Seaside Whispers: Matt Lacroux (Love in Bloom: Seaside Summers)

by Melissa Foster

  Her inner muscles squeezed him like a vise. All that tight heat was sheer perfection. He released her hands, gathering her body against his to take her deeper. Her fingernails clawed down his back, dragging him under as tides of passion crashed over them. The real world spun away, and all that was left was the two of them and a flood tide of sheer, unadulterated love.

  ONE HOUR, ONE shared shower, and several delicious kisses later, Mira stood on the deck gazing out at the water. Down the beach she saw twinkling lights. She squinted, trying to make out what it might be. The screen door opened behind her and she drew in a deep breath, her pulse quickening in anticipation of Matt’s touch. She’d already come to expect the feel of his warm lips, hard and insistent against her skin, when he greeted her.

  His arms circled her waist, and he pressed a tender kiss beside her ear. “Are you ready to go to dinner?”

  “Mm-hm. Look down there.” She pointed to lights dancing in the distance. “What is that?”

  Matt slipped an arm around her waist, and as they stepped off the deck and onto the sand, she rested her head against his shoulder. He looked like a model in a pair of dark linen pants that tied at the waist, a white cotton shirt stretched tight across his broad chest, and those sexy glasses that made her stomach go ten types of crazy.

  “Maybe we should go see what’s going on down there,” Matt suggested. He took her hand and led her toward the front of the house.

  “But I thought we were going to see—” She swallowed her words at the sight of a horse-drawn carriage parked out front. A man dressed in black slacks and a white button-down shirt stood beside two impressive white horses at the front of the wooden carriage.

  Matt placed a hand on her lower back. “I don’t think your dreams of being romanced by Mr. Right were immature. I think you simply had them too early.”

  Her eyes burned with tears of happiness. “It’s…Oh, Matt.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I can’t believe you did this. How? When? I was with you the whole day.”

  He lifted one shoulder in a coy shrug. “When there’s a will…”

  Matt gave the driver his phone and had him take a picture of them in front of the carriage. To remember our adventure. As if she would ever forget this magical moment.

  The driver set a wooden stool on the ground, and Matt held Mira’s hand as she climbed into the carriage, where she found a bouquet of gloxinias waiting for her. Love at first sight.

  “Happy Saturday night, sunshine.” He draped an arm over her as the driver took his seat in the front of the carriage and the horses led them down the cobblestone street.

  She hugged Matt again, listening to the clippity-clop of the horses compete with the loud beat of her heart. “Thank you. You didn’t have to go to all this trouble. I’m glad you did, but just being with you is enough for me.”

  “We’ll have plenty of time to just be together without any bells or whistles. But you’ve missed out on a lot while focusing on being a mommy. We’ve got catching up to do, and I’m going to make sure you never miss out on anything again.”

  As the horses led them through the streets they’d ridden their bikes on earlier in the day, and some they’d somehow missed, Mira felt like she was living in a fairy tale. But fairy tales weren’t real, and Matt was very, very real. And you haven’t been with another woman since we met. She couldn’t stop thinking about that. She didn’t know men pined after women. She thought it was just something she read about in romance novels. Her mother often told her that good things came to those who waited, but she hadn’t exactly been waiting for Matt. He’d been off-limits in her mind. A man whose life and lifestyle were too far away from her own.

  Maybe her mother had it wrong. Maybe good things came to those who got screwed over by cheating exes.

  “We have to bring Hagen here,” Matt said casually. “He’d love that little bookstore, and parasailing, and you know the minute he sees a horse-drawn carriage he’ll want to build one.”

  She loved that Hagen was never far from his mind.

  The carriage brought them to the edge of the beach where they’d seen the dancing lights. A shiny silver canopy draped in sparkling lights shimmered in the breeze above a table set for two. A waiter in full black-tie attire stood at the ready with a white cloth draped over his sleeve. Candles danced inside red vases, positioned around the canopy in the shape of a heart. Mira had never seen anything so elegant in all her life.

  The driver stepped out and set the stool on the ground. Then he reached up and helped her out of the carriage. She clung to the lovely bouquet as Matt thanked the driver, and she saw him slip him something, which she assumed was a tip.

  “You set up the dancing lights, too?” She probably shouldn’t be surprised, but she felt like a breathless girl of eighteen again.

  “Let’s go find out.” Matt knelt beside her, smiling as he slipped off her sandals, removed his shoes, and set them off to the side.

  He hugged her closer as they stepped onto the cool sand. Maybe she had been hoping for Mr. Right too soon.

  Chapter Eighteen

  MIRA WATCHED THE island fade in the distance as the ferry carried them swiftly back toward the Cape. Sunday had come too fast. She didn’t want their weekend to end. The thought came with a touch of motherly guilt. She and Matt sat by the railing with the midmorning sun shining down on them and the salty air kissing their newly bronzed skin. She closed her eyes and rested against Matt’s side, making a mental list of the things she’d have to do when she got home—check Hagen for ticks, laundry, prepare my spiel about the co-op—nixing her daydreams and the motherly guilt that accompanied them. It wasn’t like she’d dumped her son with a stranger to go away for a sexcapade. Hagen was probably having a great time with his uncles, and her life would go back to normal in a few hours. Thinking of all the things she had to do, she wondered when she was going to fit in the phone calls to the companies. The best time to reach any business owner was when the companies opened before they had time to get busy, but she’d be driving Hagen to camp at that time. She imagined leaving messages that would never be returned. Maybe she could call on her lunch hour, but what were the chances of business owners being available during lunchtime?

  Matt kissed her temple, pulling her from her thoughts. “Ready to be a mommy again?”

  She smiled, wondering if it would make her an awful mother to admit she wished they had one more day alone. “I’m always ready to be a mommy, but I want more time with you.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.” He kissed her softly. “I like my writing schedule of getting up early and hammering out a few hours of research, sometimes seeing you for lunch, and being with you and Hagen in the evenings.”

  She quieted her hopeful thoughts, knowing he was referring to the remainder of his sabbatical, not his entire future, which made her heart hurt a little.

  “I meant now. Selfishly, I want another day alone with you.”

  “Me too, sunshine. Don’t worry, when there’s a will…We’ll find time alone. What else is going on in that pretty head of yours?”

  She shrugged. “Just work stuff.”

  “Thinking about the co-op?”

  “Yeah. I want to start calling companies tomorrow.” She explained her dilemma about timing.

  “That’s easy to fix. I’ll take Hagen to camp tomorrow while you make the calls. That’ll give me more time with him. Maybe he’ll open up about why he asked about being a nerd.”

  He kissed her again. He was always kissing her, and she loved it.

  “But you just said you like to do research in the mornings.”

  “That’s the great thing I’m discovering about being a real writer instead of a teacher who also writes papers. There’s no one to report to. I make my own schedule, and tomorrow I’ll drive Hagen to camp and work a little later.”

  “Matt, I don’t want you to feel like I’m using you as a babysitter, or—”

  He silenced her with another wonderful kiss. Ma
ybe she should always ramble around him.

  “I don’t feel that way,” he assured her. “I offered, and I’m totally okay with you using me as a boyfriend. There’s a big difference between a babysitter and a boyfriend. Boyfriends and parents don’t babysit. They take care of children they care about.”

  She tried to swallow past the emotions clogging her throat. Most people had no idea there was a distinction. “You can’t possibly know how much it means to me to hear that.”

  “You can’t possibly know how much it means to me that you’re letting me into Hagen’s life.”

  They sat in comfortable silence as the Cape came into view. Mira got up to go to the ladies’ room, and Matt went with her, a protective hand securely in place on her lower back. She hadn’t needed to be taken care of or walked to the bathroom since she was a little girl, but Serena was right again. She took comfort knowing Matt cared enough to do the little things she didn’t think she needed.

  As they approached the ladies’ room they passed a couple in a heated argument. They were whispering, but there was no mistaking their tones. Mira raised a brow to Matt, as if to say, Glad that’s not us, but it was lost on her overprotective man. His hand tightened around her, his eyes never leaving the angry couple. Mira didn’t know what he was so worried about. Couples fought. It was part of life. And it wasn’t like the guy looked like a derelict or the type of man who would fly off the handle. He looked like he’d walked off the golf course in a pair of nice khakis and a polo shirt. Although, after taking a second look, Mira noticed the woman slowly stepping backward.

  “Go on into the ladies’ room, sunshine. I’ll be right here when you come out,” Matt said, nudging her toward the entrance.

  She went into the ladies’ room imagining him standing with his arms crossed like a bodyguard waiting for her to come out. She pushed open a stall and heard a shriek. Mira ran out of the ladies’ room, and her heart lodged in her throat. Matt held the arguing man prisoner against the wall with one hand on his throat. His other hand was stretched out behind him, a barrier between the man and the woman, who was now crying.

  The veins in Matt’s neck and arms bulged like pregnant snakes. His narrow-eyed stare was lethal as he seethed through gritted teeth, “You lay a hand on one man, woman, or child and I will make sure you can never do it again.” He seemed oblivious to the gasping of the crowd gathering around them.

  “Fuck you, asshole,” the guy snapped. His eyes shifted to the woman with a stare that made Mira’s blood run cold, but it was the bruises appearing on the woman’s arm that had her sidling up to the frightened woman and putting her arm around her.

  “Shut. Your. Mouth,” Matt said too calmly. The restraint in his voice told Mira he was acting that way for the sake of the spectators. “The authorities will take care of you, but one more foul word out of your mouth and you won’t be able to tell your side of the story.”

  Mira focused on the trembling woman beside her. “Are you okay? What happened?”

  “I don’t”—she sobbed—“know. We had a blind date, and I…” She shook her head and swiped at her tears.

  Mira embraced her, telling her it was okay and watching Matt with awe and concern as the authorities broke through the crowd and took over.

  By the time the authorities released Matt, the ferry had docked. Matt’s arm circled her waist as they walked to the car.

  “Sorry, sunshine,” he said casually. “Are you okay?”

  “Me? Matt, you just put yourself in danger for a stranger. What if that guy had hurt you?”

  He smiled down at her. “Then I’d say my years of self-defense training were pretty worthless.”

  She was as turned on by his badass manliness as she was concerned. He could have been hurt. And then her mommy brain kicked in again. “I’m serious, Matt.”

  “So am I,” he said casually.

  “What if Hagen had been there?”

  “I would have had you take him into the restroom with you.”

  “That’s it? You would have still put yourself in danger? I’ve heard the rumors about you saving people like some kind of superhero, which is totally hot. And Parker told me that you looked like you’d been in a fight when she met you. Stepping into that situation on the boat was really dangerous.”

  They stopped beside his car, and he took both of her hands in his. His chin fell to his chest, and he closed his eyes for a second.

  MATT’S FIRST INSTINCT was to brush off Mira’s comments. He’d been getting away with brushing people off since college. Why should now be any different? He drew in a deep breath and opened his eyes. One look at the worry in Mira’s eyes and his heart took a nosedive. She didn’t deserve to be brushed off. Everything was different where she was concerned. He’d asked for her trust, and she had the right to expect the same in return.

  “I promised I would never lie to you,” he said, “and I won’t. But I’m not sure what you want to hear.” He released her hands and paced. “That guy grabbed her so hard she screamed. Would you rather I pretended like it wasn’t happening?”

  “No, but…” She crossed her arms, a bevy of emotions passing over her face.

  “But what? Do you want me to say that if Hagen were there I would have walked away? Because it would be a lie. I would make sure he was safe, just like I did with you. But I saw the telltale signs in that guy’s posture, the danger lurking in his eyes. That woman was backing up before he even touched her. Clearly she was scared.”

  “I know, but—”

  “But it’s not our problem?”

  “No. That’s not what I meant.”

  Misdirected anger coiled deep in his gut, anger over not being there all those years ago to help his friend. He raked his hands through his hair, struggling to suppress the ugly emotions coursing through him. He took a few deep breaths and forced a calmer tone.

  “Mira, I’m not a guy who can say ‘It’s not my problem’ and walk away, and I know you wouldn’t want me to. I’m sure it was scary for you to see that, and I’m sorry, but I can’t lie to you and pretend I wouldn’t do it again. But that doesn’t mean I’d put you or Hagen in danger. If I didn’t think I could handle a situation I’d back off.”

  “Would you?” Her tone was so serious he stopped to think before answering.

  “Maybe not,” he said honestly.

  She rolled her eyes, and he stepped closer, his love for her pushing the anger out of the way.

  “It’s just not that simple. There’s history there.” And it’s held securely in place with enough guilt to keep me going forever.

  Her gaze softened and she touched the center of his chest. She smiled so sweetly it felt like an embrace.

  “I shared my history with you,” she said. “Will you share yours with me?”

  Chapter Nineteen

  MATT MULLED OVER where to begin as he and Mira drove back to her house so they’d be there when Hagen arrived. It was one thing to admit what he’d done to Pete, who had his back no matter what. He knew that admitting the truth to Mira wouldn’t be nearly as hard as seeing the look in Mira’s eyes when it finally sank in. When she realized what his selfish drive to succeed in school had cost another woman.

  “Do you mind if we sit out back?” he asked as he carried her bags to her bedroom.

  “No, that’s fine.”

  They sat on the steps to the deck with their feet in the sand, and she looked at him with a mix of awe and concern.

  “What you did took courage, and now that we’re not right in the thick of it, I’m crushing on you even harder. Let’s face it. Who wouldn’t want a boyfriend who wasn’t afraid of, well, anything? But I have to think about Hagen and the examples we set for him. I don’t want him thinking he should step into situations he can’t handle. Plus, I worry about you.”

  She pressed her hands to his cheeks and kissed him. “I just found you. I don’t want to lose you because some jerk pulls a knife or something. I need to understand this.”

  Matt stole an
other kiss before trying to explain. “First of all, nothing’s going to happen to me. Second of all, don’t you think if Hagen ever witnessed something like that, I’d immediately explain to him why I did it and define boundaries so he didn’t think it was okay to step into something he couldn’t handle?”

  She wrinkled her nose and smiled again. “I know you would.”

  He couldn’t resist kissing her right on the bridge of her nose, where all those adorable freckles danced.

  “Mira, what I’m going to tell you might change how you feel about me.”

  “I doubt it,” she said easily.

  We’re about to find out. “When I was in school I had one focus—graduating at the top of my class. I knew I wanted to teach at Princeton, and in order to do that, I had to surpass everyone else. My brothers will tell you I lived and breathed schoolwork, while they lived and breathed life, women…”

  “So, you’re saying that you had a limited social life?” She looked perplexed, as she should, since she was waiting for a clear answer and he was trying to give her the full picture, as if it might make a difference.

  Nothing would make a difference.

  “I guess you could say that. My social life came after my studies. I dated and went out with friends, but neither was my priority.” He wrung his hands together, thinking about those stressful years when he’d pushed himself past reasonable limits. “I had plans to meet a friend one night. Cindy Feutra.” He hadn’t said her name in so long it brought a chill to his skin. “We were supposed to go to a party together, but I lost track of time, studying until three in the morning, and I never showed up.”

  He shifted his eyes away, remembering the shock of hearing what had happened the next morning when he’d sought her out to apologize for not meeting her. “Cindy was attacked that night on her way back to her dorm.”

  His throat tightened, and when Mira touched his arm, he forced himself to meet her gaze. The empathy he saw there nearly slayed him.