With or Without You Page 2

  Matt stood and held a hand out to help Tessa. She slipped her hand into his. Warm strong fingers closed around hers. The heat moved up her arm. Tingles tightened her nipples beneath the silk of her dress. “Thank you,” she said, a bit breathless. High heels didn’t help the wobble in her knees.

  Matt wrapped an arm around her waist and supported her against his side. He leaned in close, his breath tickling her ear, and whispered, “Let’s have some fun and make it good for the cameras.”

  Make it good for the cameras, what’s that supposed to mean? “Matt—” He stopped any further words by dragging her close. She caught sight of his devious grin a moment before he captured her lips. His mouth covered hers and her heart fluttered. Firm lips confidently moved against hers. This was nothing like she remembered.

  This was better. A perfect kiss, lips to lips, tantalizing textures to tempt and to hint at the promise of passion given a more private setting. He didn’t try to part her lips, deepen the kiss, although she ached for a taste of his tongue.

  Cheers of approval penetrated through the mind-numbing fog. Tessa slipped her hands between their bodies and pressed her palms to his chest. With a slight push she broke the kiss.

  “Well now, that is the kind of hello we’d hoped to see.” Jade’s long red nails clicked against the microphone as she clapped. “I’m going to help the two of you get reacquainted. We have a limousine out front. After a tour of the city, you have reservations for dinner and dancing.”

  “Wonderful.”

  Not wonderful! In fact, terrible!

  Matt’s hand rested on her lower back, making her incredibly aware of his nearness. Tessa knew her threshold for stimuli. Matt had already breached her safety parameter. He’d kissed and now touched her and it felt far too good to risk raising the intensity in a romantic atmosphere.

  However, she could plan. Once in the limo, she’d casually claim a headache from the stress of the show. An hour from now she’d be safely ensconced back in her hotel room.

  As a medical doctor, Matt recognized anxiety. Tessa’s pulse raced. The rhythmic pounding throbbed into his palm. Her skin was hot and her voice a bit breathless. Hell, he didn’t know what normal was for her, but this sure wasn’t what he expected. That didn’t mean he didn’t like the idea of her being a bit anxious. It wasn’t as if he represented the picture of calm. His heart thundered.

  Over the years, she’d flashed through his thoughts now and again. Obviously he’d been in her thoughts. Why else would her daughter contact the show and ask for a reconnection? He couldn’t wait to get Tessa out of the camera’s eye so that he could hear her explanation. It ought to be interesting.

  Matt remembered prom night, maybe not as vividly as Tessa did. They had fun, but he certainly wasn’t proud of his behavior that night.

  They’d been at the same “after prom” party. Her date had passed out on the front lawn. All she’d wanted was to leave. He’d had a fight with Heather. Thinking back, he remembered how he’d felt walking in on his girlfriend lip-locked with another guy. They’d argued. She chose to stay at the party and he’d called it quits on their relationship. Yeah, he’d been pissed off…until Tessa had asked for a ride home.

  For two months he’d sat behind her in advanced biology. The soft and sweet scent of her perfume had kept him keenly aware of human biology. He’d been lucky to get the B+ out of that class. Back then, Matt never thought he’d have a chance with Tessa. She’d never given any indication she was interested…until prom night.

  They’d made a stop for burgers and shakes. That’s when she’d told him her parents were away for the weekend. He should’ve gone home. Instead they’d taken the food to her place. They’d talked and laughed for a couple of hours. He hadn’t planned to spend the night, but when they sat together on the couch to watch a movie, they’d eventually fallen asleep. He woke during the night with her body pressed against his. After a few caresses, their hot make-out session turned into every teenage boy’s fantasy. The way he remembered the night, they’d been wild for each other.

  However, the next day, as much as he wanted to see Tessa again, Heather had come to his house to try to patch things up. They’d never gotten back together, but he also hadn’t pursued Tessa. At the time, he’d been focused on school. Then two months later he’d left for college and he never knew what had happened to her.

  Not exactly a shining moment of his adolescence. Although a memory he wouldn’t change. Perhaps without that experience, he would’ve struggled with ending things with Heather and going away to school. As it went, he’d left home and hadn’t looked back.

  Maybe he should have.

  He glanced in her direction. He regretted that he didn’t take the opportunity to get to know her in high school. Maybe this was their second chance.

  Jade said goodbye to her studio audience, waved to the camera and with a passing “Thanks” to Matt and Tessa, she exited the stage.

  “Finally.” Tessa yanked on the microphone and tried to untangle the wire leading to the battery pack hidden in the back of her dress.

  “Let me help you.” Matt ran his finger under the mic cord. His knuckle grazed the underside of her arm. He couldn’t help noticing her nipples respond. Hard points thrust against silk. His fingers stilled.

  “I got it.” She gave a tug and the wire came free.

  “Mom, this was so much fun.” Tessa’s daughter was the image of her mother in high school. Even as a teenage, lust-filled boy he’d realized Tessa was beautiful. Like her, Tessa’s daughter had high cheek bones, bright blue eyes with long thick lashes and honeyed skin, only the daughter’s nose was lightly dusted with freckles.

  “Matt Toler.” He held his hand out to the young woman.

  “Brianna Brooks.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  Brianna turned to her mother. “Since you’ll be leaving in the limo with Mr. Toler—”

  “Call me Matt.”

  Tessa grew pale.

  Matt cocked an eyebrow. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded, but her eyes glistened. If he had to guess he’d say she was close to tears.

  “Thank you, Matt,” Brianna said. “The show made arrangements to take me back to the hotel.” She turned to her mom. “So I’ll see you tonight.”

  “Wait.” Tessa grabbed onto her daughter’s arm. “You know, this hardly seems fair. We were going to see the city. I mean—” she glanced at Matt then turned back to Brianna, “—this is sort of out of the blue. I’m sure Matt hadn’t planned to spend the entire day with me.” She released a nervous laugh. “He didn’t expect me at all.”

  Maybe not, but he liked the idea of spending the day with her. Perhaps she was uncomfortable being alone with him. It had been twenty years. Reality was they didn’t know each other anymore. “Would you like Brianna to join us?”

  “No! Um…Matt, it’s great to see you again. I think I’d better go with Brianna.”

  “Absolutely not.” Brianna gave her mom a quick kiss. “I’ll be fine.” She winked at Matt. “Have a good time. No curfew.” With a flip of her hair, she turned on a heel and pranced across the stage. A young stage tech directed her to the exit.

  Matt slid his hands into his front pockets. “I get the impression you don’t want to spend the rest of the day with me.”

  Tessa sighed. “It’s not that, but I have a responsibility to her. This is a big city.”

  “She’s a big girl. How old is she? Eighteen? Nineteen?”

  “Um… Yes. And that’s still young.” She dropped the mic and battery pack on the couch. “I suppose I can go. It shouldn’t take long.”

  “I’m not sure how I should feel. The show led me to believe you wanted to see me.” Yet, she obviously didn’t want to be with him. She couldn’t get away quick enough.

  “Matt, I swear, I had nothing to do with this. I thought I was getting a makeover.”

  “I admit my curiosity is piqued. Why did the show think to call me at all? I mean, we had one night.�
�� He smiled. “One great night, but we didn’t exactly run in the same social circles.”

  “You know—” she chewed her lower lip, “—we should probably go. The limo driver is waiting.” She brushed her palms down her skirt then walked toward the stage exit.

  After unclipping his mic from his suit coat, he dropped it next to hers. Then he caught up with Tessa. “You don’t want to tell me, do you?” He chuckled and her shoulders stiffened.

  “Really Matt, I don’t think you know me well enough to gauge my reactions.”

  And he realized he’d like to…know her better. “Then would you care to explain?”

  She rolled her shoulders. “Not particularly.”

  They followed one of the stage techs to the waiting limo. The driver opened the rear door of the black stretch. Tessa’s dress hiked high on her leg as she slid into the vehicle. Staring at trim thighs, his eyes traveled to sexy, smooth-as-silk knees and curved calves. Once sitting in position, she crossed her bare legs at the ankles. Even her feet looked sexy in high heels.

  “Thanks,” he said to the driver, then climbed into the vehicle.

  Matt had the choice of sitting next to her or he could take the seat opposite and face her. He slid onto the seat across and stretched his legs. “Wow. Nice.” He glanced at the amenities provided by the show. Champagne chilled in a bucket. Fresh fruit filled a basket and the small fridge was stocked with soda and mini bottles.

  The limo pulled away from the curb. “Anywhere special you’d like to go?” a detached voice spoke through the speakers.

  “Ever been to L.A.?”

  She adjusted on the seat, but no matter what she did the dress wouldn’t cover more of her legs. In fact the more she fidgeted with the hem and brought attention to her thighs, the more his cock twitched. He remembered having those thighs wrapped around his hips, buried deep in her hot, honeyed sheath as he had the best one-night encounter of his teenage life. A night he never forgot, even if the memories were fuzzy. And perhaps fate had unintentionally given them an opportunity to repeat.

  “Of course. I brought Brianna to Disneyland when she was little. And anywhere is fine,” she said.

  “To the beach,” Matt said to the driver.

  “Can he hear you?”

  He shrugged. “Probably, doesn’t matter to me. I’m content sitting here. I want to know about you.” Matt reached for the bottle of chilled champagne. “Would you care for a drink?”

  She nodded and then turned her attention to the window. “My life is boring. You said Chicago? I’ve never been. How long have you lived there?”

  “Pam and I settled there after medical school.”

  “Pam?”

  “We’re divorced. About five years ago. Rebecca lives with her mother—”

  Her eyes snapped to his. “You have kids?”

  “A daughter—she’s fifteen going on thirty.” Matt leaned into her and handed over a half-full glass of champagne. “A toast.”

  Her fingers trembled slightly when they brushed against his. “To surprises.” Her mouth tilted into a quirky smile. “Life is never what you expect.” She tinked her glass to his and then drank. Not sipped, but upended her flute.

  He raised an eyebrow.

  She smacked her lips and handed the glass back. He still hadn’t sipped his. Instead of taking her flute, he grabbed the bottle and poured her another two inches of golden bubbly.

  “To second chances.” He tinked their flutes again. Only this time she didn’t guzzle her champagne. Her fingers stilled. With each inhale he could see her nipples press against the silk of her dress. Quick shallow breaths told him she was either nervous as hell or as turned on as he was.

  Memories of that night continued to flash through his mind. Maybe they were coming back to life for Tessa too.

  His eyes remained locked to hers as he sipped his drink. Flavors exploded on his taste buds. Effervescence tingled his mouth. The sweet, chilled elixir slid down his throat.

  Tessa visibly swallowed and her small pink tongue peeked out to touch her bottom lip. Maintaining eye contact, she lifted her glass and drank. Matt reached forward and took the glass from her fingers.

  “Thanks.” Using her fingertip, she wiped a droplet of champagne from the corner of her mouth. He’d like nothing more to suck her finger clean and to use his tongue to taste champagne from her lips.

  She glanced around the interior of the vehicle. Her discomfort was visible. Granted, it had been a lot of years, but they weren’t exactly strangers. As the show reminded them both, they were former lovers.

  She turned away from him. “I don’t see how we’re supposed to sightsee from inside the limo.” She scooted close to the window and gazed out at the downtown buildings. “Just look at how dark the windows have been tinted. You can hardly see out.”

  Matt moved to her side of the bench. Her shoulders stiffened. He leaned in close behind her and whispered in her ear. “The tint is to keep people from seeing inside.” Exotic floral scents tickled his nose. Her skin was warm and her hair was as soft as it looked, like spun silk. “I’m sorry.”

  She shifted and his lips grazed her skin close to the base of her neck. “Why?” She glanced at him over her shoulder. Hot breath fanned against his face. She was close enough to kiss. Lips slightly parted, a bit breathless, pupils dilated in the darkened vehicle.

  Blood thrummed through his veins and his heartbeat pounded in his ears. “Because I’d forgotten how beautiful you are.”

  Her eyelids fluttered and lowered. When she lifted her gaze to his once again, her eyes were heavy with desire. “Matt?” Her hand rested on his chest.

  “I want to kiss you.”

  Chapter Three

  A dozen different emotions warred in her head. He wants to kiss me. Well, she wanted to jump his bones. An imaginary string between her nipple and clit was strung so tight that slight contact with either sensitive region would have her spontaneously breaking apart.

  But there would be consequences to encouraging further intimacy between them. No, it wasn’t smart. Yet his full, nicely plumped lips were so close. The sweet champagne scented his breath. On the stage, his kiss had curled her toes. Now, sitting next to her, the heat of his body warmed her. His hand, resting on the seat next to her leg, created an unexplainable anticipation.

  What the hell? When was the last time she’d done something reckless? Okay, she’d done some stupid things in her life so that probably wasn’t a good argument. However, if she kissed him she ought to go to dinner too. So a limo ride, a kiss and dinner, but no further. Tomorrow morning she’d be on a plane home to Utah and he lived two thousand miles away from her. With the decision made, she turned her head and closed the distance between their mouths.

  Oh damn, he wasted no time melting any shred of resistance she might have had. Soft yet firm pressure parted her lips. His tongue boldly entered her mouth and stroked the hot tissues within. Swirls of colors blended behind her closed eyelids. Her back was to his chest. Gentle fingers caressed her cheek. He nibbled her lips then sucked them gently. She moaned and hesitantly slipped her tongue into his mouth.

  Matt growled and pulled her closer. His fingers tunneled into her hair as he positioned her head for deeper penetration.

  Wild thrusts of tongues were followed by sucking and kissing. Matt’s hands never strayed from the skin exposed by her dress. He trailed his fingers up her arm and across her collarbone.

  Before she recklessly grabbed his hand and placed it on her breast, she broke the kiss. “You’re a better kisser than I remember.”

  “Kiss me again and maybe we can find out if everything about us is as good as I remember.” His eyebrows rose over passion-clouded eyes and a smile played on his lips.

  Tessa’s cheeks heated. Before she could offer a reply the limousine came to a stop. A moment later the driver opened the door.

  Tessa slid across the seat and swiveled her legs out the door, thankful for the timing.

  “Somehow I think you’re h
appy for a reprieve.”

  She didn’t tell him he was right. She didn’t have to after the way she’d scrambled out of the vehicle.

  Tessa turned her face to the ocean. A cool, gentle wind tickled her lips. Gulls squawked and soared a few feet above the cresting waves. One curl after another churned the water, frothing white roared to the shore, crashed against the spongy beach and sucked back out to sea. The sun dipped low on the horizon, partially hidden behind the endless sea.

  “Do you want to take off your heels and walk to the water’s edge?”

  “Yes, but not in this.” She fingered her dress.

  Matt dropped to his knee. “I like what you’re wearing.” His finger circled her ankle then he slipped off her shoe.

  “Thank you.” She did want to feel the sand squish between her toes.

  He slipped off her other shoe, trailed his fingers over her calf, then stood.

  A gust of moist ocean breeze wafted up her dress. She laughed and plastered her arms to her sides to keep from exposing her bottom. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I’m liable to indecently expose myself.”

  He grinned. “Then I’d say this is a brilliant idea.”

  Matt handed the limo driver his suit coat and her shoes. When he turned back to her the wind lifted a lock of hair from his forehead. He smiled and she couldn’t tear her eyes from the lips that had wreaked havoc on her senses a few minutes before. She wanted more of the same. He’d always been attractive, but the man he’d become took her breath. Strong shoulders, tapered waist, filled out rather than the lean boy he’d been.

  An ache pulsed in her center. It had been a long time since she’d had the weight of a man between her thighs. Not a need any man could fill. Her body craved Matt.

  Tessa drank in the salty scent of the sea. The warmth of Matt beside her chased away the chill in the air. They walked toward the water. Sand slid between her toes with each step. A gull squawked, skimmed the surface of the water then soared over the crest of the white-capped waves.