by J. E. Parker
I glanced over at Charlotte. “You’re coming tomorrow, right?”
She nodded, a smile on her face. “Keith and me both are. Neither of us would miss it for the world.”
Keith and Charlotte were yet another thing that had changed over the last couple of years. A widower and widow, they’d fallen in love when they least expected it. Shortly after, Charlotte quit her job at the Battered Women’s Shelter in Memphis and moved to Georgia to be closer to Hope, and by extension, Keith. Joined at the hip, they now shared an apartment on the top floor of the shelter.
I doubted it would be long before Maddie and Hope became stepsisters.
Both were excited as could be at the prospect.
“Good,” I replied, swinging my gaze back to Clara. “You’re bringing Bella and the boys, right?”
Like Charlotte, she nodded. “You know it.”
“Brantley too?”
“Like he’d miss it.”
“C,” Evan barked. “Stop yapping, start walking.”
I huffed out an annoyed breath and moved toward out the door. After crossing the threshold, I looked over my shoulder. Three sets of eyes were locked on me, watching my departure. “I’ll see y’all tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow, honey,” Charlotte replied.
Clara remained silent but raised her hand and blew me a kiss.
I blew one right back.
My eyes found Evan’s. “Bye, Big Head.”
He smirked. “Later, Motormouth.”
Smiling, I headed down the hall.
NINE
Carissa
Small beads of sweat broke out along my skin the moment I stepped out of the shelter. The humid Georgia air was thick, nearly suffocating. Hours had passed since the sun dipped below the horizon, but the temperature still hovered above the ninety-degree mark.
It was miserable.
I pushed an already damp, stray lock of hair out of my face and turned left toward the parking lot. Thanks to a busted light, the back of the lot where I was parked was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible for me to see beyond forty feet in front of me. How Evan could see that area on the security camera, I didn’t know.
But it didn’t matter.
Even though I couldn’t see him, I knew Kyle was there. I could feel his eyes on me, his unwavering gaze ghosting across my flesh. Needing to find him, and maybe even touch him, I turned at the waist and yanked on the shelter’s door, checking that the automatic locks had engaged when the heavy metal slammed shut behind me.
They had.
Knowing the residents and staff were safe, I descended the concrete ramp that led to the gravel-covered lot. Excitement took root in my belly as my nerves made themselves known.
A droplet of sweat slid down my back as my heart rate increased with each step.
I moved out of the light and into the dark.
Blackness engulfed me.
A moment of terror nipped at my spine, but it was squashed when the sound of crunching gravel reverberated through the air. I stopped moving, my eyes focused on the emptiness before me.
I sucked in a breath when Kyle appeared.
Dressed in a black t-shirt that clung to him like a second skin, dark jeans that hugged his muscular thighs, and a fitted red ball cap that shadowed his beautiful face, he stole my breath away. Literally. It didn’t matter how many times we’d done this dance, I still found it hard to breathe in his presence.
This man will be the death of me.
A silence stretched between us as we stared at each other, me smiling like an idiot; him looking down at me with the same serious expression he always wore. I opened my mouth to say something but snapped it shut when the smell of his cologne, a spicy scent I’d never tire of, tickled the tip of my nose.
He stepped closer, and the warmth radiating from him danced across my skin, making my belly flip. After tracing each of my features with his gaze, he lifted a hand and ran a single knuckle down the side of my face, starting at my temple and ending at my jaw. Goosebumps erupted along my arms at the soft sensation.
I wondered who would be the first to speak.
It was a thought I didn’t need ponder long.
“Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?” he whispered, gliding the same knuckle down the column of my throat before raking a fingertip over my exposed collarbone. He paused where the top of my blouse met my overheated skin, letting his fingers linger along the neckline. Slowly sliding his tongue across his full bottom lip, he stared at the place where his skin touched mine, an expression I couldn’t read on his face. When I didn’t answer him right away, he looked up, meeting my half-lidded gaze. “Answer me, Carissa.”
My throat was dry, my mouth the equivalent of sandpaper; yet his demanding tone was enough to make me speak. “No,” I replied. “I don’t.”
His eyes narrowed the slightest bit. “Guess that means I need to work harder.”
Before I could reply, his calloused palm ascended the front of my throat, stopping at my jaw.
My eyes slid closed at the sensation.
Kyle stepped closer, knocking my senses off kilter. Having him near made me feel off balance, as if the world around me shifted when his body was near mine.
Needing to steady myself, my hands flew to his chest. My fingers grasped the fabric of his soft cotton shirt, holding it tight. “Kyle.” My voice was quiet; barely audible. “What are you doing?”
Even with my eyes shut, I felt his face dip toward mine.
My eyelids fluttered open in response.
I need to see him…
Kyle’s hand moved again, only this time it slipped into my hair. He fisted my blonde locks, holding them tight. Tugging the slightest bit, he tilted my head back, bringing our faces that much closer. For a brief second, I thought he would take my lips with his.
I was wrong.
Mild disappointment slithered through me when he pressed a kiss to my forehead instead, letting his lips taste my flushed skin. It was such a sweet move, one most would argue Kyle wasn’t capable of, but it left me wanting what he hadn’t given.
Since he and I met, we’d only shared a single kiss.
In that time, I’d yearned for more from him, wanted anything he would give, but I’d never made a move. My family, my degree—they had taken precedence. Now that school was over, and things had improved at home—well, sort of—nothing was stopping me from going after him, the one person that made my body ache and my heart want.
Using his shirt to pull him closer, I whispered, “This isn’t fair, you know.”
Kyle pulled back the slightest bit, his eyes searching mine. “What isn’t fair?”
I took a small breath. “Having your lips so close to mine, yet not getting to taste them.”
It was Kyle’s turn to suck in a breath. Clenching his jaw tight, he waited a moment before speaking. “You have no clue, do you, Princess?”
Obviously not.
Call me simple-minded, but I wanted him, and he wanted me; therefore, I didn’t understand why he wouldn’t kiss me.
Maybe I should take the reins…
But what if he doesn’t want me to?
A moment of self-doubt crept in, squashing my inner thoughts. Feeling self-conscious, I sunk my teeth into my lower lip, chewing on the plump flesh nervously. “Do you not want to kiss me?”
Disbelief flashed in Kyle’s eyes. “You have to be joking.” I wasn’t joking and judging by the expression that swept across his face that truth was obvious. “Carissa, baby, I want to kiss you more than anything.”
My frustration welled. “Then why don’t you?”
His grip on my hair tightened, but instead of feeling a bite of pain like I expected, a sharp thrill raced through me, making my toes curl. As cliché as it may sound, my knees felt weak, and I could’ve sworn my heart would beat right out of my chest.
“Because”—he wrapped his arm around my lower back, holding me steady—“if I take your mouth right now, I won’t be able to stop unti
l I possess every inch of you.”
I dug my nails into his chest, anchoring myself to him. “Then don’t stop…I don’t want…” My voice trailed off as I tried to form the words that wouldn’t come. My brain was mush. “I mean, I won’t ask you to.”
“Carissa,” he groaned. “Goddamnit, you can’t say—”
“For fucks sake, man,” a male voice interrupted, “get a room.”
The look that came over Kyle’s face was pure anger. For a moment, I feared for the person who had intruded upon our private moment. He released my hair and dropped his arm from around my back. He then spun around, facing the direction the voice, one which my foggy brain recognized but couldn’t place, came from. “What are you doing here, Jacobs?”
I dang near rolled my eyes at the mention of Ty’s name.
He and Kyle may have been close friends since childhood, but he irked the crap out of me. Why? Because every time he saw Heidi, his eyes lingered longer than they should’ve.
A blind man could’ve seen his interest in her.
The way he watched her reminded me of a wolf stalking a lamb.
I didn’t like it.
Not at all.
As a kid, Ty had been nothing but a bully. Heidi, on the other hand, had been tormented by people just like him throughout school. He may have grown to be a decent man, but I’d seen enough to know he still held a lot of animosity in his heart, and I didn’t want him around my sister.
Unlike me, Heidi couldn’t swallow down her pain and close herself off. She wore her heart on her sleeve and being drawn to the darkest of souls, she gave her everything to anyone who needed it, never asking for anything in return.
A man like Ty would destroy her in the blink of an eye.
I refused to allow it.
Heidi deserved better.
Bottom line.
Ty stepped closer, coming into view. Eyes locked on Kyle, he held up a stack of white papers. “Papaw wanted me to drop these off with Charlotte before I went home.”
Ty’s grandfather, or papaw as he called him, owned a private security company named First Defense. They provided the shelter’s residents with free transportation to and from the hospital, courthouse, police station, etcetera. When he wasn’t on shift at Station 24—the same firehouse Kyle, Hendrix and Pop worked at—Ty was assisting in transports.
Though he wasn’t my cup of tea, I admit he was good at his job. He made our residents feel safe, and that wasn’t an easy feat. For that, he had my eternal gratitude; though he still didn’t have my blessing to chase after my little sister.
Ty’s eyes moved to me. “Hey, you.”
I stared him down. “Hi.”
An amused expression crossed his face. “Try to contain your excitement at seeing me, Carissa.” He chuckled before looking behind me. “Where’s Heidi?”
My skin bristled. “She’s out with her boyfriend,” I fibbed, acting like a total brat. It was out of character for me and uncalled for. I may not have thought Ty was right for my sister, but he didn’t deserve my hostility.
Ty’s face hardened imperceptibly. “Boyfriend?”
I remained mute, refusing to tell another lie.
“Who is he?” Ty continued, anger lining his voice.
I swallowed, feeling regret climb into my throat. I hated liars. Hated them with a passion and yet I’d just become one. It didn’t sit right with me and even if it made me look like a fool—in front of Kyle no less—I had to fix what I’d just mucked up.
My parents had raised me better than the way I was behaving.
Mama would roll over in her grave…
Forcing a smile, I flicked my hair back over my right shoulder. “I’m only pulling your leg.” That expression sounded so much better than, I’m a big ol’ liar. “Heidi is at home. Probably sleeping. She got off a few hours ago.”
Kyle reached behind him and grasped my hip, giving it a slight squeeze.
I prayed my actions didn’t cause him to think less of me.
Ty’s features relaxed. “Not alone I hope.”
I shook my head. “Of course not. I never leave her alone at night. If I have to work late, then she stays with one of the other ladies until I get off. Anyway”—I waved my hand dismissively—“Daddy is there. He got in from the road a few hours ago.”
Ty nodded. “Just checking.”
Kyle, who’d remained silent through Ty and I’s exchange, released my hip and took my hand in his, lacing our fingers together. The heat from his palm comforted me, making the unease inhabiting my limbs melt away. “Why don’t you go inside? You’ve taken up enough of our time already. I need to get my girl home.” His hand squeezed mine. “She’s got a big day tomorrow.”
More than familiar with Kyle’s abrasive behavior, Ty chuckled, letting the rude remark roll off his back. “Yeah, graduation, I know. You’ve been bragging about it for the past three months to anybody who will listen. We’re all aware, dude, trust me.”
Shock set in and before I could stop it, the one question that bounced around my brain rolled off the tip of my tongue. “He’s been bragging about me?”
Kyle’s back stiffened in response.
Ty, though, he smirked. “Yeah.” His eyes flitted to Kyle, who acted as a sentinel in front of me, nearly blocking me from Ty’s view, before coming back to me again. “Hell, Carissa, you’re the only thing he talks about.”
I was speechless.
The only sound I managed was a small squeak when Kyle turned and took a step back. Bending at the waist, he wrapped one strong arm around the back of my thighs and pushed a wide shoulder into my belly.
I didn’t realize what he was doing until my feet left the ground.
Positioned over his shoulder, my butt in the air, I stared at the gravel ground beneath me as we moved. “Oh my God!” I squealed, unsure of whether to be embarrassed or excited. “Kyle, put me down!”
He remained silent.
Ty chuckled as we passed him, heading toward the back of the lot. “Later, dickhead.”
Then, “See ya, Carissa.”
Scared Kyle would drop me, I said nothing.
My upper body bounced the slightest bit as Kyle’s long legs ate up the space between us and his truck, which was parked beside my car. When we reached the space between both vehicles, I thought he would put me down so I could remove my keys from my purse and unlock my door.
I was wrong.
Opening the passenger door of his truck, Kyle sat me down on the seat. Before I could ask him what in the world he was doing, he grabbed my hips and twisted me so I was facing the windshield. With capable hands and graceful movements, he tugged the seatbelt across my front, locking it in place.
“You realize my car is beside us, right?” I teased. “I mean, I know it’s dark and all but—”
“You’re not driving,” he interrupted, his voice stern. “I know you’re exhausted, baby. It’s written all over your beautiful face.” Clutching the side of my neck, he rested his thumb against my pulse point. “I will be damned if I let you drive like this. If you fall asleep and get in an accident…” His voice trailed off. Dropping his hand, he closed his eyes tight. Torment spread across his face, giving away the fact that he was thinking of things he shouldn’t.
It pained me to see.
Needing to wash away the agony that consumed him, I cupped his face with my hands, caressing his high cheekbones with my thumbs. “Kyle,” I whispered, “look at me.” His eyes opened. The emotion that brewed in his dark irises made my hands shake. I hated that he felt so much pain.
Determined to ease it, I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his jaw. Adrenaline raced through me, ebbing my frazzled nerves. Kyle froze, and I pulled back, locking gazes with him once again. “You don’t need to explain it. I understand.”
And I did.
Wholeheartedly.
“Nothing…” Clenching his hands into tight fists, he exhaled. “Nothing can happen to you, Carissa.” I opened my mouth to speak, but he kept ta
lking, not giving me the chance. “Ever.”
“Kyle—”
“You’re the only good thing in my life.” My heart both swelled and broke at his admission. “I can’t fucking lose you too.”
Chin trembling, I blinked back the tears that threatened to spill down my cheeks. “You won’t lose me.” Not if I have anything to say about it. “Promise.”
Kyle’s hands wrapped around my outer thighs. They moved upward, stopping below my ribcage. My chest rose and fell in rapid succession when he dipped his head, hovering his lips above the sensitive juncture of my neck. “Good,” he whispered, his warm breath ghosting across my tender flesh. I wanted him to kiss me there so badly, but he didn’t. “Because come tomorrow, Princess—” he paused “—you’re mine.”
Standing tall, he took a step back.
Without saying another word, he slammed the door shut and rounded the front of the truck, watching me all the while through the windshield. Within seconds, he’d climbed inside and started the engine. The cab was silent except for the hum of the air conditioner as we pulled out of the parking lot and turned right onto the street that would take us out of town and to my home.
Kyle reached across the seat and took my hand in his.
Like earlier, he laced our fingers together.
Warmth spread through me, and I relaxed into the leather seat as his calloused thumb caressed the back of my hand. The exhaustion that had plagued me for the past several hours returned and my eyes closed.
Within seconds, I was fast asleep.
Thirty Minutes Later
Strong arms carried me in the house.
The battered screen door, the same one Daddy still hadn’t gotten around to fixing, squeaked and then banged shut behind us as Kyle and me moved into the house and ascended the stairs. His booted footsteps along with the creaking of the hundred-year-old pine floors were the only sounds to be heard as we moved down the hall toward my bedroom.
The house was silent; everyone else was asleep.
That much was obvious when Daddy didn’t start hollering at Kyle for carrying me, and in return, Heidi didn’t start fussing at Daddy for yelling at Kyle.