Matt gives me such a sweet smile I’m convinced I failed.
“Very cool,” Shirley affirms with a nod.
I glance around the table and see that all of them have matching grins. It feels like I’m missing a joke.
“So you said you come to town for these milestones? Does, um, Connor ever come?” I ask his parents, hoping I didn’t stutter on Matt’s brother’s name too much. He’s mentioned him a few times, but mostly in passing.
“Oh, yes. We all love to come to the games. Peter and I missed a few in the middle of his career because we were traveling, but we don’t want to miss anything now. Connor couldn’t come this time because of some work deadlines, I think,” she finishes, then turns to Matt and points at him. “Hesaid you’re not allowed to retire before he makes it out for another record.”
Matt pushes his chair back and gives his mom a noticeably tight smile before getting up from the table and grabbing everyone’s plates.
I smile at Shirley and then stand up to do the same, following him into the kitchen and setting the dishes down on the counter near the sink. “Everything okay?” I keep my voice low and turn to face him.
Matt puts his hands on the counter on either side of me, caging me in. He leans forward and drops a quick kiss to my mouth. “Could I convince you to stay here tonight?”
I ignore his nonanswer and file my curiosity away for later. “Sure.”
“That was easy,” he whispers against my mouth before he kisses me again.
“I aim to please.”
He pulls away and grabs my hand, leading me back to the table. His parents are collecting the rest of the dishes.
“We’re going to head to the guest suite downstairs, Matt. It was a long day of flights and I’m beat,” Shirley says, stopping before leaving the room. “We’ll see you soon, Ellie? Maybe you can come to a game with us?”
“Yeah, sure. It was great meeting you,” I tell her sincerely. I feel bad, but I’ll figure out how to get out of the game thing later, if it comes up again.
Shirley smiles brightly back at me and then looks at Matt. “Night, Matty.”
“Night, Mom. Dad, remember to adjust the thermostat if you guys get warm down there,” he calls to their retreating backs. He turns to me. “Want to see my room?” He waggles his eyebrows at me.
I laugh and trail him down the hall, so giddy over seeing his bed for the first time, you’d think I was back in high school.
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
MATT
“Holy crap, it’s huge.”
“Oh, how I’ve longed to hear those words.”
“Hilarious,” Ellie deadpans. “Is this custom?” She walks around the bed slowly.
Mybed. There’s something about having a custom bed that seems…over-the-top? I know Ellie isn’t one to judge, but I’m still hesitating to give her confirmation.
“Maybe,” I finally spit out.
She jumps onto it, rolling from one end to the other. “So much room for activities.” Ellie’s denim-clad ass wiggles suggestively and I have to stifle a groan. I’ve been thinking about that ass for nearly two weeks.
I walk over and grab her ankles, dragging her closer. Ellie squeals as I flip her over and release my grip. I put a knee on the mattress between her legs and rest on my forearms, caging her in. Up close like this I can smell her shampoo. I run my nose along hers and hover above her mouth. “Did you just quoteStep Brothersto me?”
Ellie nods, a goofy grin on her pretty face. I push my knee up until my leg grinds against the apex of her thighs. Her smiledrops and her mouth opens slightly. I take advantage, pulling her pouty bottom lip with my teeth.
I release and then, “Do you think this is the type of activity they had in mind?”
Her lips curve again and she shakes her head. “I don’t think it was that kind of movie.”
I laugh. “I think you’re right.” I lean down and capture Ellie’s mouth with mine—something I’ve been desperate to do since the moment I saw her today. She kisses me back, pulling me closer with her hands in my hair. I sigh at the contentment that washes over me. Everything with Ellie just feels…right. I don’t think I felt like things were back to normal after my trip until I laid eyes on her freckled face and held her small hand in mine. And this? This feels like being home finally.
