Authors: K Carr
She twisted her head to peer at him, a mischievous grin on her face. “Are you jealous?”
“Aye,” Matt muttered sarcastically, beckoning to Nathan. “You know I am, poppet.”
Madi turned into his body, offering her mouth to him in that sexy pout of hers. Matt claimed her lips ferociously, not caring they were in full view of everyone and, seconds later, forgetting they weren’t alone. Her mouth. Bloody hell. He could happily spend forever kissing her.
A loud, piercing whistle broke him out of the intoxicating haze he’d fallen into. Matt raised his head slowly, eyes fixated on her moist lips. Thoroughly kissed—that was what her mouth looked like. Another wolf whistle came from not too far behind him, and Matt reluctantly moved back.
“Wow, Matt,” she whispered, gazing up at him with wide eyes. “I think we have an audience.”
Matt shrugged. “Sod them, poppet. Let’s get out of here.”
Twenty minutes later, the four of them were back in his car and driving through Central London.
“Matt.” His poppet twisted in her seat. “Aren’t most of the access points to the Thames closed off in Central London?”
“The boat is waiting for us at Westminster pier, poppet.”
Her expression of eagerness filled him with satisfaction. This was a great idea and Matt was thinking of their next date and how he would top this one. By the time they arrived at their destination, she was buzzing with excitement and linking arms with Bella as they clicked down the pier in their heels. Nathan exchanged a wry look with Matt as Bella began an impassioned conversation with Madi about the architectural history of Westminster and the surrounding buildings.
“The girls are enjoying themselves,” Nathan mused quietly. “This is nice, Matt. Feels like forever since we’ve done something like this.”
“Feels like forever since I’ve had the urge to do anything like this,” Matt quipped, eyeing the ramp and Madi’s confident strides. She walked fearlessly, trusting her step, no matter how high her heels. Matt liked that.
“Bella has taken a shine to Madi,” Nathan said softly, a pensive look on his face. “You’d better watch out. She’s charged me with the job of keeping you on the straight and narrow this time around.”
Matt jerked to a stop. “I beg your pardon? What’s that supposed to mean?”
Nathan chuckled under his breath, and nudged him forward. “She warned me if you fell into your usual womanizing habits while seeing Madi, she’ll never forgive you. You know Bella can hold a grudge.”
Matt grumbled under his breath, annoyed and a tad ashamed at what Nathan had confided. He pushed the thought aside. That was his past; Madi was his future, and the idea of him cheating on her was ridiculous. He wanted her, no other woman could compare. She had ruined him for anyone else and he was fine with that.
“Mate, wipe that soppy look off your face,” Nathan said dryly.
Matt spotted the man he’d hired to take them out on the private vessel tonight approaching the women and he quickened his pace to catch up to them. After a cursory greeting and quick rundown of what he expected of the man, Matt led Madi onto the boat. She gripped him tightly, and he remembered their time in Venice. All her confidence on dry land seemed to desert her the moment she stepped onto the boat.
“It’s all right, poppet,” he murmured as Nathan and Bella walked over to the waiting chairs set up on the deck. “I won’t let anything happen to you.”
“Absolutely no broken bones allowed,” she stated with a playful threat in her eyes, then shivered as the night’s wind whipped past them.
Matt immediately shrugged off his jacket and held it out so she could slip into it.
“You really are a knight, Matt.”
“Only for you, poppet. I’m really a bastard, but you’ll never see that side of me.”
“As long as I’m good and never keep secrets?” she teased. The wind picked up again, blowing her hair across her face. Matt reached over to tuck the strands behind her ear.
“Exactly,” he agreed with a smile, urging her forward. Nathan had popped the bottle of champagne and was filling the glasses.
Madi paused, peering up at him. The expression on her face caused Matt to stop.
She mumbled something and Matt bent forward to catch what she said. He gripped her by the elbow and turned them in the opposite direction, a frown on his face.
“Matt?” Nathan called. “Where are you two going? I’ve poured your drinks.”
“We’ll be right back,” he responded sharply as he marched her towards the steps leading below. On their way down, the captain announced they were casting off. Matt nodded, barely paying attention.
‘I have a big secret,’ she had whispered. What the hell was it? Matt’s mind raced and he forced himself to ease up the tight grip he had on her elbow. When they’d entered one of the cabins below, he closed the door and spun around to face her.
“Sit,” he ordered curtly, gesturing towards the bed. She fidgeted with her purse and sat down, evading his hard glare. “Look at me, Madison. Right now.”
A flash of temper danced across her features before she faced him.
“What secret?” he asked, knowing how cold and intimidating he sounded. There it was again, that ripple of temper on her face. Matt shoved down the sudden amusement he felt. She wasn’t as scared of his domineering traits anymore. His amusement disappeared as her lips tightened into a mutinous line.
“Don’t make me ask you again,” he warned.
“I wouldn’t have said anything if I knew you were going to be assy, Matt,” she burst out.
“Well, too late,” he replied. “You said you have a secret and I want to know what it is, or else.” He let the unspoken threat hang in the air and she scoffed, arching a derisive eyebrow at him.
“Or else what?” she challenged.
Matt’s mouth fell open slightly, surprised at her defiance. Bloody feisty and bloody going to talk.
He narrowed his eyes and said huskily, “Or else I’ll stick my cock up your bum until you like it, poppet.”
It had the desired effect. Matt watched as her brown eyes widened in horror and she nervously chewed on her lower lip. He swallowed the urge to laugh. He would never do that to her, she was adamant about certain things being too risqué for her. But threaten he would. His poppet had backbone though. She snorted loudly, rolling her eyes with a shake of her head. Forcing a look of scathing disbelief on her face in a show of bravery, she edged further along the bed, sinking her delightful arse deeper into the mattress as if unconsciously trying to protect it. Matt almost choked on his laughter at her antics. She was sweet.
“That’s not gonna happen, Matt, and I’m not telling you now,” she stated haughtily.
Matt let his hands deliberately go to his belt buckle and her eyes widened to maximum capacity. She gulped and edged further along the bed.
Matt caught his lower lip between his teeth, peering intently at her. He was bluffing, but bluffing was a game he played well and always won.
“Right,” he dragged out, pulling the end of his belt through a couple of loops.
“You beast.” She scuttled over the bed so quickly Matt had only blinked a few times before the bed stood between them.
“Talk,” he commanded, fingering the belt buckle.
“Your granddad had a little talk with me the night of the charity ball,” she blurted out, eyes locked on his belt with trepidation. “He thinks we won’t last. That’s all. I thought you should know, Matt.”
“Is that it?” Matt asked, fixing his belt and beckoning her over. She shook her head vehemently and he finally allowed a smile to escape. “Poppet, come here. You know I’ll never do anything you don’t want me to.”
She stared at him for a few apprehensive moments before walking around the bed to his waiting arms. Matt hugged her tightly for a bit before sitting them both down on the bed.
“Grumps is just being Grumps, poppet. He’ll come around, they all will. What did he say to you?”
She shrugged and blinked. “Nothing really, just that we’re two very different people.”
Matt’s gaze fell to her dainty hands and alarm grew inside him. She was scratching her pinkie finger so fiercely he was surprised she hadn’t drawn blood. He waited for a moment before casually resting his large hand over hers. As if a light switch had been flicked off, the self-inflicted attack on her finger stopped and she smiled brightly at him.
“But I’m fine with it, Matt. I didn’t want to not tell you.”
Matt nodded, running his thumb over her knuckles. “Was that all Grumps said, poppet?” he asked gently. “He didn’t say anything else?”
“Nope,” she said in a cheery voice. “That was it.”
Matt’s heart sank as he returned her bright smile. She was lying to him. His dark beauty had looked him straight in the eye and lied. Why would she do that after he had unequivocally warned her about his abhorrence of lies between them?
What was she hiding and why didn’t she want to confide in him? What had Grumps said to her?
Matt gripped her chin with his free hand and pressed his mouth over hers, teasing her lips with his tongue until she opened for him and he deepened the kiss. Before he lost his head, Matt pulled away tenderly stroking her lower lip.
“You know you can tell me anything, right? You do know that, don’t you, poppet?”
“Of course, hon,” she said. “It’s your turn. Do you have secrets that need to be spilled?”
Matt shook his head. He looked her in the eye and said, “Not a single one. Oh, wait, I’m planning on going through your purse sometime tonight to get McGregor’s card.”
She laughed and reached for her purse that lay forgotten behind them. “Here you go,” she said after plucking the offending piece of paper out.
Matt crumpled it between his hands and tossed it over to the bin. “I feel much better now, poppet.”
She laughed and stroked her hand across his jaw. “Matt, about earlier, at the auction—” She looked away for a second before slipping her soft hand to his nape and running her fingers through his hair. “I know you think we should talk about the fact I’m black and you’re white—”
“Not tonight, poppet.” Matt cut her off with a brief smile. “Honestly, I don’t want to address the issue, but we need to. I won’t have this becoming a problem between us, but—” He paused, seeing a range of emotion flooding her face. “Be patient with me. I need to get my head around it.”
“Does it bug you?” Madi asked quietly. Matt could see she was trying to appear nonchalant about it. He sighed and shook his head slowly.
“It bothers me that it bothers you so much. I told you the first night we met, poppet. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve seen. I don’t give a toss what colour your skin is. You could be fluorescent green and I’d love you.”
She smiled at that and Matt forged on, wanting to reassure her that this would only be a problem if they allowed it. “I know you were brought up with certain preconceptions and whatnot, poppet. As was I. But none of that matters between us.”
“Because we’re magic?” she asked tentatively.
Matt thought about it for a second, liking her description immensely. “Yes, poppet. You and I, we’re magic.”
She chewed her lower lip, running her fingers absent-mindedly through his hair. “Okay, then I’ll stop worrying about it.”
“We still need to discuss it though,” Matt warned. “Only then will you truly get past this ridiculous notion that we shouldn’t be together. Oh, yes, poppet, I know you harbour those thoughts.”
“How do you do that?” she asked, doe eyes peering into his. “Read my mind like that? It’s unnerving.”
“Your eyes give you away,” he murmured, leaning forward to kiss the corner of her delectable mouth. “Don’t change. Let’s go topside. We wouldn’t want Nathan and Bella thinking we’re getting up to anything.”
“Huh,” she muttered under her breath. “I wish.”
Matt chuckled lightly and stood up, pulling her up with him. “A month isn’t that long, poppet. I’m going to enjoy courting you.”
She grabbed her purse, shaking her curls at him as she said, “Courting? Dude, it’s the twenty-first century. No one courts anymore.”
“And isn’t that a crying shame?” Matt replied, eyes roving at their leisure over her. Even with his jacket swamping her petite frame, she made the blood in his veins stir hotly. “If you keep dressing like that for our dates though, I might not last a week.”
She sent him a devious smile that softened into something which made his chest tighten.
“I fucking love you, Mr Matthew Bradley,” she finally said, holding her hand out to him.
“I know, poppet.” Matt took her hand and they moved towards the door. “I know.”
<><><>
Matt walked into his parents’ luxurious home. Their new butler greeted him with surprise, he wasn’t expected. Matt brushed past the man with a brief nod of acknowledgment and hurried through his childhood home. It was Saturday morning and he had a pile of work waiting for him, but there was something else more important he needed to attend to.
“Matthew, darling, what are you doing here?”
Matt turned, smiling as his mother glided towards him. “Hi, Mum, how are you?”
She tilted her head up for the required kiss hello to which Matt obliged, the scent of her perfume triggering memories of a time long past when she would tuck him in at night before leaving for some function with his father. They were always out it had seemed. His childhood and, that of his elder siblings, had been managed by countless nannies and butlers, but he wasn’t bitter about it. It was simply the way things were done.