“Well, to be honest, they were all looking at me like I was some kind of alien.”
He chuckled. “It’s because they’ve never met anyone I’ve dated. Ever.”
“Ever? But they’re your best friends.”
“I haven’t known Brody that long. But Ben and Marcus, well, I’ve never been serious enough about a woman to bring her to any of the work functions. And when we all go out, we just party and have fun. This is not where I wanted this conversation to go.”
“But you’re serious about me?” That was frightening and exciting all at the same time.
“Yes. That’s why I keep saying it’s new.” He held up a hand. “I’ve never been the jealous type, but you bring it out in me. Not your problem. Like I said in the note. It’s something I’m going to have to work on.”
She grinned. “You’re kind of hot for a Neanderthal.”
“I am?” He smiled and moved even closer.
“As long as you don’t try to drag me off to your cave, we’ll be okay. But you have to let me be me. Trust me.”
He stopped. “I do. Trust you. But it’s not something I’m really good at. Trusting people, except when it comes to the people on my team. So this might be a work in progress.”
“That’s exactly what I am, so I absolutely get it.”
His arms wrapped around her.
“Maybe you should kiss me,” she said. “And then let’s commence with the make-up sex.”
He laughed. “Nope, not until you eat something else. I’m worried you’re working too hard. I realized how much you’ve done, getting the house ready for renovations. And—”
“And about that overprotective thing?”
He shook his head. “Work in progress.”
“I should be grateful that you noticed how much work I’ve done. This isn’t all on you. So we eat, and then we start on the make-up sex. I have a feeling it’s going to be epic,” she said.
“Epic?” He laughed again. “No pressure or anything.”
She put a hand on his cock and squeezed. “You’re a Marine. Aren’t you guys always up for a challenge?”
“When it comes to you? Always. Oh, I almost forgot.”
He ran into the bedroom and then came out with a vase full of summer flowers.
“These are lovely. You didn’t have to get me flowers.”
“I had them soaking in the bathroom shower. The lady at the florist’s said the humidity would help the blooms.” He was so serious. She bit the inside of her mouth to keep from giggling.
No one had ever given her flowers. Well, except maybe a corsage for homecoming, but nothing like this.
“Thank you, it’s a very sweet gesture.”
“There are also chocolates in the fridge. It was so warm in here before I turned the air on and I was afraid they might melt.”
“Flowers and chocolate.”
“I also tried to find a card but there weren’t any that said, I’m an idiot, please forgive me.”
“I do,” she said, as she sat the vase of flowers on the counter. “Forgive you.” She touched a few petals and then looked up at him. “But I really think you should kiss me again.”
“Whatever you want, babe. Tonight it’s all about you.”
“Hmm. I feel so powerful. You’re going to have your work cut out for you.”
“Good thing I got that nap in.”
“Yes, yes, it is.” And then she kissed him, trying to put everything she was feeling into that kiss.
In the back of her mind there was the tiny worry that she was the first woman he’d been serious about since his ex. That she was the first to meet his friends. And that he felt so strongly about her.
But then he kissed her back and all of her worries disappeared.
This man. He was danger packed in a hot body.
But she couldn’t quit him.
Not yet.
12
TWO WEEKS LATER they’d settled into a routine. Chelly ended up in his bed most nights. She wouldn’t let him into the main house, saying she wanted the renovations to be a surprise. The two times he’d tried to sneak a peek, she’d caught him. And the punishment...
Had been mind-blowing.
She’d teased his cock for an hour before climbing onto him and sending him to paradise.
He couldn’t get enough of her or her body. But she was always busy. Between her online storefront and the house, they barely had a few hours together each day. It was never enough.
But it was Saturday, and as soon as she finished going over a few things with the contractor, he and Chelly were heading out to the river house. He couldn’t wait to show her the property. It was wrong to be prideful about things, but he’d saved for years to buy the acreage with this special view. It wasn’t until about six months after his parents’ deaths that he decided to start building his dream house on the property.
Their deaths reminded him, as if he needed reminding, that life was precious and sometimes short.
“Hey.” She was flushed again as she came into his bedroom. He’d just gotten out of the shower and was still in his towel. “Oh. Wow. You should just wear towels all the time. You are one extraordinary man.”
“Let me demonstrate how extraordinary I can be.” He reached for her and pulled her to him.
She batted at his chest, but not very hard. “No time for that. We’ve got to get out to your property. The contractor is waiting for us.”
“I think there should always be time for that.”
She slipped her arms around his neck. “Later. I promise. I’ll make it up to you.”
Then she ripped the towel from his waist and rushed off. “You’re a bad, bad girl. I might have to punish you later,” he said to her retreating figure. She tossed the towel at him.
“I can’t wait. I’ll see you downstairs. I have a feeling if I stay up here, we’ll miss that appointment.”
She had a point. She wore a yellow sundress with brown flip-flops. And all he wanted to do was rip the dress off her body and make love to her. Focus, Marine. Focus.
He dressed quickly.
Thirty minutes later they were out at the property. The framing had gone up since the last time he’d been there.
He sat and stared. His house was taking shape.
“Is everything okay?”
Glancing over, he caught her watching him.
“I didn’t realize they’d done so much.”
Chelly leaned over and kissed his cheek. “I’m trying to get everything finished with an accelerated timetable for you. I have a feeling once we put your parents’ house on the market it’s going to move fast, especially with the comps I’ve seen in the area. None of which are going to be as polished, but they’re still going for the full asking price within weeks of being listed. So you’ll need your house ready. I figure we have two and a half months tops. Cal says he’s pretty sure they can get it done, though maybe not all the interior finishes. But we are shooting for completion in late August.”
His house. Was he crazy to think about asking her to move into it with him? It was tough moving slowly. Every day he just wanted her more and more. All that emotion and back and forth Brody had gone through with Mari was starting to make sense. His friend had been through hell, but in the end he and Mari managed it. And in a few months they’d be married.
It might be crazy because Brody and Mari hadn’t known each other nearly long enough, but he was thinking the same sort of thing about himself and Chelly. He couldn’t tell her. She was like a deer in the headlights if they ventured into relationship talk.
Not that he was one for talking about feelings. So he tried to show her every night how much he cared for her. Like taking care of the little things. And every couple of days he’d bring her a litt
le surprise. Just something small.
And she’d done the same for him. She’d given him a tiny replica of his dream house to show him what she was creating for him.
It was one of the most touching gifts he’d ever received.
“Cal’s waiting for us,” she said.
They went through the structure with the contractor, talking about the best places for outlets, windows and door placement. There wouldn’t be many doors, as the main space was open. The living area, kitchen and dining room were all one big area, with a glass wall looking out to the river. There was a hallway leading toward the master bedroom on the right, which had another wall of windows. The bathroom would have more privacy, but there would be a shade that could rise so he’d be able to sit in the bath or take a shower and look out on the water. Then there were two guest rooms on the other side of the kitchen down a small hallway with a guest bath.
His dad would have loved this place. The one thing they did have in common was fishing. His dad had always talked about how he’d be happiest living in a shack by the side of a river.
This was far from a shack, but he’d be able to walk out his back door and go fishing anytime he wanted.
Matt walked out to the cliff and looked down at the river. It was a little low, but it always was in the summer. The whole house was lifted about twelve feet off the ground. He’d have plenty of storage under it, but if the river did flood, he’d have some extra protection.
Arms wrapped around him from behind. He squeezed her hands and then turned to face her.
“Your place is to die for,” she said. “It’s going to be an amazing sanctuary for you.”
For us, he wanted to say. “Thanks. My parents helped me pick it out.”
“They did?”
“When I was on tour, they’d go and hunt down properties. They’d send me pics. One time I was laid up a bit, and I was going through emails from Mom. She and Dad had taken a ton of pictures of this place. It just... I knew when I saw this view. It was fall and the trees were changing color. We don’t get a lot of that here, we’re a little far south for fall color, but the trees were gold and red.”
“Then there’s the fishing right outside your back door,” she said.
“You know me well.” He laughed and playfully squeezed her hand. “The pictures of this place got me through some really tough times. It’s funny that you called it a sanctuary. I always kind of think of it that way.”
“So I was talking to Cal about your barn. It’s almost as big in square footage as the house. What are you going to put in there?”
“I wanted a place to keep a boat and trailer. And I like working with my hands. I thought I might set up a woodworking shop or something.”
“You are very good with your hands.”
“Is that so?”
“Very so,” she said. “By the way, I have another surprise for you.
“You do?”
“Yep, come back to the house.”
“Where’s Cal?” he asked as he put an arm around her shoulders. He liked sharing his place with her.
“He’s gone. Had another meeting to get to.” They climbed up the back steps—cinder blocks that had been erected to temporarily get in and out of the house. Eventually, there would be a wood deck that wrapped all the way around the house.
In the middle of the family area, she’d set up a blanket and a picnic basket.
“Where did you hide all of this?”
She waggled her eyebrows. “It’s magic. Actually, I put it all in Cal’s truck ahead of time and told him if he touched the food, he’d regret it.”
“Wow. No wonder the construction guys are scared of you.”
She rolled her eyes. “I just know what I like, and when it comes to my work, I expect perfection.”
“I think you made the carpenter cry the other day.”
“You’re so mean. I did not make him cry. But it’s not my fault he had the wrong moldings on the cabinet doors. And trust me, if you’d seen them, you would have agreed with me.” She sat down on the blanket and he did the same.
“Who knew my sweet little Chelly was such a taskmaster?”
“You should have known. I’m pretty darn good at bossing you around.”
“True that, love. True that.”
She’d been pulling sandwiches out of the little basket, but she paused.
Hold it. What had he said? Love?
“I thought we could watch the sunset,” she said. She handed him a bottle of wine. “You open this.” She then passed over a corkscrew.
He did the honors, watching her carefully to see if his words had bothered her.
“I’m fine. It’s a nickname, right? You call me love, and I call you Neanderthal.”
No. “Yes, exactly like that. What kind of sandwiches are those?”
“I scored some of those chicken salad ones from that bakery you like. She also had your favorite éclairs. I may have bought a few more than necessary of those.”
He popped the cork and poured wine into the glasses she’d brought.
After they fixed their plates, she held up her glass. “To beautiful new homes and lovely sunsets.”
“And gorgeous women,” he added. “Well, one gorgeous woman.”
“Good save.”
“Eat fast. I want to make love to you in my house.”
She coughed and he patted her on the back. “Here? Out in the open? What if someone from the river sees us?”
“We’re up pretty high and set back. They won’t see us. Besides, you promised to make it up to me tonight, and it’s almost tonight.”
She grinned. “You know, it’s really hard to tell you no.”
“I know, love.” He leaned over and kissed her, and then he whispered in her ear, “Wait until you see what I can do with that éclair.”
13
SINCE THEIR RETURN from the river house, he and Chelly had been in his bed in the garage apartment. He’d dozed off a bit, but now he felt her shift. She was getting ready to leave his bed. Reaching out, he put a hand around her waist.
“For once. Stay,” Matt said. “I want you here when I wake up.”
She bit her lip.
“Talk to me, Chel. Come on.”
“I just like sleeping alone.”
In a fetal position while hugging a pillow. It’s how he’d found her almost every morning.
“Is it me? Do I snore? Or hog the bed?”
She nodded. “Yes to both of those, but that doesn’t really bug me that much.”
“So what is it?” She started to pull away. “It’s just me and you. Things are good, right? Am I wrong to think this thing is good between us? Why do you keep holding back?”
“I hate talking about feelings.”
“Well, that’s a start. At least you admitted you have some.”
Her brows drew together.
“Babe, I’m just messing with you. I’m not pushing. I’m a patient man. I want you with me as much as possible. I care about you, and I hate waking up without you.”
“It makes it all too real if I stay. I’m afraid of getting too comfortable. Bad things happen when I get too comfortable.”
He shook his head. She must have been through more than she’d admitted to him. “It’s okay. You don’t have to stay. I told you, I won’t push.”
“It’s just—the way you make love to me like you do. Like I’m it for you. It scares me because I want more. So much more. But I’m worried.” She brushed her fingers across his jaw.
“Don’t be, and you are it for me. That isn’t easy for me to say, I’ll be honest. Everything has happened really fast. And I know you’ve been through a tough time and this is definitely not in the plan for either of us. It’s unexpected, but that doe
sn’t mean we shouldn’t try. We’re good together and it feels right. You here with me. Do you feel the same way?”
She nodded. “But that doesn’t make it easier. It makes it harder. I don’t have a great track record with relationships. You’re a really nice guy. And you deserve someone who is ready for the white picket fence. I’m not there. I’m just getting going with my career. I don’t settle easily. I like to keep things easy.”
He was ready for that picket fence, as scary as that might be. But he didn’t want it with anyone—he wanted her. “There aren’t any fences at the river house. I’m simply asking you to spend the night, Chel. I’m not asking for any kind of commitment. I mean, we practically live in the same house as it is. What’s the big deal? You’re sleeping a few hours in my bed. I’d sleep in yours, but I don’t fit.”
She rolled her eyes. “You and I know that means more.”
“Just a little more,” he said. “How about this, just tonight. Just stay with me tonight. Don’t run off to the pool house. We’ll take this one day at a time, okay?”
“Okay. Tonight.”
He grinned and then kissed her. “Don’t sound so happy about it.”
“But if I’m staying, you have to do what I say.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yep.” She gently shoved him flat on his back, and then she climbed on top of him. “Touch me,” she said.
“Where?” She wanted to play, and he’d let her.
She picked up his hands and put them on her breasts. “Here.”
Then she positioned her softness over his cock and began rocking back and forth. When her hand traveled down his body, he hardened instantly.
So hot, this one.
She grinned and then gasped as she began moving faster and faster. The pressure on his cock was just right and he bucked underneath her. Watching her like this was one of the most erotic things he’d ever seen. The woman could go from zero to sixty in nothing flat.
“Open your eyes,” he said. “I want to see them when you come.”
She gave a slow smile. “I’m the boss,” she whispered and bent to kiss his mouth. He pinched one of her nipples and she moaned. “Yes.” Her fingers moved even faster as she watched him.
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