by Amanda Ashby
He held his breath as he slid his arm out from under her slumbering form and carefully rolled out of the bed. It didn’t take him long to pluck his favorite gray T-shirt and running shorts from the dresser and head through to the kitchen. It was only seven a.m., but judging from the crazy hours Kate had been working lately, not to mention the exuberant lovemaking they’d indulged in last night and earlier this morning, he guessed she’d be asleep for another couple of hours.
He hauled his coffee grinder from the cupboard above the stove while trying to contain the small smile that kept darting up to his mouth. He could still feel Kate’s hands and lips all over his body. He hummed as he collected his favorite coffee beans. His life had certainly taken a change of direction in the last five days.
Maybe he should thank his friend. He had been mad as hell with the stupid Stop the Clock announcement, but if Keith hadn’t done it and if those women hadn’t come knocking on his door like the hounds of hell, then he might never have met Kate.
The idea made him frown.
Yes, Keith had certainly done him a favor. Come to think of it, perhaps he should thank the twins for contracting chicken pox as well. Then, of course, there was Kate’s asbestos ceiling. Okay, that was going a bit far, but Keith definitely deserved a thank-you next time Matt saw him. They could even name their first child after him.
Actually, no, scrap that thought. Baby Keith didn’t sound right.
Then he caught himself. He’d promised Emma that he’d be spontaneous and last night had proved it was possible. Actually—a small smile tugged at his lips—Kate was pretty spontaneous herself. Another thing they had in common.
He grinned as he finished grinding the coffee just as Kate appeared in the doorway wearing only his white shirt from last night. The sight of her tangled curls, her freckled nose and her long legs and just a peek of her chest was too much for him.
“Hey, I hope you don’t mind, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to put the dress back on.”
“Trust me when I tell you that there is nothing I like more than seeing you in my clothes. In my apartment,” he said as walked toward her, his heart pounding. As he reached her, he thought of their conversation. Harry had been a fool and rushed her, compounding his foolery by cheating on her. Which made Matt even more determined to not make the same mistakes. If she wanted slow, she could have slow, because all he knew was that he wanted this more than anything.
“Matt,” she yelped in surprise as he grabbed her by the waist and lifted her into the air. “What are you doing?”
Planning our future together and seeing just how happy we are going to be as our kids grow up around us, he thought, but wisely kept it to himself.
“I’m celebrating a successful first date,” he said instead as the smell of her skin sent tendrils of desire racing through him.
“By picking me up?” she protested as he continued to twirl her in the air.
“By not letting you go until you agree to going out on date number two,” he countered.
“Oh really?” she murmured as she wriggled herself down so that her half-naked body pressed against his. Matt was pretty sure he’d died and gone to heaven. “So, what did you have in mind?”
“Well, I know it’s not traditional second-date material, but I thought that after I dragged you back into my bedroom for a good long while,” he said as she wrapped her arms around his waist, reminding him of the night that they’d just spent together, “then we could think about going somewhere for lunch. There’s a great place in Ballard. Or, if you’re in the mood for seafood, we could try Lily and Taylor.”
“They both sound amazing,” Kate said as Matt pushed his hands under the white shirt to reveal her naked body below. He was just about to trace a finger along her flesh when she let out a soft curse. “But I can’t. I just remembered that I need to spend the day searching for something called a Very Mary doll.”
“Very Mary, eh?” He raised an eyebrow. “I would’ve pegged you as a Sassy Sasha myself.”
“What?” Kate’s eyes widened in adorable confusion. “You know what this doll is?”
“Unfortunately, I have a PhD in the Girl’s Adventure Doll collection,” Matt said in a mock-serious voice, enjoying the way her lips parted as she listened to him. “Remember I have a niece? Well, she also happens to talk about them nonstop.”
“Then you know why I have to try and get one today.” Kate let out a reluctant sigh that did sinful things to his pulse. The desire to drag her back to bed was overwhelming. “I promised my goddaughter, Lucille, that I’d get her one for her upcoming birthday, not realizing what I was doing.”
“I’ll say. Word on the street is that the only dolls left are the Proud Pollys. And trust me, once you see their freaky eyes, you’ll know why no one is buying them,” Matt said as his hands once again found their way to her soft skin and he suddenly grinned. “But that doesn’t mean we should abandon our second-date plans. I could come with you.”
“Why would you want to do that?” Kate blinked. “I’m looking for a doll whose name starts with an adjective. There isn’t going to be anything datelike about today.”
“Except you’ll be there,” he said as he trailed his finger up the white shirt, stopping only to undo each button. “Besides, as it happens, I’m the world’s best uncle, which means that I know all the toy stores in Seattle—not to mention the most direct route to reach them all. If there’s a Very Mary to be had, I’ll help you find it.”
“Are you serious?” Kate said before letting out a soft groan as his fingers continued their way up her skin.
“Never been more serious about anything in my life. But first you should know that toy shopping can be exhausting, which is why it’s important that we relax before we set out.”
“Well, we’d better see what we can do about that,” Kate whispered as Matt dragged her back to him and carried her to the bed.
“Agreed.” Matt let out a groan as his lips found hers. Oh yes, he was definitely playing for keeps.
Chapter Eleven
“Rise and shine,” Matt said the as the smell of fresh coffee filled the air and Kate let out a sleepy smile. One of the best things about Matt was that he seemed to love doing early-morning coffee runs, which normally included pastries. It was a most endearing trait, and she opened up one eye and was rewarded with the sight of an apple Danish.
“Mmmm, thank you.” She wriggled into a sitting position and once again marveled at the guy in front of her. The navy shirt he was wearing brought out the color of his eyes and almost made Kate drag him back toward her. The only thing that stopped her was that he was holding a hot drink. But all the same, in her mind, there was a lot of dragging.
She grinned.
It had been three weeks since the Petersons’ fund-raiser and since then it felt like the pair of them had been living in a lust-induced bubble as they’d gone on twelve more dates. She knew this because despite Matt’s proclamation of being spontaneous he’d kept careful note of each one, from the walk in the park where they’d shared a sundae as the sun set to visiting Kate’s favorite art gallery to see a new exhibition.
Even more amazing was that in between all the lovemaking, Kate had still had time to sign her contract, receive her first payment and start work on the paintings that would accompany the mural. It seemed like spending time with Matt helped her on every level. Plus, she really did love the pastries.
“You’re welcome.” He handed her the Danish and sat down on the bed, a thoughtful expression around his mouth, which Kate suspected had nothing to do with the crumbs she was about to create. “And now, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”
She gulped. The only prickle in their happy bubble was that Bernie and his team were starting work on her ceiling tomorrow, which meant she had to move out for two days. Normally she would’ve stayed with Jenny, but her friend’s house was full with
out-of-town relatives for Lucille’s party, and Matt had been campaigning for her to move in with him. As deliciously tempting as it sounded, Kate knew it was too fast. She also knew it was a conversation she wished to avoid.
“Let me guess. You want to get out of going to the party?” Kate plucked off one corner of the pastry and gave him a coy look. “Relax, I can just tell Jenny that you have important organizational consultant things to do. Like separate colored M&M’s.”
“You know that’s not what I do, right?” He arched an eyebrow as his fingers inched toward her thigh. “Besides, there’s no way I’m missing this party. I went through blood, sweat and tears to help you get that doll and I want to be there to witness the triumph.”
“More like carnage. I’ve seen Lucille and her friends in action before and it’s not pretty,” Kate said, still astounded that he was going with her. When she’d mentioned to Jenny that the pair of them had spent the day tracking down Very Mary—before finding her stuck behind the Lego section in an old-fashioned toy store on the other side of town—Jenny had jokingly said that Matt should come along, and much to Kate’s surprise, he’d agreed.
He could only stay for a couple of hours because then he’d promised to go to a client’s team-building afternoon, but the fact that he’d said yes had meant a lot to Kate. It had also helped lessen the dread she’d been feeling about today.
“You forget that I have a niece and nephew of my own,” Matt said before a slow smile spread out across his face. “Plus, the chance of getting to see you dressed up as a clown? Priceless.”
“You have a thing for clowns, do you?” Kate raised an eyebrow.
“Not yet, but I can see myself being converted before the day’s over.” He leaned forward and kissed her, causing Kate’s stomach to contract with longing. “You also know very well that’s not what I wanted to talk to you about.”
So much for distracting him. She leaned back against the pillow and groaned.
“I know I need to make a decision. It’s just—” she started to say but he stopped her with a kiss.
“It’s okay. I get that after what happened with Harry, you don’t want to rush into anything and that includes throwing yourself at my mercy for two nights, and I respect that. But as much as you want to ignore the situation, Bernie and his very loud machines will be turning up at eight tomorrow morning, and if you don’t make a decision, you’ll be sleeping in your van. And no, you can’t sleep in your van. Your cat wouldn’t like it.”
Kate was forced to smile, since he was absolutely right. Socrates tended to think of himself as a crown prince and slumming it in an old van would be far too undignified.
“You do realize that all of this planning is interfering with my denial process,” she complained, and he gave her an apologetic look.
“I’m sorry to force you to be practical. I just want you to consider your options so that you can find somewhere suitable. I know there’s no room at Jenny’s, but what about other friends, or your mother?”
“Definitely not.” Kate suddenly put the Danish down, her appetite gone.
“Is she really so bad? I did meet her in the gallery that first day and she didn’t appear to have horns or a tail,” he said before letting out a long groan as Kate tugged the sheets around her. “I can’t believe I just said that. I’m sorry. It’s none of my business. I’m an idiot.”
Kate winced as she noticed the telltale flicker around his jaw. It was one of the things she admired the most about him. That whenever he felt he overstepped a mark he was always quick to step back. That would also explain why she had an overwhelming desire to smooth away the worry on his face, to stop him from mentally beating himself up for trying to push her.
She sucked in some air and looked up.
“You’re not an idiot, Matt. You just come from a different kind of family and you assume—or perhaps hope—that everyone had the same lovely upbringing. Here’s the thing with Julia. She’s the friend that everyone wishes they had. She’s beautiful, funny and has great taste. Unfortunately, she’s also impulsive, forgetful and prone to following her heart, which is great if you meet the man of your dreams and want to get married in Las Vegas. But it’s not so great when you have a ten-year-old daughter in tow.”
“Kate,” he said in a low voice, but she shook her head.
“It’s okay. I got used it, but then when I was twelve, she had a breakdown and I was sent to live with my maternal grandmother. She’d never forgiven Julia for getting pregnant at eighteen, and the year I lived with her”—Kate paused and licked her lips—“well, it was challenging. Then when Julia came to collect me, it was like she knew how bad it must’ve been and so she tried to compensate. The problem is that we’ve always been so different and the more she tried . . . well . . . let’s just say that the elephant never left the building.”
For a moment Matt was silent before he slowly reached up and cupped her chin in his hands. His skin was soft and sent a shudder of desire through her, which calmed the emotions that were threatening to rise up from her stomach.
“That night at the sushi restaurant when you were talking about my uncle and how hurt we must’ve been to have been left behind. I thought you were saying that because of Harry.”
“I was.” Kate sucked in a lungful of air before finally letting herself return his searing gaze. “But it was also about Julia. I—I haven’t told anyone about that before.”
“I’m pleased you told me,” Matt said, as his eyes locked into hers, keeping her trapped in his orbit as they both sat there unmoving.
“I am too,” she replied as he leaned forward and kissed her with a tenderness that she’d never experienced before.
“And I’m sorry I kept trying to push you. I just want to make sure you have somewhere nice to go to. You deserve some luxury, and . . . Hey, wait. That’s it. I know where you can stay.”
“Where?” Kate said in a cautious voice as Matt reached for his cell phone and swiped the screen, before he found what he wanted.
“The Talbot. And don’t worry, it won’t cost you a cent. After what happened with the radio competition, Keith’s bosses felt so bad that they offered me a two-day stay. At the time I wasn’t interested but this would be perfect. You’d have your own place to come and go as you pleased, not to mention massages and spa treatments whenever you wanted. Then, if you wanted a visit from your very good-looking neighbor, well that could probably be arranged too.”
“Are you serious?” Kate’s shoulder grazed his as she studied the screen. The rooms looked straight out onto the Seattle waterfront, which meant not only would they get a lot of light in for sketching, but they would help inspire her too. Then she frowned as Socrates wandered into the room and purposely brushed his ginger fur against Matt’s leg. “I can’t. What about the cat?”
For a moment Matt was silent as he seemed to be struggling with something. Then he leaned forward and gave the cat a reluctant pat. “Socrates can stay with me.”
“Matt, your place is so neat, and Socrates is so, well, so cattish.”
“I like to think of everything in life as a gift or a lesson, so either Socrates will make me smile or he’ll help me make my place more cat-friendly,” he said as he once again hooked his hand under her chin so his dark eyes could capture hers. “So, what do you say?”
Kate sucked in her breath. After their first date she’d kept waiting for the other shoe to fall. For her to discover that Matt wanted more than what she did and that then she’d have to walk away from what they had together. But instead, every single day they seemed more and more in sync with each other.
Like he could read her mind.
“Thank you for being so understanding. On behalf of me and my cat, we’d like to take you up on your offer.” Kate leaned forward and found his lips.
“Excellent.” He trailed his mouth across her collarbone and her body exploded with fir
e. “And speaking of which, exactly how long do we have until we need to leave . . .”
***
“I still can’t believe you found this guy in your window,” Jenny marveled several hours later as she shelled out candy into matching blue Frozen bags for the kids to take home with them. “All I find in my window is dust and dead flies.”
“I think that just means you need to vacuum more.” Kate swiped some candy and looked over to where Matt was entertaining a group of giggling three-year-olds with his magic tricks. Kate wasn’t even sure how it had happened. Once minute he’d been helping with the face-painting duties and keeping her from panicking at being surrounded by so many kids, and the next minute he’d been pulling a fake flower from behind the birthday girl’s ear.
From there he’d been surrounded by his new fans, who were demanding more tricks. Kate had groaned in horror but, far from being alarmed, Matt had grinned and requested to have his face painted like a butterfly so that his magic could work properly. This had caused his young fans to fall even further under his charms and they were now his captive audience. Kate couldn’t say she blamed them since she still had to pinch herself that every night she got to be in his bed. His body naked, his mouth hot on hers while his fingers explored every inch of her body.
“Stop it,” Jenny commanded as she taped up a box of stationery.
“Stop what?” Kate almost choked on her candy as she tried to shut down her imagination.
“Stop thinking sexy thoughts about your new man.”
“Oh.” Her cheeks heated up as she busied herself with a pile of serviettes that still needed folding.
“Relax. I’m kidding. You’re allowed to think as many sexy thoughts as you want as long as you don’t forget to thank me once again for convincing you to get back out there and start dating again,” Jenny said as she finished with the bags and pushed them aside. “If I do say so myself, I gave you some excellent advice.”
