“Here’s the thing, Rosie.”
Arousal zips through my body the moment our eyes meet. “Forget that you have a bed in the other room. There is only one bed that you’ll be sleeping in here in this house, and it’smybed.”
My breath catches because his hardened look won’t accept any answer but yes. Power looks good on him, it always has. A bolt of lightning strikes through me and everything electrifies. It’s physical and emotional, completely not going slow, but our bodies already sent us down this path a few months ago, if we’re honest. The truth was lingering underneath the surface all along.
“Do you understand?” he grits out, and his eyes take possession of me.
My heart grows, and between my legs is begging for me to be under him. I’m in his trance again, and I accept that.
“Yes,” I answer in a hushed tone.
“Good, you listen. Because I would lose my damn mind if you were in my bed one more time and I couldn’t do this.” He slams his lips onto mine.
An explosion of pent-up tension. A reunion of lips that only know how to gravitate to one another. A confirmation that the last few days are right.
I respond eagerly by kissing him back, and his punishing lips take over as he begins to walk us into his room, still carrying me. We slow for one kiss, only for our tongues to get reacquainted. The tip of our tongues flick one another before his swirls around my own. Our lips seal just as he begins to lay me down on my back, a contrast to his damaging kisses, but then I shove him to the side and agonizingly come up to sitting.
“Wow. That was some kiss,” I gasp and touch my lips.
He stares at me blankly, wondering why I pushed him away, and it causes me to smile and grab his wrists, giving him a little tug while he towers over me.
“Carter, we probably should slow it down a notch.”
“How did I know that was what you were about to say?”
I shrug. “Probably because you know it too.”
He sighs and looks away before swinging his gaze back to me with a pained smile. “You might be right.”
“So we can start with a kiss and cuddling and see where we go?”
His boyish grin emerges. “Fine.”
I pat the bed next to me. “Good. Now we can sleep with clear boundaries, and if you feel so obliged, maybe I can wear one of your shirts?”
His brows rise. “Really? You want to submit me to the torture of seeing you in my shirt?”
“I don’t consider it torture. I consider it a fact that my body is beginning to feel a little different, and I want to be comfortable,” I explain.
He rubs his face, trying to gather composure. “Reminding me that my baby is growing inside your belly isn’t helping the situation.”
I have to laugh. “It could be worse, and I could tell you that I’m willing to use your handcuffs if it means you will behave.”
Carter groans and spins on his feet to walk to the drawer. “You are for sure getting a warning for disorderly conduct.” He pulls out a shirt and tosses it to me.
We take a few minutes to get ready for bed, and when we both snuggle under the covers and lie on our sides to look at one another, I don’t think we have any plans to go to sleep.
My gaze can’t seem to drift away as a memory takes over.
He looks at me peculiarly and grimaces. “You okay there? Seem a little lost.”
“Sorry. I was just remembering when we first met.”
“Ah. A walk down memory lane is where we are heading.”
I flop onto my back and can’t seem to let it go. “It’s a nice memory.”
He follows suit and his back plants onto the mattress. “You were walking along Main Street in Lake Spark and paused when I was writing a ticket because someone parked outside the lines.”
