“Are you listening to me, Matt?” she asked.
“Of course.” I reached across the table and took her hand into mine. “Go on. I want to hear more about your day.”
“Actually, I want to ask you a question.” I raised my eyebrows, anticipating what she had to say. “What are we doing? I mean, what do you expect out of this because I need to know up front. I have a son who comes before anyone—including myself.”
“Stephanie, I decided years ago that you were the one for me, and that has never changed. This heart,” I raised her hand to my chest, “it beats for you. My mind only thinks about you and my eyes only adore you. I want you. I want us to work, and I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I’ll face your family, stand up for you—stand up for us—and I’ll take care of Andrew as if he were my own son. Not that I would try to replace his dad, but I will treat him very, very well.”
Her hand was still feeling my heartbeat as I looked into her eyes. It was honest to God’s truth, my right hand on a stack of Bibles. I’d live and die for this woman. It wouldn’t matter if I had to fight each of her family members tooth and nail, one by one. That was something I already knew I had to do. They could do anything they wanted to me; it wouldn't matter. All that mattered is that at the end of the day, she was mine.
“Matt,” she sighed heavily. “You have a heart of gold. I don’t know what I ever did to deserve you, but I’m glad that you’re back in my life. I’ll never be able to apologize enough for—” I brought my hand up to her face and held it there as my finger caressed her soft, beautiful lips.
I shook my head, “You don’t owe me an apology. It wasn’t your fault, and it wasn’t mine. It was a combination of unfortunate circumstances, but there wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of you. Believe me on that.”
“Let’s get out of here so we can talk more privately, go for a drive or something,” she suggested.
I motioned for the waiter and left him a heavy tip that more than enough covered our meal plus gratuity to avoid waiting for the bill. I drove us to the edge of town, right along the Mississippi River bank. The star-filled sky was clear with a crisp full moon that reflected perfectly off the rippling water. After I had shut off the engine, Stephanie climbed into my arms as I held her tight.
“Stephanie, I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make your family okay with us. I don’t want any bad blood between them and you for a misunderstanding from the past. What do we need to do?”
“I wish I knew,” she looked at me. Those beautiful, chestnut eyes. “We’ll figure it out together. It’s not something that we can, or even should, figure out tonight. Let’s just enjoy the moment.” She purred against my chest as she curled up to me.
Everything felt right. Holding her, talking to her, planning our future together. It was perfect. I leaned down and kissed her. Before I knew it, our lips were locked together, and I could feel her sweet breath on my face as I pulled her closer to me. There was nothing in this world more blissful than kissing her. She wrapped her arms around my neck and began softly caressing my hair, tugging on it just a little.
I forced my tongue into her mouth as my fingers bounced along her cleavage and eventually wandered down to her waist. In return, her hands were gently sliding down my back before making their way around to my chest. Her hands wandered down to my belt before she tried to slip her hands under my shirt. I stopped her.
“Ah-ah,” I whispered. Not under my shirt. I still wasn’t ready for her to know about my scars from the night I was set on fire. I didn’t want her to know how low I had sunk.
Her fingernails traced light cat scratches down my chest and abs over the material of my shirt. My cock was already rock hard, but those light scratches made it jerk as I drank in the scent of her perfume. I wanted her.
She was all I ever dreamed about. Sometimes it was nightmares—about the last time I saw her walking away from me—and other times it was about a moment just like this. I could hear the soft whoosh of Mississippi River; it was soft just like her breasts. It was getting hot inside the cab of my truck, and the windows were starting to fog, but I didn’t care about any of that. It just made it that much hotter to be with her.
Her tongue had flicked my neck before she sank her teeth into my skin, sucking ever so lightly. My hands cupped and squeezed her breasts as the zipper in my pants held back my length. It had been a long time since I was this hard.
“May I?” I asked as my fingers danced along her back, slipping underneath the clasp of her bra. My breath moved her hair as I whispered in her ear. She let out a soft moan as she tossed her head back.
In one swift motion, I had her bra off as my lips caressed the length of her neck. Lifting her shirt, my tongue swirled around her nipples while my hand headed south. Grabbing her mound beneath her skirt, I felt how wet she already was as I sucked on her nipple. My finger began tracing a path along her inner thigh, and just as I was about to slip it inside her panties, she grabbed my wrist.
“I think we should take it slow,” her breath was ragged. It was clear that she wanted more, hell, I wanted more. I needed more, but I respected her and her wishes.
“Are you sure?” I asked, kissing her neck as I let out a deep breath right next to her ear. It was a sigh of frustration.
“Yeah,” she sat up and pulled her skirt down before she adjusted her bra and blouse. “Let’s just talk and look at the water.”
We both laughed. “Sure, we’ll do that as soon as the fog goes away,” I rolled down the window.
The bullfrogs sang loudly along the banks of the river as I held Stephanie in my arms. It was nice to be there with her and it certainly beat sitting at the fire station with a bunch of men. Brothers or not, they were rough on my eyes but not her. She was beautiful. Her honey complexion glowed as the moonlight illuminated all of her best features—which was everything about her. I could sit here and adore this woman forever.
“Matt,” she looked up at me. “Let’s go on another date tomorrow night. This has been nice, and as much as I don’t want it to end, I have to get back.”
“I know. Damn jobs, damn life,” I joked, even though it was half true. “What do you want to do tomorrow?” I asked, firing up my truck.
She thought for a moment. “I’m not sure yet. I’ll think of something and text you.”
“Sounds good.”
Dropping her back off at her car, I grabbed her arm before she got out of the truck. “Stephanie?” She looked back at me. “I had a great time with you.”
“Me too,” she leaned into the cab of the truck and kissed me goodnight. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”
Chapter 13
Stephanie
One of the reasons that I fell in love with Matt all those years ago was because of his strength, fearlessness, and stubbornness. He’s as dependable as the rising sun. I’ve always been able to count on him. We had big plans to start a family—he and I—and I thought that maybe I had let him down, but he seems to be on board with Andrew. I don’t know how much Joe will like a new man in the picture, but whether it was Matt or someone else, he was going to have to deal with it anyway.
At least with Matt, he’s a good guy. A hero. It took a lot of guts to approach me, especially thinking that my whole family and I have hated him all these years. Anytime we’ve ever been together—whether it be now or in the past—I’ve always been able to be myself.
There is no pretending that I have to be perfect, there is no walking on eggshells, and there is no hoping that I make him happy. He tells and shows me every time we’re together how happy I make him. There is no guessing. I know that in his world, I’m safe and happy. There’s nobody trying to run my life or accuse me of negative things.
Hearing him say that he would treat Andrew like his own made my heart melt. That was one of the things holding me back from leaving Joe because I was always afraid that I’d never be able to get a man since I was already a mother. It probably didn’t help that he used to drill i
t into my head that that would probably be the case if I ever left him.
I spent years living under his rule and thumb, allowing him to cut me down and fill my head with lies while he controlled me. Matt lifts me up, brings out the best in me and encourages me. In the small amount of time we have spent together and talked or texted, I’ve rekindled so many feelings for him that I had lost over the years—some still there though I didn’t realize it.
My brother took off for the weekend since he and some of his friends decided to go fishing. I know it might be a risk, but I invited Matt over for dinner at my brother’s place. I’m worried that Breezy or one of the other neighbors might see him and say something to Lance, but that’s a chance that I’m willing to take. Before things go to the next level between us, I want to see how he and Andrew interact and get along.
While he might be willing to play house, Drew might not like that. That boy loves his father, and I don’t know how he’ll take to a new man being in my life or his. He’s a smart kid and I’m sure he’ll like Matt, but I have to see for myself. I called Matt earlier, and he agreed to come over for dinner and a movie so we could spend time together, and with Andrew.
Sliding the pan into the oven, I heard a knock at the door. I looked at the clock on the stove and realized that he was early. Wiping my hands on a dish towel, I sauntered over to the front door and opened it with Andrew standing behind my legs, hiding.
“Well hello,” Matt smiled at him. “How are you?”
I stared, taking in full view of him. His faded denim blue jeans hung loosely off his hips, and his V-neck shirt clung to his muscular body. He was also wearing his guitar strapped around his torso. I nodded at it, “Planning on performing tonight?”
I waved my arm, granting him permission to come inside. “I had promised you that I’d play for you, and since I didn’t get a chance to do it last night, I thought I would do it tonight.”
“Is that a real guitar?” Andrew asked, mesmerized by it.
“It sure is,” Matt beamed at him. The sparkle in his eye told me that he adored him. “You can try it out. Here, come with me.”
Matt walked over to the couch and sat down as he placed the guitar on his lap. Andrew couldn’t take his eyes off of him. It was cute watching the two of them and he’d only been inside for about 30 seconds. This was going to be a good night.
“So, you just put your fingers here,” Matt demonstrated, “and you do this to pluck the strings.” Andrew covered his ears as the sound of the guitar filled the dead air in the room. We laughed as he climbed into my arms, unsure of what to think.
“What made you bring that?” I asked, happy to see that he did. I’ve always loved listening to him play, and he knew it.
“I was only half joking the other night about playing for you, and I never got the chance to. I’m going to make up for it tonight,” a grin broke out across his face.
I faced Andrew, still sitting in my lap. “He’s going to play some music for us later. Do you want to listen to him when he does?” He slowly nodded his head. “Good. Why don’t you play while mommy finishes getting the rest of dinner started since our guest arrived so early,” I playfully gave Matt the side eye.
“Sorry. I was bored at the station and thought I’d come over early.”
“That’s okay, I fig—”
“Are you the fireman that came here last week?” Andrew suddenly realized who Matt was. I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Part of me was glad that he remembered something good about Matt—the fact that he saved his life—but part of me was worried that he remembered exactly who he was and that he could tell his uncle.
“I am.”
“Wow. A real fireman! Is your truck outside too?”
“No,” he laughed. “We can only drive that when there’s an emergency. Like when I was here because you were choking. That was pretty important, wasn’t it?”
I left the two of them talking while I went into the kitchen to prepare the garlic bread. Basting the garlic and butter mixture onto the loaf of French bread, Matt walked in and wrapped his arms around my waist, resting his chin on my shoulder.
“Everything smells good.”
“Thank you. It’s one of my signature dishes that I like to throw together.”
“Oh yeah? I can think of a couple of things I’d like to throw together,” he pushed his pelvis into my behind as he trailed kisses down my neck, his warm breath against my skin.
“Be good,” I said, but I didn’t mean it. It had been a while since I had been with anybody. The last man that I was with was Joe, and that was the better part of six months ago, maybe longer. It felt good to feel wanted.
“I am good. Damn good,” he spun me around, his tongue swirled around the front of my throat. His over-sized fists enclosed my petite hands as he pushed me against the counter. I peeked out of the kitchen door, down the hall that led to the living room. Drew was engrossed in his cartoons. He leaned in, letting the stubble on his cheek brush against my face.
Teasing him, I pushed my hips against the girth of his body, pressing us together. He let go of my hands, wrapping them around me, holding us even closer together. Planting soft kisses along my collar bone, my fingers traced his sculpted arms until they reached his ears. They’ve always been his weak spot, and I didn’t forget. Gently, I ran my finger along the top of his ear as I nibbled on his lobe, allowing the warmth of my breath to tickle against his skin.
My fingers felt every tiny prickle of his skin as he broke out in goosebumps. The kisses on my collar bone halted as he leaned back, looking deep into my eyes as if he could see my soul. His fingers dug into my flesh as I teasingly bucked my hips against him. His strong hold pulled me closer, smashing my breasts against his chest, allowing me to feel the rock hard bulge in his pants. For a second, I thought I felt it jerk and press against my belly.
“I think we should check on Andrew,” I said, breaking his stare as I looked away. “Dinner will be ready soon.”
Part of me had started feeling guilty about having him over to my brother’s house. If Lance knew that he was here, he’d go after both of us, but it felt so good to see him again. I knew that having him over for dinner like this would likely never happen again, at least not until I had my own place, so I was going to take advantage of it for the time being.
After dinner, he helped me clear the table and load the dishwasher while I gave Drew his bath. While we were playing in the tub, I hadn’t forgotten about paying him back for his little gas station prank. When my brother was getting ready for his fishing trip, I took some of his fishing line for what I had in mind. Once I sent Andrew out to play with Matt while I cleaned up the bathroom, I set my trap.
Very carefully, I wrapped one end of the fishing line around the metal door hinges at the bottom of the door, pulling the string taut before wrapping the other end around a tiny nail that was sticking out of the door frame. Once it was tied in place, I carefully plucked it with my finger to make sure it would do the job. The secure string didn’t move at all. After it was in place, I shut off the bathroom light and stealthily stepped over the wire, careful not to trip myself.
Drew and I snuggled on the couch, listening to Matt play the guitar until he grew so sleepy that he could barely hold his eyes open. “I think I better put him to bed. He’s not used to staying up this late.”
“Good, maybe me and mommy can have some alone time,” he winked.
With Andrew fast asleep in his toddler bed in the next room, I found Matt sitting on the couch patting his lap. “Come, have a seat.”
He pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his strong arms around me. We smiled at each other before leaning in, pressing our foreheads together. “Dinner was great. Thanks for inviting me,” he kissed me.
“Thanks for coming. I’m glad that you had a chance to hang out with us, especially him. What did you think about hanging out with a three-year-old?”
“Well,” he put his mouth next to my ear and lowered his voi
ce, “I liked hanging out with him. He’s a good boy, well-behaved and I think we could get along really well. The important thing is how did we impress his mom?” he kissed my earlobe.
“I’d say you did a good job. I’m happy. You two seemed like you enjoyed each other’s company and he thinks it’s so cool that you’re a fireman. I’m surprised he remembered it was you who saved him.”
“Yep, kids will be kids.” His forest green eyes looked at me longingly. I’d been trying to put some distance between us—sexually, that is—but it was becoming increasingly difficult.
Truth be told? I had been lusting after him ever since the day I had run into him. There’s nothing sexier than a good looking man who makes you feel wanted, needed and desirable. I leaned in, kissing him deeply as he held me close in his lap, my tongue invading his mouth, letting him feel my passion.
The next thing I knew, he stood up, grabbed my legs and wrapped them around his waist. “Which way is the bedroom?” he growled in my ear, sending electrical tingles through my body as his breath moved my hair away from my ear.
“That way,” I barely managed to say, pointing to the bedroom.
I had wanted this. Wanted him. He was the forbidden fruit that I wasn’t supposed to have. The one that could land me in a lot of hot water, but all that mattered that moment was the two of us together. I wanted him to take me. He knew how to take me out of reality and put me in a world where problems didn’t exist, money didn’t matter, and nobody but him cared.
He laid me on the bed—on my brother’s bed. “What are you going to do with me now?” I moaned as he kissed me.
“I’m going to make up for all of that lost time,” he kicked off his shoes and dropped me onto the bed.
He slid his hands beneath my shirt, running his thick, rugged fingers against my bare skin. I wanted to melt in his hands, and he was only getting started. He sat me up and slipped my blouse over my head. Sitting before him in my bra and slacks, I felt the heat flush through me and flood my most sensitive areas. I could feel myself becoming wetter with each touch of his fingertips.
No Regrets (Second Chance Bad Boy Firefighter Romance) Page 6