“Oh, I believe you. It’s still funny, though. Do you want to do it at my place? You’d probably get along well with my roommate, and she knows all the details and would probably happily fill you in sober, though if you’re offering liquor she’ll take you up on that too.”
Megan chuckled, popping into her studio to put her brushes away.
“Who’s offering liquor?”
Hannah whipped around to face the front door at the sound of Chris’s voice, checking to make sure her robe was fully closed and crossing her arms over her chest. She hadn’t heard the guys come in. Chris tossed his keys on the coffee table and gave her a smile on his way to the door to the studio to see Megan. “You throwing a party, babe?”
Megan stepped just outside the door and wrapped her arms around Chris’s neck as his went around her waist. “Just Abby’s in a couple weeks.” She kissed him once and pulled back, tilting her head in Hannah’s direction. “But I’m going to get Hannah here sloshed and pry all the details about her and Matt out of her since neither of them will tell me anything.”
Hannah’s attention was diverted from Chris’s answer by Matt’s eyes raking up and down her body, her nerves sparking to attention as his gaze swept over her. He and Chris were both dressed in athletic shorts and sweatshirts. Moving closer, he pulled her into his arms, the chill from his body seeping through the thin fabric of her robe. She still wrapped her arms around him, mimicking what Chris and Megan had done moments earlier, though their presence was completely forgotten now.
She pressed herself into Matt. “Aren’t you cold?”
A quick grin crossed his lips and he shook his head. “We just got done working out. The cool air feels good.”
Hannah chuckled. “Cool air? It’s freezing out.”
“Not quite.” The grin was back. “I think the bank sign said it was thirty-four. That’s above freezing.”
She narrowed her eyes at him, but before she could say anything, his mouth was on hers. When he pulled back, his eyes had darkened, the pale blue of his iris a narrow band around the fathomless depths of his pupil. “You’re done modeling for today?” His voice came out lower and huskier than before.
Hannah nodded. “Yeah. I think we’re done altogether.”
His arms tightened around her waist, and she could feel him growing hard against her belly, the thin fabric separating them making it more obvious than normal.
A throat clearing to their right had them both turning their heads. Megan and Chris stood side by side, their arms still around each other, grinning at them like idiots.
“Do you need something?” Matt’s voice was almost a growl.
Chris’s grin grew wider. “Not really. But you guys are sort of blocking the walkway here, so ...” He gestured past them toward the living room.
Matt grunted. “Yeah, well, you guys are in the way to my room, so what d’you expect?”
Chris laughed while Matt pulled Hannah out of the way, letting Chris and Megan pass, then dragging Hannah into his bedroom. His hands went immediately to the sash at her waist, pulling it apart and pushing the robe off her shoulders.
She shivered as his cold hands skated over her bare skin, but his mouth on hers warmed her up right away. Lifting his sweatshirt and the t-shirt underneath, she slid his hands over his torso, running them over the firm muscles on his back, the dent of his spine straight and narrow in the center. First up, and back down, tracing that line until she came to his ass and slid her hands inside his shorts and the boxer briefs he wore while working out, squeezing the firm muscles there.
He broke away with a groan, setting her back from him with his hands. “You’re killing me.” He flicked his fingers at her torso. “Take that off. All of it.”
With her arms crossed she gripped the lower band of the bandeau bra and pulled it off over her head. Matt stood staring at her chest, making no move to undress as well. “Huh-uh. You have to undress too.”
His eyes raised to meet hers, a lazy smile on his face. “Yes, ma’am.” He stripped his sweatshirt off in one move, his t-shirt coming with it. They both bent and removed their bottoms at the same time, their eyes never leaving each other. Kicking his shorts to the side, Matt stepped forward, wrapping her up in his arms again and backing her toward the bed. Their legs tangled together when the bed hit her behind her knees, and she fell with a whoosh, Matt bracing himself on his arms so his weight didn’t land on her. He immediately went to her breasts, kneading and squeezing them, holding them up for him to worship with his lips and tongue. She arched, and her breath hissed through her teeth when he scraped his over the hardened tips of her nipples, immediately soothing them with the flat of his tongue.
He stayed there for a while, lavishing them with attention. Only pulling back once to admire his handiwork and say, “You have great tits.”
When pink flushed from her cheeks down to her breasts at the compliment, his eyes found hers and he grinned. “Why does that make you blush? You do have great tits. You have to know how I feel about them.”
She bit her lip and shrugged, and he just chuckled deep in his throat before going back to what he was doing, the feel of his mouth on her pulling her out of her head and centering her in her body once more. When she was with him, she existed only as sensation—the softness of his lips on her, the rough calluses on his hands, the brush of his hair on her skin as he mapped her body with his mouth, the sandpapery feel of his unshaven face against her thighs, the sting on her ass when he spanked her for fun or while he took her from behind.
She squirmed as he slid lower, one hand still squeezing and caressing her breast, the fingers tweaking her nipple, his mouth trailing down between her thighs. He sank the first two fingers of his free hand inside her, sliding them in and out a few times, making a sound of satisfaction. “Always so ready for me. I love that, babe.”
Hannah’s hands clutched at the sheets as his mouth went to work on her. It didn’t take long for him to bring her to a screaming orgasm, her thighs clamped around his head, and her hands tangled in his hair.
He pulled back with that lazy grin, always happy to give her pleasure, rising up and kissing her thoroughly before flipping her onto her belly and pulling her hips to the edge of the bed. His legs pressed against hers while he reached for a condom, slapping her ass once before pulling her hips up and entering her in one stroke. His fingers dug into her hips when she groaned at the feeling of him filling her up. He pulled back slowly before sliding back in. “Fuck, yeah. I love watching my cock sliding in and out of your tight pussy.” The words were muttered quietly, almost like he was talking to himself and not to her, but the dirty talk made her muscles clench around him and he groaned. “Shit, babe. I’m not going to last long if you keep doing that.”
She cast a grin at him over her shoulder and tightened around him again, on purpose this time. They both groaned at the feeling of him plunging into her, tapping against her g-spot while she gripped him with her inner muscles. She hadn’t experimented much with that, but it intensified the sensations so much that she did it again on the next stroke. With her face turned into the bed to muffle her cries of pleasure, she kept squeezing him with each inward stroke until he slapped her ass again, the sting making her gasp, and thrust inside her hard, catching her by surprise.
He bent over her, his chest to her back, coming down with his arms on either side of her shoulders. “I wasn’t kidding. Keep that up and I’ll be done before you get to go again.”
She pushed back against him, a wordless moan all she could manage.
“It’s like that, is it?” He reached one hand around her, massaging the top of her mound, his fingers sliding down to circle her clit. He slowed the pace of his thrusting and pulled back until just the tip was inside her before slowly sliding in again, maintaining the light circles around her clit. When he got just far enough inside to reach her g-spot again he pulled back, keeping his thrusts shallow and slow, his fingers becoming more insistent, circling and pinching and lightly flickin
g, building her up quickly, finishing her off with harder thrusts and firm pressure on her clit. This time the scream of her orgasm was caught by the mattress. He kept his hand on her mound, his pace increasing until he hammered into her, holding her in place with his finger still on her clit, keeping her orgasm going until she felt his whole torso going rigid behind her with his release.
He collapsed on top of her, his weight pressing her down into the mattress, and she relished the feeling of him like this, limp and sated on top of her. She loved that she could do this to him as well as he could do it to her. That was one of the things that had always made sex with Matt so much fun, even from the first time. He was open and unfiltered with her, his reactions written all over his body, and he loved giving her pleasure as much as he enjoyed getting it from her. He was right. They fit together so perfectly, their bodies so in sync with each other. She hadn’t felt that with anyone else, and from what he’d said, he hadn’t either.
When he moved off of her, he ran a hand down her back and stood up. She knew he was cleaning himself up, and she heard him chuckle when she didn’t move. But she just lay there where he left her, ass up, legs hanging off the bed, limp and boneless from the intensity of her orgasms. That was the other thing she loved about him. He always made sure she came, and more than once. It was like it was a personal challenge for him to make sure she got off at least twice before he did.
Her thoughts screeched to a halt when she realized she was mentally listing things she loved about Matt. Not about sex with Matt, but about him as a person. She swallowed, stiffening, and finally moving, not sure what to make of that. It was too soon. Too soon to say something. Especially since she still wasn’t one hundred percent convinced he’d ever cared as much about her as she had for him. He’d said that wasn’t true, but since he didn’t know the true depth of her feelings, how could he know that?
He gave her a quizzical look when she scooted back on the bed and pulled the covers over herself. She felt too naked, like he’d be able to read the truth of her feelings on her skin the way he read all the other reactions her body had to him. “Just getting cold.” She forced a smile onto her face.
“Let me warm you up, then.” Climbing in next to her, he brought her against him, and she couldn’t help but relax into his warmth, the chill from earlier long since gone.
He ran a hand up and down her back, a sigh of contentment coming out of him. “It’s Valentine’s Day next weekend.”
“Yeah.” Was he trying to gauge her expectations? Or did he already have something planned?
“Would you rather stay in or go out?”
She shrugged her free shoulder. “I’m easy. Whichever you want is fine. I’ve never made a big deal out of Valentine’s Day before.”
He looked down at her, surprise in his voice. “You haven’t had a boyfriend on Valentine’s Day before?”
“No, I have. We just decided not to make a big thing out of it. Well, he said it was a made up holiday to make money for greeting card companies.”
Matt laughed. “What a load of shit. That settles it, then. I’m taking you out somewhere fancy. Every woman deserves to be wined and dined on Valentine’s Day. I was leaning toward that anyway, but if you wanted something more low key then I was going to cook you dinner here. But instead we’ll pull out all the stops.”
She couldn’t help the grin coming to her face. Another thing to add to her list, even if she could barely admit it to herself. It was nice to be cared about so much. Maybe their feelings weren’t as mismatched as she feared.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Matt knocked on the door and ran a hand through his hair, unaccountably nervous to be picking up Hannah for their Valentine’s Day dinner. He’d managed to get reservations at a little French bistro that he thought she would like. They had a romantic atmosphere with white tablecloths, twinkle lights in the potted trees in the corners, and little oil lamps on the tables. And the food was fresh and delicious. He hoped she liked it. Rather than a large, ostentatious bouquet of roses, he’d opted for a single orange rose. It had stood out at the florists, and he’d been drawn to it, thinking of Hannah. “Orange roses symbolize energy and passionate romance,” the florist had said. It seemed fitting, so he got it.
When Hannah opened the door, the sight of her took his breath away. Her face was lit up with a smile, green eyes sparkling. “Hi.”
“Hi.” He could feel a matching smile take over his own face. His eyes traveled down her body, taking in the tight fit of her red dress, the low scoop neckline offering a delicious view of her cleavage. When he got to her face again, she smiled wider, her eyes still traveling over his body, the light blue sweater he wore visible through the open front of his leather jacket. He’d paired the sweater with gray dress pants. Megan had given him a wolf-whistle of approval before he left.
Hannah opened the door all the way. “Come on in. I just need to grab my coat.” He offered her the rose, and she took it as he came into the apartment.
He walked in behind her, admiring the sway of her hips as she moved across the room to the kitchen to put the rose in a vase. Elena sat curled in the corner of the couch in jeans and a t-shirt, her eyes scanning over him. She threw him a wink and a cheeky grin, munching on some popcorn. “I hear you’re pulling out all the stops and showing our girl a good time for Valentine’s Day.”
“Yeah. She said she’s never had that before, so I figured it was time.”
“Definitely.” Her face grew serious, and she dropped her voice so Hannah wouldn’t hear her over the water running in the sink. “Hurt her again, and I will fuck you up, dude.”
Matt’s eyes widened in surprise at the threat. “I won’t.”
She eyed him some more before nodding once. “Okay. Make sure you don’t.”
He looked up to see Hannah throwing him a quizzical look as she settled her gray pea coat around her shoulders, buttoning it closed, and wrapping an ivory scarf around her neck. He shrugged and gave her a smile. The rose he’d given her sat in a slim vase in the center of the dining table next to where she stood. Walking up to him, she hooked her arm through his and tugged him toward the door.
“You two kids have fun. Don’t stay out too late.”
Hannah stuck out her tongue at Elena. “Sure thing, Mom. Same to you.”
Matt chuckled and held the door for Hannah, taking her hand to walk down the stairs and out to his truck.
“What was that about in there with Elena?”
“Nothing.” He shrugged again. “She just wanted to warn me of the consequences of hurting you again.”
She huffed, half laugh, half exasperation. “Sorry about that. I’ll talk to her and tell her to lay off.”
“It’s not a big deal. She’s protective of you. It’s not a bad thing.” He held her door open for her to climb into the truck, giving her a hand up to steady her in her heels. When he got in on his side, she’d let the issue go.
“So where are we going? You’ve been holding out on me.” Her voice held equal parts excitement and frustration, her narrowed eyes just visible under the fluorescent lights of the parking lot.
He chuckled. “You really want to know? You don’t want to be surprised?”
She paused, holding her breath, then let it out in a whoosh, shaking her head. “No. Just tell me. It’s been killing me all week that you’ve been so secretive about it.”
“Fine.” He laughed again at her eagerness. “We’re going to Chateau de Provence. Have you been there before?”
She shook her head. “No. It sounds fancy.”
“It’s great, you’ll love it. The food is delicious, and they change the menu regularly with the seasons so it’s always fresh. The owners are French.”
“You sound like you’ve been there a lot.”
He glanced over at her while he drove. She had her lower lips between her teeth like she was nervous. “Just once. But their website is full of information. I looked at it while I was on hold to make the reservation. We got l
ucky. They only had a few spots left. And they’re doing a Valentine’s Day prix fixe menu that sounds really good.” When he glanced at her again, she was biting at her thumbnail. “Hey. What’s wrong? I thought you’d be excited.”
Her hand fell to her lap as she turned to face him. “No, no, I am. It sounds lovely. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
She shrugged, an unreadable look on her face. “I just feel kind of bad, you know? You got me a gorgeous rose and now you’re taking me out to dinner at an expensive restaurant. I didn’t get anything for you, and you’re spending all this money on me.” Her hands fluttered in her lap, worrying the edge of her coat.
He reached over and covered her hand, finding her palm with his, and lacing their fingers together. “Hey. Don’t worry about it. I want to do this. I like getting to take you out to a fancy restaurant and buy you gifts.” Based on this, he was a little worried how she’d react when he gave her the necklace that was nestled in a little velvet pouch in his pocket. It was a silver pendant, a flower mandala design on a slim silver chain. One of Megan’s friends in the art department made jewelry, and he’d gotten the necklace from her. Megan had a few pieces her friend had made—the ring she wore on her thumb, a couple of bracelets, and a necklace—and she’d hooked him up when Matt had told her he wanted to get jewelry for Hannah. He hoped she’d like it.
He also hoped she’d react well when he told her he loved her. That he wanted her to wear the necklace as a way to have him with her when they were apart—a reminder of his love. It sounded sappy, but he couldn’t help it. This girl had him heart, body, and soul. He had no intention of letting her go, and this seemed like the perfect time to let her know. He just hoped she felt the same way.
Managed Hearts (Players of Marycliff University, #3) Page 14