Carter taught me what a healthy, adult relationship looked like. He showed me through his actions how healthy communication works. He hadn’t done anything to deserve my distrust inthatway. I had no reason to treat this uncomfortable situation with the aggression, insinuation, accusation, or hurt that I was tempted to use.
I could, however, be disappointed in another plan derailed.
I had worn a path into the hardwood when I heard him pull up. I had no idea what to say. I was upset even before I knew Tay wassheand nothe. Was I allowed to be more upset now that I knew Taylor was a woman? Is Taylor single? Is that supposed to matter? Did I care less thinking she was a he?
The front door shut, pulling my attention to the entryway where Carter strode straight through the living room, not even pausing to toe off his shoes as he normally would. Instead, he headed straight for me, looking like he was on a mission. His handsome features were sharp and focused on my face. He didn’t look sorry, guilty, or bothered in any way. He looked hungry.Like he wanted to steal me away somewhere and do naughty naughty things. I got caught up in his intensity and lost my train of thought.
One strong hand wrapped around my waist, and he used it to pull me into his solid chest. His other hand cupped my face, tilting it back enough for him to lean over and give me a deep, thorough kiss. I was only beginning to melt into his arms when, unfortunately, as quickly as he grabbed me, he let me go.
His face was millimeters from mine as he told me our plans for the night. “The headliner is on at nine, we got a ten minute drive to eat the tacos, and five minutes to find a spot for parking. Let’s go!” I was stuck still for a second, still a bit lost in my head, when a resoundingthwackechoed around the room, accompanied by a sharp sting on my ass.
I figured it was time to go to a concert.
?????
“Work’s been crazy this month, Becks,” Carter said matter-of-factly while holding my hand and playing with my fingers.
He’d snagged onto my hand as soon as we sat by each other in our places on the couch after getting home from the concert. I had decided to keep the accusations away from the feminine aspect of this discussion. Instead, I focused on the lack of follow-through for our plans and our diminishing alone time in the evenings. Carter didn’t earn my distrust with women. My concern with my fiancé, until recently, had always been him bringing home a new project car.
“I just want to know that you’re going to prioritize your word to me before going and making other promises to anyone else, even work. I deserve to be a priority to you.” I squeezed his hand in turn to try and punctuate my words.
“Honey.” Carter moved to kneel in front of me, placing his hands on my knees and looked up at me through his ridiculous lashes. “You arethepriority to me. You’re my future. You’re going to be the mother to our children.” He smiled a goofy smile at me, making me blush, especially as his hands glided up to the tops of my thighs. “You’re already my partner, and you’re about to be my beautiful, amazing, thoughtful wife. I know how to treat precious things, and you are so precious to me.”
“Okay, good answer. Damn right, and don’t you forget it,” I said with far more bravado than I was feeling. I couldn’t quite relax. I needed more information onTay, but his hands were starting to distract me.
I wanted to know:How old is she? Is she hot? Do you want to see her naked? Is she funny? Does she touch you? Do you touch her? Do you prefer spending time with her? What does she look like? Why does she need your help? Where is her brother or sister, or mother or father, or aunts or uncles, or cousins for Goodness sake?
Instead I asked, “Did Taylor’s appointment go okay? Was there anyone at home to help take care of her? Is she still in college? Are you friends?”
Carter grinned at me and shook his head before answering each question in order. “I think so. No, poor girl is out here alone. I don’t have any clue…probably not. She’s becoming a good friend, yeah.” He removed his hands to tick each question off on his fingers. When he put them back, they were closer to my hip and the seam of my jeans.
I tried to keep my head and sort through my thoughts. I knew I had a few of my real questions answered.Probably not hot, could be cute. Definitely not old. Old enough to be on her own, and…a good friend.That last answer didn’t sit right.
Okay, I was fixating. He wasn’t doing anything sketchy. He was completely honest and open about their time and communication, and it was my fault for assuming Taylor was a man. Still, I went to stand up, maybe clear my head. He held firm. When I tried to squirm out of his hold, he clamped on more tightly.
“Ouch, what the hell, Carter!” I tried to yank out of his grasp again. He refused to release me. When I stopped squirming, he gave a victorious smirk that made me roll my eyes. “Turd bucket,” I said, hiding my grin.
“Mmm,” he hummed distractedly. “Did I mention how gorgeous you looked today?” He glided his hands back down to my knees before pushing them apart.
“Hey!” I half-tried to wiggle away again when he wedged his body between my legs. His hands moved to my hips and up to my waist–sliding under my shirt until his fingers skimmed the bottom of my bra.Why didn’t I already take the damned thing off?
He leaned his big body over until his lips ghosted over the exposed part of my neck, and he opened them—grazing my skin with his words. “Can we finish tonight the way we were supposed to?”
Did we finish our conversation?I meant to ask that, only when I felt his hands move up higher until his fingers passed over my hardening nipples, all that came out was, “Jesus, more.”
“It’s Carter, baby.” He had laughter in his voice when he leaned back to look at me. His hands under my shirt moved away to my extreme disappointment. “Fuck, I love you in these shirts. Look at you.” He dipped his head down again and traced my exposed cleavagewith his tongue, making both of us groan. “Let me, baby.” His hands were on the edge of my shirt, beginning to pull it up. I simply nodded, also allowing my hands to join in the fun. I skipped his shirt and went straight for his jeans. Unfastening them with a growing, agitated need until I got tangled in the shirt Carter was tugging over my head. I had to stop and lift my arms to allow him to fully remove it.
A sharp inhale of his breath made me smirk. I was wearing his favorite of my bras, a simple, lacy black one. “Hell, yes.” His mouth covered my nipple through the lace and I threw back my head and gasped at the feel of him.
He finished my job, and shimmied out of his jeans, attempting to do so with his mouth firmly latched onto my breast. I laughed at his ridiculousness and tried to help him. “Shit, Carter!” The man bit me when I tried to pull away to reach his pants.
Dark, dilated eyes met mine when he finally released me. “What?” His voice was raspy, filled with desire. “Becky, I need you.” He reached behind me and plucked at my bra, easily unsnapping it and releasing my heavy breasts with a soft bounce. His hands moved to my jeans next, unbuttoning and unzipping them with a single-minded focus. I pulled at his shirt, uncovering the body I loved to love. He paused only long enough to rip it over his head. Then, he was pulling down my pants and my underwear in one smooth motion.
We sat there together, panting and staring at each other, both naked, both needy. His eyes dipped down from mine, and I watched as they became hooded and unfocused. “Becky, please.” I looked into the face of the man I loved and nodded. I needed to feel close to him. I needed to feel wanted by him.
He knelt at my feet and glided his hands up from my ankles to my thighs, pushing them far enough apart to fit his wide shoulders. Our heavy breathing filled the quiet of the room. His eyes finally dipped from mine to my dripping wet pussy. He licked his lips as he ran his finger through my opening and paused with it on my clit. He pressed down with the tiniest of pressure, making me buck my hips. “More, dammit!”
“Shh, let me play with you, baby.” His other hand clamped backonto my hip and held me in place as he moved his hand from my pussy and held it out to me, two fingers outstretched. He met my gaze with a challenge. I opened my mouth without hesitation, accepting his offering. I held his gaze as I swirled my tongue around his fingers, tasting myself.
