Drake Sisters 02 - The Twilight Before Christmas

they protect us from outsiders, but yes, it does bother me that people are always so aware of us when we’re around.” She’d never voiced that aloud to anyone, not even her sisters.
    “I miss you when you’re gal ivanting around the world, Kate. I’m glad you’ve decided to come home.”
    Her smile widened. “You’re such a flirt, Matthew, even with me, and I’ve known you al of my life. You haven’t calmed down much since your wild col ege days. When I was in high school, al the girls said you were legendary at Stanford.”
    “Wel , I wasn’t. I should have gone to a col ege far away from here instead of only a couple of hours. It might have cut down on the talk. And I don’t flirt,” he said firmly. He wanted to park the car and just look at her. Touch her soft skin and kiss her for hours. The moment the thoughts crept into his head his body hardened into a dul , painful ache. He couldn’t get near her without it happening. He was a grown man, and his body responded to her as if he were an adolescent.
    “Matthew, you flirt with everyone. And your reputation is terrible. If I wasn’t already so talked about, I’d be worried.”
    “No one talks about me.”
    She laughed softly. “I can relate the story of you and Janice Carlton by heart, I’ve heard it so many times.”
    He groaned. “Is that stil going around? That happened long ago. I was on leave, it must have been what? Six years ago? I did pick her up in the bar, she was drunk, Kate. I couldn’t just leave her there.”
    “And how did her blouse get on the bushes outside the grocery store?”
    Matt glanced sideways at her. “Al right, I’l admit it was her blouse, but come on, Kate, I wasn’t in high school. Give me a little credit for growing up.
    She was as drunk as a skunk and began peeling off her clothes the minute we were driving down the street. She threw her blouse out the window and would have thrown her bra but I told her I’d put her out on the sidewalk if she did. I took her straight home. And in case you want to know why my version was never told, I don’t like talking about women who throw themselves at me when they’re drunk. In spite of what you’ve heard, my mother raised me to be a gentleman. We may be a little rough around the edges, but the Granites have a code of honor.”
    The Mustang swung fluidly into the driveway leading to the old mil on the cliff above Sea Lion Cove. Matt drove straight up the dirt driveway to the long, wooden building and parked. He turned off the engine and slid his arm along the back of her seat. The ocean boomed below the cliffs, a timeless rhythm that seemed to echo the beat of his heart. “Most of the stories about me aren’t true, Kate.”
    Kate stared straight ahead at the old building. Much of the wood was pitted from sea salt. The paint had long since worn away from the steady assault of the wind. She loved the look of the mil , the way it fit there on the cliff, a part of the past she wanted to bring with her into the future. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and turned to take Matt in.
    Up close, Matthew Granite was a giant of a man with rippling, defined muscles and a strong, stubborn jaw. His mouth was something she spent far too much time staring at and dreaming about, and the shape of it had managed to slip into her bestsel ing novels on several heroes. His eyes were amazing. They should have been gray but they were more silver, a startling color that made her heart do triple time. He had the kind of thick, dark hair that made her want to run her fingers in it, and he wore it longer than most men. Kate felt a bit faint looking at his heavily muscled chest, then up into his glinting silver eyes. “Wel , darn it, Matthew, al this time I thought I was in the presence of greatness.” She managed to conjure up a lighthearted laugh. “It’s not nice to destroy a woman’s il usions.”
    He frowned. “I didn’t say I wasn’t the bad boy of Sea Haven.”
    “I thought Jonas Harrington was the bad boy of Sea Haven.”
    Matt looked affronted. “I never come in second place.” His hand came up, unexpectedly spanning her throat.
    Kate was certain her heart skipped a beat. His palm was large, and his fingers wrapped easily around her neck, his thumb tipping her head up so she was forced to meet the sudden hunger blazing in his eyes. It was the last thing Kate expected to see, and his intensity shocked her. “Matthew.” She breathed his name in a smal protest. It