Page 80 of Worth the Chase

“The wedding did make me mushy, as you said. All I want to do is make love to you long and slow. I won’t be going fast, babe. I plan on taking my time.”

His hand moved to the buttons on his dress shirt as he undid them one at a time before getting rid of it, his glorious chest and shoulders on full display.

“That doesn’t sound horrible.”

I loved everything that we’d done so far in the bedroom. Being with Matthew had been beyond my wildest dreams. There were times we laughed so hard that we cried. And he gave me orgasms that made my body shake for what felt like minutes before I finally came back down—they were that intense. The man was a skilled lover, and for some reason, it no longer made me feel insecure or lacking in any way. Matthew had reassured me numerous times that lovemaking was something he’d never done with anyone else before. I was his first. And I planned on being his last.

Matthew and I had settled into our newest routine over the last couple of weeks. We texted throughout the day, and once I got off work, we planned our evening together. It usually included me going to my place, grabbing some of my stuff, and heading over to his house to spend the night, where he’d ask me to move in with him…again. He was always asking. And I was always telling him no and reminding him of our compromise, which he claimed he’d forgotten about.

“How’s work?” I asked him one night as we lay in bed together after he ravished my body to the point of exhaustion.

“I like it,” he said with a grin. “There’s a lot to learn, and my dad has years of experience under his belt, so it’s a bit overwhelming. But I think I’ll get the hang of it. Eventually.”

“It suits you.” I scooted closer to him and draped an arm across his stomach.

“You think? More than hockey?” His voice shook a little. Or I might have imagined it.

“You are a hockey player through and through, but this is a nice next step. Running your family’s resort?” I asked it like a question. “Being the face of it. The man that everyone comesto, including the guests. You’re one of the most outgoing and charming people I’ve ever known. This job was made for you.”

“Damn, Bells, if I didn’t know any better, I might think you like me.” His fingers were in my hair, running through it and pulling at the long strands.

I put my fingers up and held them about an inch apart. “Just a little,” I said.

He spun us over so quickly that I was on my back as he hovered above me before I could let out another sound. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to my lips.

“If I wasn’t so drained, I’d punish you for that.”

“Oh, yeah?” My hands wrapped around his lower back, and I dug my nails into his skin. He seemed to like it when I wasn’t entirely gentle.

“Normally, your little claws of death would get me going, babe. But I don’t have it in me,” he said before planting a soft kiss on my cheek.

“Then, you’d better roll over so you don’t crush me when you pass out.” I pushed at his shoulders, and he pretended like I had the strength to move him when we both knew that wasn’t even remotely true.

He moved around to get comfortable before he grabbed me and tugged my entire body against him. Matthew liked it when I lay on his chest, but I always had to put a pillow between his body and my head; otherwise, it killed my neck.

“Has the bar been busy?” he asked through a yawn.

“Oh, yeah. Spring break is officially here,” I answered.

Tourist season had begun, and Sugar Mountain temporarily became a different kind of place as the weather heated up. It was crazy to think how comfortable and safe our small town felt when it wasn’t filled to the brim with strangers. Typically, you couldn’t walk down the street without seeing someoneyou knew. But during spring break, there were definitely more foreign faces than there were familiar ones.

Vacation time brought in all types of people—from families to frat boys. Sugar Mountain wasn’t a party town, but it could turn into one a few times a year. It made my job a hell of a lot harder. I wasn’t only a bartender, but I doubled as a babysitter to grown men as well. If I didn’t cut some of them off, they’d drink themselves into a coma or drive drunk, and I refused to have that on my conscience. I’d taken more car keys and called more cabs than I cared to count. Which meant dealing with bad attitudes and pissed-off drunks. Trying to reason with folks who were not in the frame of mind to be reasoned with was never a good time.

“Same. The resort is at capacity.” His words came out in almost a mumble, and within seconds, he was lightly snoring.

The way Matthew could be awake one second and asleep the next always astounded me. When I’d texted Anna about it one time, she’d sent me a laughing-face emoji and said it was a guy thing and that I should get used to it.

Even though I didn’t spend my nights alone anymore, I still missed my best friend. She’d only been back for a handful of months before she was gone again. And I knew that she wouldn’t be moving back here anytime soon, if ever. There were some people who were meant to stay in their small towns, and some who weren’t. I wasn’t just meant to stay here in Sugar Mountain; I wanted to be here.

The next morning, I woke up to an empty bed and a note on the pillow. Matthew had gotten up early and headed to the resort to try to beat his dad there. He’d been trying to get to work before his dad for the last week or so and failed every time. I was sure that Grant O’Grady knew exactly what his youngest son was up to and he wasn’t going to let him win. Men were competitive. The O’Grady men were no different.

I stretched my body, took a shower, and headed out to my apartment to get ready for work, snagging the note he’d left to bring with me. I might have started a little Matthew box, which included receipts and any mementos of our time together. There wasn’t a lot in it yet, but every relationship started somewhere.

My bar was currently packed with a group of guys around my age. They’d driven up from the city on a whim at the last minute, and they couldn’t stop talking about the party they were throwing later. I made each of them an old-fashioned. Half downed theirs in one gulp, and the others sipped on them.

“How are you guys enjoying the town?” I asked, trying to be friendly, but not flirty. It was hard at times because you never knew how a guy would take your words, let alone your body language.

“It’s cool. Do all the chicks look like you here?” a guy with a goatee asked.

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