A Hot Winter (New Adult Romance) (The Attraction Series Book 2)

by Lake, C. J.

  Emma said, “Oh, thanks, but don’t bother with that; I’m moving anyway.”

  “Yeah, but when people come to look at the house, they’re going to notice. I’m surprised your realtor didn’t mention it,” he remarked offhandedly.

  “Maybe she did,” Emma admitted, trying to recall. “Between the pizza oven, the skylight, the heated floor tiles and dual shower heads, who knows? I suppose she might have mentioned the laundry room.”

  “Dual shower heads?” Matt echoed, clearly disappointed. “Damn, Emma, we could’ve been having a lot of fun with that.”

  A blush came to her cheeks and she grinned. “Don’t make smile right now. I’m in a testy mood.”

  “Okay. So what time are you getting back later?”

  “Probably pretty late--but, wait. Um…” There was something she needed to say to him, and this was probably the best time to say it. “Matt, now that the boys are coming home, I…I don’t think we should have sleepovers anymore. You know? It would just be a confusing message for them.”

  “Oh.” After a pause, he said, “Sure, I understand. I guess I hadn’t thought of that.”

  “Good, I was afraid you’d be mad.”

  “No, I’m not mad,” he said. “It’s just that we don’t have much time left before you go.”

  “I know, but we’ll still see each other,” she promised vaguely. “Maybe during the day, or…you know, we’ll figure it out.” When he didn’t say anything, she added, “We can talk on the phone--you know, practice the mnemonic devices we talked about. I meant what I said about wanting to work with you on that.” She should have quit while she was behind, but she kept babbling. “Anyway, we’ll both have our own stuff going on, with Christmas being just a few days away. It’s not like we’ll have a lot of time to get together in person. And I’ll be busy packing, so…”

  Unfortunately, Matt didn’t jump in to humor her or to validate her admittedly transparent attempt to put some distance between them. He simply said, “All right.”

  Emma bit her lip, feeling torn. On the one hand, she meant what she said about no sleepovers with Jake and Ben in the house. On the other, she wanted to reassure Matt that she would miss being with him. Holding him, lying next to him, making love to him…she would miss all of it, desperately. But obviously she couldn’t say that. It would only make it harder when they called it quits in January.

  So she said nothing.

  Finally Matt spoke. “Drive safely then,” he said, his tone clipped.

  “Yeah, um, have a nice day,” Emma threw in stupidly.

  “Yep.”

  When they disconnected, Emma chided herself. Two awkward, borderline-rude phone calls that she’d caused in a span of fifteen minutes. Nice work, she thought deprecatingly. Matt was hurt, she could tell. Well, she was hurting, too, but this was what had to be done. Besides…

  Matt was young enough to bounce back quickly. He might be the most mature guy she’d met in a long time--but he was still only twenty-three.

  Chapter 36

  When Matt arrived home that evening, Bardo and Pellican appeared to be waiting for him. “Winter, you’re back. How, uh, how was your day?” Pellican asked, seeming edgy.

  Matt eyed him cautiously. “Fine, why?”

  “No reason.”

  Bardo approached Matt next. “Hey, got a second to talk, bro?”

  “Sure,” Matt said, walking deeper into the living room. Then he heard Bardo ask quietly, “Is he locked in?”

  “Excuse me…?” Matt said, confused, angling his head back around.

  “Quick, Pellican--block the door!”

  Hurriedly, Pellican planted his stocky body in the narrow front hall of Matt’s apartment, and Bardo came up alongside him.

  “Huh…?” Matt said, scrunching his forehead, trying to make sense of the scene: His friends standing there like a blockade, looking slightly nervous. Calmly, Matt said, “Okay, you know that I can kick both of your asses, right? Now obviously I don’t want to. But you’ve got to know that I can.”

  Pellican exchanged an uncertain look with Bardo, who said, “Well, we’re hoping it won’t come to that. But if it does, for the record, please don’t break my glasses.”

  Tired from a long day--not to mention disappointed that he wouldn’t see Emma tonight--Matt dropped into a chair and gave his friends an impatient look. “What the hell’s going on?”

  “An intervention,” Bardo said.

  “We know you’ve been seeing Keri,” Pellican explained.

  “Wha--no…” Matt began, shaking his head--but Bardo cut him off.

  “No use denying it. It’s obvious. As soon as Keri appears again, suddenly you’re gone nights, acting all mysterious--”

  “And then your truck gets bricked,” Pellican interrupted. “It was probably that dude, Douglas! I bet he found out that you and Keri started up again; now he’s gunning for you.”

  “Man…” Matt uttered under his breath as he rubbed his forehead. If his head wasn’t pounding at the moment, this would almost be funny.

  “Also,” Bardo went on, “I happened to notice last week, when I was looking for floss, that you had a brand new box of condoms under your sink. Now it’s almost completely empty--and we all know Pellican’s not burning through those at record speed.”

  “Oh, shut-up, Bardo,” Pellican griped.

  “What?”

  “Look, we say this out of concern,” Pellican intercepted.

  “That girl is poison.”

  “Okay, stop,” Matt said, slicing his hand through the air as he stood. “Enough. I’m not seeing Keri.”

  Both of his friends eyed him skeptically, and Bardo said, “You can tell us the truth.”

  “I am. I haven’t even talked to Keri since that night at the Lamplighter. And the truth is that I’ve got something going with Emma.”

  “Who’s Emma again?” Pellican said, confused.

  “Andy’s sister.”

  “Really?” Bardo said, surprised. “Well, why didn’t you just tell us that?”

  “Because she asked me to keep it quiet at first. She’s a private person,” Matt explained. Then he lifted his brows expectantly. “Well? Are we done here?”

  “Damn…you and Andy’s sister,” Bardo murmured appreciatively.

  “Huh,” Pellican said with a nod. Then he crossed over and flopped on the couch.

  Affably, Bardo clapped Matt on the arm. “Good talk, bro.”

  “Game’s on,” Pellican announced. Soon Bardo joined him in front of the TV. Both acted like the whole ludicrous intervention was already a distant memory. Despite his headache, Matt had to laugh to himself.

  As he headed to the bathroom for a shower, Pellican called over his shoulder, “By the way, the heat and hot water are back in my building, so I’m heading home later. Thanks for letting me crash all this time.”

  “No problem,” Matt replied--secretly relieved to have the place to himself again.

  Chapter 37

  A few days later, Matt was installing a countertop when Bill Thompkins told him that there was someone waiting to see him. “Someone?” Matt said, surprised, absently wiping his hands on his jeans.

  “A female someone,” was all Thompkins said before picking up his sander again. “She’s waiting by the front door.”

  “Thanks.”

  Matt’s anticipation kicked up, even though, logically, he knew it couldn’t be Emma. She would have no idea where he was working today. He hadn’t even talked to her yesterday. Prior to that, they’d spoken on the phone, but it had been four days and three long nights without seeing her face.

  It was torturing him, but what could he do? She’d been without her sons for a week and now she obviously wanted time away from Matt. Even though he was crazy about her, he wasn’t going to grovel at her feet. If there was one thing he’d learned from the Keri debacle, it was that when women made the relationship all “complicated,” it was probably a red flag and he shouldn’t get too invested.

 
The problem was: as much as he told himself that, he was invested. Infatuated. Lost. Even now…as he stepped into the entranceway and saw Emma standing there, his heart felt like it had been electric-shocked. When she saw him, she smiled. Her beautiful face looked almost shy when she said, “Hi, Matt. Is it a bad time?”

  “Hey,” Matt said, smiling and closing the distance between them. “What are you doing here? How did you know…?”

  “I had Andy find out from Tragan where you’d be working today,” she replied. “I wanted to surprise you.”

  “You’ve definitely done that. I’m glad you’re here.” She looked slightly dressed up today, and he wondered if she’d done that for him.

  “I, uh…wondered if you were free for lunch,” she said, giving him another pretty smile.

  Eagerly he nodded. “Sure, yeah. Let’s go.” Then he called over his shoulder, “Thompkins, I’ll be back later.”

  “Yep,” Thompkins called back.

  “Oh, is that the Thompkins who would’ve done my house if you hadn’t?” Matt nodded. “Hmm, he does sound low-maintenance,” Emma commented.

  “Totally.” Then Matt leaned in closer and said, “But he’s not as much fun as me.”

  When they were out on the sidewalk, Matt said, “So what are you in the mood for?”

  “Well, what’s around here?” Emma asked, as they rounded a corner, passing a wall of evergreens that almost concealed a quaint, circular stone bench.

  “Let’s see, there’s a pizza place down the street,” Matt told her. “A good taco place around the corner.” Keeping his tone neutral, he added, “And my apartment’s not far from here.”

  Without hesitating, Emma threaded her fingers through his. “Let’s go.”

  ~

  They’d started kissing as soon as they got on the elevator--and didn’t stop, even when the doors sprung open on the fourth floor. “Here, this is me,” Matt muttered gruffly against her mouth, as he pulled her with him into the hall. With breathy sighs, Emma clung to him, kissing him back ravenously, as Matt fumbled with the key, and finally jammed it in the lock.

  In seconds he had her inside and backed up against the door. With a growl, Matt dug his hand into Emma’s hair and tilted her head back, so he could run his mouth on her neck. She slid her eyes closed and moaned, which turned him on even more. Soon he was kissing her again their tongues mating in a way that was desperate and carnal, while he nudged her legs apart.

  She shoved his jacket off his shoulders, then tore at his tee shirt. Once he’d stripped it off, her sweater and bra went next. He buried his head in the curve of her neck, mumbling, “You smell so good.”

  “God, so do you,” she breathed, grabbing at his shoulders as she kissed and nuzzled his chest. There was something urgent about their need for each other, something that could not begin to calm down. Three nights without Emma was obviously way too many, Matt realized, taking her ripe ass in his hands and squeezing it almost roughly.

  Her pants slid down. Emma moaned eagerly as he began rubbing his knee between her legs. “Yes…” she whispered as her head thunked against the door. “Don’t stop…” As his knee rubbed against her, he felt her body heat up like a furnace and her panties getting wet. She was rocking her lower body against his knee, making Matt’s dick so hard it was almost unbearable. Already his patience was running thin.

  Suddenly her eyes opened halfway and she looked at him with a dreamy, lusty sort of expression. Her lips were puffy and rosy from kissing. His eyes dropped down to gaze lustfully at her bare breasts. He groaned as he ran his hands over them, getting even more turned on than he already was. Finally, he rasped, “Let’s go to my room. Or we’re gonna end up doing it against this door.”

  As he took her hand and led her to his room, she said, “What’s wrong with doing it against the door?”

  He grinned in spite of himself and his painful state of arousal. “Nothing,” he admitted. “But there’s a time and place. And right now the place for you is in my bed.”

  When they entered his room, Emma spotted a condom on top of his dresser. Boldly, she reached for it and dropped to her knees. Matt’s breath stalled as she unzipped him. Instead of taking him in her mouth, though, she pushed his jeans and boxers all the way down. Once she had him completely naked, she slowly rolled the condom on. Which was also arousing as hell.

  He pulled her to her feet and looked at her. Her breathing was as labored as his, and she was searching his face with those beautiful hazel eyes.

  Then, wordlessly, their mouths collided. Her arms immediately coiled around his neck, and he worked her panties down before lifting her up and coaxing her to straddle him. Breathlessly, Emma said, “But I thought--”

  “Nothing wrong with starting against the door,” Matt murmured thickly.

  In response, she let out an aroused sigh--right before he thrust into her.

  Several smoking hot minutes passed as he rode her against the doorjamb. She clutched at him, letting out choppy, frantic moans with each thrust, tempting him to skip the bed altogether. But he somehow stayed in control--carrying her across the room and spilling her onto the bed.

  Emma reached for him immediately and Matt fell beside her. Soon they were entangled--rolling around in his sheets, kissing each other everywhere. She sank her teeth into his bicep and he licked and sucked her breasts. Starved for more of her, Matt ran his tongue down her belly, then between her legs. Emma gasped as he hooked her legs over his shoulders--then worked his mouth on her until she climaxed.

  As she trembled, he climbed back up so they were face-to-face. Biting her lip, Emma gazed at him, her expression thoughtful and unreadable--before she rolled on top of him.

  His cock sank into her again and sheer ecstasy ran through his veins. “Jesus, I missed you so much,” he rasped, taking her face in his hands.

  “Matt…” she said softly, with her eyes closed. “I need you,” she whispered.

  His pulse pounded harder. “I need you, too,” he said raggedly, and rolled them over again. Now he couldn’t hold out much longer. He didn’t even have to say it.

  “Yes…” she urged him, leaning up to kiss him deeply, sensually.

  When he started moving faster, she kept on kissing him--her throaty murmurs and her short, panting breaths completely did him in. Feverishly, he tilted her thighs up and thrust harder, faster, deeper--until he tore his mouth from hers with a rough groan and shuddered in her arms, and Emma held him tightly to the end.

  Chapter 38

  “What time do you have to be back?” Emma asked sometime later, resting her chin on Matt’s chest, as he lay on his back.

  “No rush,” was all he said, then reached out to comb a few strands of her hair away from her face.

  Emma sat up more and asked, “By the way, have you given any thought to what your de-stressing image will be? You know, that you’ll bring to your exam next time?”

  “Oh, yeah, I’ve got that part covered,” Matt said.

  “Really?” she said, surprised. “That’s great! What kind of image are you thinking?” Before he could reply, she held up a hand. “Wait, let me guess. Um, snow falling in the woods…with a misty kind of sunlight peeking out against the tree branches. And a bluebird chirping in the background--as a hint of a rainbow glistens in the distance…”

  Chuckling, Matt said, “You done now?”

  Emma giggled. “Sorry, I got carried away. No, but seriously--what’s the image?”

  “This one,” Matt said, reaching over and opening his night table drawer. When he pulled out his half of the photo strip they’d taken together at the arcade, Emma’s mouth fell. She struggled to suppress a sudden bubbling of emotion in her chest.

  She sat up a little higher in bed and took a breath. Then kept her tone deliberately neutral. “The trick is for it to be an image that will help relax your mind,” she reminded him.

  “Right, I know,” he replied. “You told me to think of a picture that makes me happy.” Maybe she had said that, she
recalled now. But she had meant a nature scene, a beautiful ocean shot, a huddle of puppies, even a photo of a pile of money…but a photo of her? “So, hands down, this is the winner right here,” Matt said matter-of-factly.

  He pushed up on his elbow to lay the photo strip carefully back in the drawer, and Emma just watched him--as her heart swelled and emotion threatened to overtake her. A lump rose in her throat, making it hard to breathe. She was suddenly struck with the awful, terrifying feeling that she was falling in love with Matt. Real love--a deep, crushing love. Something she hadn’t signed up for; an affliction that could make her break apart if she wasn’t careful.

  Granted, she’d only been in love once in her life, but she remembered what it felt like. It went beyond desire, beyond attraction, beyond infatuation. In this very moment, it hit her: she was enamored of everything Matt was as a person--his sincerity, his strength, and how much he cared.

  Emma let out a shaky sigh, trying not to panic. All at once she felt more vulnerable than she had in years.

  She shouldn’t have come today. She’d done it because she’d missed Matt terribly--obviously--but she had also convinced herself that she could handle it. That they could have steamy sex and not take it to heart. That this affair could still be something lighthearted until she left. Who was she kidding? She could never be casual--at least not with him.

  If she kept spending time with Matt, he’d have her heart completely. Basically, she would be handing it over to him and saying: “Please be careful with this. It just barely healed the last time Fate stomped on it.”

  Of all the times, an image of her mother-in-law entered her mind. She thought about the wedding video. What Dina had said--about how much hope Connor and Emma had had that day. It was true. But then all their plans were for nothing.

  “Emma?” Matt said, breaking her trance. “You okay?”

  Swiftly, she rose from the bed, grabbing one of Matt’s tee shirts, which was hanging off the arm of a chair. “I’m fine,” she told him and offered a quick smile.

  “Where are you going?” he asked, sitting up more.