Page 99 of The Golden Scoop

“Matt,” I groan, when his hand starts moving back up. His name alone seems to undo something in him.

He lets go of my wrists only to grab my hips and lift me like I weigh nothing. I wrap my legs around his waist and bring my mouth back to his. I bite down on his lower lip, and Matt answers with a low sound in the back of his throat before kissing me deeper.

For the rest of my life, I think. I need him to never stop doing this.

When I start to chase him, he pulls back enough to make me want to scream.

“You’re trouble,” he mutters against my mouth.

“Now you’re catching on?”

His laugh is brief, rough. I barely realize he’s moving us until the hallway disappears completely, and another door shuts behind me.

Matt sets me down slowly, as if his bedroom reset his pace. I take immediate advantage of the momentary freedom by grabbing the hem of his shirt and tugging it over his head. He doesn’t offer any resistance, but he steps back right after.

His eyes drag over me inch by inch. Appreciative in a way that makes heat crawl all the way up my neck.

“Is this what you want?” he asks, voice husky.

I nod, unable to form any sentences under his stare.

“I need to hear you say it, honey.”

“Yes,” I manage. “I want you.”

Matt’s mouth turns into a smirk.

“Good girl.” One small step closer. “Undress.”

TWENTY-TWO

Emma

There really is a thin line between love and hate.

I should’ve known I’d fall in love with Matt’s world. With his bookcase filled with endless stories he promises he’ll read to me before bed. The way his arms hold me tight against his chest like I’m his most precious treasure. The scent of his sheets, warm and expensive, so addictively him. It’s easy to imagine a life like this.

But not because of the extra comfort that comes with having a hillside mansion. That’s a perk included in the possibility of being in love with Matt Hunt.

He’s lying half-awake beside me, hair messy from last night’s activities, or maybe that’s how it is in the mornings. Either way, I can’t get enough of it. His thumb traces lazy circles against my belly underneath the covers.

“Hi,” I mumble, tilting my head up toward him.

“Morning, honey.” Matt leans down and plants a soft kiss on the corner of my mouth. “How did you sleep?”

I snuggle further into the bed to drive my point home. “Better than ever,” I admit. It’s annoying, but it’s the truth. I’d live out of this bed if I could.

“I bet. Between baseball and me absolutely ruining you for the rest of mankind… You were out cold before I even got out of the bathroom,” he teases.

“You’re going to have to pry me out of your bed now.”

“Who says I want to?”

Matt wiggles his eyebrows childishly. I slap him on the chest, but he’s faster than me. He grabs my wrist and tugs me forward until I’m straddling him. The shorts I borrowed, which I don’t intend to give back, ride up my thighs.

“How about we go into the kitchen and I make us some breakfast? You’ve got to be dying for some caffeine right about now.”

Prior to the reminder, my body had been functioning solely on Matt’s touch. Now he’s said it, though…