for a romantic getaway. Hell, he'd delivered erotic, anyway, not romantic. She needed more than that. He did.
" Coffee smells great," he said before he said something totally stupid.
" There's plenty," she replied.
He felt her watching him as he poured himself a cup, and wondered what she was thinking.
"The phone is still out. So's my cell phone."
That settled what she was thinking about.
"I don't have a signal yet, either." He turned and faced her. "I'll keep checking."
What now? Seemed to be the unspoken question. He might as well speak it.
"Janey, about last night—"
" I don't expect anything from you, Matt."
She delivered the statement in such an off-hand manner that he immediately saw red.
"What the hell does that mean?"
She looked surprised at his vehemence. "Just..." She shrugged, but had the grace to look a bit wary. "I don't expect anything."
" Well you damn well should expect something from a man who does what I did to you."
" You didn't do anything to me," she replied with a touch of anger in her voice. "I was under the impression we had a mutual…tryst."
" Tryst?" He clenched his jaw, bit back words he would regret later, and crossed toward her. "You call that a tryst? Well, honey, you may be well read, and that word probably came from a book about trysts, but we didn't tryst. We had hot sex…all night long. And it bears discussing."
" You want to talk about sex?"
" No!" Shit. "Yes." This was turning into a total freaking mess "Hell, Janey." He took a calming breath, counted to ten, and sat in the chair next to her. "It was more than just sex."
Janey didn 't know how to respond to Matt's quietly spoken words.
" What are you saying?" she asked.
" Just what I said." He had the look of a person who'd said something once and wasn't going to repeat it.
" Okay," she agreed cautiously.
" That's all you have to say?"
Janey considered what she could say. "I'm not sure how to respond."
He blew out a breath, sounding exasperated. "Was it more than just sex for you?"
She hesitated. "Yes."
" Okay." He leaned back in the chair. "You'll be back at work Monday, right?"
" Unless there's been damage to the library from the flooding."
" Have lunch and dinner with me?"
" You don't have to—"
" We agreed it was more than sex. I have two weeks. We're going to date."
" Date?" She said the word as if he'd suggested robbing banks.
He smiled. "Unless you'd rather just have hot sex."
" No. I mean yes." She shook her head. "Matt, you don't have to do this."
" I want to, Janey," he replied, his smile fading as he turned serious. "We owe it to ourselves to take the time, to make the time. We didn't even try before. We just let those occasional meetings be it. We should have acknowledged what was there."
Was it really there all along? Or did one incredible night turn things around for him?
She wanted to say yes, but she hesitated. He should know more than bits and pieces of her life—and one incredible night. "I'm a small town girl, Matt. A librarian." She nearly added not exciting. And I don't know if I can handle your life. But she wouldn't say that.
" I want you to be you. That's all. Be you." He reached across the table and touched her hand. "Will you give us a chance?"
Was she brave enough to let go after knowing Matt like this? Hot sex, yes, but if there were more? She was already in love with him. What more could there be?
She turned her hand palm up and grasped his. "Let's date," she said as lightly as she could, plastering a smile on her face.
He looked out the windows. "We're not going anywhere until the bridges are checked."
" I'm sure we can find something to do around here," she said, absorbing the warmth of his hand.
" No. No more sex until we do something else together."
***
"We're going to have sore muscles," Matt said as they walked into the living room after leaving their muddy shoes on the front porch. "Maybe a nice hot shower or a massage would be a good idea."
Janey laughed.
" Coffee smells great," he said before he said something totally stupid.
" There's plenty," she replied.
He felt her watching him as he poured himself a cup, and wondered what she was thinking.
"The phone is still out. So's my cell phone."
That settled what she was thinking about.
"I don't have a signal yet, either." He turned and faced her. "I'll keep checking."
What now? Seemed to be the unspoken question. He might as well speak it.
"Janey, about last night—"
" I don't expect anything from you, Matt."
She delivered the statement in such an off-hand manner that he immediately saw red.
"What the hell does that mean?"
She looked surprised at his vehemence. "Just..." She shrugged, but had the grace to look a bit wary. "I don't expect anything."
" Well you damn well should expect something from a man who does what I did to you."
" You didn't do anything to me," she replied with a touch of anger in her voice. "I was under the impression we had a mutual…tryst."
" Tryst?" He clenched his jaw, bit back words he would regret later, and crossed toward her. "You call that a tryst? Well, honey, you may be well read, and that word probably came from a book about trysts, but we didn't tryst. We had hot sex…all night long. And it bears discussing."
" You want to talk about sex?"
" No!" Shit. "Yes." This was turning into a total freaking mess "Hell, Janey." He took a calming breath, counted to ten, and sat in the chair next to her. "It was more than just sex."
Janey didn 't know how to respond to Matt's quietly spoken words.
" What are you saying?" she asked.
" Just what I said." He had the look of a person who'd said something once and wasn't going to repeat it.
" Okay," she agreed cautiously.
" That's all you have to say?"
Janey considered what she could say. "I'm not sure how to respond."
He blew out a breath, sounding exasperated. "Was it more than just sex for you?"
She hesitated. "Yes."
" Okay." He leaned back in the chair. "You'll be back at work Monday, right?"
" Unless there's been damage to the library from the flooding."
" Have lunch and dinner with me?"
" You don't have to—"
" We agreed it was more than sex. I have two weeks. We're going to date."
" Date?" She said the word as if he'd suggested robbing banks.
He smiled. "Unless you'd rather just have hot sex."
" No. I mean yes." She shook her head. "Matt, you don't have to do this."
" I want to, Janey," he replied, his smile fading as he turned serious. "We owe it to ourselves to take the time, to make the time. We didn't even try before. We just let those occasional meetings be it. We should have acknowledged what was there."
Was it really there all along? Or did one incredible night turn things around for him?
She wanted to say yes, but she hesitated. He should know more than bits and pieces of her life—and one incredible night. "I'm a small town girl, Matt. A librarian." She nearly added not exciting. And I don't know if I can handle your life. But she wouldn't say that.
" I want you to be you. That's all. Be you." He reached across the table and touched her hand. "Will you give us a chance?"
Was she brave enough to let go after knowing Matt like this? Hot sex, yes, but if there were more? She was already in love with him. What more could there be?
She turned her hand palm up and grasped his. "Let's date," she said as lightly as she could, plastering a smile on her face.
He looked out the windows. "We're not going anywhere until the bridges are checked."
" I'm sure we can find something to do around here," she said, absorbing the warmth of his hand.
" No. No more sex until we do something else together."
***
"We're going to have sore muscles," Matt said as they walked into the living room after leaving their muddy shoes on the front porch. "Maybe a nice hot shower or a massage would be a good idea."
Janey laughed.
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