Page 43 of Promise Me, Katie (Bennett Sisters #1)

Pulling into Katherine’s driveway, Matthew put the truck into park and turned off the engine. He was relieved that dinner with both families had gone so well. But he was even more relieved they were back at Katherine’s house and headed inside to spend another night together.

After running into his parents at the diner, having Justin drop the Chandler files into his lap, learning there was a secret investigation about Julia and Grant’s accident, and then meeting the entire Bennett family for dinner, Matthew was more than ready for the day to end.

It wasn’t until they jumped back into her truck to come home that he felt the all-day rush of adrenaline start to subside.

From start to finish, the day had been like riding a rollercoaster.

All the twists, turns, and ups and downs, had made the day fly by in a blur.

But now, all he wanted to do was go into the house, shut out the world, and go to sleep with Katherine by his side.

Seeing her slide across the bench seat to follow him out the driver’s side door made Matthew smile.

Sometimes, the little things she did to show she wanted to be next to him warmed his heart.

It was nice being with someone who liked being with you.

Something Matthew had gradually forgotten as his relationship with Julia began to deteriorate.

Now, with this second chance at love, he’d do everything he could to protect it. Even if that meant protecting Katherine from the pain she’d inevitably feel when she learned the truth about Max and Beth Ann.

But for tonight, he wanted to push those thoughts aside and concentrate on Katherine and being close to her.

As they walked to the porch and up the stairs, hand in hand and side by side, it felt as if they’d done it a thousand times before and not the start of the thousands of times yet to come.

Once they were inside, Matthew couldn’t wait any longer, and he kissed Katherine as soon as the door closed.

Holding her against his chest, he knew she could feel his heart pounding from beneath his shirt.

And while his lips remained soft and searching, the urgent grip of his hands on her hips said more about how he really felt.

“I’ve been wanting to kiss you all night.”

Katherine held his gaze as she started to unbutton his shirt. “I’ve been wanting to do this all night.”

Feeling her fingers move from one button to the next, Matthew knew Katherine had something in mind, and he couldn’t wait to find out what it was.

“What exactly are you doing?” he teased.

“Nothing,” she said, even though excitement had added a warm pink color to her cheeks.

“It doesn’t feel like nothing.”

“Okay… then I am doing something.”

Matthew chuckled, stopping her when she reached his stomach.

“Please, Matthew.”

“Please, what?”

“Please let me look at you and touch you,” she said, bolder and more determined than she’d ever been before. “I promise I’ll behave.”

“I don’t know, Miss Bennett. You’ve got that look in your eye.”

“Is it anything like the look in yours?” Katherine teased back, tugging on her bottom lip with her teeth as she stared into Matthew’s passion-filled gaze.

Moving his hands out of the way, she went back to work on the buttons of his shirt, then pulled the ends of fabric free from where he had it tucked into the waistband of his jeans.

When she finished, she opened the shirt, slid it over his shoulders, and let it drop to the floor.

“Are you worried I’ll do something naughty? ”

“Naughty?” he questioned, helpless against her advances, flinching when her fingers moved down his chest, past the lines of his stomach, and to the waistband of his pants. “What do you mean by naughty?”

“You know, something I’m not supposed to do,” she said, then leaned in and used her mouth to focus on the rounded curve of his bottom lip. She kissed and licked and sucked until he tingled with anticipation. “Mmm… delicious.”

“Katie…” Matthew’s grip tightened on her hips. “Not that I’m complaining, but what’s gotten into you tonight?”

“Shh,” she silenced him, placing a single finger over his lips. Then she grabbed his overnight bag off the couch to lead him upstairs. “Now it’s my turn.”

Entering the bedroom, Katherine let go of Matthew’s hand and left him standing by the door with the bag sitting next to him. Then she crossed the room to the closet, stepped out of her sandals, slipped the peasant blouse she was wearing over her head, and unclasped her bra.

Matthew watched, unaware that his hands were clenched into tight fists.

Instead, he was studying Katherine’s every move.

Enjoying how her skin looked soft, even in the dim light.

And the way her long dark curls fell down around her shoulders and over her bare back.

When she reached for a clean nightgown from the closet, Matthew saw the slight curve of her bare breast.

“Oh my goodness,” he sighed, unable to believe what he was seeing. “If you only knew how much I want you.”

“Shh,” she replied with a soft, throaty laugh. “Be patient.”

After pulling the soft cotton nightgown over her head and around her hips, she unzipped her jeans and shimmied out of them. Was it Matthew’s imagination, or was this nightgown even shorter than the one she wore the night before?

“You should finish getting ready for bed,” she said, then ran a hand across his bare chest as she walked by. “I’ll be right back. I’m going to get us something to drink.”

Without a moment of hesitation, Matthew kicked off his shoes, removed his socks and pants, then pulled on a pair of pajama pants and a tank top from his overnight bag.

When he rushed into the bathroom to brush his teeth and squeezed toothpaste onto his toothbrush, he noticed his hands were trembling with excitement.

He wanted her more than anyone he’d ever wanted before, and he couldn’t wait to see what she had in store for him.

When she returned with a cocktail in each hand, he was propped up against the pillows on the bed. “That doesn’t look like bourbon.”

“Gimlet.” She handed him a glass. “Gin, not vodka.”

“Hmm, thank you.”

“No, thank you for being so wonderful tonight.” Katherine clinked her glass against Matthew’s and took a long sip. “I thought you like sleeping in your boxers.”

“I do.”

“Then what’s with the pants?”

“I don’t know. I guess I didn’t want to assume that it was still okay,” he said, raising his glass for more liquid courage.

“I want you to take your pants off,” Katherine announced as Matthew was mid-swallow and nearly choked. “Your shirt, too. I really liked the way you touched me, and I wanna do the same to you.”

As Matthew’s face wore a pleasantly satisfied grin, he lifted his glass in salute her, then took a long drink and set it down.

Doing as Katherine asked, he got up to remove his shirt and pajama pants and tossed them aside.

Then he got back on the bed in just his boxer shorts and closed his eyes. “I’m all yours.”

“Open your eyes,” she said. “I want you to watch when I touch you.”

As his heartbeat quickened, he wondered how much of this he could handle. She hadn’t even touched him yet, but she had him to the point of leaving behind any and all self-control.

After another sip of her own liquid courage, Katherine left her glass on the table next to his. When she climbed onto the bed, she threw one leg across the top of his thighs to straddle him. Instantly, Matthew sucked in a breath as his eyes rolled back in his head.

“I’m not too heavy, am I?”

When he spoke, his voice was shallow and ragged. “Not at all.”

“Good,” she said staring into his eyes as he fought to stay still under the weight of her body.

Gently, she moved her hands over his bare chest, searching for sensitive places where she’d let her fingertips linger. And when his entire body tensed, she knew he liked to be touched there.

“I’m trying to decide which way I like you best. Like this, or in your uniform, or when you walked in my door tonight,” she confessed with a smile. “You looked so good I almost didn’t want to undress you when we got home. But once I got that shirt off, I knew I had to see more.”

Then Katherine leaned down to breathe in from the side of his neck. “Mmm… I love the way you smell. Why do you always smell so good?”

When she sat up, Katherine’s eyelids fluttered, and a knowing smirk transformed the shape of her lips. Taking her time to tease him, she told Matthew everything she admired about him and how much she wanted to be with him.

Through each confession, she explored a different line of muscle on his chest, arms, and stomach.

She told him that she would etch in her memory all the places that made his tummy tighten, and his hips rise in response to her.

In silence, Matthew smiled at everything she shared with him while watching her explore nearly every inch of his body.

Finally, she told him it was time for sleep and made him roll over. Though she promised to keep touching him, she wanted him to concentrate on relaxing enough to fall asleep.

After turning the lights off, she stood next to the bed and ran her hands down the muscles of his back, the curve of his backside, and finally, his thick muscular legs. And by the time she reached his feet, Matthew’s breathing had slowed.

Carefully, Katherine got up next to him on the mattress. When he stirred and tried to speak, she calmed him with her words, then snuggled into his side when he rolled over on his back.

With his breathing slowed again, Katherine thought Matthew had fallen asleep, so she reached down and carefully pulled the blankets over them, settling herself next to him once more. As she laid a possessive leg over the top of his, her soft, contented sigh filled the room.

“Thank you, God,” she whispered before falling into a deep sleep.

** *

Matthew lay motionless under the weight of Katherine’s leg until he could be sure she was completely asleep.

Then he opened his eyes to stare at the ceiling.

Part of him was wide awake from the incredible things she’d said and done.

While the other part of him was wide awake from the guilt he felt for not stopping her from touching, kissing, teasing, and confessing to him in all the ways that she did. But he couldn’t say no to her.

When she joined him downstairs after getting ready for dinner, Matthew’s concern about the folders Justin had given him fell by the wayside, and all he could do was concentrate on her.

He remembered thinking how different she looked from the day he met her, and every Friday night, they sat together at Grief Group.

Gone were the head-to-toe black clothes and somber hairstyles.

Tonight, she’d looked bright and beautiful and alive, wearing her hair in the cascading curls she reserved for their time at home and dressed in a lightweight feminine top that clung to her gentle curves, leaving Matthew wanting Katherine from the moment he saw her.

Wishing that if he couldn’t make love to her, he could at least lay her down and touch and tease her as he had done before.

But watching her touch him was something he’d never expected.

Being together with their families wasn’t what he expected either. The familiarity and ease between them was more than he could’ve hoped for. So much so that it made him think of what it would be like to love her for the rest of his days.

Then, when they came through the front door, and she’d taken control the way she had, Matthew knew he didn’t stand a chance.

His mind and body were officially hers as he was swept up in the sensations of being taken by the woman he’d fallen so fast for.

He had wanted her, and to see how much she had wanted him made it even more exciting.

Still, before he continued thinking about being with her or having a future together, he had to share what he’d learned about Beth Ann. And as far as he was concerned, the sooner the better. But as his mind started to race, worries about how she would react crushed his hopes.

“Don’t shoot the messenger” was a figure of speech for a reason, and the possibility of Katie responding badly began to weigh on him, as fear made him wonder if he should take the files back to Justin and Jerome and let them do their own dirty work.

Because that’s exactly what it felt like: dirty work.

And the longer this went on without telling her, the less he wanted anything to do with it.

But could he really do that? Could he hand those files back and stay out of it? Could he distance himself now that he knew the truth? And could he even back out after assuring his partner and her father that he’d take care it?

Even if he could back out of it, would they go through with it? Almost six years later, and neither of them had the heart to break it to her.

No, it was a risk he couldn’t take. Matthew couldn’t let them keep the truth from Katherine now that he knew. And he also knew he should be there when she was told. He wanted to be there.

Hell, he had to be there to hold her. To remind her that the past was in the past, and even though it might hurt now, there was a happy future for them to look forward to.

Eventually, his mind wandered back to the files in the drawer next door.

When he’d come home from work, he wondered if it was safe to leave them there in case someone found them.

But since his parents were the only ones around, he knew they’d be safe.

Besides, by tomorrow, they’d be gone, and the only thing left to do was to find the right time and the right way to tell her.

“Please, God,” he said softly. “Please show me how to do this.”