He shook his head. “Nah, that was just food. A real date is more of an event.”
“What exactly is involved with you stealing me away?”
“Well, for one thing, it will require you to wear jeans—if you own any, that is.”
“Of course I own a pair of jeans,” she said with a note of affront in her voice. “I’ll meet you at the B&B. In jeans,” she tacked on.
A half-hour later, Matt stood in the grand foyer of Belle Maison, struggling to release a breath as he watched Tamryn walk down the staircase in a pair of hip-hugging dark blue jeans, a snug cherry-red sweater, and high-heeled black boots. The only thing he could think about was scooping her into his arms and carting her right back up those stairs.
“Will this do?” she asked, propping her hands on her hips and spinning in a slow circle. She gave her hips a little shake and he damn near lost his mind.
How was he going to get through the next three hours thinking about anything but peeling those skintight jeans down her thighs?
He nodded and sucked in a deep breath. “That will do just fine,” Matt said after some effort.
“Am I setting one less spot at the dinner table tonight?” Phil asked, carting a tray of glasses. Matt reached to take the tray from her, but she twisted it out of his reach. “Thanks, but I’ve got it. So, you two are going out?”
“Yes, I’m stealing Professor West away for the evening,” Matt said.
A sly smile lifted a corner of Phylicia’s mouth. “Interesting,” she mused.
Matt rolled his eyes, but laughed when he noticed the blush coloring Tamryn’s cheeks. “I think you’re embarrassing your guest, Phil.”
“I’m just wondering how long it will be before news of this night out is the talk of Gauthier,” Tamryn said.
Phil snorted a laugh. “There’s been a betting pool going on at Claudette’s since your first week in town. I’m happy I didn’t get in on it. I would have been out a long time ago.” She bumped Matt with her hip. “You’re slipping. I would have thought you’d have convinced her to go out on a real date with you way before now.”
“It wasn’t for lack of trying,” Matt said.
“Good for you for playing hard to get,” Phil said, winking at Tamryn. “This one probably isn’t used to that. You two have fun,” she called as she continued onto the dining room.
“So, is that why you’ve been pushing so hard for adatedate?” Tamryn asked when they were alone. “Because I’ve been a challenge?”
“What if I told you that was part of it?” Matt asked, capturing her by the hips and pulling her closer. He trailed his nose along the soft curve of her jaw. “I figure the harder it is to win the prize, the sweeter it will be. You look stunning, by the way. Are you ready?”
“Thank you, and yes, I’m ready,” she said. Her high-heeled boots made her nearly as tall as he, lining their bodies up with such perfection that Matt almost found himself giving in to his earlier desire to take her straight upstairs.
Instead, he put a hand on the small of her back and guided her out the front door. When they stepped out onto the porch, Tamryn faltered.
“Why are you on that motorcycle?”
“You don’t like my bike?”
“I like looking atyouon the bike. As for myself? Not so much.”
“You look damn hot on this bike. And in these boots?” Matt licked his lips. “Fantasy fuel.”
“Fantasy fuel?”
“Hell yes,” he said, guiding her down the porch steps. “Something tells me that the way you look on this bike tonight is going to fuel my fantasies for the next month. At least.”
Matt climbed on the Ducati and steadied it between his legs. He turned slightly so he could watch Tamryn fit her foot on the back pedal and hoist herself onto the bike. The heat from her body against his back made him instantly hard.
Damn, this was going to be a long night.
Matt handed her the extra helmet he’d bought over the weekend. “Hold on tight. We’re not going nice and slow this time.”
“Matthew,” Tamryn called over his shoulder in a warning voice.
