Something More (7 page)

She wrapped her legs around his sleek hard muscles. He thrust into her relentlessly. She found herself clinging to him in desperation. Not out of completion, but of permanence, as though she never wanted to let him go. Reaching for something elusive that had always been out of reach.

Suddenly, mind-boggling shocks of sensation rasped through her.

She cried out, lost in sensual bliss.

Matthew reared his head back, and ground his pelvis against her mound. The stiffening of his body and his hoarse groan signaled waves of ecstasy rolled over him as well. They’d soared together, incinerating in their blazing climax.

Carrie stretched. The smell of coffee seeped into her senses and pushed the sleepy fog from her mind. Something tickled her nose. As she reached to rub it, her arm grazed against a familiar blanket of fleece. Drifting from sleepy lethargy to a state of wakefulness, she relished the figure lying next to her generating warmth. In that moment of heightened alertness, the sensation of belonging overcame her. She inhaled deeply and smiled.
Matthew
.

Snuggling, she burrowed her nose in the matt of fur and rubbed her cheek in contentment.
His scent
. Never before had she nestled so relaxed and so gratified the morning after. Carrie couldn’t ever remember waking up in the arms of a lover, let alone wanting to stay. Actually, she didn’t think it possible to feel this sort of peace with a man. Gratification beyond mentioning. Enraptured beyond her endurance. Surrendering to her passion, losing control, losing her identity, yet even that couldn’t cast a shadow on the glow she felt within.

She tilted her head to look at the face of the man beside her. A fierce craving spread through the center of her chest. Dark stubble across a firm jaw added to his mysterious appeal. Absolutely sinful. And hers. Pure desire made her instinctively raise her leg and cover his thigh. The friction of springy hair coming into contact with the flesh of her inner thigh heated her blood and made her yearn to be closer. She laid her cheek back on his silky matt of fur. Her fingertips began a circular motion, playing with the curls at her chin, and then danced a path down, toward his belly button . . .

“Keep doing that and you will awaken the beast inside me.”

She smiled before she glanced up to find his eyes still closed. Placing a finger on his bottom lip, she traced the outline from one corner over the tempting fullness to the other. The plumpness of his lip tantalized and promised. She knew what those lips could do. But for the moment, she was content to simply stare, in awe of the contented feeling that surrounded them. She wanted to kiss those lips. Yet she received pleasure letting her finger caress and linger. Strange this mood enveloping her. She simply needed to touch him. Hold him.

He opened his mouth and captured her finger. Immediately, her eyes locked on blue crystals. She’d been so involved, she didn’t realize he watched. As he sucked on her finger, his gaze grew darker. Such a passionate man. Closing his hand around hers, he released the tip of her finger and leaned down for a thorough kiss. Rolling her beneath him, his tongue did a mating dance setting her insides on fire again. Suddenly he broke the kiss.

“Stay right here. Don’t go anywhere.”

She silently sucked in a breath as he threw the covers back and got out of bed. She stared at the tight buns on his backside. Self-assured in all his naked glory, he strode out of the room. She released her breath and struggled to put her tongue back in her mouth.
Damn, what a man.

Matthew could get her motor running in no time at all. His body was every woman’s dream. After a wonderful night of mind-boggling sex, he still had some sort of magnetism that threw her off balance. Even in her college years when she’d learned about sex, she hadn’t got all sappy. When the deed was done, she went on about her business. Guys weren’t the only ones who didn’t want attachments.

She still didn’t.

Did she?

She inhaled the aroma as Matthew returned with a cup of coffee in each hand. “How about a jump start?”

How about a jump-start is right. Not coffee. You!

He waited for her to sit up, then held the steaming mug out to her. Somewhere along the way he’d put on a pair of boxers.

She held the cup at her lips ready to take a sip. “I wondered if you were a brief or boxer man.”

“When I’m wearing jeans, I don’t bother with either one.”

She nearly choked on her coffee.

He reached for her cup and placed it on the nightstand. “Be careful. It’s hot.”

She ran her tongue over her bottom lip. “You’re hot.”

Matthew gave her a devil’s handsome smile. “Would you like some breakfast?”

“You,” she purred.

His eyes sparkled and he stood. “First, you have to feed me. I need to keep up my strength.”

She dropped the sheet exposing her breasts. “Come back to bed and I’ll feed you.”

Matthew’s gaze fastened there. She’d swear his eyes darkened. “How can a man resist such a tantalizing offer?”

Chapter 10

Carrie heard the phone ring when she put her key in the lock. As she pushed the door open, the machine beeped, the caller hung up.
Must not have been anyone important. Surely Matthew would leave a message.

She kicked off her shoes and let her toes absorb the comfort of the carpet. She walked down the hall to her bedroom tugging at her clothes. After jerking off her bra, she pulled a large T-shirt over her head. Before she could snap her jeans, the doorbell rang. She hurried to the door and peered through the peephole.

She opened the door.

“Hey. I just got in.” Ginger entered carrying a bottle of wine. “Thought I’d let you know I’m back. And, if you invite me to dinner, I’ll share my wine.”

“You bet. Let’s rummage in the kitchen and see what we find.” Carrie pulled a roll of sausage and salad fixings from the refrigerator. “How are the folks?”

“Fine. Ask me about my brothers.”

“Why?”

Ginger removed two wine goblets from the cabinet. “I may have let it slip you were in the market.”

“What?” Carrie jerked around.

Ginger dug around in the drawer. “Who knew it would create such an upheaval?”

With one hand braced on her hip, and the other holding a knife, Carrie pointed the sharp edge at Ginger. “What did you do?”

“I mentioned you needed a man. You should have seen them. They ended up taking their argument outside . . .”

“Argument!”

Ginger pulled the cork from the bottle and poured a generous amount in a glass. “Greg and Vince both have black eyes.”

“They fought?”

She shrugged. “They went at it like animals fighting over a piece of meat.”

Carrie tried to erase the image that suddenly sprang to mind. “Ginger, if you weren’t my friend, I’d kick your ass.”

Ginger handed her a wine goblet. “Not if you still want to get laid. Will rearranged his schedule to be here this weekend.”

“Well, call him back and tell him never mind.” Carrie clutched the glass and took a hefty swallow.

“Can’t do that.” Ginger leaned against the counter.

“Why not?”

“It’s too much fun seeing him with his tongue hanging out.” Ginger laughed.

Carrie glared and gritted through her teeth. “Ginger, I think I’ll kick your ass anyway.”

“Relax, Carrie. I have three more if Will doesn’t work out. Even if he is my brother, I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.” Ginger wiggled her eyebrows. If they were an inch wider, she’d be the female version of Groucho Marx.

“I mean it, Ginger. Call him. I’ve got Matthew disease.”

She waved her hand in the air. “He’s gay.”

“He is
not
gay.” Carrie took a sip of wine and went back to cutting the vegetables. “He’s incredible in bed.”

Ginger’s head snapped up and she plopped her glass on the counter. “‘Bout time.”

“Now, all I have to do is get him back here.”

Ginger froze. Placing both hands on the center island, she leaned forward. “What do you mean, get him back? What did you do—
or not do
—this time?”

“Matthew lives on the west coast,” Carrie explained.

“Planes fly out every day.”

She shook her head. “Long distance relationships never work out.”

A sinister gleam filled Ginger’s eyes. “There’s still my brother.”

“No.”

She shoved back from the counter and flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What’s with you and this guy anyway? You’re not indecisive. You’re the most strong-minded woman I know.”

Carrie put the knife down and braced her arms on the counter, locking her elbows. “This isn’t business.”

Ginger peered over the rim of her goblet. “You treat your relationships like business arrangements. You don’t let your partners get personal.”

Carrie met her friend’s stare. “You can’t get much more personal than getting naked with a man.”

“That’s just sex.” Ginger turned and opened a cabinet door, reaching for plates. “And you do treat men like objects.”

“That sounds dangerously like the pot calling the kettle black.”

Ginger ignored her. “Is this one different?”

Matthew was unlike any man Carrie had ever met. The magnetism had been there from the moment he shoved her into the cab. When he took her to dinner the first time, the air sizzled at their table. The heat in his eyes alone scorched her skin. And when they finally made love, his touch branded her like a hot iron. Yeah, he was different. And it scared the hell out of her.

She lost herself with him. Passion had taken over her sensibilities and she’d been completely swept away. Being in his arms had been unlike anything she’d known in her life. He touched her core. Losing control of her passion during sex didn’t bother her. Losing her mind, all thought, consumed to the point where she would have given him her all, now that was an entirely different matter. It was intolerable. Had she forgotten what happened to her sister?

“Forget it, Ginger.”

“No problem, kiddo. Two choices. Pick another man, or go after him.”

Carrie locked the door behind Ginger and headed for bed. How could she miss a man she’d just met? She stomped down the hall taking her frustration out on her floor. She jerked off her clothes, throwing them helter-skelter, when the phone rang.

“Hello,” she said crossly.

“Well, hello to you too, dear.”

Carrie flopped on the bed. “Hi, Guinevere. How are you?”

“Evidently better than you.”

“I’m sorry. I’m tired and my friend, Ginger, just left.”

“Your friend on the cruise? That explains everything, dear.”

The elder woman brought a smile to Carrie’s face. She propped a pillow behind her back. “It’s good to hear from you.”

“I’m planning my next trip and I want to see you before I leave. Instead of my coming to your office, why don’t you come here? We can have lunch and enjoy an afternoon.”

“I’d love that.”

“How about tomorrow?”

Guinevere was a dear friend as well as a special client. She’d rearrange her schedule and anything else for her. “I think tomorrow will be just fine.”

“Oh, that’s lovely, dear. You can tell me all about what’s happening in your life. Bring a bag and spend the night.”

“I may just do that.”

“What? No excuses about how busy you are?”

None. She’d love to see the old girl again. Guinevere had a way of relaxing Carrie and making her feel better about her choices. She actually looked forward to the visit.

“No excuses. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Wonderful. And you can tell me about the new man in your life.”

Carrie stared at the phone in her hand. How on earth . . .?

“Well. Good night, dear.”

The old trickster
. She was always asking if Carrie had a man in her life.

Guinevere never talked about it, but she had mentioned a man once, making Carrie wonder if she’d had a special romance. Carrie’s sister moved in with a man hoping for a happily ever after. And Brenda, she had the notion Carrie might be missing out on something significant
—a magical something
—which was only a figment of her imagination.

Wasn’t it?

Besides. Carrie didn’t worry over pointless things. She took charge and made things happen. Worry was for the weak.

The boy who left her sister pregnant had been a teenager, fourteen years ago. Carrie had been a naïve kid. Inexperienced in the ways of boys and their promises. The self-assured woman of today would never allow that to happen. She knew men and how to handle them. Could she take a chance with Matthew? At least pursue this compelling attraction that drove her to a tizzy.

She pulled the pillow from behind her back and scooted down on the bed. In previous relationships, a subconscious desire always remained, there had to be something more. The night spent in Matthew’s arms, she’d felt complete. For a time, she’d been free of that elusive feeling that something dangled just beyond her reach. Nothing had been missing when her head rested on his fur-covered chest.

Disappointment flowed through her as doubts surfaced. She should forget Matthew. Their relationship would probably turn out the same way as the others. Her body satisfied, her mind would yearn for something more.

Could she find it?

Guinevere.

She would tell her about Matthew tomorrow.