Chapter 37

Matt

Not getting to see her most of the week left me with the sound conclusion that my life was shifting from Dallas to Seattle. I'd be letting go of my apartment in Texas before January at the rate things were going, and funny enough, everyone would be thrilled about it. By the time I got on the plane to fly back home on Thursday morning early, I was lifeless and fully depressed.

Somewhere along the way of avoiding Erica, I fell head over heels in love with her. Maybe that above everything else scared me. I just needed to have a sit down conversation with her about my mom and dad's relationship and how dicked up it got over time. I couldn't handle handing her my heart and have her throw it in a meat grinder by cheating on me. It wasn't as if I had a choice in either matter, but a 'come to Jesus' meeting would help calm my nerves a little.

I walked into M&B around ten and made my way to my office before walking up to see Erica. I figured it would be a little more prudent to stop by and let the team know I was there. Surely Erica would want to discuss how to break the news to everyone at work that we were moving into something far beyond a friendship. At least I assumed she would.

"Hey, Matthew! How are you, brother?" Lewis stood up, pushed his dreadlocks over his shoulder and extended his hand. His Caribbean accent was too damn cool.

"Hey, man. Good to see you." I shook it and greeted the other girls in the room. "How's the week been so far?"

"Excellent." Lewis nodded as Mandy walked toward us.

"Well, for most of us." She shook her head. "Erica was jogging on Monday and got mugged. It wasn't pretty."

"What?!" I moved toward the door as my heart almost stopped in my chest. "Is she here?"

I jogged out without waiting for an answer. Lewis called behind me that he believed she was. My pulse spiked as I waited for the elevators. I moved in as a couple of people tried to move out.

"I'm sorry." I moved back and let them out before walking back in and pressing the button for Erica's floor like I was mental. "Come on. Come on."

"You okay?" Mitch moved up beside me, causing me to jump.

"What? Oh, damn. I didn't know anyone else was in here." I glanced back to see several people watching me with curiosity. "There're lots of you."

"Matt, you know?" Mitch squeezed my shoulder as the door opened to the executive floor.

"Yeah. Just heard about Erica's incident." I waved and jogged down the hall. Why the hell hadn't she called me? Monday was freaking three days ago. I knocked and stuck my head into the door to find her standing at her desk, her back to me. "You busy?"

She glanced over her shoulder. "No. Come on in. When did you-"

"Why didn't you tell me about Monday?" I closed the door and walked toward her in four large steps. "That's really upsetting."

"Because it wasn't that big of a deal." She turned and the bruise around her left eye was sickly yellow. My blood ran cold.

"Wait a minute. Someone hit you?" I reached out and ran my hands over her arms before pulling her flush against me.

"Yes, but it's okay now. Seriously." She smiled, but I couldn't stop envisioning someone hurting her.

"It is a big deal. Did you get a visual on the guy? Did he get your purse?" I reached up and touched the side of her face. "I'm going to fucking beat him to death if we ever find out who it was."

Her smile softened as she cupped my hand. "It's okay. Shit happens, right? I got over it."

"Why didn't you call? Answer me." I tightened my hold on her, wanting her to know that I was her protector. If I'd known she was hurt I would have raced across the world to get to her.

"It seemed silly, and you already asked that." She wrapped her lithe arms around my waist and pressed her cheek to my shoulder, tucking her face against the side of my neck. "I missed you."

"Me too, baby." I rubbed her back and tried to force the violence inside of me to die down. Never in a million years had I wanted to defend someone like I wanted to defend her. "I really wish you would have called, Erica."

"And what would you have done?" She kissed the soft skin under my ear, waking my body up and causing me to growl.

"Come home and held you. Figured out who did this and beat his fucking ass." I clenched my teeth as she snuggled in tighter. All I wanted was her. Her safe. Her happy. Her love.

"Well, it's all better now." She moved back and pulled me down for a long kiss. "You are home."

"Speaking of." I kissed her a few more times and ran my hand down the back of her silky hair. "I'm almost positive I'm going to move up here before January. I felt like shit not being here with you."

Her smile drove a stake of lust deep inside of me. "Nice. I was hoping that would happen sooner rather than later."

"You work fast. What can I say?" I brushed my nose down the side of her face and nipped at her ear before moving back. "All right. I gotta calm down. My heart is racing from fear of something happening to you, and my cock is so hard it feels like it's gonna crack in half."

She reached out and pressed her palm against my erection. "Hot."

"Yours." I cupped my hand over hers and stroked myself, not quite minding the slacks all of a sudden. They were made of much thinner material than my jeans.

"We should have dinner tonight and talk through everything."

"You ready to do that?" I gripped her hand and pulled it from my dick before stepping closer to her. "I'm ready."

"Yeah, I think so. Tomorrow is the big showing. Are you excited?" She leaned in and kissed me one more time before walking back to the other side of her desk and sitting down.

"I am. The painting is almost done. It's going to be beautiful."

"I'm surprised he didn't want it tonight."

"He did." I smirked and dropped down in the seat closest to me. "I told him tomorrow morning at seven. I need tonight to add a few highlights."

"Don't add this, okay?" She brushed her fingers around her bruised eye.

I growled. "I don't like that one bit."

"I'll get some thick make-up and have it covered by tomorrow night. I promise."

"That's not what I meant. You're beautiful to me no matter what, Erica. I hate that someone put their hands on you."

"Yeah, well, let's move to another subject. That vein in the side of your neck looks like it's ready to pop."

I breathed in slowly and glanced up toward the ceiling. "You're right. Where do you want to stay tonight?"

"Are we staying tonight?" She sounded a little surprised.

"Yes." I wasn't playing games anymore. "I'm not spending another night without you in my bed, or me in yours. You choose."

"Let's stay at your place so you can finish up working on the piece without any stress."

"Perfect." I crossed my hands over my stomach. "How is Zek doing? Crapping all over your place yet?" I smiled, unable to help myself.

"He's actually been really good." She bit her lip seductively, which didn't help the vein in question much at all. "I did have something really cool happen though."

"Tell me about it." It was all I could do to stay seated on my side of the desk. Everything about her made me want to be closer.

"Jonathan called to finalize a few things. I hope you don't mind that I worked through some of the last minute details with him." She gave me an unsure smile.

"Not at all. I love that you're involved in what's happening with Jonathan."

"Good." She let out a sigh that sounded like relief. "Anyway, he asked to see some of my work."

Excitement bubbled up inside of me. "Really? That's great news. When?"

She shook her head, trying to make less of it from what I could tell. "After your event. I wanted everyone to stay focused on you for now."

"You think you're going to steal the show from me?" I smiled and stood up. "You deserve a spanking for that."

"I'm not nearly as talented as you are, so no... but a spanking might be fun."

I moved around the desk and slid my hands over her hips, pressing my erection to her ass and fondling her breasts as she stood up and pressed her back to my chest.

"What am I gonna do with you?" I kissed her ear and breathed in deeply.

"I thought you were going to spank me." She rolled her hips slowly, playing with me.

"Among other things, yes." Someone knocked at the door, and I pinched her nipples between my fingers and rolled them slowly as I leaned down and licked up the side of her throat one more time.

"Just a minute," she called out breathlessly. "What else?"

"Taste every inch of you, hold your hair so I can control you while I fuck your pretty mouth and then-"

"Oh God," she panted softly.

I slid my hand down the front of her skirt into her panties. I'd come into the room to make sure she was all right, and by the looks of things... she was perfectly fine. It didn't dent my fury much, but it was quickly changing the anger into lust.

"Work myself into every place you'll let me." I opened her up and pressed my middle finger against her opening.

Another knock at the door.

"Matt. Stop," she panted as I pressed my finger deeper inside of her.

"No. Tell them to go away. Now." I rolled my palm against her clit and gripped her pussy with my other fingers. "I wanna feel you come."

"No. Seriously." She shifted her hips forward, fucking herself against my hand. "We'll do this tonight."

"Tell them to go. Now, Erica. I'm not asking again."

She nodded as her body tightened around mine. "I'm in the middle of a conversation. Come back in ten minutes or don't come back at all." Her voice was low, commanding, fucking hot.

I sat down in her comfy chair and pulled her down with me as I pulled my hand from the front of her skirt and tugged it up her thighs.

"We really shouldn't-" She glanced back at me, and I gripped her chin with my free hand and leaned in to kiss her as I slipped my fingers back under her scrap of panties and played with her soft swollen skin until she cried out and wet my hand.

"More." I licked at her mouth. "I want more."

"Tonight."

"Now." I drilled her for a few more minutes as she writhed and panted in my lap. Her cries were beautiful, her need beyond tantalizing.

My body ached for so much more than I was going to take, but the moment was about reminding her who she had in me. I wanted to be everything she needed me to be as her man, but more than that, I wanted her to seek pleasure in every means necessary - from only me.