Page 52

Not even Katherine was sure if she gasped or whimpered, but the sensation was magnificent and maddening at the same time, and her body submitted to the wave of tingling pleasure that washed over her.

“Make that very, very good,” Matthew said as he pulled away.

But Katherine wanted more, and she grabbed his head and brought him back down so she could kiss him the same way he had kissed her.

“And you’re very, very good too,” she added when she’d finally loosened her grip.

Smiling, Katherine’s eyelids were so heavy that only a sliver of their chocolate brown color was visible to Matthew. And a broad grin brightened her face.

“Katie, Katie, Katie. Do you haveanyidea what you do to me?”

“Probably the same thing you’re doing to me,” she said, as the underlying purr in her voice confirmed just how much she wanted him. “Are you ready to take me to bed now?”

“Damn,” Matthew chuckled softly, his head rolling back. “You’ve got me so close to the edge right now.”

Then Katherine raised herself on tiptoes to smell the inviting scent of his cologne and kiss the warm skin of his neck. “Do you want me to stop?” she cooed so boldly that she hardly recognized herself.

“No, I don’t want you to ever stop.”

Guiding her into his bedroom, Matthew kissed Katherine again and again until they were both breathless with desire and need. Then, despite the heat building between them, he stopped to ask if she was okay.

“I am doingverywell,” she said, her dreamy smile and heavy eyelids a testament to her words. Like someone after too manyglasses of champagne, she’d fallen under the influence of his kisses.

“So am I.”

Katherine beamed in satisfaction before pulling away to catch her breath and inspect his room. “Very manly,” she observed, looking around at the dark blue fabrics and deep mahogany furniture.

“Sorry about the mess,” he said, referring to the unmade bed, a few stray items that didn’t quite make it inside the laundry hamper, and two uniforms fresh from the dry cleaners, still in plastic bags and draped over a chair in the corner. “Obviously, I wasn’t expecting company.”

“I can help in here, too.”

Since leaving his parents’ home, Matthew wasn’t accustomed to anyone taking care of him. “That’s okay. It can wait,” he said, leaving her by the door to open a drawer in the dresser across the room. “Tops and bottoms? Long T-shirt? Leather and lace?”

Katherine froze.

“What did you just say?”

“What do you wanna sleep in?” he asked, with a smirk. “And no, I don’t have any leather and lace. I was just checking to see if you were paying attention.”

“Oh… okay,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound nervous. “Wait, did you say tops and bottoms? As inactualpajamas?”

“Yeah.”

“Like the kind my granddad wears?”

“I didn’t buy them if that’s what you’re thinking. My mom got them for me years ago. I just haven’t had the heart to donate them. She was so happy when I opened the box. Apparently, the saleslady told her all the young hip guys were wearing them again,” he said, holding up a pair of men’s polka dot pajamas, clearly too small to fit him.

“How long have you had those?”

“Since high school.”

“Wow.” Katherine looked them over, pressing her lips together to stifle a laugh. She tried to decide which part was the least like Matthew. The size. The baby blue color. Or the teeny-tiny white polka dots that covered them from top to bottom. “Those are…”

“A bit on the snug side? A bit nineteen fifties?”

“Pretty much,” she laughed. “Did they come with a pipe and a Charles Dickens novel? That’s what granddad usually has with him before bed.”

“Are you calling me an old man?” Matthew said, tossing the pajamas in her direction.