He placed one hand on either side of her desk, trapping her beneath his body, and leaned down so close that the stubble on his chin scratched her cheek.
“Eat, little girl. And no more skipping breakfast. It will be a taste of my ruler next time,” he growled in a tone so low nobody else would hear it.
Chapter Seven
When Matthew came to collect her at lunchtime he acted like nothing had changed, but to Jilly, everything had changed. Her entire world had been tipped upside down. She was fairly sure that even Vanessa’s eyes had been glaring daggers at her all morning, as she’d eaten her muffin at her desk. It was embarrassing, being singled out by Matthew like that, but at the same time, she quite liked it. Several times, she’d caught herself squirming and forced herself to stop, making herself sit still even though her bottom throbbed. She didn’t need to draw any more attention to herself. Being hauled into the office and being in there for ages and then brought a muffin in front of everybody was bad enough.
When they walked down the street side by side, Matthew’s hand resting in the small of her back was more possessive than usual. He had definitely laid claim on her, and every now and then his hand would sneak further down her spine and clutch her bottom, his strong fingers squeezing her tender flesh, making her yelp. They walked closer together than they usually did, Matthew’s big hand drawing her in closer. She was hyper-aware of him now, aware of the chemistry between them, the sparks that flew back and forth between their bodies with every step they took.
“Sushi?”
“Sounds good,” she agreed. “But I’m paying for it this time. You’ve done enough for me.”
Right there, in the middle of the street, Matthew stopped, turned her to face him, and took her chin in his hand. “Uh-uh, absolutely not, little girl,” he scolded. “Under no circumstances will you be paying for lunch. Not when Daddy is with you. Paying for lunch is Daddy’s job. Do you understand?”
She nodded, as best she could with him holding her chin, but tears of embarrassment welled up in her eyes. This was so wrong. They were in public, out on the street of downtown Auckland at lunch hour, surrounded by people! How could he do this to her here?
“I understand,” she whispered, desperate for him to let her go so they could continue on, wishing the footpath would open up and swallow her whole. But when she went to pull away from him, he wouldn’t let go. Instead, he bent his head to her, pressed his mouth against hers, kissed her with a hunger so deep, so urgent, the whole earth shook. Sparks flew through her body. It felt like a bolt of lightning from heaven itself struck her, sending shockwaves ricocheting through her, heating her from the inside out, blocking out everything except his kiss. He pulled her closer and she laced her fingers behind his neck, buried them in his hair, kissed him back with a passion she didn’t even know she had. She pressed her body into him, feeling his erection against her hip. He tasted so good, his lips against hers felt so right.
The kiss ended as abruptly as it had begun. Matthew let go of her, passion blazing in his eyes, and Jilly stood there, dazed, trying to catch her breath. As her racing heart slowed to its regular rhythm, her embarrassment at being scolded publicly was replaced by fury. He had no right to do that to her! No right at all!
“You embarrassed me!” she complained. “Holding me like that so I couldn’t move, telling me off in the middle of the street.”
“I know. I’m sorry about that. It wasn’t my intention. But when you need to be corrected, little girl, you will be corrected. No matter where it is.”
Jilly huffed. “Well, can you at least be a bit more subtle next time?”
Matthew slipped his arm across her back again, resting it there possessively, staking his claim. “Did that kiss not make up for it?” he asked, avoiding her question.
“Not quite.” Jilly smiled. “I think you might have to try it again.”
“You, my dear, are a brat.” Matthew tipped her backwards over his arm and leaned down, catching her mouth with his, making the world explode around her all over again, and definitely making up for the minor embarrassment he had caused her with the public scolding.
The food hall in the mall was quieter than usual and they were able to get a table right in the far corner, away from the throng of foot traffic, beside the window that looked out over the harbour. A lone seagull circled smoothly above the moored yachts. Jilly sighed deeply. If only she could be so carefree.
“What’s wrong?” Matthew’s serious voice was low, full of concern.
Jilly shook her head. Despite the evolution of their relationship that morning, she still wasn’t ready to tell him. Not with something so personal as that. She would feel like a failure.
“Is it something I can help with?”
The word ‘no’ was on the tip of her lips, but she hesitated. In my world liars get punished, Miss Watson. Where had those words come from? They swirled in her head now, in his deep, scolding tone. When had he said them? It had been a while ago... in the staffroom, she remembered, the first day she was late.
Tell him! He can help! her inner voice urged. But still, she shook her head. She couldn’t. Besides, unless he owned a vacant rental property near Lily’s school and was willing to rent it to her, he couldn’t help anyway.
Instead, she forced a smile. “I’m a single mother,” she reminded him. “I’m always stressed. There’s always something.” That wasn’t a lie. “But it’s under control.” That was a lie. It was a whopper. Things weren’t under control at all. Despite searching constantly, nothing had come up. And with the
