Hard Habit to Break (17 page)

“I could kiss you forever,” he murmured.

She couldn’t speak as he ran his tongue up her neck, then nipped gently at her ear. Hot shudders swept through her. He calmed them with gentle kisses on her brow, her cheek, her jaw. When his kisses reached her slender neck again, they grew more demanding, tenderly savaging her sensitive flesh. His mouth dropped lower. She writhed helplessly under him as he kissed her breasts through the satin robe. He lifted his head for a moment
and pushed the robe off her shoulders, baring her to the waist.

Liz felt her blood turn heavy in her veins. Her breasts ached for his touch, and, as if hearing their plea, he ran his finger lightly around the soft outer flesh. It wasn’t enough, and she cried out in protest.

“I almost forgot how fragile you are,” he whispered. He untied the robe’s sash, then coaxed it off her. “Like a delicate piece of porcelain on the outside.”

“I won’t break,” she assured him, reaching out and pulling his sweater over his head. She pressed her hands into the silky hairs covering his leanly muscled chest.

“And dynamite on the inside,” he added breathlessly as she pushed him onto his back. “With a short fuse.”

“Very short, when it comes to you,” she murmured, pulling herself up and straddling him. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He nearly groaned as her hands began stroking his chest and ribs.

Male silk, she thought in wonder as her fingers slowly drew patterns in the thick pelt of hair. To her delight, his nipple was erect and he groaned again when she traced it with a gentle finger. She bent and kissed him.

Their mouths blended fervently, sealing their commitment to each other and giving promises of the sensual delights to be had. Matt’s arms wrapped her in a haven of love. Liz felt it flow into her, even as her own love flowed to him. Tears wet her
eyes at the beauty of it. Then the need came like a hot rushing waterfall, pulling her under.

His embrace tightening, Matt strung kisses down her throat and chest until he captured the soft globe of one breast. He gently nipped the satiny slope, then worried at her pulsing nipple. She cried out and clung to him. She tugged at his head, desperate for his lips on her own. He resisted and took her nipple more fully into his mouth, assuaging one ache and creating another. She moaned. His hands moved down her back, over her derriere and slender thighs.

“Matt, please, please,” she chanted.

“Love you, love you,” he chanted back against her breasts.

His fingers found the moist velvet between her thighs, and she nearly cried out at the fire that shot through her. From a great distance she heard his moan of pleasure. The sound of it was even more erotic than what was happening to her own body. She wanted to hear it again.

With urgent hands she pushed against his shoulders until his embrace loosened. She slid down his body, stringing frantic kisses everywhere her lips could reach. She undid his belt, her fingers fumbling a little in her haste. He chuckled softly, and she glanced up.

“Impatient, as always,” he said in a tenderly amused voice. “I love it.”

She smiled. “Do you?”

He gasped in surprise as she very slowly pulled down the zipper of his black jeans. Leaning forward, she ran her tongue around his navel.

“Liz! Ahhhh.”

She smiled again at the strangled cry, and pushed his jeans off, let her mouth drift lower. Matt gasped and clutched her shoulders. She raised her head and chuckled.

“You could kill a man doing that!” he exclaimed, pulling her up the length of his body and settling her between his hips.

Instantly he thrust himself inside her, and Liz’s playfulness vanished as she felt herself enclose him in a silken cocoon. She closed her eyes at the feel of him, strong and hot. He gripped her thighs as he began to move, thrusting upward. She met each movement of his in a delicate counterpoint. His heart beat wildly under her hands, and her own pounded just as frantically. As the pace quickened, her body quickened. Sensations tugged at her until she was twisting and turning helplessly. And through it all she could feel the love fiercely bonding them together and demanding the final commitment of man and woman. She surrendered to it in the same moment Matt did. Crying out together, they were fused into one being, one mind, one heart, one love. The joining tightened in one supreme burst, then ebbed into a gentle but unbreakable silken chain of love.

As they snuggled together in the afterglow, Matt lazily caressed Liz’s back.

“Matt? How do we go public?”

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” he said, then added forcefully, “I love you, and I want to marry you.”

Very gently he kissed her. She sighed. “How about a whirlwind courtship tomorrow and a quick wedding the day after?”

He chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose. “Don’t tempt me, woman. But I’m afraid this will have to be handled delicately. I don’t want to cause any talk about Hopewell’s upstanding banker.”

“Naturally not,” she agreed in a very innocent voice. “That’s why you’ve parked your car in my driveway, made all those ‘innocent’ remarks in front of my tellers, and mowed my lawn. If you had been any more subtle, I would have been in real trouble.”

Giving an exasperated groan, he lightly slapped her bottom. “You
would
bring that up.” He grew somber. “But I think we should take it slowly. A little more open talking over the hedge during the daytime. The occasional dinner …”

“And how long will that take before we get around to marriage?” she asked eyes narrowing as she gazed up at him. “A year? Two? Three?”

“No! Three or four months at most, probably. Now, don’t lose your temper,” he added when she stiffened in his embrace. “I’ve heard how people in this town talk, and I’m not about to expose you to it. As you just pointed out to me, I did more than enough damage in the beginning. I won’t add to it. We’ll be seen talking a little more, have a few dates, and announce our engagement. By the way, is the Hope diamond big enough for an engagement ring? Or something more the size of California?”

Relaxing, she chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t need a diamond ring. And certainly not one the size of a grapefruit …”

Her voice trailed off, and to his puzzlement, he began laughing.

“I didn’t think the joke was that funny,” he said, cocking an eyebrow.

She sobered, although an occasional unladylike snort escaped while she explained. “I was worried in the beginning about keeping my image. Especially when you came on like gangbusters.”

“I seem to remember you kissing me several times before I even had a chance to pucker,” he mused aloud. “Ouch!”

“Sorry,” she murmured, and patted his beard in apology for having yanked on it. “I’ll admit I had a little problem being around you.”

He chuckled and immediately grabbed her hand as she tried to pull his beard again.

“Okay. Big problem,” she admitted. “But you were right then. People will gossip no matter what we do—”

“And I refuse to expose you to any of it,” he broke in.

Pulling the bedclothes around her torso, she sat up and turned to face him. Her voice stern, she said, “But you were the one who said it in the first place. And some people
will
gossip. We can’t do anything about that. It was only because of Joe’s retiring and my maybe being promoted that I had been worried.”

Matt sat up. “What promotion?”

“You mean it isn’t all around Hopewell already?” Liz asked in amazement.

“What promotion?”

“My boss is retiring in September, and he’s recommended me to replace him as district manager. However, some of his superiors are having second thoughts about my age—”

“That’s discrimination!” Matt shouted indignantly. “We’ll sue the pants off them! Age! I’ll yank all my money out right away.”

“Oh no you won’t!” She curled her arms about his shoulders, the spread dropping unnoticed onto her bare lap. Her tone softened to almost a plea. “Matt, darling. It’s okay. I’m not upset. In spite of Joe’s recommendation, I doubt I’m really in the running because of my low seniority with New England Bank. And seniority will probably be the biggest factor in the directors’ decision. I guess I acted like a nut with you because I was afraid the least little thing would jinx whatever chance I do have of being promoted. And because of what happened in Chicago. I’m sorry.” She kissed him. “Frankly, I’d rather have you than a promotion.”

“You love me enough to throw away a chance at a good career move?” he asked in wonder.

She laughed and kissed him again. “What woman wouldn’t, for you?”

“I could name millions,” he murmured, caressing the smooth flesh of her back.

“Then you’ll want to hang on to me, won’t you?” she murmured back, spreading more kisses along his bearded jaw.

He gathered her against his chest, her head tucked under his chin. “I’ll never let go. Joe’s retiring in September, eh?”

“Mmmm.”

“Then we’ll go
very
slowly until after September.” He held her in spite of her sudden struggle of protest. “I want you to have every chance at that promotion, sweetheart. And that includes your keeping your sterling reputation. Besides, you’re
forgetting one thing. The board of directors might not care if you dated the guy next door. But they’ll very much care if you’re dating a bank customer. It’s only two months, my love. Two short months.”

“And what if I say no? I want you more than any damn promotion, Matt.”

He grinned into the deep shadows of the bedroom. “You forget, honey. I’m running this relationship now. Good thing too. You’d only make a mess of it. Ouch! Will you quit pinching me!”

She chuckled before saying in a very innocent tone, “But I was so overwhelmed by the nearness of you that I couldn’t help myself, Matt. I just had to touch you.”

“You’re lucky I’m a sucker for a woman who’s warm for my form. Ouch!”

“
Any
woman?”

“You. Only you,” he assured her. “Now, where were we? Oh, yeah, I’m the head honcho here.” He tenderly stroked her thick blond hair. “But I do mean it, Liz. I love you, and I’ll do nothing to jeopardize your chances at the promotion. So we’ll wait, okay?”

He tilted her mouth up to his, not giving her a chance to answer. Her lips were so soft, he thought. All of her was always so soft. He tried to express all of his feelings in the kiss. And to persuade her that he was right. Liz was the most important thing in his life, and he needed to show her he could be patient for a little while longer, until the promotion was finalized.

As he lifted his head, she sighed. “I have the feeling you’ll be stubborn about this. Very stubborn.”

He sensed the resignation in her words, and triumph shot through him.

“Dense and stubborn, that’s me.”

He lay back on the bed, pulling her with him for another kiss.

“And unmovable,” she finally murmured, her hands tightening on his shoulders with clearly renewed passion.

“Wanna bet?” he answered, and dragged her mouth back down to his.

“This is ridiculous,” Liz muttered under her breath as she returned Matt’s polite wave with one of her own.

Continuing to walk past his house toward hers, she decided that Matt’s idea of slowly building their relationship in public was on par with walking the distance of the earth’s equator. It would take years!

But it was so sweet of him to do this for her, she thought as she reached her front door. So sweet. She opened the door and strode inside.

Very calmly she shut the door, then yelled, “And I can’t stand it anymore!”

Tossing her purse and briefcase onto a chair, she marched upstairs to her bedroom. She stripped off the conservative white suit and royal blue blouse she’d worn to work, then yanked on jeans and sweatshirt.

She sternly told herself she should have fought
harder that night when Matt had insisted they wait until the district manager’s replacement was confirmed by the bank’s directors. But she’d been so touched at the time by his concern for her. And she had seen his point about her superiors frowning on her having a personal relationship with a customer—especially a customer with a major account. Unfortunately though, she hadn’t realized how far Matt had intended to go to preserve her “sterling” reputation. He hadn’t made a midnight visit since the night they made love and talked about how to go public. Five days! The only thing she’d had to sustain her were his daily telephone calls.

“Praise the saints for private lines,” she muttered between clenched teeth as she went back downstairs to the kitchen to make dinner. “Otherwise, Matt would have nixed phone calls too.”

She’d been right about a quick surprise marriage to him. That was what they should have done, she decided, banging a pot on the stove. Yes, there would have been speculation. But it would have been after the fact and therefore would have been brief and quickly forgotten, not only by Hopewell, but most likely by the bank too. Being businessmen, her superiors probably would think her marrying Matt was a wonderful way to keep his account at New England Bank permanently. Dating the bank’s largest private depositor might be a no-no, but marrying him could be justified as good business, not to mention true love. Which, dammit, it was!