by LuAnn McLane
Mattie’s eyes turned serious. “No . . . you were right. I needed to sort out my feelings so I could prove you wrong once and for all.”
“And did you?”
“Yes, I want to be with you. Now just shut up and kiss me, Garret.”
“Gladly.” Garret cradled her head with his hand and slanted his mouth across hers. He kissed her slowly, savoring the texture of her soft lips, the taste of her sweet mouth, and the erotic touch of her tongue to his. When she leaned against the door of his car, Garret pressed his body intimately to hers, loving when her soft curves melted against him. Garret poured all his pent-up passion into the kiss, licking across her full bottom lip and nibbling before plunging deeply yet again. When fat raindrops started to fall he didn’t care. Nothing mattered more than having Mattie in his arms.
“It’s raining,” she said breathlessly.
“I don’t care.”
“Me neither,” she said with a low breathless laugh. “Proving you wrong is so much fun.”
“Then keep doing it.” The rain pelted against Garret’s back, but he barely felt it. Bending down, he kissed her neck, cupped her breast. He wanted to lay her over the hood of his car and make love to her while the rain and the wind raged all around them, but getting caught kept him from suggesting that fantasy. “I want to take you home and make love to you in your white cloud,” he said in her ear.
“Then what are you waiting for?”
“For you to ask me.”
“Take me home and make love to me, Garret.”
Moments later they were in his car driving as fast as Garret could go in the pouring rain.
“Since when did my cabin get one hundred miles away from here?” Mattie asked with a laugh. “You need to get a truck so you can take the off-road shortcut.”
“I’ll do it anyway.”
“And get us stuck in this sassy little sports car? No way.”
“Good point.” Garret laughed and felt an almost giddy sense of pure joy. He had the strong urge to tell Mattie that he loved her, because in that moment he knew that he really was hopelessly in ass-over-teacups love and he wanted to shout it to the world. No one else had ever made him feel this damn happy and for no other reason than that she was sitting next to him.
“What?” she asked when he fell silent. “I can hear you thinking.”
“You have good ears.” Garret glanced her way before putting his attention back on the winding road. “You make me smile.”
“How?”
“Just by being with you. We could be digging a ditch and I’d still be happy as long as you were by my side.”
Mattie leaned her head back against the headrest and laughed.
“Okay, that wasn’t exactly Hallmark quality but you get what I mean.”
“No . . . I love it,” she said softly. “And I completely understand because I feel the same way, Garret.”
“Thank God.”
“That I feel the same way?”
“Yes, that . . . but thank God we’ve finally arrived at your cabin.”
“You covered the one hundred miles really fast,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll race you to the front door!” With a squeal she scrambled from the car and ran laughing through the rain. She fumbled with her keys until he took them from her and opened the door.
“I’m soaked!”
“Then we better get you out of those wet clothes, pronto.”
“Excellent idea!” Mattie made a mad dash for her bedroom and Garret followed in close pursuit. She paused to click on a small decorative lamp, casting the room in a soft glow.
Wet clothes landed with a plop against the hardwood floor. Mattie and Garret fell against the mountain of pillows, kissing and caressing, skin sliding against warm wet skin. “I’ve wanted to feel your naked body next to mine, but the reality of it is blowing me away. I can’t believe that you’re in my arms, Mattie.”
“Better than digging a ditch?” she asked, and then kissed his shoulder.
“Way better,” Garret said, and then pulled back to look at her. He’d waited for this moment and wanted to slow down as much as his passion would allow. She was in a half-sitting position, leaning against the pillows. Her hair, still damp and slightly curled, looked like spun gold against the stark white bedding. “God, you’re beautiful.” He traced a fingertip over her cheek and then down her neck until he reached the valley between her breasts. She remained still and allowed him to look his fill.
“Am I?”
“Yes.” He cupped her full breasts. “Perfection,” he said softly, and looked into her eyes.
She swallowed hard, but her gaze didn’t waver. “Thank you.”
Garret rubbed his thumbs over her nipples until her breath caught and she arched her back. Leaning down, he kissed one breast and then the other and then sucked a nipple into his mouth.
With a soft moan she threaded her fingers through his hair. “Oh God, that feels . . . mmm . . . amazing,” she said, making Garret smile. He knew that making love to Mattie would be organic and natural.
“I love how you taste and how you feel, Mattie.” Garret explored her skin, lightly caressing her everywhere. She urged him on with little gasps and sexy groans. Her hands moved to his shoulders and then slid down his back.
“The feeling is mutual. Oh, but I want . . . ,” she said, but sucked in a breath when his fingers trailed over her mound and then slid inside her wet heat.
“This?” He moved his finger in slow circles and watched the play of emotion on her face. She closed her eyes and her breathing became shallow through slightly parted lips.
“Yes . . . ,” she said. “Oh yes.”
Garret increased the pressure just slightly, dipping his fingers in and out. She felt so warm and silky against his hand and looked so utterly gorgeous while in the throes of passion. He longed to lick her, to taste her, but he couldn’t tear his gaze away from her face. He plunged his finger deep and then touched her with a barely there caress until she arched her hips in a silent plea for release. Still, Garret held back, wanting her to be wild with desire for him. When she opened her eyes he replaced his finger with the pad of his thumb and she climaxed with a soft and oh so sexy throaty moan.
Garret rolled to the side, almost painfully aroused, and dug into his wallet for a condom. He quickly sheathed himself and then slid his body against hers. Garret looked at her flushed face and then kissed her parted lips before entering her in one fluid, gentle stroke. “God, you feel so good.”
“I love having you inside me.”
“It’s where I belong.”
“Mmm . . . yes.” She wrapped her legs around him while he made slow and steady love to her, bringing her back to the brink of an orgasm. “Oh, Garret.”
“Mattie . . . beautiful Mattie.” Garret kissed her and then stroked her faster, deeper, and when he felt her climax he found his own sweet release. A hot wave of pleasure washed over him unlike anything he’d experienced before and he knew why. What they’d just shared went beyond sex. His heart thudded with the knowledge and he had trouble not telling her, because he wanted her to know how much he cared for her. He didn’t know how to verbalize what he was feeling other than professing his love for her, but he was so afraid it was too soon and that Mattie might not believe him, so he somehow remained silent. Instead he rolled to the side and held her close, hoping that she might feel his love through the beat of his heart.
As if in response to his silent admission, she placed a flutter of light kisses on his chest and then rested her head on his shoulder. After a few moments he said, “Mattie?”
“Yes?” she responded in a lazy, satisfied tone. She started tracing her fingers over his skin in small circles.
“I . . . I want us to be together.”
She stopped drawing circles and raised her head. “You want me to be your girlfriend?”
“Yes, love, my girlfriend. I want us to be exclusive. Do you . . . do you want to?”
Mattie laughed.
“Um, that wasn’t the response I was hoping for,” he said with a frown.
“No!”
“No?” Garret felt crestfallen.
“No, I meant you’re just so doggone cute. And when you say gar-el in that English way of yours, I just melt.”
“Wait. I’m confused. So, is that a yes, then?”
“Yes!” She leaned down and gave him a quick kiss, but he held her there and kissed her thoroughly. “Well, now I get to stake my claim. Every girl in Sully’s had her eye on you tonight.”
“Really? I didn’t know. Maybe I spoke too soon, then,” he said, and was rewarded with a playful shove.
“Surely you noticed.”
“Mattie, love, I only have eyes for you,” he said, and trailed a fingertip over her bottom lip. “I know it sounds like a cheesy line, but I’m telling you the total truth.”
“Garret, I believe you.” She smiled. “I understand because I feel the same way.” She kissed him softly, sweetly. “Will you stay with me tonight?”
“And sleep on this white cloud?”
“Yes.”
“Do I get to take a bubble bath in your big tub?”
“Absolutely.”
“That just sealed the deal.”
“And since tomorrow is Sunday I get to sleep in.”
“And I’ll fix you breakfast.”
“Really?”
“As long as you’re okay with toast.”
Mattie laughed. “I’m totally fine with toast with a side of Garret Ruleman.”
“Mmm . . . and you shall have it. And you know the best part?”
“What?”
“We still have all night ahead of us.”
“Oh so true.”
“I’m going to go to the bathroom and then we must get beneath the covers,” he said, and she gave him a sleepy nod.
“Don’t be too long.”
“I won’t,” he said, and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.
Garret padded across the hardwood floor and entered the big bathroom. He marveled at this unexpected turn of events and then gazed at himself in the mirror. “Don’t screw this up,” he said to his reflection. “Mattie Mayfield is a gem.”
When he reentered the bedroom Mattie had turned the bed down and was beneath the covers. When he scooted in beside her she sighed and snuggled close. “Mmm . . . I like having you in my bed,” she said in a sexy sleepy voice that had him immediately aroused.
“And I like being in your bed. You know I usually suffer from insomnia, but I think tonight I’ll sleep like a log.”
“Because you’re sleeping on a cloud?” she asked with a low giggle, and looked at him with half-lidded eyes.
“No, love.” Garret brushed a lock of hair from her face and then shook his head. “Because I’ll be sleeping next to you.”
Mattie kissed him and then asked, “Have you always been this romantic?”
“Never. But you are my inspiration.”
“Oh, Garret . . .” She sighed and then placed her hand on his chest. “You are so good for me. . . .”
“And you for me.” Garret put his hand over hers and waited until he heard soft and steady breathing. “Sweet Mattie, I love you so.” He knew she was asleep and he couldn’t wait for when the time was right to say those words directly to her. But he told himself to take one step at a time. He wanted her to feel how much he adored her before he said the words.
Garret smiled, thinking that he couldn’t wait to tell his mum that he was in love. She’d want to meet Mattie straightaway, so he’d have to start making plans for a trip to London in the near future. Garret thought that it was pretty crazy that he’d traveled all over the world and met the girl of his dreams in a small town in Kentucky.
Garret turned sideways and pulled Mattie close. With a sigh he brushed her hair to the side and then kissed her shoulder. She murmured something and sighed. After a while Garret closed his eyes and thought for the first time in his life everything felt so right and he was going to do whatever it took to keep it that way.
19
I Could Have Danced All Night
LAURA LEE SQUEEZED THE HANDLE ON THE GARDEN hose, sending a gentle spray of water onto the potted plants dotting Shane’s pool deck. When she was unhappily married her garden had become her sanctuary and had brought her much needed peace. Nourishing the plants and watching them thrive kept her feeling alive and somehow connected to the earth when her world had been crumbling all around her. Laura Lee had cultivated flowers that attracted butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds so she could enjoy the beauty of nature; she’d been adding some of those same plants around the pool and deck area at Shane’s. While he’d given her permission to purchase whatever she wanted, Laura Lee enjoyed taking clippings and growing plants from seeds.
She hummed “We’re All Alone” while she watered not only because she adored the Rita Coolidge classic but because she’d slow-danced to the love song with Shane on Saturday night. She’d managed to keep busy yesterday doing nonstop chores at her own house in an effort to keep the man off her mind, but as soon as she spotted Shane coming in from his morning run, all she could think about was dancing with him. The memory of swaying in his arms made her so hot and bothered that she considered turning the hose on herself!
Laura Lee looked at the tranquillity of the pool and sighed. Perhaps she’d take a refreshing dip after she finished making Shane’s lunch. Even though he wasn’t supposed to be home until late in the afternoon, she thought he might like a light chicken wrap or a tossed salad before dinner.
While she watered the growing collection of plants, Laura Lee thought she might start an herb garden in the bay windowsill in the kitchen so she could garnish his food with fresh organic seasonings. She tried to tell herself that she did so much because Shane paid her an insane amount of money for such an easy job, but she knew she simply wanted to please him. “Making him happy is my job,” she said, trying to justify her need to impress him at every turn.
But she damn well knew better.
Of course, Laura Lee was doing pretty well hiding her growing feelings for him. At least she hoped so. “And then he had to go and give me the slow dance of all slow dances,” she muttered.
Laura Lee knew that she shouldn’t dwell on Saturday night, but her blasted brain refused to listen. She closed her eyes and relived the heady feeling of having her hand tucked in Shane’s while they glided across the dance floor cheek to cheek. And on top of everything else he’d smelled divine. When she got home she’d realized the lingering scent of his aftershave had clung to her blouse and she’d refused to wash it like some sort of love-struck fool.
“Because that’s what I am,” she whispered, and then shook her head so hard that her ponytail swung back and forth. And not only could Shane dance like a dream, but when he’d started singing along with the song, goodness, she’d, well, nearly swooned. Seriously how much could a girl take, for Pete’s sake?
Laura Lee closed her eyes and relived the evening one more time before sternly telling herself to file the memory away once and for all. Her fantasy was fueled by the fact that after Mattie and Garret left, Shane had stayed by her side for the duration of the night. And to make matters worse Shane talked to people about her almost as if they were a couple. At one point Laura Lee actually wondered if he was doing so to get her used to the idea because perhaps that was what he wanted as well, but then she quickly discarded the notion as sheer folly. She also warned herself to stop having dinner with him nearly every night, but she could never find the will to refuse.
“Tonight,” she said firmly. “Tonight I will come up with an excuse to have his dinner warm and ready but then go home where I belong.” The thought, however, made her
feel a bit sad. With a frown she realized that she’d been watering the pot of purple and white petunias too long and abruptly turned the hose away. Earlier she’d put a load of towels in the washer and then realized she’d forgotten to add detergent! And the entire reason for her scatterbrained behavior stemmed from daydreaming about her super-sexy boss.
And he wasn’t just sexy. Shane McCray was kind and giving. He received constant requests from charities and he made a generous donation to each and every one either with money or donations of signed CDs and memorabilia. And the man made her laugh! She shook her head, thinking that she felt more at ease with Shane, a huge celebrity, than she’d ever felt with her ex-husband. For just a moment Laura Lee allowed herself to fantasize what it would be like to be Shane’s woman. What would it feel like to kiss him?
To make love to him?
Oh, it had been so long since Laura Lee was intimate that she wondered if she still knew how to satisfy a man. And at fifty-five was she still attractive? She was in decent shape, but still . . . “Oh, stop!” she shouted skyward.
“Stop what?”
Startled, Laura Lee spun around and squirted Mattie directly in the face. “Oh, sorry!”
“Eeeeek!” Mattie shrieked, but in her good-natured way simply laughed while wiping the water from her cheeks. “That went up my nose!”
“I’m so sorry,” Laura Lee said again, but she was having a hard time not laughing. “You did sneak up on me, you know.”
“No, I didn’t. I called your cell phone, but you didn’t answer, so I thought I’d come over and see if you were here. When you didn’t come to the door I took a chance and came back here, since your van was in the driveway. You seemed to be in a world of your own. Who were you talking to?”
“Myself.” Laura Lee pointed to a towel draped over a chair. “I didn’t mean to douse you, Mattie.”
She shrugged as she patted her face dry. “Well, it’s hot out and you cooled me off a bit. Do you have a minute? I have something to tell you.” Light danced in her eyes, telling Laura Lee that the news was going to be good.