“Thank you for saying so,” Frances said, just before George pulled her away.
Matthew leaned over to Justina and whispered, “Mom just loves all her kids and grandkids.”
Justina confided to him quietly, “I’m a little jealous. I had no brothers or sisters, so it was a lonely childhood for me at the foster home.” She quickly corrected herself, “I meant when I visited the foster home.”
Justina squirmed uneasily in her chair as she overcorrected herself. She appreciated Matthew catching the hint and changing the subject.
“Well, it wasn’t all fun here. We each had our chores to do and, of course, we thought there were too many of them,” he laughed.
A laugh slipped out of Justina as she listened to Matthew recant stories of his and Jim’s antics on the ranch and farm.
“You have a very pretty smile. It was one of the very first things I noticed about you when I first met you,” Matthew whispered to Justina as they ate their lunch.
“Thank you, Mr. Kingston, but your flattery won’t work on me.”
“Oh, it will. I just have to be patient and I’m a very patient man, Justina,” he winked at her. “Justina, I’m sorry for the comment I made about your boyfriend and I hope you’ll forgive me. I was out of line.”
“It’s all right, and I do forgive you.”
Matthew flashed a sexy smile at Justina, “I had a relaxing lunch with you. I knew you’d warm up to me.”
Justina scoffed as shook her head, “Do you ever give up?”
“No, and you don’t want me to walk away and leave you alone, either, so don’t pretend you do.”
Justina began to reply, but her friends interrupted her. She lingered her gaze on Matthew longer than she had intended. She could not stop wondering what his lips would taste like, how it would feel to have his muscled arms around her. As she stared at him, she swore she saw the same curious look in his eyes. On the other hand maybe it was just her wish.
“What’s going on with you two? I could have sworn you didn’t like each other,” Joyce commented.
“Justina and I have aired out some of our differences and are going to try and get along,” Matthew stated.
“I still think you are an arrogant man,” Justina whispered as Kate approached them.
Everyone laughed.
Matthew whispered back to her, “Oh you are so attracted to me, aren’t you?”
Justina began to reply, but he held his finger to his lips and whispered, “Not in front of my daughter.”
Justina turned to greet Kate with a big smile on her face as Matthew chuckled.
“Hello, Katie. How are you, sweetheart?” Justina’s heart melted each time Kate smiled at her.
“I’m fine, Justina. When are you gonna play with me, Kalian, and Sammie?”
Justina bent down so she could see them eye to eye. “When would you like to play?”
“Are you gonna be here tomorrow?” Kalian quizzed.
“I’ll be leaving sometime tomorrow.”
Kalien grinned, “We can play tomorrow after breakfast.”
Justina nodded, “That sounds like a fine plan.”
Chapter Nine
While the others took a stroll through the grounds, Roger and Matthew sat down to talk. Roger pulled out some pictures and looked cautiously around to make sure no one was near enough to hear his words. “This is Nick and Marcus Cabara meeting with some Capuano family members.”
Matthew looked closely and recognized the Capuano’s from previous photos. “This is the first photos I’ve seen with these two sets of family members together.”
“These pictures are one of a kind, Matthew. This is the only link that exists between these two families we’ve found so far.” Roger pulled out another picture and pushed it toward Matthew. It was a photo of an officer and his wife lying on a floor in a pool of blood. “They didn’t kill the children, but the cruel thing is these children were forced to watch their parents die viciously.”
“I remember seeing this on the news. The information in the newspaper pointed to the officer being a heavy gambler who couldn’t pay his debts and paid the ultimate price.”
“The officer, Phillip Walker, had found some piece of evidence which could cause some trouble for the family members; that’s why he and his wife Monica were murdered.”
“This murder case may never be solved.”
“Yes, I know, but if I can bust the Cabara clan or stop them from hurting someone else, then I will feel like I’ve avenged this officer and his wife.”
Roger handed Matthew some folders. “This will be a good starting point.”
“I know we weren’t supposed to put our plan into action until next week, but she’s here so I’m going for it.”
“Joyce wouldn’t like it much if her best friend came out of this with a broken heart,” Roger responded grimly. “I feel like a heel for setting her up.”
Matthew winked at Roger, “I promise to be a gentleman; no broken hearts.”
They concluded their meeting, found Jim, and left for an afternoon of golf.
Upon arriving at the golf course, they were surprised when they saw Matthew’s brother, Michael. His face was bruised and his eyes were swollen. Matthew touched his little Michael's cheek, “Whoa, what happened to you?”
Michael shrugged, and then brushed Matthew’s hand off his face, “I was assaulted downtown last night. I’m not confident the police will find the guy. I didn’t see him well enough to give a good description.”
“I’ll do some snooping, see if I catch wind of anyone bragging about it, Michael.”
Michael shook his head, “That won’t be necessary. The cops are checking it out, Matthew. They’ll handle it.” Michael’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and looked at it. “I have to take this, catch you all later.”
After Michael had walked away, Matthew turned to Jim and Roger and asked, “Did my little brother seem a bit edgy, or is it just my imagination?”
Jim whispered to Matthew, “He acted very strange.”
Roger nodded in agreement, “Yeah, I agree, a more than a bit strange.”
Matthew could not help but wonder what kind of trouble his brother had found himself in now. He brushed the troubling thought out of his mind for now but planned to do some snooping around whether Michael wanted him to or not.
Chapter Ten
When Justina arrived at Wranglers, one of the posh restaurants located inside the lodge, for dinner that evening, Matthew could not pull his eyes away from her wardrobe. Her designer jeans fit her snuggly. The cream color blouse Justina wore had attractive pearl buttons down the front with ruffled sleeves. The two buttons at the top were loose and gave those looking a slight peek at her cleavage.
Matthew unconsciously licked his lips as she approached. “Are you enjoying the view?” Roger asked.
“I sure am,” Matthew replied with a bit too much zeal.
Everyone laughed at him as he downed a brisk drink while he watched her take the seat next to him.
“You look lovely this evening Justina,” Matthew whispered. He watched Justina blush at his compliment. She was beautiful when she blushed. He had seen her do it several times during their conversations through the course of the weekend. He wanted to pull her to him and kiss her deeply, “Ma’am did I leave you speechless?” He spoke with a deliberate, playful southern accent, which caused Justina to laugh.
“Are you making fun of my southern accent, Mister?”
Matthew held his hand up as if to defend himself, “No ma’am, I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
They both laughed as they stared flirtatiously at one another.
Joyce leaned over and whispered to the others, “Do you think there might be romance blossoming there?”
Caroline shrugged, “One could only hope for Matthew.”
“Not our playboy,” Roger joked.
“Nope, I don’t see it happening anytime soon,” Jim agree
d.
After dinner, some restaurant staff surrounded Roger and Joyce and began singing a short love melody. The server placed a cake on the table that read: Congratulations Roger and Joyce on ten years!
Joyce opened the small box to reveal a necklace that held a picture of her and Roger on their wedding day. On the other side was a picture of their daughter when she was born. Joyce declared, “I love it! It is so beautiful, Roger, and you are so wonderful and thoughtful.” Joyce had tears flowing down her face, as did Caroline and Justina.
Matthew and Jim were making funny faces and gestures to which only Roger could see. Roger grinned as Joyce kissed and hugged him again. He gave Matthew and Jim both thumbs up.
Joyce gave Roger a box containing an engraved pocket watch with his initials and pictures of her and Sammie on it. “I love it, baby,” Roger kissed Joyce passionately as the others cheered and laughed.
After everyone enjoyed the cake, and a few more drinks, Roger and Joyce parted ways with the others.
Matthew asked Justina to take a stroll through the park with him, Caroline, and Jim. He was pleasantly surprised she had accepted this invitation from him. As they walked, everyone made small talk about the park.
“Look at how the moonlight is illuminating the park. It’s so beautiful,” Justina said with awe.
Caroline replied with a smile, “The Park is full of lovely views.”
Matthew pointed to the sky, “I love to come here just to stargaze. I could do it for hours.”
Justina answered him with delight, “Oh I love looking up at the star-filled sky too.”
Matthew was glad they had at least one thing in common. He was curious to find out what else they might have in common. He grinned, “It’s very relaxing for me.”
Jim put his arm around Caroline and snuggled with her, “Our favorite place to view the park is from the lake.” He and Caroline shared an intimate stare. Jim winked at her and bowed low before Caroline. “Milady, will you do the honor of taking a romantic boat ride with me?”
Caroline licked her lips playfully, and answered, “Why, yes, kind sir, I will.”
Jim turned to Justina and bowed low before her. “Milady, I leave your charming company, but I leave you in good hands.”
Everyone laughed.
Matthew waved his arm at Jim and Caroline, “Have fun.”
“Yes, enjoy your evening,” Justina said.
Jim and Caroline waved at Justina and Matthew and then walked away leaving them alone.
Matthew turned to Justina and held her gaze while holding out his arm to her. “Shall we stroll further into the park?”
Justina nodded, “Yes, let’s continue.” She pushed her hand through Matthew’s arm and the two walked. They walked for a while without speaking, just staring up at the sky. Justina stopped suddenly and pointed to the sky. “Look there, a shooting star.”
“I see,” Matthew whispered. “It’s beautiful.”
After looking at the sky for some time, Matthew turned to Justina and stared at her for a long moment. “You are beautiful.” He saw Justina trembling. He gently pulled her into his arms and whispered, “I’m not going to do anything you don’t want me to do.” He slowly tilted her head and tenderly kissed her. Her lips tasted as sweet as he had suspected and soft as silk. He was lost for a moment in their kiss. He sensed she enjoyed the kiss as much as he had.
She then kissed his neck with gentle passion that sent chills soaring through his body.
He really wanted to push his hand inside her blouse and feel her nipple, but knew he had to forbid such an act, and perhaps even stop this encounter for so many reasons.
“What’s wrong?” Justina asked between kisses.
“Nothing,” he raised her head and kissed her lips again as he slowly caressed her neck, inching his way down, toward her blouse. Just one touch, he thought.
Matthew gently kissed her upper chest area that was exposed and Justina moaned with undeniable pleasure.
“I just don’t want to hurt you or confuse you.”
Justina looked at him strangely.
“I’m trying to be a gentleman, believe it or not. I just don’t want you to regret this in the morning.”
“I understand there’re no strings attached. I already have strings attached.” Justina pulled back and gave him a weak smile. “You sound like the one that might wake up tomorrow with regrets.”
“The only regret I’ll be having tomorrow is not finishing what we began tonight,” he gave her a wink. “I have a feeling we’ll get another chance darlin’.”
Justina gave him a soft kiss on his cheek. “I don’t think you and I will ever be in an intimate situation again, so let’s not dwell on it, okay?”
Matthew shrugged his shoulders as he kissed her lips. “You can’t stop fate. If it is meant to happen, then it will happen when you least expect it, but it has to be the right time. Neither you nor I can determine when that will be, so we just need to relax and allow fate to set the course.”
Matthew saw Justina cock her head to one side and give him a bizarre look.
“You’re weird but cute, so I’m going to allow you to walk me back to my room.”
Matthew laughed as he curtsied to her. “Thank you, madam, for the honor of your presence this evening.”
“You’re quite welcome, sir,” she answered softly.
“Ah, you do like me after all. I told you that you would.”
“You’re all right for an arrogant playboy,” Justina quipped.
Matthew replied, “I am arrogant and I am a playboy, but I am a gentleman through the whole process,” he winked.
After he had got her safely back to her room, he stood with her outside her door. He could not keep his eyes off her. “You are so beautiful and Nick is a lucky man.” He slowly reached his hand out and gently stroked her face. He felt her trembling beneath his touch. Matthew whispered, “He doesn’t deserve you. You should really reconsider this relationship thing with him.”
Matthew swooped in and possessed her lips. When his lips touched hers, he had to give into the urge to deepen the kiss. He heard her gasp and knew she was experiencing the heat he had just experienced. He pushed her against the door, wrapped his arms around her slender body, and pushed himself against her. When he felt her arms go around his neck and heard her murmurs of pleasure, he immediately hardened. He groaned with pleasure as the heated kiss lingered between them. He wanted to push the door open, throw her onto the bed, and take her. Instead, he gathered his strength and pulled away.
“I have to go.”
“I know,” Justina said in a raspy voice.
Matthew took the key from her and ushered her into her room, but stopped just inside it. “If I stay here long, I won’t leave at all.”
Matthew could see Justina struggling for the right words. He smiled softly at her as he leaned in and kissed her cheek gently. “Thanks for a lovely evening. Try to get some sleep and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Not giving her a chance to reply, he turned and walked out of the room, fighting to restrain his passion.
***
Justina enjoyed the drive from the lodge to Ben Lawton’s home. She parked her car next to Joyce’s car. She watched with admiration as Roger opened Joyce’s door for her. Justina walked over to Joyce and hugged her. “Did you two have a good time last night?” Justina saw their eyes twinkle as she asked the question.
“We took a romantic boat ride on the lake and drank some Champagne, and then we went back to our room.”
Justina held her hand up and laughed, “I can figure out the rest.”
Joyce quizzed Justina on her night as the three of them walked into the home and joined the others in the dining room. “So, how was the rest of your night, after we left you?”
“It was a pleasant evening and we enjoyed a leisurely stroll. Nothing special,” Justina whispered as she glanced over at Matthew and he had that sexy half-crooked grin. She fel
t her face heating up.
“I can’t figure it out, tell me,” Jim chided Matthew, with a grin. Caroline slapped Jim playfully on his arm. “Caroline and I want to know what you two kids got into after we left you in the park, all alone. Have you called a truce? I hope you didn’t because I was enjoying watching the sparring.”
Justina wondered if her face gave away the awkward feeling, she was experiencing inside her mind. She was grateful when Matthew answered Jim. He looked to be in more control of his thoughts. Her mind was still reeling from the incredibly hot kisses he had given her last night. She had struggled to turn her mind from him last night after he left. When she finally went to sleep, he invaded her dreams. Oh, what a lustful, sexual dream it had been, too. She had awoken with her thighs trembling and her center wet. Justina felt her center moistening even now, and her face warming at the memory his kiss and the dream she had of him.
“We walked back to the lodge where I said good night to Justina, and then I came home.”
“I was glad to get in, too, because I was so worn out,” Justina added.
Matthew shook his head and grinned slyly. “So was I.”
Justina’s eyes widened, “I meant only I was tired after all of the activities I had involved myself in and...” Justina decided she would be better off if she did not say anything else as the others burst into laughter.
Justina sat at the kid’s table during breakfast. She tried to ignore Matthew’s stares, but it was very hard for her. It was evident by the stares she now received; she was not hiding the lust she now experienced in every ounce of her body.
***
After spending some time in the girls’ playhouse as promised, Justina took a stroll through the grounds to take in more of the beautiful landscape. When she walked through the driveway, Justina noticed the same green Corvette she had seen in the parking garage of Lawton’s Lodge. She reached her hand out to touch it.
“Are you admiring my ‘Vette?” Matthew’s sexy voice tingled her ears and his breath tickled the back of her neck as he leaned in, whispering his question to her.
“I should have guessed this car belongs to you,” Justina whispered back as she turned to face him. He was so close to her and she felt her body tremble.
“Oh yeah, do you like a Corvette man?” Matthew asked her as he took another step toward her.