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“All the way from Kinsey?”

“Yeah, my dad said they came to see Libby, but honestly, I think my mom talked him into coming to check on me. I tried to explain everything was fine, but they insisted on staying a few days. Guess I’ve been so distracted with a certain someone, I haven’t been calling home enough.”

Katherine smiled. “You’re sweet, you know that?”

“And so are you,” Matthew said, giving her a quick kiss. “Now how about we order some takeout instead?”

“I like takeout,” she said, reaching up and drawing him in for another kiss. This time, Matthew lingered, teasing and tasting Katherine’s tongue. But he didn’t stop there. Moving his mouth to the side of her neck, he kissed, licked, and bit her warm, wanting flesh.

Weakened by his passionate attention, Katherine’s body felt heavy with desire, and she had to press herself against Matthew to stop her legs from buckling.

“Tonight, I’m gonna take such good care of you,” he whispered, making Katherine’s eyes open wide.

Just because Libby wasn’t with them, had he forgotten his promise?

“I think we should wait.”

“But I thought you said you liked it,” he whispered in her ear. “If I can’t take care of you here, then let’s go somewhere where I can.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Katherine insisted, extracting herself from his hold, leaving Matthew looking confused.

“It means that if you’ve changed your mind about takeout, I’d happily takeyouout to dinner somewhere.”

“Oh… okay,” she sighed with relief. “Sorry, I thought you meant something else.”

“What did you think I meant?”

As her flushed cheeks gave away the direction of her thoughts, realization dawned on Matthew. “Miss Bennett, did you think I was planning on making love to you tonight?”

When a guilty little grin lifted the corners of her mouth, he caught her up in his arms and buried his face in the crook of her neck, growling like a monster. Crying out in a fit of giggles, Katherine managed to pull away from his embrace, dash inside, through the kitchen, then the dining room, and partway into the living room before he caught up with her.

“I take it back! I swear, I wasn’t thinking anything!”

But Matthew wasn’t falling for her excuses. She was giggling way too hard when he finally got a hold of her again and pinned her down on the couch.

“There’s no sleeping baby to save you now,” he teased, reaching for her sensitive sides.

“No… please,” she begged. “I’m ticklish there.”

“Really?” Matthew grinned, grabbing her hands and pinning them high above her head. As he gazed down at her, his eyes filled with even more excitement, and his once friendlysmile suddenly turned quite roguish. “That could be dangerous information in the wrong hands.”

“You wouldn’t.” Katherine’s eyes widened in worry before she burst into a fit of laughter. And though she wriggled and writhed, it wasn’t enough to completely free herself from his grasp.

“You don’t think I’m letting you get away that easy, do you?”

“But you’re so sweet and kind, and you wouldn’t want to make me scream. Someone might hear and think something bad is happening.”

In one swift motion, Matthew had Katherine’s hands high above her head again, diving down toward her neck. When she let out a squeal, he stopped just before pressing his mouth to her skin, then pulled back to stare into her eyes.“Tell me why I should stop,” he challenged, his voice menacing, playful, and sexy.

“Because you love me.”

Matthew’s playful grin faded into seriousness. “And that’s okay?”

“Yes,” she breathed.

“Is it because you love me too?”

When Katherine nodded, Matthew released her hands and propped himself up beside her. “I don’t know why God brought you into my life right now, but I’m so glad He did.”