Page 9 of Whispers at Seaside
He’d forgotten about the darn cut. “It’s nothing.”
Sawyer slapped Matt on the back with a knowing wink. “Having a good night?”
It was about to get even better.
“Yeah, we’re…” He glanced at Mira and put a hand on her back, hoping to settle her nerves. “Celebrating. Tonight’s Hagen’s first slumber party, which means Mira has no curfew.”
“Really?” Sky’s eyes widened. Her long dark hair and ever-present smile reminded Matt of their mother. Sky liked to stick her nose into her brothers’ personal lives, which was pesty, but she meant well. Sky loved to see people happy. That was herthing.
“Great, then you guys can come with us.” Sky linked her arm with Mira’s and began walking toward Commercial Street. “We’re going dancing. Once a month Sawyer and I stay out all night just because we can. What a coincidence that you guys are up here, too.”
Mira looked over her shoulder at Matt with so much longing in her eyes he felt it in his bones. He’d already shown their hand, so they couldn’t really pretend they had to get home. He mouthed,Sorry, and she mouthed,It’s fine, and flashed her sunny smile.
Sawyer sidled up to Matt as they headed toward the nightclub. “You and Mira?” he asked quietly. “I had no idea you two were…”
“We weren’t.”But we are. Wesoare.
Chapter Four
DRINKS, MUSIC, AND a visual feast of seduction had been on tap since they’d arrived at the dimly lit nightclub, and Mira was mesmerized byallof it. Sweaty couples slithered against each other like mating snakes, groping and kissing with reckless abandon on the crowded dance floor. Mira had never watched porn, not one minute of it, but thishadto be similar. It felt erotic and dark. She felt voyeuristic, but she couldn’t look away from the openmouthed kisses and sexual possession before her, and it made herwantdeep in her core. She hadn’t been dancing in forever, but tonight the music pulsed beneath her skin, alcohol warmed her blood, and the sexually charged atmosphere chipped away at her inhibitions. Sky and Sawyer had been on the dance floor for what seemed like hours, their bodies moving like they were made for each other. Embarrassingly, Mira envisioned their sensuality moving to the bedroom, like she read about in romance novels late at night after Hagen was asleep.
She wasn’t usually a naughty thinker, but Matt unearthed those feelings in her, more so tonight than ever before. She blamed it on the aura of sex and lust and all things taboo going on around her. Matt slid a hand around her waist and pressed his mouth beside her ear, speaking just loud enough to be heard above the music. “Dance with me, sexy girl.”
She hadn’t felt sexy in years. She couldn’t even remember if she’d shaved her legs that morning. Her life was so full of practicality it was a wonder she didn’t have the days of the week embroidered in her underwear. But the way Matt’s hand moved over her ribs in long, languid strokes and the seductive look in his eyes erased those worries. She let him lead her through the crowd until it swallowed them whole and she lost sight of Sky and Sawyer. The scent of testosterone and sex hung in the air. The heat was oppressive, making the bumping and grinding around her feel even more libidinous.
Matt kept a hand possessively around her, holding her against him as his hips moved with the smooth and powerful mastery of a man who had way more sexual experience than she had. His dark eyes held her captive, lulling her into a heightened state of arousal. Her body tightened with awareness and she began to move without any cognitive thought. She couldn’t think, could onlyfeel—andfeelshe did. His hips brushed against hers, and his hands moved beneath the back of her top, hot and strong against her flesh. Her fingers played over his muscular pecs, and in her mind she saw her mouth on his skin, tasting his salty sweat, feeling his muscles jump beneath her tongue. Her hands traveled up his shoulders, around his neck, then down his strong arms. She closed her eyes, reveling in his touch as his hands swam up her shoulder blades, then slid down to the low-riding waist of her shorts, then back up again. She felt the heat of his piercing stare through her closed lids. When she opened her eyes she felt braver, bolder, and slid her hands into the back pockets of his jeans, bringing them even closer together.Oh yeah, this is so much better.
Matt moaned beside her ear. Heat pooled inside her. Beside them, two women were making out. It was a beautiful, thrilling sight, and she must be really far gone, because she was surprised at how much it revved her up. Matt turned her in his arms. His hands slid up and down her body. She had a momentary thought about this not being how a mother should act. They weren’t even technically on a date, but having Matt’s hands on her, feeling the effect she had on him, was too good to pass up.
Maybe it was the music, the environment, or maybe she’d just reached her breaking point, but this was it. She wanted him, for a night, for a week, for three months. She’d take whatever she could get and deal with the aftermath later. Tonight she wasn’t just a mother. She was awoman.
She raised her hands over her head like she’d seen Serena do when it was just the two of them goofing around, and her body took over. Her hips swayed, her chest and shoulders writhed sensually, and her thoughts spun away. Then Matt’s hot mouth was on her shoulder, kissing and tasting, making deep, guttural sounds that sent thrills thrumming through her. His hands splayed over her stomach, pressing her back against his powerful chest, and he slicked his tongue over the shell of her ear. She closed her eyes, arching her neck to the side and giving him better access. He didn’t waste a second, and sealed his mouth over the sensitive skin where her neck met her shoulder, sucking the strength right out of her knees. As if he felt her stability fail, he tightened his arms around her.
“I’ve got you,” he said, and pressed another kiss beside her ear.
He turned her toward him, and her hands instinctively wound around his neck.
“You’re crazy sexy, sunshine. You’re killing me.”
“There you go calling me sexy again and making my stomach flip. I haven’t felt sexy in years.”
He leaned in so close she could practically taste him. “Trust me, sunshine. There’s all kinds of sexy going on with you. The kind of sexy that makes a smart man go dumb.”
He brushed the backs of his fingers down her cheek, and her entire body tingled with anticipation. Her skin was hot, her breathing ragged. Nameless people bumped into her on all sides and she didn’t care. She was here, with the man she wanted, the man her son adored. The man she wanted to be taken by.
She had no idea how long they danced, gazing hungrily into each other’s eyes, making silent promises formore, but when Sky tapped her shoulder, she was drunk with desire.
“Come on. We’re heading out to watch the sunrise,” Sky shouted.
Sunrise? Her brain—and panic—kicked into gear. They must have been there forhours. She wasn’t ready for their night to end. How could it be morning already?
“What time do you need to get Hagen?” Matt asked.
Could he be any more wonderful? Even with all the heat smoldering between them, he was thinking of her son. “Ten. His friend’s mom is bringing him home after they go out to breakfast. I’d like to watch the sunrise. I haven’t done that since Hagen was a baby and I’d watch it through the window while I rocked him back to sleep.”
Matt lowered his mouth beside her ear and said, “Anything you want, sunshine. But one day soon it’ll be me who’s tending to you as the sun rises, and it won’t be to lull you back to sleep.”
With a protective hand on her back, and a promise that made her knees weak, they made their way outside.
