Reparation Read online

Page 2

  Me: Are you like my boyfriend now?

  Matt: I’m not sure. Don’t I have to ask you to go steady or something?

  Me: Good question. Grade school was too long ago.

  Matt: Let me see if I can figure this out. Do boyfriends get bl*w j*bs from their girlfriends?

  Me: Definitely!

  Matt: Do boyfriends get to go down on their girlfriends as often as they like?

  Me: Most assuredly!

  Matt: Do boyfriends get to f**k their girlfriends senseless?

  Me: I’m horny.

  Matt: Focus and answer the question.

  Me: Yes! Yes, they do!

  Matt: Unfortunately, I don’t think we are technically boyfriend/girlfriend yet. We’re not doing any of those things.

  Me: :(

  Matt: Did you just sad face me?

  Me: Yup.

  Matt: Tragic.

  Me: I know. You know, you could fix this and just have sex with me.

  Matt: All in good time.

  This is the Matt Connover that I’ve been pleasurably dealing with all week. He’s like a different man. I mean, when he decides to take a risk, he goes all in. He’s not the type to dip his toe in the water and test out the currents first. Nope. He dives in headfirst, never even checking to see if he’s at the shallow or deep end.

  I admire that. I admire the bravery with which he is giving me a shot. He’s gone from being completely bitter and closed off, to being adventurous and open-minded.

  And best of all… he seems to be enjoying the new way in which we are discovering each other.

  Glancing at my watch, I note it’s only three PM. Only five hours left until my date with Matt. That is… the original date he had asked me on last weekend. It’s kind of sort of a big deal, even though we’ve done something together almost every night this week. We’ve caught either a quick dinner after work, or maybe even just a drink. One night, we just sat in his office because we were both working late and talked.

  But tonight… tonight is where I’m going to demand he f**k me so we can get back on the track of having a full-blown relationship. I’m done having him try to woo me.

  I’m wooed enough already.

  Thinking of all the ways that Matt is trying… I mean, really trying, to give me what I’ve asked for, suffuses me with warmth and appreciation for him. It’s a feeling of tenderness I had not yet really possessed.

  It makes me want to tell him that right now.

  Standing up from my desk, I walk down to his office, nodding at various colleagues I pass in the hallway. Matt’s door is closed as always, but after a light knock, he grants me entrance. When I step in, the brow that was furrowed as he looked at a file smoothes out and an appreciative smile comes across his face.

  “To what do I owe this pleasure?” he practically croons softly at me, and it makes me want to crawl on his lap and rub up against him.

  “Get up,” I tell him. “Let’s go for a walk. ”

  His eyebrows rise. “What? In the middle of a workday?”

  I roll my eyes at him. “Shocker, yes, but people are allowed to take breaks in their work day. You and I have been at it for seven hours straight already, and neither one of us took lunch. Let’s go take a short walk to stretch our legs, and I’ll buy you a cup of coffee. ”

  Stroking a finger across his chin, he stares at me with contemplation. “I can see merit to this idea. ”

  “It’s a fantastic idea. Come on, law boy. Let’s beat feat. ”

  Slapping his palms on his desk, Matt stands from his chair, looking almost like a child that’s been told he can go out and play.

  “You’ve never done this before, have you?”

  “What?”

  “Go for a short walk midday. Taken a moment just for yourself. ”

  Matt gives me a sheepish grin and shrugs his shoulders. “I guess not. It feels kind of wicked. ”

  Laughing, I start for the door. “I haven’t even begun to show you the ways you can be wicked during a workday. ”

  I’m brought to an abrupt halt as Matt reaches out and wraps his hand around my wrist. I turn toward him, looking at him in question. He gets this sexy little grin on his face and pulls me slowly back his way, until I’m mashed up against his body. Inhaling, I appreciate the woodsy-citrus smell of his body wash. He never wears cologne, and I love that fresh smell he always seems to have.

  Pushing his fingers through my hair to the back of my head, he grips me and pulls me closer. His lips are so soft when his mouth touches against mine. It’s a kiss of gratitude, hope, and happiness.

  But Matt still has sexy down to a science because as he pulls back, he says, “Are you ready to get f**ked tonight?”

  Oh God, the man can cause my body to shudder violently with just a few words, and he looks triumphant as he feels the tremors rumble through me.

  He smiles at me like he just won an Olympic gold medal. “I’ll take that as a yes. ”

  I open my mouth to tell him yes when his office door flies open. We both hear it at the same time and jump apart like we’ve been zapped with an electrical current.

  Spinning around, Bill Crown stands there, looking between Matt and me with a look of shock on his face. He closes the door and steps back against it, giving us a grave look. My heart is racing a million miles an hour because I got my proverbial hand caught in the Connover Cookie Jar.

  Sneaking a glance at Matt, he has a light smile on his face as he faces off against Bill.

  Turning back to Bill, I steel myself, getting ready to absorb the tongue lashing I know will be coming.

  Instead, the serious look vanishes and a wide grin spreads across his face. “I knew it,” he says triumphantly. “I knew there was something going on between you two. ”

  Matt starts laughing and slips an arm around my waist. “I was going to tell you, but truth be told, it really wasn’t until this week that I was sure it was going to work. ”

  I look wildly between the two men, not really understanding half of what’s going on. Matt is my boss… he should not be within five feet of me in an intimate nature. Bill, as his business partner, should be pissed about this.

  Yet, he looks almost giddy.

  “I don’t get it,” I say dumbly, pulling slightly away from Matt because I still feel like he’s forbidden fruit. “Aren’t you mad?”

  Bill chuckles. I note that when he smiles, he looks about ten years younger. I always thought Bill looked haggard and worn out, and I’m wondering if it’s because he’s generally unhappy. But now… he’s looking at Matt like he wants to shake his hand and slap his back.

  “I’m thrilled for Matt, actually,” Bill says. “He’s been single far too long, and he’s a great guy. He deserves happiness. But… obviously, this should stay secret. I’d suggest keeping your make-out sessions to a minimum. ”

  “Point taken,” Matt agrees. “I assume whatever you came in for can wait? I have a short walk I need to take with my girl. I’ll be back in ten minutes. ”

  Bill is still grinning when we leave Matt’s office.

  This is huge. I mean, really big—and I’m not talking about Matt’s package. Although, that is really big, too.

  No, I’m referring to the fact that I’m standing on the threshold to Matt’s apartment, knocking on his door.

  No, I’m not stalking him. Before he left work for today, he stopped by my office and asked me if I would I like to come to his apartment for dinner, for our date.

  His. Apartment.

  The man that doesn’t take women that he’s f**king home.

  See… huge!

  Because that means he definitely sees me as more than just a great lay. He is truly seeing that maybe we are relationship material. He’s progressing far faster than I ever thought possible, and it makes me admire him even more for the efforts he’s making.

  The door opens, and a moment of pure giddiness p
ossesses me when I see Matt. He’s beyond gorgeous as he stands there in dark-washed blue jeans and a tight, white t-shirt. His feet are bare, and he has a corkscrew in one hand. He is relaxed and happy to see me, and I melt a little more for him.

  “That’s not a new sexual toy you bought to use on me, is it?” I ask, looking at the corkscrew. “It looks like it may hurt. ”

  Matt steps back to let me in, giving me a grin. “I don’t need toys to use on you, baby. ”

  “No, you don’t,” I whole-heartedly agree.

  Looking around, I take in Matt’s apartment. It’s totally a man’s home. It has light beige walls, dark leather furniture, and a TV in the living room that practically takes up an entire wall. It’s comfortable looking though, and I immediately kick off the heels I wore with my jeans and peasant top, placing them near the door.

  “Come in the kitchen,” Matt says. “I’m finishing up dinner. ”

  “Smells delish… What are we having?”

  “Nothing fancy. Just a quick, chicken casserole. I’m not that great of a cook. ”

  “Then I’m very impressed that you are trying to cook for me. I think you might get lucky tonight. ”

  Matt pulls a bottle of wine from a rack beside his refrigerator and opens it up. “We’re both getting lucky tonight,” he says softly.

  The tone of his voice… it’s seductively promising, and warmth rushes through me. He stares at me as he pours two glasses of wine, his eyes burning bright.

  “You’re very good at this,” I say as I take the wine that he offers me. I take a sip and sigh with pleasure.

  “What’s that?” he murmurs as he takes his own sip. His eyes blaze into me over the rim of his glass.

  “Dating me… trying to give me a relationship. It’s more than I expected, so thank you. ”

  Matt sets his wineglass on the counter and walks up to me. He takes my hand and lifts it up to his mouth, pressing a warm kiss on the inside of my wrist. He stares at me as his lips move across my skin, and my pulse flutters madly in response.

  “You know,” he says as he takes my glass from my other hand and sets it on the counter, “I told myself I wasn’t going to touch you when got here, but when I opened my door and saw you, I knew that was a lie. ”

  Taking my other wrist, he pulls it up to his mouth to give it a warm lick, followed by a soft kiss, all the while pinning me with his gaze. “Then I told myself I would wait until after dinner to have you, but now… touching you… tasting you like this…”

  Another warm kiss to my wrist, and then he continues, “Well, I knew that was lie, too. ”

  Still holding my wrist, Matt walks up to the oven and turns it off. I have no choice but to follow. Turning, he leads me through the living room and down a hallway. His walk is casual, but I’m feeling anything but.

  He’s leading me to bed, where I know he’ll do terribly wicked things to me. The thought causes my most intimate muscles to clench almost painfully, and my panties to become damp.

  Matt wastes no time. He clasps my face in his large hands and pulls me in for a bone-melting kiss. It’s deep and luxurious… with deep swipes of his tongue and his breath hot against my lips. His hands seem to be everywhere on me… grasping my hip to pull me in close, cupping the underside of my breast, and trailing fingertips over my collarbone.

  Our clothes seem to melt away, and we stumble to the bed. Then it’s skin on skin. His palm cruises along my outer thigh while he sucks at my ni**les. My fingers dig into his shoulders as my h*ps flex up into his because I need the contact.

  He murmurs things to me.

  As his hand goes between my legs, he says, “You’re perfect, Mac. Just f**king perfect. ”

  His other hand squeezes my breast, and then he pinches a nipple, all the while whispering, “Beyond beautiful. ”

  When he finally sinks into me, I watch his eyes close as he gives into the pleasure. He moves in and out of me in long, measured strokes that are neither too fast nor too slow. They are perfect, deep, and invading.