by Layla Hagen
When I couldn’t hear him talking anymore, I tightened the robe around me and tiptoed down the corridor before remembering the girls’ bedrooms were on the other side of the apartment.
As I stepped into his office, his leather chair was turned toward the window, but I knew he was sitting there. His presence filled the room. I intended to surprise him, but he must have heard me, because he spun around with his chair. Even in the semidarkness, I saw his smile.
“Sorry this took so long. I thought you’d fall asleep by now.”
“Nope.”
“Close the door behind you, Val. Lock it.”
I swallowed, the rich baritone of his voice sending tingles of anticipation down my spine. The second he heard the key turn, he added another command. “Come here.”
When I stopped in front of him, he straightened in his chair, bringing one hand to the side of my knee, skimming it up my outer thigh.
“Tell me what you’re wearing under the robe.”
“Nothing.”
“Good answer.”
He tugged at the robe until it opened. He kissed the underside of one breast. When he sucked the nipple into his mouth, I clenched my thighs reflexively. Carter rose from the leather chair, capturing my mouth, kissing me deeply. He cupped the back of my head, tilting it at the angle he wanted, taking control of the kiss. It was wild, needy kissing. My knees weakened with every stroke of his tongue.
“You came here to tempt me?” he spoke against my lips.
“Absolutely. I plan to unleash all my seduction skills to lure you into bed.”
“I want to fuck you right here in this office, Valentina. I want to make memories with you inside here, so when I’m by myself, I can remember how it was to have you spread wide on my desk, to sink inside you.”
I became slick just from his words. As if suspecting this, he drew his middle finger across my opening, making me whimper.
“You’re so responsive.”
He took off the robe, pushing the leather chair out of the way, then led me by the hand until I was standing right in front of his desk. He was behind me, kissing the back of my neck and my shoulder blades before raining kisses down my back.
“Lean forward and spread your legs wide for me.”
I leaned on my elbows, parting my legs. Carter stopped touching me altogether for a few seconds, but before I could have time to miss his warmth, his mouth was on my slick center, his tongue darting in and out of me. I could barely take the sudden assault on my senses, and when Carter pressed two fingers to my clit, my thighs shook.
I couldn’t hold myself on my elbows any longer, so I leaned all the way forward until my breasts were pressing against the cold table. My hands were itching to grab or pull, so I stretched my arms forward until I reached the edge of the desk. I gripped it hard, pressing myself against his mouth.
An orgasm slammed into me, spurred by his mouth and his fingers. It took a long time to ride out the wave of pleasure, and when I straightened up, I swayed a little.
Carter held his arms around me, resting his nose in the crook of my neck. His breath was coming out in short, hot bursts. His erection pressed against my ass. We weren’t nearly done for tonight. I wiggled my ass a little, luring a groan out of him before I turned around.
He smiled before kissing me, and then I heard the sound of a belt being unbuckled and knew he couldn’t stand not being inside me for one more minute. I pulled at the zipper, then pushed his pants down his legs. He lowered his boxers too before kicking both away. After taking off his shirt, he dropped onto the leather chair.
“Ride me.”
Heart pounding, I approached him but didn’t climb on top. I had plans first, so I lowered myself on my haunches between his thighs.
“What are you doing?”
“Giving you something to remember.”
I wanted him to think about this every time he sat in this chair. I ran my palm from the velvety tip down to cup his balls, tugging a little as I took him in my mouth.
“Val!”
I bobbed my head up and down, bracing an arm on his thigh for support. He groaned my name again and again, but he didn’t let me go to town for as long as I wanted.
“I want to be inside you.”
He lifted me up, helping me climb on top of him. The chair was wide enough that I could comfortably rest my calves next to his thighs. I lowered myself on him inch by inch. He pushed his head back, pinching his eyes closed. I moved my lower body in a lazy rhythm. I loved being on top of him. I could touch and kiss him wherever I wanted: his biceps, his shoulders, his neck. I loved kissing his neck. The skin on his arms turned to goose bumps when I bit his Adam’s apple lightly.
“Give me your mouth,” he commanded. I continued to torment the sensitive skin on his neck. But then he took over, grabbing my ass with both hands and pulling me up and down on him. “Val, kiss me.”
I straightened, and he captured my mouth, tangling our tongues. We were both moving. He was thrusting from below, and I slid my hips at a frantic pace. When he brought one hand between us, circling my clit, my insides strummed so tight that I felt I was going to split in two.
“Harder, please,” I whispered.
He was pounding into me with more ferocity than before, but I wanted every last drop of passion. I didn’t know how to put it in words, but my body did all the talking for me. I clawed at his shoulders, at his back, moving as fast as I could. As if feeling I needed more, he lifted me up, and my ass was on the wooden surface next.
Carter hooked an arm under each knee, pulling me right at the edge of the desk. When he drove inside me, pleasure swamped me like rings of fire, getting nearer and nearer to my center. He had unrestricted access to my clit, and he was using that advantage. Oh, how he was using it.
His thumb was barely caressing it, but it was driving me wild. “This is... oh fuck.”
“That’s it, Val. I want to feel you come. I want to hear you.”
I didn’t know if it was the pressure on my clit or his dirty words that did me in, but I clenched tight, holding on to his shoulders. Carter kept thrusting through my orgasm, until he cried out his own release, buckling over me, slamming his hands on the desk for support at either side of my arms. He groaned my name, driving into me until he was spent. Resting his head on my chest, he took in long, deep breaths and only pulled out a few minutes later, helping me stand. My legs were a little wobbly. If his shit-eating grin was anything to go by, he hadn’t missed it.
He rested a hand possessively on my back. “I’m never going to be able to get any work done in here again.”
I shrugged a shoulder playfully, and he pinched my ass. “That was my master plan all along.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Val
“Chop, chop. Come on, no slacking. The others are going to be here any minute now,” I instructed one week later as I was preparing for Friday dinner. Jace and Hailey had arrived earlier, and I had roped them into helping me cook. Usually I didn’t want more than one chef in the kitchen (unless it was a bare-chested, singing Carter; I’d eat burned toast just to have that view), but I was trying out a new dish today, and it turned out to be more complex than I’d thought.
“Hey, I’m working hard,” Jace complained. “I’m just not good at it.”
Hailey wasn’t faring much better. She’d actually arrived earlier because she wanted to dish about her latest date, but with Jace around, that had to wait. But by the shimmy in my sister’s movements, I gathered it had gone better than fine.
It had been a hectic week, in which I’d finally managed to try out the “sampling in the dark” technique, and I liked it so much that I was going to incorporate it into my routine from now on. Whenever I’d had a free moment, I’d been perusing my favorite online stores, and sent April so many links that she could renew her entire wardrobe. I’d told April to blame me for any outfits Carter might deem... inappropriate. I hoped Carter wouldn’t have a panic attack when she showed him the selection
.
“Considering you had two hopeless cases as kitchen aides, I’d say this turned out pretty well,” Jace said a while later as he tasted the final product.
“Hey, don’t sell yourself short,” I replied after swallowing a spoonful. “This is great. Before you know it, you’ll be a cook. A very attractive quality in a guy, I must say.”
“Yeah, what’s that, Jace? Val tells me you’re on your way to settling down,” Hailey teased.
“You already informed everyone in the family?”
“Of course.”
Jace narrowed his eyes at me. “I thought you said you wouldn’t meddle.”
I widened my eyes mockingly. “Me? Never. But I told Hailey, and if she wants to interfere, I can’t be held responsible, can I?”
“You don’t have to worry about me, little bro. I’m not going to do anything.” She’d started to make salad dressing.
“Awwww, sis. I’m knee deep in shit. You’re using your ‘PR’ tone. The one that means I’m just going to pacify this poor schmuck but do what I want anyway.”
Hailey stopped putting salt in the salad. “When did you become so perceptive?”
Jace winked. “A while ago. So, ’fess up.”
“Well... you do have quite the fan club among my friends.”
“You’re not going to warn me off anyone, unlike our oldest sister here?”
“I have far more trust in you,” Hailey said solemnly.
“That’s my Hailey.”
Once everyone had arrived and was seated at the table, I realized I had no herbs for the salad, so I went out in the yard to pick some fresh thyme and coriander. I was crouched, pulling at the herbs, when I heard the voice.
“Damn, that’s a sight for sore eyes.”
I straightened up and nearly lost my balance as I whirled around to face Carter.
My face split in a grin. “What are you doing here?”
“You said you were home, and I thought I’d surprise you.”
He glanced at the herbs, then at the house as laughter filtered through the open windows.
“You’ve got company?”
“Yeah. My entire family is here. Friday night dinner, remember?”
I’d invited him twice, but he always had plans with the girls Friday evening, so I hadn’t insisted. After he’d asked me to sleep at his house last week, I’d wanted to bring it up again, but hadn’t had the chance. This was the perfect opportunity.
“I hadn’t realized they’re a regular thing.”
“I’ve made them a regular thing ever since Will turned eighteen and moved out. I think the likelihood of an asteroid colliding with earth is higher than me canceling a Friday dinner.”
Carter laughed as his gaze perused me lazily, igniting my body. I was certain he could do this a million times and it still would affect me.
“Do you want to join us?” I asked, though I was trying to mentally envision what would happen when I introduced him to my brothers. He must have mistaken my worry for reticence because he frowned.
“If you’d rather keep it family only, I understand.”
“Of course not. I’d love to have you and the girls here, but I know you always have plans on Friday. Where are they now?”
“Playdate with a friend.”
“Come on, let’s head inside. But I’m warning you, it can be a bit crazy when we’re all together, and my brothers can be a bit overprotective.”
Carter gave me a sinful smile. “That’s what brothers are for. I still need to talk to you about all those links you sent to April.”
I assessed the glint in his eyes. It was somewhere between dangerous and delicious. I shimmied a little as we climbed the staircase up to the house. Carter placed an arm around my lower back, his palm pressing against the side of my waist. A spark of awareness traveled from where his fingertips touched all the way to my navel, and lower still.
Hmm... I should have stolen some kisses when I had the chance.
The moment we entered the dining room, everyone went quiet.
“Everyone, this is Carter.” I gestured with one hand, still clutching the herbs in the other.
Carter shook hands with everybody, and I could see the wheels spinning in my brothers’ minds. They’d known I was seeing Carter. I told them after he and I talked in my office, but they hadn’t pried. Yet as I took in Will’s and Jace’s expressions, I was sure they were about to do a whole lot of prying. Landon looked calm, as always.
“I’ll take care of the herbs,” Hailey offered, and I gave her a thankful glance as I handed over the thyme and coriander. I didn’t think leaving Carter to fend off Jace and Will when they were in protective mode was the best thing.
Will started the interrogation, of course. He might not wear a badge anymore, but he still put his detective skills to use. I glanced at Paige, his fiancée, who was watching him closely. I knew she’d have my back if Will came on too strong.
The atmosphere was friendly though. I wouldn’t have to throttle either Jace or Will. Progress.
Midway through dinner, I was completely relaxed as we chitchatted about a particularly fun moment at Lori and Graham’s wedding.
Then Milo piped up to tell Carter, “Dad asked for my permission before he married Mom. If you want, you can ask my permission too.”
I felt as if my face was on fire. My nephew meant well and was simply being adorable as usual, but I couldn’t help glancing at Carter out of the corner of my eye. Kids liked to repeat what adults said, and I didn’t want Carter to think I’d told my family I had any expectations. I didn’t want to scare him away.
“I’ll certainly keep that in mind,” Carter answered jovially.
After dinner, we were playing badminton.
“Want to join us?” I asked Carter.
“Sure. The girls are spending the night at their friends’ houses.”
“You had great plans, huh?”
“You have no idea.”
I grinned, unsuccessfully trying to ignore the way my body reacted to his words. This man was a walking danger for me. I’d planned to serve ice cream for dessert, but to my astonishment, I realized I didn’t have enough.
“Change of plans,” I told the room at large. “I’m going to buy a pie real quick.”
There was a bakery nearby, and their pies were to die for. Before I left, I pulled Carter a little further away, whispering, “I’m sorry for the interrogation.”
“It’s all good. Nothing April’s and Peyton’s dates won’t hear from me.” He winked at me.
“Just ignore any sentence including the words serious or future, okay?”
Carter didn’t answer. He simply nodded, but his jaw seemed tight.
***
Carter
Once we headed out to Val’s backyard, I went straight to the case with badminton rackets. When Will joined me, I didn’t think anything of it. When Jace appeared on my other side, I suspected I was about to be cornered.
“Val told us you have two nieces,” Jace said.
“April and Peyton. They’re great girls. Both on their way to becoming troublemakers.”
“Ah, we’ve had a few of those in our family.”
“Hailey, right?”
“No, I was the resident troublemaker,” Jace corrected. “Though Hailey will try to claim that title for herself. Don’t believe her.”
Will cocked a brow. “I busted both of your asses and covered for you in equal measure.”
Jace smirked. “Yeah, but you never knew which one was the bad influence, did you?”
I laughed, imagining Val putting up with all the Connors under one roof.
Jace turned to Will, hooking his thumb at him. “Don’t let this one fool you with his ex-detective past. He was quite a troublemaker himself.”
“I know. Val told me.”
“She said that?” Will looked crestfallen. “What else?”
I held up my hands in surrender. “Ask her. I can feel you guys turning against me just because I’m
relaying the information. Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Nah, we’re not.” Jace spoke good-naturedly, then added as an afterthought, “Unless you break our sister’s heart.”
“I’m not planning to.”
A muscle jumped in my neck as I remembered what Val had said before leaving to buy pie. Just ignore any sentence including the words serious or future, okay? Was it just a playful warning because she knew there was a chance I’d be cornered? Or did she truly not want more from me than a good time?
My jaw ticked. I certainly wasn’t planning to let her go.
Hailey appeared out of thin air next to me. “They’re hazing you, aren’t they?”
“They were starting to.”
She glared at her brothers. Jace held up his hands in surrender. “We’re your brothers. It’s what we do.”
“What he said,” Will added.
Hailey parked her hands on her hips. “Will, I was expecting better of you. You’re now in a happy relationship. I’d thought you’d cut back on the brooding. Instead, you’re rubbing off on Jace.”
“Sister, we’re just doing our part,” Jace volleyed back smoothly.
Hailey waved her hand, then turned to me.
“Don’t pay attention to Jace these days. I think he’s extra broody because he’s still single.”
Jace elbowed Hailey playfully. “You’re single too.”
“Or maybe not. Maybe I’m just not parading all my secret lovers in front of you.”
Both Will and Jace looked too stunned to answer. Hailey took advantage of the opportunity, lacing her arm with mine. As we walked away, she looked over her shoulder.
“Oh, man, I was just trying to take the spotlight off Val, but I think I’ve just set myself up for months of questioning and them flexing their brotherly muscles.”
I chuckled. “You’re a great sister.”
“Well, yes, I am, thank you very much. Though truthfully, Val and Lori paved the way for me in just about every aspect. Well, Lori mostly. Val was more like a mom to me growing up. I always felt a little guilty.”