“Friend,” he says finally, but then adds, “a very special friend,” and I blow out the tiny breath I’d been holding.
“Nice to meet you,” she says, her eyes roving from Matt to me and back again.
“So how’s school?” he asks, and while they’re chatting I take her in, noticing how much she resembles Caleb with her dark hair and her almond-shaped brown eyes.
“It’s good. Studying hard as always.” She winks and Matt chuckles.
“Anyone’s ass I need to kick?”
“Not yet.” She laughs, playfully punching his shoulder. “But I’ll let you know. Okay, I gotta run. Brooke is waiting for me at her house. Nice meeting you, Fran. Bye, Matty.” She kisses his cheek and skips into the house, turning around to wave before plundering through the door.
Matt waves back and gets me settled before he climbs in, revs the engine and takes off down the road.
“I love them,” I say immediately. “They’re so incredibly sweet and it’s great how laid back they are. His sister, too. I see where Caleb gets his fun-loving spirit…and I see why you love them so much. They obviously adore you.”
“What’s not to adore?” he shoots back, and I let out a laugh, toeing off my sandals and tucking my feet under my legs.
“I learned some things about you tonight, Matt Dixon.”
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” he asks, rolling to a stop at a red light and angling his head so he can better see me.
“Well, I learned that your middle name is James and that you love chocolate cream pie, and….” I lower my voice, twiddling my fingers in my lap. “I learned that there’s so much sweetness in you.”
I hear his sharp intake of breath, and when the light turns green, he makes a quick right, pulling into what looks like the entrance to a park and quickly cutting the ignition. He unbuckles his seat belt and leans into me, curling his hand around the back of my neck as he guides my face closer and a shudder runs through me.
“I taste really sweet, too,” he says, his breath a soft whisper on my lips.
“Oh yeah…prove it,” I murmur, inching my lips closer to his, my tongue sneaking out to moisten them.
“Oh, sunshine, you know how I like dares,” he counters, his voice gruff, before sealing his lips over mine, taking my bottom lip between his teeth, sucking hard. It’s just enough to leave a sting that he eases when his tongue glides back over it. I whimper at the torture because it feels so good, looping my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss and he groans, pulling me onto his lap so I’m straddling him.
My dress bunches around my hips and I can feel how much he wants me, his erection pressing against the silk of my panties, and my skin suddenly feels hot all over because I want him, too…desperately.
He leaves my lips and trails his tongue down my jaw, dropping kisses all along my neck and I moan again, rubbing myself against him. “Fran.” His voice is breathy and desperate, too, while he continues to coat my throat with the warmth of his tongue. “I want you so badly,” he groans, and his hand moves from my lower back around to my bare thigh, his fingers brush my skin and I shiver, willing his hand to go higher. As if hearing my silent request, he begins a slow ascent, inching up my skin until he reaches the edge of my panties, circling his thumb, and I can’t help the sounds of arousal that are free falling from my mouth. He pushes the material aside, his thumb finding my clit, and I let out a jagged cry, his name the only thing on my lips.
“Matt….”
“Baby, you’re so wet…God, I wish I could lick you right now.”
“Matt,” I whimper again, loving the way he talks to me, the way he wants me, the desire oozing from his voice, pushing me toward the release I’m craving. I open my legs more, wanting this, so turned on that I can’t think straight. A coil inside me has snapped and I feel freer than I ever have and I know it’s because of him. After feeling nothing for so long, suddenly I’m feeling everything—and I want more of it, more of him. My hands tug at his hair and I pull his lips to mine, my mouth engulfing his tongue as my breathing speeds up and he spreads me open, inserting a finger inside of me. I ride his hand with wild abandon, his cock growing underneath me, his mouth fused with mine as we swallow each other’s moans.
I break the contact, my head falling back, my lips parting to let everything out. “Matt, I’m…so close—”
“Sunshine, look at me,” he says, and I lean forward to stare into eyes that even with only the dim lamplight are so piercing they strip me bare. He sees right through me—through all the bullshit, all the pain, all the hurt, and all that’s left is me…and yet, here he is, still wanting me.
He pushes harder against my clit, soaking me completely, my wetness dripping all over him. Another finger enters me and I’m lost, the pleasure overwhelming, my body clenching around him as I spiral out of control and let go screaming his name.
“Oh God, Matt!”
My head collapses onto his shoulder and I try to catch my breath, to come down from this amazing high but I can’t seem to collect myself. A tear trickles down my cheek, all these sensations mixed with my own rampant thoughts are colliding, an overload of emotions, of beautiful colors and blinding light. Matt has done more for me in six days than my therapist did for me in four years and I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. The connection I feel with him is unmistakable and it cuts into some deep part of me, a place that only he’s been able to reach. It’s like I’ve been playing hide and seek for so long, holding my breath, staying still and quiet, all the while secretly hoping someone would come and find me.
“Fran,” he says softly, and I respond immediately, lifting my head and gazing into his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’m, yes, I’m great,” I respond, although the tone of my voice doesn’t match my words and he senses it.
He pushes my hair away before taking my face in his hands, caressing my skin. “I don’t think so and I want to know what’s wrong. Did I hurt you?”
“God, no…that felt amazing. It’s just that…what are we doing, Matt?” I ask, even though I’m scared to know the answer.
“What do you mean?” His eyebrows rise subtly, wisps of hair cling to his forehead and I smooth them away with my fingers.
“Well.…” I swallow the thick layer of emotion threatening my ability to speak coherently. “I’m leaving soon and—”
“Shhh, baby,” he interrupts, shaking his head before resting his forehead against mine, almost as if he can’t bear to think about it. “I don’t want to talk about that right now. I just want to enjoy being with you. Can we do that? Just enjoy every moment we have together?”
I exhale a sigh, recalling Mrs. Brody’s words—‘moments are all we have.’ “Sure,” I reply, but I can’t help thinking that the sand in the hourglass is running out and our moments are slipping away.
Chapter Thirty – Matt – Tumbleweeds
I’m trying to slow down. My heartbeat. My thoughts. Time. I’m all over the freaking place. I just watched Fran give herself over to me. I felt it…the second she let go, and I don’t mean the fact that she came relentlessly, which in and of itself was fucking amazing. I mean, I saw it in her eyes, like she was gifting me something she’d never given anyone before, and now I’m terrified because I don’t know what the fuck to do with it. Because I know if I’m not careful, the fragile treasure she just handed me could shatter into a million pieces.
Everything I knew about my life has gone to hell in six days. I don’t care what’s happening at work, if my car gets dented, or even whether my cabinets are alphabetized. The only thing I care about is sitting right in front of me and I’m left wondering how the fuck this happened. She blew into my life like one of those tumbleweeds in the old western movies Mr. Brody and I used to watch—unexpectedly, effortlessly—and now she’s about to blow back out just as quickly as she came in.