Penny shrugged and concentrated on the last remaining lettuce leaf on her plate. She pushed it back and forth with her fork, trying to find the right words.

“There is no great love. There’s just love. It’s toxic to pretend otherwise. If people are expecting a fairy tale, then they aren’t expecting to have to work at it. The fairy tale conditions us to expect something that doesn’t exist. It makes us think it should be easy. It’s hard enough to deal with reality without having your expectations built up to expect something that will never happen.”

“I’m not sure I agree.” Matt calmly took a sip of wine as she gaped at him.

“You’re not seriously telling me you believe in all that fairy tale nonsense, do you?” Penny barely recognized that she was holding her breath waiting for his answer. He trailed a long finger down the stem of his wineglass and her eyes followed the motion.

“I agree that all relationships take work, but I also I believe when we meet the person best suited to us, we feel it. I’m not sure if I’d call it love at first sight, but there’s definitely something.”

Penny let out her breath in a soft huff. “Have you ever felt like that?” She wasn’t entirely sure what she wanted him to say. The thought of Matt being in love with some nameless woman left her with a desperate sense of loss. A loss she had no right to claim. He wasn’t hers.

His finger stopped moving on the glass. “Yeah. I have.”

When she looked up, his eyes were focused on hers. He moved closer so he was sitting in the chair right next to hers. Penny’s heart sped up as their thighs brushed. She jumped when his arm landed on the back of her chair.

“Penelope,” he whispered. His firm lips moved sensually just pronouncing her name.

It was a struggle to get her mouth to cooperate, but she finally answered. “Yes?”

“I need you to kiss me now.”

Penny didn’t even answer him. She just jumped out of her seat and into his lap.

*   *   *   *   *

THE FIRST BRUSH of his lips against Penny’s was so soft it almost didn’t register. Just a whisper of a touch. Then he pressed his lips to hers again. Harder this time, until she melted under his touch and opened her mouth.

Then it was all heat.

His hand left the back of her chair and slipped under her shoulders to hold her against him as he devoured her mouth. She fit perfectly in his arms, her height aligning their bodies in just the right ways. She gripped the front of his shirt and held him to her, keeping him anchored in place as their mouths mated.

They finally broke apart to take desperate, greedy breaths. Penny gazed up at him with her impossibly blue eyes. “I have no idea what we’re doing, but I don’t care anymore. I want you, Matt.”

Matt stood and helped her pull her top over her head. It fell to the floor in a heap. Next, he slowly pulled his shirt off and then threw it behind him. Her eyes roamed over his naked chest with obvious appreciation.

“You are perfect. I could just stare at you all day.”

He looked down to where her breasts threatened to spill over the edges of her bra. “Believe me, the feeling is mutual.”

Placing a hand in the center of his chest, she bit her lip just to tease him. It had the desired effect, because he groaned at his body’s immediate response, then unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans to relieve the pressure. She giggled as she observed his discomfort.

“Your fault,” he growled, nuzzling behind her ear.

“Definitely my fault,” she whispered back. She skipped down the hall, glancing back to make sure he was following before she ducked into a room at the end. It would have been funny under any other circumstances. Where did she think he was going to go?

When he pushed the door open a few seconds later, his heart almost stopped at the sight waiting for him. Penny lay sprawled across the bed. She’d shucked her jeans so she only wore her underwear.

It wasn’t fancy, just plain white cotton underwear and a beige bra. But in that moment, it was the sexiest thing he’d ever seen. Penny lived up to every fantasy he’d had about her over the past month. Her waist dipped in enticingly and flared out to full hips. She crossed her legs and his gaze trailed appreciatively over the long length of her toned limbs.

Those were going around his waist. ASAP.

“I’m feeling distinctly overdressed.” He yanked off the rest of his clothes and then crawled onto the bed, lowering himself gently on top of her. She pushed at him until he rolled so she was straddling him. She reached behind her and unhooked her bra.

“Sweet Jesus, you’re beautiful.” He cupped her full breasts in his palms, brushing the tips gently with his thumbs.

“Mmm.” Penny’s eyes drifted closed as he caressed her. She rolled off him long enough to ditch her panties. Then she climbed back on top of him. The first brush of her wet sex against the skin of his stomach lit a fire within him. Penny leaned over him, her long blond waves trailing over the skin of his chest.

Matt sucked in a breath as she trailed kisses down his abdomen. When she circled the indentation of his navel, he reached out and grabbed her hair, holding it gently to prevent her from going farther. “Wait a minute. I’m too on edge for that. I’ve been wanting you for too long.”

She crawled back up his chest with a satisfied smile. “You have?”

“You know I have. You knew I wanted you the whole time. Every time you touched me it was a struggle not to drag you into my arms.”