She didn’t think their bodies could get any closer, but when he inched a little more toward her, they did. He then leaned in to whisper in a throaty voice, “Because I’m dying to taste you, here and now.”
Iris was dying to taste him as well. Instead of telling him that, she placed her arms around his neck. The moment she did so, his mouth swooped down and captured hers in a kiss so hot, so deliciously greedy that she heard herself moan.
This was what she remembered, what she often thought about, and what she had longed for again. The feel of his mouth against hers, while his hands methodically stroked her waist before moving toward her back to gently caress her there, while taking her mouth with a hunger she felt in every part of her body. Especially the area between her legs that had started to throb.
She had gotten acquainted with his tongue the last time they kissed, and she was getting acquainted with it again. There was something with how he was using it, capturing hers and sucking on it hard. Although she shouldn’t admit it, she loved this connection to him. He had a way of kissing her that made her feel desired to a degree she hadn’t been accustomed to before meeting him.
Matt was a man who held nothing back in his kiss, and she had a feeling it would be the same way if they ever shared a bed. Sensations rippled through her at the thought of that happening. Her mind fought such a notion one minute and longed for such a thing the next. She knew she needed to end the kiss, but for the life of her, she couldn’t. Instead, she began kissing him back with hunger. Then, on instinct like before, she began grinding her body against his.
She felt it. She felt him. He was very aroused, but so was she.
Matt was the one to pull away slowly, but not completely. He stared down into her eyes, and the look she saw made her wonder why she was fighting this. Why had she deliberately put roadblocks in the way of having an affair with him? Especially when she wanted this? When she wanted him? Deep down she knew why she had fought anything developing between them, but at that moment she no longer wanted to fight.
“Matt…”
Before she could say how she felt, he had recaptured her mouth and was kissing her again with a hunger that had her moaning. And this time when he released her mouth, he whispered against her moist lips, “I want you, Iris.”
Deciding to tell him how she really felt, she said, “And I want you, too, Matt.”
As if her words had been something he’d been waiting to hear for a long time, he smiled and then kissed her once more with a greed she felt all the way to her toes. And she kissed him back with all the desire she felt for him. When he finally released her lips, like before when they’d kissed on Dillon and Pam’s porch, she dropped her head to his chest and breathed in his manly scent.
When she finally lifted her head, it was to look into the heat of his eyes. Mercy. Could a man honestly desire a woman that much? But then she figured he was probably seeing the same degree of need in her eyes. She could no longer ignore that need racing through her veins. Somehow Matt had unleashed her passionate side, and she doubted it could ever be contained again.
“We need to finish this, Iris.”
She knew what he meant and totally agreed. “I came with Shauna, and you are Deena’s date.”
He chuckled. “Haven’t you figured out yet that we were set up?”
She raised a confused brow. “Set up?”
“Yes, by Deena and Shauna.”
“You think so?”
“Yes. It was too coincidental that we were both asked to be their dates at the last minute. Besides, I overheard Charm reminding Deena about an after-party that she and Shauna were invited to at Dylan and Charm’s penthouse suite at the Beverly Hills Hotel.”
“Hmm…” Iris said, thinking about what he’d said, and knowing he possibly was right. They had been set up. She knew Deena and Shauna had become friends while at Westmoreland Country. Like Pam, Shauna had never cared for Warren. Said he was too arrogant. And she thought Karlton was too clingy.
“Come to think of it,” Iris said, “both Deena and Shauna seemed awfully pleased when you said we were taking a walk in the courtyard.”
“I bet they were. Just pretend we’re clueless as to what they’re up to, okay? They went to a lot of trouble to pull this off, and I’d hate for them to think they failed,” he said, leaning in to lick the corners of her lips.
She met his gaze and desire raged through her with what he was doing to her mouth. “But they didn’t fail, did they?” she asked breathlessly.
He gently caressed the side of her face. “No, sweetheart, they didn’t fail.”
His term of endearment sent butterflies through her stomach. It had sounded so right. “If your suspicion is true, will you take me home later?”
“I’ll take you wherever you want to go, Iris,” he said in a deep, husky voice that heightened the sensations flowing through her.
She began nibbling on her bottom lip. She wasn’t sure what tomorrow would bring. It would be for her and Matt to decide. The only thing she knew for certain was that she wanted him and needed to be with him tonight. And if that were all she could have, she would take it.
Chapter Fourteen
“Where do you live, Matt?”
He glanced over at Iris. They had remained at the charity event through most of Dylan and his band’s performances and had even stuck around for the dancing afterward. However, when the organizers called for a second intermission before the heads of the hospital’s departments would speak, Matt had begun looking for any excuse to leave and take Iris with him.
