Matthew pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I'll give you the time you need," he promised. "So long as you promise that you'll at least consider coming back to me."
"Yes. I promise. I don't know how long it will take me to decide, or what my ultimate decision might be. But I do promise to think about it and - mmm!"
He cut off what she was about to say next by kissing her long and hard, walking her backwards until she was pressed up against the wall. He kissed her with a hunger that spoke of desperation, as though he could coax the answer he wanted from her that way. Sasha groaned beneath the pressure of his mouth on hers, the way his tongue parted her lips and tangled with hers. She had missed him, too, missed the intimacy they had shared both in and out of the bedroom, missed being held in his arms this way. For a few precious minutes she let herself forget everything that had happened, that he had chosen to walk away from her, and all of the heartbreak that had ensued following his departure. For now she kissed him back fervently, letting her hands rove over his shoulders and back, then slide down to caress his buttocks. She didn't resist when his hand cupped her breast, his thumb teasing the rock hard nipple. And she offered no protest when he hooked her leg around his waist, allowing the swell of his cock to rub against the notch of her thighs.
Matthew's lips traveled down the side of her neck, then back up to her ear, where he muttered hoarsely, "God, I want you! Feel what you do to me, Sasha, how crazy I am for you. Please, sweetheart. Please. It's been so long, not since that last night at the condo. Let me love you."
His hand cupped her between her legs, his thumb rubbing against her clit through the thin cotton fabric of her yoga pants. Sasha gasped, well aware that she was perilously close to coming right then and there, and she swiftly took hold of his wrist, pulling it a few inches away from her overly sensitized body.
"No," she gasped raggedly. "Not here. And definitely not now. You promised me space, Matthew. You promised me time. Please don't pressure me. And especially not with sex."
He was breathing heavily as he reluctantly stepped away from her, his forehead and upper lip damp with sweat. "I'm sorry," he muttered. "You're right, I'm not being fair. I - it's just that I want you so damned much, Sasha. I've dreamed of you, ached for you. But hard as it is – as hard as I am right now - I'll leave you alone. At least until you have an answer for me. But don't ask me to give up hope, Sasha. Or to stop loving you. Because neither of those things is ever going to happen."
Matthew gave her one last, hungry kiss before he practically ran out of the room, as though he didn't trust himself to remain locked inside with her one minute longer.
Sasha slumped against the wall, too shaken by what had just happened to think straight for a minute or two. It was only a quick glance at the wall clock that set her in motion, realizing that her massage client would be arriving in less than ten minutes. Fortunately, the room was more or less ready, and she would have a few more precious minutes to compose herself.
But she found it nearly impossible to concentrate over the course of the day, and chastised herself for booking so many appointments today. She'd been doing that a lot lately, loading up her schedule with massage appointments and substitute teaching other yoga classes. She had even agreed to temporarily teach a class on Friday mornings – the one day of the week she had always insisted on having off – while the regular teacher was recovering from a badly sprained ankle. Keeping as busy as possible had been one of the ways she had tried - mostly without success - to cope with her loneliness and sorrow these past few months.
It was late afternoon before she had a break, taking a few minutes to drink some water and eat a snack of almond butter and apple slices. Sasha took out her phone, the one Matthew had given her last Christmas, and scrolled through the somewhat scant list of contacts stored there. She felt the overwhelming need to talk to someone about what had happened earlier with Matthew, to ask their advice about what to do next.
She immediately eliminated her mother, since Katya would insist that she spit in Matthew's face and tell him to go to hell. And knowing how busy Julia was with her twins, Sasha didn't feel right bothering her. Tessa would provide a good sounding board, though Sasha hesitated to call her, knowing that she and Ian were close to Matthew. The last thing Sasha wanted to do was make Tessa take sides.
Instead, she called Linda, the one person she knew could be counted on to give practical, sound advice. Linda had always been there for Sasha, especially during the most turbulent times of her life, and today definitely fell into that category.