Undeniable (Indulgence) - Aleatha Romig Page 0,2

but then he turns and extends his hand.

"Hardly a yard. The water is paradise. Come see. There's a manatee getting closer."

I do as he says. As his fingers encase mine, my steps momentarily stutter. There's something in his touch, warmth that shoots through me from my fingers to my toes. It’s like electricity.

Shyly I raise my eyes to his, wondering if he feels it too.

Instead of confirming or denying, he pulls me closer to the edge of the stone decking. Without letting go of my hand, he points with his other. "Look. See the ripples?"

"I do!" I keep my excitement to a stage whisper.

The water moves. The rays of moonlight no longer reflect, showcasing the large water mammal.

"Oh, it's so big!"

He turns toward me with a lopsided grin. "Words to a man's heart."

I fight to pull my hand away, knowing that pink is filling my cheeks. "I meant the manatee. If I hadn't lived the last eight years in Florida, I would be petrified with one so close."

He releases my hand and casually wraps his arm around my shoulder. "Then I wish you were new to the area."

I try to swallow as I turn within his grasp, facing him. "You do?"

"Yes, then you would be a damsel in distress, and I could protect you."

"A true knight in shining armor?"

His embrace of my shoulders lowers to the small of my back as he pulls me closer. "No, Sophie Hawkins, I'm not a knight."

Sophie

"Wait. How do you know my name?"

My heart pounds against the buttons of his tuxedo as he brings my breasts crashing against his chest. "Because I've known you for most of your life. I've been waiting all night to get you alone."

I stare up at his handsome face. I must be dreaming. Maybe it's my mind—I'm tired. I need sleep.

"How?"

He holds me out to arm’s length. "Look at me, Sophie, with those gorgeous blue eyes you had even as a child. Look at me. Tell me you don't know me."

My lips disappear behind my teeth as I do as he says. The moon combined with the light streaming from the windows creates the only illumination as I stare up at Mr. Hamilton—dark hair and green eyes.

He can't be the man in my memories, the one I've fantasized about. He'd be older now. This man doesn't seem older, not really. He is as sexy and dominating as I remember, even more so. His presence consumes me. I feel small in his embrace but not young.

The pulsating between my legs tells me that I feel nothing like the child who used to idolize him. I'm a woman, a woman who wants my fantasies to become reality.

"M-Mr. Hamilton? Matt Hamilton?"

His lips move upward, revealing his million-dollar smile. As I gaze up into his handsome face, my body relaxes against his, fluid in his grasp, while conversely his hardens, his erection probing my stomach.

I've never been with a man, nothing more than heavy petting. They all paled in comparison to my fantasies, but by the way my body is reacting, it knows the truth my mind has just begun to accept.

This is Matt Hamilton, and he is my fantasy.

My face inclines toward his. "How? Why?"

Before he answers, one of his hands captures my neck and pulls me the few inches closer until our lips connect.

Heat radiates from our kiss like lightning flashing through me, igniting streaks of fire from my lips to my toes and back again. It's like no kiss I've ever had. Matt takes and gives without concern for the future.

Here, now. It's all that matters as I moan while simultaneously catching my breath.

"I've dreamt about this," I manage to say. "Maybe I'm dreaming?"

The hand from my neck moves possessively down my side, skimming the side of my breast. His touch is fire that doesn't burn but smolders.

"Oh!"

This isn’t a dream. Every nerve in my body is suddenly alive, and I want more. Maybe it is only one night, a fantasy, but as I squeeze my thighs together, I know that without a doubt, I want Matt Hamilton to be my first.

And then I remember my childhood friend.

I take a painful step away from him, backing away from my every dream. "What about your wife?"

He shakes his head. "We've been divorced for over five years."

"So you're not...you're not married?"

"I haven't been for a while, but I'd like to be."

"Is there someone...someone you're seeing?" I ask.

"I am seeing someone. I’d like to see more of her.” His smile grows. “I'm looking at