Finally he said, “You’re not Roberta.”
“No. I’m Julia.”
His mouth fell open as he blinked hard, then began to chuckle. “I’m so sorry, Julia. One of my assistants was supposed to beat me here. I didn’t mean to order you around.”
He held out his large hand, and I noticed the slight burn mark on his wrist. “I’m Matt. Connor speaks of you so highl
y. It’s lovely to see you again after all these years.”
I’d shaken many men’s hands before, especially while working at Dad’s law office. The ones who didn’t try to crush your bones held a lady’s hand daintily, as if she might break.
Matt’s touch was extremely different. Instead of pumping my hand up and down, he simply held my palm, as if trying to read my energy through the simple contact. It was oddly intimate.
He stared into my eyes as if he were trying to peer into my soul. “I had no idea that Connor’s daughter was so…” He shook his head and finally released my hand.
He quickly checked his phone, giving me a few more seconds to admire his chiseled profile and thick dark hair. There was a huge difference between those postage stamp sized photos and the gorgeous, powerful man standing in front of me.
“Roberta canceled at the last minute,” he said in a low rumble. He looked around the kitchen. “Everything is prepared, but some things need to be heated.”
I cleared a few things from the counter, and the kitchen table. “What can I do to help?”
Matt smiled as if I had impressed him. “What time will your dad be here?”
“Theoretically, five minutes ago.”
There was something in his dark chuckle that made my knees soften. He opened the oven, checking to make sure it was empty before preheating it.
When he saw my puzzled glance, he chuckled again. “You’d be shocked how often people use their ovens for storage.”
I laughed lightly, surprised by the cheeky twinkle in his eyes.
After moving my paperwork so that most of the dining room table was cleared, I assisted Matt by directing him to utensils and cookware.
By the time Dad arrived, I felt hyper from being in Matt’s presence. He was so sexy, with such a powerful energy. It felt like it was spilling over onto me.
Dad sat in the dining room, going through the papers I’d laid out, while I tried to help Matt without getting in his way.
When he was speaking with me, he was very sweet, answering my questions and smiling with a lovely sparkle in his eyes. Yet when he was in the middle of assembling something and needed me to hand him a whisk or a serving spoon, he was sharp. Almost bossy. As if he was in the zone and nothing else mattered, even manners.
It felt very different from the lawyers who snapped at the underlings simply to feel powerful. Matt just needed to get the job done correctly, and some things required his complete focus.
His intensity was inspiring, and his brash demeanor uncovered something within me that had never truly seen the light of day before.
Lust.
I could feel it every time I looked at him. It was disconcerting. Unfamiliar. Maybe even a bit dangerous.
And I was already in love with this new sensation.
Chapter 2
_____
Matt
I knew that my brusque tone might come off as slightly rude, but I was trying to put these tasting dishes together without distraction.
Yet it was impossible not to stare at Julia. She wasn’t just beautiful. She was...ethereal. Magical. Some sort of sexy pixie sent to bewitch me. My head was swimming slightly, as if I’d just had a few shots of vodka.