The Pretense

Chapter 15

He stepped closer to her and urged her stiff body into the circle of his arms. "I've embarrassed you?"

"Yes, but I don't know how," she gave a deep sigh. "I should have expected you to just say what you think. It's one of the first things I noticed about you."

She gripped his forearms as if to hold him off but he'd have none of it. His thumbs drawing lazy circles over the thin cotton of his robe covering her lower back gentling her until she fitted against him as naturally as his tailor-made jumpsuit.

"What else did you notice?"

"That you had ripped jeans and needed a shave."

Matt gave her a hoot of laughter, "You are hell on my ego, babe."

"Your ego is one area I would never worry about."

She was watching his mouth and his laughter dried up instantly. "I usually start the day with a run followed by a green smoothie, but this morning, I'm going to make an exception. A different kind of exercise."

Her eyes lifted to his, her pupils expanding as he watched. "What are you replacing it with?"

He enclosed the nape of her neck with his hand, slowly bringing her mouth to his, "That depends on the answer to my earlier question."

She frowned, and he pressed his pelvis into her to facilitate the memory to recall. She smiled and he felt the tightness in his chest.

"Only a little."

Her answer sent the tightness lower, "I promise to be gentle this time."

---

Harper must have dozed because she woke up to the feel of Matteo spooning her from behind as he had done first thing that morning. She had slipped out of his bed because the sensation of waking up with his protective arm draped around her waist, his fingers resting over her abdomen, had been both frightening and exhilarating. And now, the exact feelings are back.

He just seemed to swamp her. His warmth, his scent, her desire to burrow against him and never leave. It was as instinctive to her as her breathing.

Right from the beginning she'd sensed he would have this intense effect on her. Wasn't that the reason behind her fear now? Hadn't she avoided feeling such intense emotions for another person because she knew better than most how tenuous relationships were? But how could a playboy race car driver with a reputation for having a death wish make her feel so... safe? So secure? It had to be straight because otherwise it defied logic.

As did her current feeling of wellbeing. Someth8ing she hadn't experienced since before her parents had divorced, she suddenly realized. And hot on heels of that little revelation was the unwelcome understanding that she had been trying to get this same sense of belonging from her job for years.

On some level, that wasn't a total surprise since she had always treated work as a second home. But what was newsworthy was that even the thought of making a partner didn't give her quite the same sense of safety that Matteo did right now.

Confused and feeling slightly exasperated with her see-sawing emotions, Harper again tried to creep out from under his arm – only this time, his strong fingers spread out like tentacles to cover her whole belly.

"Am I going to have to tie you to my bed to make sure you're still here when I wake up?"

His deep voice was rasp from sleep, his warm breathing stirring her hair.

Harper stilled, wanting to run and wanting to stay at the same time. In the end, she wasn't strong enough to resist his magnetic pull and subsided back against his hard body. He rolled her onto her back and rose up on one elbow, his gunmetal-gray eyes lazily intense between thick, dark lashes.