He moved her panties aside easily and pressed against her, two fingers sliding deep. That was almost enough to make him lose it right there, the sensation of his fingers being sucked into warm, velvety heat. But if that wasn’t enough to knock him flat on his ass, Penny went rigid and her head fell back, thumping against the wall. The look of tortured satisfaction on her face…

Penny pushed against his shoulder gently until he put her down. Her eyes stood out against her pale skin, looking even bluer than before if that was possible. She wore very little makeup and with her hair pulled back so severely, it was clear she wasn’t trying to attract anyone’s attention.

Well, she had his whether she was trying for it or not.

Without losing eye contact, she popped the first button on her blouse. Then another. His blood pressure jacked higher with every inch of skin revealed. Matt was a slave at that moment because a nuclear explosion could have occurred behind him and he wouldn’t have been able to turn away.

Her eyes shifted behind him and she suddenly went rigid. Her fingers shook as she re-buttoned her blouse. “I have to go. I’m really sorry, I just… have to go.”

“It’s okay. Do you need me to come with you?”

“No. I’m sorry. I just need to get home.” She didn’t look at him as she straightened her clothes. Matt touched her back gently and she froze.

“Penny, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. This is just not a good idea. I shouldn’t have let things go as far as they did.” She finally looked up at him. The apology in her blue eyes softened the blow to his ego slightly. “I’ll see you next week.”

Matt watched, dumbfounded, as she yanked the door open. He stood in the doorway until she was safely in her car. It wasn’t until she drove away that he remembered he’d left his truck at the bar.

He closed the door and leaned against the wood. “What the hell happened?” She’d been right there with him right up until the end. She’d been like fire in his arms, hot and just as dangerous to his control. Until she’d suddenly gone cold. It just didn’t make any sense.

He lifted his eyes and his gaze landed on his Army hat sitting on the hall table. He reached out and picked it up.

Then he let out a harsh curse.

*   *   *   *   *

THE NEXT DAY, Matt decided it was time to stop winging it. Penny writhing in his arms had been an unexpected pleasure. One he wouldn’t mind repeating.

He’d suspected they’d be good together, but he’d had no idea just how good it would be. He hadn’t gotten any sleep the prior night with her taste still on his tongue and the memory of her rubbing herself against his leg. She’d worked him up good and then left him hard up.

Literally.

He’d never had this much trouble convincing a woman to go out with him before. He wasn’t exactly a ladies’ man—he was far too blunt to be smooth—but he’d never had anyone run away from him either. Matt scowled. It was probably time to admit he was striking out.

He needed help.

Normally, he’d call Jackson or Nick for advice. The Alexander brothers could probably give him an entire seduction plan, complete with date ideas and a list of things to talk about. Too bad he probably couldn’t pull off anything they’d suggest.

Matt pulled out his phone and looked at his recent calls. Eli’s name was at the top. He’d been in contact with him a lot lately and even though he didn’t know Elliott that well, he felt a connection with him. He was a gruff kind of guy and definitely not a smooth talker either. Yet, looking at his bedroom, he apparently didn’t have any trouble in the seduction department. Before he could talk himself out of it, he hit the number.

“Yeah.” Eli answered on the first ring.

“Hey, it’s Matt. Sorry to bother you, but I was wondering if I could get your advice on something. The thing is… I was hoping you could tell me what there is to do in the area. You know, places you could take a date.”

There was a smile in Eli’s voice when he responded. “I see you’ve found time for something other than physical therapy. Good for you.”

“Well, actually I haven’t.”

Eli was quiet, then he broke out into chuckles. “Your therapist must be a pretty girl then.”

Matt leaned back and kicked his feet up on the bed. “Look, here’s the deal. I really like this girl. It would be nice to spend a little time with a woman that’s about more than just sex. I don’t want to take her to some club where everyone there is drunk and trying to pick up on each other. But at the same time, going out to dinner doesn’t seem all that original either.”

“All right, I can send you the names of a few local places with decent food and live music. I’ve always found them good for a casual date. If you want something fancier, you’ll probably need to drive into D.C.”

“Thanks. I’m trying to find something a little different. She’s not exactly the easiest person to impress. Normally I’d ask Jackson or Nick, but their brand of flattery won’t work on this girl. And I’m pretty sure any ideas they gave me would be stuff I couldn’t pull off anyway.”

“I understand where you’re coming from. Jackson and Nick operate on an entirely different wavelength. I’ve never had the patience for the types of games they play. My advice is to let her tell you what she likes to do.”

“Let her tell me,” Matt mused. “So I should ask her?”