Free A Needful Heart by J.M. Madden

deeply and met his eyes “--I was just curious
about you, is all.”
    Surprise flared in his gray-green eyes, and
his brows furrowed in disbelief. “Why on earth would you be curious
about me?”
    The look on his face would have been cute if
it hadn’t been so earnest. He honestly didn’t understand her
attraction.
    “I like you. I think you’re a nice guy. I
wish I’d have talked to you sooner in that hallway, rather than
just dodge around you. I’m sorry about that. I made assumptions
about you like everybody else does. And they were wrong.”
    Matt’s face had gone slack, as if he didn’t
dare believe her words, and she couldn’t help but reach out and run
a finger along his shaved jaw line. His gaze zeroed in on her
gently smiling mouth, and it was absolutely natural to lean forward
and press her lips to his.
    Broad and surprisingly soft, Matt’s lips
remained still as Gina moved her mouth against his. She pressed
harder, daring to touch the seam of his lips with her tongue. From
deep inside him, a growl rumbled forth, and his lips began to move
with hers. Gina slipped her arms around his neck and held on as he
pressed back in earnest.
    Gina leaned harder and opened her mouth wide
to invite him in. She allowed her body to rest against his, and she
tunneled her good hand into the short hair at the nape of his neck,
scraping her fingernails lightly.
    Matt shuddered and came alive in her arms.
Cupping her head in his massive hands, he drank from her mouth. His
tongue teased at her lips, then slid inside to taste her. Gina
couldn’t contain her helpless moan as she was suddenly wet and
aching with arousal. Her nipples rubbed against his solid chest,
and it was so very delicious.
    One of his huge hands cupped her ass and
pulled her into his arousal. Then he did some sexy thing with his
hips that ground her pelvic bone into his erection. The second time
he did it, he hit her clit. She tore away with a gasp, looking into
his hooded eyes. This was moving way too fast.
    “I, uh, think we should chill for a minute,”
she panted out. “Yeah, definitely.”
    Matt’s eyes darkened to an almost storm grey.
But he pulled away immediately at her words. “I’m sorry.” He
cleared his raspy throat. “Yeah, slowing down would be good.”
    Even though he said the words, his hands
seemed reluctant to let her go.
    Gina’s knees quaked and threatened to fold,
so she lowered herself to the step behind her.
    “Wow,” she said quietly, trying to settle her
heartbeat. When she looked up, Matt had a dazed expression on his
face. “Are you okay?”
    Blinking, he looked down at her before he
took a deep breath and nodded. “Yes.”
    Gina raised her brows, but he didn’t say
anything else.
    “I didn’t expect that, Matt. I mean, you’re
cute and all, but damn.” She laughed and motioned at the step. “You
just knocked me on my ass.”
    Slowly, wondrously, his eyes lightened and
his lips spread into a smile. The first full smile she had ever
seen. It almost made her cry.
    There must have been a strange look on her
face, because the happy expression faded into a frown. “What?”
    “I’ve just never seen you smile before.”
    He looked away in embarrassment. Then turned
to rummage in his toolbox.
    Gina could have kicked herself in the ass.
They were headed in the right direction, and she had to ruin it. Great going, Carruthers .
    “I, uh, better go do something. You know, in
the kitchen.”
    Flustered, she forced her knees to hold her
as she took off.
     
    ***
    Out of the corner of his eye, Matt watched
Gina’s beautifully shaped ass disappear down the hallway to the
kitchen. It had fit so perfectly in his hands, as if the roundness
had been formed exactly to his specifications. His cock twitched in
his pants, and he knew it wasn’t going to go away until he took
care of it himself later.
    That didn’t help him now, though.
    And it didn’t help him half an hour later
when he pinched his thumb with a crowbar. The