Page 30 of The Last Resort
It was good to be able to relax and enjoy a glass of wine without the worry of her family commitments. In the months following the court case her mother had hit the bottle hard, leaving Rachel with no other choice but to remain stone cold sober so that when an inebriated Patricia decided to pick up the phone and start calling all her fair weather friends and give them a piece of her mind, she could talk her mother out of it. Or at least hide her mama’s cell.
Matthew closed the wine list and smiled at Rachel. “How about a cocktail? They have one calledSilk and Sin. It’s made with orange and chocolate bitters. It could be something special to remember our first date by. Thoughts?”
The way he saidfirst datehad hope stirring in her heart.Asking for her opinion also got him plenty of points. It was refreshing to go out to dinner with a man who wanted to know what she wanted. Her ex had a habit of ordering what he’d decided she’d like to drink—he called it southern gentleman manners, but she suspected it was his way of letting her know who wore the pants in their relationship. That once they were married, she would have to reconsider her ‘little career’ and make time for pandering to his needs.
I have to stop thinking about my ex. Matthew seems to be all the good things he wasn’t.
“Silk and Sinsounds fab. I’m game to try one if you are.”
Matthew was right. It was time to make some new fun memories. To put her past behind her. Or at least as much of it as she could under the current circumstances.
If he and I become something more, then I’m going to have to tell him about my family, and what my father did.
Rachel had a sudden need for that cocktail.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Wiping the last trace of what had been the best tiramisu of her entire life, from her lips, Rachel had a thought.Who is going to make the first move?She was hoping it would be Matthew, but considering the state her sex-starved body was in, she was more than prepared to do it herself.
Matthew set down his own napkin with a sated sigh. “That was amazing. Lemon tart might be a simple dessert but so many places just can’t get it right.” He nodded at Rachel’s empty bowl. “And from the look of it they also know how to make a traditional tiramisu. Though my Italian cousins might beg to differ.”
“You have Italian cousins?”
A strange look crossed his face, almost as if he’d regretted having mentioned his family. “Distant cousins,” he half mumbled.
He’d almost tripped himself up and said his family name.Damn. That would have been awkward. A cocktail and two glasses of wine, and his lips were beginning to loosen. Matthew would never forgive himself if he let slip who he really was, especially with Rachel.
The last thing he wanted was for her to think he’d been feeding her some kind of line, and at the end of the evening decide he wasn’t worth the risk and go book herself an Uber.
He caught the distinct glint of promise in Rachel’s eyes. Or at least he hoped that was what he was catching. Women had always been a bit of a mystery to Matthew. The only thing he was certain of was that any man who got to spend the night with the blonde temptress had to consider himself lucky.
Dear, Lord, don’t let me mess this up. Rachel is a special girl.
Matthew cleared his throat. “We could order coffee if you like. Or we could, um …”
He’d never been one for smooth talk. It was a gift which had been passed on to his brothers but had missed him almost entirely. He could only pray that she was of the same mindset as him as to where and when tonight ended.
Rachel shifted her empty dessert plate to one side and rested her hands on the table in front of her. “How far is your apartment from here? I mean could we walk?”
Thank you, Lord.I’ll take it from here.
“Actually, I live in the complex. And I do have a coffee machine if you would like a late-night espresso.”
A soft smile crept to her lips, making the crotch of his pants tighten. His breathing grew shallow. His cock was throbbing with unsated need.
Down, boy. I know it’s been a long time since you got to play, but patience.
His gaze remained on her lips, his heart kicking up a notch when she all but purred. “It’s probably a little late forcoffee but I’m sure you have some spreadsheets you’d like to show me.”
“I’d rather see you spread out on the other type of sheets.”
Her gentle laugh at his terrible attempt at a pun, had Matthew swallowing deep.
“I’ll get the check.”
She reached for her purse, but he shook his head. “Don’t even think about offering to split the bill.”
The hotel had a separate bank of elevators for the serviced apartment wing which Rachel took as a bonus. It meant she and Matthew were the only ones waiting for the car when it arrived. Her pulse raced as he took her by the hand and pulled her in after him. He tapped his security card on the panel and hit the button for the fourteenth floor.
