no bargaining. He wanted her to accept him, no questions asked.
* * *
SHE COULDN’T BELIEVE she was doing this. Excitement clawed through her as her heart pounded. This was risky. Too risky. So why had she agreed to this?
She tilted her head as she listened. No one was around. She heard a slight wind tugging at the leaves on the tree and the chirping of a bird. They were in her fenced backyard; no one would see them. Why not indulge in one of her fantasies?
But this was insanity. How far could she trust Matthew? How far could she trust any man? She’d never really allowed a lover to take care of her. Never let them take charge. In journalism, she had to push, dig and go after a story. She was the same in her personal life. Now Matthew wanted her to follow instead of taking the lead.
She reached out and flattened her hands against the solid wall of his chest, noting how his heart beat under her palm. As she explored his lines and angles, Matthew gently cupped her jaw with both hands and kissed her. She shivered with anticipation and deepened the kiss. Soon she was clinging to Matthew. He bunched her dress in his hands and pulled it off her.
She stood before him in only a bra and panties. The look of wonder on Matthew’s face made her feel extraordinarily beautiful. She felt his hot gaze on her, and her breasts became full and heavy. It excited her but she wasn’t ready to give up all control. Sydney reached for the back clasp of her bra. Matthew covered her hands with his.
“Let me,” he whispered in her ear.
She reluctantly let go and was rewarded with a kiss just below her ear. Matthew trailed a series of kisses along her neck as he pulled the bra straps from her shoulders.
Matthew kissed her collarbone and continued down her chest as her bra fell away. He captured her tight nipple in his mouth. The pleasure was so exquisite that she grabbed his hair and drew him closer. She felt his knowing chuckle against her breast.
She wiggled her hips when his fingertips grazed her panties. Then she heard a car backfire in the distance and jerked away.
“Shh,” Matthew murmured against her bare skin. He rubbed his hand against the small of her back, bringing her into him again. “No one will see us.”
“But...” She knew it was true, but there was always that risk of discovery.
“I won’t let anyone find us.”
She believed him. He would do everything in his power to keep them hidden. Somehow she knew she didn’t have to worry. Matthew wasn’t going to let anyone interrupt or stumble upon them. He would take care of her. All she had to do was let go and focus on the pleasure.
Sydney forgot everything but Matthew’s mouth. He kissed a path from her ribs to her hip as he dragged her panties free. She kicked the scrap of silk free and stood before him naked.
His hands were everywhere, caressing, stroking and cupping. He knew just how to touch her, knew exactly what she liked. Sydney shook with desire as he pulled away to take off his flannel shirt before yanking the white cotton T-shirt over his head.
Sydney swallowed roughly as she stared at Matthew. His arms and torso were tanned and muscular. She wanted to drag her fingers through his chest hair and follow the path that dipped past his low-slung jeans.
He gathered her close, her body fully against his. “Hold on tight.”
Sydney wrapped her arms around his shoulders and suddenly her world dipped. Sydney held on tighter until her back rested on his soft flannel shirt. The scent of him mingled with the grass.
Sydney lay before him, her legs parted, her arms out wide. She felt brazen but unsure. Exposed but powerful.
She watched as Matthew knelt between her legs. His strong hands rubbed her thighs before sliding underneath her ass. Her heart galloped as she felt his breath against her sex before he plunged his tongue into her wet heat.
Sydney groaned and hooked her legs over his broad shoulders. She was tempted to grab him by the hair and drive him closer. Instead she kept her arms spread out wide as the flicks of his tongue made her hips buck wildly. Matthew moaned, his enjoyment obvious as he pleasured her.
Her hands drifted to her breasts. Her skin was tight and tingly. She played with her breasts, pinching her nipples. The scent of her sex filled the air. Her hips twitched as intense desire coiled inside her.
Matthew teased her clitoris with his mouth. The light pressure was all she needed. The white-hot orgasm ripped through her like a crashing wave. She arched her body, opened her mouth, but no words came out as the pleasure scorched her body.
She lay on the ground, limp and spent. Matthew was suddenly on top of her, blocking the sun. “We should go indoors,” he encouraged.
“Don’t stop now. I want you inside me,” Sydney murmured as she arched against him. “Deep inside.”
He hissed between his teeth. “If I do that, I—”
“I won’t let anyone find us,” Sydney promised before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Trust me.”
Matthew quickly retrieved a condom from his wallet and shucked off his jeans. She watched breathlessly as need pulsed deep in her pelvis while he rolled on the condom.
He settled between her legs and she watched his expression as he surged into her. The intense pleasure on his face made her heart stop. Their moans mingled in the air as he stretched and filled her.
Matthew grabbed and tilted her hips and she wrapped her legs around his lean waist. His measured thrusts drove her wild. A muscle jerked in his cheek as he clenched his jaw.
“Don’t hold back, Matthew,” Sydney said in a low growl as her flesh gripped him.
Her words cracked his restraint. His thrusts became urgent. Untamed. There was a primal quality, a possessiveness, in his touch that Sydney couldn’t get enough of. She climaxed hard, her body shaking. Matthew tilted his head back, the cords in his neck straining, and cried out as he found his release.
* * *
SYDNEY HEARD THE HARSH beep of her alarm clock. She was about to reach over and hit it when the sound suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes and saw Matthew’s muscular arm above her.
“Could you have found a more annoying alarm clock?” Matthew asked in a husky growl.
She grinned. “You should hear it when I keep hitting the snooze button. It gets worse.”
“I can’t imagine.” Matthew gathered her into his arms and she tucked her head against his shoulder. She wanted to hold on to this quiet moment. She still couldn’t wrap her mind over what had happened last night.
It had been illuminating. Amazing. Freeing. Even better than the fantasies she’d written in her fake erotic diary. Matthew was exactly what she wanted in a man. A lover. A partner.
Sydney tensed as the idea floated in her head. She was getting way ahead of herself. If she wanted to restore her professional reputation, she shouldn’t be with Matthew.
“Let me take you to Dawson’s for breakfast,” Matthew said.
She
