Married to His Business (Millionaire of the Month #5)(32)
Author: Elizabeth Bevarly

Matthias seemed to understand her needs, because after a few more dizzying flicks of his tongue against the lower curve of her breast, he moved downward again, tasting her navel this time as he passed and kissing the skin beneath. Then he was going lower still, pushing open Kendall’s legs to duck his head between them, running his tongue over the warm damp folds without a single hesitation. He

lapped leisurely with the flat of his tongue, then drew generous circles with the tip. Pushing his hands beneath her fanny he lifted her higher, parting her with his thumbs so that he could penetrate her with his tongue, again and again and again. Then he was penetrating her with his finger, too, deeper now, slower, more thoroughly.

Ripples of pleasure began to purl through Kendall again, starting low in her belly and echoing outward, until her body was trembling with the beginning of a second cl**ax. Seeming to sense how close she was, Matthias moved his body again, this time kneeling before her. He parted her legs and, grasping an ankle in each hand, pulled her toward himself to bury himself inside her—deep, deep inside her. Hooking her legs over his shoulders, he lowered his body over hers, braced both elbows on the mattress on each side of her and thrust himself forward even deeper. Again and again, he bucked his h*ps against hers, going deeper with each new penetration, opening Kendall wider to receive him. She wrapped her fingers tight around his steely biceps as he thrust harder, taking him as deeply as she could, until finally, finally, they both cried out with the explosive responses that rocked them.

For one long moment, they clung to each other, his body shuddering in the last of its release, hers quaking with the remnants of her cl**ax. Then Matthias was relaxing, falling to the bed beside Kendall, one hand draped over her waist, the other arcing over her head.

It was then that Kendall’s confidence about what she had allowed to happen between them began to slip. Because she realized then that what she had thought was a crush on her boss was so much more. And although Matthias had certainly mellowed during his time at the

lodge, to the point where he no longer seemed consumed by his work, he’d offered no indication that he considered anything else more important. Maybe he wasn’t married to his business anymore. Maybe. But could he—would he—ever join himself to something, someone, else?

Kendall woke slowly, not sure at first where she was. The sun wasn’t up yet, but there was an indistinct golden glow dancing at the foot of her bed whose origin she couldn’t quite figure out, so groggy was she from sleep. She felt blissfully happy for no reason she could name and snuggled more deeply into the covers.

Why was her bed so much more comfortable than usual? she wondered blearily as she pulled the covers higher. So much warmer? So much more welcome? And why did she want nothing more than to stay here like this forever? Usually, the moment she awoke, she awoke completely, then immediately shoved back the covers and rose to face the day. She was even one of those people who immediately made the bed, so finished with it was she until nightfall came again. But today.

She sighed deeply, purring a little as she exhaled. Today, she just wanted to stay in bed until nightfall came again. Because something about the prospect of nightfall coming once more made a shudder of delight wind through her.

She was about to sigh again when her brain finally started to function—albeit none too quickly. It did get enough momentum going for her to finally realize what the light at the foot of the bed could be.

Fire. Her bedroom was on fire.

She jackknifed up to a sitting position, prepared to flee for her life, then was shocked to discover she was naked.

Why was she naked? In moving so hastily, she jostled the person next to her—why was there another person in her bed?—who, with a muffled groan, turned over and, with a muffled thump, landed on the floor. And she realized there was something very familiar about that groan…

That, finally, was when Kendall remembered. She wasn’t in her bed. She wasn’t in her condo. The fire in the room was the light of candles. It was perfectly safe. Perfectly lovely. Perfectly romantic. And the reason she felt so good was because—

Oh.

So that was why there was someone else in the bed.

She felt more than saw Matthias throw an arm up onto the mattress, but she definitely heard another soft groan as he pulled himself up off the floor. Then she heard a sound of exasperation as he crawled back into bed beside her. And then in a voice full of concern, he asked, "What’s wrong?"

Oh, there were so many ways she could answer that question. Too many ways. And even so, none of them seemed quite right. Going to bed with Matthias last night had been the wrong thing to do, Kendall told herself. He was her employer again, and she was too smart to get involved with an office romance. But being in bed with Matthias this morning felt so wonderfully right. She would have been an idiot not to make love with the man last night, feeling the way she did about him.

Okay then, her feelings for him were wrong, she told herself. Falling in love with her boss? How stupid could she be? But then, only a brainless ninny would be immune to a man like him. How could she not love him?

And that was when it hit her full force. She was in love with Matthias. Probably had been for years. She just hadn’t

let herself admit it, because she’d been convinced he would never love her in return. And maybe he didn’t love her, she thought. Just because they’d made love…more than once.with utter abandon.and not a little creativity.

Oh, God, she thought. Kendall had no idea what to think just then. So she did the only thing she could do. She lied.

"Nothing," she said, hoping Matthias didn’t detect the note of alarm she heard in her voice. "Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s wonderful. Fabulous. Marvelous. Stupendous. Couldn’t be better. In fact, everything is so perfect that I want to leave right now, before anything happens to change it. I’ll see myself out. Call me when you get back to San Francisco. Goodbye."

Okay, so she lied and panicked. It was a perfectly justifiable response. Thankful for the darkness, she shoved the covers aside and started to rise from the bed.

Until Matthias clapped a strong hand around her wrist and pulled her back down again. Then he levered his body over hers and kissed her. Hard. Long. Deep. And then some of the tension in Kendall’s body began to drain away.

Oh, all right, all the tension in her body drained away. In fact, by the time Matthias raised his head, she was pretty sure it was going to be hours before she moved again. Unless, you know, he kissed her like that a second time, in which case she would probably start moving a lot.

"Going somewhere?" he asked, his voice a velvet purr in the darkness.