Hidden Threat (19 page)

“Extremely,” he smiled, ignoring her irritation. He stood up. “Shall we?” After reaching for her purse, she walked toward her long time friend and the CEO of Chicago Memorial. With every step she took, she felt Matthew’s hand on her back as he moved with her.

Cali said her goodbyes, but it was almost midnight before they made it to the front of the hotel, and the valet brought their car around. After helping her into the vehicle, Matthew began the short drive back to the house. The roads weren’t busy this late on a Friday night so the drive went quickly.

The woman beside him continued to drift in and out of consciousness. Everyone they ran into on the way out seemed to want to chat. Near the end of the evening, he practically had to hold her up. It would have been easier to carry her, but he knew that wouldn’t go over well, considering where they were. He didn’t have that same problem when they’d arrived at the house.

Opening her door, he unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her drowsy body into his arms. Her hands slid around his neck, and her head rested against his shoulder.

The urge to rest his cheek on her head was strong, but he resisted.

Making his way through the house, he managed to reach the steps before she opened her eyes and lifted her head. “Are we home?” she slurred.

“Yes. I’m just going to get you up to bed, and you can sleep.” 

Cali’s eyes came open a little more, and he saw that stubborn set of her chin. “Put me down; I can walk.”

She was already starting to squirm, so he set her on her feet. Cali managed to make it halfway up before she stumbled. He was only a few steps behind, watching her. Immediately, his hands went out to catch her as she fell back. Her momentum caused him to have to twist and bend in order to break her fall so neither of them would be hurt.

With his left arm braced behind her upper back and his right wrapped around her waist, Matthew had to use his knee to balance her lower back.

Cali looked up, his face inches from hers, holding a hint of fear. She’d been about to fall, and he’d caught her.

Her hand came up and caressed the side of his face. His eyes closed. Cali’s own lids drifted shut. She slid her hand around to Matthew’s neck and began to pull herself closer to him.

She licked her lips and felt his breath wash over them as his breathing picked up.

He was so close. His lips, his mouth. So close. Sucking in a deep breath, she moved to close the chasm that seemed to be between her and her goal. Suddenly his arms stiffened, causing her eyes to fly open.

There was no time to take in his expression before he swung her up into his arms and carried her swiftly to her bedroom. Cali’s mind was reeling. At first, she thought he was finally going to give into to whatever this was between them until she saw his face in the moonlight as they entered her room.

Matthew’s expression was not full of passion as she’d hoped. It was a blank mask.

The same one she’d seen countless times before.

He set her on the edge of her bed, took her shoes off, and pulled back the covers.

Then moving toward the door, he said, “Goodnight, Cali. I’ll be in my room if you need anything.”

With that, the door closed with a final click.

Matthew woke the next morning just after eight. It’d been a late night, and he hadn’t fallen asleep until well after one. He sat up and swung his legs to the floor.

Looking out the window, he saw the gray clouds; there was a light mist falling.

Normally that wasn’t something he minded. He’d just sit with a good book or put in some extra hours at the office. But this wasn’t a normal day. Today he would most likely spend the entire time inside the house with Cali.

He groaned and pushed himself off the bed, heading for the shower across the hall. The house was quiet. She must still be sleeping, which was a good thing. He needed more time to figure out how everything got so screwed up.

Stepping under the spray, he let the warm water work the tension out of his muscles. Shutting his mind off except for what he was currently doing, he let the bathroom fill with steam. When he stepped out, the room reminded him of a sauna.

After wiping off the mirror and shaving, he hurried back to his room to get dressed. Slipping on a pair of jeans, he reached for his wallet and put the items he’d taken with him last night to the gala back inside. It was a habit. He didn’t typically carry a full wallet when he was on assignment, only the basic necessities, and that hadn’t changed last night. The chances that he’d need his wallet today were slim, but again, it was habit.

As per his usual, he double-checked to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. When he moved his last twenty-dollar bill, something caught his eye, and he stopped moving. What in the… There between the money was a single condom.

He wasn’t in the mood for this today, and it didn’t take a genius to figure out who had put it there and how. Closing the wallet, he roughly shoved it into his pocket.

He grabbed his cell and ran downstairs as quickly as he could without making any unnecessary noise.

Matthew went straight to Alvin’s study and closed the door. He leaned against it with his eyes closed, trying to calm down. He was going to kill his brother. What was he thinking?

Before he could stop himself, he dialed Jason’s cell. His brother picked up on the fourth ring with a groggy hello. Apparently, Matthew had woken him up. He didn’t care. He was seeing red. “What do you think you’re doing!”

“Well good morning to you too, little brother.”

“Tell someone who wants to hear it, Jason. I asked what you think you’re doing? And don’t tell me it wasn’t you.”

Jason laughed. “Found my little presents, did you?”

“Jason…” Matthew’s voice drifted off, and he paused as he caught exactly what he’s brother had said. “What do you mean presents?” Jason laughed again, a full belly laugh this time. “Jason,” Matthew said through gritted teeth.

“Sorry,” Jason said, sounding anything but. “I’m guessing then you only found the one in your wallet. Didn’t open your nightstand this morning?”

“No.” Matthew was pacing now. “Why are you doing this, Jason? Why can’t you just stay out of it?”

“Because you can’t seem to see what’s right in front of you. You have a beautiful woman who you’re attracted to, who appears to be attracted to you in return, and you’re doing what? Nothing.”

“She’s. My. Boss.”

“Can it, Matthew. And while you’re at it, get over it. She’s going to be your boss for another two months and then what? Are you seriously going to just let her walk away? Matthew, I know you better than anyone. She’s different and you know it. So don’t blow it.” Jason paused. “Now. If you don’t mind, I’m going to get some lovin’ of my own,” Jason said just before disconnecting the call.

Matthew stood staring at the phone in disbelief. Rubbing his hand over his face and hair, he knew he was just as confused as ever. Putting the phone into his pocket, he opened the study doors and marched toward the kitchen.

He heard Cali moving around upstairs. She’d be coming down for breakfast soon, and he still had no idea what he was going to say to her. He’d almost kissed her last night. Again. And the problem was that he wanted to kiss her. It wasn’t possible though, no matter what Jason said.

So putting it out of his head, he reached in the refrigerator to see what Jessie had left for them. He wasn’t disappointed. There was a large bowl of cut fruit with a note saying there were muffins in the cabinet to the right of the sink. He had set everything out on the island and had just reached for the forks when he heard her on the stairs. Stay calm, he told himself. Just act normal.

Cali slowly walked down the staircase. She could hear Matthew moving about in the kitchen and braced herself. With a deep breath, she entered. Matthew stood with his back to her, reaching into the silverware drawer. He was wearing a light blue t-shirt that stretched over the expanse of his shoulders as he moved.

Shifting his weight, he turned around to face her. “Good morning.” He smiled.

***

Okay, Cali thought. She could do this.

Taking the final steps into the room, she took her usual seat at the counter.

“Good morning.”

Matthew didn’t say anything more. He just took a seat beside her and began eating.

She stole several glances at him, but he focused on his food. Finally, as he stabbed the last piece of his fruit onto his fork, he spoke but didn’t look at her. “Did you have anywhere you needed to go today? I know my presence is intrusive, but it shouldn’t stop you from your normal activities. I’ll try to make myself as inconspicuous as possible.”

Cali froze. Was he really doing this? Again? Was he really just going to ignore what had happen? What kept happening?

Oh no. No!

Placing her fork inside her bowl with more force than necessary, she stood abruptly and walked to the sink. He is not doing this again! Screamed in her head.

The bowl clattered against the stainless steel surface as she, not so gently, released it. Standing with her hands gripping the sink, she tried to breathe.

Feeling Matthew approach, she whirled around to face him ready to do battle.

“Cali?” His voice was full of concern. “What’s—”

She didn’t let him finish. Could he really be this clueless? “Don’t you dare ask me what’s wrong!”

He stood silent watching her. Cali’s hands were clenched into fists full of frustration. “You’re really going to do this, aren’t you.” It wasn’t a question. “Again.”

Cali’s hands came up to pull her hair back in frustration before aggressively forcing them back down to her sides. She couldn’t do this anymore. “I give up,” she said and then pushed off the counter to walk away.

Matthew grabbed her arm to stop her. “Cali?”

She stopped and took a deep breath, trying her best to calm her emotions before they boiled over. It took a while, but finally she was able to speak in a normal tone albeit a clipped one. “How many times?” she asked. “And then you close down and act like nothing happened.”

He released her arm, letting his own fall to his side. She really wasn’t expecting him to answer. Well she was, but she was expecting something along the lines of 
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Three,” he said, his voice flat.

This brought her head up, and she turned around so she could see his face. Was he really answering her? Did he really remember?

He met her eyes squarely. “In my office. In your office.” Cali watched the movement of his throat as he swallowed nervously. The room seemed to be getting warmer. “And last night.”

 She looked at him in disbelief, her heart hammering in her ears. He stepped toward her. This was really happening. “That’s how many times I’ve almost kissed you.” He was standing so close to her that she could feel the heat radiating off him.

“Four,” he said in a strained voice she could barely hear.

Her heart skipped a beat in her chest, and she found it was difficult to breath.

“Tell me no, Cali. Tell me to stop.”

His eyes were pleading with her, almost begging her to stop him. But she remained silent, saying everything she couldn’t with her eyes. Yes!

A deep moan tore from Matthew’s chest as he realized she wasn’t going to stop him. He took her face in his hands and claimed her mouth with his. It felt like he had been drowning, and she was his life raft. This was not a soft, sensual kiss. This was a kiss of desperation. A kiss of need, not want. And Cali needed it just as much as Matthew.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled herself flush against him, not a whisper of space between them. Her body felt perfect against his. So much better than he’d imagined.

Wrapping his own arms around her waist, Matthew sucked on her lips until they opened for him. They both moaned as their tongues came together and explored.

The taste of her! He couldn’t get enough. The kiss increased in intensity as the passion they’d both been repressing for the last three weeks ignited in flames.

Matthew backed her up against counter and lifted her up onto the hard granite surface. Their lips parted briefly, but quickly found each other once again as Cali’s legs parted, inviting him in as he stepped between them.

Cali wasn’t thinking; she could only feel. Her hands cupped his face, exploring with her fingers, as well as her mouth. She’d dreamed about this many times, but nothing compared to the real thing. He was hard and soft at the same time.

Perfect.

Matthew’s hands ran up her thighs, feeling the muscles beneath his palms for the first time. More kept repeating in his head. He took hold of her hips and pulled her closer, feeling the heat of her through her jeans.

Logic went out the window, and his instincts took over. It had been too long. Too much denial. Too much wanting and waiting. Just too much.

He ground into her.

A small whimper escaped her lips. It was enough to bring him back to his senses.

She’s still hurt. He started to pull away, but she locked her legs behind his waist, refusing to let him go.

He brought his hand up to cup her cheek. “I’m not going anywhere,” he panted, reassuring her what he’d known from the beginning; once something started between them, once that line had been crossed, there was no going back. “I just don’t want to hurt you.”

He rested his forehead on hers, just enjoying the feel of being near each other like this. Neither said anything else or moved as their breathing returned to normal.

Matthew moved first, unlocking Cali’s legs from around him and stepping out of her embrace. This time she let him. He reached out and silently helped her down from the counter.

His hands slipped into hers, slowly rubbing across her knuckles. “You never answered me earlier.”

Cali was still trying to come to terms with the fact that this was really happening.

Matthew had just kissed her and was now caressing her hands like a lover. But it was real.

It took her a few moments to respond. “What did you ask me?” 

He gave her a small smile. “Do you have any plans today?”