Serenity (Inevitable #5)(81)

During his absence, she ran through a yoga sequence that she planned to teach in class tomorrow, but then found herself at loose ends. At Matthew's encouragement, she'd brought some of her things over to the condo to make it feel more like home - books, CD's, a favorite afghan, clothes, toiletries. But the large, ultra-modern condo still didn't feel particularly homey to her, and Sasha worried that it never would. Matthew had never discussed his plans for after the divorce was finalized, so she had no idea if he planned to continue living here long-term. She hoped not, because while the condo was spacious and elegant, with expensive furnishings and fixtures, it continued to feel cold and impersonal to her.

The front door opened then, and a weary looking Matthew trudged in. She could tell immediately that something was troubling him, and was at his side in an instant, tugging him over to the sofa.

"What's wrong?" she asked quietly, her fingers automatically beginning to massage the nape of his neck.

He groaned, closing his eyes and letting his head fall back against the sofa as she continued to work on his tense muscles. "Lindsey," he rasped. "I've told you that I never go inside the house when I pick up or drop off the kids, just so I can avoid seeing her. Well, this time she was waiting in the driveway when I pulled up, so I couldn't duck her. And Lindsey was in full-on bitch mode, let me tell you, ranting and raving about how I was neglecting Hayley, how moody she was, how depressed. Lindsey blamed all of it on the fact that you and I were together, that Hayley was just devastated that I'd found someone so quickly. It's all bullshit, of course, meant to make me feel guilty. I pointed out to Lindsey that you offered to stay away on the weekends I have the kids, and that I make it a point to have dinner alone with the two of them once a week. But she insisted that wasn't enough, that I was being insensitive to poor Hayley's feelings, and that I should care more about my daughter than I do about you."



       
         
       
        

Sasha's fingers stilled in his scalp. "I'm sorry she said such terrible things to you," she said somberly. "You know none of that is true, Matthew. But if you think it would help your relationship with Hayley to stop seeing me, I - I'd understand. Truly I would."

"No!" Matthew bolted to an upright position, grasping her by the shoulders as he did so. His eyes were wide and almost frantic. "God, don't even suggest that, Sasha! I love my kids, God knows I do, and I'd do anything to make them happy. But I deserve to be happy, too, and since you make me happier than anyone I've ever known, there's no way in hell I'm giving you up. Lindsey's just trying to make trouble is all."

"You're sure?" she asked uncertainly. "I don't ever want to come between you and your children, or make you have to choose."

"I know you don't," he assured her gently. "You don't have it in you to be that sort of person. That's just one of the reasons I love you so much."

She hesitated, knowing instinctively that this would be the perfect time to tell him - when he was upset and feeling guilty and in dire need of reassurance and support. Impulsively, before she could think about it too much, Sasha straddled his lap, looping her arms around his neck.

"And the fact that you're such a wonderful father is just one of the reasons I love you so much," she confessed, her voice barely above a whisper.

Matthew stared up at her in wonder, his hands threading into her wild mop of curls. "You - you do?" he murmured in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

Sasha laughed. "I think so, yes. I mean, I don't have anything else to compare it to since I've never had a relationship that lasted this long before. But I'm pretty sure that I - oh!"

He tumbled her onto the sofa, then swiftly divested her of her yoga clothes and panties, leaving her naked beneath his fully clothed body. Sasha gasped as he kissed and caressed her with a passion and domination that he'd never exhibited before, as though her confession of love had awakened a long-dormant beast inside of him. He was aggressive and demanding, and most definitely the one in charge of their lovemaking tonight.

His lips traced a path between her breasts, then tugged a nipple between his teeth as he fondled the other breast almost roughly. His mouth continued its downward path over her rib cage and belly, then lower still. He spread her thighs apart, and at the first lick of his tongue along her slit, Sasha clutched handfuls of his short, spiky hair, her hips lifting off the sofa in reaction.

"God, that's good," she panted, as he continued to eat her out, his tongue flicking repeatedly over her clit as he added two fingers to the mix. With his lips sucking on her clit, and his fingers thrusting in and out of her body with rapid pumps, he brought her to a stunning, powerful climax, the inner muscles of her vagina spasming in reaction.