Sweet Heat Rising (Thoroughbred Men Series) (7 page)

Matt pulled Sarah closer to him and she sat quietly by his side with her head leaned against his chest at the crook of his arm. He pulled a small throw over her lap and just held her. She fell quietly asleep. Matt did not move as he heard the soft sigh and a tiny snore escape. He just smiled and held her. He leaned over, grabbed his phone, set the alarm for four thirty and slumped down a bit along the couch holding Sarah and gently kissed the top of her head.

13

Matt’s phone went off in the morning and Sarah jumped... and yelped that there was a person on the couch by her, before she realized it was Matt groaning and rubbing his neck awkwardly. “Oh my God, that is sore” he said rubbing and smiled at her. “You sure wake up jumpy!”

Sarah was disoriented to wake up with someone next to her and on the couch! “You stayed the night? I fell asleep? Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! We have been on two dates... and barely that” she wailed in dismay “and here I am with morning breath!” She was amazed he was considerate enough to stay with her without trying any funny stuff, but was mortified at how her hair must look. She wondered if she had a drool trail on her chin and rubbed at her jaw quickly to check.

Matt laughed and then groaned from the pain. “Stop, that hurts my neck. And yes, I consider that two dates regardless if we stayed at your bakery. Hell, this means we slept together,” he said jokingly, gesturing at the couch and flinched again at the cramp in his neck.

Sarah smirked at his pained expression and almost said, ‘
thats what you get
’ but refrained. He was trying to be light of the situation and technically he was correct, even if it was in the literal sense. “I am getting the shower first and how exactly did you sleep sitting like that?” she questioned.

Matt groaned again, “Apparently very painfully” and continued to rub his neck and try to move it. He tried flexing his shoulders and rotating his head trying to work out the kinks. Hopefully the heat of the shower would loosen it up somewhat.

Sarah ran to the bathroom, stopping at her room and grabbed clothes for the day. Hopping in the shower, she scrubbed up as fast as possible, washed her hair and braided it wet again. She brushed her teeth and put a fresh towel out for Matt and a fresh bar of soap for him.

Matt almost passed on the shower, due to the idea of laying on the ground to put a spare on. He had second thoughts as the pain in his neck would make it almost unbearable to change out the tire and he took her up on the offer. He turned the water on as hot as he could stand it and massaged away at his neck trying to get it to loosen. He toweled off and threw back on his clothes. He just figured he would get another shower after the tire was taken care of.

They got in the car and drove the short distance to her bakery, he was silently thankful she had reached out to him and he was available today to help out. As he pulled up in front of the bakery, he saw nothing unusual. He circled the block and headed down the alley way only to find that Sarah’s car had not one, but two flat tires now. Putting a single spare on it would be worthless at this point. It would have to be towed.

Sarah could not believe her eyes. Two flat tires, in two days. She was fortunate enough to never have had flat and now two? Her car had a distinct lean to the left where both driver side tires were completely down.

Matt said, “I will take care of it all while you open shop... for another slice of that heavenly coffee cake we had the other day?” he negotiated. He wanted to take some of the burden from her after seeing how upset she was last night.

Sarah smiled gratefully. “Come on then, let’s get you a big slice for your breakfast and a cup of coffee.” Sarah opened the bakery door, flipped on the lights and began to go about her day. She started the coffee and saw that Matt had grabbed two plates from the shelf. She felt so content and pampered when she saw his smiling face turn to her, and invited her to be with him at the table. Sarah smiled and laced her fingers with his as he grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him. “Absolutely,” she said softly.

Matt watched her as she moved around in the bakery and then pulled her close. She had the most caring expression on her face and he could not help himself. He knew he was grubby from sleeping in his clothes, but he wanted so much to taste her inviting mouth. He leaned forward and kissed her softly and grimaced, as he imagined how bad his morning breath might be. “I’m glad I took you up on the shower, but I could have seriously used a toothbrush too. I stink,” he said lightly.

Sarah laughed, “Maybe another time then?” and blew him a kiss. She hadn't noticed any morning breath as he had leaned in and lightly brushed his mouth against hers, but she could fully appreciate his concern. She had been concerned about her own breath, which was why she had run to the shower and got ready so quickly.

Matt grinned at her. He really liked her spunk and the banter they shared. He chuckled and said wryly, “I will be holding my breath,” with a wink to her, “bated breath, of course” and egged her on, enjoying himself.

Sarah smirked mischievously. “Only because it stinks,” she quipped. She backed away and exaggerated that she held her nose and moved back towards the kitchen, with an air of drama.

Matt laughed aloud. He liked her in a saucy mood. “Touché,” he said with a salute and watched her, enjoying the sway of her backside as she walked off holding her nose and giggling.

Sarah cut the coffee cake and grabbed two forks. “Join me back here and eat so I can get busy?” she invited, and she proceeded to hand him his plate. She gratefully accepted the cup of coffee from him in return.

She moved to the table and began to knead down the dough. Every morning, it was the same routine to get ready for the day. Most days she could handle this all by herself but sometimes it was nice to have the help or the company, in this case today it was definitely the company.

Matt made small talk between bites of the sweet breakfast dish. He told her about his life growing up, how he would love to have time to travel the world and that he had already been to one or two places, but it wasn't as much fun if you went alone. He watched as she nodded and expressed a desire to visit the West Coast and see the redwoods. Matt concurred and said he would love to see them with her.

It got very quiet in the small kitchen as she continued to knead and separate the dough. He took that moment to contact the tow truck in town who said they would be there within the hour. He hung up the phone and just watched her quietly. She seemed to have a sense of peace about her finally, as she methodically worked the dough on the large table.

Tyler chose that moment to enter the kitchen from the rear of the building. “Good morning, sunshine,” he said very happily and stopped, looking questioningly at Matt. “Oh, hello... you are?” he questioned abruptly. He had seen the two cars in the small parking lot and had wondered who the other belonged to.

Matt stood for a moment, and glanced over Tyler sizing him up. He knew she worked with someone else, but it was disconcerting to see her addressed so casually as ‘sunshine’ by a man that could be competition for her attention. “I am Matt, I am Sarah’s friend,” he said politely and extended his arm to shake Tyler’s hand. He watched as Tyler just shrugged and gestured that his hands full with the two coffee cups.

Tyler nodded and brushed off Matt’s offer to shake congenially. He turned to Sarah, who seemed to be quite happy this morning and practically glowed. He would think she would be a bit more upset about yesterday and was frustrated, especially since she had asked him to leave. He had gotten the coffee to console her if she was still bothered, though it seemed like she did not need it. “I got you a mocha today, if you would like it? Did the police find out anything and what happened to your car?” he said lightly to Sarah. “I did not know to get three coffees because I didn't know you would have a guest with you this morning. If you are bringing a friend, you should call me. You know I am always available for you.” He was there for her, not this guy, he thought.

Sarah looked at both attractive men in her small kitchen, and how they sized each other up. She took advantage of the situation quickly. Tyler had been hounding her for a few months now to go to dinner, grab a drink, see a movie and each time she has told him no... but now, she had an official reason standing right in his face.

She decided to announce her attentions and put a stop to the scene before it turned ugly, since they were still eyeing each other over the prep station. “Tyler, Matt is not a guest, per se - he is my boyfriend.” Sarah watched as Matt smiled widely at the announcement and saw Tyler’s reaction. He was not pleased at all.

Tyler clamped his lips together tightly and nodded. “That is great. I am happy for you,” he said quietly and saw her frown. He figured she wanted to keep things professional, and that is what she had always claimed. He never heard her say anything about having someone outside of work.

He was hurt she had misled him. He figured he had only been turned down because of the work situation.  He had started looking for another job because he liked her so much. He didn't want to leave the bakery but he wanted Sarah to give him a chance. He knew they could be happy together, because he felt they were just alike.

Matt wanted to lighten the mood in the tiny kitchen. He did not like the way Tyler was looking at them. He hoped that Tyler would come to terms, talk with Sarah and they could get back to a professional work environment. She had told him that Tyler had asked her out, but she had also mentioned she was not interested. “Sarah, is there anything I can help with until the tow truck gets here?” He really liked her establishing that she belonged to him.

Tyler jumped in and answered for Sarah. “She has help, that is what I am here for.” Tyler snapped and then tried to make light of it. “She has me to help her out, so if you need to head off to work? I have got it handled.” He did not want to look like an ass in front of Sarah, but he also wanted to show he could take care of her if she needed something. This Matt guy was not needed anymore, he thought.

Matt was taken aback and almost smiled at the other man’s reaction.
Right, I can see how this is going really fast,
he thought. Tyler is after Sarah and she has no idea how much he is interested, other than ‘casually’ as she said.

This man is very possessive and it was time to show him who it was that she preferred. He wanted to be cordial to the other, however, there also comes a time to set dominance too. He was going to make sure the other man understood he was not going anywhere fast. “So, Tyler? Tell me about yourself? How did you come to know my Sarah?” he said amicably, as he winked at her across the slab of dough she was currently punching down and moved closer to her side, topping off her coffee. Sarah blushed and grabbed the cutter to make the perfect circles for the doughnuts.

Tyler watched the two of them. He felt it was none of Matt’s business how he got to know Sarah, but he was also going to be polite in front of her too. If they were away from her, he would tell the other man where exactly he could go! Tyler was very evasive, said he was from here and there, lived in several locations and finally settled down here and happened to be passing by the shop. He made sure and told Matt that he had worked in a bakery before… so he was the perfect candidate to help her out with the work she needed. Tyler went on to proclaim that he was an ideal partner for Sarah and always helped her out when she needed, he gave a pointed look at Matt.

Sarah looked at them both, her frustration growing. They had been going back in forth for a few minutes.... Matt laying it on thick and Tyler claiming to be perfect for her and the shop. Sarah grabbed the cutter and started stabbing at the table with gusto, punching the circles in the dough. “If you two are finished now? Tyler you can take over with the frying while Matt and I see to the tow truck, who should be here soon?” she said irritated. Sarah dusted off her hands on her apron and finished her coffee quickly. She headed out the back door of the bakery and Matt followed quietly.

Once outside, and the door shut behind him. Matt took her hand and he watched as she turned to him. He reached up and stroked back her hair from her face, watching her exasperated expression melt off her features as she looked at him. He adored looking at her expressive profile. “You know he likes you... a lot,” he said, “and he is quite possessive of you.”

It made him unsure of how to feel about Tyler. He knew Tyler was enamored of Sarah, and he could certainly understand why. He did not like how possessive he was, but if he cared that much about her? He knew that Tyler would have her best interest at heart, and he too would take care of her.

Sarah reached up and kissed him, wrapping her arms around his neck. “There is nothing to be possessive about.” Sarah replied lightly. “I have a fellow in my life that I am quite happy with,” she said. She liked a guy that was interested in her and wanted to be with her, but not controlling like Josh had been. Possessive was okay as long as she could still be herself. It was when she could not be herself, then possessiveness was a problem.

Matt kissed her lightly and held her for a few minutes in the growing pink light of the sunrise. “I am really glad to hear that,” Matt said with relief. “Listen, I was thinking that I might check into an alarm system for you, if you don't mind?” He wanted to do what he could for her and she had mentioned the police had said something about one and her fear of the costs involved.

Sarah was content being held, as they stood together and listened to the sounds of the sleepy town awakening. She loved the smell of his cologne and how she felt with his arms around her protectively. “No, not at all, I am still waiting for the police results so I should hear back today or tomorrow I would think.” 

The tow truck driver chose that moment to pull in, interrupting the idyllic scene. Sarah pulled away and Matt moved to the driver’s door of the loud tow truck. She waved and headed back inside to flip the open sign on in the front window and unlock the front door. She saw Tyler was still frying up donuts and he did not say a word to her.