EricaWe barely made it inside the door to my condo before he pulled my shirt off. I'd never experienced passion like that before. I'd only been with Tanner, but we'd had some fantastic romps in the sheets. Fear blazed through me that I wouldn’t be enough, but the feel of Matt's hands tearing at my clothes and the wetness of his tongue against my neck and the tops of my breasts decimated any thoughts from my mind. Carnality took over and I dove in headfirst."God, I need you," he groaned against my throat as he ground into me. I pushed off the wall he had me pressed against and broke away from him."Come with me into the bedroom." My walk turned into a jog as he jogged after me. I moaned loudly as he crashed into me and lifted me off my feet, tackling me to the sheets and turning me over roughly."My turn to taste you, you naughty bitch." He pulled at my jeans, tugging them over my hips without undoing them."Only for you," I mumbled and worked to help him get me free from my pants. I
Erica"You want a glass of water?" I kissed his chest one more time as I lay tucked against his side. We were still trying to catch our breath from the long love-making session that started back at the concert."I'd love one." He brushed his fingers by my shoulder and pulled me down for another long kiss. "You want me to get it for us?""No, I'm good." I got up and walked to the kitchen naked and feeling far more free than I had in a long time. My body ached already, the delicious warmth of where he'd been a quick reminder that I wanted him there again as many times as I could handle until he got back on the plane.It can't just be about lust. It's not lust for you. It's love.But would he understand that? I would look like a stalker if I told him just how deep my feelings ran for him. I got us a big glass of ice water and walked languidly back toward the bedroom. The sound of his breathing caused my heart to flutter in my chest. Matthew Bryant was in my bed, naked and sweaty because
MattShe was more than I ever imagined possible, and making love to her had to be one of the biggest highs of my life, but laying there afterward let worry set in. Was I too rough? Too aggressive? Would she think I was a cock for pushing her around and treating her like an object?Had I treated her like an object? The thought caused my stomach to turn.I turned to glance at the clock after laying there for what felt like forever. 3 a.m.The sexy curves of her body just under the sheet called to me as she lay on her side, her breathing deep and peaceful. So much of me wanted to snuggle into the back of her and tell her that I was in love with her, but it was selfish. She wanted something in life that I doubted I could give her.I hadn't done much with myself and at twenty-eight I was without a job, a defined future or a paycheck. I was still sucking off my father even though I'd made the decision after college to cut ties with his bankroll.My pulse spiked as indecision ran through me
Matt"Then stop being stupid. Society says what you should do and you project that shit onto me and Dad as if we're judging you. There's only one person scrutinizing your shit and saying that you're coming up empty.""Myself." I hung my head in shame. Damon was spot on. He always was."Exactly. What happened with Erica?""I slept with her.""And? Was it everything you wanted it to be?""Yeah. It just tied me tighter to her, but I'm in the middle of one of those fight or flight moments. I usually tuck tail and run.""That doesn't mean you're not a man, Matt, or that you're not strong and capable of making the right choice. It means that you've once again allowed yourself to fall into the trap of 'not good enough,' but you're the sorry mother fucker who's setting the standard, no one else. I'm pretty sure Erica would rather have you snuggled up in the bed with her than walking around her house looking for an exit. She's not thinking about your 401K or your net worth, or how many compani
EricaSunlight filtered into the room and pulled me from a restful sleep. I turned to reach for Matt and found him gone and his side of the bed cold. He'd been gone for a while.Panic stabbed my insides as I jolted up."Matt?" I checked the clock and groaned. Getting up before six on a Sunday morning was a travesty I tried to avoid. It was one of the only days I let myself sleep in.After pulling a robe over my shoulders, I walked down the hallway and tied the long silky belt to hold it together, noting that he was out on the patio or gone. I checked the patio and walked the short distance to the kitchen to find him gone. My heart dropped."He ran," I whispered and crossed my arms over my chest.I had two choices. I could fall apart and deem myself unworthy of his attention, or I could swallow my emotions and pretend like a great night of sex was all I was after anyway.I chose the latter of the two, though the tears in my eyes would call me a liar. A soft sigh left me as I walked bac
Erica"Yep. I'll call you later." I hung up the phone and tossed it back on the bed. Matt's portfolio sat on the floor beside the suitcase, and I couldn't help but pick it up and carry it into the living room. I wanted to take my time and really take in all that he'd put together. Only the smaller pieces would have fit in the hard plastic contraption he had them in, but anything done by him interested me.I dropped down to the floor in the living room and unzipped the container, being careful as I pulled out a good handful of paintings and transferred them to the coffee table. I moved through them slowly, each picture tugging at a different part of my heart. To say I was fearful over having him paint me would have been an understatement.The painting of Damon that lay before me on the table stole my breath. I'd seen it before, but knowing the story behind it and actually having the time to study it filled me with the horror of what Damon must have felt that day. His whole world came t
Matt"So this yoga thing... it's not the one where I have to wear skin tight clothes and bend in half a million times, right?" I glanced over at Erica as we walked toward the harbor. The sound of people laughing and having a good time filled the air and helped to loosen some of the tension building in my chest.Keep it light and playful. Just be yourself. She laughed and glanced over at me. "You can wear anything you want to wear. It's hot yoga, which means it's super humid in there, but just drink tons of water and try hard not to piss yourself.""Very funny." I turned my attention back to the water ahead, though pulling my eyes away from the beautiful woman beside me was difficult. Her long blue dress was feminine and made her look like a princess. I was starting to enjoy all the various parts of her personality, though the aggressive, needy girl in bed last night was certainly my favorite."What kind of fish are we looking for today? You like salmon or tuna?""Both are great. Let'
MattShe laughed. "Right, cause that's me.""It's the ‘you’ I see." I licked at my lips and pulled one of my favorite sketching pencils from the pack. "We can take breaks for sure. I just need a couple of hours to get the raw sketch down.""And do you want me in the sports bra or nude?""You can actually wear what you have on for now because I'll be working on your face first." I grumbled softly to myself. "I should take my man card for not saying nude."She laughed again and the sound of it caused my heart to flutter. "All right. Take your pictures before you forget. I'll stay in the dress and change when you want me to.""Awesome." I set the pencil and pad down and got up. "Pose for me and let me put you in the perfect position.""Kinky." She put her back to me and turned a little, giving me a smoldering look. "This good?""Fucking hot for sure." I moved up behind her and repositioned her shoulders a little. "You look like a goddess.""You're just being sweet.""Nope. Just telling i