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A shiver of fear flicks through me, and I swallow my nerves. “Hi.”
Matt moves closer to me, making me tilt my head back to maintain eye contact. “Taylor. I've been dreaming about you.” He winks.
He says it like it’s not a line, but I banter right back. “Interesting, because you look like the guy in my dreams, too.” I look him up and down with a smirk to hide the fact that my body is trembling with the urge to throw him down and have my way.
When Matt returns the favor, his eyes move more slowly, and I will myself not to shudder with need. I force my gaze away and notice Annie. She tilts her head at me in question, and I smile as I nod. I won’t throw him out for eating crackers in bed.
Matt reaches for my hand and says, “Let's take a walk around the gardens before dinner.”
I follow wordlessly, and Sierra gives me a thumbs-up as I walk by.
My sneakers move without sound across the slate walkway, while Matt's boots clunk. He says, “So, I work at the lumber mill and do master carpentry in my spare time. I have two brothers and haven't had a girlfriend for over a year. You?”
His straightforward approach makes me grin. “I used to run an auto repair shop, was an only child, and broke up with my boyfriend to come here.”
Matt stops walking and turns to face me. “Was it the call?”
My insides clench, because I'm honest to a fault, and this might not be a great way to start things. “It was. I probably would have married the guy.”
I watch as Matt steps away and puts his hands in his pockets. He kicks at a crack in the walkway. “This whole thing is so weird.” His blue eyes rise to stare at me. “I don't want you to be with me because of some call. I mean, I want you to be mine because of who I am.”
His sincerity tugs at my heart. “I want the same thing. Yeah, the dreams were freaking hot. But I need to know who you are on the inside before we do anything. I think we're on the same page here.”
He lets out a big breath. “Okay, good.” We start walking again, and Matt asks, “You're into cars, huh?”
We spend the next half hour learning about each other. I’m not sure if it’s natural or some strange magic, but I like Matt, and we're laughing easily by the time we're called for dinner. It’s a comfortable feeling when he sits next to me and places his arm on the back of my chair.
Laughter breaks out when Matt describes the first tree house he and his brothers attempted to build. Keith says, “I think it might be the curse of little boys. The one Brady and I started ended up as a great bonfire.”
He turns to Sierra and says, “You strike me as the type of girl that might have had a tree house. Did you?”
She scoffs in reply. “Hardly. I was busy dressing up my dolls.”
Wow, bitchy much?
Annie jumps in to smooth things over. “I could have used you, Sierra. Brady and Keith wouldn’t let me help.”
Keith strokes Sierra’s hair, and I swear she cringes when he says, “Fortunately, I’ve learned the value of a good woman.”
What an idiot. Keith is so sweet, and she’s blowing it. I’m tempted to shoot him a sympathetic look, but because of my earlier attraction, I try not to make eye contact and give myself away.
When it's time for dessert, I help Annie clear the table, and Carly declares she and Sierra will be cleaning up so I can sit on the porch with Matt until he has to leave. Annie hands me a knife. “Cut that cake into eight pieces for me?”
“Sure.”
Plates clash as she pulls them down for the slices, and she calls out. “Anyone want coffee? I have regular and decaf.”
I take orders and pour steaming liquid into cups as the fragrant aroma wraps around me. As I turn to take mugs to the table, I bump into Keith. He steadies my hands and says, “Whoa.” The heat of his skin startles me, and I gaze into his eyes.
Holy shit.My desire has been ignited by his touch, and by the look on his face, so has his. I mumble “Sorry” and move quickly away.
When I set the cups down, a little coffee sloshes over the edge of the one I hand Matt. He grins at me and says, “You affect me the same way.”
I offer him a smile, but my dinner is heavy in my stomach, because Keith is the one making me flustered, and he's not mine to have. I fall to my chair and let the hard wood slam against my bottom.Fuck me.
My angst is interrupted by Keith handing me a small pitcher. He asks, “Cream?”
I glance up at him and read the same emotion in his eyes. “Yes, thank you.” Only I'm answering more than he asked.
