“She’s out,” Matthew said of his daughter, as he sat in one of the leather chairs.
“Decorating for Yule is a big job.” I nodded.
“Yet, in one afternoon, you’ve managed to make this house feel magickal. This is the first time since we’ve moved in, that it has felt like home,” Matthew said.
His words caused a warm fuzzy feeling in my chest. But I tried to keep it light. “I’m a florist. Can’t stop myself from decorating. It’s a sickness.”
“It’s more than that,” Matthew met my eyes. “It’s a gift, and one of the things I’ve always loved about you.”
Loved? I thought. Suddenly nervous, I looked away. Don’t jump ahead girl, I warned myself. It’s only an expression.
“I’ll take her to her room and tuck her in.” Matthew rose to his feet. “Will you stay?”
“Sure, I’ll wait until you get her settled,” I said.
While Matthew took Charlie upstairs, I went to sit on the hearth. I stared at the flames and waited for him.
He padded into the room quietly and walked over. He hunkered down so we were eye to eye. “Violet, I don’t want you to go.”
I smiled. “I should head home. It’s been a long day.”
“No,” he reached out and cupped the back of my head. “I want you to stay, and be with me tonight.”
His words made my heart leap, and my stomach clench. “Matthew,” I murmured. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Yes it is,” he tugged me closer. “I’ll show you.”
The kiss started out as soft and testing, but didn’t stay that way for long. Our tongues met and my hands dove into his hair. The next thing I knew, he pulled me into his arms. I wrapped myself around him and was lost. We’d always had chemistry, and even after seven years apart, it ignited.
Our clothes were gone in moments. There would be no tender coming together. This was all passion, all fire. We wrestled across the floor, both of us straining to kiss and to touch the other. For seven years I’d longed for him. Now, having him in my arms again, I didn’t want to wait even a second longer. He rolled me under, I wrapped my arms and legs around him. “Now,” I whispered in his ear. “Right now, Matthew!”
He thrust home, and I bit back a shout of joy. He covered my mouth with his and we went crazy, together.
Afterwards, we lay on the carpet before the fire. Matthew trailed kisses down my throat, over my shoulder and across the sleeve of floral tattoos on my right arm. “This is beautiful,” he said.
I reached over and with a fingertip, pulled his face up so I could meet his eyes. “There was a time, you didn’t think so,” I reminded him.
“I was a fool.” Matthew shifted his attention and began kissing his way across my breasts. “Do you have tattoos anywhere else?” he asked casually.
“Well, if you hadn’t been in such a rush to set a land speed record,” I teased him, “maybe you would have noticed.”
Matthew braced himself over me on his elbows and narrowed his eyes. “Is that a challenge?”
I wriggled my hips, and felt his reaction. “Maybe.”
He dropped a sizzling kiss on my lips, but to my disappointment he stopped and stood. He stared down at me, silently holding out his hand. I took it, and he tugged me to my feet. As soon as I was upright, he began steering me back towards the couch. His hands were all over me, and he whispered a naughty suggestion as his mouth cruised across my jaw.
I felt the cool leather of the large ottoman hit the back of my legs. “Is that thing sturdy enough?” I asked.
“As a matter of fact,” he said, “I had this fantasy of you and I testing it out a couple of days ago.”
I smiled against his skin. “Pretty confident of yourself, eh Professor?”
Without warning, he spun me in his arms. Before I could blink, he arranged me face down over the ottoman. I gulped when he knelt behind me and nudged my legs farther apart. He pressed his weight down, and I moaned at the contrast of the smooth, cool fabric against my breasts, and his warm chest against my back. He guided my hands to grip the sides of the ottoman, and wrapping his hands over mine he held me gently in place, and slid inside.
I groaned as my feminine muscles clenched around him. I tried to move, but between Matthew holding my hands and his weight on me, he was completely in control, and I loved it.
He began to roll his hips slowly, and the leisurely tempo had me gritting my teeth. He trailed gentle kisses over the back of my neck and shoulders, but still, he never increased his pace.
“Matthew!” I pleaded, straining back against him.
“More?” He stopped moving altogether and I was left squirming in frustration. “Are you sure?” His voice was a low growl, and it made me want him desperately.
I nodded my head yes, and he lifted his chest from my back, releasing my hands. He pressed one of his hands firmly into the center of my shoulders to keep me in place. I held my breath, struggling to hold still as he began to thrust his hips faster. Now his strokes were deeper and more intense.
“God, there’s no one like you.” He pressed his chest to my back again. “You always could make me crazy,” he growled in my ear.
I twisted my head back, straining to kiss him. “Go a little crazier,” I dared him.
And he did.
I woke up on the sofa in Matthew’s arms. He’d tossed an afghan over us and I sighed in contentment. Reluctantly, I peered up at the grandfather clock as it chimed the hour, and groaned. “I need to go,” I
