Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set) (17 page)

Bailey woke with a start Monday morning, remembering she hadn’t changed the batteries in her alarm clock. She scrambled out of bed and found her watch which read 6:45. “Thank God.” She dropped her watch on the dresser and sank back into bed to get the most out of those last fifteen minutes of sleep.

Unfortunately, with her heart racing, she’d have no chance to relax. Now that she was fully awake, her thoughts turned immediately to Matt and the fantastic evening they’d shared. It had been wonderful to have him all to herself over dinner, and she’d noticed that while plenty of women in the restaurant had given him more than passing glances, his attention never strayed from Bailey all night.

They’d laughed and talked and enjoyed a wonderful meal and somehow, after he brought her home, she’d managed to keep her cool and not drag him into the bedroom.

A lingering goodnight kiss had ended the evening, one that made her lips tingle just thinking about it. She loved that he respected her needs enough to hold back and not push the issue of sleeping together, because there wasn’t a single doubt in her mind that she would have caved to the merest suggestion that they make love.

Before she got out of bed, the three-tone melody of a text message played from her cell phone. She snatched it off the nightstand and read the abbreviated note.

What R U wearing?

She laughed and texted back:
Black underwear. Nothing else.

The reply appeared a moment later:
GROAN!

Before she could think of a response, another text appeared.
Can I see you tonight?

So soon?

Not soon enough. How about a walk in the park at 6?

Meet you by the bridge?

No, I’ll pick u up.

Ok

Can’t wait.

Bailey hopped out of bed, energized now despite losing those precious last fifteen minutes of sleep. Was it a good idea to see him again so soon? Would they get tired of each other too quickly?

A more pressing concern was how she could keep control of herself the way she wanted to. Her thoughts and her dreams revolved around Matt. Could she really trust herself not to fall too hard too fast?

* * * *

Matt pulled out his cell phone during lunch in the university cafeteria. He was halfway through another text to Bailey when he stopped himself. Maybe he was overdoing it. His mind had been somewhere else during his two morning classes, and even now, all he could think about was seeing her and kissing her under the stars like he had on Saturday night.

He hadn’t expected to feel like this. When she’d walked into Colette’s he’d been blindsided, but figured he’d get over it. He saw gorgeous women every shift he worked, but none of them had ever left him breathless like Bailey did. Yesterday it had taken every ounce of his willpower not to slide his hands inside the open back of her dress and slip it off of her shoulders. The warmth of her skin beneath his fingers had seared him, and the scent of her skin and her hair had driven him wild.

Once he’d found out about her past relationship and the broken heart that clearly wasn’t completely healed, he’d only been more determined to do everything right with her. He wanted her to feel safe with him and to know he would never hurt her the way her last lover had. If it meant taking cold showers day and night until she was ready to be with him, he would do that. She was worth it.

“Is this seat taken?”

He looked up from his still half-composed message at the woman who’d spoken. She looked vaguely familiar. “Uh…not really. I’m done anyway.”

“Mind if I sit then?”

“Sure, go ahead.” Matt collected his textbooks and moved them aside then gathered the remains of his lunch onto his tray to make room for the newcomer. There were plenty of empty tables in the cafeteria, so it seemed odd she want to sit here, but since he was on his way to work at the architecture firm, it didn’t really matter to him.

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” she asked after she settled in the seat opposite him.

Matt took a longer look at his companion. She had light blond hair and denim blue eyes. Her features were rather sharp, almost sculpted, and her gaze bore into him as though she expected him to recognize her. “Are you in my Codes and Specs class?”

She seemed a bit annoyed by his question, but her smile remained tightly in place. “No, I think we met at the bar…you know, Colette’s?”

“Oh…okay.” He’d seen dozens of women just like her. They could have met once or a hundred time and he wouldn’t have known the difference, but he held out his hand nonetheless. “Sure…I’m Matt. We probably met over drinks…”

“I’m Selene…?”

“Hi, Selene.”

“You really don’t remember me?”

He tried to look embarrassed. “I’m sure it’ll come back to me…my head isn’t in the game today. Late night, too long a lecture today.” He tapped his textbook. “Refresh my memory.”

She rolled her eyes, but she did laugh. Apparently his approach had worked to stave off her being offended that he had no idea who she was. “I was there a couple of weeks ago, the night the band first played. I was the one signing along at the bar, and you told me how much you liked my voice and said I should be up on stage with them. Now do you remember?”

He didn’t. “Oh…right. Have you done any signing lately?”

She giggled. “No, no. I just sing for fun. But I was wondering if the band is still playing there.”

“Yeah, they are. Every Saturday night during May and June.”

“They were really good.”

“I agree. The guitar player is a good friend of mine. He’s really talented.”

She batted her eyelashes. “And what about the singer and the guy on keyboard? Friends too?”

Matt had a feeling that was a loaded question. Was she interested in Taylor and trying to find out if he had something going with Claudia? “Um…they’re friends of my friend. I don’t know them as well.”

“Oh…well, that’s nice. They were really good too.”

“You should definitely come back and see them again.”

She leaned forward a bit, and Matt noticed her ample cleavage. “Should I?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, of course. And tell the manager you like them. The more people who want to see them play, the longer they’ll stay.”

She smiled more genuinely now. “I will. How about this Saturday night?”

“Uh…okay. They’ll be there.”

“Great. I’ll see you on Saturday.” She jumped out of the seat, gathering her own books and purse to her chest.

“Okay, bring some friends,” Matt said as she hurried away. He shrugged. He’d have to remember to tell Taylor and Owen they had a fan…possibly a rabid one, but a fan nonetheless.

* * * *

Bailey stood in her kitchen at five forty-five p.m. holding a leash, a set of plastic food bowls and a half-chewed rawhide bone. Her brother Aiden had just plopped a twenty-five pound bag of dog food on her kitchen floor, narrowly missing her feet. Barkley, his golden retriever, sat in the kitchen doorway, panting.

“I’m sorry to spring this on you with no notice, but it really is important,” Aiden said as he knelt beside Barkley and ruffled the dog’s fur.

“The last time you said that, you wanted to drive to Buffalo to hook up with a girl.”

“This is a real emergency. A friend of mine needs someone to fill in as a competition judge, last minute. I told him I’d do it, but I have to be in Schenectady at eight a.m., and I’ll be gone all day tomorrow. You know Barkley hates to sleep alone.”

“Don’t we all?” Bailey smirked. She loved the dog, and she loved her older brother, so saying no wasn’t an option, but she had to let him squirm a bit. “I’ve got a date, and he may very well be allergic to dogs.”

Aiden tilted his head to the side, mimicking Barkley’s curious expression. Or maybe the dog was mimicking him. “Seriously?”

“Whatever.” Bailey shook a finger at the Golden Retriever. “It’s a good thing you’re so cute, or I would say no.”

Barkley licked her hand, and Aiden rose to his full six-foot-two-inch height and put a hand on her head, like he’d done since the day he outgrew her when he was fourteen. “Thanks, kiddo.”

She ducked out from under his hand. “Cheez, I have a
date
.
Do not
touch my hair.”

Barkley rose too and wandered into the living room where he plopped down in front of the TV. Aiden turned the set on for him. “If you’ll be out for a while, can you leave the TV on for him?”

“Only if he’s chipping in for my electric bill this month. Dogs don’t watch TV.”

“He likes the voices.”

Bailey snatched the remote from her brother. “Fine, on low, no Pay Per View this time.”

“He doesn’t like reruns.”

“Out.” Bailey pointed to the front door. “Before my date gets here.”

Aiden shrugged, a curious smirk on his face. “You’re finally falling off the wagon, huh? You think taking yourself out of commission for a whole year finally taught that dirtbag Dan a lesson?”

Bailey turned a jaundiced eye on her brother. He’d offered, on a number of occasions, to teach Dan a lesson, and she’d always declined the offer. She hadn’t yet been able to get her brother, a staunch commitment-phobe himself, to understand why she needed so much time on her own to deal with Dan’s betrayals. “We’ve been over this. It’s not what Dan learns, it’s what I learned.”

“So who is this guy? Somebody I know?”

“He’s…an architect.” For some reason she stopped herself from telling Aiden Matt was the weekend bartender at Colette’s. Aiden had probably met him more than once, but she wasn’t ready for her brother to know who she was seeing and have him start asking a million questions.

“Hmm… a three-word answer. What are you not telling me?”

“Nothing. Go home.” She put her hands on his back and shoved him toward the door.

Laughing, he waved to Barkley, who yawned in response and flopped over onto his side, tongue lolling. Aiden made it to the door with a little more pushing from Bailey. “I’ll pick him up late tomorrow night. Okay?”

“Whenever. He’s good company. He doesn’t ask questions.” Bailey opened the door and nudged her brother outside. “And please don’t mention this to Mom and Dad, okay? It’s nothing serious, so I don’t want them getting all insane about it.”

“What’s to get insane about?” Aiden waggled his eyebrows at her.

“Just keep your trap shut about it. For now.”

“You wound me with your mistrust.”

“I
will
wound you if you don’t go home and let me get ready.” She closed the door and turned swiftly to lean her back against it, hoping Aiden would hurry off to his competition and not linger outside, waiting for her date to show up. She looked at Barkley, who was now dozing in front of the TV. “Just like a guy, Barks. Turn on the tube and you’re semi-conscious.”

She hurried around her apartment straightening up and gathering a light jacket, her purse, and shoes. When the bell rang at exactly six, Barkley lifted his huge head and sniffed in the direction of the door but didn’t move. Bailey flung it open to find Matt standing there, looking good enough to eat.

He wore faded jeans and a white button-down shirt over a dark blue T-shirt. The color matched his eyes. He had just enough stubble to be sexy and— Before she could say a word, a missile of golden fur launched itself across the room at full throttle.

“Barkley, no!”

Matt saw the huge dog out of the corner of his eye just before it bounded across Bailey’s living room and jumped on him. Luckily he braced himself for the impact and caught the dog’s front paws in his hands. Huge, powerful jaws opened up, and an enormous pink tongue slithered out and lapped at his chin.

Behind the leviathan, Bailey screamed. “Bad dog! Bad dog!” She grabbed the Golden Retriever’s collar and yanked him backward with more strength than Matt could have guessed she possessed. The dog obeyed her command to sit, but it held one paw up, apparently asking to shake hands.

“I’m so sorry! Are you okay?” Bailey asked, unself-consciously dusting dog hairs from Matt’s shirt. “He almost never does that anymore. Three courses of obedience school, and he’s barely civilized.”

“If that’s how he greets a stranger, what does he do to someone he knows?”

“He ignores them. I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m okay. I love dogs. Where’d you get him?”

“He’s my brother’s dog, and I’m babysitting tonight. His name is Barkley—real original, I know. He’ll be fine while we go out. I just have to fill up his dishes, and we can leave.”

Matt entered her apartment cautiously. The dog eyed him but didn’t move. He waved his paw, though, and Matt decided it would be safe to shake. “Hey there, Barkley, nice to meet you.”

Barkley slurped Matt’s hands, then flopped onto his back, exposing a pale, furry belly for rubbing. Matt obliged. “Who’s a good boy? Who’s a good boy?”

Bailey returned from the kitchen after a moment and stood staring at him and the dog. “Do you two need a room?”

Matt laughed. “I love dogs. We could take him with us, if you want. He’d have a great time at the park.”

“He’s a monster on the leash…but actually, it would save me having to walk him later tonight.”

“Come on, Barkley, let’s go for a ride.”

The dog understood the invitation and launched himself at the door again in a joyous frenzy of dog dancing and barking. Bailey struggled to attach a leash to Barkley’s collar, and as soon as Matt opened the door, the dog yanked her outside. He followed the two of them to his car, which wasn’t really dogproof, but he didn’t care. As long as he got to spend the evening with Bailey, nothing else mattered.

* * * *

Barkley was far better behaved on the car ride to the park than Bailey would have given him credit for. He stretched out in Matt’s backseat, shedding profusely in his excitement and panting wildly until they pulled into the gravel section at the back of Colette’s parking lot reserved for people who wanted to stroll near the bridge.

Once out of the car, though, the dog called the shots, nearly dragging the two of them down the path to the water where he sniffed in ecstasy at the million new scents available, tried to make friends with passersby, and attempted to chase squirrels and chipmunks along the pathways.

By the time they reached the picnic area at the far end of the park, Bailey was exhausted.

“He’s a handful,” she told Matt as they settled at one of the wooden picnic tables.

“He’s having fun. I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid. I forgot how much energy they have.”

Bailey dusted fur off of her shirt. “And how much they shed?”

“Yeah. They’re a lot of work. He looks tired now. Want to take him back to your place and get something to eat?”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Bailey tugged on Barkley’s leash and rose. Matt twined his fingers in hers, and together they set off for his car, at a much slower pace. The breeze was warm tonight, heralding the arrival of the summer season that would kick off at the end of the month. The heat of Matt’s hand in hers and the earthy sounds of birds and crickets made Bailey feel like a teenager again, as though the burden of too many years of responsible adulthood had been lifted. She wanted to push Matt against the nearest tree and kiss him, tease him, maybe make out in his car, and she might have except for the big, brown, watchful eyes of her canine companion. Barkley had inadvertently become their chaperone for the evening, and at least for now, he was helping her stay true to her plan to take things slow and not lose herself in the excitement of this new relationship.

Once they reached the car and Barkley hopped in, Matt pulled Bailey aside and kissed her once, slowly, with so much promise her knees nearly buckled. His lips caressed hers, leaving her tingling all over. “You’re beautiful, you know that?” he said after they parted. His pupils had dilated, leaving only a thin ring of intense blue around the black. His hips pressed against hers, and his hands roamed down to the back pockets of her jeans. “I can’t keep my hands off you.”

“Who says I want you to?”

Barkley stuck his head out the open car window and started to pant, forcing them to break apart.

“I think he wants to go,” Matt said, laughing. “It’s like when I was seventeen and if I wanted to go out anywhere in the car, my parents made me take my younger brother along. He didn’t say much, but he watched everything I did like a hawk, then he’d report back to my parents.”

“Sounds like a good way to keep a wild young buck in line,” Bailey said as she reluctantly climbed into the car. The dog put his head over her shoulder and licked her face before settling down in the back seat. Aiden owed her big time for this. She had to find a way to make him pay.

“It worked for a while. Then I started paying him to keep quiet. A couple of dollars went a long way back then.”

“Are you close to your brother now?”

Matt shrugged. “Yeah…he lives in New York City, loves it. He’s a musician. That’s how I got to know Owen from the music store because I was always driving my brother over there to pick up sheet music and strings for his guitar. We hang out once a month or so.”

“That’s nice. My brother lives across town. He’s older, but only in years. He’s still living the life of a teenager. No steady girlfriend, no big plans for the future.”

Matt glanced at her as they pulled onto the main road. “I thought you were the no commitment type.”

“I…am.” Bailey gulped.
Or at least I’m pretending to be.
“You can like your freedom and still have a plan for your life. My brother’s sort of…directionless.”

“But is he happy?”

She shrugged. “He says he is. I’m not always so sure. I think he’s lonely.”

“He’s got Barkley…and you.”

“True. Maybe I worry too much about him. He’s got a million friends, and he’s never bored. Maybe he knows more about life than I do.”

The lull in the conversation lasted until they reached Bailey’s apartment and got Barkley settled inside. The dog offered a confused yip when they scooted back out the door, leaving him behind, but with the TV on he’d settle down for his evening nap and hopefully not disturb the neighbors with howling while they were gone.

“Where to?” Bailey asked once they got back into the car, which now smelled a bit doggy. “The car wash?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll spray a little air freshener later.”

“You’re a good sport. Not a lot of guys would have agreed to chauffeur a huge, obnoxious dog around town.”

“I don’t mind, but I’m glad he’s got the rest of the night off. Why don’t we go somewhere where we won’t have any company?”

Bailey’s pulse jumped. “Like where?”

“My place.”

The drive to Matt’s apartment took less than five minutes. He lived in a small complex just over the bridge in Stanton. Bailey’s heart pounded faster with each passing minute as they pulled into his parking spot and he led her to his corner unit on the second floor. She wasn’t scared of being alone with him again; in fact, she couldn’t wait. During the ride, she’d thought again of living in the moment and not worrying so much about what might happen if things didn’t work out between them. She ached for his touch, and all she wanted was to melt into his arms and feel his strength around her.

“It’s not much, but it’s home,” Matt said as he opened the door to his place. The spacious one-bedroom apartment was surprisingly neat, probably because the furniture and knickknacks were sparse. He favored light wood with bold primary colors like dark blue pillows on the tan sofa, red plates in the kitchen, and kelly green linens in the bedroom and the bathroom.

“I love your style,” Bailey said after the five-cent tour. “It’s easy to tell you’re an architect. I can see all the clean lines, no clutter, functional pieces…impressive.” He must have thought her place was a nightmare, with her collection of knickknacks, mismatched throws and pillows, and the old-fashioned print on the hand-me-down sofa.

He laughed. “It’s mostly because I don’t spend a lot of time here. I’m usually at work, so it stays in good shape.” He headed to the kitchen. “I was thinking we could make some sandwiches and eat out on the deck.” Sliding doors from the kitchen led out to a tiny balcony with a microscopic table and two chairs. “It overlooks the parking lot, but the breeze is nice.”

“That sounds perfect. But first…” She crossed the kitchen and stood in front of him. Meeting his gaze, she hooked her fingers in his belt loops and tugged his hips toward hers. She angled her head up and caught his lips in a playful kiss, a taste, a tease with a promise of more.

Matt’s hands settled on her waist, his thumbs caressing her sides just below her rib cage. “We don’t have to…” he said before his lips collided with hers again. “I don’t want to rush…you…” More kisses interrupted his words.

Bailey reached up to cup the back of his head and concentrated on a kiss that would leave no question in his mind that she was 100 percent ready for anything that might happen next. He groaned into her mouth and slid one hand down to squeeze her bottom and hold her lower body tightly against his.

“I want you…” he whispered before trailing kisses from her lips to her jaw and down the side of her neck. He opened the collar of her shirt, pushing the light material aside so he could kiss her collarbone.

Bailey’s knees buckled. This was all she’d been able to think about half the day. “I want you too… I’m ready…”

“Are you sure? We can wait…as long as you want to.”

She nudged her hips against him, feeling the hard ridge in the center of his jeans. “How long can you wait?”

“As long as you want me to, and not one second longer.”

“How about until we get to your bedroom?”

He scooped her up into his arms. “Deal.”

* * * *

Matt didn’t want to lose sight of the fact Bailey had told him she wanted to take their relationship slow, but he also didn’t want to disappoint her. If she wanted him to take her to his bedroom, who was he to refuse?

He carried her to his bed and set her down on the comforter. He unbuttoned the white shirt he wore over his T-shirt and tossed it aside, then knelt down in front of her, hands on her jean-clad knees, and looked up into her eyes. “This is about you. You tell me what you want, how fast, how slow. You want to stop, we stop.”

She nodded. “I don’t want to stop.” She inched backward on the bed until she reached the pillows, then held out her arms to him.

He crawled over her body, eager to explore, but willing to take each step as slowly as she dictated. Kneeling above her, he kissed her again, a slow, sensual claiming, while one hand toyed with the buttons of her shirt. He opened the top one and let his fingers roam down to the next one. Each time he opened a button, she made a small sound in the back of her throat that arrowed right to his growing erection. “If you keep doing that, I’m going to lose control,” he warned.

She reached up to tug his T-shirt out of the waistband of his jeans and ran her fingers over his abs. “I don’t have a problem with that.”

He would have fallen upon her then, like a beast, taking everything he wanted, but he held himself back. He still didn’t believe she was as ready as she said she was. Was she trying to prove something to herself? Pretty soon, it wouldn’t matter. He wouldn’t be able to reason with himself anymore, and if she decided then that she was making a mistake, it would be too late.

He lowered himself to her, and she spread her legs to cradle his hips between her thighs. Heaven. Even with two layers of denim between them, this was the sexiest thing ever. He felt like a teenager, making out behind closed doors. He tangled his hands in her hair and looked into those beguiling eyes of hers. The green had shaded to deep, chocolate brown in the dim light of his bedroom, and all he saw in the glittering depths was her desire for him. “I’m going to strip you down, layer by layer, and then I’m going to touch you everywhere.”

She shivered, and goose bumps rose on her belly when he placed his hand there just above the sexy button fly of her own jeans. “Everywhere? Promise?”

“God, Bailey, you’re killing me. I’ve never been so turned on in my life. Are you sure about this?”

She shifted onto her side and pushed him onto his back, moving with such force he thought for a split second she might have changed her mind and was dumping him off the bed. “How many times and how many ways to I have to say it? Matt Kelso, I’m so hot for you right now, I could melt a hole through this bed. If you don’t make love to me immediately, I will die.”