My eyes lock on Matt’s face as he watches them with almost palpable glee. “You’re enjoying this,” I say.
“You sound surprised.” He raises an eyebrow at me.
“Maybe I am,” I shrug. “At least a little.”
“I’ve probably brought fifty different groups to ball games over the last few years. No one has ever been as excited as—”
“Is this sparkling apple juice?” Sherri hollers from behind him.
Matt and I turn to look at her, just in time to watch on, horrified as my little fourth grader yanks a bottle of champagne from an ice bucket. An expensive bottle of champagne, from the looks of it.
“No!” we yell in unison. I rush in the little redhead’s direction, but Matt has a head start and longer legs. He beats me to her, gently prying the bottle from her grip.
“Clearly, someone sent this here by accident.” Matt puts the bottle behind his back. “But I’m going to order you guys some juice and popcorn, okay?”
“Were ‘deez stwawbewwies ad acciden’ too?” A voice, thick from talking around a mouthful of food, pipes up from behind me. I wheel around and catch Keith holding a plate piled high with chocolate-covered strawberries, each of them the size of freaking baseball. Keith takes a gigantic mouthful of one as he waits for an answer. The other kids gather around, reaching over each other to snag berries off the plate like starving hyenas.
I tilt my head to eye Matt. “Really?” I whisper. “Champagne and strawberries?” The students are too focused on their newfound treat to care that I’m staring daggers over their heads. But he doesn’t look ashamed. If anything, he seems to think this is funny.
“Date,” he whispers back, giving me a devastating grin and nonchalant shrug. “I’ll save this for later.” He gestures at the bottle and winks at me as he backs away.
7
MATT
“See you on Monday,” Chelsea calls, waving goodbye to her last student. The door shuts and the porch light goes out. And just like that, we’re alone. Chelsea faces forward as the limo rolls away for the curb. Ivan still has the privacy screen up. It was an absolute necessity for his sanity when the kids were in the limo, and he’s been thoughtful enough to leave it the fuck up.
“You were awesome,” she says. I peer at her, and she gives me the side eye. “Thank you.”
“It really was my pleasure,” I tell her. “They’re nice kids and I have to admit, the way you pulled that one over on me was sexy as fuck.”
“What?” she laughs softly, her eyes searching my face like she’s trying to tell if I’m messing with her.
“Ididstrong-arm you into a date. I can admit that might have been… unfair.”
“Careful, that almost sounded like an apology,” she says archly.
“Mmm… I could lie and say I’m sorry.” I lean down, close enough to see her eyes flare as they dart to my mouth and back up. That brief glance, that subtle but undeniable attraction, has me at half-mast. “But I’m not sorry, and I’ve never been a good liar.”
“Maybe we call it even then,” she whispers, her soft breath warming my lips. “Since I got you backso good.”
A smile spreads across my face. “I like the sound of that—”
Chelsea leans up, pressing her lips to mine, silencing me mid-sentence. Not that I’m complaining. I pull her plush lower lip between my teeth, and she breathes a soft moan. If this is how she interrupts, I’m here for it. She parts her lips, her mouth surrendering to mine.
I twist her long hair around my fingers. A soft whimper emanates from her throat, the heady abandon of it going straight to my dick. I place my other hand on her knee, swirling the pad of my thumb over her smooth skin. She doesn’t pull away. She leans into my chest, her soft hand caressing the back of my neck. Every inch of my skin vibrates, finding a resonance in her breathing that matches the thudding in my chest.
I hook my hand under her thigh and pull her over on top of me. She spreads her legs, straddling me. I can’t help the groan that thunders in my chest as she settles in my lap. Chelsea’s tongue dances with mine, and as she moves, her skirt rides higher and higher, exposing thighs so soft it would be a crime not to touch them. I place my hands on the outside of her knees, letting my fingers trail their way higher. Chelsea shivers, kissing me harder. I grip her hips, pulling her full weight down on me.
She moves against me, hips shifting restlessly as she tightens her arms behind my neck. Christ, I’m fucking hard. My dick aches, trapped behind a pair of pants that has the goddamn audacity to keep me separated from her. I can feel the heat of her pussy, and it sets overwhelming need searing through my veins like fire.
Chelsea’s breath comes in shallow pants as I grab her ass, squeezing her flesh. She moans, rocking against my hard on. The strap of her sundress falls down her shoulder. I move my mouth to her neck, my thumb stroking the slope of her shoulder.
“Matt,” she whispers breathlessly, plaintively. I pull my hand back and look into her eyes. I’m not trying to cross the line. She may not know it yet, but I’m here for the long haul; and as much as my dick disagrees, I’m not rushing this. I want to savor every inch of her.
She stares back, lids heavy, lust swirling in her eyes. “Why are you stopping?” she asks, a furrow between her brows and a soft pout on her lips.
“Is that not what you wanted?” I ask, holding her chin. She shakes her head. “No?”