Soliman, Wendy - The Name of the Game (BookStrand Publishing Romance) by Wendy Soliman Page A

Smiling, she stretched, as supple and sensuous as a cat. She reached out a hand to the other side of the bed.
    It was empty.
    Panic crept up on her. Had she dreamed it all? Was the sensational reconciliation all a figment of her imagination? No, the tenderness on the inside of her thighs, her overall feeling of contentment, quickly dispelled that idea. Besides, the sheets were still warm where Matt had been. There was the indentation in the pillows where his head had lain and his distinctive aroma lingered.
    The sound of the front door opening brought her fully awake. She smiled. Matt had obviously taken Freckles for his morning run. Reassured, she drifted back into a light sleep.
    The next time she woke, the aroma of frying bacon and freshly brewed coffee reminded her that she hadn’t eaten the previous evening. Her stomach rumbled when Matt re-entered the bedroom, wielding a laden tray.
    “Morning, sleepyhead.” He leaned precariously over the tray to kiss her. “Sleep well?”
    “Hmm, I don’t remember getting that much sleep, as it happens.”
    Matt chuckled. “I hope that’s not a complaint.” He placed the tray by the side of the bed and poured coffee for them both. “Hungry?”
    “Famished, for some reason.” She pushed herself into a half-sitting position and leaned back on her elbows. “What’s the time?”
    “After ten.”
    “What! You should have woken me.” Ashley pushed the covers back. “Poor Lucius. I should have turned him out an hour ago.”
    Matt distracted her with a kiss. “It won’t hurt him to wait a little longer. Someone will have fed him, won’t they?” Ashley nodded. “Okay then, first things first. Your room service breakfast awaits, madam.”
    He placed the tray on her knees. There was freshly squeezed orange juice, the bacon she’d smelt cooking, scrambled eggs, and toast. Enough of it to feed a small army.
    “Are you trying to make me fat?”
    “Just thought you might need to recharge your batteries.” He winked at her. “Sex always gives you an appetite, if memory serves.”
    “Yes,” Ashley mumbled round a mouthful of eggs. “I guess it’s just as well that my hunger doesn’t increase in direct proportion to the number of times we indulged. I’d look like the side of a house in no time if it did.”
    Matt grinned. “We had lost time to make up for.”
    “I guess we did.”
    “Speaking of which, have you any idea how sexy you look right now? You’re still half asleep, gloriously dishevelled, and if you carry on looking at me like that—”
    “Like what?” she asked innocently, canting her head and regarding him through the locks of hair that had fallen across her face.
    They never did finish their breakfast, Matt taking the arbitrary decision that they had other appetites in greater need of satisfaction. He relegated the tray to the floor. Freckles, forgotten by them both, made short work of the remnants.
    “Hey, where’s the birthday present I got you?” Matt asked, holding a now boneless Ashley in his arms, frowning as he examined her naked fingers. “I haven’t seen you wearing it.”
    “Oh, I’d forgotten all about it. It’s still in the drawer in the sitting room.”
    He quirked a brow. “You mean you haven’t even opened it?”
    “Your timing was lousy.”
    “Yeah, I guess.”
    Matt disappeared and return quickly, package in hand.
    “Happy birthday, sweetheart.”
    He presented the box to her with an extravagant bow. Given his naked condition, it should have looked ridiculous. Instead, it was elegant and sexy as hell. Ashamed of the strength of her desire for him, she averted her eyes and concentrated on opening the package. Lifting the lid of the small velvet jeweller’s box, she felt her eyes widen when its contents were revealed.
    “Matt, what is it? I can’t—”
    Standing beside the bed, as excited and expectant as a schoolboy, he bent his head to kiss her.
    “The stone reminded me of the colour of your eyes,” he said in a