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I laughed again. “I can just picture it.”
He rose to his feet as Lucy came walking back across the street. The thought flashed in my mind that it had taken her a very long time just to buy a bag of sugar.
“I’ll see you later in the week.”
“Okay. Thanks for the coffee and muffin.” I reached down to give Bess a pat. “Bye, Bess.” Smiled at Matt. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
CHAPTER5
Zara
He was touching me, his eyes burning into mine. I desperately wanted him to kiss me. To feel his lips on mine, his tongue in my mouth, to taste him. Dimly aware that I was in the kitchen of my New York restaurant, I wondered what the hell I was doing. I could hear guests chatting and laughing in the dining room, the clink of cutlery, the whirr of the coffee machine. But all I could think about, all I could see, was Matt. Pushing me back against the counter, his hands at my hips, I waited, breathlessly, as he lowered his head. Opening my lips, I slid my hands up his chest, broad and muscular, around his shoulders so I could press myself more closely against him. He was already hard. I could feel his erection against my stomach, and it set me on fire. Tangling my tongue with his, I whimpered when he pushed his hands under my shirt, sliding his fingertips over my skin. “Matthew,” I whispered.
“Mm,” he replied, pushing up my top, covering my breasts with his big, strong hands. Ifelt the sharp ache between my legs growing. I wanted more. So much more. Reaching for the buckle of his belt, I undid it, freeing his cock. He raised his head to look at me as I stroked him. I’d never been more turned on.
Heat surged through me when he pulled my hand away, undid my pants, and shoved them down. I parted my legs, closing my eyes and letting my head fall back when I felt his finger on my clit. The lightest, teasing touch. I heard shouting outside the kitchen, in the dining room or maybe at the bar. Something was wrong out there, but I didn’t care. “Please,” I sobbed as I felt the pressure building inside me. Gripping Matt’s shirt in tight fists I let myself go, my body jerking against his hand as I climaxed.
I woke with a gasp, my heart pounding. It took me a moment to realize I was in my room at Aunt Ruby’s, with dull gray morning light seeping in. As the intensity of the dream faded and my body calmed, I blushed. Jesus Christ. What was that about? I had met the man twice and I was dreaming about... Ridiculous. I got out of bed. My body was warm all over as I showered, so I turned the temperature down. I needed to cool off.
Twenty minutes later, I sat out on the patio, my fingers wrapped around a hot cup of coffee. The morning sun tried its best to push through the mist, bathing the yellowing leaves of the maple trees in a soft, gentle light. Birds flitted about, nibbling on the seeds of the nearby ferns. It was all very peaceful. Very calming.
I had already formed the habit of sitting out here with my morning coffee, contemplating, plotting and planning what had to be done for the day. It was a way of centering myself in the now, not dwelling on the past, not looking at the blank, unknowable future. It helped now, too, with the thoughts of Matt that kept swirling through my mind.
No time for that!I told myself. There was work to be done. I made a mental list of what I had accomplished so far, the process calming me. I had made good headway, between Ally dropping in when she could, when she wasn’t working at her parents’ restaurant in New Bern and me working all day every day. We’d finished emptying the kitchen cupboards, giving everything a good scrub before boxing it all up for donation. I’d catalogued all the furniture, deciding what was too decrepit to keep and what I might put in storage. I wasn’t sure where I would end up after all of this was done, but I knew I wanted to keep some of Ruby’s furniture for myself.
I had done all I could in the house for now, so I thought I should move what I could into the garage to get it out of Matt’s way. I was pretty sure he wouldn’t mind helping me with the bigger pieces. On that note, I figured I’d better see how much space there even was in the garage, so I swallowed the last of my coffee before grabbing the bunch of keys the lawyer had given me and heading out to the garage.
I knelt down in front of the roll up door, trying each key in the lock in turn. On the fourth try, the key went in, but it wouldn’t turn. “Damn it.” I rose to my feet just as I heard the rumble of Matt’s truck turning in at the gate and waited as he came around the curve in the driveway. Pulling up, he killed the engine.
“Hi.”
“Hi,” I replied. Bess bounded toward me, greeting me with a furiously wagging tail. Giving her a pat, I willed my skittering heart to settle down as I watched Matt get out of the truck, toss his sunglasses on the front seat and put on his toolbelt. “I don’t suppose you’ve got any WD40 in there?”
“Sure. What for?”
“The lock on the roll up door is being annoying.”
He reached into the back of the truck, rummaged around, and found the can. He handed it to me and followed as I went back to the garage. I was acutely aware of him standing behind me as I sprayed the WD40 on the key, then in the lock. It worked like a charm. With a small, triumphant smile, I wrapped my fingers around the handle and heaved. The door didn’t budge. “Shit, the chain must have seized up as well,” I said. I stepped back, casting a frustrated look over the garage. Matt tried the door himself, pulling hard at the handle. It moved a little, but not much.
He straightened, putting his hands on his hips as he surveyed the garage. “We’ll have to get inside somehow, spray the chain from inside.” I had a fleeting vision from my dream, of his hands on me. I wondered how they would really feel, touching me, skimming over my bare skin. Turning away so he couldn’t see my sudden blush, I headed off around the side, looking for another way in.
“There’s a window here. It’s a bit high, though. Have you got a ladder?”
“I didn’t bring it. Not doing any ladder work today.” He looked around vaguely. “There’s nothing to climb on. I’ll have to give you a boost.”
I gasped. “I don’t think so.”
He eyed me quizzically. “Why not? There’s no way to get in otherwise. You’re not worried I’ll drop you, are you?”
“No, I just—”
He looked me up and down. “Because you’re really not that heavy. I could probably toss you through that window with one hand. I won’t drop you.”
CHAPTER6
Matt
