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Triumph swept through him. That was what he’d needed to hear. No qualifications, no bargaining. He wanted her to accept him, no questions asked.
* * *
SHE COULDN’T BELIEVE she was doing this. Excitement clawed through her as her heart pounded. This was risky. Too risky. So why had she agreed to this?
She tilted her head as she listened. No one was around. She heard a slight wind tugging at the leaves on the tree and the chirping of a bird. They were in her fenced backyard; no one would see them. Why not indulge in one of her fantasies?
But this was insanity. How far could she trust Matthew? How far could she trust any man? She’d never really allowed a lover to take care of her. Never let them take charge. In journalism, she had to push, dig and go after a story. She was the same in her personal life. Now Matthew wanted her to follow instead of taking the lead.
She reached out and flattened her hands against the solid wall of his chest, noting how his heart beat under her palm. As she explored his lines and angles, Matthew gently cupped her jaw with both hands and kissed her. She shivered with anticipation and deepened the kiss. Soon she was clinging to Matthew. He bunched her dress in his hands and pulled it off her.
She stood before him in only a bra and panties. The look of wonder on Matthew’s face made her feel extraordinarily beautiful. She felt his hot gaze on her, and her breasts became full and heavy. It excited her but she wasn’t ready to give up all control. Sydney reached for the back clasp of her bra. Matthew covered her hands with his.
“Let me,” he whispered in her ear.
She reluctantly let go and was rewarded with a kiss just below her ear. Matthew trailed a series of kisses along her neck as he pulled the bra straps from her shoulders.
Matthew kissed her collarbone and continued down her chest as her bra fell away. He captured her tight nipple in his mouth. The pleasure was so exquisite that she grabbed his hair and drew him closer. She felt his knowing chuckle against her breast.
She wiggled her hips when his fingertips grazed her panties. Then she heard a car backfire in the distance and jerked away.
“Shh,” Matthew murmured against her bare skin. He rubbed his hand against the small of her back, bringing her into him again. “No one will see us.”
“But...” She knew it was true, but there was always that risk of discovery.
“I won’t let anyone find us.”
She believed him. He would do everything in his power to keep them hidden. Somehow she knew she didn’t have to worry. Matthew wasn’t going to let anyone interrupt or stumble upon them. He would take care of her. All she had to do was let go and focus on the pleasure.
Sydney forgot everything but Matthew’s mouth. He kissed a path from her ribs to her hip as he dragged her panties free. She kicked the scrap of silk free and stood before him naked.
His hands were everywhere, caressing, stroking and cupping. He knew just how to touch her, knew exactly what she liked. Sydney shook with desire as he pulled away to take off his flannel shirt before yanking the white cotton T-shirt over his head.
Sydney swallowed roughly as she stared at Matthew. His arms and torso were tanned and muscular. She wanted to drag her fingers through his chest hair and follow the path that dipped past his low-slung jeans.
He gathered her close, her body fully against his. “Hold on tight.”
Sydney wrapped her arms around his shoulders and suddenly her world dipped. Sydney held on tighter until her back rested on his soft flannel shirt. The scent of him mingled with the grass.
Sydney lay before him, her legs parted, her arms out wide. She felt brazen but unsure. Exposed but powerful.
She watched as Matthew knelt between her legs. His strong hands rubbed her thighs before sliding underneath her ass. Her heart galloped as she felt his breath against her sex before he plunged his tongue into her wet heat.
Sydney groaned and hooked her legs over his broad shoulders. She was tempted to grab him by the hair and drive him closer. Instead she kept her arms spread out wide as the flicks of his tongue made her hips buck wildly. Matthew moaned, his enjoyment obvious as he pleasured her.
Her hands drifted to her breasts. Her skin was tight and tingly. She played with her breasts, pinching her nipples. The scent of her sex filled the air. Her hips twitched as intense desire coiled inside her.
Matthew teased her clitoris with his mouth. The light pressure was all she needed. The white-hot orgasm ripped through her like a crashing wave. She arched her body, opened her mouth, but no words came out as the pleasure scorched her body.
She lay on the ground, limp and spent. Matthew was suddenly on top of her, blocking the sun. “We should go indoors,” he encouraged.
“Don’t stop now. I want you inside me,” Sydney murmured as she arched against him. “Deep inside.”
He hissed between his teeth. “If I do that, I—”
“I won’t let anyone find us,” Sydney promised before wrapping her arms around his shoulders. “Trust me.”
Matthew quickly retrieved a condom from his wallet and shucked off his jeans. She watched breathlessly as need pulsed deep in her pelvis while he rolled on the condom.
He settled between her legs and she watched his expression as he surged into her. The intense pleasure on his face made her heart stop. Their moans mingled in the air as he stretched and filled her.
Matthew grabbed and tilted her hips and she wrapped her legs around his lean waist. His measured thrusts drove her wild. A muscle jerked in his cheek as he clenched his jaw.
“Don’t hold back, Matthew,” Sydney said in a low growl as her flesh gripped him.
Her words cracked his restraint. His thrusts became urgent. Untamed. There was a primal quality, a possessiveness, in his touch that Sydney couldn’t get enough of. She climaxed hard, her body shaking. Matthew tilted his head back, the cords in his neck straining, and cried out as he found his release.
* * *
SYDNEY HEARD THE HARSH beep of her alarm clock. She was about to reach over and hit it when the sound suddenly stopped. She opened her eyes and saw Matthew’s muscular arm above her.
“Could you have found a more annoying alarm clock?” Matthew asked in a husky growl.
She grinned. “You should hear it when I keep hitting the snooze button. It gets worse.”
“I can’t imagine.” Matthew gathered her into his arms and she tucked her head against his shoulder. She wanted to hold on to this quiet moment. She still couldn’t wrap her mind over what had happened last night.
It had been illuminating. Amazing. Freeing. Even better than the fantasies she’d written in her fake erotic diary. Matthew was exactly what she wanted in a man. A lover. A partner.
Sydney tensed as the idea floated in her head. She was getting way ahead of herself. If she wanted to restore her professional reputation, she shouldn’t be with Matthew.
“Let me take you to Dawson’s for breakfast,” Matthew said.
She stroked her hand along his arm. “That’s not a good idea.”
Matthew lifted his head. “Did you already forget what I said last night?”
“I remember perfectly,” she said primly. “You said please...yes...just like that...”
He laughed and slid his hand down her back before resting on the curve of her hip. “Before that. No more excuses. So what if people question our being together? It might get difficult but I’m willing to deal with it. In fact, I think it’s better for us to be out in the open.”
Her smile dipped. It would be better for him. Let everyone talk and dissect their relationship months before the actual election and by then it would be old news. But she wouldn’t get the same treatment because she was a woman and an outsider. And a journalist was supposed to remain impartial. She’d lived this story before.
“I can’t, Matthew. I’ve been in that kind of situation before and I can’t go through it again.”
He gently caressed her back. “What happened?”
“I dated a political aide while I was writing about local government. I trusted him as a source when I shouldn’t have. I don’t know if he started dating me just to push his boss’s agenda or if the idea came later. It doesn’t matter. I lost my credibility and my job,” she continued. Her explanation came in short bursts. “That’s when I moved down here. No one else but Wendy would give me a chance to rebuild my career. I don’t like talking about it. Please don’t tell anybody.”
* * *
MATTHEW CONTINUED TO SLIDE his hand along her back as his mind churned with the information. Why would she believe he would advertise her mistake? What kind of guy did she think he was? “Why would I tell anyone? Who would I tell?”
She shrugged uncomfortably. “There are no secrets in Seedling and I’m worried someone will use this information against me.”
Matthew pulled back. “You don’t have to worry about me.”
She held out her hand. “I know, I know. That’s not what I meant. I have tried my best to show Seedling that I’m a good reporter, but no one is going to remember that if they find out about us. They’ll dismiss my work and say I play favorites.”
“Most people already think we’re dating,” he felt it necessary to point out.
“They can think that all they want,” she declared. “We aren’t confirming it and they have no evidence.”
He remembered the notebook locked in his desk at his office. He couldn’t say how many people had read it but a lot of people had heard about the content.
He had decided not to tell her that the diary had gotten out, or that he had it. Saying anything now would only make things worse. He would give it back, but the timing wasn’t right. He wasn’t sure when it would be.
“You should tell Wendy about us if you’re worried about a conflict of interest,” Matthew said as he got out of bed.
Sydney grimaced and sat up. When she flipped her hair out of her face, he noticed she was blushing. “Not yet. It’s too difficult to explain after...well, after everything. Right now I think it’s best if I don’t cover local government.”
“So when will I get to see you?” He lifted her up and held her by her waist. “I don’t want to sneak around.”
Sydney clung to his shoulders. She pressed her naked body against his and wrapped her legs around his waist as he started to walk to the bedroom door. “Where are you taking me?”
“To the shower.” Her eyes glowed with interest. Sex in the shower wasn’t one of the fantasies she’d included in her notebook, but it was high on his list. “And then you make me breakfast.”
She arched her eyebrows. “Oh, can I?”
Matthew squeezed her buttocks. “If you can’t be seen with me at Dawson’s, then you’ll have to take care of me.”
“Don’t worry, Matthew. I’m going to take very good care of you.”
5
MATTHEW GLANCED AT his watch and realized he was running late. He got up from his chair and tried to find an empty spot on his desk to set down the file folder. Deciding it wasn’t going to happen, Matthew tossed the file on the closest stack of papers and headed for the door.
“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Wendy,” he said as he opened the door to the reception area. His voice trailed off when he spotted Sydney sitting in the chair instead of the newspaper editor. He stared hungrily at her. It had been a few days since he’d last seen her, and the distance had not been his choice. If he hadn’t been dealing with his mayoral duties or urgent matters with his family’s orchard, Sydney had had to attend local events.
“Sorry, Matthew. Wendy had to make a switch at the last minute. You get me today,” Sydney said as she closed the book she was reading.
Matthew blinked and watched her stuff the hardback book in her bag. He caught the word seduce in the title. Heat zinged through his blood. “Is that what your book club is reading?” he asked gruffly.
“Yes,” Sydney said as she zipped up her bag. “It’s not nearly as provocative as the title suggests. In fact, I’m pretty much slogging through it.”
Matthew was willing to help her through it.
“I can’t believe Laura recommended it,” Sydney continued. “I’m going to get back at her when it’s my turn to select a book.”
“Will there be a special project for this one?” Matthew asked. Please let there be. He wanted to see what Sydney would do to seduce him. It wouldn’t take much. She would only have to motion to him with the curl of her finger and he would come running.
“Special project?” Sydney said as she walked toward him.
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