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“I-I don’t know if I should,” she stammered, her thoughts racing through a storm of questions and worries she wanted nothing more than to believe she could forget. “What would it look like? What would people think?”

“I don’t know, and honestly, I don’t care. Why do we have to live how other people expect us to? Haven’t we both done that before and been miserable?”

Though Katherine wasn’t sure how it could work out, she knew exactly what he meant.

“I think we could be happy together. I mean,reallyhappy,” he said. “Isn’t that enough?”

Staring into his eyes, Katherine saw something in Matthew she’d never seen before. And it made her want to trust again. But, more importantly, it made her want to trusthim. Already, he’d been so different than what she’d known before, but there was still a lingering hesitation in her.

“I’m afraid,” she admitted, immediately softening the look of frustration on his face.

“So am I. But I’m more afraid of never giving this thing between us a fighting chance.”

Looking back, Katherine could see that there had been something between them from the moment they’d met. An attraction. A wanting. Whatever it was, she knew deep down that it was something strong enough that it would always bring them back together anyway, so why fight it now? Yes, circumstances and timing were not ideal. And yes, people would always have their opinions. But why wait for the world’s approval when it may never come?

“Alright. I’ll stay.”

Standing to his feet, Matthew reached for Katherine, positioning her in front of him. Then he lifted both of her hands to his lips and softly kissed the top of each one. Turning her hands over, he did the same to her sensitive palms, sending a shiver through her body each time he pressed his lips against her skin.

Watching, Katherine felt overwhelmed by the attention that went into each delicate, passion-filled pressing of his mouth. Matthew was gentle and not demanding. He was patient and took his time. And with each touch of his lips against her skin, something grew inside of her. An excitement she’d neverexperienced before. An excitement that made her wish his lips were pressed against her own.

Lost in the pleasurable sensations warming her, Katherine didn’t immediately realize that Matthew had been slowly walking them away from the kitchen and toward the staircase.

“Matthew…” she breathed nervously, her heart pounding, her voice heavy with apprehension.

“Don’t worry,” he soothed with his words and a slight smile. “Nothing is going to happen. Not until you’re ready.”

“What if I’m never ready?” she asked, staring into his eyes, wanting desperately to see that he respected her and would never hurt her.

Leaning down, Matthew’s mouth was so close she could feel the warmth of his breath and smell the lingering sweetness of caramel sauce on his lips.

“I promise. Not until it’s right for both of us.”

“Thank you,” she said, leaning in to press her lips to his.

Something about the way he understood and respected her only heightened her feelings for him. He was more than she could’ve ever dreamed of. And God help her if it was wrong because she didn’t want it to end.

When they’d kissed until her body was limp and pressed against his, he pulled away and studied the fullness of her mouth and the warm flush of her face. “I wanna be next to you and hold you while you sleep.”

“I wanna be next to you, too.”

A wide smile made Matthew’s mouth look even more inviting. “That’s good to know.”

Releasing her from his embrace and turning toward the stairs, he took her hand and moved slowly, leading her to his bed. With each step stirring even more excitement inside than the previous one, Katherine noticed things. Things that she tried not to think about before. Things that made her heart race. Fromthe warmth of his hand and the smell of his skin to the defining lines of his forearm and the length of his thick, muscular legs, every part of him was a masterpiece.

Reaching the top landing, Matthew released her hand. “Wait here. I’ll be right back.”

As he slipped quietly inside Libby’s bedroom, Katherine was left alone with only the eager pounding of her heart to keep her company. What was probably only minutes felt like hours, and she needed a distraction to calm her nerves.

Looking around, she counted the doors on the upper floor, wondering what was behind each one. Five in all, including a door she’d been too busy with Libby to notice before.

There was the open door of a bathroom, a narrow door next to the bathroom that was likely a linen closet, Libby’s half-closed door, another half-closed door she couldn’t quite see inside, and one final door that was firmly shut. The same door she was now staring at as fear gripped her heart. Could she be with Matthew in the room he once shared with Julia?

“She’s sound asleep,” Matthew whispered, slipping back into the hallway, stretching his hand out to Katherine before coming close enough to see the worry on her face.

“What’s wrong?”

“Tell me that’s a guest room you’re taking me to,” she said, pointing to the closed door. “Because honestly, and I’m sorry if this sounds weirdly possessive, but I don’t think I can sleep in the same bed you shared with Julia.”