by Elle Kennedy
“I’m not looking for a relationship,” she admitted. “And now that I’m doing the flowers for that wedding, I won’t have much time to date anyway.”
“You can make time for one drink.” His green eyes glittered playfully. “I promise, I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Do people still use that line?”
“Yup. So what do you say?”
Another smile tickled her lips. “I guess I can squeeze in one drink after work.”
His entire face lit up like a little kid’s on Christmas morning. “What time should I pick you up?”
For the first time in his life, Matt was actually nervous about a date. As he stepped out of the shower, dripping water all over the bathroom mat, he suddenly wondered if he should ask Annabelle to come downstairs so he could ask for clothing advice. Jeez. What the hell was wrong with him? He could seduce the panties off a nun, for fuck’s sake. Women freaking loved him. If he was the kind of guy who ticked off notches in his belt…well, he’d be on his tenth belt by now.
But Savannah made him feel like an anxious teenager again. It wasn’t just her looks that captivated him, though her smokin’ body did make his mouth water. She was just so…self-assured. She seemed to know exactly who she was, completely comfortable in her own skin, and her easygoing attitude and sharp wit were a total turn-on. He didn’t usually think beyond the first date, but with Savannah, he already wanted more, and they hadn’t even gone out yet.
Which was why he couldn’t have sex with her tonight. As much as he wanted to, as much as his body throbbed with arousal at the mere thought of her, he needed to force himself to keep his hands off her this evening. It was messed up, but he feared that if he slept with her so soon, this fascination would disappear, and he wasn’t ready for that to happen yet.
Another first—he wanted to get to know a woman before he screwed her.
God help him.
Deciding to forgo calling Annabelle—he wasn’t in the mood to be ridiculed—he strode into his bedroom and threw open the closet door. As he dressed, he marveled at the silence in the apartment. Ever since Ryan moved upstairs into Annabelle’s place, Matt was living solo. Made it easier to bring chicks back here without worrying about keeping Ryan up, though he didn’t do it often. He didn’t like having women over. They always wanted to stay when he only wanted them to leave.
Clad in a pair of jeans, a black T-shirt and an open blue button-down, he grabbed his keys from the basket on the hall table and left his second-floor apartment. He took the stairs two at a time, suddenly eager to get going and see Savannah again. The black Dodge four-by-four he’d just signed the lease on had decent speed, and he made it to Savannah’s shop in less than fifteen minutes. Shutting off the engine, he took a deep breath and hopped out of the SUV. There was a separate entrance to Savannah’s upstairs apartment, with a small intercom mounted on the wall. He buzzed, then waited until her chirpy voice said, “Come up.”
Uh-oh.
She wanted him to come upstairs?
That wasn’t part of the plan. He’d hoped to wait down here for her, then drive her to the classy bar he’d researched on the web. He was kinda scared to be alone with her. At least with other people around, he wouldn’t be able to rip her clothes off and devour her body the way he so desperately wanted to.
Gulping, he opened the door and climbed the narrow staircase up to the second floor. Savannah’s door was painted a bright yellow, and it swung open the moment he reached the landing. She appeared in the doorway, wearing a pair of tight black yoga pants and a loose red T-shirt that didn’t hide the fullness of the breasts beneath it.
“Hey,” she said with an easy smile. “I figured we’d stay in, if that’s cool with you?”
Another gulp. Crap. Looked like he needed to conjure up some willpower. Pronto.
In a strained voice, he said, “Sure.”
Savannah gestured for him to come inside, and when he stepped into the apartment, he immediately saw her personality splashed all over the place. Mismatched furniture, some modern, some antique, filled the spacious living room. Colorful abstract paintings hung on the wall, with the occasional breathtaking landscape sandwiched between them. A small kitchen was tucked off to one side, and the living area was separated from the sleeping area with a see-through Japanese screen that featured bright pink cherry blossom trees. He caught a glimpse of a large futon with a bright magenta bedspread, but tore his gaze away. He couldn’t focus on the bed. Beds meant sex. And he was determined not to sleep with Savannah Harte until he figured out why he liked her so much.
“I like your place,” he said, turning to meet her silver-gray eyes.
“Thanks,” she said simply.
“Have you lived here long?”
“About eight years now.” She headed to the kitchen and pulled open the fridge, appearing a moment later with a six-pack in her hands. “I moved in when I bought the shop.”
They headed over to the plump brown sofa. Savannah flopped down, removed two beer bottles from the case and held one out to him. After a second of hesitation, he joined her on the couch and accepted the beer. At least three feet of space separated them, but it was still too damn close for comfort. Her sweet scent wafted over, surrounding him in a lust-crazed cloud. Of course, she smelled like flowers. Roses and lavender, with a hint of minty soap thrown in.
He unscrewed the cap of the bottle and took a long swallow of beer, hoping the cold liquid would ease the burn in his groin. But then Savannah reached up to untie her ponytail, letting her pale blonde hair fall loose, and the burn deepened. Fuck, he wanted to run his fingers through that silky hair, feel it tickling his pecs as she straddled his naked body, riding him…
No sex, a little voice ordered.
Right, no sex. He took another sip of beer, then set the bottle down on the coffee table.
“So,” he started. “Your dad teaches at Stanford… Does that mean you’re from Palo Alto?”
“Yeah, I grew up there. I moved here after I dropped out of college.”
He grinned. “You’re a college drop-out?”
“Sure am. I was never a school person. I wanted to work with flowers, so I moved down here to work at a nursery one of my mom’s friends owns. When this store came up for sale, she went in on the deal with me. We were partners until about three years ago, and then I bought her out.”
Matt was impressed. Savannah couldn’t be older than twenty-seven, twenty-eight, and she already owned her own business. A successful one, judging by the fact that she’d been able to buy out her partner.
“Where are you from?” she asked him.
“Nashville. Well, just outside of it. My family owns a cattle ranch.”
She laughed. “You’re a cowboy, huh?”
“Naah, I wasn’t cut out for cowboy life. I left home at eighteen, joined the Navy, and now I live here full-time.”
“Too bad.” Her gray eyes darkened to smoky silver. “Cowboys are extremely sexy.”
He swallowed. Fuck, why did she have to look at him like that? Like she wanted to lick him up. He was normally the one dropping the loaded remarks, while his date steered the conversation to more wholesome topics. He found this role reversal totally disconcerting.
Savannah slid closer and rested her hand on his thigh.
Matt nearly jumped off the couch. Her hand was warm, her fingers teasing as she ran them along the denim seam of his jeans.
“How do you like owning your own business?” he blurted out, desperate to ignore the searing bolts of heat moving from the tips of her fingers to his suddenly throbbing thigh.
Savannah let out a sigh. “Are we really going to do this?”
“Do what?”
“Carry on with the idle chitchat when we both know what we really want to do?”
His cock jerked, strained against his zipper. She instantly noticed the reaction, a small smile spreading across her lush pink lips.
“Look, I don’t like relationships,” she said bluntly. �
�They don’t interest me. But I am interested in flings. Fun, casual flings, no strings, no promises, just a good time and great sex.”
He wanted to ask why. Why did she hate relationships so much? But his vocal chords had gone numb. She was using his own lines on him. Fun, casual, good time, great sex. He couldn’t even count how many times he’d uttered those exact phrases.
And as much as he wasn’t sure he liked being the recipient of his own speech, the moment the word sex slipped from her luscious mouth, all he could think about was shoving his cock deep inside her.
“So if you want me—” her gaze moved to the bulge of his crotch, “—and I think you do, what do you say we just skip the tell-me-about-yourself and get to the fun part?”
Chapter Three
Savannah knew she was coming on strong, but blunt had always been her style. From the moment Matt had walked into her apartment, she’d wanted to tear his clothes off. So why shouldn’t she? Life was too short, wasting time pointless. If you wanted something you might as well take it. Well, some things. She wasn’t about to rob a bank to score some extra cash, but when it came to men, why not take what was right in front of you?
She slid closer to Matt’s suddenly tense body, seeing the reluctance in his piercing green eyes. Since he didn’t strike her as the kind of man who did the whole romantic dates and chaste kisses thing, his hesitation confused her.
It also made her all the more determined to seduce him.
Running her fingers up his thigh, she leaned toward him and murmured, “Kiss me.”
Desire flooded his gaze, but the reluctance didn’t dissipate completely. “Don’t you want to get to know each other better first?”
“Not really.” She moved her hand up his chest, her heart doing a little flip at the feel of his rippled abdominal muscles. Jeez, he was rock-hard. Not an ounce of fat on the guy.
She grasped the sides of his open button-down and slowly pushed it off his shoulders. After a beat, he helped her out, sliding his arms out of the sleeves and tossing the shirt aside. She saw his throat working as he visibly swallowed, but he didn’t protest when she reached for the hem of his T-shirt and peeled it off his chest.
Her breath lodged in her chest. Man oh man. His bare chest was spectacular. Almost completely hairless, save for a dusty line of dark hair that arrowed down to the waistband of his jeans. His pecs were huge, stomach flat and boasting a delicious-looking six-pack. She couldn’t help herself—she had to touch. The moment her fingers grazed the tight muscles of his belly, he sucked in a breath then cursed loudly.
“Fine,” he said with a groan.
She grinned. “Fine, what?”
“I’ll have sex with you. Is that what you want to hear?”
“Yep.” She suddenly narrowed her eyes. “You’re not going to cry rape afterwards, are you?”
A laugh burst from his chest. “No. Are you?”
“No.” She paused. “Now take off your pants.”
He raised an arrogant brow. “Do it for me.”
Savannah fought another grin. A challenge. She liked it. Scooting closer, she found the button at his waistband and undid it, then dragged his zipper down. She tugged, but when the material didn’t budge, she hopped off the couch and knelt before him, getting a good grip on his jeans and pulling them down a pair of long, muscular legs that made her pulse race. His boxers came off with the jeans, leaving him gloriously naked on her couch.
Savannah’s entire mouth went dry as a desert. Clothed, this man was gorgeous. Naked? Out of this freaking world. His skin was a golden brown, hard and sleek, and his erection was enormous, jutting upwards and nearly reaching his naval.
Her previously arid mouth filled with moisture. Her gaze zeroed in on that impressive erection, her head dipping forward as if drawn in by a magnet. Her lips hovered over his tip.
“Are you just going to kneel there and do nothing?” he ground out.
“What do you want me to do?” she teased.
“What the hell do you think?”
Her tongue darted out for a quick taste, a fleeting swipe across his engorged head. “That?” she asked, pasting on an innocent look.
His features looked tortured. “Among other things.”
“Oooh, intriguing. What kind of other things?” Before he could respond, she took him deep in her mouth and sucked hard. Then she moved her mouth away and offered a tiny smile. “Something like that?”
He groaned in reply.
“Or maybe this?” she said helpfully, wrapping her fingers around the hard length of him and pumping slowly.
His hand lowered to cup her head, long fingers threading through her hair and guiding her back to his groin. “All of it,” he choked out. “Do it all and quit teasing me.”
A laugh bubbled in the back of her throat, only to be cut off when he thrust his cock between her parted lips, stealing the breath from her lungs. Deciding she’d teased him enough, she went to work on him, sucking softly, then dragging her tongue up and down his shaft. His hand fisted her hair, as his ragged moan echoed in the room. She relaxed her jaw and took him in deeper, alternating between long sucks and the sharp pump of her hand. When she felt his tip throb against her tongue, she lifted her head and grinned up at him. “You’re not allowed to come yet.”
His voice came out rough, but she heard the teasing note to it. “Says who?”
“Me.” Standing up, she quickly removed her pants, T-shirt and underwear, pleased when she noticed his eyes smoldering at the sight of her naked body.
“You’re incredible,” he hissed out. “I want to eat you up, Savannah.”
“Yeah? Get started then.”
It was meant to be a joking remark, but he immediately slid off the couch, sank to his knees and brought her mound to his waiting mouth. Sparks of pleasure ignited inside her, heating her skin and making her sag against his lips. He took advantage of the loosening of her legs, spreading them wider as his mouth honed in on his intended destination. She moaned at the first brush of his tongue over her clit, the raspy feel of his stubble against her inner thighs, the warmth of his breath against her core.
He licked her again, once, twice, and then her legs were yanked out from under her and she found her butt colliding with the couch. Matt dove back in, proceeding to bestow her with the most mind-blowing oral sex she’d ever experienced. He captured her clit between his lips and suckled, then licked the swollen bud over and over again, until pleasure gathered in her belly and sizzled in her bloodstream like a drug. At the feel of his finger prodding her opening, she lost complete and total control.
Orgasm ripped through her like a wildfire. She lifted her mound to Matt’s mouth, taking everything he had to offer. When the climax finally ebbed, she felt exhausted. Winded. Jeez. She couldn’t recall ever coming that hard.
Her heart still thudding erratically, Savannah slid off the couch and fumbled with the purse she’d left nearby. She came back with a condom that she swiftly rolled onto his massive erection, and then she lay on her back and pulled his big body on top of her, placing his cock between her legs.
“Fast or slow?” he said roughly. “What’ll make you come again?”
“Fast,” she ordered, her pussy throbbing in anticipation. God, she wanted him in there.
He swiftly obliged, driving his cock into her soaking-wet channel and sending her body into another tailspin. His hips pistoned as he moved inside her, the muscles of his gorgeous chest tight with arousal. Savannah clung to him, her fingernails sinking into his back, and raised her hips to meet each frenzied thrust.
They exploded at the same time, letting out matching groans. Tingles spread through her body as she felt Matt shudder inside of her, as he buried his face in the crook of her neck and licked her fevered skin then sank his teeth into it. Finally they both grew still, just lying there for several long moments, as Savannah tried to catch her breath and waited for her heartbeat to steady.
When she met Matt’s green eyes, she saw them glimmering wi
th residual heat. Even though he’d just pulled out and removed the condom, she could see his cock beginning to harden. Wow. Apparently he wasn’t just Superman, he was the Energizer Bunny too. But it wasn’t the new dose of lust in his gaze that worried her; it was the flicker of amazement she saw there.
Fine, so the sex had been much better than average, but she could already see his handsome brain working, classifying this wild sweaty encounter as something unbelievably special.
Normally she ended things when the men in her life got that look on their face, but she wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Matt just yet. After the sex they’d just had, how could she?
Still, she needed to make sure they were on the same page here.
“Just a fling, right?” she said warily.
Matt slid closer and nibbled on her bare shoulder. “Nothing more,” he assured her. “I just want to see you again after tonight.”
“No strings?”
“No strings. Just fun.” He solemnly brought his hand to his heart. “I promise.”
“Fine.” She jumped off the couch, reached for his hand and tugged him to his feet. “Let’s move to the bed. If we’re going to see each other, we might as well have sex again.”
His shoulders shook with laughter. “Might as well,” he agreed.
Savannah’s head was bent over a yellow legal pad when Matt strode into her flower shop two days later. They’d gone through several more rounds of out-of-this-world sex last night, but today he was determined to launch what he’d dubbed Operation Wholesome. Yes, Savannah drove him wild in bed, but the brief moments of laughter and conversation they’d shared in between hot naked time were equally addictive. He might have promised to keep it casual, but deep down, he knew he wouldn’t live up to that promise.
He wanted to get to know Savannah Harte, and damned if he’d let her stop him from doing that.
As he headed for the counter, he tried not to question his actions. This need to spend time with Savannah outside the bedroom was disconcerting enough already. He was living the dream, after all. Hooking up with a woman who wanted nothing more than some fun between the sheets? Normally his idea of heaven. The fact that he wanted more was too perplexing to examine deeper at the moment.
