by Dana Delamar
I loved Carter; I really did. No more doubts. I brought our mouths together, the kiss heated, Carter writhing under the invasion of my thumb. “I love you, babe,” I whispered.
“God, Rye, you know I love you too,” he said, his voice thick.
I kissed his neck, my heart slamming in my chest. I felt how deeply he loved me, and I let it wash over me, then poured it back out through another deep kiss. I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “Ready?”
He nodded, and I replaced my thumb with my cock, pushing against the tight entrance, both hands gripping his hips until I breached the ring of muscle and slipped inside. I groaned, enjoying how he moved beneath me, his hips shifting to give me better access.
I took his cock in my right hand and started stroking it in time with my thrusts, both of us breathing hard, his eyes locked on mine. “Fuck me, Rye. Fuck me hard.”
The demand roared through me and my pelvis snapped forward. I released his cock and grabbed him by both hips, driving into him harder, making sure my cock dragged across his prostate with each thrust, his moans taking on a guttural quality. He was close, on the verge of coming, and so was I.
We moved together frantically, our chests heaving, the slap of our bodies, our harsh breathing, the only sounds in the room.
I drove into him, almost doubling him over, my balls slapping against his ass, and suddenly he stiffened, his cock spasming, ropes of cum shooting onto his chest. The sight tipped me over the edge, and I came with a great shudder, collapsing on of top him. I rested on his chest for a moment, then withdrew, letting his legs fall over the edge of the mattress.
“Jesus,” he said as I pushed my glasses back up my nose. “I should fight with you more often.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I’d rather not. But we can do this anytime you want.”
“Sexy, Demanding Professor?” he asked.
I smiled. “Whatever you like.” I went into the bathroom to dispose of the condom, then brought a wet washcloth back and wiped Carter off.
“Thanks,” he said.
I pressed a kiss to his neck. “Anytime,” I murmured against his skin. I pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I do love you. Very much. I think I just realized how much.”
“Me too,” he said, stroking my cheek. “But we still need to talk about the pretty elephant in the room.”
My stomach clenched. “Paige.”
Carter nodded. “What is she to you?”
CARTER
I held my breath, waiting for Riley’s response to my question about Paige, not sure what answer I wanted to hear. Whether what he felt for Paige was nothing, or something.
He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “There’s something about her. Something that calls to me. She’s so sweet, and smart, and damn, I have fun with her. I like her, Carter, a lot more than I thought I would.”
I could see the struggle on his face, could hear it in his words. Riley was falling for her. Maybe he didn’t want to admit that yet, but he was.
My chest tightened. “So what does this mean for us?”
He shook his head slowly. “I honestly don’t know. I mean”—he kissed me—“not that you and I aren’t solid, but that I think there could be something with Paige too.”
“You mean like you and Amber and Holden?” I almost whispered the words.
“Yeah.” He was silent a moment, and I turned over the idea in my head. Would it be so terrible? Sharing Riley with someone else? How would that even work?
“What are you thinking?” he asked me.
“Are you saying you want to see her for the rest of this trip, or past it?”
“I don’t know yet. Can you just… have fun with me—us? See where this goes?”
I took a deep breath. I did like Paige, and I definitely was attracted to her. I’d had the idea of sharing her with Riley at the back of my mind when I’d first spotted her. But that was supposed to have been a one-night thing. Nothing more lasting.
I glanced over at the open laptop, at the papers scattered around it, at the signs of Riley finally back at work again. Paige obviously was good for him somehow.
I met his gaze. “Let’s give it a try.”
His face lit up, and I felt a little pang in my chest. What if this thing with Paige was stronger than what Riley and I had? What if—
He touched my cheek. “I can see the doubts on your face. Please, trust me. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think our relationship was strong enough.”
“Is it though? I had to chase you halfway across the planet.”
He shook his head. “I wasn’t running, Carter. I wasn’t sure how I felt when I left Burlington, but this trip has made it clear. I missed you. No matter what happened with Paige, I knew I was going back to you. Back to my home.”
I exhaled, the tension leaving me in a rush. Home. The way Riley had said it, the little catch in his throat, that convinced me more than anything. “Okay. I’ll relax and see where this goes.”
He pulled me into a kiss, our tongues tangling briefly before he lay back. “This is going to be good, Carter. I feel it in my bones.”
Maybe. I wished I felt as certain. I closed my eyes, remembering the tingle of attraction that had run through me when I’d first spotted Paige at the bar. In that sea of people, she’d called to me.
The same way she’d called to Riley.
That had to mean something. Right?
RILEY
Armed with Carter’s permission to pursue Paige, I’d started out the day with high hopes, but she had returned to her pre-Highland games tactic of ignoring and avoiding me whenever possible.
I still couldn’t believe Carter was actually here, that I’d spent the night in his arms. We sat together, our legs touching, on the bus as it made its way down from Liverpool to Stratford-upon-Avon, the hometown of William Shakespeare. Despite the tension with Paige, I’d enjoyed visiting The Beatles Story exhibition at Albert Dock that morning. Carter and I had rocked out to A Hard Day’s Night in the Discovery Zone. So what if the area was designed for children? I’d always been young at heart.
And wasn’t that the issue right there?
My gaze landed on Paige at the front of the bus as she told interesting anecdotal stories about the sites we passed. Her dark-blonde hair gleamed in the sun streaming through the windshield, where it hung in a thick tail out the back of the pink bedazzled Beatles cap she wore. It was so odd to see her wearing something so out-of-character. Not that she didn’t look great in her white blouse and light gray slacks. But it was almost as though she wore the hat to draw attention away from her face.
I found myself leaning forward to get a closer view.
“She looks tired,” Carter said, as though reading my mind.
I frowned. Yeah, and it was all my fault.
“It’s what you were trying to see, wasn’t it?” Carter tugged on the new Beatles “Abbey Road” T-shirt I had bought him at the Fab4 Store. The sky in the image of the boys crossing the street perfectly matched the blue of Carter’s eyes. Not to mention that the dark material hugged his muscles just right. I had also picked out a few vinyl albums missing from my collection and a surprise gift for Paige. Not that she’d accept anything from me right now.
Sitting back in the seat, I scratched my beard. Having facial hair had some advantages, like the way Carter had squirmed and moaned this morning as I ate his ass, making sure to press his thighs against my rough cheeks. I placed my hand, palm up, on his leg, and was relieved when he twined our fingers together. I swallowed, then took the bull by the horns. “I feel terrible about how things went down with Paige last night.”
Carter looked toward the front of the bus. “She can’t be happy that I showed up like that. I imagine the two of you had... plans for the night?”
His statement ended on an insecure note that hurt my heart. How could I answer that without making myself feel more like an asshole and making him feel even more uncertain?
When Carter had said he loved me
last night, I had experienced so many emotions: elation, joy, excitement. But fear was in there too. What if I couldn’t love Carter enough? What if he turned on me like Amber and Holden had? What if this thing with Paige ruined what Carter and I had going? It was the most caring and honest relationship I’d ever had with anyone. I really didn’t want to fuck it up. And that meant being transparent with him… and Paige, even when it made me uncomfortable, maybe especially then.
“Yeah, we did.” I brought our joined hands to my lips and lightly kissed his knuckles. “Does that upset you?”
Carter stiffened and his fingers tightened around mine. “Of course it does,” he snapped before leaning his head back against the seat and sighing. He closed his eyes, depriving me of those deep pools of blue.
“I-I’m sorry,” I stammered. “I shouldn’t have—” I cut myself off and turned to stare out the window at the countryside flying past. I shouldn’t have what? Taken a break from my relationship with Carter? Slept with Paige? Run after her last night? Had sex with Carter?
Fuck! I probably shouldn’t have done any of those things. Not when my head was such a damn mess and my heart was giving me confusing messages. I probably should have spent the trip alone, focused on my writing. It certainly would have been easier.
Truth was I didn’t regret any of the things I’d done, only how I’d done them. I’d hurt two people I cared about. And I had to find a way to make it up to them.
“Car—,” I started, then leaned toward him and whispered, “What should I call you?”
Carter rolled his eyes. “You can use my middle name.”
“Uh, sure. Umm… what is it?”
He gave me a look that said Really? “It’s Eric. We’ve talked about this. Yours is Christopher.”
I blushed. “Forgive me?”
Carter nodded and coughed. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.” He paused and tugged on his jeans. “After you fell asleep last night, I thought about things. About what we discussed, about what you wrote in Amber’s Triumph.” He turned his head toward me and I did the same. “On an intellectual level, I understand that you can be attracted to two people at the same time. That you can care for, or even love, two people.”
“Whoa. I’m certainly not there yet,” I interrupted. “Not with her.”
“No.” He offered me a sad smile. “But you’d like to be. Right? Tell me that in your heart of hearts, you don’t want both of us, me and Paige, and maybe not just for the duration of this trip either.”
“I don’t know about after the trip.” I cupped Carter’s smooth cheek and searched his face for any sign of his thoughts. “But you’re right. I do want both of you. At least for now. If she’s willing.” I glanced at Paige at the front of the bus. “And given the fact she refused to speak with me yesterday, this whole discussion might be academic at best.”
“Ooh.” Carter grinned. “I do love when Professor”—he dropped his voice to a low rumble that went straight to my cock—“Kendrick comes out to play.”
I chuckled. “I would so have done you on my desk.”
“Would you have used my body for a chalkboard?”
“Chalk is bad for you. I’m a whiteboard guy.”
He flicked his tongue against my lips. “Dry erase markers are more fun anyway.”
My stomach flipped and my pulse raced. I was so fucking hard. “Oh God.” I moved my mouth next to his ear and whispered, “I want you so bad, Carter. I want to straddle you, sink down on your big cock, and ride you until we both scream.”
Moaning softly, he pressed his face into the crook of my neck and shifted his hips so his back was to the aisle. “You fucking sadist. How am I supposed to finish the day with that thought in my head?”
I closed my eyes and breathed in the scent of his shampoo. “I love you. I really fucking love you.”
Carter’s lips pressed against my neck and his hot breath bathed my sensitive skin. “I love you too, Rye.” There was a pause, then he continued. “And I’ll help you work things out with Paige.”
I pulled back, my eyes popping wide. “You will?” I captured his face between my palms and gave him a big, smacking kiss that drew a few amused glances from our trip mates in the seats around us. I ignored every one. “Thank you, thank you.”
Carter shrugged. “Don’t thank me yet.” He motioned toward the front of the bus where Paige stood glaring at me.
I groaned. “I need to speak with her, sooner rather than later. I hate seeing her so upset.”
“Slow your roll there, Casanova. I think you’ve done enough damage already.”
I huffed. He was right, but what the hell else was I supposed to do? “Flowers then?” She’d liked the ones I’d sent her in Scotland.
“Nah. I’m pretty sure they’d end up in the trash.” He smirked. Then his lips thinned out and he sat up straight. “I’ll talk to her.”
“You?” I said, skeptical.
“We really did have a good rapport last night.”
“You’d do that for me?” I was touched. My stomach fluttered again, and there was an odd burning sensation behind my eyes.
Carter’s gaze softened and he captured my hand in his, bringing it to press against his heart. “No. But I would do it for us.”
“Us?” My voice wavered.
He smiled. “I’ll do it for the three of us.”
Chapter 8
PAIGE
I’d been feeling the weight of Riley’s stare all day, but I was damned if I was going to forgive him so easily. Or at all. He’d lied to me.
My lover had a boyfriend.
“Bravo! Bravo!”
Shaking off my thoughts, I joined the crowd’s enthusiastic applause as the curtains closed on the cast of All’s Well That Ends Well. It had always been one of my favorite Shakespeare plays, and the Royal Shakespeare Company had done it justice.
After the final encore, the lights turned on, and I left my row of seats. I stopped at the exit to the theater to talk with the members of the tour. “Ms. Sutherland,” Marietta Clark said, her face flushed with excitement. “Thank you so much for organizing all this. The play was marvelous.”
I patted the elderly woman’s hand and smiled at her husband Tom. “We have much more in store for you in Bath.”
“Oh!” She tittered. “The house party?”
“In just two days.” I smiled at Marietta’s obvious excitement.
“I can’t tell you how much I’m looking forward to it. I’ve written about house parties in many of my novels, but I’ve never actually attended one.”
“I hope it meets your expectations,” I said, a tendril of nerves fluttering in my belly.
“Nonsense, dear. I’ve had more fun on this trip than I’ve ever had before.”
“I’m truly glad. See you at dinner?” I asked.
“Of course.”
The Clarks left to catch the bus that would take those who wanted to rest back to the hotel, and I joined a group of younger tour members who were joking about all the bed hopping in the play.
“Paige,” Kenji called, as he squeezed in between me and Lori. “Did you hire some young studs to dance with us at the ball?”
“Certainly. After all, what’s a ball with no dance partners?” I joked.
“Funny,” he grinned. “I was thinking what’s a house party with no bed partners.”
The temperature around me rose ten degrees. “Uh... well.” I giggled. “Matchmaking is a little beyond my duties.”
“Are we going to have dance cards?” Lori asked, pushing her way in front of Kenji, who huffed, looking more than a little put out.
I did my best not to laugh. “I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s a brilliant idea.”
Kenji frowned. “If you do, Paige, make sure my name’s on your card. I want to dance a waltz with you.”
Something lightly bumped my hand. A throat cleared, and when I turned, I was surprised to see it was Carter. My belly did a little flip and my pulse raced. Even though he was Riley’s
boyfriend, I couldn’t deny my attraction to him. His piercing blue eyes held mine in thrall. “Sorry Kenji, her dance card is already full.” He winked at me, then grinned at Ken.
With a snort, Ken folded his arms over the shiny red shirt he wore with calf-length skinny white slacks. “I bet it is. She certainly isn’t lacking for suitors.”
“Jealous?” Carter asked, raising a brow.
What the heck was going on here? It was bad enough when Riley and Kenji butted heads. I attributed that to them having been lovers. But Carter and Kenji? I didn’t think they even knew each other.
Lori stepped over to Carter and stuck out her hand. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Lori.”
“I’m C-Eric. Nice to meet you.”
“Carrick? What an interesting name.” Kenji’s dark eyes gleamed as he asked the question that had been on the tip of my tongue. That’s when it clicked. Of course. He couldn’t use his real name without blowing Riley’s cover.
Carter coughed. “Sorry. Frog in my throat,” he said in a strangled voice. His ears going red, he pounded on his chest. “Eric. My name is Eric.”
“What do you write, Eric?” Kenji asked.
“Oh, I’m not a writer. I’m…” He turned to me, his eyes pleading with me for help.
I wanted to roll my eyes. Riley had gotten Carter into this mess. He should be the one to clean it up, not me. But as I looked at Carter and remembered our conversation before Riley’s arrival at the Cavern Club, the way we’d laughed, the way we’d talked like we’d known each other forever, I took pity on him. The poor man was in love with Riley, and Riley had used his name and cheated on him.
With me.
Damn. I took Carter’s arm. “C-uh-Eric is a friend of Carter’s. He couldn’t make the first part of the trip, but he’ll be finishing up the tour with us.”
“Oh good,” Lori and Kenji said at the same time, although their tones were quite different.
God, Arianna was going to kill me for this. I’d just added an unpaid guest to our roster. At the thought, I bit back a smile. Who was I kidding? “Carter” was Riley Kendrick, world-famous erotic romance author. He had to have more money than he knew what to do with. He could certainly afford to pay for his boyfriend’s trip. That brought on another thought: if word got out that Riley was on the tour, the paparazzi would descend in droves on my group of famous and semi-famous authors and ruin all my carefully laid plans.