Page 42 of Perfectly Matched: Harbor Falls Romance Collection

How she ended up here, sitting at a fancy-set table in Suzie Hart Matthew’s dining room, when she had planned to nerd out all day with her writing, Katie wasn’t certain. Well, of course, she knew the sequence of events, but it was so far removed from her plan for the day that she had to give herself a mental double take. And for some reason, now, she was feeling a little uneasy. Had she allowed herself to be suckered into something that would turn around and bite her in the ass?

When Suzie called earlier, insisting she come to the book club and contribute to the discussion on that new memoir by Gabby Mortimer, she’d been puzzled. She’d been deep into writing scene five when her cell phone rang. She answered. “Suzie?”

“Oh Katie, good. So glad you answered. Look, I’m having an impromptu book discussion over here tonight. Evidently, this new book is all the rage and the ladies want to continue the discussion tonight. Gracie couldn’t have it over at Romantically Yours because of Izzie’s Scouts cookie drive and I wondered if you could come. The ladies and I think you would be a great addition to the club, being a librarian and all.”

Book club? She’d heard about the club over at Gracie’s gift shop. Suzie’s cousin owned the eclectic boutique across the street from the library. Since she’d been back in town, Katie had popped in a couple of times to buy cards or candles but had yet to experience the book club. A gregarious older group of women, they sometimes moved the meeting to Friday nights at Rick’s Cafe next door to Gracie’s shop, starting the discussion with happy hour. Katie thought them a closed group of friends who used books for an excuse to drink wine and dollar margaritas.

“Oh, Suzie, thank you for thinking of me but no. I have plans for today.”

And she did.

But Suzie wasn’t about to be deterred. She went on to say the Mortimer book, One Step, Two Step, was trending on Twitter. Katie knew nothing about that or the book. Suzie shared how the book told the story of Gabby’s travels through Asia after her husband died from pancreatic cancer. Then how she had lived three years with Monks in Indonesia, after which she adopted a little girl from Thailand who was suffering from some rare bone disease that made her bow-legged. And then, she told of the struggle of bringing the girl back to the states, only to be discriminated against by her neighbors in her white-collar, gated golf community.

Katie wasn’t certain that was the kind of memoir she wanted to read, let alone discuss, and wondered, briefly, if there even was such a book. She had never heard of Gabby Mortimer. She didn’t even know if there were Monks in Indonesia, but Suzie insisted that the book was an up-and-coming bestseller and all the rage. Her editor had told her so. Not that Suzie’s cookbook editor would know diddlysquat about bestselling memoirs, even if it were published with the same house.

If Katie hadn’t been so busy working on her own novel, she might have run out and checked the library catalog before heading to Suzie’s to see what the heck Suzie was talking about, or at least Googled the author or title. But she didn’t. She’d been too engrossed in her story. And it had been a while since she’d been able to let herself do that.

“Suzie, no. I’m…”

She started to make up an excuse for what she was doing. The whole town didn’t need to know that she was writing, did they? But then she thought, well, she’d take a risk.

“I’m writing today.”

There was a slight pause on the other end.

“Writing? Do you write, Katie?”

She took a breath and steadied herself.

“Yes. I’m working on a novel.”

“Oh, my goodness, that’s perfect! Maybe you can tell us about it when you come. Mary Lou is going to be here too and I’m sure all the book club ladies will be excited to learn all about it! So be here at six-thirty. Okay? I have snacks and liquor so no need to bring anything. Bye!”

In typical Suzie fashion, she was gone.

Katie hadn’t truly agreed but now that Suzie was expecting her, she decided to go with the flow. Be good to get out of the house, she told herself. Right? Socialize. And talk about books. Books were her favorite thing, after all. Well, right after sex. And with no sex this weekend, books were a good substitute.

Sort of.

She had looked forward to it. Earlier. But glancing about now, Katie affirmed her earlier suspicions. No book discussion was about to happen here this evening.

The dining room table was set for seduction, not stimulating intellectual discussion. Two place settings of fine bone china, sparkling crystal water and wine glasses, and polished silver reflected flickering candlelight. A lazy tune played soft in the background. The lights were low. Rose petals sprinkled on the expensive white linen tablecloth balanced the strawberries dipped in dark chocolate perched on a cake stand in the center of the table.

The song changed and like an idiot, she hummed along. Ta-ta-ta. Ta-ta-ta. Ta-ta-TA-DA. Ta-ta-TA-DA. Ta-ta-TA-DA. Matchmaker, matchmaker, make me a match and…

Matchmaker. Crap. She’d heard the rumors about Suzie.

I’m an idiot.

I. Will. Kill. Him.

“Wine?”

Suzie sashayed in holding a bottle of red. She smiled and gravitated toward one of the glasses and poured a small amount. Picking the goblet up by the stem, she handed it to Katie.

“It’s from New Zealand. Fruity. Goes nicely with the berries and chocolate. I think I’ll add this combo to my cookbook, Perfectly Matched. What do you think?”

Katie squinted, took the glass, and thought about downing the wine with one gulp, then remembered she shouldn’t be drinking.

“I think you’re up to something.”

She handed the glass back to her host.

“There is no book club going on here tonight. Where is he?”

Wrinkling her nose, Suzie took back the wine. A timer went off in the kitchen. “Oh,”

she said then.

“Make yourself at home. I’ll be right back.”

It was like she blinked her eyes and disappeared.

“Witch.”

Exhaling, Katie reached for the wine, brought it to her lips, and paused. Firmly, she set it down again. “Dammit.”

She stood and whirled, ready to escape, but something solid and unmoving and male blocked her way.

Chest. And she barreled right into it.

Chris steadied her, fingers gripping her biceps.

“Going somewhere?”

With an exhale long and deep enough to force out any frustration left in her body, she stepped back and pushed away. As she opened her mouth to blast him for whatever little scenario he had gone and paid too much for, she clamped it back closed again.

Whoa. What the hell?

“Uh. Oh. Um. Wow.”

Damn he looked good.

The suit was crisp and new. Deep chocolate brown. Underneath the jacket, he wore a starched ivory shirt graced with a necktie the color of a mocha latte. Her gaze rose to his face. He’d shaved. Close. Every hair was in place. And his deep-set amber eyes twinkled.

He’d gone to a lot of trouble here. For her.

Not to mention he smelled like pure lust. She leaned forward and inhaled. Deep. No. Musk. Oh. My.

“Oh Chris. What have you done?”

She gritted her teeth and challenged herself not to get caught up in this mess. But he was good. Oh, yes. He was damn good. And so was Suzie.

Criminy.

Chris ambled to the table, glanced back at her once, and plucked a dipped strawberry off the cake plate. “Hungry?”

She pursed her lips. He moved closer and dangled the berry in front of her face. She watched his eyes, crinkled at the corners, and chewed her bottom lip.

“Come bite me,”

he teased, waving the succulent fruit in front of her. Then he tilted his head back, opened his mouth, and slowly sucked the chocolate off that strawberry while she watched.

“Damn you.”

He laughed.

“Want one? I’ll feed you.”

“No.”

“Sure, you do. I can see it in your eyes.”

“I don’t want one.”

“What if I rub it over your—”

“Stop it!”

“Then lick off the excess juices—”

“Enough.”

“Wanna bite something else then?”

Okay. Time to leave. Sex was sex was sex…and she’d always been able to resist when it wasn’t in her best interest. And sex with Chris right now was not in her best interest but the man was relentless. This time, however, she would not fold. Would not succumb. Would not give in no matter what he did or said or…

“Or I could bite you.”

Shit. She literally quivered between her legs. God, she was wet already. She backed away.

“Chris, look…”

Talking was not working. She needed action.

Retreat. Retreat!

Unfortunately, he was a step ahead of her. Grasping her by both forearms, he hauled her up against him. It was good. Yes. Good to be next to him.

Why couldn’t she just give in? Why was she fighting this? Her feelings were real. Genuine. She loved him; she knew it in her heart. Why couldn’t she cave? And he was so irresistible when it came to sex….

His lips found her ear and he nuzzled.

“Katie, I’ve missed you so.”

They swayed and her chest grew warm, swelling with the wings of a thousand butterflies that were frantic for release. To fly free and to live and love and…

Butterflies died when they mated, right?

His tongue traced the shell of her ear. Made slow, lazy, tempting circles. Groaning, she slid her hands around his waist, under his jacket, felt the muscles over his ribs.

“You bastard,”

she breathed.

“I love you, Katie. Please, let’s talk about this.”

His words were soft-spoken and sincere. She knew he loved her. Still.

“Not yet, Chris. This just feels so impossible….”

Both his arms went around her shoulders then. His mouth embarked on a slow, lazy trail down her neck.

“Nothing is impossible, sweetheart. Let’s talk. Suzie has made this great dinner and she has a room ready upstairs that we can stay in tonight.”

His hands worked their way up her neck and cradled her face.

“And talk this out. It’s the right thing. For us. Me. You. The baby…”

The baby.

Tears stung the backs of her eyelids again.

The baby.

If it weren’t for the baby, he wouldn’t have asked her to marry him. And she wouldn’t be thinking about it, either. Because she had other plans. Other ways she wanted to live her life. A baby wasn’t in the plans.

Even though the idea of a baby was beginning to grow on her.

But she had dreams. She hadn’t wanted to be stuck at home with a baby. Not like her mother, who died before she lived out her life.

No.

Except the damned condom broke. Sonofabitch. And she’d switched doctors with the move and had been off the pill for a month or so. Stupid.

She pushed away. Broke the embrace. Fell back two more steps.

Her eyes filled with tears and she cursed herself. Damned hormones! She couldn’t even look at a kid anymore without crying. Then she leveled her gaze on Chris’ face and stared straight into his eyes.

“No, Chris. It’s not going to work. All of this…”

She waved her hand toward the table.

“…seduction scene won’t help to convince me. I won’t marry you. You’ll be sorry in the long run. I’m not going to ruin your life. Or mine. Or the baby’s.”

She knew that made no sense. But he’d confused her and inside her head, everything was muddled. Inside her heart...? She stumbled toward the door. He caught her by the elbow.

“Katie, stop. I don’t have a clue what is up with you. What do you mean you’d ruin my life? How in the world…?”

She twisted and jerked her arm out of his grasp.

“Just what I said.”

She could barely hold the sobs back now.

His voice rose.

“What the hell, Katie! The baby is coming! Whether you like it or not. We have to figure out something. We have to plan. We can’t keep ignoring this and you have to stop pushing me away. Pushing both of us away!”

Whether I like it or not. The baby is coming.

The realization hit her square in the chest, ripping her wide open. Every emotion she’d kept pent up for so long was whooshed out for the world to trample on. For Chris to see. She’d never been so scared in her life.

Pregnant.

Baby.

Hers.

Theirs.

What was she going to do? What were they going to do?

Too much. It was all too much. In the next instant, an agonizing sob wrenched from her throat. Then she did what she was good at doing lately. Run.

****

Closing his eyes against the scene that had just unfolded before him, Chris’s hopes and dreams sank. He had no clue where to turn next. What to do. The only thing he knew was that he couldn’t give up. She was carrying his child. He loved her. And he already loved that baby more than anything, too.

Aching inside, he grimaced at the pain. What would he do if he couldn’t convince her to marry him? What was it going to take?

At the sound of footsteps, he opened his eyes to find Suzie standing framed by the dining room doorway.

“Didn’t go so well, huh?”

she asked softly.

He shook his head.

Suzie sighed.

“This one has me puzzled.”

“Yeah. Like one big old eight-hundred-piece monster.”

Nodding, Suzie said.

“She’s upstairs. I’ll go talk to her.”

A little hope rose in his chest. Girl talk? Maybe.

“It’s hard to get her to open up.”

“I know. She was three years behind me in school, but I know her about as well as anyone. Let me see what I can do.”

“She’s pregnant.”

Suzie’s eyes grew wide.

“It’s mine.”

“Ah. Important information.”

“We just found out. Last weekend.”

“Hm. The day I saw you.”

“Yes.”

“So, it’s still new. Emotions are running high.”

“Yes.”

Suzie nodded.

“And hers are cockeyed.”

“I don’t want to lose her or the baby. And I don’t have a clue what I’m doing wrong or what’s happening in her head.”

She studied him for a moment then reached out and clasped her hand over his.

“Go back in the family room with Brad. Have a beer. Relax. Let’s see what I can find out.”

****

Someone knocked at the door. Great.

Why she hadn’t run straight out the front door Katie would never know—but her stomach was turning flip-flops and she thought she was going to be sick. It had happened a few times lately, so she ran up the stairs looking for a bathroom. By chance, she found one that came attached to a bedroom and now, she lay stretched out over a crisp, cool, white cotton comforter in a room painted a soothing shade of blue.

It calmed her. Somewhat. Lying there. Allowing her some time to think. Letting her brain clear. As the door creaked open, she didn’t open her eyes.

“Katie, it’s me. Suzie.”

“I know.”

She smelled her vanilla perfume.

The weight of Suzie’s small frame settled on the bed.

“Lots of stuff going on, huh?”

Katie snorted.

“He loves you.”

“I know.”

“He’s a good man.”

“I know that, too.”

“Then what is the problem?”

Silence. She turned her head into the pillow.

“I like to be spanked.”

Her words were muffled.

“Oh. Hm. Really.”

Katie could tell by the tone of her voice that Suzie was trying to be dignified. “Yes.”

“I’m not quite sure what that has to do with all of this, but I’m intrigued.”

Sitting up, Katie looked straight at Suzie.

“Is that the kind of mother a baby should have? One who likes to be spanked? One who likes to fuck her boyfriend on the side of the road in the middle of the night? One who doesn’t wear panties and wishes her boyfriend would nail her between the stacks on an early Sunday morning while Geraldine Weissmuller is reading the morning paper in the children’s section?”

Katie watched Suzie’s eyes grow wide. Oh hell.

“Well, Katie Long, babies generally don’t much care about any of that. All a baby wants is to be dry and fed and held.”

Slapping the bed, Katie exclaimed.

“See? That’s just it! I don’t have time for those things. I don’t want to change my lifestyle. I don’t want to change the fact that I like to be spanked.”

Suzie stared.

“Who says you have to?”

Katie blinked. And glared.

“Um. I don’t know. I just feel a mom should…”

Grasping her hands, Suzie shook her. Katie looked down at the grip she had on her.

“Katie look,”

Suzie began.

“You’re afraid of something here and guess what, that’s pretty much normal. No woman wants her life to change when she gets married or has a baby, but it will a little. That doesn’t mean you have to stop your sex life.”

Katie swallowed.

“Well, I hope not but things change.”

“Not if you don’t want them to.”

“But most women tell me that—”

Suzie held up a hand.

“Okay, that’s enough. Stay right here I’ll be right back.”

Katie watched as Suzie skittered off out the door and down the hall, then back again. She tossed some things on the bed—a blindfold, several silk scarves, and a garter belt. Katie took the objects in and glanced back up into Suzie’s face.

“…and your point is?”

“I also have black leather boots and a bustier in the bedroom and other toys. Look, Katie, I am a mom and I still have a helluva lot of fun in the bedroom.”

Katie thought about that.

“I suppose I’m being stupid.”

“No, you are trying to figure out things.”

“Suzie, I know partly what this is. I don’t want to make this decision. About the baby. About us. I want… This may sound weird, but I want Chris to just take over and make the decisions.”

Suzie’s brows knit.

“Sounds to me like he already has. He loves you, Katie, and wants to be with you. To marry you.”

“I know, I know. But I don’t want him to ask me, I want him to tell me.”

Suzie smirked.

“Tell you.”

“Yes. He needs to like…order me to marry him.”

“Order you?”

“Yeah. Insist. Demand it. Not give me a choice in the matter. Tell me I’m his, that he owns me, that he will make all of my decisions. Hell, that he owns my orgasms. Whatever. I need for him to take damn control.”

Katie watched Suzie’s face turn squishy.

“That doesn’t sound like you,”

she finally said.

“I know. But it is what I need. I don’t want to make this decision. I mean, I want to, and I don’t want to. I’m…”

She whooshed out a breath.

“Oh, hell. I hope you don’t think badly of me or anything, but…”

She glimpsed again into Suzie’s face and the words came tumbling out.

“You see, the thing is this—I like it when Chris takes control. During sex, particularly. It works well for us. When I’m, well, you know, submissive a little.”

She watched Suzie’s nostril’s flair.

“Well, what do you know?”

“Are you shocked?”

Suzie shook her head.

“Not really. Brad and I play but we don’t get seriously into the control issues. I’ve read about these things. You know that erotic trilogy that was so popular for a while, with movies and everything, that all the woman talked about? Well, I read all three of the books and I sort of get this. It’s powerful to give up the power.”

“Oh shit. It’s not really like that. It’s different. I just, just…”

“Just what, Katie?”

“I’ve been the bad girl for a long time. I need for Chris to make me his and take the bad girl out of me, in a way. I need to be punished. And I need for him to do it over and repeatedly….”

“Oh!”

“I know what you are thinking.”

“I’m not sure you do. I get you don’t want to make the decision, but will you be happy with what he decides?”

Would she? Katie thought back to a conversation she had with Grammy when she was in high school. I swear, if that grandpa of yours hadn’t taken the upper hand and told me I was marrying him, whether I liked it or not, I probably never would have. And I would have missed out on a whole lot of life. Like you, Katie Marie.

“Yes. I need him to do this. I was always the hardheaded kid in school, the control freak, had to have my way… And that was fine. Then. But the thing is this. I’m still hard-headed.”

Then the rest of everything that was on her mind all came tumbling out.

“I have a dream, Suzie. I want to be an author. I want a New York publisher. I want to see my book on the shelves of the Harbor Falls library. And I’ve had this dream for so long that my hard-headed self can’t let it go.”

Suzie looked puzzled.

“Okay. I get all of that. But I don’t see how Chris and a baby will interfere with your dreams, Katie. Don’t let that happen!”

“I know that in my heart, but my head tells me that with the baby on the way my dream isn’t going to happen. Not in New York. Not if I am married to Chris. Not if I’m a mom. Although, marrying him isn’t the issue, is it? Because the baby is coming whether I marry him or not. I’m so confused! See why I need for him to do this!”

Suzie gave her hand a squeeze.

“Honey, we all get confused in times like these. And your hormones are running amok, I can tell that. But give Chris a chance. I’m sure if you talk with him—”

“No! I can’t talk to him about it. He came here because he wanted to live in a small town. I’ve been trying to get out of it forever. Been scheming and planning my way since high school. I lived away for ten years and now I’m back—but I did that so I could save money and write the book, and then move again. I’ve been plotting and planning forever, and Suzie, I don’t know how to stop. I don’t know how to let go of the dream. And I don’t know how to tell Chris about it. That’s why—”

She paused.

“That’s why what, Katie?”

“That is why I need for him to take control. Not only in the bedroom. But of me. My life. Our life.”

Suzie eyed her.

“But what if it backfires?”

Katie stared at her.

“How? What do you mean?”

“What if he orders you to marry him and you haven’t got this baby phobia and dream-crashing notion out of your head yet and you start to resent him for it?”

Blowing out a breath, Katie felt the tears popping up in her eyes again.

“Oh shit. I didn’t think of that. I wouldn’t. I mean, I’m choosing for him to do this. Right?”

She stopped talking and bit her lip.

“Do you really think I have baby phobia?”

“What would you call it?”

She shook her head.

“I don’t know.”

Suzie squeezed her hands again.

“Have you really never shared your dreams with Chris?”

Horrified, Katie sat straight up in the bed.

“No! Never. And don’t you go telling him either!”

“Katie, I wouldn’t. That is your story to tell.”

She deflated again to the bed, her head on the pillow.

“I want to give up the dream. For him. For us. For the baby. I’m not sure how to do it on my own. Not sure how to tell him.”

Suzie exhaled.

“Katie don’t give anything up. You don’t have to.”

Leaning up again, she said.

“But I do! Don’t you see?”

“No, I don’t.”

Suzie narrowed her gaze, then said under her breath.

“Hog-tied and throttled.”

“Excuse me?”

“Damn. He knew all along.”

Katie wasn’t sure what that meant.

Standing, Suzie said firmly.

“Katie Marie Long, you are staying the night. Slip those clothes off and get between the sheets. I’m having a talk with Chris and then I am sending him on his way. And you, Missy, are going to get a good night’s sleep. In the morning, I’m going to feed you an excellent breakfast because tomorrow, your life is going to change forever.”

Katie didn’t even flinch or question as Suzie left the room. She just did as she was told. That was easy.