Page 6 of Beneath His Touch

“Is the age difference that big of a deal?” Crew asks.

“Tip of the iceberg. The rest is sitting below the surface, and nothing I’ve done since she’s started working for Ophelia has made her open up to anyone, me included.” Jude is the only one who’s done some digging, and even that has been superficial.

“Fuck, it’s like that,” Crew replies, sitting back in his seat as well, crossing his arms over his chest and meeting me head-on.

“It’s like that. Not sure how deep it goes, but between that and her age and me being an attorney, all that together could create a perfect fucking storm.” I’m on the verge of hitting forty years old. Letty is only twenty, still a month or so away from turning twenty-one. And then there’s the fact that her identification, when looked at close enough, you can tell is a fake. I’m not sure how Ophelia or the owner of Twisted Oak are paying her. Whatever it is, as long as it’s not putting Letty in danger, more power to them.

“Shit, no kidding.” While Crew looks like he could use a drink from the day he’s had, I’m sure I’ve got the same disdain written all over my face as well.

“Here are your drinks, and your appetizer should be right out.” Another waitress, one who isn’t Letty, stops at our table.

“Thank you.” Crew says. I’m busy mulling over where the hell my kitten went and why she’s running from me when only moments ago, she looked me in my eyes without a single problem.

“You’re welcome,” the substitute waitress says. I don’t even give her a second glance. Instead, I take the bottle she set down, bring it to my mouth to take a few healthy sips, and the minute she leaves, I’m on the move.

“I’ll be right back. Order me whatever the fuck you’d think I’d like.” I place the beer on the table.

“You got it. Go after your woman, man.” I don’t bother with a reply. I’m too busy sliding out of the booth and heading in the direction I last saw Letty move toward.

5

LETTY

I’m a coward, and this is not the person I am. Okay, that’s a lie. I run. It’s what I’ve had to do, but it’s not what I need to do when it comes to Matthew Carlisle. He’s safe. At least he seems to be thus far, he’s never crossed a line in the creep type vibes. Sure, he’s been taking care of himself while saying my name, but I’ve done the same. Only it wasn’t out in the open, literally, but in the comfort of my own bedroom.

I take a deep breath while plastering myself to the wall in the small alcove near the restrooms after asking Carrie to drop off the drinks at Matthew’s table. I didn’t think I’d see him this soon, and now that he’s here in the flesh, well, my mind went haywire. The only thought I could come up with was to run.

“Get it together, Letty girl.” I tip my head to the ceiling, close my eyes, and swallow the lump that’s slowly forming. It’s notthe I’m going to break down and crytype of situation,more along the lines of the world feeling like it’s closing in on me.

The restaurant noises are muted, but I can still hear the hustle and bustle—the clanking of glasses, the chatter between customers, and the sports that are broadcast on the plethora of televisions that are mounted to the wall. You’d think that the noise would overstimulate me more, yet it doesn’t. It’s a balm to my soul. I spend more time alone with my thoughts than the average person ever should. A shield to protect myself and others is to stay to myself. Only now, it seems like the script has been flipped on me. Damn Matthew Carlisle.

I nearly jump out of my skin when two hands grab my waist, so lost in my thoughts that this could very well be the end of my demise. Slowly, ever so slowly, I lower my head, keeping my eyes screwed shut, scared out of my mind. My heart beats at a staccato, abnormally fast, and it may well jump out of my chest.

“Open your eyes, Letty. Let me see you, kitten.” His voice soothes any of my worries. It still doesn’t balance out my senses that are in overdrive. I lick my lips, gathering the courage to finally look at him, and before I can do anything, the low groan Matthew gives me has my body trembling with need. God, I can imagine him making that exact same sound while he’s thrusting his powerful hips in and out of my wet center. “Kitten, a man can only hold on for so long before it becomes too much.”

When I finally deem it a good idea to open my eyes and see the hunger scorching me with desire like I’ve never experienced before, I realize I’m way out of my element. This man standing in front of me has no problem displaying his desire for me.

It should scare me.Heshould scare me.

I should be running for the nearest exit.There’s only one issue with running.

I want to run toward him.

I want him to wrap me in his arms.

I want him to hold me.

And I don’t want him to ever let me go.

“Matthew.” His fingers press deeper into my curves, thumbs sliding along my hip bones and the rest digging into my ass as he presses in. I can feel him, all of him, including the hard ridge of his cock that is slowly rocking into my body.

“I like the way you say my name, Letty.” He dips his head, nose sliding along my throat, where he pauses to breathe me in, and damn it, I swear I can feel the tip of his tongue blaze on my pulse point.

“This is wrong. I’m your employee.” I’m attempting to be the voice of reason, but my voice is weak, and I’d never deny his touch.

When Matthew pulls away from my neck, a soft mewl leaves me, and even though I try to swallow the sound, it doesn’t work. I can tell by the sudden stop of his movement that he heard it, too.

“We’ll go back to that. However, I want to make sure you’re alright.” His sincerity is another turn-on. He’s gotmoney, there’s no denying that. And while my life was once pretty cushioned, we never made it seem like we were better than anyone else. The same can be said for the man in front of me. Yes, he lives in a lavish penthouse well above the clouds and trees. No, he doesn’t buy exuberant pieces to furnish his house. He prefers to keep things until they can’t be cleaned or saved anymore. He doesn’t vacation, and the few things Matthew does spend money on aren’t vain in the least.