She nodded and unfolded the wrapping on her tamale. Breathing in, she closed her eyes and sighed. “Oh, I’ve been craving this.”
His body tightened as he saw the pleasure dance across her face. Then he started to eat and any other appetites were shoved to the back of his mind as the tender seasoned beef of his carne asada filled his mouth.
“Oh my God,” he mumbled. “Man.”
She shot him a cheeky grin. “Told you.”
They ate, talking about the wedding but not what had happened after the reception. He wasn’t expecting any sort of rehash of what was arguably his best night with a woman. He wasn’t so modest as to think he hadn’t rung her bells a couple of times too. He was a gentleman, however.
Wild Harry might have been a semi-distracted single father but he’d never spoken of a woman without a respectful tone. Except for Chase’s mother, of course. Of her, he’d never spoken at all.
“Would you like another beer?” the server asked after a few minutes.
He shook his head. “No, thanks. More water would be great, though.”
“How about dessert?”
Chase didn’t want to head back to his ridiculously luxurious guest room at Casa Blanca yet, and dessert was a pretty good diversion.
Carrie bit her lower lip as she apparently considered the server’s question. “Hmm. Sopapillas, I think. With chocolate sauce for dipping.”
“Or something,” Chase couldn’t help but add.
The server chuckled but left to put in their order.
“You’re naughty, Chase Harris,” Carrie said.
“Not me. I’m just a normal, red-blooded guy.”
She tilted her head to one side, her eyes narrowed. “Of that, I’m not so sure.”
***
Carrie wasn’t sure why she’s said that, but she’d sensed there was more to Chase Harris than he let on. He presented the picture of a carefree country boy, but she’d seen the hurt flitter across his face as he’d touched on the subject of his mother.
Dessert soon arrived, crisp fried chips of sugar-and-cinnamon dusted dough and a small bowl of fragrant melted chocolate sauce. Her senses sparked and she let out a little moan.
She heard Chase chuckle and met his gaze. “What?”
“That sound, Red. That’s all I’ve been thinking about since seeing you again this afternoon.”
Of that, she was inclined to believe him. She had no clue what was going through his mind at this moment, either. He probably wanted to hook up again. If she were honest, she was seriously considering indulging in some moan-inducing behavior too. It was so out of character for her, as anything involving this guy was. It had to be her hormones.
Choosing to ignore the tempting man seated across from her, she dug in to their dessert and drowned her senses in sugar, grease and chocolate. Chase watched her for a minute longer and then joined her.
Groaning, he wiped his mouth. “Damn, that’s good. Maybe keeping the chocolate sauce on the table is a good thing. For now.”
She smiled as she licked the cinnamon sugar from her lips. “This dessert makes me feel like a kid. Like I’m eating donut holes or something.”
He nodded. “Yeah, just about the only thing that brought the Harris men together was when one of the women from church brought pies and cakes over to the ranch.”
“Let me guess. They were hoping to become your new mother, right?”
Chase snorted. “You’re probably right. Wild Harry never dated a one of them, not that I or Zach or Billy ever knew. He was pretty torn up over my mother.”
Here was an opening for her delicate conversation. He was talking about his childhood. His parents.
“You missed her a lot too, didn’t you.”
“Not at all.”
She pulled back a little. “Seriously?”
His eyes darkened nearly to a shade of brown as deep as the sauce left in the bowl between them. “She left us, Carrie. Me and Zach and our father. She never looked back, either. How could a parent do that?”
Instinctively, her hand strayed to her midsection. “I can’t imagine doing any such thing.”
He blew out a breath. “I’ll tell you this, it’s a damn good thing I never had kids with my ex.”
“Was your breakup that contentious?”
He leveled a look at her that was so cold she nearly flinched. “She left me like my mother did. Took up with another guy.”
“She cheated on you?”
“She said she didn’t. Said she fell in love.”
Carrie’s mouth dropped open. “Oh, that sucks.”
He laughed without any humor she could see. “Yeah, but I’m better off. She sure as hell is.”
“How long were you married?”
“Just under two years. It was a cluster fuck from the start.”
She blinked at him. “You weren’t in love?”
“Hell, no. We’d hook up once in a while and then she got pregnant.”
Carrie jerked a little but managed to keep her face impassive. “I thought you said you didn’t have any kids.”
“No, we didn’t. Turned out she only thought she was pregnant. Why the hell we stayed together after she found out it was just some hormonal thing? I have no idea.”
“Maybe you loved her more than you thought.”
“Yeah. And maybe I was delusional.” He spread his hands. “Look, I know marriage works for some people. I’m praying it works for Billy and Shannon, and it looks like it just might. Me? I’m just not built for happy endings.”
Her heart sank. How could she tell this man that he was going to be a father when he so clearly had no interest in any kind of future? Not with a wife and certainly not with a child.
Suddenly the tamales, and the crisp and sugary dessert, churned in her belly. Pushing her dish away, she sat back. He seemed to take that as some sort of signal, and raised his hand to the server. After settling their bill, he waved her ahead of him to his truck parked on the darkened street.
“This was really nice,” she said for lack of anything else to say.
“I’m glad we did this.”
He seemed to have lost that prickliness she’d seen as he’d talked about his failed marriage. In fact, he walked with an ease of movement that showcased his very fit body. Hello, hormones. She was seized with the want she’d felt at the wedding.
The drive back to Casa Blanca didn’t take very long, and by the time they parked she had made up her mind. She had to tell him. It was unconscionable to have this information and not tell him. Earlier she’d had the excuse of dinner in a public place, but now they were cocooned in the leather-seated luxury of his truck.
“Chase, I have something to tell you,” she began.
“Okay.” He turned, one arm propped on the steering wheel and his body angled towards her. “Shoot.”
She opened her mouth, but the words wouldn’t come. He quirked a very sexy smile in her direction and brought his face close to hers.
“We don’t have to talk, Red.” He clicked out of his seatbelt and came closer still to brush his sculpted lips over hers. “To my thinking? There’s a whole lot more we can do.”
Oh, this man was so dangerous. She wanted to cuddle up against him and breathe deeply of his scent that surrounded her. She wanted to throw herself into his arms like she’d done before and think about the consequences later.
“That night, Chase. The night of the wedding.” She touched his face and drove her fingers through his thick brown waves. “That was the first time I’ve ever done that.”
“Yeah?” He buzzed her lips again and grinned. “You have to be more specific about that night, Carrie. We did a lot of things, to my recollection.”
Heat flashed over her, and she suspected her face was as red as her hair. That night had been such a departure for her. Chase did something to her head as well as her body, and she had indulged every naughty thought she’d ever had with his very willing self.
“I meant hook up, Chase. That’s ju
st not me.”
“There’s no shame in that, Red.” He held her closer, and she realized he’d undone her seatbelt as well. “We’re both unattached.” His lips ran over her throat and she tilted her head back. “We both like making each other feel good.”
“Y-yes.” She shivered as his tongue stroked over her skin. “But I have to tell you something.”
“We can talk after,” he said, his voice low and rough.
She closed her eyes and gathered the strength to pull back from him. “Chase, please.”
He grumbled but his crooked smile told her he was being playful. “Okay, Red. Shoot.”
She stared into his eyes and took a deep breath.
“Chase, I’m pregnant.”
Chapter 4
Chase pulled back as if Carrie had punched him square in the jaw. His belly clenched and he couldn’t seem to catch his breath.
“You’re pregnant?” he managed to ask on a whisper.
Carrie was staring at him, her eyes wide as she nodded. “Yes.” She bit her bottom lip. “I took the test this morning.”
He sat back, gripping the steering wheel so hard the leather wrapping crackled in his hands. “You’re pregnant.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “You’re sure?”
She gave a shaky nod. “I was pretty certain for the last couple of weeks, and the test confirmed it.”
His mind swirled with so many thoughts he had no clue what he should say to her now. Cheyanne hadn’t taken a test, yet Chase had insisted they get married. If he thought too long about it, he was sure it was all tied up with his mother’s abandonment when he was a kid or some shit like that.
He’d pushed Cheyanne to get married and they had. His ex-wife had pushed to get divorced, and they had. Now he was faced with another woman saying he was going to be a father. But this time, the woman was sure of it.
“You want to get married?” he asked. She gasped and he faced her fully. “What?”
“Are you serious? That’s what you think this is?”
“What do you mean?”
“You think I’m telling you this because of the story you told me about your marriage?” Her eyes snapped at him. “How you got married because…because…”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t think you told me because of what I said. I think you’re sure.”
“Well, that’s something.” She blew out a breath. “You seriously want to get married? We don’t even know each other.”
“Maybe, but I know we get along. In and out of bed. That already gives our marriage a better chance than mine every had.”
She held up a hand. “We get along? We laughed and danced at a wedding, fell into bed together, and tonight we shared one meal.”
“Exactly.”
“Exactly?” She sat as far back in her seat as she apparently could manage. “You’re delusional.”
He knew he had to take a step back. Put her at ease somehow. But the thought of a child of his growing up without him made his head spin.
“Okay, you’re right. We don’t really know each other. Not yet, anyway.”
She clicked her tongue. “Uh, yeah.”
“Why don’t we do that, then?”
Her eyes narrowed on him. “Do what, then?”
He forced ease in his posture as he flashed her a smile. “Get to know each other, Red. Date.”
Her lush mouth dropped open and he longed for another kiss. Licking his lips, he reined in the sharp desire he only seemed to have for this particular woman.
“You want to date?”
“Are you having trouble processing, Carrie?” He winked. “I know I can have that effect on you.”
She covered her face with her hands and then ran her fingers through her hair. She seemed to be steeling herself, and he readied for a quick refusal. A simple dismissal. To his surprise and relief, she nodded.
“Okay. We can date.”
He fist-bumped the dashboard. “Yes!” That earned him a small smile that eased the tension in the truck cab in a big way. “I’m here for a week, Carrie. I’d say that’s just about long enough to figure this thing out.”
“A week is long enough? If you say so. Now, I’m going to say goodnight.”
He cupped her face and gave her a sweet, lingering kiss. It would have to be enough for tonight. “Where are you parked?”
“Right there.” She indicated a small hybrid parked three spaces away. “I don’t have a long drive home. I live just around the corner from the Fourway.”
He arched a brow. “The Fourway?”
Her smile widened. “Don’t even start. It’s the Fourway Motel. I’ll have you know that is an historical landmark.”
“Let me guess. An ancient orgy site?”
“Ha. No, it’s the site of the very first traffic light on Mimosa Key. And it’s just a few miles away from Casa Blanca.”
“Okay.”
She tilted her head to one side, her eyes sparkling. “Chase Harris, are you worried about me?”
“I’m a gentleman, Red. My father might have been a little distant, but he raised me right in the respect department.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I see that. I saw it with Billy too. He has this kind of nobility, somehow.”
Chase acknowledged her words with a nod. His cousin was a good guy, and if Chase gave off a little bit of that vibe? Cool.
“Well, I’m grateful for the comparison,” he said.
She opened her door but before she could step down he got out himself and hurried around to her side. She smiled at him and grabbed her bag off the truck floor. “Thanks again for dinner, Chase.”
“Sure thing.” He leaned on the door frame and held out a hand. “Give me your phone?”
Her brow furrowed but she did so. He put his info into her contacts and handed it back. “I’ll text you tomorrow, Carrie.”
She slid the phone back in her purse. “Okay.” She gazed at him for a beat. “Until tomorrow.”
He watched her get into her little car and didn’t stop watching until she’d turned out of the parking lot. She didn’t have a very long drive, she’d said. Hell, from what he’d seen Mimosa Key was pretty small. He guessed nobody had a very long drive to get anywhere.
As he locked the truck and walked towards the lobby of the resort, he thought about everything that had happened tonight. He’d been attracted to Carrie from the jump, and spending a little more time in her company—upright in her company, this time—that feeling only intensified. She’d been easy to talk to. So easy, that he’d spilled the crap that was his marriage. Then she’d spilled something that could change his entire world.
He nodded to the girl working the front desk and headed up to his guest room on the second floor. Letting himself inside, he crossed to the wide glass doors framing the balcony. He slid one of the doors open and stepped out. The balcony was huge, and gave him a view like a picture postcard of the gulf at night. A big fat moon hung over the water and cast ripples of light on the gentle waves below. The water lapped at the shore, and no one stood on the sand that he could see. He could almost believe he was the only man in the world, staring out at that water. He wasn’t, though. Not even close.
Carrie was pregnant. He was going to be a father for real this time. She’d teased him about worrying about her. Was he worried about her? Damn right, he was. She didn’t know it, but she held more than his baby in her belly.
She held any chance he had at having a real family in her hands.
***
Carrie woke on Thursday morning, her stomach queasy and a headache thrumming behind her eyes. She sat on the edge of her bed, taking in slow deep breaths until everything seemed to settle.
A visit to the bathroom for a splash of cool water on her face sent any discomfort more fully to the corners of her consciousness. She stared into the mirror for a long minute, pulling her hair away from her face. She didn’t look any different, considering the ridiculous upheaval of the previous day. She’d had to face the truth o
n that plastic stick tossed into the small trashcan beneath the chunky fifties wall-mounted pink sink. Then she’d had to tell the baby daddy, although she hadn’t thought that would have to happen for weeks if not months. She’d never expected him to walk into the spa shop, let alone ask her to dinner.
“He asked me to marry him,” she murmured. “Jeez.”
She took a quick shower standing in the thick porcelain tub, also pink, and returned to her room to dress for work. When Doug had ended things he’d kept the apartment they’d shared for seven months. His name was on the lease, he’d pointed out. Since he’d been banging the bartender girl Brandi in the bed they’d also shared, she’d moved out in December without any argument. Thank goodness Jocelyn Palmer had stepped in with this offer of a quaint second-story efficiency apartment.
Shannon had lived here last summer, but the apartment didn’t show any of her personal touches. Billy had swept her off her feet, kicked-off shoes and all, too quickly for her to leave any stamp on the place. Neat as a pin, it bore the landlady’s handiwork down to the crocheted afghan blanketing the big soft floral sofa in the living space.
Mrs. Prattle and her husband were both very dear, and the older woman snuck in every few days to tidy things up. It made Carrie feel a little bit homesick for her mom’s sometimes intrusive but always caring touch. Carrie finished dressing and went into the kitchen to grab something for breakfast.
Grabbing a bottled yogurt drink out of the fridge, she cracked it open and took a sip. Her nausea seemed to be gone, but she didn’t want to risk anything more than this in her stomach this morning. How she’d wolfed down those tamales and sopapillas last night, she wasn’t sure.
Along with the curved fifties fridge and chrome trimmed dinette set, the rest of the apartment carried through the vibe seen in the pink-tiled bathroom. No, Carrie’s home was like a time capsule. Walnut furniture polished to a high sheen. A console TV like she vaguely remembered her grandparents having. This one had a record player tucked down inside. It was all so homey and just what she’d needed when her relationship with Doug had imploded.
She dressed for a day at work. Eucalyptus Spa was busiest during the week, with bridal parties getting ready for the big event and just a few couples and singles taking advantage of the spa’s treatment options. Thursdays and Fridays could be hopping.
Barefoot Bay: Giving Chase (Kindle Worlds Novella) (Cypress Corners Book 8) Page 3