“I’ll be here,” he replies, making me chuckle as I walk toward my office.
Just as I reach the door, it swings open.I collide with a solid chest.Air rushes from my lungs.For a split second, I’m disoriented, but the scent of cedar-wood and spice grounds me in the chaos.I gasp, my hands flying up to brace myself against him just as a strong arm encircles my waist, preventing my fall.My hands splay against the crisp fabric of his shirt, feeling the hard muscle beneath.Heat flares at the sudden intimacy.
But this time, there’s no table to hide behind.No Lou to act as a buffer.
His grip tightens, pulling me closer.
I look up.Matthew’s gaze sears mine.His eyes, usually guarded and cool, blaze with fire.
He’s close.
So close I can feel the warmth of his breath ghosting over my lips.My body is aware of every point of contact, every shift in his weight.
For a moment, we just stand there.Frozen.Hearts pounding.
Before I can process what’s happening, Matthew pulls me backward into the office.I stumble, trying to keep up.With a swift, decisive movement, he kicks the door shut and presses me up against it.His briefcase lands with a thud at our feet.
His eyes search mine.Need swirls in their turbulent depths.His professional composure is gone.
My mouth falls open.
A silent gasp.
My lungs forget how to work.
ELEVEN
“AMY,” MATTHEW BREATHES.
I close my eyes, savoring the warmth of his skin, the soft whisper of his breath mingling with mine.
He groans, a low sound of frustration that vibrates through his chest and into mine.“You’re everything I’ve sworn to avoid,” he confesses, his eyes darkening.
My mind whispers a warning, a tiny seed of doubt struggling to take root.But the pull of him is an irresistible force.His touch is electric, leaving my head spinning.His hands move up and down my arms, igniting a fire that burns my inhibitions.In this instant, James, the café, the looming threat of eviction… all of it ceases to exist.There is only the rhythm of his breathing, the feel of his touch, the way his eyes fix mine with a hunger that mirrors my own.
I lose myself in the sensation, my fingers threading through his hair, urging him closer.He responds instantly, his arms tightening around me, anchoring me to him as if he’s afraid I might disappear.In his embrace, I find a haven.A sense of belonging I haven’t known in years.
“Tell me to stop,” he challenges in a whisper.“Tell me…” He holds his breath, the muscles in his neck corded with tension.
The plea in his voice tugs at my heart.He fears this undeniable connection.And in his fear, I see a reflection of my own.
But the words won’t come.
His gravity is too strong.My yearning is too deep.
His eyes hold me captive.I slide my hands forward to cup his face, trembling fingers tracing the sharp line of his jaw.I pull him closer, our foreheads meeting, my eyes fluttering shut.The world shrinks to the press of his body against mine, the warmth of his breath over my lips.
In the darkness behind my eyelids, I find a sliver of strength.“Stop,” I whisper.The word is a fragile shield, barely holding.
He doesn’t move.
I can feel his breath, ragged and uneven.Then, a long exhale, as if he’s releasing all the hope that had been building inside him.He steps back.His hands move to my wrists, fingers encircling them firmly.
His thumb brushes against the diamond of my engagement ring.A deliberate, questioning touch.
“Is that what you really want?”he asks, low and rough, his gaze fixed on the ring.
“I—I can’t—” My voice cracks.The image of James’s lips on another woman’s flashes in my mind.“I can’t do this.How am I better than him if I let this happen?”
