Lovers' Dance

by Carr, K

  “The answer is yes, darling. Whatever you want to ask me, whenever you want to ask me, the answer will always be yes.”

  Nathan raised his head slowly, a tremulous smile on his face. The relief pouring out his eyes made Matt feel downright ecstatic for his closest friend.

  “Even though it’s long overdue?” Nathan asked softly, reaching for Bella’s hand.

  Bella laughed, nodding. “Years overdue but, yes, Nate. The answer will always be yes.”

  Nathan made a sound at the back of his throat, then grabbed Bella to him. Matt averted his eyes as his friend passionately kissed the woman he cherished. He was excited for them, but seeing their happiness only cemented the fact Madi was the only one for him. Did it matter they hadn’t been in a relationship for long? Did it matter their difference in age? Did it matter they were from two completely different worlds?

  No. Matt thought to himself. No to all those questions. This was his life and he wanted Madison DuMont in it. He needed her in it. And that was the most terrifying thing of all. The way he needed her. Of course, he wasn’t going to ask her to marry him immediately. That would be foolish and most likely to scare her away. No, he would need to take his time with her. She was inexperienced, true, and he knew how completely dominating he could be. There was also the issue of their respective families to deal with. Matt chewed his lower lip, eyebrows pulling together with worry as the sound of Nathan intensely snogging Bella continued to fill the limo.

  A year. A year should be enough time to smooth everything into place. A year was sufficient time to make Madi so completely addicted to him that the thought of being without him would be inconceivable. That evening those few months ago, when Nathan had barged into his home with the file that changed Matt’s life, he’d decided he would have her. She was his now, and he planned on keeping her.

  The limo turned down her street, cruising slowly until it stopped in the middle of the road. Matt frowned when he couldn’t see his grandfather’s car. His frown deepened as he peered out at her terrace. He was sure he’d turned the living room lights off when he locked up after them.

  “This is my stop,” he said dryly to his friends.

  Nathan lifted his head, eyes glazed and breathing heavily. Bella was as bad—lipstick smeared and an unfocused look on her face.

  “Wait, Matt,” Nathan said as Matt unbuckled his seatbelt. “We’ve not finished our discussion.”

  Matt’s gaze went to Bella before returning to Nathan’s flushed features. “I think you have more important things to deal with tonight, mate. And remember, she may have said yes but you still need to ask. You can thank me tomorrow.”

  Matt opened his door and got out before Nathan could respond. He shut the door and strode across the street, pulling his keys from his tuxedo jacket. He was certain he’d flicked off the lights when they left earlier…

  <><><>

  “She’s crazy, D.” I said, grinning at my best friend as he chewed the ham sandwich I’d made him.

  Dante swallowed and nodded. “Yeah, but I knew that from the start.”

  I had to laugh at that. We’d been hanging in my kitchen for the past hour and it was nice. A little while after leaving the ball, I realized I hadn’t brought my keys. I was worrying about getting into my house without having to break a window when I remembered Dante kept a spare set.

  Then Grumps had a little talk with me. It wasn’t really ‘with’ me; more like he talked ‘at’ me. If I never saw Matt’s granddad again, it would be too soon. He won the showdown, his pistol faster than mine as he riddled my body with fatal bullets, then kicked my carcass for good measure. The tumble weeds were still rolling around the blood-stained dust. The talk hadn’t been nice. And I didn’t want to think about it anymore. I didn’t want to see another person with the surname Bradley, including my sweet knight. After Grumps had dropped me off, I’d knocked on my neighbour’s door. He hadn’t been pleased at my disturbing his late night Sunday telly, less so when I asked to use his phone to call Dante. Tomorrow I would make him a cake as a thank you.

  “So, what now? Are you going to let her move in?” Even though we were laughing over Dante’s girlfriend wanting to move in with him, it made me feel uncomfortable. I needed to know his answer.

  “Are you crazy?” Dante scoffed and the tenseness in my shoulders eased.

  I fiddled with the edge of my t-shirt. My ruined dress was hanging upstairs in my bedroom. It hurt to look at it. When Dante had arrived at my place, I’d been leaning against my front door battling the simultaneous urge to burst into tears and sorely regretting not throwing stones at Grumps’s car when I had the chance. It had been a horrible talk in the backseat of his car.

  Dante had taken one long look at me, commented on how sexy I looked, then asked if he needed to buy me a sippy cup. I knew it would look as if I couldn’t drink from a glass properly.

  Once he’d opened my front door, I had gone straight upstairs and had a hot shower to wash away the night’s events. I changed into a t-shirt that was big enough to cover my panties and went back downstairs. Dante and I were used to seeing each other in sometimes next to nothing, and all the important bits were covered. It was no big deal.

  “It’s been what?” I plucked the ham out from between the two slices of bread on my plate and folded it in half. “Eight months since you two have been going out?”

  “Yeah,” Dante confirmed as I popped the ham in my mouth and chewed silently. He shook his head slowly. “Eight long months, sweet cheeks.”

  I laughed at his expression. Dante straightened up suddenly, all humour gone from his face.

  “Shh. Was that the front door?”

  “I didn’t hear anything,” I said, straightening up.

  Dante leaned over the counter to grab my rolling pin. “Stay here, sweet cheeks,” he murmured.

  “No way,” I hissed back, following his slow steps to the open kitchen door. “Shit. Did you lock the front door, D?”

  “Shut up,” he whispered, peeking around the door before yelling, “I’ve got a gun and I’m not afraid to use it.”

  “Who in the bloody hell is that?” came from the living room.

  I screamed in shock, not expecting to hear a voice in there. Dante yelled at my screaming behind him and dropped the rolling pin. We scrambled for the rolling pin, both yelling at the top of our voices.

  “Madi.” That was shouted, and totally recognizable. I froze. Matt was here?

  Dante got a grip on the rolling pin, standing up and pushing me against the wall in a protective manner when Matt came into the hallway.

  “Ow, Dante!” I yelped. “It’s Matt, for God’s sake.”

  “Oh,” Dante said, lowering the rolling pin and a tad out of breath. “Hey, man, you can’t walk into someone’s house like that at this time of night. People get popped for shit like that.”

  I eased out from behind Dante and took a few steps in Matt’s direction. His gaze jumped between me and Dante as he closed the distance between us.

  “Poppet,” he said, pulling me into a tight hug. “I was worried. How on earth did you get inside?”

  “Mfante mhas meeys,” I said. My face was being crushed against Matt’s chest. How did he always smell delicious?

  “What?” Matt asked, leaning back and allowing my mouth free movement.

  “Dante has a spare set of keys,” I explained. “I called him after your grandfather dropped me off. What are you doing here?”

  Matt’s eyebrows shot up as he gave me an incredulous stare. “What am I doing here? What do you think? Bella told me what happened with Louisa. You didn’t have your keys or your mobile. I knew you had no way of getting in the house and I had my keys, so, of course, I’m here.”

  My mouth curled up at the corners. He was a knight. My knight. I remembered the conversation in the backseat of Grumps’s car. My smile disappeared.

  “Sweet cheeks, I’m gonna go,” Dante said quickly.

  I pulled away from Matt, turning around to see D
ante heading back into the kitchen, swinging the rolling pin in his hand.

  “Where are the rest of your clothes?” Matt asked coldly.

  “What?” I glanced down at my body, then back up at Matt. He did not look amused.

  “Your. Clothes,” he enunciated slowly.

  “Matt.” I pushed him away. “Don’t be silly. Gimme a sec, will you?” I didn’t wait for his answer, instead sprinting after Dante.

  He was picking up his leather jacket off the table and shrugging it on. “What time are you coming in tomorrow?” he asked.

  I walked over to get my rolling pin and return it to its rightful place. Matt walked into the kitchen, an unreadable expression on his face.

  “The final auditions start at ten am, I’ll probably be there around seven-ish.”

  Dante nodded. He kept glancing at Matt under his thick eyelashes. “All right. Don’t forget we’re having lunch with Kincaid tomorrow. Dress accordingly.”

  I stuck my tongue out at him, then went over to give him a big hug. “Thanks for tonight.”

  “No problem,” he muttered, squeezing me tight before letting go. “Walk me out. Nice seeing you, man,” he added in Matt’s direction, before picking up his bunch of keys and sauntering out of my kitchen with me on his heels. I flashed Matt a quick smile as I passed him.

  “Are we doing a Halloween recital this year, Dante?” I asked. “We still have to plan the Christmas recital for the beginners and intermediate classes. I don’t think we have enough time.”

  We were almost at the front door. Dante bit his bottom lip. “I’ll work out some simple choreography for the little ones. You know how much they love putting on a show for Halloween.”

  I nodded, then shared a grin with him. “We have the decorations from last year. Yeah, let’s do it.”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow,” Dante said, before walking out of the front door.

  I waved for a minute, then shut the door. Matt was standing in the hallway with folded arms.

  “First things first, poppet,” he began before I could say anything. “I’m going to resolve this Louisa issue as soon as possible. I can’t believe she would sink to such a childish level and it won’t be tolerated. I’ll reimburse you for your dress, also.”

  “Matt, I don’t want you—”

  “The second thing I want to discuss,” Matt cut me off as he strode towards me. “Is why does Dante have keys to your place? I’m not comfortable with the idea of him having free access to your home. You need to take your keys back.”

  “Matt. Don’t be ridiculous. Dante’s always had keys—”

  “Thirdly,” he continued as if I hadn’t spoken. “And, this is a serious one, poppet. I am definitely not happy with you parading about in knickers and a t-shirt in front of another man at your home, far less you hugging him in a state of undress. Don’t let that happen again.”

  “Oh my God. He’s my best friend and—”

  “Fourthly,” Matt was towering above me now, so I had to tilt my head back to see into his piercing eyes. “I’ve decided to start dating you properly from tomorrow. Tonight, I’m going to make love to you, so go upstairs and wait for me in bed. I’ll lock up for you.”

  “But you said—”

  Matt rested a finger on my lips. “I know what I said, and what I’m saying now is that I need to be inside you.” He gently stroked his finger across my mouth. Matt groaned, leaning forward to replace his finger with his sexy lips. When he raised his head, we were breathing heavily and the anticipation of certain pleasure was making my hands shake.

  “Okay,” I agreed. Matt’s tongue traced his lips, slowly. My heart rate accelerated.

  “Good,” he said gruffly. “Now go.”

  I went. Hell, I ran upstairs, Matt’s laughter at my eagerness chasing me up the stairs. Inside my bedroom I dashed around, frantically trying to tidy up and making sure to set my alarm for in the morning. I then thought, screw it, and went over to my dresser. I could hear Matt coming up the stairs and, soon enough, he was striding down the hallway to my bedroom. I rifled through the drawer, undecided and shaking with excitement. Oh, my word. We would be sexing tonight.

  “Madi,” he said from behind me. The door closed quietly. “What are you doing?”

  “Looking for sexy lingerie.” I glanced over my shoulder at him, grinning like a fool.

  Matt shrugged off his jacket and I turned around to face him with a handful of sexy panties. My mouth went dry at the look in his eyes. He was going to ravish me tonight. I knew that look.

  “You don’t need lingerie, poppet. Come here,” he ordered. He undid the cufflinks on his shirt and dropped them on the floor.

  I shook my head and he tugged loose his bow tie.

  “You’re going to make me come over there?” he asked in a low, throaty voice.

  Oh, God. I hoped I could keep up with him. Matt had so much stamina it was unbelievable. I licked my lips as he tugged his shirt out of his trousers and started unbuttoning it.

  “I want you to know, poppet,” he drawled, finishing with the buttons and easing off his shirt. It joined the jacket, bow tie and cufflinks on the floor. My breath caught in my throat at the sight of his broad chest. “That I plan on doing things to you.” His belt was being unbuckled. In seconds, it landed on the pile of clothes by his feet. “Things and, mmm, positions we may not have tried before.” The button for his trousers went pop, then the noise of the zipper being undone followed. My eyes were drawn to the sound. My mouth was so dry I could barely swallow.

  “I don’t want you to be nervous, poppet,” he continued. The trousers slid down his legs. Wow. That thick bulge straining against his silk boxers was for me. He stepped out of his trousers. “Trust me?”

  “What sort of things?” I managed to get past my dry throat.

  “Do you trust me?” he asked taking a step towards me.

  “Freaky things?” I asked. “Or good things?”

  Matt took two more steps and smiled at me, an enticingly sexy smile that made my panties wet. “Do you trust me, poppet?”

  “Yes, but we’ll take it slow.”

  Matt nodded, closing the distance between us in a couple of strides. “We’ll start slow, poppet, then we’ll see how things progress.”

  That sounded fine to me. I splayed my hands across his chest and went up on tiptoes. Matt bypassed my trembling mouth to kiss the edge of my jaw. I shuddered in delight at the sensation. Then he pulled back.

  “Take your clothes off,” he said in a strained voice.

  Seven seconds: I think that was all it took for me to get naked. Matt’s eyes devoured me. I couldn’t wait for him to use more than his eyes. It wasn’t a long wait. He rested his hands on my shoulders, running them up and down my arms. Then he gripped my hips and yanked me up against the hard lines of his body.

  He kissed me. I kissed him back. But I wanted the last piece of clothing between us gone. I gripped the bottom of his boxers and tugged, slowly. Matt groaned into my mouth. I kept tugging them down until his throbbing hardness sprung free, jerking against my stomach. I pulled away from his soft lips so I could help him get them off.

  Finally. We were both naked. Matt moved behind me, I made a sound of protest. I wanted to see him, to stare at his yummy goodness, but he had other ideas. Matt brushed my hair aside and began kissing the back of my neck, while his other hand trailed over my stomach, inching up until he grazed the underside of my right breast. I inhaled sharply, waiting for that light touch to increase in pressure. It didn’t, and I pushed seductively back against him. Matt’s tongue licked a fiery path over my shoulder. I gasped softly. His hand slid back down, past my stomach. The air froze in my lungs as, without warning, he slipped a finger inside me. Matt groaned.

  “I love that,” he whispered over my skin. “You’re so wet for me, always ready for me, poppet.” Matt moved us closer to the bed. With a finger still inside my pulsing flesh, he did two actions at once: bent me over the bed and pushed my feet apart with his, s
o I ended up in an—ahem—unladylike position. Matt pulled his finger away and, seconds later, I could feel his throbbing flesh pushing into mine. I was wet enough for him to slide a couple of inches in, stretching my entrance with the slightest of resistance. Matt was big and I knew what was coming.

  “Matt.”

  “Don’t be nervous, poppet,” he said in a ragged voice, easing back until only the tip of him remained inside. I was off balance in my position. He grabbed my hips with both his hands and yanked me back as he thrust forward, slamming home in one eye-popping go. My body was obviously further along than my brain, because my brain was yelling ‘Whoa there, big boy’, while my body was screaming ‘yeeesss.’

  “That’s not starting slow,” I finally managed to squeeze out as my inner walls spasm around him. Matt filled me so completely he was hitting all my spots and my knees were buckling. It felt like forever since we had done this.

  Matt pulled out slowly, exhaling loudly as he tightened his hold on my hips and said, “Poppet, this is slow in comparison to what’s going to happen tonight.”

  He didn’t give me a chance to say anything more. In fact, I seriously doubted I was capable of speech at that moment. Matt possessed me, that was the only way to describe it. He took my body and made it his own. I forgot about his crazy ex, about Grumps’s conversation with me…hell, I forgot my damned name. Only after I’d orgasmed for the third time did Matt pause.

  “Poppet.” He groaned shakily. “Are you still with me?”

  My face was pressed into the mattress, my body convulsing from the pleasure. Only Matt’s hold around my stomach was keeping me halfway off the bed. My legs were jelly and useless at this point.

  “Nngh.” I grunted and Matt laughed. He eased me onto the bed, turning me over and collapsing by my side as he got his breathing under control. Matt began running his hand slowly over my body and I groaned in desperation. Too much, it was too much too soon.

  “I’m going to make love to you now,” he murmured, pressing tender kisses across my damp cheek. Matt was stroking my sensitive flesh, every touch made me jerk and moan. Feeling embarrassed over the copious amount of moisture from my orgasms that was probably coating his hand was beyond me at this moment—until he dragged that hand up my body, rubbing the evidence of my climaxes over my stomach, my breasts, and smearing it all over my mouth.