Katrina waved her head from side to side. She pointed her index finger at him, wagging it at him. “Don’t say that. If you truly loved me, you would have told me about your baby. You would have told me that you were about to be a father. I would have known that some other woman, who you will now have to be committed to for the next umpteen years, was having your child. Love would have been honest with me.”
Matthew nodded. His tone was firm. “That’s correct. And I would have told you. Katrina, I have never been dishonest with you. I never told you about my friend Vanessa and her baby because there was nothing for me to tell. I am not responsible for Vanessa’s son. Vanessa is an old family friend and my client. Because of the legal ramifications of her pregnancy, I was bound by our attorney-client privilege to honor her privacy. But I repeat, I am not her baby’s daddy!”
“But—”
“But nothing,” Matthew interrupted. “You never gave me an opportunity to explain. You heard the rumors and you assumed the worst about me. Then you ran. And since we’re laying our cards out on the table, you need to know that I didn’t appreciate that. I don’t appreciate the woman I love, the woman I consider to be my life partner, not communicating with me when things start to get tough. If we’re together, I need to be able to trust that when we hit a wall of any kind, I can depend on you to help me knock it out of our way. I need you to trust me, and I want to be able to trust you, Katrina.”
Tears rose to Katrina’s eyes. “In my defense, to hear another woman say that you two were picking out names for your baby threw me off balance. I reacted with emotion, and admittedly, I may have been wrong to do so. I should have gathered my facts and then responded instead.”
“You should have,” Matthew said, pulling at his necktie until he’d loosened it from his neck. “If you’d had all the facts, we wouldn’t be here right now.”
“But why would your friend imply that you fathered her child if you hadn’t?”
Matthew shook his head from side to side. “Once you meet Vanessa, you’ll understand. She’s a piece of work!” he exclaimed. “But I can assure you I have never been intimate with Vanessa, and it is physically impossible for me to be the father of her child.”
There was a moment of silence between them as Katrina reflected on his words. She was suddenly more confused than ever. Matthew captured her hands again and caressed them between his own. Katrina lifted her eyes to meet his. She heaved a deep sigh.
“I guess I owe you an apology, Matthew. I didn’t mean for this to get out of control, but I’ve been a little overwhelmed with things. More than you know right now. I jumped to the wrong conclusion. I’m so sorry. Can you forgive me?”
Matthew cupped her face between his palms and leaned forward to kiss her lips. “There’s nothing to forgive. I never meant for you to be hurt by any of this. I should have done a better job of reeling in Vanessa. But she’s been running over me and my brothers since we were all kids. She got out of hand, and I should never have allowed it. I’m the one who should be apologizing to you.”
Katrina wrapped her arms around his neck. She hugged him tightly, savoring the sensation of his large frame pressed to hers. Butterflies danced in her midsection, and if she didn’t know better, she would have sworn that their baby had kicked her with glee.
Their baby. A tremor of anxiety suddenly shot through her body. She and Matthew had never discussed children before. They had never had the opportunity. Katrina didn’t even know if Matthew wanted kids or not. He had been wholeheartedly accepting of Collin and wanted a family that was ready-made for him. But was he at all interested in parenting a child from infancy to adulthood? Katrina didn’t know, and suddenly she was afraid to ask. It wasn’t as if she had any intentions of changing her plans if he wasn’t interested in participating. She bit down against her bottom lip, her expression strained.
“What’s wrong, baby? You don’t look happy.”
Katrina met his concerned stare. She opened her mouth to answer but had second thoughts about it. She shook her head. “Nothing. I just…” She paused, letting her eyes roam over the landscape. She took another deep breath. “How’s your friend doing?” Katrina asked softly.
Matthew lifted himself up from where he’d been kneeling on the ground. He pulled his arms out of his suit jacket and folded the garment neatly over the back of the lounger that rested beside hers. Pulling his necktie off, he laid it down with the jacket, then kicked off his shoes. Resting on the side of the lounger, he pulled off one black sock and then the other. Then he pulled himself up closer to her, bringing his lounger and his body as close to her as he could manage.
“Vanessa is the proud mother of a beautiful baby boy that she’s named Vaughan,” he finally answered.
Katrina looked surprised. “I didn’t realize she was due this soon.”
“She wasn’t. She was actually due after my sister-in-law, but she was diagnosed with preeclampsia, so she had to have an early C-section. That day we saw you at the clerk’s office, she became symptomatic and I had to rush her to the hospital. That’s what kept me from catching up to you before you got away.”
Katrina paused, suddenly feeling just shy of foolish for the way she’d reacted that day. “Are she and the baby doing well?” she finally asked. “There weren’t any complications, were there?”
“Not a one. He’s a cute little guy. The family already has him spoiled rotten. You have to see Marah, Mitch and the rest of the girls fighting over who gets to hold him. There isn’t enough baby for all the outstretched arms in the house.”
Katrina smiled ever so faintly, unable to stop herself from wondering what they would all think about one more little addition to the Stallion brood. She looked up to find Matthew studying her intently. She gave him the brightest smile she could muster.
“Babies bring out the best in people,” she said nonchalantly.
“That they do,” Matthew said in agreement. “But I don’t want to talk about Vanessa. And I definitely don’t want to talk about her baby. I want to talk about you and me. Us. Something doesn’t feel right, Katrina, and I want to know what it is. I feel like you’re holding back. So, what is it? What are you keeping from me? Because I can see that something is definitely the matter.” He drew his lounger even closer to hers, pulling her legs atop his as he turned her toward him, wanting her full attention. “Baby, talk to me,” he implored.
Katrina stared at the man, her stomach doing 360-degree turns. She took a deep breath, searching for the perfect words to tell him of her condition. Words failed her when Matthew dropped his hands to her waist and pulled her into his lap. Her eyes widened, the gesture unexpected. He wrapped his arms around her torso and hugged her tightly. Katrina allowed herself to sink into the warmth of the embrace. As he held her, nuzzling his face into her neck, she realized just how much she had missed him. She clutched him closer, never wanting to let him go again.
The tears she’d been fighting suddenly rained past her lashes, saline rolling over the curves of her cheeks. Matthew brushed the moisture away with the back of his hand. He leaned to kiss her forehead and then her mouth, allowing his lips to linger against the soft pillows.
“I missed you so much,” he whispered, his warm breath filling her spirit. “I can’t tell you how lost I felt without you.”
Katrina nodded, her forehead pressed against his. “I’m sorry. I just needed some space. It was all just too much for me to handle. I know I shouldn’t have left the way I did but…”
Matthew pressed his index finger to her lips. “Shhh… Don’t…” He shook his head from side to side. “Baby, just remember that there is nothing that we can’t handle together,” Matthew said, his large hands gently caressing her back and shoulders. “I hope that I never do anything to hurt you, but I would hope that you’d trust me enough to talk to me when you’re not sure about something that
I have done.”
He kissed her mouth again as she nodded her head. Tears were still flowing from her eyes, and he held her close as she cried quietly against him.
“I don’t know why I’m so emotional,” Katrina said with a soft giggle. But she did know. And she needed to tell him. She took a deep breath and held it, allowing the warm air to flood her lungs. When she blew it back out, she met his gaze.
Desire lingered in the stare, her own wanting reflected back in the look he was giving her. Whatever was between them had risen in full bloom, as if they’d never been apart from one another. Shivers of anticipation raced up her spine, and every one of her nerve endings seemed ultrasensitive. She wanted him, her need almost volatile and ready to explode. She instinctively knew he wanted her just as badly.
Rising from his lap, Katrina needed to put some distance between them. If only for a quick moment she welcomed the sliver of breeze that managed to cool the space between them. Matthew reached his hand out to her, entangling his fingers between hers.
She pulled her hand from his, clasping it close to her body. The sensations were too much; her want of him consuming. “I need to go back to my room,” she muttered.
He nodded. “I’d love to keep you company,” Matthew said, his expression begging for an invitation. He had come to his feet and stood staring at her, his gaze making her hot from one end of her body to the other.
She didn’t need words to convey to him that he could follow her. Every fiber of her being was begging for his attention. He tossed his suit jacket and his necktie over his arm as he reached for her hand a second time. Katrina followed willingly as Matthew led her inside, heading directly for her luxury suite.
When they were behind the closed door, Matthew dropped everything to the floor and snaked his arms around her waist. He leaned over to kiss her mouth, pressing his lips to hers as if he were kissing her for the very first time. The gesture was soft and teasing as flesh glided easily against flesh. Katrina felt as if she could linger in that moment forever.
With some urgency he pushed his tongue past the line of her teeth, teasing her tongue in a slow, sensuous tango. Katrina was all aflutter from the sensations sweeping through her. Every muscle in her body quivered with excitement. She wrapped her thin arms around his neck and drew him closer, lapping hungrily at his lips. The kiss became more frenzied, and with their bodies pressed so tightly together, Katrina could feel the first stirrings of his erection.
She pulled back, panting as if she’d just run a race. She felt as if she had won and Matthew’s touch was the sweetest prize. She took a deep breath and then a second, desperate to ease the intense heat that had flooded her body. “I need a shower,” she said, her raspy breathing inciting him even more.
She moved in the direction of the bathroom, her steps slow and easy as she untied the silk pareu from around her waist. When she reached the entrance, she dropped it to the floor beneath her feet.
As she eased into the bathroom, Matthew followed on her heels. He leaned back against the door frame, his arms folded across his chest as he continued to watch her. She tossed him a sly smile over her shoulder. As Katrina met his gaze, she couldn’t help but think that his stare was like the sweetest caress.
Knowing that he was eyeing her every move excited her. She turned her back to him and began undressing, easing the straps of her bathing suit off one shoulder and then the other. She paused to step out of her sandals before pushing the fabric of her swimsuit around her waist and down over her buttocks. She bent forward, and her bare bottom was completely exposed as she wiggled out of her suit and kicked it aside.
Matthew’s smile widened. Still leaning against the door, he’d not moved an inch, but one muscle had expanded substantially, the length of his erection pressing heavily against his inner thigh. Katrina turned slowly around, her gaze meeting his evenly, then slowly dropping down the length of his torso. Matthew could feel her eyes homing in on the crotch of his pants. Deciding that it was definitely time to give her something to look at, he began to undress, as well.
His shirt came first, landing atop her silk pareu in the doorway. As he moved to where she stood, Katrina whispered his name, the lilt of it like a sweet serenade against his ears. In the few seconds that it took him to reach her side, he’d stripped completely naked, his pants and briefs landing next to her swimsuit. Her hands rested against the lean line of his waist as she stepped to him. She stood on the tips of her toes to kiss his mouth, moving her lips hungrily over his.
Her want of him was bone deep, so intrinsic to her spirit that for the first time in weeks she felt like could breathe easy again. It was as if she’d not been able to get a good breath of air since she last saw him in that parking lot. She wound her arms around his neck, her fingers against the back of his head as she kissed him harder.
Matthew marveled at how easily she fit into his arms, the limbs molded around her frame as if they’d been carved precisely for her. He drew her closer, his skin shimmering beneath her touch, revived by the simple fact of her presence. He’d missed her. He needed her, his desire so tenacious that it was reeling through his bloodstream with a vengeance.
His tongue danced inside her mouth, dueling with hers, the two of them suddenly frantic to get as close to each other as they could. Matthew wrapped his arms around her torso and lifted her against him, and Katrina locked her legs tightly around his waist. Easing into the large shower, he reached behind them and turned on the faucet.
The first spray of water was ice-cold against Katrina’s back but she barely noticed, the heat rising off her body like a firestorm. Her nipples had hardened against his broad chest, the rock-hard candies teasing his senses. It was almost too much for him to bear. His erection strained between his legs, his pulse throbbing through the steely muscle, desperate for relief.
Beneath the water, which had warmed nicely as it rained down on them, Matthew pressed her back to the wall. Every coherent thought was gone from him. All he could think of was burying himself deep inside her until he was completely lost in the lust of their union. He eased his hand between them, teasing the door to her most private place. Her juices flooded his fingers, and he knew she was as anxious for him to be where he was as he was to be there.
Dropping his mouth against her neck, he nuzzled his face into the curve beneath her chin, biting lightly at the soft flesh. Katrina moaned loudly, the sweet mating call vibrating through him. He reached for his erection, stroking the length of it, and then he eased himself inside of her.
Katrina’s fingers dug into his shoulders as she felt him enter, the muscles of her inner walls clenching him like a vise grip. Their connection was the sweetest union that either of them could ever imagine. Matthew’s heart rate was racing as he pumped in and out of her, pounding his body against hers. His hands cradled her buttocks as he pushed and pulled her against him.
Water poured down on them, saturating their heads and cascading over their torsos. Her eyes were closed tight, lust painting her expression. Moisture blurred Matthew’s vision and he closed his eyes shut, his forehead kissing hers. He felt himself drawing closer to the edge as her hips cradled his pelvis, allowing him to drive deeper into her.
Katrina suddenly threw her arms back over her head, her hands raised as she surrendered to the moment, the sweeping sensations consuming her. Matthew held her securely around the waist, her torso braced against the wall. Her lengthy legs gripped him firmly, her feet locked about his buttocks. Matthew thrust forward again and again, reclaiming every second that they had been apart. And then she screamed his name over and over again, the lilt of it rolling off her tongue as if she were in prayer.
Matthew exalted in hearing her, her throes of pleasure inciting his own. He gasped heavily, and then his body exploded with the ferocity of a volcano. As he felt himself spilling into her, Katrina clenched her muscles, milking every ounce
of his desire from him. As they climaxed together, both panting heavily, Matthew fell against her, bracing his hands against the wall beside her shoulders, his body still holding up hers. Neither of them wanted to let the other go. Neither of them wanted to break the intimate connection.
Minutes later they lay sprawled across the bed, her naked body straddling his. It had taken only the mere thought of pleasuring her to make him full and hard again. His manhood had come to full attention under her ministrations, her hands caressing him softly. His blood had surged when Katrina had taken him into her mouth, wrapping her lips and tongue around him as if she were sucking a lollipop. She had teased and taunted him until he was engorged and ready to bust, and then she had dropped her body down against his and was riding him with everything she had in her.
Matthew reached for her breasts, the globes swollen, full. Her nipples were hard, and he lifted himself up to suckle one and then the other, his tongue flicking eagerly over them. Katrina arched her back, clutching him tightly. And then they both exploded, every nerve ending in their two bodies erupting in pleasure.
Matthew had lost count of the number of times she’d been able to revive his erection. Their desire for each other had been palpable, both of them so consumed with want that it felt as if they were starved and were able to feed themselves for the very first time. Katrina lay curled against him, her breathing finally light. He turned and pressed himself into her, the curve of her buttocks cradled against his crotch. Her head rested on his arm. His other arm was tossed over her abdomen, the weight of his palm resting atop her stomach.
As his fingers gently caressed her flesh, Katrina closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She inhaled once and then twice before opening her eyes again, her gaze resting on the curtained window across the room.
“Matthew?”
“Yes, my darling?”
“There’s something important that I need to tell you.”
Matthew pressed himself closer to her. “Honey, you should know that you can tell me anything. What is it?” he asked as he kissed the back of her neck, nuzzling her gently.
Seduced by a Stallion Page 18
