It took me a while, but tonight I finally understand that the heaviness which has been cinching my chest for weeks is neither a broken heart nor a broken trust... it’s the pain of fighting a battle I lost a long time ago.
“Hailey...” he emphasizes, crowding me further. “What do you need?”
“You. Itrustyou and Ineedyou.”
There’s enough intent in my words that he can’t have any reason to doubt them. He’s always composed. Ruthless and calculated. Always commanding the room, but right now he’s emanating a raw vulnerability I’ve never seen before. He sucks in a sharp breath, momentarily losing his iron control and...
He’s on me.
His soft, familiar lips crush into mine, snatching the breath out of my chest when I get my first real taste of him in weeks. I could tell he was holding back inDelta.
Not anymore. Now I’m getting all of Carter’s psychotically territorial, possessive glory. No inhibitions. His big hands grasp handfuls of my thighs as he scoops me off the floor into his arms, every move urgent like he worries I’ll change my mind.
Butterflies take off in my stomach, syncing with the tremor passing through him when my arms wrap round his neck and my legs surround his hips.
He sucks my bottom lip, catching it between his teeth, and pulls slowly, breaking the kiss long enough to bark, “Get.Out,” over his shoulder.
Claiming my mouth again, he ignores the flurry of movement behind his back and pins me against the wall left of the stairs.
“Call us when it’s safe to come back,” Broadway says, as three pairs of heavy boots thunder over the hardwood floor. “That’s if you still want to go over the plan for the hundredth time.” His steps falter at the threshold as he opens the door. “Have fun, kids,” he adds, amusement clear in his tone. “Don’t break the bed!”
I barely register the meaning of his words because Carter’s squeezing my ass, his tongue tangling with mine.
“Ten bucks says they won’t even make it to bed.” Ryder’s laugh is cut short by the door closing behind them.
As soon as the lock clicks, Carter breaks the kiss, resting his forehead on mine, our chests heaving. I bask in the heat radiating off his toned body, soaking up the feelings he evokes. He doesn’t say a word, just holds me close, eyes closed, lips parted as he inhales a long breath.
I scrape my nails along the back of his neck, every muscle there wound up tight. “Will we?” I whisper, drawing small circles at his hairline. “Make it to bed...?”
He’s quiet for a long beat, the thump of his heart against mine filled with vitality as he leans into me while his long fingers sink into my thighs.
“We will.” He breaks his silence. “Eventually. Fuck, baby... I knew I missed you, but I didn’t realize just how fucking much.”
“I missed you more.”
He looks at me, dark irises almost completely swallowed by blown pupils. “Say you trust me. Say you know I won’t leave you.Ever.”
“I know and I trust you.”
“Finally.” Another tremor passes through him, tension hissing out of his muscles. “What’s my name, Hailey?”
I move one hand to ghost the line of his jaw while the other tangles in his short hair. It’s a simple touch. Nothing special, but I can feel how much it affects him.
Every brush of my fingers along his scalp raises goosebumps in the crook of his neck.
“Please, baby...” he whispers. “Say my name.”
“Carter.”
“Fuck...” He seals my lips, sucking the lower one into his mouth along with a trembling breath. “Again. Say it again.”
“Carter,” I whisper. “Take me to bed. I need you.”
As if it’s a magic spell, he pulls us away from the wall, and starts climbing the stairs, every step to the top more rushed. Our lips work in breathless sync as he stalks blindly toward the bedroom.
My stomach twists into pleasant knots. I’m slick between my thighs and I’m not wearing any panties.
I think he feels that, because he pushes me against the wall before we’ve reached the door. One hand supports me while the other glides along the inside of my thighs, his lips still on mine, working in a desperate tempo that rekindles the fire burning us both from the inside out.
