by Tonya Brooks
“Damn, you look good,” he said in complete honesty.
More than pleased that he thought so, but not about to let him know it, she commented in the same cool tone, “The years have treated you well, I see.”
Talk about an understatement! Dammit, he was still the best looking man she'd ever seen. Why couldn't he be bald and have a beer gut? It just wasn't fair for a man to be as gorgeous as Matthew still was. Her foolish heart began to do a tap dance in her chest which really pissed her off.
“This really is a surprise.” Matt said as he looked her over again and felt the same old sweet, burning heat settle low in his abdomen. Yeah, desire had a name alright. It was still Harley, dammit. “I didn't think wild horses could drag you back here.”
“I didn't have a choice,” she said evenly and forced her gaze away from the breadth of his shoulders and chest.
Only something as imminent as death would get Harley back to Lakeside, so he asked in genuine concern, “Is Claire alright?” In spite of everything that had happened between the two of them, Matt had a great relationship with his former mother-in-law and loved the woman dearly.
“Mom's fine,” she assured him but didn't elaborate on her reason for returning. As usual, when she didn't want to discuss something, she changed the subject. “How's Pop doing? The last time I spoke to him, his gout was acting up.”
“Ornery as ever,” he said with feeling. “I know he'd love to see you.” The old man loved Harley like one of his own and would be thrilled to see her again.
“I plan to stop by the house and drop off Jed's suitcase.”
“He'll like that.” Matt replied and noticed their son watching them intently with the oddest expression on his face. “What is it, Champ?”
“I've never seen the two of you together before,” he commented innocently at the realization and then frowned. “Not even in pictures.”
The two adult’s eyes met with a shared look of guilt. As far as Matt knew, there was only one picture of the two of them in existence and he had it safely hidden away. As far as Harley knew, there had never been a photograph of the two of them, mainly because no one had ever been foolish enough to try and get them in the same room together long enough to make one.
The boy's face lit up as he ordered his parents, “Stay there. I'll be right back.”
Harley smiled as she watched him race out of the garage, a bundle of pure energy. “He's growing up so fast,” she sighed regretfully. He wasn't her little boy anymore. Jed was turning into a young man right before her eyes. Her baby was twelve now, and though it pained her to admit it, he needed more than his mother. Her son needed a man in his life on a daily basis. A father figure that he could look up to and lean on.
“At least you get to see it.” Matt commented without rancor. “It seems like yesterday he was just a baby. At this rate, he'll be grown tomorrow.”
Jed came running back in with his camera and asked, “Mom, can you stand beside Dad? A little closer. Come on, closer. I can't get both of you in the frame.” The two adults stood awkwardly next to each other, their arms almost touching before their son was satisfied. “Okay. Say cheese.”
“Cheese,” they said simultaneously and held the artificial pose as he snapped several shots.
“Thanks.” Jed grinned happily up at them. “Wanna see, Dad?” He asked and handed his father the digital camera so he could look at the pictures he had taken.
“These are really good, Jed.” Matt complimented as he flipped through the pictures stored in the memory card. He came across a photo of a man smiling back at him. “Who's this?”
“That's Donald.” Jed said as he took the camera and looked at the picture. “He's gonna marry Mom.”
Matt felt as if he'd been sucker punched. Harley was getting married? 'Do you Matthew Jedidiah Baker II, take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife...' floated up from the deepest recesses of his mind. Midnight eyes met sapphire blue and the years faded away again. Suddenly they were twenty-one and eighteen again, reliving the darkest moments of their lives...
Chapter Six
Friday, May 26, 2000
The couple played the game even after Mark went away to college. Unfortunately, Harley was left alone her senior year to fend off all the unwanted attention she received now that Mark wasn't there to run interference. Before she knew it, the gossip grapevine was claiming she was sleeping with every guy in town while Mark was away.
The fact that Matthew didn't seem to be interested in her any more, filled her with as much relief as it did pain. Truth be told, she'd never gotten over him and doubted she ever would. In spite of everything, she was still susceptible to his lethal bad boy charm.
Matt had resigned himself to the knowledge that Harley would never be his and kept his distance as much as possible, but that didn't seem to help. He still wanted her as much as he ever had but at least he didn't have to see her on a daily basis now that Mark was at college.
He'd heard the rumors that she was cheating on his brother but didn't believe a word of it. Not one mention had been made that she was a wild woman in bed. That kind of information would have made headline news on the gossip grapevine, so it had to be a pack of lies.
Harley might tolerate his brother’s indiscretions, but there was no way in hell she'd ever cheat on her man and he damn well knew it. At least he had believed it, until the night of her senior class graduation party and then Matt realized that he'd been dead wrong about her again.
The wildest parties were always at Timmy's house and the only thing that people expected, other than to have a hell of a time, was for the unexpected to happen. It looked like this one wasn't going to be an exception to the anything goes rule either.
Much to everyone's surprise, Harley actually showed up. And she was alone. She didn't stay that way for long and it was more than obvious from her behavior that she had absolutely no intentions of leaving that way. Matt came to the same agonizing conclusion as he watched her flit from one man to another, every bit the bad girl the gossips reputed her to be.
She looked sexy as hell in extremely short shorts and a sapphire blue halter top that reveled more than they concealed. For the first time, he acknowledged painfully that there might be some truth to the rumors. He was actually seeing the evidence of it, and there was no doubting what he saw. Every man there was hitting on Harley and she was flirting with them all.
She was also drinking heavily and as soon as her beer was empty, someone would hand her another one. If she wasn't drunk, she was well on her way to being there. Then again, Matt was way ahead of her in that area. The more he watched her dance and flirt, the more he drank, but he couldn't force himself to look away.
Watching her with his brother had been sheer torture, but this was even worse. Desire fed the jealousy, which fueled the anger, and before he knew it, raw fury flowed through him with barely controlled restraint. Seeing other men touch her, hold her, when he couldn't, was eating him alive. Unfortunately, he didn't seem to be the only one with that problem. A couple of the guys began to fight over her and it took several more to break them up.
Luke took the opportunity to pull Harley aside to try and talk some sense into her. From the shocked expression on his brother’s face, Matt deduced that she'd even flirted with him. Yeah. She was hammered alright. Sooner or later, someone was going to try and take advantage of it. His eyes narrowed dangerously. He hoped like hell she listened to Luke. If another man put his hands on her, Matt wouldn't be held accountable for his actions.
~~~~
“Lighten up, Luke. It's a party.” Harley laughed and pinched his rear, much to his shock, if his expression was any indication. Then she saw Matthew across the yard and her smile became brazen. “Timmy!”
“Right here, darlin,” the host said cheerfully as he hurried over to her.
“It's time we got this party rockin',” she announced and asked him to play her a song.
~~~~
Matt knew he'd have a hell of a fig
ht on his hands if he tried to take her home. As angry as he was right then, he really didn't give a damn if she did get pissed. Getting Harley out of here would be the best solution. Then again, being alone with her definitely wasn't a good idea. He wanted her too damn much to risk it. He'd have to take Luke with them. At least he knew his little brother wouldn't try hitting on her.
Before he had a chance to put his plan into action, Harley climbed barefoot atop the picnic table. What the hell was she doing, he wondered with a scowl. When the music started, she began to dance much to his absolute astonishment. The cheering crowd of males gathered around the table and every female present walked away in disgust.
Her movements were meant to entice as much as the provocative lyrics did and she succeeded as her body and the words proclaimed, “I've got the stuff that you want, I've got the thing that you need, I've got more than enough to make you drop to your knees.”
Matt had never seen anything as erotic as Harley dancing. He knew exactly what every man in the crowd was thinking and feeling because he was no exception. He wanted her as much as he ever had, dammit, if not more. Intent on stopping her, he surged to his feet just as she turned to face him. When they made eye contact his entire body filled with white hot heat because Harley never looked away. She was letting him know that she was dancing just for him and didn't give a damn who knew it. To say that he was shocked was an understatement. Matt sank slowly back into the chair and wondered what the hell she was doing.
Then she extended her arm and pointed at him as she sang the lyrics, and he damn near dropped his beer. “You got a problem with the way that I am, They say I'm trouble and I don't give a damn, But when I'm bad I know I'm better, I just wanna get you and turn it up for you, baby.”
The bad girl before him excited Matt beyond belief and bore little resemblance to the sweet, innocent girl he had known. But the hunger he felt for her now was even stronger than it had been before. This was a wild, deep hunger raging ravenous and unbridled through his veins, threatening to take common sense away with it.
Desire, untamed and unbearable consumed him. Desire, need, passion, hunger. They were all synonymous with Harley. She was his only need and damn her soul, she was tormenting him beyond endurance. Matt cursed her to hell and completely forgot about the other people around them.
He watched through narrowed eyes as she twisted, shimmied and undulated her nubile body in perfect rhythm to the pulsating beat. The sight of her hands caressing her flesh as if it were the way she wanted him to touch her, the way he ached to touch her, was killing him by degrees and he wanted her more than a man had a right to want anything.
When the song ended, she stepped off of the table and walked directly across the lawn to him while the crowd continued to watch in disbelief. “Hello, Matthew.” Harley said breathlessly and sat facing him astride his lap, as if she had a perfect right to be there.
“You're playing a dangerous game, Harley,” he warned roughly. She'd been flirting all night, but this time she'd picked the wrong man to tease. He wanted her too damn much to tolerate it any longer.
She laughed recklessly, took his half empty beer, drained the bottle in one swallow and dropped it on the grass. Harley licked her lips, placed her palms flat against his rock hard chest and said, “I'm not playing, Matthew. I'm collecting on a promise you made me.”
“What promise?” He questioned absently, his eyes greedily drinking in an up close and personal view of her perfect breasts.
“I'm eighteen,” she said with a wicked smile and the promise he had made the night they met, flashed through both of their memories. 'Let me know when you're eighteen, Harley. I promise I'll show you how a lady should be treated.'
That got his complete attention. His head lifted sharply, his burning gaze meeting hers. Harley was eighteen. His heart began to hammer erratically as he realized that she was an adult now. There was nothing stopping him from taking what he desperately wanted. Nothing except his brother. “What about Mark?” He had the presence of mind to ask hoarsely.
“What about him?” Harley asked as she stared into the heat of his obsidian gaze. She slid her hands up his muscular chest and draped them over his shoulders, pressing her breasts against his chest, placing her lips a breath away from his, and whispered seductively, “You're the one I want, Matthew.”
Gut twisting need, fierce and unyielding in its intensity took control. Matt needed no further incentive. He had waited so damn long to hear those words from her lips and now that he had, nothing on earth could have kept him away from her. Harley was his. All he had to do was claim her. The knowledge filled him with an emotion so intense that he was barely capable of drawing air into his lungs. Without a word, he rose with her held tightly in his arms.
She locked her legs around his hips, laid her head on his shoulder and clung to him trustingly. Matt slid his hands down to cup her bottom possessively as he began to walk toward his car without a thought for the stunned group looking on. Alan had even dropped his camera in disbelief after snapping one picture and getting a close up of their expressions through the zoom lens.
~~~~
“Matt, what the hell are you doing?” Luke demanded incredulously as he caught up with the pair at the car, because it sure as hell looked like he was planning to make love to their brother's girlfriend. He couldn't believe that Harley had gotten drunk enough to flirt with Matt like that. He hoped like hell his older brother had enough sense to take her home and not take advantage of her.
Matt ignored him as he cranked the car and drove away with Harley in his lap, her back to the door and those long, gorgeous legs stretched out across the seat. Now that he finally had his hands on her, he wasn't turning her loose for a second. Harley was his now and the sooner everyone realized it, the better. He'd waited almost two years for this moment and there was no way in hell anyone was going to stop him from claiming what was rightfully his. Especially not one of his brothers.
Harley loved the way Matthew was holding her against his body as if he couldn't bear them being separated even while he drove. The feel of his arm around her waist made her feel so safe and secure that she smiled contentedly and gave herself up to him completely. She had one arm draped around his broad shoulders, her other hand against his chest, her head still resting on his shoulder.
She placed a kiss on his neck and felt him shudder. Pleased with his reaction, Harley began to suck gently on his neck and branded him with a hickey. When Matthew's arm tightened around her waist and she heard his growl of pleasure, she slid her hand under his shirt and began to caress the powerfully built chest with a tender touch.
Damn, she was making him crazy. Matt was having a hell of a time keeping his mind on the road and his hands off of her. When he braked for a stop sign, out of pure desperation, he grasped her head in one hand and ravaged her mouth like a starving man would a feast. Harley melted against him, her body straining to be even closer, her mouth demanding more.
The heat turned into raw flames of passion, its fingers licking greedily at his soul just as her hands were clinging greedily to his flesh. Unable to stop himself from touching her, his hand slid inside the leg of her shorts, his fingers probing her silken depths with practiced ease and masterful skill.
She began to writhe in his lap, her hips undulating of their own accord, her nails digging into his shoulders as she clung to him and whimpered against his mouth, “Need you.” The impassioned plea nearly drove him beyond the point of no return. Lifting his head to stare down into her passion clouded sapphire eyes, Matt knew he couldn't wait much longer to possess her.
He shifted the car into low, grabbed the wheel, stomped down on the accelerator and demanded every ounce of speed the powerful engine could provide. Without ever slowing down, he drove straight to a secluded section of woods down by the river. Matt put the car in park and was debating putting the top up for privacy when the sight of Harley removing her clothes wiped every thought from his mind.
Harley pulled the
halter over her head and slid out of her shorts before she sat astride him completely naked, her mouth claiming his with a hunger that had never died. She needed Matthew desperately and was determined to make love with him as she had dreamed of doing for as long as she could remember.
She pulled the T-shirt over his head and her hands and mouth made love to his chest, unwittingly fueling the flames of his desire for her to unbearable heights. God, she loved his chest. She nipped his flat male nipple with her teeth and felt him shudder in response. Excited at the knowledge that she was pleasing him, she sucked it into her mouth and whirled her tongue around it before switching her attention to its twin.
Matt was elated at her aggressiveness and he reveled in the hunger she didn't try to hide as she drove him to the edge of sanity with her hands and mouth. He had waited so damn long for this and the reality was even better than he had ever imagined in his wildest dreams. Her hands were everywhere at once, his chest, his hair, the zipper on his jeans and he realized that Harley needed him just as desperately as he needed her. The realization nearly sent him completely over the edge.
“Back seat,” he managed to choke out as she left his chest to attack his neck with her tongue and teeth. When she made no move to release him, Matt picked Harley up, swung her over the seat and onto the back seat in one swift move. He barely remembered to turn the car off before he tore his jeans off and dove over the seat to join her. God, he wanted her more than his next breath.
Matt cupped her breasts with hands that held a noticeable tremble and saw his brother’s class ring hanging on a chain around her neck. Refusing to make love to his woman while she wore another man's ring, he pulled the long chain over her head and dropped it in the foot. “I want you so damn much,” he said in a voice raspy with need and took her nipple into his mouth.
