Authors: K Carr
“I’m not sure about this Matt.”
Matt took out the cartoon briefs, paused, tossed one back in, then determinedly picked up some thongs.
“Why not? We don’t need to hide our relationship anymore, and I’m tired of falling out of this ridiculously small bed.”
“Once, it happened once. And my bed is not small.”
“Mmm, well, it was one time too many.” He stroked my cheek and gave me one of his sexy smiles. “I want you in
my
bed. Where are those pyjamas?”
I didn’t waste any more energy complaining. When Matt got that focused look in his eyes, nothing would stand in his way. We were going to his place it seemed.
“In the machine. Can I at least have a shower first?”
Matt zipped up the bag and slipped his hand over mine. “You can shower at my place. It’s almost seven. I’m starving and I want to take you home. Let’s go.”
I was marched out my bedroom and down the stairs. He only gave me enough time to pop into the kitchen and grab stuff from the fridge so I could cook dinner for us at his place. Good thing I’d taken out raw prawns to defrost before leaving this morning.
I made one last ditch effort at the front door as he picked up my keys. “I’m tired, Matt. Maybe next week I can stay over at yours.”
He arched an eyebrow at me, foot tapping out a rapid tempo.
“Or maybe we’ll go now,” I finished in defeat.
“Wise decision, poppet, and I’m driving.”
“Say what? No way,” I began, but his foot started up impatient tapping. “You’re unbelievably bossy.”
“Mmm hmm. It’s a characteristic that serves me well in the boardroom. I’ll lock up for you.”
I bitched mentally that he had my keys in his hand. Of course he needed to lock up.
Five minutes later, Matt was driving my car, complaining about the lack of space and promising to buy me a bigger vehicle on Monday. I ignored his extravagant offer and instead reminded him that insulting my faithful car was a no-no.
When we got to his place, he was smiling to himself. It was his smug ‘I got my own way’ smile. I sighed and slowly followed him to the front door. My gaze wandered around. I couldn’t see anyone milling about, but that didn’t mean the neighbours weren’t watching. They could be staring at me right now, gossiping.
“Home, sweet home,” Matt drawled as he opened the door and beckoned me in.
It was as impressive as I remembered. The memory of the last time I was here brought a heat to my cheeks.
“Shower then dinner?” Matt asked with a gleam in his eyes as he closed the front door. I nodded wordlessly before he took the bag of food from me and sauntered off. On his heels, I memorized the way to the kitchen, then followed him upstairs to the master bedroom. Matt tossed my bag on the bed and started undressing while I stood fidgeting.
“What’s wrong, poppet?” he asked, shirtless and in the process of unbuckling his pants.
“Nothing.” I fingered the zip on my hoodie.
He scrutinized my face for a moment, then beckoned me over. I hesitated before slowly trudging to where he stood. Matt smiled and unzipped my hoodie. I stood silently as he gently slid it off. He tugged my t-shirt over my head and unhooked my bra.
“Tell me what’s wrong,” he said, running his fingers over the waist of my sweats.
“Nothing’s wrong, Matt.”
“Hmm,” he said, a sceptical look on his handsome face. “I don’t believe you.”
I shrugged and tried to step back. Matt gripped my hips, stopping my movement.
“Are you upset over everything’s that happened today?” he asked quietly.
I chewed my lower lip and made a noncommittal sound at the back of my throat. Upset didn’t cover the way I felt.
“Quick shower, then we’ll talk about it.” He led me into the ensuite.
“Did you pack my toothbrush?” I asked, shrugging off my pants. Matt shook his head, eyes lingering on my ass as he finished undressing.
“You’ll find everything you need in that cabinet on the left.”
I went over to open it up and gasped in surprise at the contents. It was a duplicate of my own bathroom cabinet, all the products I used down to the leave-in conditioner that tamed my curls.
“Uh, Matt?”
“Yes, poppet?” he called as he turned on the shower.
“This is a bit weird, don’t you think?”
“Not at all,” he disagreed. “I knew you’d eventually be staying over so I made sure you’d have everything you need.”
I took the brand new toothbrush and hid my frown while unscrewing the toothpaste. The bathroom started filling up with steam from the running shower.
“I think it’s a bit weird,” I muttered. Matt grinned at me and got his own toothbrush. We stared at each other in the mirror as we brushed our teeth, then we got in the shower. It was a quickie, in more ways than one.
“Feel better now?” Matt was holding me up against the tiles as the warm water cascaded over us. I hadn’t caught my breath yet and simply rested my head on his shoulder with my legs wrapped around his waist.
“Yes, I feel loads better.” I sighed in satisfaction before unhooking my legs. Matt groaned at the movement, his body still intimately joined to mine, and kissed me deeply before letting me slide to the ground. We finished our shower and dried off. Matt left to go get changed, while I applied conditioner to my towel-dried curls.
It was weird, wasn’t it?
There was even a box of the tampons I used. I riffled through the cabinet and almost bit my tongue when I found a pack of birth control—the same birth control I was on. Matt was a weirdo, but then again, they did say preparation was key.
“Poppet.” He stuck his head around the door. “I need to make a few calls so I’ll be in the study for a bit.”
“Okay, hon. I’ll change, then start dinner.” I smiled at him and resumed fixing my hair. He hesitated in the doorway for a minute, watching me.
“I meant what I said, Madi.”
“Hmm?”
“Being in love with you,” he explained. “I know I’m a lot older than you and we’re from different backgrounds, but I want you to understand the depths of my feelings towards you.”
I stopped fiddling with my hair to peer at him. He was serious. The level of intensity on his face was unnerving.
“Okay.” I didn’t know what else to say. When a small frown creased his forehead, I belatedly wished I’d said ‘I love you, too.’
“Just so you know, I’m a complete bastard and, if you break my heart, I’ll make you regret it. I expect you to love me back, always.”
Now I was frowning. “You sound like a psycho, Matt.”
He chuckled and shrugged. “You’ve been warned, poppet. See you downstairs.” He left me staring wide-eyed and nervously wondering if he was, in fact, a crazy billionaire. I shook it off and exited the ensuite. Seeing as it was only us here, I put on a t-shirt and my cartoon panties before heading downstairs. I found my way to the kitchen and started dinner. Chilli and garlic prawns. Matt’s taste buds were in store for another dose of gradual desensitization. The kitchen was a lot larger than mine, filled with sleek, expensive appliances that had me seeing green. Ah well, at least I could enjoy cooking here. Chopping up shallots and chillies, I ran over the day’s events in my head.
<><><>
Adam Bradley turned the key and opened the door of his brother’s Kensington house. He was furious with Matt, and their parents for allocating some of the blame on Adam’s doorstep. How was he to know Matt was shagging a black woman? He closed the door with a sigh and shrugged off his coat. Matt’s car hadn’t been out front, but the lights were on. George was most likely around. Adam would wait for Matt, however long it took. He walked through the foyer, going over in his head the chewing out he’d planned to give his younger brother. They were close, Matt and him. The news of his current conquest came as a surprise to Adam. He was certain Matt hadn’t mention it due to embarrassment. A Bradley shagging a lower class bird, a black one on top of that. Unheard of. He’d endured numerous calls from friends, ribbing him about his younger brother’s antics. Adam made a sound of extreme frustration. Matt needed his head sorting out, and Adam needed a stiff drink. He made his way to the kitchen, pausing when he heard a woman’s off-key singing as he drew nearer. Who the hell was that?
Slowly he entered the kitchen to encounter the sight of
her
. There she was, the woman whom Matt was shagging, the woman’s whose face had been plastered all over the gossip rags next to his brother’s. The woman who was now bending over and flashing a very pert arse and shapely legs. Adam felt his cheeks warm as he watched her search the lower cupboards.
“Fancy kitchen with no saucepans,” she muttered, before straightening up and resting her hands on her hips. With her back to him, she began opening the top cupboards. She was tiny in comparison to him, needing to go on tiptoes to see above the first few shelves, and flashing her arse as her t-shirt rose up. Adam, enjoying the view despite his better judgement, didn’t hear Matt’s barefoot approach.
“What in the bloody hell are you doing here?” Matt’s low, terse question had him yelping in surprise. The woman spun around at the sound and screamed before grabbing the first thing to hand and launching it in his direction. It was a dainty mug that fell short and smashed a few feet in front of him.
“Intruder!” she yelled at the top of her voice. “Matt!” Another mug was thrown and she grabbed a roll of kitchen towels, waving it at him like a sword. “Matt!”
Matt shoved his brother aside, appearing in the doorway. “It’s okay, poppet. He’s not an intruder.”
Matt sidestepped the broken ceramic and hurried over to Madi, who was clutching the roll of towels to her heaving chest with frightened eyes.
“He’s my brother.” Matt glanced over his shoulder with an annoyed grunt before adding, “Who needs to return my house keys.”
She let out a shaky sigh of relief while shooting embarrassed looks at Adam. Matt gave her a reassuring smile and pulled her into a quick hug. “You okay?”
She nodded against his chest, then pushed away to observe his brother shyly.
“Um, sorry about throwing that mug at you.”
Matt snorted in derision. “He should be apologizing to you, poppet. Not the other way around.”
Adam’s gaze jumped between them as he came further into the kitchen. “Apologies for startling you. I’m Adam, by the way, Matt’s older brother. You must be Madison.”
<><><>
Matt watched as they shook hands, eyeing his brother in warning. He was under no illusions as to why his brother had turned up unannounced. Adam was here to discuss his relationship with Madi, and Matt wasn’t in the mood for the expected tirade.
“I’ll tidy that mess up,” Madi said as soon as Adam let go off her hand. She walked towards the broken mugs, then paused, a sheepish look on her face. “I don’t know where the broom is, Matt.”
A slow smile graced his face as she fidgeted in embarrassment. She was cute when she blushed, even though she would say black girls don’t blush. Matt noticed his brother’s open appraisal of her, and a surge of possessiveness filled him as Adam’s eyes travelled over her t-shirt clad body.
“Adam can get it,” Matt said, shooting daggers at his brother for eyeing Madi. Adam’s face flushed and he nodded before exiting the kitchen.
Madi groaned. “Your brother will think I’m a crazy black chick.”
“Serves him right for scaring you—watch those shards.”
She sidestepped the splinters, then made her way to where he stood. “I need a saucepan, Matt.”
Matt surveyed the prep she’d done for their meal and lowered his eyebrows a fraction. “I’ll get one on the condition that you bin half those chopped chillies, poppet.”
She grinned impishly at him, and he couldn’t stop his answering smile. Matt pulled her into his arms and stole a deep kiss, hands slipping over her arse as he pressed her lower body against his. The seemingly constant urge to make love to her never ceased to surprise him.
“Stop,” she murmured in protest as he gently pushed her against the island. “Your brother is going to come back.”
“I’m already here,” Adam called from the doorway, with a censorious expression on his face, and a dustpan and accompanying broom in his hands.
Madi shoved him back, tugging her t-shirt down and studiously staring at the floor. Matt narrowed his eyes at Adam before flashing a smile at Madi.
“Poppet, go put pants on before I punch my older brother for ogling you.”
She looked mortified for a second, then practically ran out of the kitchen. Matt grinned to himself. When his gaze returned to Adam, the grin disappeared.
“Don’t start, Adam.” Matt spoke first, a pre-emptive warning that he hoped his brother wouldn’t ignore.
Adam began to tidy up the mess. “Start what, Matt?”
“Don’t play coy. I know why you’re here,” he replied.
“Oh, I see.” Adam scoffed as he swept the broken mugs into a pile on the dustpan. “You know why I’m here, do you? I guess you know I’ve had to endure tiresome calls from our parents and Hannah grilling me about your latest fling—”