by Milly Taiden
She dashed to her room. It was fine. Really. She worked well under a deadline. Usually she had more than thirty minutes, but she’d make it happen. Her gaze darted around the room until it landed on the suitcase. Two seconds later, the navy suitcase lay in the middle of the king-size bed. She rummaged through, trying to decide what to wear. A sparkly, purple strapless dress caught her attention. How had that gotten in there? She could swear she’d left it behind. The more she stared at it, the more she wanted to wear it. The soft cotton material would be perfect for the hot weather. And the style was flattering for her curvy body.
Not normally a fan of dresses, because they tended to make her look bigger than she already was, she stayed away from them. The purple dress had been an impulse buy when Rissa had talked her into going shopping. After a bunch of disappointments with clothes that were supposed to be her size but for some reason she couldn’t fit into them, she’d found that dress. The fit had been so flattering. For once she didn’t feel like a cow.
Once she’d taken the world’s fastest shower, she shimmied into the dress and slipped her feet into some sandals. She’d just reached the door before she ran back and grabbed her perfume off her dresser and sprayed it a few times on her wrists and neck. Now she could go.
Lanterns surrounded the gazebo in the patio where dinner was being served. Wow. Martha had gone all out. A soft gold tablecloth covered the table with a large pitcher filled with multicolored flowers in the center. The setting caught her attention. She frowned. It was set for two.
Nervous energy prickled over her skin. Please no. Don’t let Kayla have done it to her.
Steps sounded behind her. She turned. Oh good lord.
“Sorry I’m late…” He trailed off once he got a good look at her face.
She gulped. “Hi.”
Holy hotness on a stick. If he’d looked good before, then he was sinful now. He wore black slacks with a button down white Guayabera type short-sleeve shirt. She did a double-take to his face. He’d looked so pale before, but apparently his time in the water had given him some instant color. His face was golden. So were his arms.
“Hello.”
His gaze slid down her body in a slow caress. Then he met her gaze. The spark of interest in his eyes turned her from tongue-tied to dry-mouthed.
“I-I’m Jessie. I mean,” She cleared her throat, “I’m Jessica Tavarez.” She cleared her throat. What she really wanted to do was fan her face.
“Hi Jessie, I’m Matt. Short for Matthew Payne.” He offered a hand.
She stared at his hand for a long moment before realizing he was trying to be polite and shake hers. Dios mio. If she stayed out there any longer, he’d think she was socially inept. Their fingers touched. Hot sparks shot up her hand and through her body.
“It’s nice to meet you, Matthew.”
“Normally I wouldn’t say this, but I don’t think I’m so angry with Kayla’s matchmaking right now.”
Neither was she. “She set us up, huh?”
He grinned. Her world tilted. That smile turned his rugged features into wet-dream gorgeous. Maybe she should go. A guy that good looking had to have a ton of women throwing themselves at him. The last thing she wanted was to turn into some guy’s notch on the bedpost.
“She did. I had a feeling she’d given in too easily.”
“Yeah, me too.” She chuckled nervously. Taking a step toward the table, she stopped, turned back to him, and spoke, “Please don’t feel you need to stay here with me. I’m sure you weren’t looking forward to being forced to eat with some person you don’t know.”
Matt’s stomach clenched. The voluptuous beauty was giving him a way out. He didn’t have to sit there and have an awkward dinner with her because Kayla had a one-track mind. There was no need to go through all the bullshit talk his dates had been filled with in the past. He could go. But his feet stayed rooted to the stone steps. And as if they had a mind of their own, they moved him toward the table.
“No sense in wasting perfectly good food.” He heard himself say.
Her eyes widened. A sexy come-hither smile spread over her full lips. “I think you’re right. We might as well eat.”
Thank God for food. Martha chose that moment to show up followed by a man he’d never seen in his days on the island.
“This is Carlos. He’s going to be serving you dinner.” She elbowed the young man in the side. Carlos rushed to place a bread basket in the center of the table.
He glanced at Jessie. She cleared her throat, still smiling. He covered his chuckle with a cough.
“You two eat. Enjoy. I know what my little Kayla is trying to do. I’m not saying she is right, but it’s not my food’s fault. No reason to starve yourselves.” She winked. “Have fun.”
Chapter Four
He watched Martha leave then turned to Jessie. Her hands were curled into fists. She was obviously nervous. Instinct drove him to move. Light from the candles caught on her dark curls making each of her strands shimmer. He stopped himself from digging his fingers into her hair, to feel how soft it was, to see her moan as he caressed her scalp. Shit. He really needed to cut that out. Stopping beside her, he pulled the chair out for her to sit. Sparkly white teeth made an appearance with her wide smile. Her brown eyes reminded him of the smoothest milk chocolate.
“Thank you,” she said in a soft whisper. Her voice slipped down his cock in a light caress.
He took his seat across from her. Wow. She was so beautiful. Those pouty, shimmery lips and that thick, dark hair combined with her wide, brown eyes and he was hard as a rock. Then he remembered. The scars. He wouldn’t take her up to his room and slide the clingy dress off her body as he kissed his way down. He wasn’t ready to see the pity in her beautiful eyes. And if he couldn’t have her tonight, he needed a drink.
“Champagne?” Carlos returned with an open bottle at that moment.
“Yes, please.”
Once both glassed had been filled, Matt smiled at Jessie’s attempt to look everywhere but at him. A second later she gave up. Their gazes met. Carlos left them alone again. The leaves on the nearby palm trees rustled against the wind. He smiled. She licked her lips and once again his thoughts dropped down to the gutter.
“Let’s toast.” He lifted his flute up toward her.
“Sounds like a good idea.” She followed suit with her own.
“What would you like to drink to?” He asked, hoping to learn something about her.
“How about to fresh beginnings?”
“Perfect.” It was as if she’d read his mind. They clinked glasses and he sipped on the fuzzy liquor while he watched her.
He needed a fresh start with a woman that might not see him like a broken piece of furniture. Yes, he had scars, scars he wasn’t going to get rid of to make someone else happy. Those scars were part of him. Of the experience he’d lived during a very ugly war. He hadn’t fully adjusted to them, but whatever woman he ended up with would need to understand that he and the scars were one.
“So what do you do?” He asked, interested to hear more words come out of those sinful lips.
He bit back a groan when her tongue made an appearance, all pink and wet, sliding over her bottom lip. Arousal sparkled in her brown eyes. They way she licked her lip and glanced at his mouth brought vivid images of some of the things he’d have her do with that tongue. And those images would be used later for some self-pleasure.
“I work with Kayla. I’m her office manager. I also volunteer at the hospital where she treats children. What do you do?”
That was the problem about asking about someone, they ended up asking you things too.
“Ryan and I were in the same unit. Some of us returned together, after a bomb attack.”
Why did he say that? Was he intentionally trying to push her away, to shock her with his life?
She leaned forward. Both hands dropped to her lap. “That’s terrible. What types of injuries did you suffer?”
Her low fuck-me voice played havoc with his mind.
Multiple visuals of her begging him to do her racked his brain. He gulped down the champagne and was given a reprieve from answering when Carlos returned with their salad.
A gust of wind played with her curls, bouncing them over her shoulders. Her eyes lifted from her food to pin him with a sensual stare. “Tell me.”
His breath caught in his chest. “I suffered burns on my torso.”
She nodded, but said nothing. Then, much to his amazement, she stabbed her salad with her fork and started to eat. It wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Where was the pity? The sad eyes and trembling lip? Or the let me see questions? Followed by the “oh God, that looks awful” remarks.
“The burns were bad,” he added.
She glanced to the side where Carlos returned to refill their champagne. “I’m sure they were.”
And back to the food. What the heck? Confusion filled him. So he tried again. “Most people pity me, but I can’t stand that.”
“Pity sucks.” She continued eating. “Do you still work for the same group?”
“No. I was honorably discharged,” he answered, but his real interest lay in why she didn’t ask more about his injuries.
“If you’re no longer in that team, what are you doing now?” She pushed the salad plate away and took a deep breath. Her full breasts pushed up again the neckline of her strapless dress. He swallowed down the groan rushing up his windpipe. Hell, he almost swallowed his damn tongue to keep from drooling at the sight.
“I recently joined my good friend’s security team. Got my first job lined up in New York.” He smiled at the way she caressed the petals of the flowers on the table.
Her head snapped up. “I live in New York.”
Things just got better and better. “I have to ask. Curiosity is killing me. Why haven’t you asked more questions about my scars?”
She shrugged those gorgeous tanned shoulders. “Any type of scar leave a trail of pain behind. We never forget what hurt us. They’re an endless reminder of an experience so significant that they never go away.” She pinned him with her gaze. “Some people wear them on their bodies, while others carry them on the inside, but it doesn’t change the fact that once we get them, they’ll always be a part of us.” After a slow sip of her champagne, she sighed softly. “I only want to know what you want to tell me, Matt.”
Wow. Those words—her words—described his feelings perfectly. It was eerie. Almost like she knew how it felt first hand, which brought up more questions. “What happened to make you feel that way?”
Carlos retrieved the salad plates. Grilled fish, wild rice, and an assortment of vegetables followed.
“This looks fabulous.” She dazzled both men with her smile.
His mind ordered him to find out more about her. All about her. Had she lived through pain like him? Anything was possible. If Jessie related, even if by a small degree, to his pain, he knew she was special. “Do you have scars, Jessie?”
Another of those smoldering looks travelled from her to his side of the table. “Yes. I was married once. It was a short marriage, filled with too many issues.” She laughed a soft but dry sound. “The marriage wasn’t the worst part. The divorce was.”
He blinked at the change in her tone. Sorrow etched all over her features, but then she took a deep breath and it disappeared. The pain tugged at his heart. He knew pain. And she did too.
“Sometimes we learn from our mistakes.”
“Yes. Sometimes we do.”
Carlos returned with dessert. He placed her flan on the table with a flourish.
“Ooooh. I love flan!” She licked her lips while staring at the dessert.
“I do too,” he agreed. Another thing they had in common. He bet he’d find more by the end of the night. Maybe, just maybe, he’d give into the temptation and kiss her.
Those few moments lightened the mood considerably.
“So who did you piss off to get set up?” She winked.
Wait a second. She winked at him. That had to be one of the sexiest winks he’d ever seen.
“Nobody. Kayla’s been in a matchmaking mood ever since she and Ryan got married. It’s like all of a sudden everyone must get married too.” He chuckled, watching her dig her spoon into her dessert.
She visibly winced. “I know what you mean.”
“Aren’t you interested in finding love?” The question popped out of his mouth before he had a chance to stop it. Love? What the fuck was wrong with him? He’d just met a woman who’d been in a bad marriage and he was talking love. Dumbass. Plus what he really wanted was to get her out of that dress. He could think of at least a dozen ways to spend the night with her without showing his own body. It’d take some maneuvering, but he could work it.
With her gaze stuck on his, she sucked on the caramel covered spoon. Wild fire lust spread down to his cock. Need burned in his veins, driving the urge to strip her bare and lick her entire body.
“How about a walk on the beach?” She suggested, not answering his last question.
Chapter Five
Jessie’s pulse raced. Before she got a chance to stand, Matt came around the table to help her up. Passion filled his gaze. Hungry. Needy. He grabbed hold of her hand in his larger one. The feel of his warm skin on hers drove her hormones into a frenzy.
She stopped.
“Shoes.” She pointed down to their feet. With both their shoes in their hands, they headed for the beach.
Nerves twined in her belly, curling into thick knots around her stomach. He seemed like a nice guy. One she’d love to get to know better on an intimate level if it weren’t for the negative experience she carried around with her.
“Is this your first set-up?” His deep voice melted through her pores, slowly making its way to her pussy to turn her slick.
“Yes.” She hadn’t been with a man in months. The stress of her divorce was enough to leave a bad taste in her mouth when any man approached her. Now she felt her hormones waking up. And taking great big notice of Matt.
Big. Oh, yes.
Sexy. Hell to the yeah.
Making her panties wet. Without a doubt.
This was Kayla’s attempt at setting them up. Matt was clearly uncomfortable with being on a date, and she definitely wasn’t looking for a relationship. No way. No how. But maybe they could still have fun. There wasn’t a rule that said they couldn’t enjoy each other’s company.
Salty breeze floated over her skin. His arm brushed her shoulder and his grip on her hand tightened, making her even more aware of how close he was. Warm water washed by their feet. With each step they took, her feet sank into the soft sand, spreading through her toes in a grainy massage.
“Matt.” She stopped and turned to stand in front of him. Those piercing eyes of his melted more of her resistance.
“Yes?” He continued holding her hand, but raised his other one to cup her cheek.
Lord have mercy.
“I…” Want a kiss. Right now please. “Had a great time at dinner.”
His gaze dropped down to her lips, lips she licked that very moment. Then, in a slow motion move worthy of any romantic movie, he lowered his head, brought his lips down to hers, and kissed her.
Oh, what a kiss. His firm lips brushed tentatively over hers at first, tempting her to open up and let him in. She sighed, pushing out a little moan. That’s all it took. Soft went out the window. Mouths pasted together. Tongues tangled in frenzied caresses so hot it felt like he’d branded her.
The hand holding hers let go and pulled her into his warm muscular body. She crawled her fingers up his torso. Giddiness filled her. She’d finally gotten her hands on his gorgeous body. Tight muscles shifted under her palms, adding a new rush of arousal to her already heated core. He tugged her closer, rubbing his steel hard erection on her belly. Her pussy quivered in need.
She broke away from the kiss, panting. “God. I—”
The look he gave her said it all. Him. Her. Really hot sex.
“I want you, Jessie. I haven�
��t been with anyone in a while.” He licked those sexy lips that had just seconds before been devouring hers.
“I haven’t either.” Need turned her voice husky. Their gazes locked and temptation didn’t just knock at her door, no. It broke it down and said “I’m here.”
He rocked his cock over her belly. Arousal sent electric shocks down to her clit, making it twitch. “I want to spend more time with you.”
Two seconds. That’s all it took for her to decide she wanted the same thing too. “Let’s go to my room.”
Once the words were out, she wanted to drag him to her room and strip him.
“Are you sure?” He squeezed her ass over the soft material of her dress.
If she thought any more about him fucking her, she’d burn out all her brain cells. “I’m positive.”
Several steps and they stopped by a palm tree. Then another clash of lips hurled her temperature out of orbit. His tongue rubbed sensually against hers, claiming every crevice in her mouth, owning her lips. A soft whimper sounded in the back of her throat. She gripped his shirt in her hands, tugging at the material. It had to come off as soon as possible or she’d tear it off. He tore away from her, clenched his teeth together, and groaned.
“Tell me you want this now or we’ll stop.”
Stop? Was he crazy? There’d be no stopping. There would be coming for both of them if she had anything to do with it. She breathed hard, trying to drive air into her lungs.
“I want—I want you.” She drove her hands into his short hair, tugged his head down, and shoved her tongue into his mouth. Fuck waiting for the bedroom. With her fingers curled tight on his strands, she ran her nails across his scalp in a rough caress that was very unlike her.
“Fuck!” He sucked her neck. Her pulse beat erratically with each lick he did on her skin. Farther down, he swept his tongue over the top of her breasts.
“Oh yesss,” she moaned, leaning her head back on the tree.
One tug, and the dress was down to her waist, her breasts bared. The man was a genius. He worked triple shift, sucking one nipple into his mouth. He squeezed his calloused fingers. It didn’t stop there. His second hand lifted the hem of her dress and went straight for her panties. Instinctively, she widened her legs, making room for whatever he had planned.
