One of Matt's hands framed the side of my face while the other on my upper arm held me still. As if I'd dare leave now. I couldn't peel my gaze from his as he lowered his head, nor could I move when I felt the first touch of his lips against mine. The moment was as sweet as I'd dreamed it would be but nothing prepared me for when Matt lifted his head and whispered, "Felicity."
Not 'oi' or 'hey you'. Not Flick.
Felicity.
It almost too incredible to bear. I shivered as he rested his forehead against mine.
"You're cold," Matt whispered a hairsbreadth from my lips.
I shook my head.
"Liar. You have goose bumps." He smiled and rubbed my arm, making the predicament worse.
"It's not because I'm cold," I confessed with a low laugh.
Even in the semi-darkness I noticed the second Matt's sapphire eyes light up. He'd suddenly become the Matt I'd fantasized about with a slow, flirtatious smile just for me, those beautiful eyes heavy-lidded with want.
Lilly had urged me to kiss him, so I rose on my tiptoes. I leaned into him, my hands clutching the lapels of his jacket. He wrapped his arms around me and enveloped me completely in his breadth. I'd never felt as small as I did in his embrace.
His mouth slid against mine and when my tongue flicked against his teeth he groaned and granted me entrance. Our first kiss had been gentle. The second one certainly wasn't.
Matt kissed me as I'd never been kissed, so completely I felt wrapped up in sensation. Every thought spun around him. All I needed was whatever air he shared with me.
"Felicity," he groaned as we broke apart, both breathing hard. "What just happened?"
I was about to answer with something glib and flirtatious when I heard a rustling in the trees behind us. A giggle followed. Matt took me by the hand and pulled me into the shadow of a large pine near the bluff's edge. At first I thought he had hidden me out of shame, but he pinned me against the tree and whispered in my ear, "Someone else stole my idea."
I bit back a laugh. "It
is
terribly romantic out here tonight. Must be something in the air at weddings."
Matt chuckled near my nape, sending tingles down my body. "Must be. Should we retreat and give them their moment of privacy?"
"Let's see who it is!"
"Minx," Matt muttered. "Who'd have thought it of you?"
We peeked around the tree to the small clearing where Matt and I had been only moments before. A tall, blond couple were engaged in a heated kiss.
"Oh, my!" I gasped. My cheeks flamed as I watched. Adele's head was thrown back while Nate rained kisses along her jaw line, down her neck, across her collarbone and into her dรฉcolletage. Her hands gripped his forearms and it looked like she was holding on for dear life.
I felt Matt's silent laughter. "Go, Reverend Nate."
"He doesn't kiss like a Minister."
"How do you know what a Minister kisses like?" Matt teased in a hushed tone.
"I don't." I shot him an exasperated glance as I gestured towards the clearing. "But I doubt they kiss like that."
"Tsk...tsk," was Matt's response. His small exhale of breath danced over my bare shoulder. I trembled again, this time partly from the cold.
"I should get you someplace warm and let those two have their stolen moment. I doubt they get many of them." Matt took hold of my hand again and led me through the trees. He knew every twist and turn in a way only someone raised amongst those trees would know. I followed him as we bypassed the crowded, well-lit lawn and emerged at the back of the house.
Matt's car was parked by the kitchen door.
"Let me take you home," he offered as he eased off of his tux jacket and slung it over my shoulders. It hung lower than my dress, skimming across my cold thighs.
"I don't want to go home." The night had been so magical I didn't want it to end. But I didn't exactly want to rejoin the party either.
Matt brushed a callused finger against my cheek. He studied me then asked, "Well then what do you want to do?"
I stood poised on the edge of my chance to grab happiness; to take what everyone else saw but the two of us, apparently. He wouldn't say no if I asked him, I knew that now. What the consequences might be, I didn't know, but the risk would be worth it no matter the cost.
"Take me to your place,"
Matt didn't move, didn't speak. I watched as he swallowed.
"A-are you sure?"
I nodded. I'd never been more sure of anything in my life.
He pulled keys from his pant pocket and unlocked the passenger side of his car. He held the door for me as I slid in. I buckled my seat belt with shaking fingers, knowing everything would change after this.
Neither of us spoke on the drive to the garage. From time to time, I glanced over at Matt and found him wearing a stony expression while he focused on the road ahead. I thought about cracking a joke all the while hoping he'd lighten the mood with his trademark humor. I couldn't get used to this serious, intense version of Matt. It was a side of him I still didn't know what to do with.
The gravel crunched under the car tires as we pulled into Matt's usual parking spot at the side of the building. I slipped out from the car before he had a chance to come around and help me. My legs shook as I climbed the stairs to his second floor apartment, more from anticipation than nerves. Being moments from everything I'd wanted for so long felt so surreal.
I stumbled with only half a dozen stairs to go but Matt scooped me up and finished the climb carrying me in his arms.
"You're going to have to put me down to unlock the door," I pointed out with a breathless little laugh.
"I can't remember if I locked it," Matt confessed as he chuckled. "Hold on."