by Tigris Eden
I turned my head, and Matty’s eyes clashed with mine. I didn’t know if we were on the same page, but I was about to find out. My lips rubbed slowly against his in a coaxing manner. I felt the rumble of his growl before I heard it, and then he opened for me. He let me control the kiss. If there were any doubts still in my mind about us, they were all gone now. And, yes, the touch of his mouth did it for me.
The epiphany I’d had in the kitchen had been the precursor to my intentions, but the kiss, the one he gave me now, sealed the deal.
I bit at his lips, sucked on his tongue, and Matty’s response was ravenous as he took over. His hand grabbed hold of my neck, gently at first, before his grip tightened and he maneuvered my head to gain better access. The tiny flutter of lust that had only just begun to release itself completely unraveled as my arms went to his neck to pull him closer. I tried—and failed—to hide my enthusiasm as desperate sounds fell from my lips. I should have been embarrassed. We weren’t alone. But the entire world slipped away, and my vision blurred before my eyes closed.
A slight tug on my neck had me backing away. Mateo held my jaw, and his eyes, those beautiful, whiskey-brown eyes searched mine. The other two women long forgotten. It was just him and me. Like it should be. Like it should always be.
“Dinner is ready, señor.”
Trance now broken, we looked up and saw Patricia’s father smiling at us. When I turned to look at the two women who had front-row seats to our make-out session, I noticed they’d gone.
“Will you be taking dinner out on the beach or in the room?” Javier asked.
“The room,” Matty said, standing taking me with him.
“Where are Patricia and Portia?”
“Don’t know, don’t care. Are you hungry?” Matty asked against my mouth. He tugged on my lower lip with his teeth, his groan almost like a purr as he gazed heatedly at me.
“Hmmm, I could eat.”
“Yeah baby, you’re going to need energy.”
“But the others will hear us.”
One of his eyebrows arched. “You care what they think?”
Did I?
“Well, no, I guess not.”
“Good, because neither do I.”
It took no time at all to get to the master bedroom upstairs. The food was already there, which I only thought about for a second before Matty was back to kissing me. My legs barely touched the floor as he took my mouth with light glides of his lips. His taste was sweet, and the strokes of his tongue were deep, building an intense need that threatened to bring me to my knees.
Somehow, we made it to the bed, our clothes tossed aside, and I only had mere seconds to stare at all that Matty had to offer. And it was a lot. From the strength in his arms and legs to his beautiful ribbed torso and trail of dark hair that mapped a path to where his length jutted proudly. I wanted to grab hold of him and take him into my mouth, but he didn’t give me a chance. Instead, my arms slid around his shoulders as his knee hit the bed. He crawled up my body, kissing a trail to my hip and then my stomach before filling his hands with my breasts as he kneaded and pinched.
My back arched off the mattress, offering him more. More of me, more of any and everything. All he had to do was ask.
“You were meant for me, fuiste hecha para mí,” he whispered in Spanish in my ear. I turned my head to tell him the same, but then his body pressed heavily down on me, and one of his knees rose to part my legs. It all happened so fast. One moment I was empty, and the next, I was full. Full of Matty. I had his heat, his weight, and finally, I had his cock.
Why had we waited this long to experience something so beautiful?
His mouth took mine again in a slow kiss. I was drowning. So much so, that my body started to shake with the force of my impending orgasm. When my eyes met his, we stayed that way as he moved in and out of me in a slow, steady motion. He made sure I felt every inch of what he had to offer. I felt my stomach flutter and plummet as the love that shone bright and enduring blazed from behind his golden brown eyes.
Mateo picked up the pace of his thrusts, never breaking our kiss or our stare. He owned me with his body, possessed me with his heart, and I willingly placed everything I was at his feet. It was hard not to. We’d known each other for as long as I could remember. And as our bodies danced, and our breaths mingled, my heart reached out to him, as his heart did with mine. I would have thought it all a dream if not for the climax that mounted again inside me. I never imagined something this good, this strong.
My hand slid up into Matty’s hair. I wanted him to watch me come apart in his arms. Needed him to. When it hit, his mouth covered my moan, and after a few more strokes, Matty followed. Seconds later, and not even a little recovered, I lay plastered against his side. Both of us groaned while trying to catch our breaths. When I chanced a glimpse of him from beneath my lashes, his eyes were full of love and mirth. Silence descended for only a handful of moments before we both burst into laughter.
“And that is how you please a lady,” Matty said with a smug grin on his face.
I slapped at his chest, but quickly kissed the spot and leaned up, trying to get situated.
“Where do you think you’re going?” he rumbled against my shoulder, as I tried to sit back against the headboard.
“I’m not going anywhere, but now I need you to feed me.”
He arched an eyebrow before kissing my bare shoulder.
“I think I can help you with that, but after we eat, we should talk.”
“About?”
“Things. This. Us.”
That didn’t sound good, and I knew he could tell by the glare in my eyes exactly what I thought. I could never guard my feelings. Matty sat up next to me and pulled me into his lap until I straddled him. Both his hands grabbed my face, and he pulled me to him until our mouths touched.
“There’s nothing to worry about,” he said against my lips. “I’ve got this. I’ve got us.” It was strange for me because we’d never been this intimate. It made me a bit jumpy, and when I tried to move off his lap, he stopped me with another soul-searching kiss. “Don’t move, you’re gonna make things happen.”
He was not lying. He grew hard between my legs, and I had to let out a little moan when he positioned me right over his hardening length.
“You can’t be serious?” I peered up at him and then down to where our bodies touched.
“You didn’t know? I’m cuckoo for Zori.”
Laughing, I reached across the bed in an effort to grab some food. But I couldn’t reach.
“I need to eat, Matty.”
“Yes, Zori, food.” He kissed the tip of my nose and lifted me off him before he got up and went over to where the dinner tray was. He motioned for me to scoot to the edge of the bed. I grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around my chest, then crawled over to the edge of the mattress where I sat and smiled at Matty as I waited patiently for my food.
It was fresh fish and vegetables that were roasted over a flame. As I scooted closer to the edge of the bed and dangled my legs, Matty pushed the cart up to the side of the mattress, forcing me to sit Indian-style.
“That smells good.”
“It does, he even added some cilantro and peppers.”
My stomach grumbled, and we both smiled at each other.
“I’d better feed you.” He laughed at me now as he served up a plate. One plate.
“You’re not eating?”
“Of course, I am, but we can eat off the same plate.”
“Like when we were younger?”
Mateo would pile on tons of food and bring extra utensils, and we’d sit outside on his mother’s balcony and share our meals.
“Yeah.”
He set the plate between us, and we ate in companionable silence. When we finished, Matty took the tray and set it down outside our door.
“You ready for a shower?”
“It’s outside.”
Though it was getting dark, it was still warm.
“What’s
the matter? Are you scared?”
Jumping off the bed to accept his challenge, I wrapped the sheet tighter around me and made my way to the shower that sat just off to the left of the room. The floor was made of stone with a drain in the middle, and the showerhead looming over as if the water itself poured out of the sky. The pipes were affixed to the stone wall. There was a tall wooden rack that held towels and toiletries. There was even a bench along the wall before you got to the shower. It was open from all three sides except for the main structure of the house.
Matty took my sheet and gently grabbed me by the waist, guiding me toward the shower.
“Look.”
Right in front of us, the sun was a brilliant ball of fire as it slowly sank beneath the ocean. The night sky was streaked with shades of red, purple, pink, and gold. The perfect backdrop for an intense evening.
I felt his heat before he pulled me back into his chest. His arms were wrapped snuggly beneath my breasts, and we just stood there, watching the sun slowly sink.
“It’s so beautiful.” Turning my head to kiss the undercut of his jaw, I made sure to tell him how glad I was that he’d come on this trip. “Thank you, Mateo. Thank you for coming.”
“Mateo. Hmm, I kind of like hearing my full name on your lips. But, yeah, well, I couldn’t miss this chance to make you mine. Make no mistake, Zori, you are mine.”
His voice was harsh and intense. I knew how he felt, and I wasn’t about to argue what was obviously so right.
There was no point.
I belonged to him, and he belonged to me.
The moment was so perfect and complete. I didn’t want to ruin it. Mateo reached back and turned on the shower. It was cool at first but slowly warmed as we stood beneath the spray.
“Turn around, I’m gonna wash you first, and then you do me.”
I was about to argue and tell him it would be quicker if we washed ourselves and got out, but he didn’t hear any of my protests. He kissed me gently on the lips, turned me to face the ocean again, and got down to the business of washing me. He washed my feet and worked his way up, massaging the soap into my skin. Taking away the knots in my muscles as he went. I couldn’t help but groan. It felt so damn good. When he started to wash my hair, my legs went weak.
“Damn.”
“What?”
“You’re pulling out all the stops, aren’t you?”
“No, this isn’t pulling out all the stops. Pulling out all the stops would include me getting down on my knees and spreading you open so that I could devour the very heart of you. But since this floor is made of stone and not tile, I don’t think that would be a good idea. I’m not trying to impress you, Zori.”
“You’re not?”
Stupid girl. Shut up.
“No, I’m not. This is what life would be like with me. Easy. Open. Relaxed. I want to build a home with you and no one else. Laugh with you, dance with you, hold you, and eventually, watch you grow with our children. You do realize we didn’t use any protection tonight? You didn’t even think to ask, nor did I. You want to know why that is?”
‘Cause we’re stupid. That’s why.
“Mateo, I’m on the pill.”
“Yeah, but I didn’t know that, Zori. I may be your best friend, but we never talked about birth control. That’s shit you discuss with Paige, not your man. I could have made sure, even slipped something on, but I didn’t. It was natural for us. You and me, we’re gonna make babies, and I don’t care if it’s now or later.”
Whoa. Babies? And when did he become so machismo?
“Since when did you become my man?” I taunted. I was only playing around, but Mateo turned me to face him, his eyes searching mine before he took a deep breath.
“I’ve been your man since the beginning. We were just too dumb to figure it out. There will only be you for me. Anything before this doesn’t matter.”
He turned me back around and washed my hair again before conditioning it. I needed to make this a stipulation of our relationship. Every time we showered, it had to be together, and Mateo and I had to wash each other. Delicious.
We spent the rest of the evening talking. It was something we did on the nights we stayed with each other. Minus the hot sex, of course. But this time, when we were done talking, Mateo pulled me into his arms and made love to me. It was slow. Deep. Reached to the very heart of me—of us. When we finished, there was no shower. Just our deep breathing as we fell asleep tangled in each other’s arms.
Chapter 11
Zori
The sounds of birds and howler monkeys greeted my ears. I was exhausted. My body, deliciously used. The smell of breakfast surrounded me, and I moaned. I didn’t want to get out of bed, but I knew that smell. Mateo was in the kitchen, or he’d told Javier that I loved French toast. Either way, it dragged me out of bed. I threw on the shirt he’d draped over the chair and pulled on a pair of shorts from my bag.
As I made my way downstairs, I heard female laughter along with Mateo’s husky voice. He’s still being chummy? After last night? I couldn’t be ugly about the situation. After all, I was partly to blame. If I hadn’t been so stubborn and pigheaded, we’d be on the main island enjoying the hell out of each other.
Three pairs of eyes turned to greet me. Mateo flipped the toast in the pan over the open fire, and I was a little ticked off that Patricia and Portia got to taste his amazing breakfast.
“Morning,” I chirped, hoping I sounded cheery.
“Morning, beautiful. I’d come and kiss you, but I’m manning the open flames,” Mateo said with a wink.
“Oh, well, I can fix that.” I made my way over to him and leaned up on my toes to place a chaste kiss on his mouth. “Morning, sexy,” I said against his lips before pulling away.
“Matty was just telling us about the shop,” Patricia spoke up, ruining the moment.
“Yeah, I was telling them about the custom rides I build, and how much people are willing to pay to have their cars or rides tricked out.”
I took a seat on one of the stools at the island and joined in on the conversation. I wanted to be mad, but Mateo got along with everyone. I hadn’t seen him pull douche patrol unless absolutely necessary.
“Yeah,” I said.
“I could tell right away that you were good with your hands,” Patricia said, smiling widely.
Did they not hear us making love last night? We weren’t loud, but we weren’t quiet either.
“Oh, yeah, you think I’m good with my hands?” Matty said, winking over at me. He was being flirty. That was normal for him. “You should ask Zori if I’m any good with my hands.” He laughed. He was enjoying himself a little too much, or he was trying to see if I would say anything. I’d always liked his ability to make people laugh.
I hadn’t realized until that moment how much I laughed. Daily. That made me love him that much more. I must have always known in the back of my mind, but after the rejection in high school, my hope—or more aptly, my long, sought-after fantasy—had been crushed. But it was alive again, and I found I was more than okay with it.
“Matty does have wonderful hands,” Portia said, and my head turned in her direction.
“How would you know?” I asked slowly.
“From the other night. When we met on the beach. We talked for a long time, but that’s not all we did.”
My face heated in anger, and I leered over at Mateo, who didn’t deny or confirm Portia’s claim. He didn’t even glance at me, just fixed our plates, loading them with French toast and slices of melon and strawberries.
“Mateo?”
“Hmmm?” he asked as he sprinkled some powdered sugar over the large slices of bread.
“What is Portia talking about?”
He gazed up from the plate he prepared and stared first at me and then at Portia. Wiping his hands on a hand towel on the counter, he rounded the counter and came to stand behind me, wrapping his arms tightly around my stomach. His lips were warm against my neck as he said, “I only gave he
r a shoulder massage. Calm your nerves.”
My shoulders slumped; I didn’t realize I’d been ready to attack.
“It was a little more than a shoulder rub,” Portia taunted.
“How do you figure? I rubbed your shoulders–that was it. Nothing else happened.”
“What about the things you said?”
Oh, now this I wanted to hear.
“Yeah, what about the things you said to her, Mateo?” I emphasized his name but didn’t pull away from him. I couldn’t if I tried. He’d made sure of it. His arms had me in a tight grip.
“You said you wanted marriage and children. Said that you couldn’t wait to start your life.”
“Okay, and how did that equate to anything more?” he asked. His voice was gruff, and I knew that voice. It was the calm before the storm. It was a side of Mateo that people only got to see when he felt like he had to protect those around him, those he cared about. And I realized he was trying to protect me. He didn’t want Portia hurting my feelings. He probably thought I was going to jump to conclusions. I wasn’t happy about the shoulder massage, but in all fairness, it was just a massage. It could have led to something else, but it hadn’t. Mateo wasn’t like that. He’d never cheated on any of the women he dated in the past. At least to my knowledge, and I was his best friend. Or was until we’d become… What are we?
Now my head spun with questions that I needed answers to. Portia forgotten, I asked, interrupting whatever it was she had been about to say, “Mateo, what is this?”
He turned me on the stool so that I faced him, my legs on either side of his, allowing him to step in between my thighs.
“This is everything.” He kissed me soundly on the lips before glancing over at the other ladies and smiling. “Breakfast is outside today on the veranda, and then I thought we’d do some hiking, to the other side of the island.”
