He laughs, actually laughs and retrieves the condom from my bag. "Okay, that's the hottest thing anyone's ever said to me."
"Just wait."
What follows is intense and raw and nothing like I expected. Carter's not gentle, I don't want gentle, but he's attentive. Paying attention to every sound I make, every response, learning what I like with the same focus he brings to everything else. His fingers touch every part of my body, and then my back arches off the couch.
"Here?" His hand finds exactly the right spot.
"Yes. God, yes. Don't stop."
"Not planning on it."
When we finally come together, it's overwhelming. He's big and I need a moment to adjust, but then…
"Fuck," he breathes. "You feel incredible."
"Move. Please move."
He does, and it's perfect. Hard and fast and desperate. His hands grip my hips, leaving marks I'll feel tomorrow. My nails rake down his back, and he hisses but doesn't stop.
"Lennox." He's close, I can tell. "I need you to?—"
"I'm there. Right there."
His hand moves between us, finding exactly where we're joined, and that's all it takes. I come hard, his name on my lips, and he follows seconds later with a groan that sounds like surrender.
We collapse together on the couch, sweaty and breathing hard and completely wrecked.
"Holy shit," I manage after my brain starts working again.
"Yeah." He's still inside me, his face buried in my neck. "That was..."
"Really good?"
"Understatement."
We stay like that for a long moment, neither of us wanting to move. Finally, he pulls out carefully and deals with the condom, then pulls me back against him.
"So," he says eventually. "We just had sex."
"Excellent observation skills."
"On my couch."
"Also accurate."
"While you're supposed to be writing an objective article about me."
I turn to face him. "Are you having post-sex regret?"
"No. Absolutely not. I'm having post-sex 'how the fuck do we navigate this' thoughts."
"We figure it out. Together." I trace patterns on his chest. "I'm still writing the article, but I'll be fair. Honest about what I've seen, what's changed."
"And us?"
"We keep it quiet until after the series publishes. Then..." I hesitate. "Then we figure out if this is something real or just built-up tension."
He pulls me closer. "It's real. At least for me."
