He realized suddenly that Hailey was standing in his living room window, watching him. Shaking off the melancholy, he got out of the truck and greeted Bear, who came rushing out when she opened the front door. Then he walked up the steps and kissed her hello.
“Was it bad?” she asked while he sat on the bench he used for taking off his boots. Lacing and unlacing the damn things was a pain in the ass.
“No, it wasn’t too bad. Turned out to be a stray dog who’d been on his own for a while. I got him to the shelter and they’ll take care of him.”
“Oh, that’s good then. You looked like you were trying to shake off a bad night,” she said. “When you were sitting in the truck.”
“No, I was just thinking about some stuff I need to do. You didn’t have to stay here and wait up with Bear, you know. It’s kind of late.”
“After I cleaned the kitchen, we came back here so he could have his dinner, and then we were cuddling on the couch, watching a movie. He’s a good date and I lost track of time.”
Matt chuckled and rubbed Bear’s head. “How much roast did you give him?”
“Just enough to make him love me forever.”
“One bite should have done it. It was that good.”
She beamed and, because he was still unsettled by his train of thought in the truck, he looked down at Bear. The dog was sniffing his pants with an intensity that made him smile.
“It was only the one dog, Bear, and he didn’t mean anything. I swear.”
Once he’d satisfied himself that the dog he smelled on his owner’s pants wasn’t hidden in his pockets or his crotch, Bear lost interest and flopped in front of the television with a big sigh.
“I guess I should get home and let you get to bed.”
He snagged her hand as she walked by. “Or you could stay.”
She looked into his eyes and smiled. “Or I could stay.”
EIGHTEEN
HAILEY RAN HER finger down Matt’s naked chest, from the base of his throat down to the point where the sheet was barely protecting his modesty. Or it would be if he had any. The sheet was mostly about her modesty, not his.
“I’ve been thinking...” She trailed her fingertips back up his stomach.
“This can’t end well for me.”
“There’s this bistro in the city I’ve heard about. Rumor has it they have a scampi dish to die for.”
“Bistro? What the hell is a bistro? I bet you could make a good scampi dish.”
She was prepared for a little resistance, and she wasn’t going to give up easily. “Everything tastes better if somebody else cooks it.”
“You want me to drive an hour there and an hour back for scampi?”
“They also have steak. And burgers.”
“I bet you could talk Gavin into making scampi at the diner. Kid’s a helluva cook.”
She propped herself up on her elbow so she could see his face. “I watched the moose. At four-thirty in the morning, I might add. And I rode on the ATV. I think it’s my turn to pick a date, don’t you?”
He sighed. He couldn’t argue with that. “I have Bear to consider.”
“Bear is fine when you’re working. He’ll be fine when you take me out for a nice dinner.”
“A nice dinner is code word for dressing up and spending too much on a glass of wine.”
“I’ll pay, cheapskate.” She didn’t say anything about not dressing up because she intended to. And he was going to, as well. As dressed up as she could get him, anyway.
“That’s not the point.”
She slid her hand under the sheet, teasing the skin that was as low as she could go on his stomach without brushing against what was no doubt a quickly developing erection. “What’s the point?”
“What?” He shifted slightly, subtly trying to steer her hand. “Oh, my point. What were we talking about?”
“We’re talking about you taking me out for a nice dinner.”
“Oh, yeah. Maybe. Sometime.” He lifted his hips and his hot, hard flesh brushed against her palm.
She closed her fingers around him and he moaned. “When?”
“Soon.”
With one long, slow stroke, she had his hips lifting off the bed. “Not good enough.”
“Very soon.”
She released her grip and ran a single fingertip lightly down his shaft with a regretful sigh. “Too bad. It would be so fun to dress up. I have a little red dress and sexy black heels I bought last year and haven’t had a chance to wear yet.”
Matt reached down and closed his hand over hers, effectively closing her hand over his erection. “I’ll take you there whenever you want. Wear the shoes.”
She resisted when he tried to slide their hands up his shaft. “I want to go Thursday night. You mentioned having court that day, so there’s a better chance you won’t work late.”
“Fine. We’ll go Thursday night. Just...please...”
Stroking him with a grip held firm by his fist staying closed over hers, she lowered her head and nipped at his nipple. He liked when her hair tickled his chest and she knew by his breathing he was close.
She began kissing her way down his stomach and he uttered a guttural groan that may have been her name. His free hand fisted in her hair, though he didn’t force her head lower.
When her mouth closed over the head of his shaft, she pulled her hand free. He stroked himself and she followed his fist with her mouth, his knuckles bumping against her lips.
He came in a hot stream and she swallowed, not releasing him until his grip slackened and he stopped jerking against her mouth. His hands fell limp to his sides and she rested her head on his stomach as his breath came in rough gasps.
When he lifted his head to look at her, she smiled up at him. “Holy hell, what just happened?”
“You promised to buy me a convertible sports car.”
His head flopped back onto the pillow. “Okay. Red?”
MATT GLARED AT his reflection in the mirror, wondering how the hell he’d gotten himself into this situation.
Well, he knew how. Hailey had soft hands and a warm mouth and somehow he’d promised her a nice dinner date. Now he was in khaki pants, a button-down shirt and the dress shoes he’d had to polish that morning. He was thankful he didn’t have to wear a suit and tie, but he preferred to relax and enjoy his meals in jeans and T-shirts. He had enough of button shirts, belts and neatly ironed pants when he put on a uniform every day.
To make matters worse, they were taking her car. She’d informed him the night before that she had no intention of climbing in and out of his truck in a dress, and that had been that.
They were even going on a work night, which he thought was ridiculous, but she knew he was more likely to work late or be called back out on a weekend, so she’d insisted. Since she didn’t work until ten, it wasn’t a big deal for her. For his sake, they were leaving earlier than they might usually have gone out.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to relax. It was dinner. His shirt had buttons and a collar. So what? She’d put up with his erratic hours and attempts to drag her outside. The least he could do was drive into the city and give her the romantic dinner he’d ruined on Sunday.
He knew where the nerves came from. Fancy meals at bistros weren’t really his thing and he was afraid she was going to look at him across the table and remember he wasn’t her type. The last thing he wanted was for her to look at him the way Ciara had.
After making sure Bear had everything he needed, including cartoons on the television, he told him he’d be back in a few hours and went out the front door. Hailey was in the process of locking her door and one look at her went a long way toward killing the cranky mood he’d been trying to fight off.
A red dress hugged the top of her and then flared out a little at the bottom. She was wearing one of the black half-sweater things over it, with black high-heeled shoes he might have talked her into wearing to bed if he’d known about them. Her hair was down, framing her face, which she’d done up to accentuate her eyes. She looked beautiful and he suddenly felt underdressed in his best outfit, not counting his dress uniform or wedding-slash-funeral suit.
Her face lit up when she saw him, and he met her at her car. “You look gorgeous.”
She did a little twirl, showing off her swirly skirt and legs that didn’t quit. “Thank you.”
When she handed him her keys, he realized she wanted him to drive, which was nice. Driving his truck would have been nicer, but he could see how getting in and out would be an issue in those shoes.
She talked most of the way there, telling him about her day and about the preschool story hour. The summer reading program would be starting soon and she was still trying to finalize the details for that. He liked when she talked about her work and found himself relaxing.
Until they pulled into the parking lot. It was obviously more upscale than the Trailside Diner, and he liked the diner. But he went around the car and helped Hailey out, like a gentleman. She took his arm to walk to the front door, which he held for her.
The romantic atmosphere set him on edge, as did the number of glasses and forks on the table where they were seated. While none of the women were as beautiful as Hailey, most of the men around them were wearing suits, or at least ties, and he felt conspicuous.