Bit by the Bug (Matthews Sisters 1) (16 page)

Vincent ordered the perfect wine to complement the walnut sauce in the Maccheroncini del Casale. Kat refused to tell him she couldn’t really taste a difference
between the reds, just like she never told Zoe when she didn’t understand what food she was talking about.

The main dish was almost too much and Kat felt as if she were going to burst from overeating. It didn’t help that Flora had come back with a grilled sandwich demanding she eat before her date. Kat had taken a few bites, but then hid it in her bathroom so Flora wouldn’t see it. By the time the waitress offered them a choice between cranberry walnut torte and bittersweet orange chocolate mousse, she couldn’t eat another bite and had to decline.

‘So, how’s the roommate hunt coming?’ Sasha asked her, taking a bite of torte. She closed her eyes briefly, savouring the taste.

‘Why? You know anyone who needs a roommate?’ Kat asked, sipping her after-dinner coffee. ‘If so, they can move in immediately, half bills, half rent.’

‘Sorry, sis,’ Sasha said. ‘But I’ll keep my ears open.’

‘Don’t you screen your applicants?’ Vincent asked, appalled.

‘Sure,’ Kat chuckled, ‘on a good day. But, I need to make rent too. If they come with cash, I’ll give them a shot. Besides, my sister’s a cop. Anyone messes with me, she’ll make them disappear.’

‘That’s the mafia,’ Megan corrected.

‘Oh, sorry, my mistake.’ Kat giggled, lifting her glass of wine to toast Megan before taking a sip.

Vincent leaned towards her. ‘This isn’t . . .’He hesitated and then sat back in his chair, not saying another thing about it.

The waitress brought the bill and set it next to Vincent. Without pause, he reached for his wallet to take care of it. Kat’s stomach knotted and she almost offered to buy dinner for everyone. Problem was, she didn’t have the money to pay for it. When she planned this outing, she didn’t think about who would pick up the bill. She’d been too excited to finally get her date with Vincent.

‘That’s very kind of you,’ Megan said and Sasha readily agreed as they both thanked him. Kat simply slipped her hand back onto Vincent’s upper thigh. He glanced at her, but didn’t move to take her hand in his this time. However, he did angle his leg towards her to give her better access.

As they left the restaurant, the hostess stopped Vincent to hand him a receipt. He thanked her and slipped it into his pocket. Kat glared at the woman behind his back as he opened Sedurre’s front door. When they were outside, Kat stood apart from him as they said their goodbyes to her sisters. Megan offered to give Sasha a ride home. As they walked off, Vincent asked, ‘Did something happen? You seem tense.’

‘Do you always take other women’s phone numbers when out on a date?’

‘Other women’s numbers?’ He blinked, looking at her as if she’d suddenly sprouted two heads. ‘What do you mean?’

Kat frowned, lifted his jacket and stuck her hand into his pocket to find the receipt the hostess gave him. Pulling it out, she lifted it up without even looking at it. Vincent took it and unfolded the paper. Sure enough, there was a number written on it next to a bunch of little hearts and the name Susan.

‘Wh-what?’ He glanced back at the glass door. ‘But, I –’

Kat didn’t give him a chance to finish. His innocence was adorable. Throwing her arms around his neck, she staked claim to him, hoping the hostess was peeking out on them to see the show. His body pressed tightly into her, until she felt every subtle shift of him next to hers. The mass between his thighs lifted, becoming slowly erect as she rolled her tongue into his mouth, tasting a potently erotic combination of just a hint of red wine and bittersweet orange chocolate mousse.

Sighing, she pulled back, but didn’t unwind her arms from his neck.

‘What was that for?’ he asked, holding her about the waist.

‘I don’t know for sure. I just wanted to kiss you all night,’ she said.

‘Really?’

‘Who knew you’d spruce up so nicely, or that you’d be so utterly charming out of the office?’ She laughed, moving to twirl a piece of wavy hair around her finger. ‘Ask me back to your place.’

‘Yes,’ he said without missing a beat.

‘Oh, well,’ Kat batted her eyelashes, playfully slipping away from him. ‘That wasn’t very convincing of you.’

As her arm glided down his, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back into his chest. The gesture was surprisingly forceful for Vincent and instantly her body met with the hard outline of his arousal. ‘Come back to my place, Kat.’

Kat glanced down meaningfully to where his cock strained between them. ‘Well, if you put it like that, Dr Richmond.’

‘Kat, I . . .’ he paused, pushing back a lock of her hair. ‘I’ve never met a woman like you. I’m sorry if I didn’t . . . If I was . . .’

Kat lifted up, silencing his words with her mouth.

‘Mmm.’ Vincent pulled back, lifting his arm to a cab that was passing by. The car stopped and he led her by the arm to the kerb side. As he opened the door, Kat glanced down the sidewalk, seeing the receipt with the hostess’ number rolling away in the breeze. Vincent helped her into the car and slid in next to her. Instantly his hands were on her waist, holding her firmly against his side. To the driver, he said, ‘East Seventy-Eighth, and step on it.’

Kat stared in open-mouthed awe at Vincent’s home. Located on the beautiful Seventy-Eighth Street lined with shrubs and trees, his was the top apartment in the old pre-war building. The place was clean and she knew he hardly spent anytime at home, which would account for the unlived-in look. He had said he lived on the Upper East Side and she knew he came from a rich family, but she still wasn’t prepared for the sheer size of his home.

The living room was nearly thirty feet long and eighteen feet wide, with towering ceilings much taller than her apartment’s. The pristine white walls and polished wood floors were tastefully accented with sweeping floor to ceiling dark curtains and minimal furniture. Large casement windows looked southward over the city. A wood-burning fireplace dominated one wall, centred between two built-in bookcases.

Walking across the large living room, Kat ran her hand over the back of his white sofa. The wooden legs were a little darker than the floor. Somehow the furniture, though elegant, reminded her of Mimi Richmond’s style and made Kat not like it as much.

‘Would you like a tour?’ Vincent asked, coming up behind her. His hand slipped from the small of her back around her waist, resting on her stomach. Holding her, he brushed her hair aside. A little chill worked down her spine as his breath fell against her flesh.

‘I’d love one.’

‘This is the living room.’ He kissed the nape of her neck. Fingers trailed down her shoulder, over her exposed
back to dip just beneath the edge of the silk and crepe gown.

‘I see that.’ Kat again glanced around. There were no pictures on the walls and no television. But, there were some books on the built-in bookshelves.

‘And –’ Vincent leaned over, sweeping her up into his arms. Kat laughed in surprise as she held onto his shoulders. Walking quickly, he carried her to an archway that led to a long white hall. The lights from the living room shone behind him to light the way. ‘– here’s the hallway.’

‘Interesting.’ Kat giggled, kicking her feet in the air as he easily carried her to the nearest door instead of down the barren hall. If it had been her home, she’d have put photographs down each side like a small gallery. The door he carried her through led into his kitchen. He manoeuvred her in his arms to flip the switch while still holding on. The kitchen too was white from the walls to the appliances, even the floor. Though she had little use for a kitchen, she could appreciate the magnificence of it. Zoe would’ve been in heaven.

‘Kitchen.’ Vincent then rushed through the kitchen leaving on the opposite side from where they entered. He didn’t bother to turn off the light and used it to guide the way through the next dark room. Instead of back to the hallway, the door led into a dining room. She saw hints of a scrolled ironwork chandelier as he walked her around the long wooden table, curving around a beautifully carved armchair. As he carried her towards a door on the opposite side of the room, he said in a rush, ‘dining room’.

The hallway had curved around and they again entered it from the dining room. Hitting a door open with his shoulder, he let her have the briefest look into darkness and said, ‘office’, before continuing down the hallway. ‘And the last stop. Bedroom.’

‘I think you missed a door.’ Kat giggled, winding her arms tighter around his neck. The room was dark, but he moved easily through it, not running them into anything. She kissed his jaw, dragging her parted lips over his smooth, shaved flesh to nip at his earlobe.

‘Bathroom,’ he answered. ‘Terribly dull. Not worth seeing.’

Suddenly, he stopped, letting go of her legs so she stood before him. Kat reached for his chest, unbuttoning his jacket as Vincent set to work on her gown. As he cupped her face in both palms, the gown slithered to the floor, leaving her in her underclothes.

His tongue edged her lips, parting her mouth in a delicate sweep. Vincent hummed softly, it was a faint sound but one she recognised him making earlier when they had come together. Most likely, it was an unconscious sound, but she found it incredibly endearing of him.

‘I’ve thought about you all day,’ he said, his words hushed against her moist lips. ‘I wish I could take back what happened earlier between us.’

Kat blinked, tensing as the words started to sink into her brain.

‘It was too fast. It was not how I imagined it should be.’

She smiled, feeling a rush of girlish pleasure. Untucking his linen dress shirt from his pants, she slowly pulled on the buttons. ‘That has to be the sweetest thing I’ve ever been told. So, you’ve been imagining me, have you?’

A small gasp of air left him, as if he were struggling with his words. Was he embarrassed?

‘When?’ She pushed his shirt off his shoulders and pulled it off.

‘Excuse me?’

‘When did you start having these wicked thoughts about me?’ She pulled his undershirt over his head.

‘I wouldn’t call them wicked,’ he defended. Kat wished she could see his expression. It was hard to tell what he was thinking from just the tone of his soft voice.

‘Pity.’ She tossed the shirt aside. Taking a step back, her knees hit the end of a bed. There was no footboard, only soft material covering the mattress. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she saw a thin line of light and knew from the direction of it that it had to be from a window.

Crossing over to it, she realised she still wore her heels. She felt her way to a cord along the side and pulled it just enough to cast a subtle blue light into the room. The cityscape lay beyond the window.

‘Don’t move,’ Vincent said, his voice hoarse.

Kat looked down. The light from outside had silhouetted her against the darkness, giving off every intimate line of her body as she stood to the side of it. She’d hoped for this to happen between them again and had chosen her bra and panties carefully. Though hardly made for comfort, the black lace thong and the skimpy push up bra made her feel sexy. Catching the back of her heel on her toe, she kicked off her shoes before moving to push off her pantyhose, all the while keeping her profile to him.

Vincent’s breathing was audible, almost as much as the hard beat of her heart in her ears. For some reason, she was still nervous with him. Was it guilt over why they met? Was it knowing that even though she wanted to be here with him, she was still using him for an art show? Or was it something else? Was it that, for the first time in her life, she wanted a man to be pleased with her, to like her, to want her and desire her above all others? When the hostess had given him her number, Kat had been jealous to the point she wanted to beat the woman up. If it had happened to Jack, she would’ve laughed it off.

Slowly, she turned to face Vincent so the light would
outline her hips and inner thighs. She felt more than saw his gaze on her, looking at her body. His shoes and pants were gone and he wore only boxer shorts. Her gaze travelled down, enjoying the look of him. If he worked out, she had no idea when he fitted it into his schedule. Not a measure of fat marred his thick frame, at least from what she saw in the dim light.

Her hands shook as she waited for him to make a move. When he didn’t, she said softly, ‘Come here, Vincent.’

He obeyed, closing the distance between them. His hands glided over her hips, moving around to cup the exposed cheeks of her ass. He squeezed, drawing her to his hips. Silk rubbed her stomach, heated by the unmistakable bulge of his desire for her. When he kissed her, her knees weakened and she fell back against the curtain. His body was right there with hers, pressing her into the window frame padded by dark velvet. The city light contrasted his body, making his features more pronounced and his muscles more defined.

‘Kat,’ he whispered.

‘Vincent,’ she said, just as softly.

‘What is it short for? Kat?’

‘Katarina.’

‘I did see you, Katarina.’ Vincent pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose and then each cheek. ‘No matter what I did or said, I did see you. And I thought you beautiful from the first moment. That’s when I had my first wicked thoughts of you.’

She smiled, touched by his words. He sounded so sincere.

‘I am a man preoccupied by work. I –’

‘Vincent,’ she laughed softly, cupping his cheek. ‘You don’t have to explain. I’m obsessed with my work too. It’s all right. I don’t mind.’

‘But, I want to explain. I don’t want you to –’

Kat kissed him, turning him towards the window. She
explored his chest and sides, rubbing her hands over his nipples until they were warm, erect peaks. Vincent rocked his hips into her and the silk of his boxers seemed to melt away. Licking and biting a path from his lips to his chest, she sucked one nipple between her teeth and then the other.

Slowly, she kneeled, using her mouth and hands to tease and explore. When she bit his hip, his body jerked and he groaned. Lifting a hand above his head, he grabbed onto the curtain. Kat bit him again and his whole body strained, becoming taut. Could it be Mr Distracted Scientist liked it a little rough? After the way he took her in the collection room, she should’ve suspected. Though really at the time she’d thought it had been a long time since he’d had sex and he’d been over eager in his excitement.