Scarred Beautiful (31 page)

“Well, I learned that your middle name is James and that you love chocolate cream pie, and….” I lower my voice, twiddling my fingers in my lap. “I learned that there’s so much sweetness in you.”

I hear his sharp intake of breath, and when the light turns green, he makes a quick right, pulling into what looks like the entrance to a park and quickly cutting the ignition. He unbuckles his seat belt and leans into me, curling his hand around the back of my neck as he guides my face closer and a shudder runs through me.

“I taste really sweet, too,” he says, his breath a soft whisper on my lips.

“Oh yeah…prove it,” I murmur, inching my lips closer to his, my tongue sneaking out to moisten them.

“Oh, sunshine, you know how I like dares,” he counters, his voice gruff, before sealing his lips over mine, taking my bottom lip between his teeth, sucking hard. It’s just enough to leave a sting that he eases when his tongue glides back over it. I whimper at the torture because it feels so good, looping my arms around his neck to deepen the kiss and he groans, pulling me onto his lap so I’m straddling him.

My dress bunches around my hips and I can feel how much he wants me, his erection pressing against the silk of my panties, and my skin suddenly feels hot all over because I want him, too…desperately.

He leaves my lips and trails his tongue down my jaw, dropping kisses all along my neck and I moan again, rubbing myself against him. “Fran.” His voice is breathy and desperate, too, while he continues to coat my throat with the warmth of his tongue. “I want you so badly,” he groans, and his hand moves from my lower back around to my bare thigh, his fingers brush my skin and I shiver, willing his hand to go higher. As if hearing my silent request, he begins a slow ascent, inching up my skin until he reaches the edge of my panties, circling his thumb, and I can’t help the sounds of arousal that are free falling from my mouth. He pushes the material aside, his thumb finding my clit, and I let out a jagged cry, his name the only thing on my lips.

“Matt….”

“Baby, you’re so wet…God, I wish I could lick you right now.”

“Matt,” I whimper again, loving the way he talks to me, the way he wants me, the desire oozing from his voice, pushing me toward the release I’m craving. I open my legs more, wanting this, so turned on that I can’t think straight. A coil inside me has snapped and I feel freer than I ever have and I know it’s because of him. After feeling nothing for so long, suddenly I’m feeling everything—and I want more of it, more of him. My hands tug at his hair and I pull his lips to mine, my mouth engulfing his tongue as my breathing speeds up and he spreads me open, inserting a finger inside of me. I ride his hand with wild abandon, his cock growing underneath me, his mouth fused with mine as we swallow each other’s moans.

I break the contact, my head falling back, my lips parting to let everything out. “Matt, I’m…so close—”

“Sunshine, look at me,” he says, and I lean forward to stare into eyes that even with only the dim lamplight are so piercing they strip me bare. He sees right through me—through all the bullshit, all the pain, all the hurt, and all that’s left is me…and yet, here he is, still wanting me.

He pushes harder against my clit, soaking me completely, my wetness dripping all over him. Another finger enters me and I’m lost, the pleasure overwhelming, my body clenching around him as I spiral out of control and let go screaming his name.

“Oh God, Matt!”

My head collapses onto his shoulder and I try to catch my breath, to come down from this amazing high but I can’t seem to collect myself. A tear trickles down my cheek, all these sensations mixed with my own rampant thoughts are colliding, an overload of emotions, of beautiful colors and blinding light. Matt has done more for me in six days than my therapist did for me in four years and I can’t seem to wrap my head around it. The connection I feel with him is unmistakable and it cuts into some deep part of me, a place that only he’s been able to reach. It’s like I’ve been playing hide and seek for so long, holding my breath, staying still and quiet, all the while secretly hoping someone would come and find me.

“Fran,” he says softly, and I respond immediately, lifting my head and gazing into his eyes. “Are you okay?”

“I’m, yes, I’m great,” I respond, although the tone of my voice doesn’t match my words and he senses it.

He pushes my hair away before taking my face in his hands, caressing my skin. “I don’t think so and I want to know what’s wrong. Did I hurt you?”

“God, no…that felt amazing. It’s just that…what are we doing, Matt?” I ask, even though I’m scared to know the answer.

“What do you mean?” His eyebrows rise subtly, wisps of hair cling to his forehead and I smooth them away with my fingers.

“Well.…” I swallow the thick layer of emotion threatening my ability to speak coherently. “I’m leaving soon and—”

“Shhh, baby,” he interrupts, shaking his head before resting his forehead against mine, almost as if he can’t bear to think about it. “I don’t want to talk about that right now. I just want to enjoy being with you. Can we do that? Just enjoy every moment we have together?”

I exhale a sigh, recalling Mrs. Brody’s words—‘
moments are all we have
.’ “Sure,” I reply, but I can’t help thinking that the sand in the hourglass is running out and our moments are slipping away.

I’m trying to slow down. My heartbeat. My thoughts. Time. I’m all over the freaking place. I just watched Fran give herself over to me. I felt it…the second she let go, and I don’t mean the fact that she came relentlessly, which in and of itself was fucking amazing. I mean, I saw it in her eyes, like she was gifting me something she’d never given anyone before, and now I’m terrified because I don’t know what the fuck to do with it. Because I know if I’m not careful, the fragile treasure she just handed me could shatter into a million pieces.

Everything I knew about my life has gone to hell in six days. I don’t care what’s happening at work, if my car gets dented, or even whether my cabinets are alphabetized. The only thing I care about is sitting right in front of me and I’m left wondering how the fuck this happened. She blew into my life like one of those tumbleweeds in the old western movies Mr. Brody and I used to watch—unexpectedly, effortlessly—and now she’s about to blow back out just as quickly as she came in.

That look she gives me, the gold flecks of her green eyes pulling me in, is the one I’m seeing right now when she’s asking me what we’re doing. What’s my bullshit response?
Moments
. Because I know better than anyone that’s all we really have. Because the thought of her leaving and going back to New York makes my chest ache. The thought of not seeing the smile that sets fire to my heart annihilates me, and I can’t go there. So moments, yeah, that’s what I tell her. Because that’s all we’ve got.

I draw her lips to mine, holding her to me, feeling her softness, tasting her sweetness. We stay like this, unmoving, just feeling one another for seconds or minutes, or it could be days because I’ve completely lost track of time, lost track of my life.

“Let’s go back, baby,” I finally say against her lips. “I want to be with you tonight. I want to hold you. Can I stay with you?”

“Yes,” she says, her voice the smallest whisper of breath.

Fran climbs off of me and situates herself back on the seat and I already miss her. My pants are drowned from her sex, the scent of her covering me and filling the space between us, making it difficult for me to concentrate on anything but doing that to her all over again.

She takes her phone out of her bag and types in the code to unlock it and gasps.

“What is it?”

“Oh my God. Peyton has texted me about twenty-five times and I have two messages from my mom.”

“Is Peyton okay?” I ask, wondering if this has anything to do with Caleb.

She scrolls through the messages while I try to focus on the road. “Yes.” She laughs, so it must be nothing serious. “She said she hadn’t heard from me so she wanted to know where I was and if I was okay, how things went with my mom, what you and I were doing. Oh, and she got our boss to let her stay a few extra days. But then she resorted to shouty capitals because I didn’t respond. So I’m texting her now telling her you just got me off in your car and it was the best orgasm I’ve ever had.”

I burst out laughing, but am hoping she’s not serious. “You didn’t just type that, did you?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” she flirts, giving me all sorts of obscene ideas again, like getting her naked and going down on her before fucking her on the cool leather in the back seat of my car.

“No. I didn’t tell her that. That’s our little secret.” She winks at me and I like the fact that we’ve gotten away from talking about the heavy stuff, at least for the time being.

By the time we make it back to Fran’s room it’s nearly midnight and we’re both pretty wiped out. She slips her sandals off and flops on the bed and I join her. She stretches her arms over her head and cranes her neck from side to side.

“I feel like I’ve run a marathon. I’m so achy,” she says, a full-fledge yawn leaving her mouth.

I lean over her, kneading her shoulders and she groans. “I’m sure I can make it better. I’m quite the masseuse,” I brag, hoping she’ll take me up on my offer.

“Actually.…” She yawns again. “As good as that feels, I need a bath. Care to join me?”

“Race you there,” I joke, the thought of being naked with her in the warm water already has me hard. “Stay right here.” With a chaste kiss, I hop off the bed and head into the bathroom, shedding my t-shirt and jeans in a heap along the way and hearing a whistle from Fran as I do.

I twist the handle to start the warm water flowing in the tub and poke around to find some bubble bath. The bathroom is filled with every luxury you can imagine, from the fluffy robes to any type of lotion, soap, and shower gel you want. Now I just have to find them. After searching through a couple of drawers, I find a selection of bubble bath and randomly pick one before I pour it into the tub. I grab a bottle of shampoo and a sponge and sit them on the side.

When I come back out I find Fran on the bed with her eyes closed, a sudden onset of disappointment causes me to frown. I was looking forward to spending more time with her but I also know how exhausted she is and probably needs her sleep. There’s an extra blanket at the end of the bed and I unfold it to cover her up, bending down to place a kiss on her forehead. Her eyes pop open and my frown turns into a huge smile.

“I thought you were sleeping,” I say, propping a knee on the bed next to her.

She grins and puts a hand on my thigh, drumming gently. “And miss out on a bath with you? I don’t think so.”

“Come on.” I help her off the bed and lace my fingers through hers. Even though we’re only walking to the bathroom, I still feel the need to touch her.

“It’s a great bathtub, isn’t it?” she says, admiring the raised rectangular tub encased in marble. “I have a nice tub in New York but compared to this, it’s subpar. I think I need an upgrade.”

“Yeah, well, people pay big bucks to be able to bathe in a marble tub, I guess.” I spin her around and unzip the back of her dress and she steps out of it, leaving her once again in that killer lace bra and panties. I wrap my arms around her waist from behind and press a kiss to her neck, closing my eyes and inhaling the scent of jasmine. “Are you sure you want to take a bath?” I ask, my voice raspy, my cock pushing into her ass.

She whimpers, rubbing up against me. “I think I’d like to be naked with you in the bath…
first
.”

“I like that word
first
very much,” I tell her, reluctantly letting her go and removing my boxers while she rids herself of the tiny scraps of fabric she has left.

She sticks one foot in the tub, then the other, before turning around and reaching for my hand. Her gaze drops to my erection and lingers there.

“I know it’s hard not to look…it’s okay.” I chuckle and grab hold of her hand, falling in when she yanks me into the water.

Moving behind her, I tug her against me and she slides between my legs while I engulf her in my arms. The warm water sloshes around us, a soothing and peaceful calm to the end of our day.