Sarah then saw the delivery truck pull up and ran quickly to the bathroom to check her face for flour, smudges, put on Chapstick and brush her hair. She quickly moved back up front towards the counter, much to Tyler’s dismay.
Tyler was frustrated at the change in Sarah’s demeanor and dropped the bowl onto the counter loudly as the door jingled open. He wondered why she could not be excited or happy to see him too.
Sarah glanced around the door frame, surprised at the noises she heard from behind her in the kitchen and turned back towards the front door with a smile. “Hey there, Matt, how are you?” she asked happily with a smile. The whole room seemed to light up when he walked in and only had eyes for her. She could not believe how happy she felt just because he was there.
Matt smiled widely at her expressive face. “I am much better now that I have seen you,” he said with a wink. She was gorgeous with big, soft brown curls in a ponytail, a few curls had come free around her face. Her warm eyes looked up at him.
Sarah blushed and flirted with him. “I bet all you delivery drivers say that to the ladies,” she said playfully and thought for a moment, ‘Dammit! I wonder if he does say that to the ladies?’ maybe she had misread him? It would not be the first time she had misinterpreted someone’s actions or emotions.
Matt laughed, “Nope, just the pretty ladies who have all my attention and make a helluva coffee cake,” he said teased her back just to get her to turn a few shades pinker in embarrassment. He thought she was adorable when she blushed like a young girl and he was thrilled he could do that to her.
He set her package on the counter and reached under his arm for the clip board. “Now if you will sign here,” he started, then continued on smoothly “and let me know what time you get off work, I will be out of here,” he said grinning widely, his eyes crinkled at the corners. He wanted to kiss her again as he watched her lick her lips.
Sarah beamed and played along “Well, here you are, sir,” she said with a flourish and signed her name, “and I might just be headed out of here around four o’clock, unless I have a reason to hang around,” she said softly to him with a sideways smile. She was thrilled he wanted to see her again and adored the attention he was giving her.
Matt leaned forward over the counter, tucking a curl behind her ear and replied back suggestively, “Sounds like we have a date again, pretty lady.” He tucked his clipboard back under his arm and waved as he headed out the front door back to his truck to finish out his day.
One of the ladies sitting at the small table having a cupcake, mockingly fanned herself. “Oh my goodness, Sarah, he is divine and single! You should snatch him right up!” she cackled. The other ladies at the table all chimed in with talk of how he was ‘new in town’ and ‘tanned like you wouldn't believe’ and how ‘they had seen him jog down Main Street with a few fellows and he was welcome to jog by her place and she would give him some exercise.”
Sarah could feel the heat in her cheeks climb up to her hairline. She wasn't a prude but sometimes the ‘ladies’ in town could really shock her. They knew everyone’s business, who was dating who, what was going on in town, and the latest gossip. Sarah listened to them a bit longer, catching every word, until they turned to a new subject.
She went to check on Tyler and saw the bowl on the counter, but he was nowhere to be found. Sarah’s phone beeped at that moment, and she saw Tyler had texted that he had to go home, he did not feel good. Sarah rolled her eyes and put her phone back in her pocket.
8
Late in the day, Sarah flipped off the open sign, ran down to the small grocery market and picked up a few items. She returned to the shop and threw the deadbolt on the front door. Quickly setting to work, she scrubbed the potatoes, sliced them thinly, put a dollop of butter and salt on them and wrapped them in foil, tossing them in the double oven she had heated up for her cheesecakes tomorrow.
Sarah whipped the bricks of cream cheese that she had set out. She greased the spring form pans and dusted them with cocoa powder, added some to the cream cheese in the mixer. She methodically added the eggs, vanilla, and powdered sugar. She poured each pan about three-fourths of the way full and stepped back. She gave the pan a gentle pounding to get any air bubbles out of the concoction and placed them in the oven.
Sarah then grabbed a skillet, placing it on the burner and letting it get good and hot. She picked up two small steaks and proceeded to tenderize them. She was hitting them so hard with a mallet that she barely heard the knock on the front door. She wiped her hands on her apron, tucked her hair behind her ear and raced around the front counter to unlock the door. Matt stood patiently, a single red rose in his hand.
“Come on in. I am sorry it took me a minute to get to the door. I did not hear you.” Sarah explained in a rush as she held the door open for him. She caught her breath as she saw him lean down and kissed her gently. She held the door knob for support as her knees melted away. Sarah could not stop smiling as she thanked him for the flower.
Matt was happy to see her eyes alight when she saw him. He had hoped the afternoon would pass quickly today, and thankfully it had. “Thank you for joining me tonight,” he said politely, watching her face. “Where would you like to go for dinner?” he asked. He had thought about her all afternoon, tried to think of different things to do around town with her. Did she like to bowl? Should they do dinner? Would she care to see a movie? It was a small town and his choices were limited. He hoped she had something in mind.
Sarah was nervous. She thought she would treat him to dinner here instead so they could talk more and stay away from the town gossips. Especially, after this afternoon’s conversation she had overheard. “Well, I thought I would fix us a little something here, if that is okay with you? Do you like steak?” she said as she put the rose in the vase on the table.
“I love steak. Can I help with anything? That sounds perfect to me.” He really enjoyed her company last time he had met her. He, in fact, had thought about her smile all week long and when he saw the delivery route sheet today, he had looked forward to seeing her again.
Sarah waved, “Oh no, I have it... and no worries! I just needed to know how you like your steak cooked,” she said over her shoulder, and headed into the kitchen. She could smell the potatoes cooking and wanted to check to see how close they were to being finished.
Matt asked politely, “Do you mind if I join you?” He did not want to intrude on her space. He was touched that she had gone through a lot of effort to make this special, or so it seemed based off the steaks and potatoes she had planned on cooking. It did not seem that she kept steak in the bakery fridge often, or so he assumed.
Sarah threw the steaks in the pan with some butter and wiped her hands again on her apron. She came back around the corner with a laugh. “I am sorry, cmon back. You do not need an invitation, remember? I am pretty casual,” she said. She opened the door on the oven and felt the potatoes to check for tenderness. She grabbed a hot pad and pulled them out, placing the cheesecakes inside and setting a timer.
Matt stood back impressed. “That is a lot of cheesecake you just put in there, how many do you sell in one day?” he asked curiously. Maybe her bakery was better off than he imagined? It was a tiny little place, but seemed to be very busy the few times he had come to deliver a package to her.
Sarah said openly “Well, if I am lucky and it is a good day? I would sell them all. I usually end up freezing one or two and slicing the others. A full cheesecake is expensive, whereas people will pay four dollars for a slice. If I sell it by the slice, I end up making more money than on the entire cheesecake alone. People will not pay thirty-five dollars for a cheesecake unless it is for a party or a custom order, but if I can slice one of those into eight to ten slices, then I can end up with approximately forty dollars for a cake.” She said honestly. “I’m not trying to trick them, it is more like marketing strategy so I can clear out inventory,” she explained.
Sarah had a good head on her shoulders for business an
d it showed. Her little bakery had been very crowded earlier and the case looked like it had been cleaned out. There were several trays that had been empty and he saw a few people leave with several boxes as he pulled up.
Sarah flipped the steaks and grabbed two plates. She placed a foil packet on each plate, carefully unwrapping it and sprinkling cheese on top of each potato. She went back to the glass case, grabbed two bread knots with the tongs and put one on each plate. She served up one steak on a plate and moved to serve in on the table.
Matt wanted to help and offered, “Allow me,” he said taking the plate from her. “I can help, after all you have done all the cooking.” Matt put the plate on the table, and headed back to the kitchen to get knives and forks.
Sarah was digging in a grocery sack and jumped guiltily. “I was getting candles” she said embarrassed. “I meant to have them set up earlier.” She had intended to set out candles for their dinner to make it special. It was a last minute item she grabbed, an idea that had struck her as she stood waiting to checkout in line at the grocery.
Sarah watched Matt smile at her as he took the candles from her, along with the utensils she had set out. Sarah finally moved her steak from the skillet to the plate, removed her apron she had on, and joined him at the table out front.
Matt had flipped off the lights in the front entry and had the candles set on the table, one on each side of the rose. He held out a chair for her and stood next to her as she sat down. “This is perfect, thank you,” he said gratefully. “This was probably better than any place I could have picked in town, I just feel a bit guilty that you worked so hard on it.” The candles were decidedly a nice touch. He had thought she was lovely before, but in the candlelight she had a very sexy appeal to her.
Sarah never intended to make him feel ashamed or guilty, in fact, she had wanted the exact opposite. She wanted it to be a special night for them to get even more acquainted. “I do not want you to feel bad. I wanted to have a nice meal so we could get to know each other. If we go somewhere in town, it tends to be a bit noisy and it’s tough to not get interrupted. Small town life,” she explained with a shrug, and assumed he would understand her desire for privacy.
Matt agreed. “Next time my treat?” he asked with a smile “I will either treat or cook for you, okay?” He certainly understood the pressures of a small community. There was never any privacy, in fact, he someone ask him about Sarah at work already. Word had spread like wildfire.
Sarah smiled happily, that he said, ‘next time’ to her! As in ‘next time they were alone together or on a date.’ She had never felt so relaxed with someone and every time she felt anxious, he effortlessly made her feel relief. “Sounds perfect. Shall we?” she said, gesturing at the plate full of steaming food. The scent of the steak was mouthwatering.
Matt eyed the steak and his date, not sure as to which he wanted more currently. He let his stomach decide. “Of course! We cannot let this go to waste. It looks amazing.” Matt said and took a bite. They both ate leisurely and talked about how each other’s day was. They talked about movies they had seen recently, what they did for fun, favorite foods and most hated foods. They talked about pet peeves and dreams that each had.
9
Matt offered to do the dishes, however, Sarah would have none of it. She gathered up the plates and he helped carry them to the kitchen. She placed them on the counter and checked on the cheesecakes in the oven, removed them and placed them in the industrial refrigerator to stop the cooking process. She scraped off the remnants of their dinner and loaded them in the tray to slide through the professional grade washer. She had it installed a few years ago when she could not keep up with the larger items. It was a godsend some days because it freed up so much time for her.
Matt stepped forward and brushed her hair back from her cheek. “Thank you so much for a beautiful evening. Dinner was perfect,” he said softly and kissed her. He had wanted to kiss her all afternoon and seeing her in the candlelight set his blood on fire.
Sarah’s heart beat quickly. He smelled so good and he was so very nice to talk to this evening. She had caught her breath several times over dinner at the sexy smiles he had given her, and the times he had reached out to touch her hand. She had wanted him to kiss her again, but now that the moment was here she wanted it more than ever before.
Matt felt his mouth touch hers softly, her lips tasted so good and she seemed to melt against his body. He slid his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. Her arms climbed up his chest and clasped around his neck, as he pulled her even closer. He whispered against her lips, “I really like this a lot,” he said kissing her, tasting the cherry on her lips once again. He continued to drift small kisses along her jaw and trailed down her neck softly, feeling her pulse flutter under his mouth, breathing in her scent.
Sarah mindlessly arched towards him, her head thrown back in pleasure as his hot breath caressed her throat. She felt Matt’s hands glided up towards her waist and was surprised when he picked her up effortlessly. He sat her on the stainless metal table in the center of the kitchen.
“Oh my,” Sarah breathed as he pulled her close again. He was driving her crazy with tender kisses, small whispers (who knew what he was saying?) And light strokes with his hands on her lower back. Sarah was pulling at his shirt and he leaned up and started to unbutton it. Growing brave, she stopped his hands and said, “Allow me,” and unbuttoned it and slid her hand boldly on his tanned chest. “Oh my,” she repeated as she revealed his smooth skin.
Matt grinned widely at her expression. He adored that he could make her so flustered. He leaned in again, kissing her breathless. He slid his hand slowly under the rim of her shirt and hesitated. He wanted so much to feel her skin, to see if it was as soft and amazing as it was to kiss her lips and caress her neck.
Sarah noticed his hesitation and pulled back. “Are you okay?” she whispered to him, suddenly unsure of herself. Maybe she moved too quickly, she thought. The smooth heat of his chest was turning her into mush and doing crazy things to her body.
Matt chuckled lightly, put his forehead against hers and shut his eyes. “Would you believe me if I said yes and no at the same time?” He saw the confusion on her face and liked that it was flushed with desire. “Sarah, I really like you and I really like this.” He gestured and could see her tense up.
“Great! Here we go. I like you but... speech,” Sarah said embarrassed. She pulled back and looked away. She felt humiliated and disappointed at once. She could not help but wonder if that was why Josh had the reaction he did all those years ago. Was this what it felt like to be let down? She wanted to hide. She had not allowed herself to get carried away in such a long time, and with him? She didn't want it to stop.
Matt sighed and touched her chin, turning her lovely face back towards him. “Sarah, I really like you. I do not want to screw this up because I desire you - and I do. I want you now more than anything but your kitchen just does not seem right or special for our first time to be together.
“I want to see you again, several times over again and I want us to have a first time together that rocks your world. I want it to be magical with you. Does that sound stupid?” he said quietly as he continued to look deeply into her eyes and pushed a lock of hair from her face again. He leaned down, kissed her softly on the lips, then again on the shell of her ear and whispered, “Sarah, you are very special to me and I don't want to mess things up because all I can think about is kissing you all over and wondering how you taste.”
Sarah pulled back, smiled shyly at him and said, “Same here...shall we call it a night and maybe you can call me sometime and we’ll make plans to go out again?” Matt nodded and didn't say anything. Sarah was still sitting perched on the table in his arms while he stood there looking at her hotly. Unsure still of herself, she just kinda smiled at him and tried to scoot towards the edge of the table as a hint that she was moving.
Matt didn't move at all. He just stood there quietly with one arm on either
side of her. “Sarah, stop” he said quietly and shut his eyes again. He clutched the table to keep his hands from shaking. He was trying to think of anything to get rid of his raging desire and so far, nothing worked. He could smell her perfume and feel her legs against his. It was driving him crazy.
Sarah shifted again. “Are you okay?” she said getting a bit nervous and slid off the edge of the table to move away and give him room if he wasn't all right. She suddenly felt the urge get away if something was wrong. Her internal radar was starting to register alarm. He was so still and silent, she felt paranoia set in. Was he upset that things would not continue tonight? Could she have misjudged him as she had Josh?
Matt felt her jump down from the table, and slide directly along his growing erection. He knew it wasn't intentional and his desire took over. Matt pulled her into a tight grip and said slowly “You're killing me,” and kissed her again, this time with all of the raging passion he felt.
Sarah could feel his hardness against her, her fears washed away quickly. Paranoia turned to instant heat and Sarah smiled with all the knowledge of Eve. She felt his excitement and desire. She felt his fervor and matched it. Her fears melted and was replaced by lust, as she felt his hardness against her body.
Matt took that as an invitation and grasped her bottom, pulling her even closer and grinding himself against her. His hands slid up the back of her shirt and slowly moved towards the front. Her skin was so soft and she felt so delicate in his arms.
Sarah groaned as his thumbs grazed her nipples in her bra. She reached up and yanked her blouse out of her pants in front and started to unbutton it. His hands felt so hot on her skin and she wanted him to touch more of her.
Matt’s shaking hands took over for her and quickly he had her shirt open. He spread the blouse wide and smiled at the pretty blue lace bra underneath. “My God, you are gorgeous! Are you okay so far?” he asked, suddenly unsure he was taking things too far, too fast. He wanted to give her space and be the man she needed based off of what she had revealed in their conversations. His body and mind felt so conflicted.
Sweet Heat Rising (Thoroughbred Men Series) Page 4
