“Eli, this is a surprise. I didn’t know you were coming.”
“I didn’t know either.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment trip. I have a gig in D.C. Anyway, so Mara asked me to deliver some mail.” Kaylee turned toward the blond woman. “Hi. I hope we’re not interrupting the appointment.”
“No, it’s fine. We just finished, actually.”
“Oh, this is my miracle worker, Penny Lewis. Penny, this is Kaylee and Elliott. Kay is a singer with my friend Jackson’s record label. Eli is Jackson’s older brother.”
“We met, actually. At your party.” She looked at Matt and the warmth of her smile was enough to give Eli a sunburn.
Mara was good, he had to admit. His instincts were usually pretty good about people when he first met them. He’d been wrong about his sister-in-law Ridley, but he chalked that up to his judgment being clouded. His initial impression had been correct, but he’d been so determined to keep Jackson from being hurt by another woman that he’d been quick to judge her when the evidence had been against her. He hadn’t seen the truth until it was almost too late. He’d learned a valuable lesson. Emotions had to be left on the table.
“Well, we’d better go. Kay has to get to her gig.” He turned to Kay and watched as she flushed slightly.
“Eli’s right. It was great to see you again, Penny. Come on, Eli.”
He waved goodbye and followed her back out to the car. “So do you really have a gig or was that just the excuse to come up here?”
She flushed again. “I know it was wrong, but Mara was really worried. I didn’t want to say no. Plus, Ridley offered to babysit.” She looked up at him entreatingly. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve slept more than four or five hours at a stretch?”
Eli rocked back on his heels. “I’m guessing a long time.”
“Since before I was pregnant. I’m going to climb into that hotel bed and sleep all night. God, it even sounds like a wet dream.”
Eli sucked in a breath at the visual that slammed into his brain. Kay on a white comforter, her ample breasts spilling over the cups of her bra, her back arched as she moaned for him.
“Jesus,” he muttered.
Kay clamped a hand over her mouth and shook her head back and forth slowly. “Okay, I didn’t mean to say that out loud. Let’s just rewind and pretend that didn’t happen. Meet you at the hotel.”
Eli got in his car and followed her sedan back out to the main road. There wasn’t a chance in hell he’d forget that visual any time soon.
* * * * *
A FEW WEEKS later, Penny was reviewing a patient file when she looked up to find Matt standing in her office. Her heart leapt and she tried to tamp down the incredibly cheesy grin taking over her face. Eventually she gave up. It was useless.
She was officially smitten.
It was a struggle to keep her mind on work lately. She couldn’t concentrate on anything other than him, she didn’t hear anything except the sound of his voice, and if someone asked her what the morning staff meeting was about, she’d have no clue. Falling for him was an exhausting process that had taken over her mind and body.
And there was no longer any use in denying it. She was falling for him. She could only hope for a soft landing.
“What are you doing here? You don’t have therapy today.”
Despite his announcement that day in his truck, she could tell he’d still been upset the past few weeks. She’d done everything she could to distract him. They’d gone to see an action movie with lots of explosions and had found several new restaurants to try. They’d taken a cooking class one weekend where they’d learned to roll their own pasta. She’d baked him cookies, and they’d eaten them in bed while the chocolate chips were still warm and gooey. They’d enjoyed cleaning each other up with lips and fingers and tongues.
Penny was willing to try anything that could provide an evening of distraction. She was trying to make up for not only his disappointment, but also for the fact that she really wasn’t a good girlfriend. Not the kind he deserved.
If Matt didn’t re-enlist with the military, then she wouldn’t have to deal with him being deployed again. He’d be here with her. He’d be safe.
No, she wasn’t a very good girlfriend at all because at one of his lowest moments, she’d felt an indisputable flash of joy. When he’d realized he wouldn’t pass the physical fitness test, he’d been devastated and she’d been happy.
Nothing could make up for that.
Matt pulled out one of the chairs in front of her desk and sat down. “I missed you. So here I am.”
An unexpected swell of emotion made her puff out her breath. He’d missed her. It was a thrill to know she wasn’t the only one so affected.
“Guess what I did today?” Matt leaned back in the chair nonchalantly.
“Rearranged my closet?” Penny giggled at his dark look. He teased her constantly about her slightly obsessive-compulsive desire to keep things organized. In her closet, her clothes were grouped by color and type. In the bathroom, she had her skincare products lined up against the counter in the order they were used. It had always bothered her to find things out of place, but she’d lived alone so long she’d never had to worry about whether it was weird.
Now that Matt had left a few things at her place, she’d automatically started arranging his things neatly for him. His boots were kept against the wall in the living room, and she’d even started buying his favorite snack food. It was always funny to see his brand of barbecue potato chips next to her healthy pita squares in the pantry.