by M. Malone
“Of course. You can stay as long as you want. Anytime.”
Mara wiped her cheeks with the edge of her sleeve. “I’ll put on a movie. No chick flicks, I promise.”
Matt loved Trent like a brother but he’d better fix things and soon. He’d never liked to see his sister cry, especially not when it was his fault.
“Go ahead and put on one of those sappy movies you like so much. I’m man enough to take it.”
Mara smiled tremulously through her tears. “I know you are.”
* * * * *
THE FIRST WEEK that Matt showed up for therapy looking like someone kicked his dog, Penny let it go. He had to be getting run-down driving back and forth so much. He was probably just tired. She could use a weekend to relax, herself.
When he showed up the next Monday looking just as dejected, she tried to pry it out of him subtly. He answered all her questions and was perfectly polite, but there were no jokes or inappropriate comments. He was like a robot. He did his therapy, followed all her directions without complaint, and then left.
Something was definitely wrong.
By Wednesday afternoon, she decided to just ambush him. Before he even sat down on the table, she turned to him and said, “What’s wrong with you?”
Matt shook his head. “Nothing. Wait, you mean with my shoulder?”
“No, not your shoulder. Your shoulder is great. But you aren’t. You’ve been in a funk for the past week and a half. It’s depressing and completely unlike you. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I liked you better when you were a smartass.”
A hint of his trademark smirk appeared. “I’m sorry. I’m just tired.”
This was what she’d wanted, she reminded herself. He was probably just trying to respect her wishes. She couldn’t get involved with a patient and wasn’t looking to get involved with anyone, actually. If they were going to keep their distance, this was how it had to be. Unless he was unhappy with her for some reason. The thought made her feel a little sick. Was that what it was?
Was Matt angry with her?
She ran through everything they’d covered the past four weeks. Other than small talk about their parents and catching up on what they’d been doing the past few years, they’d been completely focused. They hadn’t discussed anything that deep or controversial. Nothing that would cause him to give her the cold shoulder. His therapy was going well. He was gaining strength and flexibility at astounding rates.
It couldn’t be about his treatment, she assured herself.
“You know, we could restrict your appointments to Tuesday through Thursday or even just go to twice a week if you want. It would keep your driving to a minimum.”
Matt leaned back against the wall and rolled his head to look at her. “Actually, I’ve been staying at a friend’s house in Springfield. It’s about fifteen minutes away.”
Penny sat in the plastic chair next to the treatment table. “If driving isn’t what’s putting those circles under your eyes, what is?”
“It’s nothing. I’ll be fine. I just need to relax.” He must have realized his explanation was pretty weak because he added, “I’ll be fine after I get a good night’s sleep.”
“Right. Insomnia is what makes you look like someone just stole all your toys from the sandbox.” Penny pursed her lips and stood. “Look, since you’re in town we should hang out. I feel bad. If I’d known you were in town all this time, I would have invited you out before. Georgia loves to plan happy hours.”
“You want to hang out with me?” Disbelief dripped from every word. “What happened to keeping our distance?”
“Surely we can have a drink in a public place without incident. Besides, we’ll have a whole group of people with us. Meet me back here at five o’clock. No excuses.”
Matt stood slowly, stretching his arms overhead. His shirt rose up, flashing an irresistible patch of bronze skin. “Fine. I’ll see you at five.”
Penny let out a soft sigh of appreciation as soon as he left. After making a few notes in his file, she walked down the hallway to the reception desk. Georgia looked up when she leaned over the counter.
“Could you work your magic and plan a happy hour? Get some people together and I’ll actually go this time.”
“What’s got you interested in happy hour all of a sudden? You’ve never attended any of the ones I’ve organized before now.”
“It’s for Matt. He doesn’t know anyone in town. We should take him out.”
Georgia narrowed her eyes. “Penelope Lewis. Are you trying to seduce Sergeant Sexy?”
Penny gasped and glanced around them. “Would you be quiet? What if he were to walk up and hear you call him that?”
“He’d probably be flattered. He doesn’t have a stick up his butt like some people I know. And I say that as your friend.”
“Hah. Some friend,” Penny muttered.
Georgia just grinned back at her and then bent down to rummage in her handbag. When she straightened, she held her cell phone. “Give me a few minutes and we’ll have a group for happy hour. But you will owe me. I will want details. Lots of dirty, kinky details.”
Penny let her head drop into her hands. She’d been trying so hard to keep things platonic and casual between her and Matt. How could she do that when everything around them seemed determined to throw them together? There was only so much a girl could take.
“Oh, yeah, and you’ll probably need this later.” Georgia pressed something into her hand and then walked away, whistling. Penny uncurled her fingers and stared, slack-jawed, at the foil square in her palm.
“I am going to kill her.”
* * * * *
“SO, ARE YOU finally going to tell me what’s wrong?” Penny ordered them both beers and then leaned her elbows on the bar. At first she’d been on her way to the back, but then her eyes had strayed over to the table where she’d sat the last time she’d been here. No, they were definitely staying at the bar.
No intimate discussions in dark corners. Especially not with the condom Georgia had given her burning a hole in her pocket.
It was bad enough that Georgia had totally set her up. She’d arrived at the bar at five o’clock with Matt in tow, only to find no one else was there. They’d waited half an hour before Penny had finally figured it out. This was a classic Georgia move and she knew her friend wouldn’t deny it. She’d been hinting that she should make a move on her sexy patient since day one.
“I’ve been staying in Northern Virginia the last few weeks to avoid my sister. I wanted to give her space to fix things with her fiancé.” Matt finally answered her.
“This is about Mara?” Penny knew it was silly, but she’d been desperately worried he was dissatisfied with his treatment. “Why do you have to stay away for her to fix her relationship? You don’t get along with the guy?”
“It’s not that. We’re friends. Good friends. At least I thought we were. I’ve been wrong about a lot of things lately.” He turned toward her, resting his hand on her knee. Her skin ignited beneath her slacks, goose bumps springing up beneath the gentle press of his fingers. She was so distracted by the sensual slide of his hand that she almost missed what he was saying.
“Here’s the thing. I’ve been friends with Trent for a long time. He’s a great guy. But even great guys do stupid shit when they’re young. And I’m not holding it against him because hell, I was right there next to him for most of it.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“The problem is I was right there for most of it. I know some stuff about him that I should not know about the guy who’s sleeping next to my sister. I know about the chick he used as a booty call for three straight semesters. I know about the threesome he and his ex-girlfriend were planning senior year. I know too much. I wish I could scrub it all from my brain.”
Penny took a deep pull on her beer. “Wow. So you feel like you’re keeping stuff from your sister that she needs to know. I get it. I wouldn’t want to know that kind of stuff about my sisters’ husbands.
At all.”
He glanced at her. “Men are dogs. Most of us conceal it well, but we’re all animals when it comes to women. My job was always to keep the other dogs away from Mara. Now I’m supposed to just step back. It’s not that easy to do.”
Penny stood and waved a finger at the bartender. He came right over and leaned against the bar, grinning a little too intimately for her taste. Matt scooted his barstool a little closer to Penny’s and gave the guy a hard look. Penny couldn’t suppress a little shiver of pleasure when his arm came to rest on the back of her seat.
“Another round for me and my friend.” She looked at Matt. “Are you staying with beer or you want something a little stronger? I don’t mind driving.”
“What the hell. Glenlivet, neat.”
Penny raised her eyebrows. “A scotch man, huh? My dad keeps a bottle in his office. I can’t stand the stuff, but hey.”
She turned back to the bartender. “I’m switching to water.”
“Don’t worry. You won’t have to carry me home.”
Penny crossed her legs and experienced a uniquely feminine thrill when Matt’s eyes followed the motion. She’d left her sweater back at the office, so once she shrugged out of her coat, her arms were bare and brushed up against him enticingly when she moved.
“How did you know about the threesome? Do guys really talk about that kind of stuff?”
He gave her a look. “We don’t have sleepovers and braid each other’s hair if that’s what you mean, but yeah, we talk.” He faced forward. “Plus, who do you think they asked to be their third?”
Penny swallowed wrong and then dissolved into a coughing fit that drew the attention of the entire bar. She held a napkin over her mouth, trying to muffle the sounds of her hacking while Matt watched her with knowing eyes.
She couldn’t even imagine being in bed with Matt and someone else. Matt was enough to have her synapses misfiring all by himself.
“So what did you fight with your sister about?” It was a struggle to feign nonchalance after her humiliating fit of spluttering, but she was determined to try.
“Before my first deployment, I gave my sister some money. Okay, it was a lot of money.”
“Well, that was generous of you.”
“Her fiancé, Trent, doesn’t agree. He thinks she should pay me back. He doesn’t want them to owe me so much. But I don’t see it as a debt. It’s a gift. I just wanted to give my sister a gift and make her life a little easier. It doesn’t come with strings attached.”
“I know that. If it was anyone else, I wouldn’t believe that, but it’s you. Taking care of people is what you do. It’s who you are.”
Matt accepted his drink with a nod for the bartender. He took a sip and regarded Penny over the glass. “Sometimes I feel like you can see straight through me. That may not always be a good thing.”
“You’re like a relic from another era, Matt Simmons. A time when people meant what they said, did what they should, and people looked out for each other. That’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
“You’d be surprised.”
“Well, you know how some people feel about relics. They either want to collect them and put them on a shelf or they stick them in a museum. I just want to make sure neither happens to you. That’s why I’ve been pushing you so hard.”
“Am I going to recover? Really?” He put his glass down and looked at her until she met his eyes. “If I’m always going to have weakness in my shoulder, I’d rather just hear it straight. You can tell me the truth. I can take it.”
“I believe you can take just about anything, Sergeant.” Her lips tipped up at the corners at his glower. “It’s my professional opinion that you’re going to be just fine. I wasn’t sure about you in the beginning, but your healing has been amazing these past few weeks. You’re very lucky.”
“I am.” Matt leaned close enough so that she couldn’t mistake his meaning. “Very lucky.”
Penny blushed and choked on the sip of water she’d just taken. “So, we should probably get out of here. Are you ready?”
“For anything.”
CHAPTER NINE
MATT HELD THE door for Penny and then held out his arm to escort her across the street. She glanced behind her once and then tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow. Most of the other homes had a light burning out front. Eli’s house was the only one that was completely dark. He’d forgotten to leave the front light on.
“Nice place.”
“Wish I could take the credit. This is my friend’s house. I’m just staying here until I’m done with therapy.”
“Oh right. I forgot.” Penny laughed softly.
They climbed the steps to the porch. Matt paused in front of the closed front door. “I had fun tonight.”
“Me too. I had a good time, too.” Penny looked up at him from beneath her lashes. She hopped from one foot to the other, then glanced at the front door. “I guess I should go. It’s pretty late. I’ll be a zombie tomorrow.”
“Right. Thanks for hanging out with me for a few hours. I hope I didn’t keep you from anything important.”
Penny fiddled with her keys, swinging them around on the keychain a few times. “No, you didn’t. There’s nothing waiting for me at home. No one waiting for me.”
If she hadn’t looked so dejected then maybe he could have let her walk away. But when she looked at him like that, her gorgeous blue eyes swimming with sadness and vulnerability, he was powerless to stop himself for reaching out for her.
Matt slid a hand under her hair and pulled her forward slowly. When they were only a breath apart, he rested his forehead against hers. They stood like that for a few moments, their breath mingling in the cold air.
“I’ve been waiting for you. It’s been driving me insane,” he whispered, the words lingering between them.
She made a soft sound that traveled directly down his spine and hit him right in the gut. “Matt.” His name was no more than a puff of air from her lips.
“If you don’t want me, you have to tell me now,” he gasped. “I don’t know if I can keep from touching you, Penny.” He tugged her up until she was on her toes, using the opportunity to feast on the soft skin of her throat. She whimpered, a soft helpless sound in the back of her throat.
“I can’t think when you do that. Well, I can, but all I’m thinking is don’t stop.” The tortured tone of her voice was the last straw. Matt pulled out his keys and went through a furious tussling match with the door until he finally managed to get it open. He grabbed her arm and pulled her across the threshold, kicking the door closed behind them with his foot.
Before the door was even shut, he had her in his arms. She arched against him and then made a strangled sound and pushed back.
“Oh no, Matt. Your shoulder—”
“Is fine.” It touched him that even now she was worried about him but he didn’t want her thinking about his therapy. Hell, he didn’t want her thinking at all. He nipped at her earlobe, pulling the skin between his teeth until she melted against him. “I have this awesome physical therapist, so it’s much better now. I can even lift things. You want to see?”
Wordlessly, she nodded. He lifted her carefully and leaned against her, fitting himself directly between her thighs. She cried out at the contact, her muscles going rigid. He didn’t release her, just used the opportunity to hold her captive for another kiss. Her mouth opened under his, their tongues meeting and sliding over each other. It was like he was consuming her whole until the taste of her meshed into him, a permanent tattoo on his soul.
Her long legs wrapped around his waist and held him to her as they kissed. The woman was nothing but legs and curves. He’d been pathetically grateful when she’d left that awful white coat at work so he could see the intriguing dips and valleys of her figure. She did interesting things to her simple navy blue blouse and gray slacks.
She tilted her head back, presenting Matt with the perfect line of her throat. He kissed the soft skin, loving it when she
shuddered and clutched his shoulders. Then she took his hand and pressed it between her legs. Her blue eyes held his for minutes, hours, days, as his hand slipped beneath the waistband of her slacks. When he encountered the soft cotton between her thighs, the noticeably damp cotton, he lost all semblance of his finesse.
He moved her panties aside easily and pressed against her, two fingers sliding deep. That was almost enough to make him lose it right there, the sensation of his fingers being sucked into warm, velvety heat. But if that wasn’t enough to knock him flat on his ass, Penny went rigid and her head fell back, thumping against the wall. The look of tortured satisfaction on her face…
Penny pushed against his shoulder gently until he put her down. Her eyes stood out against her pale skin, looking even bluer than before if that was possible. She wore very little makeup and with her hair pulled back so severely, it was clear she wasn’t trying to attract anyone’s attention.
Well, she had his whether she was trying for it or not.
Without losing eye contact, she popped the first button on her blouse. Then another. His blood pressure jacked higher with every inch of skin revealed. Matt was a slave at that moment because a nuclear explosion could have occurred behind him and he wouldn’t have been able to turn away.
Her eyes shifted behind him and she suddenly went rigid. Her fingers shook as she re-buttoned her blouse. “I have to go. I’m really sorry, I just… have to go.”
“It’s okay. Do you need me to come with you?”
“No. I’m sorry. I just need to get home.” She didn’t look at him as she straightened her clothes. Matt touched her back gently and she froze.
“Penny, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing. This is just not a good idea. I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did.” She finally looked up at him. The apology in her blue eyes softened the blow to his ego slightly. “I’ll see you next week.”
Matt watched, dumbfounded, as she yanked the door open. He stood in the doorway until she was safely in her car. It wasn’t until she drove away that he remembered he’d left his truck at the bar.
