He caught the gaze of a middle-aged gent sipping his pint and smiled. The man looked a little taken aback at first, then returned the smile, probably remembering he was in a small village where everyone knew everyone and it was normal to speak and be polite—not a large town or city where anonymity and rudeness were often the name of the game.
Satisfied he’d not scared the shit out of the bloke, Matthew continued to surreptitiously check out the rest of the clientele. Before he’d gone too much further, his attention became stuck on the table in the corner by the window. Or, more accurately, the person sitting at the table in the corner by the window. A gorgeous-looking brunette with a figure to die for was enthusiastically putting away the contents of her plate—the chef’s pie of the day, by the looks of it. She speared a chip, dipped it into the gravy inside the pie and popped it into her mouth, the expression on her face clearly showing her appreciation.
Downing the rest of his whisky and calling for another, Matthew made up his mind. Leaving the village to have some fun was not an option, so if the sexy tourist was single and up for it, he’d have a good time with her instead.
Chapter Eighteen
Matthew waited until the woman was done with her dinner before he approached—he didn’t want to intrude or piss her off before he’d even tried to chat her up. He didn’t leave it too long, though, as he didn’t want to risk her paying her bill and scarpering before he got chance to speak to her.
He picked up his drink and strode over to her table, looking as open and friendly as possible—he’d been accused of appearing grumpy on more than one occasion. “Hello,” he said, flashing the woman a smile. “Mind if I join you?”
She quickly quashed her expression of surprise, morphed it into one of politeness and indicated he should take a seat. “Not at all.”
“I’m Matthew Adams.” He reached out a hand.
The brunette took it, and they shook. “Sally Madeley. Pleased to meet you.”
“And I you. I hope you don’t mind me intruding.”
“No, it’s fine. You’re not intruding.”
Matthew beamed. “Oh good, that’s great.” He had no idea what to say next. Normally when he picked up women for one-nighters or flings, he was pretty drunk and in the kind of place where it was the norm. Here, in his local pub, which contained people he knew, it was suddenly much more difficult. Fuck, he hadn’t thought about that. He noted with relief her glass was almost empty. “Hey, can I get you another drink?”
“Um, okay. That would be great. It’s just a lime and lemonade, thanks. No ice.”
“Sure I can’t tempt you on anything stronger?” He waggled his eyebrows.
Sally laughed, then looked at her watch. “It’s a bit early for that, isn’t it?”
He glanced down at his whisky. “Huh. I suppose it is.”
“Bad day already, eh?”
Matthew nodded. “Something like that.”
“Go on then. I’ll have a small glass of white wine, please.”
“Coming right up.” He stood, went to the bar and placed the order. A minute later, he returned to Sally’s table and handed her her drink. “There you go.”
“Wow. That was fast service. Did you threaten the barman or something?”
“Didn’t need to. He’s my friend. And my boss.”
“You work here?”
“Sure do. Amongst other places. What brings you here? To Eyam, I mean. Not the pub.”
“I’m on holiday, staying in one of the cottages in the village for a week. And thanks.” She indicated the wine.
“You’re welcome. Holiday, eh? What’s one of those?”
She caught his smirk. “It’s where you take some time off from your everyday life and relax. Preferably go somewhere new. Oh, and have fun. I’d forgotten what all of that was like, according to my friends, so here I am.”
He’d clocked the lack of mention of a significant other and hoped it meant there wasn’t one. “A workaholic, huh?”
“Yep. Sounds like you know exactly what I’m talking about.”
“Sad to say I do. Damn, I could really do with taking some time off. I live here, work here, my friends and family are here…”
“I can’t help with the time off,” Sally said, then took a sip of her wine and peered at him from beneath her eyelashes. “But perhaps I can help with the fun part.”
Matthew raised an eyebrow. Looked as if she was making the first move. Excellent. He hadn’t been betting on it, but he’d take it. “What do you have in mind?” He let his gaze rake up and down her body, ensuring there was no mistaking his interest in her.
“I think you know.” It was her turn to raise an eyebrow, and she teamed it with a wicked grin that had the blood rushing to Matthew’s groin in seconds. “Want to finish these drinks and get out of here?”
“Yes.” He picked up his glass and downed the amber liquid in one go, before placing the glass back on the table. “Yes I do.”
“Christ. I don’t know whether to be flattered or offended by the speed you just gulped that down.”
“Flattered.” He grinned. “Most definitely flattered.”
“Hmm, okay then. But you’ll have to wait more than two seconds for me to finish mine. I’ve barely started it yet.”
“Not a problem. Take your time.”
Sally narrowed her eyes, seemingly not quite believing him. She put her glass to her lips and sipped at the contents. Slowly, delicately.
The wench—she was fucking teasing him! What’s more, he realised as blood thundered to his dick, he liked it. Grinning, he kept quiet and didn’t let on that her tactics were working—his hormones were rushing around his body at a hundred miles an hour and he could have happily thrown her over his shoulder and taken her to bed. But he wouldn’t. He suspected she wouldn’t be totally averse to that kind of caveman-like behaviour, but it would have to wait until they were in private. Drawing attention to himself and Sally was not a good idea—the fact he was sitting with her was probably already making tongues wag behind the bar. He didn’t want them to know he was about to take her home, too.
The thought of tongues wagging made him think of his brother. Isaac would not be at all happy to find out Matthew had slept with someone in the village. She might not be a villager, but it didn’t matter. It still went against their self-imposed agreement, and considering the grief Matthew had given his brother over Nathaniel… it was hypocritical, to say the least.
There was no way he was going to back out now. Sally was beautiful, sexy, and willing—exactly what he needed, in other words. He just had to be subtle, that was all.
“Hey.” He checked to make sure none of the villagers could hear him. “Where are you staying? I’ll wait for you there.”
Sally frowned. “Why don’t you wait for me now? We can go together.”
Jerking his head in the direction of the bar, Matthew replied, “Because this is a small village where everyone knows everyone else’s business. And I don’t want them to know mine.”
“Okay…” She sounded doubtful, but told him which cottage she was staying in.
“I’ll see you there when you’ve finished your drink. Don’t rush, though—it’ll look really suspicious. Okay? Bye.” He stood, collected the empty glasses, and put them on the bar before calling to Dennis, “I’m off, mate! See you later.”
“Cheers, Matthew. See you.”
He left the pub, letting out a sigh as he stepped into the open air. Given all his secrets, he should really be much better at hiding things. The truth was he hated skulking about, telling lies, avoidance techniques. But, as annoying as it was, it was necessary. Both his bigger, life-changing secrets, and the fun one he was going to indulge in very soon.
Sally had told him her cottage was at the other end of the village. It wasn’t far from his house, and as he walked up there, he couldn’t decide if this was a good thing or a bad thing. Somewhere in between, he supposed. Good, because it was away from the main hubs of the village—the
pub, village shops, and so on—but bad because it meant he had to walk past home to get there. If Isaac was in and he saw him, he’d want to know where Matthew was going. Which would involve another bloody lie.
As he headed past Alex Kennedy’s shop, Matthew scented his brother. He immediately picked up his pace—Isaac was in there, so if Matthew could get a way up the road and out of sight before Isaac came out, he wouldn’t be spotted. It was enough incentive to run, really, but he resisted the temptation. That would only attract attention. Instead, he maintained his pace and looked as nonchalant as possible, only stopping short of putting his hands in his pockets and whistling because he knew how ridiculous that would be. An admission of being up to something.
After a few minutes, he passed his house and continued along the road, making directly for Sally’s cottage and wondering where on earth he could wait without looking totally dodgy. He unwound the bandage from his wrist and stuffed it in his pocket—he didn’t need or want the questions that would inevitably arise if Sally spotted it. That done, he plumped for sitting on the doorstep—without his considerable height in play, the wall in front of the house and the bushes in between the door and the wall hid him from view. He felt like an idiot, like a teenage boy waiting for his girlfriend to finish her dinner so she could come out and canoodle in the park.
But he wasn’t, he reminded himself. He was a grown up, mature man who was waiting for a grown up, mature woman. Suddenly, he wondered whether he’d replaced the condom in his wallet since he’d last been in Sheffield. He might not be susceptible to human disease, but he didn’t want to risk getting a human woman pregnant—who knew what species the child would end up being? He’d long since come to terms with what he was, but that didn’t mean he would foist it on someone else.
He fished his wallet from his pocket, opened it up and heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the foil packet nestled there.
“I do like a man who’s prepared,” came a voice.
He grinned and looked up at Sally, who was approaching the gate. “What can I say? I’m a responsible type of chap.” He got to his feet and stood aside so she could unlock and open the door, then stepped inside after her.
“Not too responsible, I hope.” She winked, then turned and closed the door.
“No.” After shoving his wallet hurriedly back into his pocket, he grabbed her, spun her around and backed her up against the wall. Bringing his face up close to hers, Matthew breathed, “Not too responsible.”
Just before he closed the gap between them, Sally gasped, “Ooh, good.”
Shutting his eyes and slanting his mouth over hers, Matthew had to concentrate hard on not coming on too strong or rough. It had been a while and he didn’t want to make Sally regret inviting him into her bed. Well, she hadn’t invited him into her bed exactly. Just a bed, and his own hadn’t been an option in case Isaac had come home.
As he smoothed his hands over her hips, she arched her back and wrapped her arms around his neck, moving eagerly into his embrace. Matthew marvelled at how warm she was, how responsive. And how damn sexy. He slipped his tongue between her lips and sought hers before tangling them together in an erotic, needy, toe-curling French kiss. He could taste the white wine she’d drunk and guessed she could probably taste the whisky he’d had. It was a heady mixture that quickly pushed them further into bliss, into a more heated, passionate clinch, one that had them gasping for air in no time at all.
Her breasts squished against his chest, and in return, his rigid cock pressed insistently against her stomach. She twisted her face away from his and said breathlessly, “Fuck. I think we’d better hurry and get upstairs before we end up doing it right against this damn wall.”
Matthew’s cock twitched—he had no problem at all with fucking her up against the wall, but she was right. Going to bed was a much better option, one that would give him the luxury of undressing her, drinking in the sight of her body, then exploring it with his hands, mouth, and finally, his dick. He could hardly wait.
“Come on.” Kicking off his shoes, he reached for her hand and pulled her after him as he strode up the stairs in search of her bedroom. It was a small cottage, so it only took him a couple of seconds to locate the right room. Once there, he released Sally’s hand, crossed the room and closed the curtains, then turned around to see what she was doing.
She’d shut the door, and not much else. Meeting his gaze with some difficulty, she opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again without making a sound.
“Hey,” he said gently, moving to stand in front of her. “What’s the matter? You haven’t changed your mind, have you? We don’t have to if you have.”
Her eyes widened. “No, oh no! I haven’t changed my mind. God, no. I want to. It’s just… it’s been a while.”
Holding back a sigh of relief, Matthew grinned. “Phew, that’s good. Because I really want to as well. And it’s been a while for me, too.”
She looked him up and down, then met his eyes again and frowned. “You’re just being nice now ’cause I said it.”
“No.” He took her hands, lifted them and pressed kisses to her knuckles. “I’m not. I’m serious. Why do you think I don’t want any of the villagers knowing my business? If they knew what I was up to right now, they’d probably be out buying new suits and hats and putting an engagement announcement in the newspaper.”
She giggled. “God, are they that bad?”
“I’m afraid so. Now let’s forget all that crap. I’d like to have that fun you promised me, please.”
Sally crossed over to the bed and sat down on the mattress, then scooted back so she was lying with her head on the pillows. “Come on then,” she said, smiling, “I’m ready when you are.”
He retrieved the condom, placed it on the bedside table, then stuffed his wallet back in his pocket and took off his shirt. After dropping it on the floor, he moved over to the bed, where Sally watched him, eyebrows raised.
“Hey,” she said, “why d’ya stop? I was enjoying that little strip show of yours.” Her dilated pupils told him just how true her statement was.
“All right,” he said, stepping back again. “I’ll carry on. But you’re only delaying the inevitable, sweetheart, because once I’m naked, it’s your turn.”
He watched her face carefully as he bent each of his legs in turn to remove his socks, then undid his belt buckle. She gulped and he smirked, popping the button and slowly unzipping his fly. He shoved the jeans down and stepped out of them, leaving him in just his boxers. Now there was only a thin layer of cotton between her gaze and his cock. And it seemed Sally was as aware of that fact as he was. With no pretence of looking elsewhere, she stared at his bulge, shifting uncomfortably on the mattress. Matthew couldn’t help wondering if she was as wet as he was hard. He damn well hoped so, because he wanted to bury his head between her thighs and lick her until she screamed.
He hooked his thumbs into the waistband of his underwear and inched it down, deliberately going as slowly as possible because he knew once he got his hands on her, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. She was just too damn beautiful.
Once the boxers hit the carpet, he kicked them away, strode over to the bed, climbed on, and sidled right up to Sally. “Everything okay?”
She was still drinking him in, and it seemed to take a considerable amount of effort to shift her gaze to meet his. “Um, yes,” she finally said, pushing a hand through her hair. “Yes. More than all right.” A wash of colour had spread across her cheeks, and Matthew bit back a grin.
“Good. Because that was your last chance to back out.” Cupping her cheek, he leaned in and pressed his lips against hers. Sally’s mouth opened almost immediately and Matthew quickly slipped his tongue inside. He deepened the kiss, enjoying the way she responded to him. She was eager, skilled, and sexy, and her nakedness was way overdue.
He broke the kiss, grinning as she gave a mewl of protest. “Remember what I said?”
Frowning, she shook her head.
&
nbsp; “Oh I think you do, sweetheart. But in the interests of moving things along, I’ll remind you. I said that once I was naked, it was your turn.”
A look of understanding crossed her face. She smiled. “Yes, you did. Wanna give me a hand with that?”
“I can’t think of anything I’d enjoy more.” He grabbed the hem of her top and tugged it over her head before throwing the garment carelessly across the room. Then he began to caress each inch of exposed skin, first with his hands, then his mouth. Placing wet kisses over her chest, throat, and shoulders, he reached around and popped open her bra before sliding the straps down her arms. He tossed the bra, then started to tease her breasts.
He pulled her nipple into his mouth, then suckled it while he kept the other one busy with his fingers. Teasing and tormenting, he licked, nibbled, and sucked at each of her stiff nubs in turn until the sounds she made became utterly unintelligible. Only then did he push her back onto the pillows and remove her socks, jeans, and skimpy thong.
Once she was naked, he returned the favour she’d paid him, raking his gaze up and down her supine form, his cock growing harder by the second. When his eyes finally met hers, he let out an animalistic growl. “Christ, you’re gorgeous. I have to taste you.”
Eager to act on the thought he’d had earlier about making her scream, he scooted hurriedly between her thighs, hooked her legs over his shoulders, and dove in. Her musky, feminine scent assaulted his powerful sense of smell. Letting out another growl, he pressed his face into her vulva and began devouring her. He hungrily licked up her juices before dancing his tongue between her folds and over the tight nub at their apex, ensuring she produced more tart liquid. Fuck, she tasted good. Addictive, almost.
Zeroing in on what made her groan and wriggle the most, Matthew tantalised Sally’s body, pushing her ever closer to the scream he so desperately wanted to hear. For him, pleasuring a woman was heady, supremely erotic, and turned him on just as much as taking his pleasure. And when he was in bed with a woman such as Sally, so comfortable in her own skin and with no embarrassment when it came to sex, his satisfaction was ramped up hugely.
The Persecution of the Wolves Page 14