Page 42 of Whispers at Seaside
“No need. Drake texted and said he’s having a great time and showing them how to use his compass.” She couldn’t take her eyes off of him as he reached for her hand and lifted her to her feet.
“Glasses,” she whispered. How could glasses make him even hotter? “Holy moly. Where have you been hiding those?” She pressed her hands to his chest, feeling his pecs jump beneath her palms.
“My contacts were bugging me.” He swept an arm around her waist, pulling her against him.
“Were your clothes bugging you, too?”
His low laugh rivaled the seduction in his eyes. “I promised you pampering.” He kissed her tenderly, then led her into the expansive bathroom, where candles burned on every surface. The oversized tub was filled with bubbles. The window was open, bringing a cool edge to the heat simmering between them.
Matt lifted her shirt over her head and laid it on the sink, then helped her out of the rest of her clothes, kissing her skin as it was revealed. She was no longer embarrassed or felt the need to cover up. Matt seemed to appreciate her curves. Heck, he appreciated everything about her; there was noseemed toabout it.
He took off his towel and set it beside the tub. He was every professorial fantasy she’d conjured up since the day she met him, only better.
“Do you wear those glasses in class?”
“Sometimes. Why?” He gathered her hair over one shoulder and helped her into the tub. She expected him to climb in behind her, but he sat across from her and gently guided her legs around his so she was nestled between his knees and their bodies were only a few inches apart.
“Do you…? Have you…?” She was embarrassed for even thinking the crazy thought that was in her head, but his glasses made him lookveryprofessorial, sparking memories of friends who had slept with their professors.
He set his glasses beside the tub and wet a washcloth, lathering it up with heavenly smelling body wash. “What, sunshine?”
“Have you played ‘naughty professor’ with any students?” She bit her lip, feeling ridiculous for asking.
“Only a few,” he said as he brought the washcloth to her shoulder and gently washed her arm.
“Only afew?” Her stomach sank. “Isn’t that against the school’s policy or something?”
He lifted her chin and shook his head. “Do I seem like the kind of guy who would sleep with a student?”
She let out a relieved breath. “You can’t do that to me. I think you just shaved ten years off my life.”
He wrapped his arms around her. “The girls who try to seduce their professors have ‘daddy issues’ written all over them. I’m attracted towomen, notgirls, Mira. Give me some credit.” He drew back with an intense look in his eyes. “And give yourself a little credit, too. Would you spend the weekend with a guy youthoughtwould do that?”
“No, but…” She picked up his glasses and shook them. “I blame these. You looked so hot in them that my mind went lots of places it shouldn’t.”
He smiled, but his eyes remained serious as he lovingly washed her sides and belly.
“Does that mean you think I have daddy issues because I want to play naughty professor with you?” She had to ask.
He smiled and kissed her shoulder with a seductive look in his eyes. “You’re not my student. There’s a world of difference.” His expression turned serious again, and as he spoke, he ran the washcloth over her breastbone and around her chest, making her thoughts hard to pin down. “It’s a wonder you trust anyone after what Hagen’s father pulled.”
He lifted his eyes to hers, moving that washcloth down the center of her body, then detouring over her thigh.
“Is that also why you haven’t been dating?” he asked.
It took her a minute to get her lustful brain to process his question. She knew they’d talk more about this subject at some point, but she hadn’t been anticipating it now, and it took her off guard. She wrapped her hands around his legs, needing something to anchor her.
“Partially.” This was not going to be easy, but she wanted to be honest with him, and somehow baring her soul in the bathtub, where neither had anything to hide behind, made it a little easier. “I think it’s always in the back of my head that guys lie.” She knew how harsh that sounded and added, “I’m sure women lie, too. I don’t mean that we’re perfect, butof coursemy experience affected me. And the few dates I went on proved to me how different my life is from a single woman’s. Most guys have no idea what it takes to raise a child. They think a child’s like a puppy. Put them in a crate for a while and they’ll get used to it.”
She paused, taking in his serious expression and the thoughtful way he was touching her now, his hands holding her around her waist. He’d become her anchor, knowing exactly what she’d needed.Again.
“I think the reason I let myself move so quickly with you is that I feel like we’ve been heading toward this for almost a year. That’s a really long time, and I know your family and friends, and I’ve had months to get to know you and trust you.”
He took her hands in his and gazed into her eyes. “I will always be honest with you. That’s one thing you can count on.”
She nodded, believing him with her whole heart, and her next words came surprisingly easily. “I don’t like to admit it, but itwashard, trying to juggle a new baby and work andlife. Before your father hired me, the companies I worked for weren’t very accommodating when it came to time off for Hagen, and with kids you never know when they’re going to get sick. We’d moved a few times based on babysitters and jobs. Our lives are finally stable, and if something happens to me, my family is there for Hagen.”
“You’ve done a good job with him,” Matt reassured her, picking up the washcloth and running it along her back, bringing their bodies even closer together. “He seems very grounded and happy.”
