She lifted a brow. “The sofa?”
Had she forgotten what she had told him and why? “Yes, the sofa. You once said that no man has gotten past your living room. Although I’ve made it to your kitchen and washroom, are you ready for me to go beyond those perimeters, Iris?”
Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck. “Yes,” she said softly. “I’m ready.”
Matt wondered if she knew she was taking the first step in letting him into her personal space. A space she had never intended to share with any man, yet she was about to share it with him. The thought of it filled him with joy. Lowering his head, he kissed her, reveling in a significant stepping stone to what he hoped was a promising future for them.
He would continue to chisel away at her fears of falling in love again, one layer at a time. Filled with hope, and the belief that his second chance at love was within reach, he broke off the kiss, swept her into his arms, and headed for the stairs.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Iris jumped when fingers snapped in front of her face. She frowned. “Why did you do that, Pam?”
“You were daydreaming again. You’ve been doing that since you got here.”
Her best friend was probably right. But she blamed it on Matt. He had given her a lot to daydream about. Her body throbbed in certain areas when she recalled all that they had done during her last week in LA. She hadn’t known the mattress on her bed had such good springs. He hadn’t gone home that night, nor the next two that followed.
More than once since arriving at Westmoreland Country, Pam had commented on how relaxed Iris appeared. If her best friend only knew. Hmm, maybe it was time she told her. They were alone, since Dillon and the kids had gone to visit his brother Ramsey. Christmas had come and gone, and she had awakened knowing it was the first Christmas she and her son would not share. However, he had called bright and early. He said he missed her, he was having a great time skiing and he couldn’t wait to see her on New Year’s Eve. He would be bringing Mandy.
Good to his word, Matt had also called. He said that although he was enjoying his cousins’ company, he missed her. He had also told her other things that made her blush. Namely, what he planned to do to her when he saw her again and got her alone. Like Garlan, he would arrive in Westmoreland Country on New Year’s Eve.
“Now you’re sitting here blushing.”
Iris blinked and glared across the table. “Do you have to notice every single thing about me?”
Pam smiled sweetly. “Why not? You’re an interesting study. Now, how about telling me why you’ve been daydreaming and blushing a lot since you got here?”
Iris took a sip of her tea, and then said, “Matt and I shared a bed.”
Pam rolled her eyes. “How about telling me something that I don’t already know.”
“It was my bed.”
Pam went still, holding her coffee cup midway to her mouth. She placed it back down on the table. “You allowed Matt past the living room, kitchen and washroom?”
Iris grinned. “Yes.”
Pam stared at her, and for a moment Iris felt like the “interesting study” her best friend had accused her of being earlier. “Does that mean you’re finally losing those inhibitions you’ve been harboring for years?”
Iris shrugged. “To a certain extent and only for Matt. He is something else, Pam. However, I don’t want you to get anything twisted. I still don’t want anything permanent. All I’m doing is finally stepping outside my comfort zone and expanding my horizons, but just for him.”
“Why just for him?”
That was an easy question. “Because I like him. He’s nice, kind and…”
Pam lifted a brow. “And what?”
“Everything I would want in a man if I were into the forever thing again.”
Pam didn’t say anything. She merely stared at Iris over her coffee cup as she took a few sips. But Iris knew that Pam Novak Westmoreland look. Iris braced herself when Pam finally said, “You know what I think, Iris?”
Iris knew she shouldn’t ask, would be a glutton for punishment to do so, but couldn’t help herself. “No, what do you think, Pam?”
“I think you care more about Matt than you want to admit. I believe it’s more than you stepping outside any comfort zone and expanding your horizons. I honestly think you’ve fallen in love.”
Iris sat up straight in her chair as if she’d been slapped. “I have not!”
Pam smiled and then said in a Shakespearean accent, “The lady doth protest too much, methinks.”