Ella went through the door, pulling it closed behind her. “Found out not long before I left.” She swallowed. “I tried to talk to Sam when I gave him the lawyer’s papers, but he was with Petra and still blaming me for his bad choices. If I try calling him, I just get his voicemail. I don’t know if things are going well for him.”
Matt linked fingers with her, squeezing her hand. “He made his own bed.”
“I know. It just makes it harder.”
He leaned over, kissing her below the ear. “Then let’s forget about him and get on with our night.”
The words sent shivers down her spine, and he tugged at her hand, pulling her toward the restaurant. She followed willingly, her mind in turmoil about how the night might end. For now, she was content to be in his company, which she’d always enjoyed no matter what was going on in her life.
The restaurant was dark, the tables lit with candles, and she leaned against Matt as they stopped at the entrance.
“Table for Carver,” Matt said, slipping his arm around her waist.
“When did you book that?”
“This morning,” he murmured in her ear.
“Getting ahead of yourself?” She grinned as they weaved through tables, sitting at one near the window. Outside, the waves gently hit the sand, and Ella was filled with an urge to run out and get her toes wet.
“I planned ahead. If you’d told me to go away, I would have eaten dinner by myself.”
She reached across the table, placing her hand on his. “I would never have told you to go away.”
His eyes blazed with desire, not only the love she’d seen before. Her heart was in her throat as he ordered for both of them, steering clear of all those things she wasn’t supposed to eat and ordering steak. It did seem crazy to be on an island in the Pacific and not be able to gorge on seafood.
In the candlelight, Matt kept glancing at her. “You keep blushing. Am I embarrassing you?”
She shrugged. “I loved the idea of coming here, but I’m sitting in a restaurant, wearing a sarong and feeling half-naked.” She looked around. The tables were full of people dressed in a similar fashion.
“Here we go,” the waiter said, smiling as he placed the plates on the table. Ella’s mouth watered at the smell of the steak.
Matt had a grin a mile wide as he looked her over. “Nothing wrong from where I’m sitting.”
“I feel so self-conscious. I’ve been ordering room service and hanging out in the air-conditioning instead of sitting in here.”
Matt took a bite of his steak. “We can always go back to your room after we’ve eaten. You don’t have to feel half-naked then.”
Ella nodded, chewing a fry. “I like that idea. This place is amazing, but the humidity is really getting to me.”
“Then you can be completely naked.”
She took a deep breath, the food going down the wrong way. Matt leaped to stand behind her. She choked, and he patted her on the back as she held up her hand and reached for a glass of water.
“You shouldn’t have said that.” She laughed, trying to catch her breath.
“Why not? A guy can hope, can’t he?”
He sat in the seat beside her, placing his hand on her arm. “I had hoped that we could move to the part where I get to tell you how I feel, and you fall into my arms.”
“Matt,” she whispered.
“I want you. And not only tonight. For always.”
Ella licked her lips, taking another sip of her water. “I know.”
“If you’re not ready, we can go back to your room and we’ll talk. About anything. All I know is that I need you in my life, and I have missed you like crazy. It’s been so hard to stay away.”
Tears welled in her eyes; he looked so earnestly at her. Here he was, laying open his heart, and it scared the hell out of her. “It’s been hard to keep you away.”
He placed his palm on her cheek, and she closed her eyes at his touch. This was who she wanted, who she’d thought about every single day since the time he’d left her standing in the back yard. So many times she’d picked up the phone to call him, only to put it back down because she didn’t know if she was ready.
But how would she know if she didn’t give him a chance?
Sam had been the one to burn her, not Matt. Never Matt.
“I think I’ve eaten enough,” she whispered.
“There’s no going back.” He leaned in closer, and she could smell the beach on him, the salty air.
“I don’t want to go back.”
Ella closed her eyes as his lips brushed hers. This wasn’t enough; she wanted more, she wanted everything. She wanted to be greedy and take all he could give her.
And she knew more than ever that Matt would give that to her willingly.
28
MATT
My heart went from zero to a hundred in about three milliseconds when Ella said she didn’t want to go back. Free to explore the attraction between us, she embraced it rather than running away. And her running had been my biggest fear.
I’d wanted her for so long, my mouth went dry, and it was like a part of my brain put its brakes on. All I could do was stare.
“Matt?” Uncertainty was in her voice, and she continued to look at me. Truth was, she still took my breath away with every action, every smile. I’d seen her at her best, and at her worst, and right now she looked more relaxed than she had in a long time.
And she wanted me.
“Let’s walk along the beach to your room. Some more sea air might help us sleep.” I winked, my heart leaping to my throat as she blushed. She wore no makeup for a change, the natural flush of her cheeks endearing in the candlelight.
“Am I going to get any sleep?” There was that grin, the one where her whole face lit up, and she dazzled me.
“Not if I have anything to do with it.” This really was the point of no return. She was mine, and I would never let her go. No matter what.
Ella giggled, looking away as if shy all of a sudden. This seemed to be doing her head in as much as it did mine, and there was only one thing for it.
“Let’s go.” I rose, holding out my hand for her to take.
She hesitated. “What. No dessert?”
“Ella, get your butt out of that chair. You know what I have in mind for dessert.”
She slipped her hand in mine, laughing softly as she stood, not taking her eyes from my own. Twisting her mouth, she pointed at her swollen belly. “I would offer to race you, but I think I might be a bit slow.”
“I’d carry you if I had to.”
She leaned on me, kissing my bicep. “Let’s go, then.”
I couldn’t get out of there fast enough, charging the bill to my room and leading her down the beach to her room. This time I followed her in the door as she unlocked it, pulling her into my arms as soon as we got on the other side.
“Matt,” she whispered.
I stroked her creamy skin, grazing my lips down her neck until I reached her collarbone. She moaned, running her hands down my back, clinging to me as if she meant to hold on just as fiercely.
“I love you, Ella.”
The words came out before I could stop them, and she opened her eyes wide, her eyebrows twitching with uncertainty.
“Matt, I …”
“You don’t have to say it. Not yet. I’ll be here, waiting.”
Her mouth curled into a smile, and she pecked at my lips, holding me close.
“I want to be with you. I can’t say that I don’t love you; that would be a lie. It’s so soon after …”
She didn’t need to finish the sentence. Moving on wasn’t the problem, but it still seemed that Sam had left her a short time ago.
“You’ll tell me when you’re ready. I’m going nowhere.”
Now I could kiss those bee-stung lips freely and without abandon. I could indulge in that scent, revelling in it, knowing she belonged with me.
My fingers fumbled with the buttons on her shirt, and I slipped it
off her shoulders, revealing her soft, smooth skin, her shoulders a little tanned by the sun.
“Matt,” she whispered.
I met her gaze, her eyes filled with longing and bewilderment, as if this was some feeling she’d just discovered. I’d never get enough of this woman.
“I’m the size of a house.”
I chuckled, slipping my hands behind her back, unclipping her bra and pulling it forward.
“You’re what? Five months pregnant? Hardly house size.” I threw her bra to the floor, cupping her ample breasts in my hands, running my thumbs across her nipples as she sighed. “You’re beautiful. That’s what you are.”
Sam had once told me Ella’s body was a work of art, and though I’d caught a glimpse of it that first night, now I could run my eyes over her, taking that beauty in. Apart from her tanned shoulders and arms, her skin was the colour of cream.
This was every single fantasy I’d ever had and more.
Pregnancy had changed her body a little, but she was that same Ella that I’d laid eyes on that night, and there were no more barriers to us being in love.
Her breath quickened at my touch, and I bent my head to take one of those nipples in my mouth, rolling my tongue over it as she moaned.
I pulled her closer as I licked it, losing myself in her, running my hand down her back, claiming what was mine.
“Matt.” This time she cried my name, gripping my shoulders, running one hand through my hair as she pulled me to her. That was the word I’d always longed to hear, and I switched to the other breast, kneading her back with my fingers, that honey scent making me harder as I indulged in the fantasies I’d been tortured by for all this time.
I raised my head and looked at her. Her nipples had swollen, hardened from my attentions. This was only the start.
“Tell me you’re mine,” I whispered. “I want all of you. Every last piece.”
“I am.” She cupped my face in her hands.
“Say the words.” I wanted to hear them from her lips, know that she was as connected to us as I was.
“I’m yours.” She leaned over, initiating a kiss that made me tingle, pushing her tongue into my mouth, and I met her with every stroke. I could never get enough of touching her, tasting her.
Now she reached for my buttons, each one separating from the buttonhole in her fingers, and as I stood up straight to make it easier for her to push off my shirt, she shoved it from my shoulders, planting kisses on my chest that left me gasping, left me wanting more.
“Ella.”
“I want you to feel as good as I do.”
“Baby, I feel good because I’m with you, because I dreamed of this moment.”
She paused, raising her head and looking me straight in the eyes. “You dreamed of me?”
I raised my hand, running my fingers through her dark hair. “I dreamed of nothing else. All I’ve ever wanted is you.”
Tears welled up in her eyes. She took a deep breath, as if to counter them. I tightened my grip, pulling her face to mine so I could kiss her again. She tasted so good I could kiss her the rest of my life.
Her hands were on my shorts, the waistband loosening as she unbuttoned them. I couldn’t wait any longer as I tugged at the knot she’d tied in her sarong, letting it fall to the floor. Nearly naked, she was even more beautiful than I’d imagined. She couldn’t be more perfect if Michelangelo had sculpted her.
I ran my hand over the curve of her belly, the tightness of her skin over the baby.
“You’re so beautiful.”
She blushed from her cheeks down to her throat, her skin turning a light shade of pink.
“Lie on the bed.”
Ella’s lips twitched as they curled into a smile, and she walked to the side of the bed, slipping under the covers and grinning at me, wearing nothing but a pair of panties, and that devilish smile. Every time I looked at her, I fell all over again.
“Come on.” She beckoned me with her index finger and I walked to the other side of the bed, dropping my shorts the rest of the way, my underpants with them.
Ella pulled back the covers, and I laughed, snuggling in beside her, pulling her near naked body into my arms. This was real.
“No show for me?” She pouted, and I raised an eyebrow as her hand snaked down my chest, heading for my cock. It had been hard since I’d held her, smelled her, felt her in my arms.
“What type of show?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know.”
I laughed, reaching for her hand, guiding her to her target. “There’s your show. That’s what you do to me.”
Her touch nearly set me off, I was so ready to be inside her, but I had to hold it, had to wait.
“Are you going to tell me what that tattoo is now?”
She’d remembered. I wasn’t about to lie with her. Not with her hand gripping me like that.
“It’s a bee.”
“I know that.”
“It represents you.”
Her lips parted as her brows knitted in confusion. “What do you mean?”
“That bubble bath, and all the other things you use that make you smell like honey.”
She locked her gaze with mine, her eyes searching my own. I hoped that all she found was love and sincerity. That was all I had for Ella.
“You really do love me,” she whispered.
“Always have.”
I wasn’t going to wait any longer, and I pressed my lips to hers, gently at first, but growing in intensity as our tongues found each other and I stroked her body. She was everything I’d ever imagined, curvy and soft, and she pulled away, giggling as I placed my hand on her belly.
“That tickles.” She did that cute suck-her-bottom-lip-through-her-teeth thing as she looked at me, her cheeks pinking up with blush.
I ran my hand over her stomach again and up her back, laughing.
“I guess, then, I have to find all that out about you. Where I need to touch to make you laugh, what I need to touch to make you cry out my name.”
Pulling my arm out from underneath her, I spread her legs, moving between them. She watched me with big eyes.
“You’re overdressed.” I wagged my index finger at her while she giggled, and I slipped my fingers into the sides of her panties, pulling them down and throwing them onto the floor. “That’s better.” Planting kisses down her pregnant belly, I nuzzled the tiny patch of soft hair between her legs.
“I usually have a Brazilian, but waxing hurts so much now I’m pregnant.” Ella rolled her eyes as she said the words, and I grinned, shaking my head.
“I love you the way you are.” I pressed my face back between her legs, finding her clit with my tongue and licking her slowly. She bucked her hips, moaning as I breathed her in.
“I’ve wanted this for so long,” I murmured.
“It feels like forever since I’ve been touched like this.”
How long had it been? How long since she had been made love to and not screwed in the mechanical fashion Sam had described? However long, it would be all she got from this day forward.
I went back to work with my tongue, her breathing accelerating as she wriggled under me, pulling away, pushing forward. Ella was the one in control of all of this, though I doubted she had any idea.
She moaned, calling my name as I teased her with my tongue. Her fingers raked my hair as her body stiffened, and she groaned loudly. I had her.
“Matt?”
I knelt over her, and she smiled at me, her grin growing as her eyes scanned my face.
“Yes?”
“That was amazing.”
I touched my lips to hers. “It’s just the start.” Frowning, I looked around. “Shit. Hang on a minute.”
“What?”
“I’ve got a condom in my wallet. In my shorts. On the floor.”
She laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Are you worried about getting me pregnant?”
I grinned, shaking my head. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.
I want you to feel safe.”
“We don’t have to, if you don’t want to. I trust you.”
“That’s a big thing to do. How do you know I haven’t been with half of Europe?”
She reached up, stroking my hair, smiling affectionately. “Because while I’m sure you weren’t celibate when you were away, you would have been careful. Because you’re that kind of responsible, considerate man. Besides, I want you inside me.”
If it were possible to be any harder at the moment, I would have been. My dream girl was right under me, and I was all she wanted.
“I only ever want to be with you from now on,” I whispered.
She smiled slyly. “Now you have to work out how to get inside me while dealing with this.” She ran her hands over her baby bump, and I rolled my eyes.
“That’s easy.”
Ella’s eyebrows crept up as I grabbed another pillow, lifting her off the bed and sliding it under her.
“Now you’re at exactly the right angle. And I get to look at you.”
She laughed, rolling her eyes and shaking her head.
I took her in. My beautiful woman lying in front of me, ready and waiting for me to complete what I’d started. Claiming her for all eternity.
In one move I slid inside her, and she gasped as I pushed slowly, not wanting to hurt her in any way. She felt even more amazing than I’d dreamed, hot and wet and tight around me as I moved back and forward, building up a rhythm that left her moaning. Her soft voice repeated my name as I sped up, needing my release, but wanting to give her as much pleasure as I could.
She reached for my arms, running her fingers down them, the touch of her hands making it harder to hold on. Everything I ever wanted was right here.
She sighed, and I closed my eyes. Nothing had ever felt this good, and I’d be damned if anything or anyone would ever get in the way of Ella and I being together again. With a groan, I let go, opening my eyes in time to see the look of utter joy in her gaze, and I knew she felt the same.
“Ella,” I whispered.
As I collapsed beside her, she rolled over and was on me in an instant, covering my face with kisses, stroking my chest, showing me the depth of her emotion.
“I love you,” she murmured.
Those were the three little words I’d ached to hear from her. Now they were mine.
In a Lifetime Page 18
