“Hey, so lovely to see you.” Hannah gave her a hug and peered down at the Tupperware container. “We didn’t catch up for long enough the other night. Are these what I think they are?”
Nodding, Sarah peeled back the lid to reveal the most gorgeous little Christmas cookies Hannah had ever laid eyes on. A range of bells, stockings and Christmas trees delicately iced with red and green icing. “All for you.”
“They look too good to eat. You could sell these and make a lot of money.”
Sarah threw her head back and laughed. “That’s what Matt says.”
Hannah’s heart flipped at the mention of him and she hoped she managed not to show even a smidgeon of emotion on her face. Before she could say anything, Sarah lifted her chin and spoke as if she meant business. “I saw him dropping you off a moment ago.”
At the accusation in the older woman’s tone, Hannah swallowed, trying to think of an excuse as to why she might have been riding in his car. “Yes, he picked me up outside of town.” She inwardly cursed at her use of the phrase “picked up.” “It was nice of him to give me a lift.”
Sarah placed her hand on Hannah’s arm. “Honey, I’m going to be blunt with you. Where women are concerned Matteo isn’t nice. He’s suave and dangerous and often devastating. He gets that from his father, who swept me off my feet, got me pregnant and then swept right out of town. He loves women but he’s not the type of man you need in your life right now.”
Hannah’s libido begged to differ. But it was her heart that hurt—it ached with the thought that now that he’d had the official brush-off from her he might find someone else to entertain him in Wildwood Point. Hannah pushed that thought aside, feeling the color rising in her cheeks. She’d never been warned off someone before. “Thank you for your concern, Sarah, but you’ve got the wrong end of the stick. I’m a big girl and as surprising as it might be, I’m more than capable of turning down Matt’s advances.”
She fought the urge to touch her nose to check if it were growing. “Men are the last thing I need in my life right now.” At least that much was true. “But cookies? I can never have enough of them. Especially at Christmas.”
Hoping her words sounded believable, Hannah swiped out a Christmas tree and took one delicious bite. She grinned at Sarah, silently praying she’d think of somewhere she needed to be. Being near Sarah only reminded Hannah of being near Matt and that only hurt. How she was ever going to get through Christmas with his family?
CHAPTER SIX
MATT COULD THINK of at least a hundred other places he’d rather be on Christmas Eve than sitting on a hard pew in a hot and sticky church when he’d normally be in bed. He wondered who originally came up with the concept of midnight Mass and thought it a good thing they were probably already dead because if not, he’d happily do the honors. A devout churchgoer, his mother had insisted on their arriving early, which meant they’d found seats right at the front and he couldn’t turn around and scour the crowd for Hannah without causing disruption.
He didn’t know what good would actually come from seeing her again, but he couldn’t help wanting to. She’d dominated his thoughts for the last thirty-six hours. No matter what he’d done—fixing some cupboards in his mum’s rental, putting up hooks for her paintings in her surprise house, pulling weeds from her garden, checking emails and doing a little work online—she’d been there. Even when he’d taken to the main street for some last-minute Christmas gifts for Claire and Cate, he kept seeing things that would be perfect for Hannah in some of the tourist shops. He’d ended up buying her something. And then, of course, because he couldn’t very well take her a present and not her family, he’d added at least ten extra gifts to his list. Insane.
Now, as the congregation stood to sing “Away in a Manger,” Matt grabbed the chance to turn around and look. Although it was packed with pretty women, many of whom he knew were only in Wildwood Point for Christmas—perfect holiday fling material—he barely noticed any of them. And it was all Hannah’s fault. He shouldn’t want her anymore, not after she’d let him get as far as she had and then pulled away, not after she’d told him she was pregnant, but the bottom line was he couldn’t get her out of his head. It was as if her smile had put a spell on him that first day in the shop and made him immune to the allures of any other woman except her.
Just when he’d decided that she hadn’t turned up, he saw her brother Shaun—his tall, dirty-blond curly-haired head poked up above the crowd—and Matt stood on his tiptoes, not at all discreet about glancing at the people sharing the hard wooden pew alongside him. And there she was. The breath whooshed out of his lungs as he focused on her rosy-cheeked face, her Christmas bow-shaped mouth open in song. He’d sell his soul to feel the touch of those lips on his again.
As if she felt his heated gaze, her eyes swept sideways and widened as they caught him looking. Their pupils connected, and he was surprised the hair on the heads of the people between them didn’t singe and catch on fire with the intensity of the electricity between them. His whole body tightened, thinking about their time together at the house, and he lowered the hymnbook for propriety’s sake. He’d never contemplated a serious relationship before, especially not with someone who was having someone else’s child, but his reaction to this woman was seriously confusing.
* * *
HANNAH COULDN’T BRING herself to look away from Matt’s intent gaze. She’d had her own eyes trained on the back of his sexy head for the past half hour, hoping she’d have the chance to talk to him while at the same time praying she wouldn’t. Now that he’d actually made eye contact, talking was the last thing on her mind. If she’d thought her attraction to him was bad prior to almost sleeping with him, it was now near impossible to live with. She didn’t know how she’d gotten through last night and today without hunting him down and begging him to finish what they’d started.
A jolt of lust zapped through her innards at the thought and she tried to look away.
If only she could tell them, her family might actually be proud of her restraint. But they were still none the wiser about her situation, and that was another reason she needed to talk to Matt. She had no reason to think he’d raise the subject of her pregnancy with her family, but she didn’t want to leave such things to chance. And she didn’t want to ruin Christmas.
As the carol came to a close, he offered her the warmest of smiles and then slowly turned back around to face the front. The Wildwood Point Primary School choir took to the stage and sang an angelic rendition of “O Holy Night,” Father O’Brien followed with a message about remembering the real gifts of Christmas, and then people were invited forward to light candles for loved ones who couldn’t be with them this season. Half the congregation seemed to have someone to remember, but while Sarah and the Two Cs went forward, Matt remained firmly in his seat.
When a few dozen candles flickered at the front of the church, everyone stood to sing the last hymn. Although it was close to midnight, festive cheer buzzed in the air and no one seemed in a hurry to get home to bed. At the end of the pew Hannah dillydallied, pretending to tie a shoelace even though her heels had none, hoping her family would go on ahead and she’d be able to snag Matt’s attention when he traipsed past. But luck was not on her side.
She straightened up as Sarah and her family approached, and she tried to catch Matt’s eye. Offering her a bemused smile, he looked sideways as if to see if she’d been making eyes at anyone else. He seemed pleased when she nodded. And then he slowed. Her heart echoed the steady beat of his feet, halting when he did, only centimeters away. In desperate need of oxygen, she took a breath and inhaled the woody, all-male scent of him. It threatened to unravel the appearance of cool and calm she’d been practicing since she’d fled his car yesterday afternoon.
The last thing she needed was for him to guess how desperately she wanted to go back on her word.
“Good even
ing, Hannah.” Good Lord, if she thought he smelled good, his voice was an instrument of pure seduction. He may as well have said “come to bed” for the effect it had on her knees and senses.
“Hi.” This one word came out breathy and she found herself leaning toward him, forgetting the church full of people surrounding them. She was supposed to be telling him something—that much she knew—but she couldn’t for the life of her recall what that thing was.
His lips twisted upward into a full-on grin. “Hi,” he echoed, his voice equally gravelly. “Merry Christmas.”
“Yes, um...” That’s right, she needed to make sure he...
She was about to tell him her family didn’t know about the baby and that was the way she hoped to keep it until New Year, when her words were cut off by the hasty return of his mother. “Good evening, Hannah.” Sarah’s voice held a warning that Hannah now recognized as the other woman’s misguided attempt at protecting her.
“Merry Christmas, Sarah.”
“It’s not Christmas yet,” she said, tugging at Matt’s arm, “and I’m tired, Matteo, I need you to take me home.”
At the use of his full name, Hannah knew her chance of talking to him on his own was nil.
“I’ll just be a moment,” Matt told his mother without tearing his gaze from Hannah’s.
“Fine.” Sarah folded her arms and planted herself on the spot. “I’ll wait.”
Hannah sighed inwardly and wished she could somehow telepathically convey her thoughts to Matt. The three of them stood awkwardly for a moment before she realized carrying out her plan was hopeless. “Anyway, I’d better find my family, too, or they’ll leave without me and I’ll have to walk home. I guess we’ll be seeing you both tomorrow.”
“Yes. I can’t wait.”
A tingle of awareness skittered down Hannah’s spine as if Matt had whispered the words hotly into her ear instead of simply uttering them out loud.
“Well, you’ll have to,” snapped his mother, giving his arm another yank. “Come on.”
Matt smiled again and inclined his head apologetically as he let Sarah lead him away. Hannah watched him go, chomping down on the ridiculous urge to run down the aisle after him. If only she had his number, she could text him the message. That was just like her—sleeping with someone before she knew even the basics about them. She contemplated sneaking into Elliot’s and looking for his details on the purchase records, but she’d probably set off the alarm or something and bring even more unwanted attention to herself. And she was probably overreacting anyway. Just because he was coming over for Christmas, didn’t mean he’d mention the baby. If he were like most men, babies would be the last thing he’d choose as a topic for conversation.
“Tongues will start to wag, little sis.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” Although she heard Troy beside her, she didn’t turn; her gaze was stuck on a sight at the back of the church. One of Nikki’s pretty red-haired cousins had stopped Matt in his stride and Sarah wasn’t trying to scare her off. She supposed she should feel flattered that his mother cared enough about her to warn her off, but all she felt was disappointment, a mammoth ball of it weighing down her heart. It wasn’t just the sex; she really, really liked him. That night at the park had been the best date of her life and it hadn’t even been planned. She’d never felt so easy with a man, especially not one her body craved, but her mind was intent on staying away from.
“I’ll get Mum to sit you next to him tomorrow at lunch.”
Hannah blinked, shaking her head free of depressing thoughts and tried to catch up with whatever Troy was going on about. Then it hit her. “No! Why?” The thought of sitting so close they could play footsie both terrified her and made her skin tingle in anticipation.
“He’s young, good-looking, established—already that makes him ten times a better catch than the men you usually marry.”
She stared daggers at Troy, only just stopping herself from thumping him. She would never resort to violence in church—not even toward one of her brothers, not even if they deserved it.
He laughed. “Seriously, sis, he likes you. That much is glaringly obvious. My suggestion would be play it a little coy. Flirt just enough to keep him interested but don’t give him what he wants straightaway. I think that’s where you’ve been going wrong in the past.”
She pushed to get past him and hissed, “We are so not having this conversation, Troy. If I wanted your advice on dating I would ask for it. Wait for hell to freeze over.”
Leaving Troy to collect his young family, she found her parents and waited near them like a child desperate to go home. Matt and his family seemed to have disappeared, but so had Nikki’s cousin and that didn’t make her feel any better. She wanted her bed so she could slide between the sheets, pull the covers over her head, and forget about the world and its injustices.
CHAPTER SEVEN
MATT PARKED HIS mother’s Holden wagon—it had backseats unlike his rental car—in front of her new house by the beach and smiled at the giggles coming from behind him. His sisters had already opened their presents from him, but they seemed even more excited about this mystery drive than he was, and he couldn’t wait to get his mother out and rip off the blindfold they’d made her wear.
“Okay. We’re here.” He tugged the keys out of the ignition and opened his door. “Stay where you are, Mum. Keep the blindfold on until we get her out, girls.”
“Yes, Captain.” Cate rolled her eyes as she climbed out of the car and then widened them as she took in the view of the Mediterranean-style house in front of them. A sold sign was stuck prominently in the ground by the front lawn. Her gaze turned to confusion as she looked at him questioningly.
Matt pressed his index finger against his mouth to tell her to keep quiet and then took his mum’s hand and eased her out of the car. The Two Cs had skipped ahead, which was probably for the best because with the hot wind swirling around them, Mum wouldn’t be able to hear them voicing predictions about why they were here.
“What’s this about, Matteo?” Her hand gripped his arm tightly as he let the door slam behind them and angled her body ready to walk up the driveway. “You know I don’t like surprises.”
“I think you’ll like this one.” It seemed the perfect moment to unveil his gift, so he slipped a finger between the knot at the back of her makeshift blindfold and whipped it off her head. “Merry Christmas, Mum.” He pointed up to the house, then kissed her on the cheek.
Sarah stumbled back slightly but his reflexes were quick. He steadied her as she pressed her hand against her chest. Her mouth opened wide but no sound came out. Unable to resist, he dug his phone out of his pocket and snapped a picture of the look on her face.
“Does this mean what I think it does?” she finally asked. “You’ve bought a house here. You’re moving home?”
He hadn’t anticipated her jumping to that conclusion. The idea was so far removed from his plans for the future that he’d never even contemplated that she might think this. Liar, a voice inside him whispered. You’ve thought about it too since coming home, since meeting Hannah. He banished the thought. No matter what crazy notions had slipped into his head over the last few days, she was having a child and that made her off-limits. He could never risk being the kind of stepfather he’d had.
“Sorry, Mum, but it’s almost as good.” He placed one arm around her shoulder and drew her close. “This place has twice as much room as your old house so I’ll have a bedroom permanently set up. But that’s not the best part. This house is yours. You never have to pay another scrap of rent in your life.”
She wobbled against him, angling her head to look up to him. There were tears in her eyes but the upward twist of her lips told him he’d done good. “Mine?”
“Uh-huh.”
She turned completely, gripped him by the shoulders and r
eached up to pull him into a hug. Her arms squeezed around him for ages and then she finally pulled back. Tears gone, a smile stretched from ear to ear.
“Girls,” she shouted toward the house where the Two Cs were peering into windows. “Get away from my glass, I don’t want smudges on Christmas Day.”
Matt laughed, his shoulders relaxing at Mum’s happiness. Crisis averted.
He took the key out of his pocket and dangled it in front of her. “Come on, let’s go look inside.”
“I can’t believe you bought Mum an actual house,” Claire cried as they gathered in the massive entry hall. “Makes my gift of perfume seem totally stingy.”
They spent a good hour touring the beach house, the girls and his mum oohing and ahhing over the new furniture and voicing a zillion thoughts about what should go where and how each room should be decorated. Matt felt his platinum AmEx burning a hole in his pocket; even after buying a house he had enough left over to splurge on new paint, and he wouldn’t begrudge his mother anything. She may have loved Tony, but he’d seen all the things she’d missed out on because her poor excuse for a husband had a habit of spending more than he earned.
Matt would make sure she never wanted for anything for the rest of her life.
“I don’t really want to leave,” admitted Sarah when Cate mentioned it was time to head on over to the Elliots’. He didn’t know why Cate was so excited by the idea but guessed it had something to do with Hannah’s youngest brother Shaun. The fact he was seeing a gorgeous girl probably didn’t rate much of a problem on Cate’s man-o-meter.
“We’ll come back later,” he promised, ushering his mum and sisters toward the door. Stupid or not, he wanted to go to the Elliots’ now. Maybe another few hours in Hannah’s presence, remembering the fact that she had a baby in her tummy, would work in exorcising her from his fantasies.
* * *
The Kissing Season Page 7
