“I’m not sure what it says about me that I feel guilty for moving on with my life. Maybe it’s my subconscious telling me I’m an insecure twit.”
“It’s your mind telling you to be cautious. Which is not a bad thing. I know we jumped the gun a little bit. I can’t apologize for it because I’m honestly enjoying it too much. But you were right when you said we should take things a little slower this time. So that’s what we’re doing. We’re going to cook and talk. That’s it.”
Penny shot him an incredulous look. “That’s it? No funny business?”
“I’ve never understood that expression,” Matt mused. “If you’re doing it right, there’s nothing funny about it.”
“Matt,” Penny said warningly.
He held up two fingers. “I promise I won’t kiss you again unless you kiss me first. Scout’s honor. And I was actually a scout, so that’s not a line.”
Once they were inside, Penny took his coat and hung it up in a small closet near the front door. He walked into the living room and looked around. It was decorated in warm greens, reds, and golds. The color palette was as warm as Penny was. It reflected her style perfectly. He sat down on the sofa, feeling completely at home already.
Penny perched on the seat cushion next to him. “So, I have some chicken breasts already defrosted. I could cook those and we could eat them with a salad. Or I could do a quick teriyaki stir fry. Or maybe you want pasta?”
Matt covered her hand with his. She instantly stopped chattering. “I just want to spend time with you. The food doesn’t matter. You have to know that if I was willing to eat my own craptastic cooking to spend time with you.”
“So, you were lying about being able to cook? Well, I guess it’s a good thing we didn’t go to your place,” Penny joked.
He’d never seen her quite so flustered. It was different talking to her outside of therapy. When they were in her territory, she was confident and bossy as hell. He was man enough to admit it turned him on a little. Now he was seeing a different side to her. She was fidgeting, picking at a loose piece of lint on the edge of the couch. It was strange to see her nervous. He wanted his brazen, ballsy Penny back.
“What’s the easiest thing to make?”
She shrugged. “Chicken doesn’t take long to grill.”
“Let’s do that. Then we’ll talk. In the meantime, I almost forgot to ask about the most important ingredient.”
“What’s that?”
He got to his feet and headed for the kitchen. “What do you have to drink?”
* * * * *
THE AROMA OF grilled chicken soon filled the kitchen. Penny stirred the sliced-up chicken breasts in the skillet with one hand and took a nervous gulp of her wine with the other.
It was a lot easier to be “just friends” with Matt when they were out doing things in public places. Now she had him here in her kitchen, looking so good that she wanted to put him on her plate instead of the chicken.
How was she supposed to entertain a man who made her want to tear her clothes off when she’d resolved not to tear her clothes off?
Stop thinking about tearing stuff off. There will be no tearing around Matt Simmons.
Her libido didn’t seem impressed with the warning. Her temperature was rising with every minute they were alone together.
She turned down the heat on the chicken and pulled out the ingredients for a salad. Crisp lettuce greens were tossed in a bowl, followed by sliced tomatoes and cucumbers. She layered the salad on plates and then scooped the chicken slices on top. Last, she mixed oil and vinegar in a jar as a quick dressing and dashed a little on each plate.
“Here you go. It’s not gourmet, but it’s fast.”
“Thank you. I’m starving.” Matt accepted the plate and fork and shoveled a big bite into his mouth. They ate in silence for a while until Matt finished. Penny was only halfway through with her own salad when he got up to refill their wine glasses.
Her eyes followed him as he reached into the refrigerator. The move only emphasized his long, lean body and amazing ass. He turned and caught her staring. She choked on the piece of chicken she’d just taken a bite of.
Dammit. The man couldn’t even bend over to look in the refrigerator without her molesting him with her eyes. Sexual desperation was turning her into a pervert.
“So, how are things with your sister?” She thought dimly after the fact that she probably shouldn’t have asked that. It was obviously a delicate subject and she wasn’t trying to pry into his business, just distract herself. Luckily, he didn’t seem to mind.
“Things are good. She and Trent made up. It was just a shock for him because he hadn’t realized how much money I’d given her.”
He poured a generous amount of wine in both of their glasses before pushing the cork back into the bottle.
“I’m glad. It sounds like they have a solid relationship. Too many people give up too easily. If you’re lucky enough to have that special connection, you have to be willing to work things out. To compromise. That’s a lot more realistic than all the soul mate crap we’re spoon-fed from the cradle.”
Matt raised his eyebrows. “Wow. That wasn’t what I expected. I thought all women went in for the love at first sight, romantic stuff.”
“I know I sound like a brat. It’s just that girls are conditioned from a young age to expect the fairy tale. The handsome prince who saves you from whatever. A great and grand love.”