Chapter 24 THE COFFEE DATE 2
NOVA'S POV
I waved off my thoughts and focused on our date.
We talked for over an hour, the conversation flowing easily from topic to topic. He told me about growing up in Boston, his parents who were both professors, how he'd built his company from the ground up.
I told him about my mother, about community college, about my love of old movies and terrible reality TV.
He was funny, charming and attentive. He listened when I talked, really listened, asking follow-up questions that showed he was genuinely interested in what I had to say.
"Can I ask you something?" I said during a lull in the conversation.
"Anything."
"That day at Maison Noir, when we met. You said you were buying an apology gift for someone important to you." I took a sip of my latte. "Did she forgive you? Did the necklace work?"
His expression softened. "You know, I never did give her that necklace."
"Really? Why not?"
"Because after talking to you, I realized I was apologizing to the wrong person." He reached across the table and covered my hand with his. His palm was warm, his touch gentle. "Sometimes you meet someone and they make you see things differently. Make you realize what you've been missing."
My breath caught. "Matthias..."
"I know this is probably too forward. We just met. But I believe in being honest about what I want." His thumb brushed across my knuckles. "And I want to get to know you better, Nova. Much better."
I should have pulled my hand away. Should have told him this was moving too fast. Should have mentioned that two other men were waiting for me to choose them.
Instead, I turned my hand over and laced my fingers through his.
"I'd like that too."
His smile was brilliant. "Good. Because I have no intention of letting you slip away."
He stood up, still holding my hand. "Come with me. I want to show you something."
"Show me what?"
"You'll see. Trust me."
I let him pull me up and lead me through the cafe. We walked past the counter, past the restrooms, toward a door marked "Staff Only."
"Matthias, we can't go back there—"
"It's fine. I know the owner." He pushed open the door and pulled me into a narrow hallway. Storage shelves lined one wall, boxes of coffee beans and supplies stacked high.
It was quieter back here, away from the music and conversation of the main cafe.
"What did you want to show me?" I asked, confused.
He turned to face me, backing me up against the wall. His hands came up to cage me in, one on each side of my head.
"This," he said, and then his mouth was on mine.
The kiss was nothing like the gentle peck I'd been expecting. It was hot and demanding and completely overwhelming.
His lips moved against mine with practiced skill, coaxing my mouth open. When I gasped, his tongue slid inside, tasting me, claiming me.
One of his hands slid into my hair, gripping tight, angling my head exactly where he wanted it. The other dropped to my waist, pulling me flush against him.
I could feel every hard plane of his body through our clothes. Could feel the heat radiating off him. Could feel how much he wanted this, wanted me.
My hands came up to his chest, intending to push him back, to slow this down. But instead, my fingers curled into his shirt, pulling him closer.
He groaned into my mouth and the sound sent heat flooding through my body.
His hand slid from my waist down to my ass, squeezing hard. The grip was possessive, almost rough, and it made me gasp against his lips.
"Fuck, you feel good," he muttered, his lips moving to my jaw, my neck. "Even better than I imagined."
"Matthias, we—" My words cut off in a moan when he bit down gently on my pulse point.
His hand squeezed my ass again, then delivered a sharp smack that made me jump. The sound echoed in the small hallway.
"I've been wanting to do that since I saw you walk into the cafe," he said against my throat. "Wanted to bend you over that table and—"
He kissed me again, harder this time. His tongue swept through my mouth like he owned it, like he owned me.
Before I could process what was happening, his hands were on my thighs, lifting me. My legs wrapped around his waist automatically and he pressed me harder against the wall.
The new position put us perfectly aligned and I could feel exactly how much he wanted me. The hard length of him pressed against my core through our clothes made me whimper.
"That's it, baby," he murmured, rolling his hips against mine. "Let me hear you."
He kissed me again and again, each one deeper than the last. His lips were demanding, consuming, eating at mine like he was starving.
One of his hands slid up my thigh, pushing my skirt higher. His fingers traced the edge of my panties and reality crashed back in.
This was too much. Too fast. We were in a hallway in a public cafe and his hand was about to—
"Wait," I gasped, breaking the kiss. "Matthias, wait. Stop."
He froze immediately, pulling back just enough to look at me. His eyes were dark, pupils blown wide with desire.
"What's wrong?"
"This is—we're moving too fast." I was breathing hard, my heart racing. "I'm not ready for this. Not yet."
He stared at me for a long moment, and I could see him fighting for control. Then he slowly lowered me back to my feet, though his hands stayed on my waist.
"You're right. I'm sorry." He pressed his forehead against mine, his breathing still ragged. "I got carried away. You just—you make me lose control in a way I'm not used to."
"It's okay. I just need to take things slower."
"Of course. Whatever you need." He stepped back, running a hand through his now-messy hair. "I'll behave, I promise. Well, I'll try to behave."
I smoothed down my skirt and tried to fix my hair. My lips felt swollen and my entire body was still tingling from his touch.
"We should probably get back out there before someone notices we're gone."
"Probably." But he was smiling, looking very pleased with himself. "Though I have to say, that was worth the risk of getting caught."
He took my hand and led me back out into the main cafe. A few people glanced our way but no one seemed to notice anything unusual.
We sat back down at our table and Matthias ordered us fresh drinks to replace the ones that had gone cold.
"So," he said, his eyes still dark with lingering heat. "Dinner tomorrow night? I know this great Italian place."
"I'd love that."
"Perfect. I'll pick you up at seven?"
I thought about the brothers waiting at home. About how they'd react to Matthias showing up at the estate.
"Actually, why don't I meet you there? I have some things to take care of after work."
"Whatever works for you." He pulled out his phone. "Give me your address anyway. Just in case you change your mind about me picking you up."
I hesitated, then rattled off the address of the estate.
His eyebrows rose. "That's quite the neighborhood."
"I'm staying with family right now. It's temporary."
"Well, lucky them. Having you under their roof." Something flickered in his expression but it was gone before I could identify it.