by Ramona Gray
“I don’t know. Hey, Mattie?”
“Yeah?” I dabbed at her hair, trying unsuccessfully to get the syrup out.
“I love you. Do you love me?”
I froze, the washcloth pressed against her hair. “Um…”
“I love Mattie,” she sang under her breath before hugging me.
I patted her back before setting the washcloth next to the sink. “I think you’re gonna need a bath to get the syrup out of your hair, so we’ll wait until your mama wakes up.”
“Let’s play dolls!” Phoebe tried to wiggle off the vanity and I grabbed her before she fell off.
“You can’t jump off of there, sweetheart,” I said as I put her down. “You’re too little.”
She grabbed my hand. “C’mon, Mattie.”
I followed her to the guest room, sitting on the bed beside her when she grabbed three Barbies from her backpack and climbed onto the bed.
“Here,” she said. “You be daddy doll.”
I took the Ken doll as Phoebe picked up the Barbie. “This is the mama doll. Her name is Nat.”
“What’s the daddy doll’s name?” I asked.
She shrugged. “I dunno.”
I pointed to the third doll lying in her lap. “Is that Phoebe?”
She grinned and grabbed the doll by the hair, swinging it over her head in a big circle. “Yep! Pheebs Bo Beebs!”
I laughed. “Who calls you Pheebs Bo Beebs?”
“Nana does.”
“That’s cute,” I said.
“I know I cute,” she replied.
I laughed and she grinned at me. “Pheebs is the cutest and the smartest, that what Mama says.”
“She’s right,” I said. “You’re very smart.”
“I know.” She held the Phoebe doll and the Nat doll together and made them kiss. “Mama loves Phoebe.”
“She sure does,” I said.
She walked the Phoebe doll across the bed toward the Ken doll. “Daddy love Phoebe?”
“Yes,” I said immediately even though I had no idea if Evan even had anything to do with Phoebe. She didn’t act like he did, but she was only three. I glanced over my shoulder at the open doorway before saying, “Phoebe, do you see your daddy sometimes?”
She shook her head. “Nope. Mama says he lives far away.”
“Phoebe?” Natalia came limping into the bedroom, dressed in her t-shirt and sleep shorts with her hair sticking up and pillow creases on her face. God, she was hot even when she first woke up.
My gaze dropped to her tits. It was cool in the house and I could see the outline of her nipples against the soft cotton. I looked away in a hurry as Natalia sank onto the bed next to Phoebe. “Honey, you wake Mama up when you wake up. Remember?”
She gave me an apologetic look. “Did she wake you up?”
“It’s fine,” I said. “We had pancakes and watched some weird cartoon pig and then played. Right, Pheebs?”
“Yep,” she said. She pointed at the Ken doll I still held. “That’s daddy doll. His name is Mattie.”
“Oh my God,” Natalia breathed quietly.
Weirdly, I could feel my cheeks turning red as Natalia snatched the doll from me. “I’m sorry,” she said. “Uh, Phoebe, it’s bath time now, okay?”
“I want Matt to have a bath with me,” Phoebe said.
“Nope.” Natalia scooped her up and kissed her cheek. “You’re so sticky, you’re having bath time alone. The water will be more syrup than bath water.”
Phoebe giggled and I cleared my throat. “Sorry. I didn’t realize that she wasn’t great with, uh, utensils.”
Nat smiled at me and warmth infused my body. “No, no, it’s fine. I didn’t mean for it to come across like that. I so appreciate your help with her. Really. I haven’t slept in like that in ages and it was a real treat. So, thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” I said.
“Do you mind if we use your tub in the master bathroom again?” She asked as she stood and braced Phoebe on her hip.
“No, go ahead.”
“Are you, uh, working today?” She asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t go back until Saturday.”
“Okay. Well, if you don’t have plans tonight, I’d love to make you dinner to say thank you for everything you’ve done.”
“I’d like that,” I said.
“Good. Any food allergies?”
I shook my head. “Nope, I can eat anything and I’m not picky.”
She smiled and moved slowly toward the door. “Perfect.”
I frowned at the way she was limping. “Should you see a doctor? You limp a lot.”
She shook her head. “No, my feet are a little sore from standing on them all day.”
She kissed Phoebe’s cheek and headed out of the bedroom. “C’mon syrup monster, let’s get you cleaned up.”
* * *
“Again, again, again!” Phoebe screeched.
I threw her up in the air, grinning at her shriek of delight, before catching her.
After her bath, Phoebe had demanded I play with her again, and no amount of coaxing from Natalia to play with her instead would deter her. We’d played dolls for a while, then coloured, and after letting Phoebe climb all over me like a monkey, I was now throwing her up in the air repeatedly, much to her delight.
I knew that Natalia thought I was bored out of my skull, but I was actually having a great time. Phoebe was a sweet kid and she already had me wrapped around her baby finger and she knew it.
The doorbell rang as I tossed Phoebe up into the air again. Natalia had gone to the kitchen to get some water for us, and I caught Phoebe and settled her in the crook of my arm before heading toward the door.
“Who’s that, Mattie?” She asked as slung her arm around my neck.
“I don’t know, Pheebs.” I opened the door and stared in surprise at Maggie. “Maggie? Uh, hi.”
I didn’t know Maggie all that well and had only seen her a couple of times, but Phoebe made another shriek of delight and held her arms out toward the slender brunette.
“Maggie!”
Maggie took her out of my arms and kissed her soft cheek before holding her close. “Hi, Pheebs. How’s my girl doing?”
“I good,” Phoebe said. “Where’s Wy-hat?”
Maggie laughed. “Wyatt’s at home.”
“Maggie?” Natalia stuck her head into the hallway from the kitchen. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see if Miss Pheeby-pie wanted to have a sleepover at her Aunt Maggie and Uncle Wyatt’s house today.”
“Yes!” Phoebe shouted. “I wanna sleep at Maggie’s house, Mama!”
I glanced back at Natalia. Her face was flushed, and she was avoiding my gaze as she gave Maggie a strained smile. “Can we talk in the kitchen for a minute, please, Magnolia?”
Maggie’s grin widened. “Sure, Natalia.”
She handed off Phoebe to me before smiling cheerfully at me. “We’ll only be a second.”
I stood in the hallway, holding Phoebe and not sure what the hell was going on as Maggie ducked into the kitchen.
“Hey, Mattie?”
“Yeah?” I glanced at Phoebe.
“I gotta pee.”
“Okay. Do you need help?”
“No, I a big girl. I do it.”
“All right. But call for me if you need help though, okay?” I set her down and she scampered down the hallway and disappeared into the half bath just beyond the kitchen. I waited for about half a damn second before I inched closer to the kitchen doorway and eavesdropped shamelessly.
“Maggie, what the hell are you doing?” Natalia’s voice was low.
“Well, I was thinking about our conversation last night and I knew that you wouldn’t do what I suggested, so I decided to help you out.”
“I don’t need help,” Natalia said.
“No? So, you did what I suggested and banged Matt’s brains out after Pheebs went to bed last night?”
“Keep your voice down,
” Natalia said, “and no, I didn’t. I was worried Phoebe would wake up and hear us. Hell, she did wake up. I found her in Matt’s bed at one this morning, and then she freaked out and made this huge scene about going back to her own bed. I was so tired, I gave in and the three of us slept in his bed.”
“Okay, well, that’s not exactly what I meant by joining Matt in his bed, but it’s a start,” Maggie said. “Girl, look, you need to get laid, but I totally get that you’re a mom first, so I’m gonna make this easy on you. I’ll take Phoebe home with me and keep her until you’re finished work tomorrow night. In fact, I’ll keep her until you’re finished work on Saturday night. That way you won’t have to pay that college kid to look after her like you usually do on the weekends. I’m saving you money and getting you laid. I’m like the best friend ever, right?”
“I can’t ask you to take her during the week like this. You have to work.”
“Oh please, I have two clients and neither of you are gonna need me today or tomorrow. Let me do this for you, Nat. You deserve a break. And I can’t think of a better way for you to spend your break then in Matt’s bed and under that smoking hot body of his. Forget about your troubles for a day and a half and give yourself a little treat in the form of – fingers crossed this is true – Matt’s giant dick. All right?”
Say yes. Please say yes. My hands were tight fists, and my heart was beating so loud I could hardly hear Nat and Maggie.
“I’ve never been away from Phoebe for that long,” Nat said.
“Well, if she’s missing you too much, then I’ll bring her back to you. Easy peasy. Plus, Wyatt and I can bring her to the diner for dinner on Friday night and Saturday night so you can see each other. C’mon, Nat. You need this. It doesn’t make you a bad mom to spend two days away from your kid.”
There were a few moments of silence. The toilet flushed and I heard Phoebe singing to herself as she turned on the water in the sink.
“What if he rejects me again?” Natalia’s voice was barely above a whisper.
I won’t. Fuck, I promise I won’t.
I wanted to run into the kitchen like an overeager teenager and shout the words at her.
“He won’t,” Maggie said firmly. “I worked at the diner, remember? I saw how he was when he came in to the diner. Matt wants you, honey.”
I said a silent hallelujah and pledged right then and there to somehow, someday pay Maggie back for being my wingman.
“Mattie? Whatcha’ doin’?” Phoebe had come out of the bathroom and my face burning with guilt, I backed up a step or two from the doorway.
I cleared my throat and walked toward her, saying loudly, “Just coming to check on you. Did you wash your hands?”
“Yes.” Phoebe showed me her wet hands. “I couldn’t reach the towel though.”
“Phoebe?” Natalia came out of the kitchen and without looking at me, said, “Here, let’s dry your hands off and then we’ll pack up some clothes and toys for you to take to Maggie’s house, okay?”
Relief swept through me and I leaned against the wall as Phoebe cheered excitedly. “Yay, I gonna ride in the police car!”
Maggie joined us in the hallway and laughed. “Sure, Pheebs. I’ll ask Wyatt to take us for a ride in the police car.”
“With the lights on,” Phoebe demanded as Maggie followed her and Natalia down the hallway.
“Lights and siren,” Maggie said with another soft laugh.
Chapter Six
Natalia
“Okay, Nat, you can do this.” I smoothed down my hair and checked my makeup one last time in the bathroom mirror.
After Maggie left with Phoebe, I’d excused myself and went upstairs to take a long, hot shower. I had to admit that it was nice to shower without hurrying or without having Phoebe popping her head into the bathroom every two minutes.
I’d shaved my legs and armpits and applied lotion to my entire body before searching through the limited clothes I’d brought. I hadn’t brought anything sexy to wear, but at least I’d brought my makeup with me. I’d dressed in my decidedly non-sexy jeans and t-shirt and did my hair and makeup.
I gave myself a final look in the mirror, sucking in my tummy a bit before smoothing my shirt. I thought I looked good, good enough to at least not have Matt reject me immediately when I asked him for a couple of days of no-strings-attached sex.
He wants you, Nat. You know he’s not going to reject you. But are you sure this is what you want? You haven’t slept with anyone else but Evan and is the town’s playboy the guy you want to get back in the saddle with?
Yes, I decided, it was. Matt was perfect for what I wanted right now –a fun time with no commitment required. I’d been in a committed relationship with Evan and it hadn’t stopped him from cheating on me. At least with Matt, I knew exactly where I stood. We would be just two people taking what we needed from each other without any emotions involved.
It was perfect.
I headed downstairs and poked my head into the kitchen. Matt wasn’t in the kitchen and I moved toward the living room. My plan was to borrow his car to get some groceries for dinner and then, over dinner, I’d bring up the suggestion that maybe we could scratch each other’s itch in a totally casual, just two people having a good time, way over the next couple of evenings.
The living room was empty, and I hesitated before climbing the stairs to Matt’s bedroom. The door was partially open, and I knocked lightly before stepping into the room.
“Matt, are you…”
My voice died out into a whispery little moan when the bathroom door swung open and Matt stepped into the bedroom. He was drying his hair with a towel and he was naked.
No, not naked. But close enough.
A second towel was draped so low around his hips that I could see his delectable v-line, the dark line of hair that arrowed down from his navel, and the small droplets of water that were trickling down his skin into the edge of the towel.
I studied his abdomen and chest with shameless eagerness. I drank in the granite-like muscles of his stomach, the light layer of hair that covered his upper chest, and the bulge of his biceps like I had never seen a man before in my life.
I hadn’t… at least not like Matt. His body was utter perfection.
“Natalia?”
I lifted my gaze to Matt’s face. “Your body is perfect. I was about to ask you if you wanted to have casual sex with me, no commitment required, but your body is perfect and mine is… not, and there’s no way I’m getting naked around you, so, um, bye now.”
My cheeks crimson, I turned for the door, internally screaming at the words that had come out of my mouth. I was an idiot.
“Nat, wait.”
Matt had never called me by my nickname before and the foreignness of it made me stop in my tracks. My skin prickled with awareness when Matt moved directly behind me.
“Don’t go,” he said.
“I have to. Your body is too perfect. You don’t have an ounce of body fat on your entire body, and I’ve got stretch marks and flabby parts and dimpled thighs.”
Fuck, why couldn’t I stop talking?
Matt made a low chuckle that sent shivers up and down my spine. “It’s not perfect.”
“It is,” I insisted.
“Turn around, Nat,” he said.
I didn’t want to. If I turned around, I’d be faced with his perfect hard body that I would never get a chance to touch or taste and it was depressing the hell out of me.
“Nat,” he said in that deep, sexy-as-hell voice of his.
I sighed and turned, keeping my gaze trained on his face. He was grinning at me and I was certain that I looked like a damn tomato at this point.
“It’s not perfect. Look, I have a scar here.” He raised his arm and I stared at the thin line that ran along the underside of his bicep. “Another one right here.”
He pointed to his ribs and despite my vow to not look any lower than his damn collarbone, I dropped my gaze. “I don’t see a scar.” My voice wa
s embarrassingly high and breathy.
“It’s right here.” His warm hand took mine and he pressed my fingers against his ribs.
I sucked in a harsh breath as he skimmed my fingers back and forth over the small raised bump.
“Feel it?” His voice had gone a few octaves lower.
I wet my lips, my throat as dry as dust. “Y-yes.”
“See, not perfect,” he said.
“Matt, I… oh God.”
I’d made the fatal error of glancing down and the way Matt’s towel was tenting made my pussy wet in immediate response.
Matt leaned a little closer. He smelled so good, a combination of the fresh clean scent of his body wash and his own unique smell. I watched another trickle of water slide down his flat stomach, my urge to drop to my knees and lick it from his warm skin almost too powerful to resist.
“You do this to me, Nat,” he said. “With one touch, you make me as hard as a fucking rock.”
“I’ve had a kid,” I said. “My body is -”
“Your body is perfect.” Matt’s arm slid around my waist and when he pulled me up against him, I couldn’t resist rubbing against his erection. He groaned and cupped my ass, squeezing it with one hand while his other hand traced my collarbone. “You’re beautiful and sexy and I want you very much, Natalia.”
“I want you too,” I whispered.
“Good.” His mouth hovered over mine and with a low moan, I pressed my lips against his. His arm tightened around me, nearly crushing me against him as we explored each other’s mouths with increasing urgency.
I stood on my tiptoes and pressed my breasts against his chest as he squeezed and kneaded my ass.
He kissed a blazing path down my throat, and I shuddered all over as I clung to him. When his hands tugged at the hem of my shirt, I raised my arms so he could pull it off. He dropped my shirt on the floor and stared appreciatively at my tits before tracing one big finger along the edge of my bra.
“Beautiful,” he said.
“A push-up bra does wonders,” I replied.
He gave me a scowl and I squeaked in surprise when he reached around behind me and unclipped my bra with a flick of his wrist. Before I could stop him, he had my bra off and on the floor with my shirt.
