Hidden Threat (22 page)

He rested his head on her shoulder, panting. Her breathing matched his, and neither spoke for several minutes. When she did speak, he couldn’t help but laugh as she mimicked his “good morning” from only a few minutes before.

“Yes. It is,” he murmured back before placing a soft kiss to her neck. With a sigh, he reluctantly pulled away from her embrace. Matthew knew if they remained in that position, they would do more than just kiss. He had mixed feelings about having sex with Cali in her father’s home office.

She seemed to understand and leaned against the wall as he moved back the desk, closed the file he’d been working on, and shut down the computer. When he walked back to her again, he kept a safe distance between them.

***

Breakfast was fun; they decided on French toast. Cali coated the bread while Matthew fried everything up.

Taking their seats at the island, they dug into their creation. Jessie’s was better, of course, but their version was definitely passable. They were both hungry since neither had eaten dinner last night, and they ate in companionable silence.

As the last of breakfast disappeared, Cali asked, “Matthew, what do you normally do?”

Her question confused him. “What do I do?”

She set her fork down. “Yes. I mean, you’re here and have basically put your life on hold. I was wondering what you would be doing today if you weren’t here.” 

Matthew finished his last bite before he answered. “Jason usually comes over to my place, and we watch the game.”

“Oh,” she said. “Um. Will you—” Cali stopped mid sentence. She was going to ask if he’d be doing that today, but realized she knew the answer already. No. He was here, protecting her. She suddenly felt very guilty. Then inspiration struck. “Why don’t you invite your brother to come here today?” 

He looked up at her quickly and then away as he stood and took both their plates to the sink. “That’s okay. Jason and I will survive without yelling at the TV for one Sunday afternoon.”

She knew what he was doing, but if they were going to try to make something together, there had to be some balance. She wouldn’t take his family away from him.

“No.” The firm tone in her voice made him turn around. “I’m serious. Invite him over. And Lisa, too. We can have some girl time while you and Jason watch the game.”

Matthew’s mouth opened and then closed again. He tried to find a flaw in her plan but couldn’t. With two other people in the house, it would be safer for her.

Her mention of girl time didn’t slip his attention either. They’d been on such a tight schedule for the last week, and they both needed to relax. Finding no real argument, he agreed and called his brother.

Jason, of course, loved the idea and assured him that Lisa would love to spend the day with Cali. Matthew realized as he hung up the phone that his brother was happy. Aside from the ever present spring in his step, you could hear it in his voice.

Glancing across the hall, he saw Cali in the next room. He watched as she moved some papers out of her way before sitting on the large couch. Her hair fell down around her shoulders today, and the flashes of how it felt in his hands started running full speed through his mind again.

Just then, she looked up and caught him staring. She smiled at him, and he smiled back. There was a pull in his chest and a warmth in his belly. It was different than it had been a moment ago. This wasn’t sexual, although her body still called to him.

He didn’t understand it, and he wanted to. His eyes never left her, and when she found him staring again, she set her papers aside, stood up and walked to him.

She was breathtaking. Matthew’s entire body yearned for her. His heart yearned for her. And as she closed those last few feet, it hit him. He loved her.

Cali walked into Matthew’s arms without hesitation, and their lips met in a slow but tender kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and her body pressed flush against his. Matthew softly caressed her back with his hands as his poured all the love he couldn’t voice into their kiss.

Cali’s fingers ghosted along the collar of his shirt, feeling the muscles shift as they held and moved with each other. She just couldn’t seem to get close enough to him. Her right hand slipped below his neckline playing with the skin just inside his collar while her left moved up to cup the back of his head, the need to be closer still driving her.

Matthew sensed her need and, shifting his weight, turned them slightly and back.

Cali felt the wall against her spine and couldn’t help the soft moan in her throat.

His response was immediate. He pressed her hard against the flat surface. Feeling his growing need for her sent Cali’s body temperature soaring.

She wanted him again. The fact they’d just been together last night made no difference. Well actually, it made a lot of difference. Cali knew what it was like now. Knew what it felt like to have him inside her, touching and kissing her bare skin.

Her leg came up to wrap around his waist, pulling him closer. Their kisses were no longer soft. They were heated, fueled by their mutual desire. Matthew’s hand moved to her hip and slid up her thigh as he pressed into her, causing them both to gasp.

He was trying to focus through the haze. Flat surface. They needed a flat, preferably, horizontal surface. Desk.

No. Not Alvin’s desk, his mind reminded him.

As he frantically sifted through suitable flat surfaces in his mind, the doorbell rang. Matthew groaned and buried his head in Cali’s shoulder. It was his brother and Lisa. Who else could it be? The urge to curse was strong, but he suppressed it.

Later, he thought. Later he would make it up to both of them. Right now though, they both needed to pull themselves together and quick, or else their plan of keeping this thing between them a secret was a lost cause.

Calming down took longer than expected, but thankfully, the Stanton place was huge, being a mansion. Maybe they could use the excuse of coming from one the back rooms. His brother and Lisa had no idea where in the house they were or how long it would take to get to the door. Their breathing slowed, and when Matthew thought he could talk without sounding like he’d just ran five miles, he placed a whisper soft kiss on her neck and took a step back.

Cali’s face was still a bit flushed, and her lips were swollen. There was no way his brother would miss something like that.

“Are you okay?” Cali asked, obviously seeing the mix of emotions cross his face.

He sighed and brushed her hair back from her face. “I’m fine. I just think Jason is going to take one look at you and know what we’ve been doing.” 

Her hand came up to her face quickly and brushed across her lips. She stared at him for another moment, and then the doorbell rang again with a little more force. Closing the distance again between them, she placed a swift, hard kiss on his mouth. “I’ll be back,” she said, slipping around him. Matthew watched as she ran up the stairs and disappeared. With a deep breath, he answered the door.

***

Cali stood just out of sight at the top of the stairs. She heard Matthew open the door and greet both his brother and Lisa. They asked about her but Matthew covered easily saying she was upstairs and would be down in a minute.

Waiting until they all moved into the kitchen, Cali ducked into the small bathroom across the hall. Flipping on the light, she stared at herself in the mirror. Her color was returning to normal. Her swollen lips were the only tale-tell sign of what they’d been doing. She couldn’t help the smile that broke out on her face, remembering just how they’d gotten that way. Her eyes instinctively closed, and her body swayed as she relived it.

Voices below brought her back to reality. She heard a single set of footsteps on the stairs, and they didn’t sound like Matthew’s. It had to be Lisa.

Before she could give it anymore thought, she turned on the tap and splashed cold water on her face, scrubbing roughly. By the time Lisa found her, she was reaching for a towel. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Lisa said, watching as Cali roughly rubbed the towel across her face.

“Matthew said you were still up here.” Tilting her head, she watched as Cali, placed the towel back onto the rack. “Everything okay?” Cali gave her a puzzled look, but Lisa waved it away. “I mean you and Matthew are getting along alright, right?”

Cali started toward the door, trying to distract her friend’s attention from her face. “Yeah, sure.” She paused. “Why?”

Lisa shrugged. “No reason. I just thought since you were up here, and he was down there that maybe you two weren’t speaking or something.”

“Oh.” Cali hadn’t thought her delay would leave that impression. “No. No, everything’s fine.” Deciding she needed to get the focus off the status of her relationship with Matthew, she asked, “So…how are things with Jason?” As they started down the stairs, Cali noticed a small blush rise on her friend’s cheeks.

“Good.” Lisa paused for a few seconds, stopping on the stairs. “Cali, thank you for inviting us over today. I mean, I know it may not seem like a big deal to you or anything, but...well it is to Jason. He really looks forward to spending Sunday afternoons with his brother now that they are both here in Chicago.” 

Cali gave her a genuine smile. “I’m glad you both could come. And I know Matthew is looking forward to it too.”

After grabbing some drinks, they joined the brothers who were talking on the back deck. It was a little cool today, but dry.

At noon, Matthew fired up the grill while Jason admired it, a look of astonishment on his face. It wasn’t until Lisa moved beside him that his gaze shifted. His eyes landed first on her and then on Cali. He whistled and motioned with his eyes to the grill in question. “That’s some piece of equipment you have there, Miss Stanton.”

She laughed. “Thank you, Jason. It’s my dad’s, but I’ll be sure to tell him.” It was propane, so it was ready in no time. Matthew ducked inside to get the meat and returned with a tray full of pressed hamburgers. He placed the patties on the hot surface and closed the lid. He turned to face the others, careful to avoid meeting Jason’s eyes. Jason had been giving him questioning looks ever since he’d arrived, and Matthew was determined not to give anything away.

Jason pulled Lisa against his side. “You ladies gonna watch the game with us?” 

The women glanced at each other briefly, and then both shrugged. “Sure,” they answered in unison.

With burgers cooked and plates piled high with too many salads, they filed into the living room. Jason sat on the couch and pulled his girlfriend down beside him.

The two took most of the seating area, leaving only the armchair and love seat.

Cali and Matthew both paused to take in the seating arrangements. Taking the chair would make it obvious they were avoiding being near each other, but sitting in the love seat would put them close, too close. Matthew wasn’t sure they could manage to sit beside each other for three hours and not touch.

Cali made the first move taking the spot nearest Lisa on the love seat. With a little reluctance, Matthew joined her seconds later, keeping a safe distance between them. He glanced up several times and caught her gaze as they tried to focus on the plates of food in front of them. Matthew breathed a sigh of relief when Jason turned on the game. The surround sound in the room brought the battle on the screen to life and provided a distraction.

The Bears were playing the Cowboys. This was a big rivalry, and even if Matthew wasn’t a football fan, it wasn’t something he could ignore living in Chicago. The pre-game was just winding down, and the players came out to the sidelines, getting ready for the game to start.

They were all busy eating. Matthew was trying to pay attention to the announcer’s predictions, but Cali kept distracting him. She’d move or make a little sound that would grab his attention. All that changed with the kick off.

***

As soon as the ball was in play, Jason became more animated than Cali had ever seen him. He was clearly a hometown boy, rooting for the Bears, and it didn’t take long for her to realize he wasn’t the only one. Matthew was more reserved about it, but she could still see the excitement on his face. He took in every detail, every move, reacting physically to what happened on the field.

She found she was more mesmerized by watching Matthew than the game. That really shouldn’t have surprised her though. Matthew was captivating. He was brilliant and disciplined. His sense of humor was quick when he came out from behind the mask he wore. And he was sweet, warm, and loving.

Matthew was also one of the most passionate people she’d ever met. No matter what he did, he did it with one hundred percent of his focus.

Cali realized the direction of her thoughts a little too late. Her hand rested between them. It was so close, she could feel the heat from his body. Every part of her wanted to touch him, but she couldn’t. Matthew didn’t want anyone to know about them. Not even Jason and Lisa.

His logic was if they could fool the two people who knew them best, then they could fool anyone. She understood, really she did, but she hated hiding. This man had become so important to her over the last three weeks. So important that she didn’t want to think of her life without him.

She tried to stifle a groan but only partly managed. Matthew heard her and looked over to make sure she was okay. Their eyes met and held for longer than they should. Cali saw the same emotions in his eyes before he turned back to the screen to disguise their intimate moment. Balling her fists, she ordered herself to watch the game.

The rest of the day was just as emotionally draining. Not only did Jason and Lisa stay for the Bears and Cowboys game but also for the Chargers and Cardinals game that followed. By the time they said goodbye, it was after seven and dark outside.

Cali couldn’t say the day was awful. There had been times she’d really enjoyed.

When a play was made that either she or Lisa didn’t understand, the guys would rush in to explain. It was very cute how they played off each other. The only downside to the day was the fact she had to keep her hands to herself. And she didn’t want to.