We didn’t drive far before we pulled in front of a downtown restaurant named Bellacino’s. The brick exterior was weathered with age, and the sidewalk was made of cobblestone older than my grammy. A young man in a white coat took Matthew’s keys and parked his car while we made our way to the front door. Surrounded by old gardens and wrought iron fencing, the entrance glowed with the soft romantic light of gas lanterns.
It was beautiful.
A young lady at the door knew Matthew by name and didn’t ask any questions before she took us to the very back and seated us at a quiet, secluded table for two.
It was like we had taken a vacation to Italy. All brick walls and beautiful scenery. The table we sat at was next to a large window overlooking Charleston. Lights glittered in the distance, and I took a deep breath, feeling relaxed as I looked out at the beauty of our city.
I heard Matthew ordering a bottle of wine and chatting with the waitress, but I was still taking in the glitz and gorgeousness of the room. It was definitely a far cry from our little two-star burger joint.
“You okay, babe?” he asked.
My cheeks glowed when he called me babe. I loved it when he called me sweet pet names.
“I’m just in awe. This place is beautiful.”
“Then it’s perfect for you.”
I turned, and my eyes met his.
No one had ever treated me the way he was treating me.
A precious moment in time.
I smiled. “Thank you for bringing me here.”
“Thank you for coming with me.”
When it was time to order, I lifted my menu and gasped at the prices.
“Don’t look at the prices. Just pick whatever you want,” Matthew said when he saw my expression.
But even though he told me to pick whatever I wanted, I still got the cheapest thing on the menu.
We drank wine with a glowing candle between us, and Matthew didn’t take his hands off me. Whether he was tracing my knuckles with his fingertip or linking our fingers together, he made sure we remained connected in some way throughout dinner.
The food was delicious, and when it was time for dessert, we ordered a coffee cake and shared it. By the time we finished eating, I was stuffed and ready for a nap.
“I’ll be right back,” he said, standing.
My eyes trailed over his body as he made his way across the restaurant and toward what I assumed was the restroom.
I sat back in my chair, taking a moment to let my stomach settle and take in the beauty of the room, when the table vibrated and made me jerk. I sat up, trying to figure out what it was when it vibrated once more and my eyes moved over to his iPhone.
He’d left it lying on the table without a lock on the screen and my eyes casually moved over the incoming text.
Corrine: I want you. Tonight?
I wasn’t usually one to look at someone else’s phone, but without thinking, I snatched it from the table and checked the message. Only crazy women checked their man’s phone, so I must have been a complete psycho since I was checking Matthew’s phone and he wasn’t even my man.
My eyes scanned over a message from the night before, and my heart dropped.
Corrine: Up for a late-night fuck?
There were text messages before that one. Dirty ones about blow jobs and naked pictures of her perfect breasts and tiny waist.
I felt sick just thinking about him with another woman, but that was my own fault. Obviously, Matthew was gorgeous. Obviously, women wanted him. He was a man. What had he said before when I’d asked him if it was annoying to be flirted with all the time?
“What man in his right mind would be annoyed by that?”
It was more than obvious he enjoyed the attention of women. Why not enjoy their bodies, as well?
Bodies nothing like mine.
Thin.
Trim.
Toned.
Skinny.
Meanwhile, my thigh gap was nonexistent, and I was about eighty pounds overweight.
There were no defined muscles in my body, and the only thing slim and trim on me was my ankles and wrists, and that was only when I wasn’t bloated.
I realized something else.
The text was from the night before. The same night where he had left me untouched in my bed. Obviously, he had gone to her and got what he wanted. The same thing he didn’t want from me. He’d called me handsy and said I’d left him with blue balls. Surely, I had tried to sleep with him. Yet he had dropped me off at my house and gone to another woman.
The pain lanced through me, making me suck in a strangled breath. I dropped his phone to the table, stood from my seat, grabbed my purse, and walked out of the restaurant.
It was embarrassing, to say the least, being wracked with jealousy. Honestly, I knew I had no right since he wasn’t my property, but it hurt so bad I could feel the tears rushing to my eyes. And the last thing I wanted was for him to see me crying.
I was just going out the door when I heard him call my name. I didn’t wait. Instead, I pretended not to hear him and went through the door.
The weather was chilly, and I didn’t have a way home. It wasn’t like taxi cabs were everywhere in Charleston, but after seeing his phone and walking out, I couldn’t stick around.
So I walked quickly, hoping I could turn the corner and be out of sight before he came after me. I wasn’t that lucky. Just as I was turning the corner, he was calling my name behind me.
I heard the tap of his shoes against the cobblestones and then he grabbed my arm.
“Hey,” he said, out of breath. “I swear nothing happened.”
Great.
He knew why I was upset.
More than likely, he’d gone back to the table to pay and saw his phone opened to her message sitting on the table. Why hadn’t I gone back to the home screen?
“Did you hear me?” he asked, spinning me around to face him.
I didn’t realize my tears had escaped until he reached up and ran his thumb across my cheek to wipe one away.
“I didn’t go through your phone. You had a text and …” I stopped, suddenly feeling crazy and stupid.
I didn’t even know what we were doing anymore, but I was positive I had no right to look at his phone, much less be upset by the messages on it.
“Her pictures. She had an amazing body. Is that the kind of women you like? Because if so, that’s not me.” I motioned at my body.
“No,” he said, his voice sounded depraved. “I mean, you’re nothing like Corrine. You’re what I want.”
Lies.
“If I’m what you want, then why did you leave my bed for hers?”
Again, the tears clogged my throat. I hated being emotional in front of people. Showing feelings was a great way to get them hurt.
“Just forget it,” I said, turning away.
“No.” He grabbed my arm. “I promise you, Shannon. I went home and went to bed. I saw her text last night, but I ignored it. I should have deleted her messages, but I wasn’t thinking. I swear, I’m not messing with her anymore. She was just a fling. You’re …”
He stopped.
The chilly breeze was making me shiver, so he reached out and ran his palms over my arms.
“I’m what?”
Emotional?
Crazy?
Completely freaking psychotic?
That was certainly how I felt.
“You’re definitely not a fling, and I love your body. At least what I’ve seen of it. Corrine was just there. Someone who was unattached like me, but it’s different with you. I never took her to dinner or kissed her on a swing. She’s never slept at my place. We’ve never even eaten a meal together. She’s got nothing on you. Please believe me.”
His eyes were wild as he tried to convince me, and something about the desperation in his voice was gradually melting my resolve. Not to mention, I had no right to look at his phone. He wasn’t mine. I didn’t own him.
I nodded.
“You believe
me?” he asked.
Again, I nodded. “I’m sorry,” I apologized.
His eyes got wide and confusion swept across his brow. “You’re sorry?”
“Yes. I had no business touching your phone. Who you’re with and not with is none of my business. Honestly, now that the moment is over, I’m totally embarrassed that I got a bit jealous.”
His face cleared, and a tiny smile tugged at his lips before he let go and laughed.
“What’s funny?” I asked.
“If you’re apologizing for being jealous, then I suppose I should apologize, too.”
It was my turn to be confused. “I’m not following.”
“The night you slept on my couch and you were talking in your sleep, you mentioned another guy. I hated it so much that you were dreaming about someone else. It made me … well, jealous.”
My mouth popped open. “I wasn’t dreaming of anyone. More like having a nightmare. Trust me. Another man in my life will never be a problem.”
He sighed, running his hands through his dark hair and chuckled. “I guess we’re both a bit crazy then, huh?”
I nodded, feeling a smile pull at my mouth. “Yeah, I guess so. The best ones usually are, though, right?”
He laughed. “That’s true. Come on.” He slid his fingers between mine, and I let him.
“What are we doing now?” I asked.
“Do you want to go back to my place?” He lifted my hand to his mouth and softly kissed my knuckles.
I nodded, biting my lip to keep from grinning. “I do, but first, more wine.”
His place was becoming comfortable. More so than my own apartment, which was bizarre.
I kicked off my flats as soon as we entered his place and the lights clicked on.
“I’m stuffed,” I said, hopping onto one of the kitchen stools while he went for a bottle of water.
“Me too. Thirsty?” he asked, holding up a bottle of water.
“I’m good, thanks.”
“So,” he said, coming over to where I was sitting. Leaning against the counter at my side, he took a drink from his water. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t know. What do you want to do?” I asked.
I grinned, the wine from the restaurant buzzing through my veins just enough to relax me.
He chuckled. “Don’t ask me that.”
I pulled him closer to me, swinging my stool around until I could rest my knees against his thighs. He was technically between my legs, yet he wasn’t touching anything that was begging for his touch.
He reached out, fingering a strand of my hair. “I’ve never been this way with a woman before.”
“What way?”
“This way,” he said, motioning back and forth between us. “It’s always been just sex and nothing else.”
I leaned back. “I’m sorry.”
“No. I like it. I like what we are doing.”
I had no idea what it was we were doing. I knew where my mind was, but I wasn’t sure about where his was. I didn’t want to think something was there that wasn’t.
“What exactly are we doing?” I asked, afraid his answer would hurt me.
I was well past caring for Matthew. I had fallen. I just wasn’t sure how far I’d fallen yet.
“We’re spending time together. Getting to know each other. Then we’ll see where it goes, I guess.”
“Where it goes sexually, or where it goes emotionally?”
He leaned in, pressing his lips to mine sweetly. “Both,” he said against my mouth. Moving his lips to my cheek, he pressed yet another kiss there. “I’m not hiding from you, Shannon. I can be honest. It’s no secret I want to have sex with you. You’re driving me crazy physically, but more times than not, I’m not thinking about sex when I’m with you.”
I swallowed, feeling my heart kick into overdrive. “What are you thinking about?”
He kissed my ear before leaning back and looking me in the eye. “I’m thinking about how special you are. How you’re more to me than just a quick fuck.”
Grabbing him by the sides of his face, I pulled him in to kiss me. Our mouths molded together, and I lost my fingers in the hair on the back of his head. Sliding to the edge of the stool, I opened my legs wider, allowing him to slide deeper between my legs. My dress scrunched up my thighs, and the cool air was making my skin pebble.
I pushed forward, rubbing myself on the front of his pants, needing to feel the friction there. He pulled back, his mouth swollen and wet, and his eyes wide and willing.
“If you’re not ready, I understand. We can stop. Just say the words.”
My response was pulling him back to me and kissing him hard. I wanted him. I was done waiting. He was the one. He was who I wanted. I had known for a while, but it was time I acted on it.
My hands slid down his back until they were resting on his hips. I tugged him forward, enjoying the feel of his hard cock rubbing on me through our clothes.
“Oh God, that feels good,” I mumbled.
Reaching between us, I began to unbuckle his belt. I wanted to have sex with him, but more than anything, I wanted to touch him. Caress his hardness. Feel his heat.
Once he was unbuckled, unbuttoned, and unzipped, I pushed down on his boxers and pants until his cock popped out and fell against my inner thigh.
It was hot against my skin, and the feel of skin on skin made me moan in pleasure.
“Are you sure about this, Shannon?” he asked again, desperation lacing every word.
“God, yes. I’m so sure,” I said, pressing into him again and enjoying the fact only a thin layer of lace now kept him away from my wet folds.
My fingers slid over his heat until I was gripping him. Moving my hand up and down, I enjoyed the feel of the muscle beneath his smooth skin.
Laying his head back, he hissed between his teeth, and a pained expression moved over his face.
“Fuck, Shannon. Your hands, baby. Your fucking hands feel incredible.”
Continuing to explore, I moved my hand lower, letting my fingers glide across the loose sack hanging below his cock. He closed his eyes and dropped his head onto my shoulder.
“It’s so smooth and hot,” I said in awe, enjoying my explorations.
I had never touched a man like this, and I was glad he was allowing me to explore.
“You say that like it’s the first cock you’ve ever touched,” he said, pressing a kiss to the side of my neck.
Before I realized what I was saying, the words flew out of my mouth. “It is.”
Everything paused, and he pulled away. His eyes skimmed over my face to see if I was joking, and then his brows pulled down in confusion.
“Wait,” he said, laying his hands over mine and stopping my explorations. “How many guys have you been with?” he asked.
I didn’t quite know how to answer his question. In my mind, I had technically never been with anyone. The only time was when my body was taken against my will, and during that time, I checked out. I remembered him above me, taking me with a roughness that burned. I remember his crescent-shaped birthmark, and then everything went black until I found myself in the middle of the cornfield.
Then again, I had technically been penetrated by one man. Still, I couldn’t allow myself to consider that sex. It wasn’t making love. It wasn’t even consensual. I had never had sex in my life as far as I was concerned.
“None,” I answered honestly.
Because I hadn’t been with any men.
He wasn’t a man.
He was a coward.
An animal.
Dirt.
No.
Lower than dirt.
His eyes widened in shock, and he sucked in a breath.
“You’re a virgin? How’s that possible? I mean … men must chase you, right?”
I shook my head. “Most men don’t like overweight women, Matthew.”
He snorted. “You’re not overweight. You’re fucking perfect.”
“I’m not. We both kn
ow I’m not, but thank you for saying it.”
“No,” he said, capturing my face in his hands and forcing me to look him in the eye. “Listen to me. I don’t give a fuck what anyone says; you’re perfect.”
He kissed the tip of my nose.
“Beautiful inside and out.”
He kissed my right cheek.
“Sexy as hell.”
He kissed my left cheek.
“And I’m so honored that you’re here with me right now because I’m no fool; I know you’re too good for me. What I’m doing with you is wrong, and I know that. You deserve so much better than me, but I can’t stay away from you.”
I kissed him, tasting all that he was. “Then don’t,” I whispered again his lips.
He kissed me hard, pulling a soft moan from the back of my throat. My body pressed into his, begging for him. Ready. So completely ready.
“You’re driving me crazy, Red.”
“No. You’re driving me crazy.”
He backed away, pulling me to a standing position. He reached for the hem of my dress and began lifting it.
“I know you hate them, but I only have one question.” His hand slid up the inside of my thigh before he dipped a finger in the top of my panty line and ran it across my lower stomach. “Will you let me lick all your curves?”
Biting my lip, I nodded.
He tugged my dress over my head, leaving me in nothing but my bra and panties. His eyes devoured my body as he smacked my hands away when I tried to cover myself. Slowly, he peeled my bra straps down and began undoing the back of my bra.
He leaned over, latching onto my nipple, and a wild moan escaped my lips. I had never felt anything so potent. Every time he sucked on my nipple, a tugging sensation pulled at my clit as if he was sucking there, as well.
While he worked my breasts, his fingers slipped into my panties, pushing them down my ass and over my thighs until they were loose enough to drop to my ankles. He tickled my hip, his fingers walking their way over my flesh until he was teasing my clit with the tip of his finger.
“Oh, my God. Matthew,” I breathed his name.
He captured my cheeks in his other hand, pinching slightly to get me to look him in the eye.
“I’m going to stick my fingers in first. I want to touch you inside.” He breathed. “This is your warning. Don’t freak out on me, okay?”
Hot & Heavy (Chubby Girl Chronicles Book 2) Page 16
