Chapter 5
Now that I have his attention.
Ten minutes into our drive, Carter hadn't said a word. He had his right arm resting behind my seat, his left hand steering the wheel, some unheard rap song blaring from the speakers. He bopped his head occasionally to the music. Carter barely glanced at me, although I didn't feel any awkwardness, at least from him. He was content. And why wouldn't he be? Carter fully expected us to have sex once we reached his place. There was no need to strike up a conversation to get to know me better. He would hit it and quit it. Maybe because he was my neighbor, he anticipated I would be convenient sex. Whenever he was in the mood, he could invite me right over. Most girls on campus would be down, even for some of him. Just this morning, if someone said I would be riding with Carter on the way to his place, I would've been open to doing whatever. Virgin status and all. The reality, as we turned off the highway and the smell of sand and the ocean wafted through the vents, was that I wanted more from and with him. If I slept with him now, all I would ever be is a notch on his belt. I wanted to mean more.
I had his attention, as Chelsea said. Now, I just needed to keep it.Treat him like Grey.
"You hungry?" I asked.
My voice seemed to startle him like he'd forgotten I was beside him.
"I can eat." He shrugged. "Think you want to order something once we get to my place?"
"Or we can go right there." I pointed to an In-N-Out Burger on the side of the road. "We can sit outside since we just worked out."
Carter looked at the short line. "It's hot. We can get it to go and sit on my balcony if you want to be outside."
"Don't really want my roommate in my business." That was a partial truth. I didn't want Grey to hear my voice and demand to know why I left his car. I also wasn't ready to go to Carter's condo yet.
Carter's forehead puckered, though he didn't question me while he pulled into the lot and parked. I waited in the truck, and he walked around and opened my door. "Thank you."
"Told you chivalry was still alive." He grinned warmly, and for a moment, I second-guessed my decision to be with him in public instead of the privacy of his condo. This fine-ass man wanted me alone, and I was the barrier.
Carter guided me by the small of my back through the front door. When we approached the counter, he looked down at me. "Guess my order. See if we're compatible."
"If I guess wrong, we're not?"
"Yep." He nodded, tossing his keys in his hand.
"Ooh, the pressure is on. Thank God, I chose In-and-Out since all they sell is burgers instead of Jack in the Box."
Carter laughed in agreement.
I rubbed my palms together. "I got to get this right. No matter what I order, you have to eat it and tell me later if it was your choice."
When it was our turn, I smiled brightly at the teenager at the counter, who immediately smiled back. "Give me a triple burger, no onions, and no special sauce. Add mustard, mayo, and one slice of American cheese. Fries. And a Neapolitan shake. Then Iwant a double combo with a Coke." I stepped back and gestured at an amused Carter. "He's paying."
"Ketchup for the fries?" The guy at the counter continued to address me, though Carter stood before him.
"I mean, what's fries without ketchup?" I replied, fully aware that I had Carter's attention along with a couple of other male customers. Men really do like confidence. Grey always told me that, and at this moment, I owned it.
I waited for Carter to pay, then followed him as he chose a booth, explaining, "It's too hot to sit outside."
He slid in next to me instead of across from me.
His nearness affected my pulse, though externally, I remained playful and teased, "There's a whole side over there."
"Maybe I don't want you far from me."
He lightly squeezed my bare thigh, and I had to refrain from flinching from the heat of his hand on my skin. Thankfully, he removed his hand because if he kept it there, I might have jumped his bones then and there.
Pace yourself. You want more.
"What if I wanted to look at you? It's hard to turn my head in this small space." I smiled. My jaw started to ache. I'd been smiling a lot in the last hour.
Carter shifted in his seat, filling my view with him. "You see me, Darren Brown, from philosophy class."
I breathed through the flutters in my stomach. "Carter St. Patrick...I thought we established that we knew each other's names. Tell me something I don’t know about you."
