17
Matt was nervous, which was not a feeling he was used to.
Except of course when it came to Jess.
Considering he had been in Afghanistan in some pretty damned scary situations, he found the whole nervous thing ironic. None of the things he experienced made him nervous. Okay, maybe a little, but then it was more anxiety over the unknown. Was there some radicalized twelve-year-old out there with bombs strapped to himself, waiting to blow them up? Every corner he turned opened the door to a whole lot of unknown, but it was nothing like this.
It wasn’t personal, like a relationship was. Life or death, it still was just business, the business of war. Cold as it sounded, it was how Matt had come to think of it. It was easier that way, providing a much-needed veneer to help him get through it with his sanity intact.
Still, there had been days when the terrible trials suffered by the Afghani population threatened to undo any walls he’d built up, threatened to tear them all down. Especially the children, who’d been born into that life, and would probably die without ever knowing the kinds of joy every child should know. Having plenty to eat. Parents who weren’t too frightened and exhausted to help them enjoy the little things. Spending a lighthearted day playing with friends, chasing balls, and yelling and digging in the sand without losing a limb or their lives.
He stirred the risotto, which he knew was Jess’s favorite, and then checked the wine, which had been open and breathing for a good half hour. He had a roasted rosemary chicken in the oven, and a salad waiting to be tossed. He checked his watch again for the tenth time that hour, and cursed himself for doing it.
When the doorbell rang, he tried to ignore the way his heart thudded against his chest.
He took a deep breath and said aloud, “Get it together!”, and then walked to the door and opened it. What he saw made his heart speed up again. Jessica wore a simple off-white dress, off the shoulders, with a skirt that swirled around her when she walked. She had on high black pumps, and her hair fell in waves around her shoulders.
“Hi,” she said meekly, holding out a bottle of wine. When he didn’t respond, she nudged the wine at him and said, “May I come in?”
Flustered, and feeling like an idiot, Matt said: “Y-yes, of course. Sorry, I was just, ahhh, taken aback.” Jessica walked past him and twirled in the middle of his living room. “You like? It was Maggie’s idea to get dressed up. I hope it’s okay.”
She looked at his jeans and light blue shirt and realized she was seriously overdressed for a simple dinner at his home. She vowed to never listen to Mags again when it came to dating.
She quickly corrected herself. They weren’t dating! Oh, hell no. This is…just…dinner.
“It’s more than okay,” he said, taking the bottle of wine from her and scooping her up mid-twirl, his arm curled around her narrow waist while he pulled her in for a kiss. Just a simple, sweet, easy kiss. Despite the fact that his body was demanding something more. He knew he needed to take it easy, but with her in that dress, it wasn’t going to be easy.
Jessica paused when he kissed her. It was unexpected, but nice, and still a little strange to be kissed by her best friend. And she felt it again, that seed of desire, expanding and spreading through her like warm honey. Her arms went around his neck, and she found herself pulling him closer. Well, so much for a friendly dinner between friends.
When Matt pulled back, she felt a stab of disappointment pierce her heart. To cover it, she sniffed the air and said, “Something smells really good.”
He dropped his arm, and there it was, that stab again. She cursed it.
“I made risotto, your favorite.” He walked ahead of her to the kitchen. “Wine?”
“Yes, please.” She dropped her purse on a chair in the kitchen and leaned against the counter while she watched him pour a glass and hand it to her before pouring one for himself.
“To surviving the storm of the century.” He smiled, and her insides lit up.
He had a such great smile. No one should have a smile that great, she thought. She kept forgetting that his smile might appear guileless and effortlessly easy, but he was no pushover. He was one of those sneak-up-on-you alphas—all charm and charisma, so you barely noticed that you were doing exactly what he wanted, giving him whatever he wanted… and all because of that sexy smile.
He nudged his glass to hers, hoping for a clink, which shook her from her thoughts about how irresistible he looked when he was naked and grinning at her.
“The town has made our adventure quite ‘the thing,’” she added, with air quotes.
Matt smiled again, which almost made her knees buckle. Time to sit down.
“Did you see the paper?” He set his glass down and went back into the living room, returning with the newspaper. Its headline was about the two of them surviving the storm together.
Jess took the paper from him. Despite Maggie’s efforts to show her, she just wanted to focus on work.
She nodded while she read about their experiences. How Matt found the cabin, and how the snow almost completely covered the windows. She tried to suppress a giggle because they forgot to mention the true secret of staying warm in a blizzard—having marathon sex.
“What’s so funny?” He raised an eyebrow.
Crap.
“Oh, um, nothing, I just, it was…” Christ, stroke time. “Nothing,” she said finally, and he winked and leaned into her.
When he spoke, his voice was low and sexy, “I bet you were thinking they forgot to mention how making love is a great way to prevent hypothermia.”
Um, yes, that.
She could only look at him. He held her gaze for a long, hot heartbeat, and then leaned closer and kissed her. This time he licked her bottom lip, and she opened her mouth to let him in. She set her glass down with a shaky hand, and reached up to stroke the back of his neck, drawing him closer. He slowed his kiss and pulled back slightly:
“Let’s save the rest of this till after dinner.” His voice rumbled through her, igniting everything. The devil on her shoulder jumped up and down and cheered.