The Blush Factor by Deborah Bladon

Chapter Forty-Three

Faith

“I bet you’re an amazing uncle.”I wiggle my eyebrows at Matthew. “You let them do naughty things, don’t you?”

“Naughty things?” His gaze runs over my bare legs. “Says the woman who just did a naughty thing to me.”

I run a finger over my bottom lip. “You liked it.”

“How could I not?” He laughs. “That stud in your tongue is fucking amazing, Faith. When I feel that on my dick, it’s…”

“Hot as fuck?” I whisper.

“Hotter than that,” he counters.

“I was worried that they’d barge into the bedroom and find me there,” I confess.

Earlier, when I’d heard Roman and his daughters in the foyer of Matthew’s apartment, I panicked.

I dressed quickly, yanking on my clothing but not bothering with my bra.

I hid that behind my back, but by the time I was at the bedroom door again trying to hear what was going on, it was silent.

That’s when Matthew came back to bed.

He undressed me again, held me, and before we drifted back to sleep yet again, he took me slowly.

For the first time in my life, I made love.

“They were looking for popcorn and cartoons.” He laughs. “I keep a supply of movie snacks on hand for them.”

“Because they stop by often?” I ask with a smile.

“All the time.” He runs a hand over my shin.

We’re on his couch with my legs in his lap.

I was studying until the mounting pressure to kiss him took over. We did that for a solid twenty minutes before I fell back on my ass in a fit of giggles because he decided tickling me would bring a smile to my face.

That’s when I tugged his sweatpants down and took him in my mouth.

“You like being an uncle, don’t you?”

“Love it,” he answers without reservation. “I adore those little ladies.”

“That means you’ll make a great dad yourself one day.”

He laughs. “I’ve got my hands full with those two, and soon I’ll have a nephew to spoil. That’s more than enough for me.”

I smile, wondering if he wants kids one day.

I do. It’s always been something I’ve thought about.

“Three kids?” I sigh. “That’s my ultimate dream.”

“I saved a piece of that lavender cake for our late night snack.” He slides himself free of my legs and moves to stand. “How fucking lucky am I? I get to feed cake to a beautiful woman.”

I follow him with my gaze as he walks toward the kitchen.

I’m the lucky one. In a city the size of New York, I somehow found the man of my dreams in the apartment across the hall from mine.

* * *

“I’m workinga six day stretch now.” Matthew tugs a polo shirt over his head. “Donovan, my boss, is headed to Boston for a conference, so duties are divided between the other vet, Carolyn, and me.”

I’m disappointed that his schedule is so jam-packed, but in a way, it’s a blessing in disguise. It’s crunch time for me. I need to buckle down and finish a few assignments and with Matthew focused on work, I’ll have a lot more free time.

I’ll spend a good portion of that daydreaming about him, but I’ll still fit in time for schoolwork.

“You’re going to save a lot of lives, aren’t you?”

He tosses me a smile. “That or I’ll be busy doing checkups. That’s the brunt of the work. It’s not as exciting as working in an ER, but it pays the bills.”

“It’s exciting to me,” I say, wrapping my arms around my neck.

He gazes down at me. “Promise me you’ll keep yourself fed.”

“I promise,” I whisper.

“You’ll sleep a solid eight hours a night,” he demands.

“Seven and a half,” I counter. “Maybe I can sleep here one or two of those nights?”

His arms drop from my body. “I’ll be on call, and I don’t want my phone waking you up.”

The excuse doesn’t sit with me, but I brush off my reservations.

He’s only looking out for me.

“I need to get to the clinic.” He presses a kiss to my mouth. “I’m not going to complain if you shoot me a text message now and again, FU.”

“One with a picture attached, maybe?”

Both of his eyebrows perk. “You’re going to distract me with a nude selfie, aren’t you?”

“Who knows?” I sigh. “You’ll just have to wait to see.”

He slaps my ass before he ushers me toward his apartment door. “You’ve made me hard, Faith. Now I have to ride the subway like this.”

I look down at the noticeable bulge in the front of his black pants. “Oops.”

We part just outside his door.

“I’ll miss you,” I say softly.

He reaches for my hand to kiss my palm. “Last night and this morning were a gift to me.”

They were a gift to me too, but before I can tell him that, he’s racing toward the open elevator doors without a single glance back in my direction.