Serenity (Inevitable #5)(48)

His stress level continued to dissipate as well, and with the subtle changes he was still making to his diet, he felt healthier and more vital than he had in years. Sasha had shown him how to make green smoothies, and he drank one nearly every day now before leaving for work. Elena had given him a skeptical look when he'd asked her to stop bringing him breakfast pastries or bagels in the morning, requesting yogurt parfaits or protein bars instead. He'd cut his coffee intake - which had begun approaching the eight cup a day tally - to no more than two cups, and drank green tea most of the time. And he found himself ordering vegetarian entrees more and more frequently when he ate out with Sasha - not because she encouraged him to do so, but because whatever she selected always seemed to look more appetizing than the meat or chicken he would have normally chosen.

 Being with her simply made him happy, he realized, as he gave in to temptation and ran a finger down the curve of her hip and thigh, smiling as she wiggled her bottom slightly in protest. She never fussed or complained, never demanded anything from him or argued, and was always understanding and supportive if he had to cancel a date or was running an hour late. Unlike Lindsey, he thought with a scowl, who would have a fit if he had to back out of a party she wanted to attend at the neighbors, or if he was more than five minutes late meeting her for lunch.



       
         
       
        

Sasha's cell phone pinged from where she'd left it on the nightstand with an incoming voice mail. Matthew, who made it a point to always own the very latest, most high tech models of cell phones, tablets, and computers, had been visibly appalled at how outdated and simplistic her phone was. She'd shrugged it off, admitting that she rarely used the phone and barely knew how to send a text message. And then she had really shocked him with the fact that she didn't own a computer of her own, just borrowed one of her roommates' from time to time to download music tracks that she used for her yoga classes.

"You do understand what it is I do for a living, right?" he'd asked incredulously. "And that I have four - no, make that five - computers just here at the condo? I used to build computers from scratch when I was in high school. So my life has basically revolved around them for more than twenty years, and my business is completely dependent on them. I guess given all of that it's tough for me to understand that not only don't you have one of your own, but don't seem to care very much about having one, either."

Sasha had given a little shrug. "Not really, no. I've already told you that I prefer to read a book or listen to music as opposed to using a computer or watching TV. But I realize that computers are very important to you, to your business, so it doesn't bother me in the least if you use yours when we're together. Correction - if you use one of the five you apparently own."

She had laughed when he'd threatened to not only upgrade her phone but to give her one of his laptops as well, probably figuring that he was just joking. But Matthew was completely serious about the matter, and planned to do something about the situation sooner than later.

Sasha began to stir and stretch, having been woken either by his teasing caresses or the sound of her phone pinging. She opened her eyes and smiled up at him drowsily, pulling his head down to hers for a lazy good morning kiss.

"Mmm, what time is it?" she drawled sleepily, stretching her arms and legs in opposite directions, completely unselfconscious of her nudity.

"Around eight-thirty," he told her, bending to nuzzle the side of her neck. "You've still got plenty of time before you need to be at the studio."

She made a sound that was half-groan, half-chuckle. "Except that on Saturdays I usually spend a couple of hours before class starts doing my own practice. Guess I'll be giving that a miss today."

"I'm sorry," he replied somewhat guiltily. "I should have set an alarm for you. But we, uh, were up pretty late last night so I figured you needed your rest." 

"It's fine," assured Sasha, cupping his stubbled cheek in one hand. "It won't kill me to miss a day once in awhile. And it did feel nice to sleep in for once. Did I hear my phone buzz or was that a dream?"

Matthew shook his head and handed her the phone. "A call just came in a couple of minutes ago."

She propped herself up against the pillows, seeming not to notice when his gaze dropped automatically to the proud thrust of her breasts, and sighed anew when she checked her messages. "My mother, of course. And given that she's calling this early must mean she's wound up about something."