Heat in the Kitchen (19 page)

As she started pumping up and down more rapidly and her breathing hitched, Matt could no longer be a bystander. He shifted her in his arms and took a nipple between his teeth.

'Aah! Yes!' She hissed. Matt held her hips as he helped her ride up and down, thrusting his own body to meet hers.

He removed one hand and spread his fingers between them as he sought her tiny nub. He rubbed and flicked, all the time straining to retain the momentum of their bodies.

'I can't hold off much longer,' he forced out. 'Come with me Ella!'

He continued fingering her clitoris and thrust harder and faster until he felt her muscles spasm. With a final thrust he let go. The cries of their release pierced the silence of the desert air.

Matt held Ella in the circle of his arms as her muscles continued to spasm around him and his rigid length gradually softened. He kissed her neck, whispering how wonderful she was, how much she turned him on. He kissed her gently, lovingly, on her lips, before sliding out.

His muscles ached from holding her up but it was a good ache, a reminder of their powerful coupling. He would happily put up with it over and over again. Ella was a warm comfortable bundle in his arms as she rested her head on his chest in a haze of deep satisfaction. He removed Ella's hands from his neck and floated her on her back. Her legs were still clasped around his waist.

He rubbed his hands along the inside of her thighs. 'Your legs were one of the first things I noticed about you. Encased in those ridiculously high purple boots, they seemed to go on forever until they disappeared under that tiny skirt. Now that I've had them wrapped around me….' Matt groaned and felt his penis twitch at the thought of her legs and what they could do to him.

Ella tried to loosen her legs and move away, the memory of that night was embarrassing.

Matt held them in place. 'Leave them, I like the feel of them around me.' He pulled them tighter around him, letting her know the effect they were having on him. He used one hand to caress her stomach and move towards her breasts. 'I'm admiring two more of your attributes. You really do have a gorgeous body.' Ella felt herself relaxing at the mesmerising sound of his voice.

He watched as her nipples stood proud of the surface of the water.
How could he want this woman again so soon?
With one arm supporting her, he leant towards her and kissed her breast. He sucked on one nipple and then turned his attention to the other one. Ella gave a sensual mewl of pleasure.

'I love the sounds you make when you're aroused. You look beautiful when you're sated. All plump lips and breasts and this wonderful glow of contentment.' He put his finger inside her. 'And wet. Ready to welcome me in again.'

He drew her upright and kissed her. He pushed another finger inside and with his thumb caressed her clitoris. With his fingers he found her g-spot and as he felt her muscles tighten signifying her impending orgasm, he ravished her mouth.

As Ella came down from another screaming orgasm, they drew apart and she opened her eyes.

'Don't,' Matt said gently, noticing the look of discomfort in her eyes. 'I've explored every inch of your body. What we're doing is as old as time and as natural as breathing. Knowing what I do to you makes me feel very good and talking about it is healthy.' He took her back into his arms. 'So is cuddling, and you, Miss Cannon, are a very nice armful to cuddle.'

Ella gave him a hug. 'You've given me wonderful memories Matt. I feel cleaner if that makes sense. The shadows of the past seem faint now.'

Matt kissed her on the lips. 'Good. For the rest of our time here I shall do my level best to banish them altogether!'

Ella laughed, her unease forgotten, as he scooped her up and placed her back on the hard ground. They helped each other dress before returning to the tent.

'Is it me, or am I getting smiled at a lot?'

They had just been served their dessert and coffee and the servants had retired for the night.

Matt gazed at her. 'I think they know what we've been up to,' he whispered.

'What!' Ella blushed the deepest red Matt had seen on her.

'We're not exactly quiet about it sweetheart. And out here,' he indicated the expanse of the desert, 'things are still pretty basic. They won't be hearing anything that hasn't been heard before. Besides Kasib knows what nearly happened at the palace, he'll be pleased that you've got over that ordeal.'

Ella wasn't convinced she would ever be able to make love in the desert again.

In the middle of the night Matt proved her wrong as he awoke her body from sleep with the most sensuous of orgasms. Hungry to feel him inside her she climbed on top of him and rode him hard. She collapsed onto Matt, panting heavily, her body slick with sweat. She awoke in that position in the morning with his morning hardness nudging her moist heat. She was insatiable with this man and for the first time she initiated their lovemaking.

*

Matt slipped in behind Ella as she sat on the sunbed and stretched his legs out either side of hers. He caressed her arms before gathering her close for a hug and placing a kiss against the side of her neck.

'I have to go back tomorrow.'

Ella's heart sank at the news. These few days with Matt had been heaven without the outside world intruding.

Matt felt her body droop. He felt the same which was strange because he never wanted to spend long with a woman. In fact, this was the longest he'd been with someone without other people being around. And he wanted more!

'That was Azzam on the satellite phone. Apparently Zander has been on the phone to him every day and now decided it's time I returned. The production company are screaming at him to get me back to finish filming. We own the company for god's sake but they're calling the shots!'

Ella turned in his arms, reached up and kissed him.

'It's okay. This had to end sometime. And I've probably got people screaming for me too - I should have been back in the studio days ago.'

'Well I don't know about you but I think we should make this a night to remember. What do you think?' Matt moved to sit beside her as he released the ties on her bikini and let her breasts spill into his hands. Ella fell back against the lounger and gave in to the desire that was uniquely Matt.

In the early dawn Ella found herself wide awake. Her sleep pattern had gone to pot. They'd made love so many times during the previous nights and dozed in each other's arms during the days, her body no longer knew what it should be doing.

The thought of their lovemaking excited her. She remembered him taking her up against the shower wall as well as on the sand beside the pool. She grimaced. That hadn't been so pleasant - getting sand everywhere. But washing each other afterwards had been glorious. She was so much more comfortable now touching Matt's body and loved that she aroused him so hard and fast.

She glanced across at Matt who lay sleeping naked beside her, his left hand flung across his face again - that seemed to be a favourite sleeping position.

'Are you going to keep looking or come over here and satisfy me?'

Ella jumped. 'You rat! I thought you were asleep!'

Matt turned on his side and flung his arm over her. 'I know. But my senses seem finely tuned to when you're awake.'

Realisation hit Ella with a wallop. 'You weren't… that first night when I…. Oh god, you were, weren't you?'

'Yep!' Matt grinned at her.

His mood changed. 'I thought it would help you if you could explore my body thinking I was asleep. And it did, didn't it?'

Ella crimsoned and nodded, suddenly unable to speak. Matt placed a gentle kiss on her lips. 'Sweet Ella, how can you still get embarrassed after everything we've done in the last few days?'

He pulled her up against his chest and deepened the kiss. He felt restless about going home and needed this time with her when everyone else was sleeping. Ella was like a drug and he was torn between wanting to keep satisfying himself with her and putting some distance between them.

*

Ella hadn't stopped for five days. From the moment Azzam's private jet had landed at Heathrow airport and she had turned on her mobile phone she had been in the studio. She'd had to work the complete weekend too to make up for the lost time.

She hadn't even got home that day until ten o'clock at night when the studio had finally wrapped it up for the day. They'd had her back in at eight the next morning. Her suitcase was only half unpacked and her food cupboards were bare.

She'd had time to register that the press had indeed given up on her, return Daniel's phone call and glance through her mail. Other than that all she'd done was sleep. Matt had managed a few texts and a couple of voicemails but they were playing cat and mouse on their calls. When he called, she was recording and when she phoned him back he was unavailable.

Exhausted she may be but she'd gone to bed every night with a smile on her face. She felt all loved up and so very aware of her body. She tingled when she remembered those few stolen days in the desert. Even Azzam's gentle teasing hadn't been enough to embarrass her. He'd welcomed them both back at the palace with open arms. She'd been surprised at the warmth of his embrace for her when she thought about the state she'd been in when she'd left.

Within an hour of arriving at the palace they'd travelled in Azzam's limousine to the airfield in Quinaard and the three of them had then flown back to London. Ella had been a little disappointed that she hadn't had Matt to herself but he'd been attentive to her, ignoring Azzam's knowing glances. As they'd waited behind Azzam to disembark, he'd taken her in his arms and kissed her.

With their studios in different parts of London, they'd parted at Heathrow. In case any photographers had been around Matt hadn't kissed her again. He hadn't wanted to give the papers any fodder when Ella had only recently escaped their invasive clutches. She understood his logic and was grateful for it but it didn't lessen the hurt that he hadn't gone public with her.

She sighed. What did she expect? Matt Adams wasn't into settling down. He'd been tied down at eighteen and brought up two teenage girls - he didn't want to have any more responsibilities like that. Their time in the desert had been a hiatus from their lives and now they were back, Matt would no doubt go back to being with other women. She knew it was likely and had thought she'd prepared herself for it, but it cut her up to think it. If they were ever at their phones at the same time, his call would probably just be a friendly one to see how she'd settled back in.

The phone rang breaking her thoughts. The quickening of her pulse died when she realised it wasn't Matt.

'Hey Tess. How are you? Where are you just now?'

'Home. I arrived yesterday and I'm here for a few weeks before I then head off to the States. What are you up to just now?'

Ella wondered if Matt had said anything to her. 'Busy in the studio at the moment. I think another few days should wrap it up, then I've got a charity concert at my sister's college, and then I think I've got a couple of weeks off.'

'We'll need to get together when we're both free! What's the concert in aid of?'

Ella told her and they chatted for a few more minutes before Tess hung up with a promise to take four tickets. Ella was relieved not to be asked any questions about Matt when she didn't know how he viewed their relationship.

*

'Who are you?'

Matt looked up from his paper and rolled his eyes. 'Ha ha. Very funny.'

Zander joined him at the kitchen table. 'I presume you've now got everyone off your back, the filming is finished and all crises in the restaurants have been averted?'

Matt gave him a pointed stare.

'Well, I knew you'd landed back on UK soil, Azzam told me. But you've been conspicuous by your absence for the last, what, nine days? No longer being screamed at every time I answered my phone was a big clue you were back in control.'

'Yes, yes, and yes to your presumptions. Now, do you think I could enjoy my breakfast in peace please?'

Zander poured himself a cup of coffee and waited. Matt didn't disappoint.

'You do realise this is the first time I've sat down since I did get back? I've stood in front of TV cameras for fourteen hours a day for over a week, I've dealt with supplier problems, spent eight hours with students who don't give a damn, calmed two brilliant but temperamental chefs and dealt with police over a, now former, member of staff who was stealing. Last night was the first time I collapsed into bed knowing I would get more than three hours sleep and I still haven't got my bag unpacked yet.'

Zander smiled. He was so predictable. When Matt didn't get any down time, he was as temperamental as the rest of the chefs they employed. No mention in there of the lovely Ella. Zander decided to stir the pot and see what fell out.

'Which woman is it this time that only let you get three hours beauty sleep?'

'Why does everyone assume I'm with a woman all the time? And you should know better. You know half the stories aren't true!'

Hmm, defensive. Interesting.
Zander pushed a bit more.

'Well, I shielded a number of calls while you were incommunicado. At least three lovely ladies were looking for you to escort them somewhere or other this week.' Zander shrugged his shoulders as if to say 'I presume you've caught up with them'.

Matt scowled. Zander made him out to be some kind of playboy, when he was no such thing. His thoughts jumped to Ella. He wouldn't take out another woman when he was dating her. He sat up sharp. Where did that realisation come from! He rolled it around in his head. Yeah, 'dating' sounded okay. He wanted to be in an exclusive relationship with her. That should have scared him, but instead it just brought a smile to his lips. They'd still never managed to catch up with each other. He would have to rectify that before Ella tried out her new found confidence with someone else. That thought caused a jealous rage to stab sharply at his heart.

Zander watched the display of emotions cross his face. If he knew his brother as well as he thought he did, then Azzam was correct - Matt and Ella were all loved up. He would also agree with Azzam that Matt hadn't quite realised it yet. Well, well, sooner or later he supposed it was inevitable that their family dynamic would change but he'd always thought it would be because the girls fell in love. Seeing that look of contentment that had briefly flashed across Matt's face made Zander wish for something he'd never wanted before.