Fighting for Love (11 page)

Not really, but I might as well get the date talk over and done with.

Releasing a heavy sigh, I groaned and turned my body toward him so I could face him. He was driving, so it was hard for him to really look at me, but at least I was facing him head on. “Yes, and no,” I answered honestly. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

His grip tightened on the wheel and he stiffened. Immediately, I regretted what I said because it was the same thing I said to him ten years ago in the same damn car.

“No, Matt, it’s not like that,” I shrieked, grabbing a hold of his arm. “I shouldn’t have used those words. I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking about that.” Once his hands relaxed, I continued, “Okay, so Lexi and her sister have made it their life’s mission to set me up with one of their friends. Well, the other day I met someone and we’ve been kind of getting to know each other. It’s not serious or anything, but we have a date tomorrow. It’s actually with a group of us, so it’s not like it’s just me and him. The date was planned before you even came into the picture.”

Clenching his teeth, he kept his eyes on the road, the lights from the street sparkling in his stormy yet wary gaze. We reached his house a few minutes later, and my mouth immediately dropped open as he drove us down the stone driveway. The Spanish style house sat atop a hill that no doubt had a glorious view of the mountains once daylight came. I couldn’t wait to see it in the morning.

Matt parked his Bronco out front and turned it off, letting the keys dangle in the ignition. I waited on him to look at me, but he didn’t. “Do you like this guy?” he finally asked.

Reaching over the seat, I put my hand on his cheek and turned his face toward me. He needed to see the truth in my eyes. “Matt, I need you to look at me,” I told him. When his green gaze found mine, I continued, “I’m not going to lie to you. Yes, I like him, but he reminded me so much of you that I couldn’t help but be drawn to him.”

“So what are you saying?”

“What I’m saying,” I began with a smile, “is that I’m going to tell him tomorrow night that I can’t see him anymore. After being with you again, I can’t imagine spending my time with anyone else.”

Sighing, he glanced down at my lips and back up to my eyes, a slow smile creeping across his lips. “Well, I guess the solution to that would be to make sure you don’t forget it. Let’s go inside.”

As soon as we walked through the front door, Matt led me to the kitchen and started pulling things out of the refrigerator. I figured he’d be hungry after the fight and
I
most definitely was. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast and it was already closing in on midnight. On the lavish kitchen counter, Matt had ham, turkey, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, pickles, mayonnaise, and a big bottle of mustard all splayed out in a row.

Grabbing a bottle of water, he slid it across the bar to me and I caught it before it could slide past. “Good catch,” he chimed. “Now where exactly are you going on your date tomorrow?”

His head was down, fixing our sandwiches, and I stole a pickle off of his. I used to do the same thing to him when he’d make us sandwiches a long time ago. Smiling, he shook his head and added more pickles.

“We’re going to dinner at Bay Ridge, and then there’s a party at Lexi’s sister’s house.” I cringed for a second wondering how he was going to take that.

“What kind of party is it?” he asked.

I shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve never been to one of her party’s before. If it gets out of hand, I’ll text you the address and you can come pick me up,” I promised.

Smirking, he lifted his gaze to mine. “I like the sound of that. You could always text it to me and I’ll just steal you away. I can’t imagine it’ll be too fun after you tell your friend you can’t see him anymore.”

That’s true,
I thought to myself.

Sliding my sandwich over to me, Matt finished making his and peered up at me. “I know sandwiches aren’t exactly Bay Ridge, but I promise I’ll take you anywhere you want to go,” he murmured. “There’s nothing I couldn’t do for you.”

“That kind of stuff isn’t important to me, Matt, and you know that,” I countered. “I loved you when you had nothing, and I would still love you if had nothing.”

We ate in silence, and afterwards he took me for a tour of his house. He had two swimming pools, a home theater, massage room, and a torch-lit tunnel that led to a well-stocked wine cellar. Not to mention the house had five bedrooms and seven bathrooms. He saved his bedroom for last, and when he opened the door, I slowly ambled into the darkness.

My eyes had to adjust to the light when he turned it on, and when they did, my first thought was,
Oh, my God.
His bedroom was all in gray, white, and black; the perfect combinations for someone as charismatic and dominant as Matt. The walls were a light shade of gray, his bedspread a combination of all three colors against a modern black headboard. The curtains were what finished up the room, giving it a sensual quality to the masculine feel. They were floor length, sheer gray gossamer curtains that no doubt billowed into the room like magic on a windy California day. The room radiated with the energy of sex, lust, and sensuality; a lethal combination.

“I bet the ladies loved coming here,” I mumbled, thinking Matt couldn’t hear me.

I was appalled when his answer came right behind my ear, his hands skirting around my waist. “Actually, I never brought any women here. It wasn’t like that,” he breathed. “It looks like you’ll be another first for me.”

We were each other’s first at lot of things; mainly being we lost our virginity to the other. We were sixteen years old; he had just bought his Ford Bronco and drove over to my house to show me. It was a Saturday night and my parents had left to go to Seattle for the weekend, leaving me home alone. I remembered being nervous as hell because I knew it would hurt, but I wanted him to be my first. It didn’t last long, of course, with it being
his
first time as well, but it didn’t make it any less special.

Matt nuzzled my neck, pushing my hair out of the way so he could kiss his way up my jaw. Tilting my head to the side, I moaned and closed my eyes. Chill bumps raced across my skin and I shivered, leaning against him to steal some of his warmth. He chuckled in my ear and pressed his hard cock against my back, lightly thrusting it up and down. To keep him as close to me as possible, I held onto the back of his thighs, firmly.

“I want more,” I breathed.

In that instant, I held on tight as Matt picked me up in his arms, kissing me feverishly and hard while taking us to the bed. He set me down gently and slid off my shoes, along with his, before crawling his way over to me.

“I’m going to give you more, angel. Don’t worry,” he promised. Sliding his fingers under my shirt, he lifted it up over my head and threw it on the floor. He moaned deep in his chest when he gazed down at me with his sexy green eyes, licking his lips. Kissing the mounds of my breasts, he lowered the fabric over one of them and began to suck on one of my taut, sensitive nipples while reaching behind me to unclasp my bra. When my bra was undone, he shoved it away still keeping his lips enclosed over my breast. I wanted to feel him inside me, to satiate the craving between my legs.

Already, my body responded to his touch and I was achingly wet on the verge of letting go. Fumbling with his jeans, I tried desperately to get them undone so I could wrap my fingers around his cock and feel it pulsate with my touch. Matt helped me out, kicking off his jeans once I had them undone. Once he was free, I took him in my hands and squeezed, pumping him up and down.

“Fuck, that feels good,” he groaned. “Don’t stop.”

Harder and faster I stroked his length, enjoying the satisfied rumble in his chest. Now it was his turn to fumble with my jeans. Once he got them undone and slid them down my legs, I was completely naked and vulnerable before him. With his arm around my waist, he moved up the bed and spread my legs wide with his knee. Keeping his gaze on mine, he kissed me gently at first and then harder as he pushed his fingers inside me. Gasping from the sensations, I opened wider for him and let his fingers fuck me, loving the sound of his satisfied moans.

“Harder, Matt,” I begged, spreading my legs wider.

He did as I said, and as soon as he did that was my undoing. Tightening around his fingers, he bit down on my lip and sucked as I cried out in pleasure and pain from my orgasm. Slowly, he rubbed my sensitive clit with his thumb and swirled his fingers in the wetness between my legs. Keeping his gaze on mine, he traced my nipples with my desire, leaving wet trails in his wake, and sucked them both greedily, tasting the result of how my body craved him. I could feel his cock pressing closer to my opening, and as soon as he pushed in just a tiny bit, I gasped.

“I love the noises you make, baby. It’s so fucking hot,” he growled low.

Almost instantly, he pushed inside of me … hard. Not only did I gasp, but I cried out so loud I could barely recognize the sound of my own voice. I was throbbing and wet, fully ready for him, ready for him to give me all that he had. Wrapping my legs around his waist, I rocked my hips along with his and held on tight, crying out with each thrust. The muscles in his back tightened and flexed as he worked his body to give us both pleasure, and I made sure to let him know how good it felt by grazing my fingernails all the way down to his ass.

I was so close to losing it again, my body clenching tight around his cock, which pulsated inside of me with every passionate thrust. “Dammit, this feels so good I don’t want to stop. I’m going to come so fucking hard in you, angel,” he growled.

“Do it,” I begged, “I want you to.”

My breaths started coming out as pants as the ache between my legs got stronger, wilder. We were both so close, and the moment I tipped over the edge I dug my nails into his back just as he gripped onto me tighter, plunging in as deep as he could go and filling me with his release. Breathing hard, he took my face in his hands and lowered his forehead to mine.

“Promise me you’re not going to leave me again,” he murmured against my lips.

Kissing him gently, I knew within my heart that I would never leave him like I did last time.
I wish I could say the same for him once he finds out what I did.

Softly, I whispered my answer, “I promise, Matt. As long as you want me, I promise I’ll always be here.”

Satisfied with my answer, he pulled out of me and settled behind me as I turned, draping his arm snugly across my stomach. Feeling safe and warm within his arms, I drifted off into the best sleep I’d had in ten years.

AFTER DROPPING SHELBY OFF AT
her place late this morning, I drove the hour back to Santa Rosa, loathing the fact that in a few hours she’d be on a date with another guy. The last thing I wanted was to push her away, but dammit, if I didn’t want to tell that guy to fuck off and say she’s mine. By the time I got back home and in the door, a text came in from Mason.

Mason: Gym? 12:30?

I had an hour to kill until then, but his text couldn’t have come in at a better time. I needed something to hit and to hit it hard.

Me: I’ll be there. Spar?

His reply was instant.

Mason: Fuck yeah!

By the time I packed up my gear and made it to the gym, Mason was already inside talking to my coach, Carter Bennett. He was the one who got me started in the whole MMA training just trying to help a poor kid out, and once I started fighting and making money, I hired him. With not having a real father figure in my life he was the closest to one I had, and he sure knew how to get my ass in line.

“How’s it going, son?” Carter called out as I approached them.

“Same old shit,” I replied, slapping him on the shoulder and nodding at Mason. “You ready to get my ass in shape?”

Carter chuckled. “Mason’s here today. I don’t think you can handle us both taking you on. I trust that he’ll get you all warmed up and ready for the ass kicking you’ll get tomorrow.”

Carter was a retired MMA fighter pushing his late forties, but if his hair wasn’t covered in all gray he’d pass for someone a decade younger. Out of all the fighters and retired ones I’d met, Carter was the shortest in height by far. His arms were about the size of mine, but he was also a foot shorter than me, too. The day I underestimated him was the day he kicked my ass in the ring about nine years ago. To this day, he was still fast as shit with a punch that’d knock you off your feet.

“Thanks, coach. I look forward to it,” I remarked sarcastically.

Patting me on the back, he grinned widely and waltzed over to a young woman who seemed confused on how to work the treadmill. “So you want to spar?” Mason asked. “Did things not go well with you and your girl last night?”

Throwing my bag in the ring, I hopped over the top and reached in for my tape and gloves. “No, things with her went great, it’s the date she’s going on tonight I have a problem with,” I told him.

Slowly, he nodded in understanding. “Ah, I see. Let me guess, you didn’t want to be all dominant male with her and tell her she couldn’t go, right? Because if you did, you’d push her away?”