managed to pull onto his face was grim. “Maybe I don’t know you but I do know him.”
Nico was incapable of love, he wasn’t the type. Matt knew this because it was all he and Morris had in common.
“Please just leave it alone, Matt,” she begged.
He wished he could but he’d sooner be able to stop the world from turning. Rationally, he had no sane reason for inserting himself into her life—and his attraction to her didn’t count. He’d been attracted to women in relationships before but his own moral code didn’t allow him to move in on another man’s territory.
He felt nothing for trying to poach Em away—Morris didn’t deserve that much respect from him—but something else was bubbling between them. Something...
More.
Em was different, this situation was different and his spidey sense was clanging in his head. But, if he thought Em loved Morris, that she was genuinely into him, he’d walk away, respecting her choice. But deep down he knew love wasn’t her motivation for marrying Morris so he wouldn’t leave her alone.
Not yet anyway.
Matt ambled back over to her, bent down and briefly rested his lips on her temple. “Can’t do that. I’ll see you around, Em.”
Matt was pretty sure he heard her release a small growl as he walked away but he knew his control was about to snap. If he turned around, he might just haul her into his arms and try a different way to persuade her to end this sham of an engagement.
* * *
At the meeting earlier in the week, Emily had agreed to give her new Brook Village fundraising committee members, two enthusiastic ladies who were new to Falling Brook, a tour of Davy’s residential home. It was Saturday morning and the tour was over so the last person she expected to see approaching their table on the veranda of the intimate coffee shop was Matt Velez, looking far too sexy in a designer pair of soft-looking jeans, expensive athletic shoes and an untucked rich brown button-down shirt—sleeves rolled up muscled forearms—the exact color of his wonderful eyes.
Eyes that saw too much...
Emily looked down at her ripped-at-the-knees jeans, her off-the-shoulder black-and-white-striped sweater, and couldn’t remember if she put on any makeup that morning. She’d been running late and was only expecting to meet Jane and Linda and not her pain-in-her-butt, make-my-heart-jump newest, and finest, committee member.
“Matt. I was so not expecting you.” Emily said, placing her arm over the back of the chair. “And you’re late so you missed the tour.” Emily gestured to their empty coffee cups. “And we were all just leaving.”
Matt ignored her belligerent tone and turned those soulful eyes onto her companions, his sexy mouth tipping up into a smile. “Morning, ladies, Em. Sorry I’m late.”
He didn’t give an excuse and Emily knew he’d deliberately timed his arrival to miss the tour. He wasn’t there to find out more about Brook Village but to further his own agenda.
If only she knew what that was...
“Nico didn’t join you this morning?” Matt asked, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Catching the eye of a waitress—Macy, one of the residents and Davy’s good friend—he politely asked for coffee.
Macy, utterly flustered, giggled and skipped away. Emily sighed. Another conquest for Matt Velez.
After a few minutes of casual conversation, Jane and Linda rose and Matt, polite as always, shot to his feet. They said their goodbyes and Matt dropped down into his chair again, thanking Macy when she brought his cup.
“It’s a good idea to have a small coffee shop on the premises, a place for the families to gather,” Matt said, leaning back in his chair.
Yeah, it was great, except when her father chatted with Russian mob bosses! Emily looked around, saw many parents visiting the residents but couldn’t see John, aka Ivan Sokolov. Come to think of it, he wasn’t someone she often saw at Brook Village.
“Looking for someone?” Matt asked her.
Emily jerked her gaze back to him and shook her head. “No...no.”
Matt frowned at her overemphatic response. She could see the curiosity in his eyes so she spoke quickly to distract him. He was here, so talking about the facility seemed a safe topic for conversation.
“The residents each have their own living rooms and, depending on their abilities, they can provide their guests with refreshments or, if they want to, a meal,” Emily explained. “Some of our residents have jobs but the coffee shop gives others the chance to earn some money on-site. The cooks are residents too.”
“There’s food?” Matt asked, sounding excited. “Great, I haven’t had breakfast yet.”
“I can recommend the food,” Emily said. “Order the brie-and-cranberry toasted sandwich, it’s divine.”
Matt pulled a face and Emily smiled. “You really aren’t an adventurous eater, are you?”
“Eggs and bacon will be just fine,” Matt replied, his eyes steady on her face. “I’m adventurous in other areas.”
His tone wasn’t lecherous or salacious but Emily knew, just knew, he was referring to the bedroom. And boy, yeah, she could believe that. Matt would be a demanding lover, wringing every last drop of pleasure and pushing his partners to explore their sexuality. She’d had just two very unsatisfactory lovers and she was curious as to whether she could, actually, orgasm.
So far, the Big Os had been elusive. Some women, she’d read, never orgasmed at all and Em hoped, and prayed, that she didn’t fall into that group. But, judging from the way Matt made her feel from just a few kisses—all hot and fluttery and off-balance—he might be the man to help her hit that particular target.
Damn him.
Matt’s low laugh pulled her from the image of him taking her standing up, in a shower or against a wall, his hand under her thigh, pushing into her as he pinned her naked body against a hard surface. Yep, he’d make her come, she was pretty sure of it...
“I would donate a thousand dollars to Brook Village to know what you are thinking right now.”
A thousand dollars? No way could she turn that sort of money down. “I was thinking of you taking me up against a wall and the orgasm that followed.”
Matt stared at her and Emily smiled at his initial shock at her bold words—yeah, she wasn’t such a good girl after all! Then Matt’s eyes flashed with interest and his cheeks darkened with heat. And, best of all, the hand holding his cup trembled. Good to know that she could knock the very smooth Matt Velez off his game.
“You can make the check out to the Brook Village,” Emily told him.
“Done.” Matt placed his coffee mug down and rested his forearms on the table. He stared at her and Emily couldn’t look away; she’d never seen eyes so dark, holding a thousand secrets.
“But, for the record, those are not the sort of comments a happily engaged woman makes to another man, sweetheart. And it just reinforces my opinion that you’re not happily engaged, Emily Arnott.”
Ah, crap. This again.
He was too sharp, far too quick. Matt’s brother, Juan, might be a genius but Matt had received more than his fair share of brains. Emily forced herself to act casual.
“
I’m engaged, not dead, Matteo. And it would be disingenuous of me to deny I am attracted to you since we kissed the other night.” She wiggled her fingers of her left hand, pulling her attention to her ring. “But I am engaged. To Nico.”
She really had to work on sounding more enthusiastic.
Emily wanted to know why he was so against her marrying Nico. Why did he keep pushing and prying; why did he care? Oh, she knew he desired her—their lava-hot kiss earlier in the week proved that—but if sex was all he was after, then she knew there was no shortage of candidates to share his bed. Around him, women fell like pins in a bowling alley, unable to resist his bad-boy-made-good looks and cocky attitude.
“And this has got me wondering...” Emily said, tapping her index finger on the glass tabletop.
“About?” Matt asked, back to looking cool and collected.
“What’s your beef with...” she couldn’t push the word fiancé past her lips “...with Nico? And don’t tell me you don’t have one,” she added.
No, Matt Velez had an agenda and it had more to do with her fiancé and less to do with her. Matt had a problem with Morris; that much was obvious.
But did the root cause of his hostility matter? Did she care as long as his animosity toward Nico benefited her? On one level, it would make sense to team up with him, both of them working to take Nico down—she was pretty sure Matt would be happy to trample on any and all of Nico’s dreams and he might even have information on Nico she could use.
But she couldn’t take the chance of letting him in on her secret. Gina was the only person she’d told and that was because she told Gina everything. And Gina was trying to source information on Nico to help her break her engagement, desperately flipping over rocks to find something to get Nico to leave her alone. She trusted Gina with her life.
She didn’t trust Matt. Nobody could know about Nico’s bizarre but exceedingly effective scheme. He’d identified what was most important to her dad and to her, Arnott’s reputation, and he’d pushed her between a rock and a concrete pillar.