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Hannah watched him walk around her and pull out her chair. Muttering her thanks, she took her seat and watched him sit down once more. Emma sat beside her but Hannah couldn’t feel her friend’s presence at all. It was as if a vacuum had swallowed Matt and her and they were all there was in this space.
‘I’m glad you could join us,’ Matt said.
Hannah blinked, forcing herself to behave as she normally did. She had never been so taken with a man. Yes, she had been attracted to men, and had had her fair share of dalliances, but none of them had ever rendered her speechless.
‘I could never pass up a chance to come to Zephyr.’ She smiled. Watching his eyes dip to her mouth made her shiver. She wanted to kiss him. She had said only a handful of words to the man and she wanted his lips on hers. Something in his darkening gaze said he felt the same.
‘How are you enjoying Melbourne so far?’ she asked.
His eyes snapped to hers, as if he’d been pulled away from the most engrossing puzzle, and when they landed the look in them speared her, pooling liquid heat in her belly. ‘It’s a great city. Lots to do and see but, I have to say, I like the view tonight a lot better.’
Hannah laughed. ‘Oh, you’re very smooth, aren’t you, Matt Taylor?’
‘I like to think so.’
At that very moment her phone pinged to life. Normally the sound of her message tone made her smile, but this time it made a blush creep up her neck. She quickly placed it on silent and hazarded a glance at Matt, who was grinning.
‘Sonic rings?’ He was on the verge of laughing. Heavens, this man! He was dangerous to her self-control.
‘One can never over-appreciate the nostalgia factor of a good game, Matt.’
‘Oh, I don’t dispute that. I just didn’t expect this ravishing woman in front of me to pull out a Sonic the Hedgehog reference.’
‘A lady has layers, you know,’ she teased, feeling giddy that her inner nerd was appreciated.
He placed his elbows on the table, leaning forward, and dropped his voice. Magically, the music didn’t seem so loud over here. ‘Tell me about these layers.’
‘What do you want to know?’ she asked, leaning towards him too. Her fingers itched to trace the line of his jaw.
‘Everything.’
And so they talked and laughed. His laughter was a sound that warmed her skin and made her stomach flip over. At some point a bottle of champagne appeared on their table, which Matt popped and poured into their glasses. Not once did he look away from Hannah. There was unconcealed hunger written in every line of his face. It felt as if they had slipped into an alternative reality where they were completely alone. A reality where any minute their chairs would fly out and they would meet in a clashing of teeth and tongues. A reality she was very much enjoying.
As if he suddenly realised where they were, Matt looked around—Hannah following suit—and they laughed, finding they were in fact alone. Looking over to the dance floor, she couldn’t see Emma at all. Their friends had left. She had no idea when that had happened.
‘It would appear that we have been abandoned.’ Matt smirked. ‘Well, since we no longer have to concern ourselves with being rude...’
‘I’m not sure we were concerning ourselves with it,’ Hannah said, deadpan.
He simply shrugged his shoulder. ‘Like I was saying, since we’re alone, would you like to dance?’
Dancing would distract her from the maddening urge to rip his shirt from his body. ‘I’d love to.’
She placed her hand in his and instantly felt the current pass through her at the very touch. His eyes darkened and more than ever she wanted to know what it would be like to press herself up against him. To press her lips to his. To taste him. But he broke the spell, leading her into the throng of people.
His hands settled on her hips and he spun her around, pressing her back into his chest. His warmth filled her. His arms ensconced her. Matt made Hannah feel tiny. He also made her feel safe, which was crazy. She’d only just met him. How could she have such a visceral reaction to someone she barely knew?
Now wasn’t the time to care. Right now, she just wanted to feel the beat thrum through her as her hips moved with his, his arms wrapped around her and his lips at her ear. In this moment she felt electrified. She raised her arms above her head, swaying with the rhythm, and he guided them around his neck, slowly running his fingers along her arms and down her sides, sending her pulse into the stratosphere.
Oh, how badly she needed him to touch her, this stranger with his captivating eyes, his strong arms and his hard body. And, just when she couldn’t take this thing building between them any longer, he spun her around and cradled her face. Matt’s eyes were locked on her lips. Without thinking, she sank her teeth into the soft flesh. He closed his eyes and she could see him take a breath.
‘I need to kiss you. Please tell me you want me to.’
Oh, and how! Every cell in Hannah’s body was screaming out for his lips, his touch. Her skin burned where his hands sat. Her breaths already shallow.
‘Kiss me, Matt.’
The words had barely left her lips before his were on her. She expected a crushing, bruising kiss. Something hard and over-excited. Something to show her how powerful and masculine he knew he was. Something she knew. But it was none of those things.
