In Too Deep (6 page)

D
epleted of energy, Carmen lay still with her eyes closed, unable to move, her body still intimately connected with Matthew's. She could feel the wetness between her thighs where their bodies were still joined.

She slowly opened her eyes. Matthew's face was right there. He was asleep, but still holding her in his arms, his leg was thrown possessively over her, locking their entwined bodies together. It was as if he'd deliberately chosen that position so that he would know if she moved the slightest bit.

She glanced at the clock on the nightstand and saw that it was close to two in the afternoon, which meant they had spent the last five hours in bed. Closing her eyes again, she thought that she had never experienced anything quite like the lovemaking session they'd just shared, and she could still feel remnants of sexual bliss simmering through her.

Her body quivered at the memory of his mouth between
her legs, and of his tongue lapping her into sweet oblivion. She hadn't made love with another man since their divorce and now she knew why—her body didn't want anyone other than Matthew.

Suddenly, she felt him starting to swell inside her. She opened her eyes to stare right into the darkness of his. They lay there, gazing at each other while his shaft expanded into a huge, hard erection.

“Oh my goodness.” The words slid from her lips as she felt him stretching her inside. Her inner muscles clamped tight and wouldn't let him go.

He leaned forward and kissed her, moving in and out at a slow pace. His unhurried strokes eased the tremendous ache between her legs and matched the rhythm of his tongue as it mingled with hers. She couldn't help moaning with each thrust into her body as she was overtaken with desire. He was so painstakingly thorough it nearly took her breath away.

Moments later she pulled her mouth from his when her body erupted into an orgasm so intense she screamed in ecstasy, totally taken aback at the magnitude of pleasure ripping through her. And then Matthew followed her into the thrill of rapture as his body exploded, as well. As he drove harder and deeper, she could actually feel his release shoot right to her womb. “Matthew…”

She moaned his name from deep within her throat and when his mouth found hers again, she continued to shudder as her body refused to come down from such a rapturous high.

 

“I can't believe I feel so drained.”

Matthew glanced over at Carmen and smiled. They had just arrived at Ray's Place, a popular hangout on the
Hamptons. She was leaning against his car and, dressed in a pair of jeans and a cute pink blouse, she was looking as breathless as she sounded. “I wonder why,” he said.

She laughed and gave him a knowing look. “Oh, you know exactly why, Matthew Birmingham.” She raked a hand through her hair and laughed again before saying in a somewhat serious tone, “You're pretty incredible.”

His smile widened. “You're pretty incredible yourself. Come on, let's go grab something to eat to feed that depleted soul of yours.” He took her hand in his and they headed toward the entrance of the establishment.

The one thing he'd always enjoyed about Ray's Place was that it was private and the paparazzi were not allowed on the grounds, which was probably why a number of people were there tonight, many of whom had ventured to the Hamptons for the polo matches.

Another thing he liked abut Ray's Place was the excellent service, and he appreciated that they were seated immediately. He glanced over at her and thought he didn't mind being guilty of making her tired. Making love to her most of that day had been the most erotic thing he'd done in a long time, and because it was her and no other woman, it had been special.

“Umm, so what do you think we should order?” she asked, looking at the menu.

He leaned back in his chair. “Whatever can fill me up. I'm starving.”

She rolled her eyes. “You're famished and I'm exhausted. Go figure.”

“My friend Matthew Birmingham and his lovely wife, Carmen. How are you?”

Matthew glanced up and smiled. “Sheikh Adham, I heard you were a guest this year at the Polo Club. How
are you?” he asked, standing and shaking the man's hand. He had met the sheikh over ten years ago when, as a college student, the sheikh had visited the United States and participated in a swimming competition at UCLA. They had become good friends then.

“I am fine, Matthew.” And he leaned over and kissed Carmen's cheek. “And you, Carmen, are as beautiful as ever.”

“Thanks, Sheikh Adham,” Carmen said, smiling.

The man then gestured to the woman by his side. “And let me introduce my wife, Sabrina. Sweetheart, Matthew and Carmen are friends of mine.”

The woman smiled as she greeted them. Matthew fought not to show the surprise on his face. Adham married? The woman was certainly a beauty. But he'd spent some time with Adham just last year while working on a historical piece in the Middle East when he'd claimed marriage was the furthest thing from this mind. Matthew couldn't help wondering what had happened to make him change his mind.

“Would you and Sabrina like to join us?” Matthew heard Carmen ask.

Adham shook his head. “We appreciate your kindness but we've already eaten and were just leaving. Hopefully, we can get together soon after one of the polo matches.”

“Carmen and I would like that.” They chatted for a few more minutes before the couple left.

“Wow, I can't imagine Adham married,” Carmen said, speaking aloud what Matthew's thoughts had been earlier. Matthew returned to his seat, remembering it was well-known that Adham used to have a wild streak and be quite a womanizer.

“They look happy,” Carmen added.

Matthew wasn't so sure about that. For some reason he didn't quite feel that happiness that Adham and Sabrina were trying so hard to emit.

 

“I can't believe I ate so much,” Carmen said when they returned from dinner.

She glanced over her shoulder and saw Matthew grinning as he tossed his car keys on the table. “And just what do you find so amusing?” She couldn't help but ask him.

He leaned back against the door. “I have to say I don't ever recall seeing you eat that much. You ate your dessert and mine.”

Carmen chuckled as she dropped down on the sofa. “Only because you didn't seem as hungry as you claimed you were. I, on the other hand, was not only exhausted, I was hungry.”

He nodded. “Are you full now?”

“Yes, pretty much so.”

“And your energy level?”

She lifted a brow, wondering why he wanted to know. “Good. Why?”

“Keep watching, you'll figure it out.”

And she did. First went his shirt, which he removed and tossed aside. His shoes and socks came next and Carmen watched fascinated. When his hand went to the zipper of his jeans she shivered in anticipation. The man had a body that could make her tremble while waiting for it to be bared.

Determined not to be undone, she eased off the sofa and began removing her own clothes. By the time she had tossed her last article of clothing aside, he was slowly moving toward her. “You're slow, Carmen.”

She grinned. “And you look hard, Matthew.”

“You're right,” he said, pulling her into his arms.
She groaned out loud with the feel of his naked body against hers.

“Haven't you gotten enough yet?” she asked, smiling.

“No. Have you?”

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “No.”

And then he pulled her back down on the couch with him.

 

Matthew gazed up at the ceiling. If anyone had told him that he would be spending a good part of his entire day making love to his wife—his ex-wife—he would not have believed it. Even now, while lying flat on his back, trying to regain his strength and listening to her moving around in the bathroom, he was still somewhat stunned.

Their lovemaking had been off the charts as always, but something had been different—he'd detected another element in the mix. An intense hunger had driven them to new heights, making them fully aware of what they'd gone without for twelve months and just how much they longed to have it back.

He had assumed leaving the house awhile would wean some of their sexual hunger, but it hadn't. No sooner had they returned, they were at it again. He could not get enough of her, and they had gotten it on every chance they got. Without any regrets. At least there certainly hadn't been any on his part and he hoped the same held true for her.

What if she was not feeling the same way that he was? What if it had been lust and not love that had driven her to sleep with him, and now that she had, nothing had changed for her?

Shifting positions, he lay on his side with his gaze fixed on the bathroom door. Carmen was an actress, and a damn
good one, but when it came to certain emotions, he could read her like a book. At least he used to be able to.

But today she had made love with him as if they hadn't just spent an entire year not talking to each other. He wished he could let the matter go, but he couldn't. Their love had been too strong for him to just let things continue as they had before. He didn't want revenge anymore. What he wanted more than anything was an explanation as to why she had ended their marriage. As far as he was concerned, they could have worked it out if she'd just given him a chance, if she'd just communicated with him.

He drew in a deep breath as he waited for his ex to come out of the bathroom. It was time for all cards to be placed on the table. It was time for her to be honest with him and for him to be honest with her, as well. He wanted his wife back, and it was time he told her so.

 

Carmen stood at the vanity mirror after her shower, staring at her face, hoping that Matthew would still be asleep when she left the bathroom. She was not ready to see any sign of regret in his eyes. It had probably just been lust driving him to make love to her like that, and now that it was out of his system, it would be business as usual with them. He would remind her, in a nice way of course, that they were still divorced and nothing had changed.

Boy, was he wrong. Something had changed—at least it had for her. She could no longer deny that she still loved him. And she had to tell him about the baby—it wasn't fair to keep it a secret anymore.

At the time, she had been so hurt that all she'd wanted to do was wallow in the pain without him. She'd blamed him for not being there that night and had even gone so far as to tell herself that if he had been there, things might have been different. She hadn't wanted to believe what
the doctor had said—that a large percentage of women miscarry a baby at some point during their reproductive years. According to the doctor there was no reason for her not to have a normal pregnancy when she was ready to try again. But at the time, she hadn't wanted to think about another pregnancy. She'd only wanted to mourn the one she'd lost.

She wished she'd handled things differently. She should have called Matthew and let him know what happened. She knew deep down that there was nothing, work or otherwise, that would have kept him from hopping on the next plane to Barcelona to be with her.

He would have held her while she cried, kissed her tears away and told her everything would be okay, that as soon as she was ready they would make another baby. He would have meant every word.

And when she'd been able to travel he would have taken her home and cared for her, pampered her and shown her that no matter how many hours he spent away from her, she was the most important thing in his life.

He had told her that many times but she hadn't wanted to hear it even though she, of all people, knew his family history and knew that taking care of her was important to him. But what she had done was turn her back on him and without telling him the full story, she had filed for a divorce. She hung her head, ashamed of her decision. He probably hated her for doing that, and their relationship could be beyond repair at this point.

She lifted her face to stare at her reflection again. Yesterday, she'd wanted to seduce her ex-husband in the name of revenge, but today she knew she needed him in her life. She loved him and wouldn't be happy until they were together again.

Somehow she needed to make him fall in love with her
all over again. But first she had to tell him the truth. She had to tell him about the baby.

 

Matthew held his breath when the bathroom door opened and the moment Carmen appeared in the doorway his heart began pounding deep in his chest. The sunlight pouring in through the windows seemed to make her skin glow.

Silently he lay there and studied the way her short silk bathrobe clung to her curves. He had every reason to believe she was naked underneath it. There was a damp sheen to her brown skin and her hair was tied back away from her face, emphasizing her eyes and mouth. As he continued to watch her, that mouth he enjoyed kissing so much slowly curved into a sexy smile.

There were no regretful vibes emitting from her and he let out a relieved breath as they stared at each other. They'd done that a lot lately, staring at each other without saying anything. But what he saw in her gaze now nearly melted his heart. She loved him. He was certain of that. He might not ever hear her say the words to him again but he could see it—it was there on her face, in her eyes and all around those delectable lips.

He intended to do whatever had to be done to remind her of what they'd once had. More than anything, he wanted her to accept that there was nothing the two of them couldn't work out together. That was the one thing he was certain about. Two people couldn't love each other as deeply as they did and still stay apart. In his book, things just didn't work out that way.

He watched as she slowly moved across the room toward him and he sat up to catch her when she all but dived into his arms. And then she was kissing him with a hunger and need that he quickly reciprocated. He fought for control, his body burning with a need that was driving him off the
deep end. He wanted to do nothing more than bury himself inside her body.