Bachelor Swap - Lacey Black Page 0,43
take in the view. Tall, gleaming buildings with doormen out front. Young men and women taking dogs for walks. A few women power walking and chatting. It’s a nice neighborhood. Classy, yes. Safe, you bet. Where I want to spend the rest of my life?
No.
“So, I thought we’d head over by the shelter and you could suggest somewhere to grab a quick bite,” Matthew says, pulling me out of my own head.
“That sounds nice. Since we’re so close to the shelter, does this mean we’re stopping for a visit?” I ask, excited to head over and see the animals.
I’m rewarded with a warm smile. “I had hoped. Ever since last night, I’ve been thinking of riding Dolly.”
My heart skips a beat. The image of him sitting atop that magnificent horse, so confidently and regal, fills my mind. It’s one I can’t wait for a repeat performance. Then my brain flashes to everything else that happened last night, before the conversation of Dolly and the shelter happened. “That’s what you remember from last night?” I ask, my voice a little breathless.
The moment the car stops at a red light, he turns and pierces me with an intense, dark look. “Not at all, sweetheart. I keep picturing the way you looked coming undone on my fingers. The way you threw your head back and let go. The way your sweet pussy squeezed my fingers and pulsed until you practically collapsed against me. That’s what I remember most about last night, but since it’s not appropriate to walk around with a hard-on in a public place, I’ve switched my focus to something a little more PG. Like horseback riding.”
I stare at him and jump when the car behind us honks. “Oh.”
Matthew adjusts himself in his seat and presses down on the gas. We take off like a bullet, moving swiftly through the intersection and down the street. After a few blocks of silence, he finally says, “Yeah, oh.” Matthew reaches for my hand and gives it a squeeze. “Don’t ever doubt what you do to me, sweetheart.”
I find myself smiling as I glance down at his groin, even though it’s not funny. He’s hard as a rock in his jeans, and my legs clench together as I recall exactly what it felt like when I was straddling his lap last night.
With another squeeze of my hand, we drive toward the shelter. “Take a left at the next light,” I instruct as we near our destination. I take it he didn’t mention a specific spot for breakfast, he was leaving it up to me to choose, since I know the area well. “Turn into the alley after the jewelry store on the right,” I add.
Matthew follows my directions, pulling between the small family-owned jewelry store and the abandoned building which used to house a furniture business. When we reach the back of the building, we pull into the large parking lot, which is already half full. He parks in an available spot close to the small, nondescript building at the back of the lot and shuts off the car. “This looks promising.”
“Really?” I ask, glance from the small diner to the man sitting beside me. Matthew Wilder definitely doesn’t seem like the type to choose this style of establishment over a five-star restaurant with paparazzi stationed on the sidewalk, but if there’s anything I’ve learned in the last week, it’s that Matthew Wilder isn’t who I thought he was.
He shrugs. “You haven’t led me astray yet.”
I give him a grin and reach for my door handle.
“Let me,” he proclaims, jumping out and running around to my door to help me out.
With my hand tucked into the crook of his arm, we walk side by side into the run-down diner without a care in the world. Just him and me against the world.
There’s no place I’d rather be.
Chapter Thirteen
Mason
As Wednesday finally hits, a sense of dread falls heavy on my chest. My brother’s assistant added the details of my dinner meeting with Jerald to my calendar, and even though I’ve come up with a thousand excuses to cancel, I haven’t actually done the deed. Mostly because this meeting is important to my brother and the deal he’s made to purchase the company.
I check my watch, having just an hour before I need to get ready for dinner. I consider sending Kyla a quick text, but since I did that before lunch, I should probably lay off. She’s volunteering this afternoon at the shelter and is