“You’re so beautiful.” He lay her down on the seat, her dress bunching up to her waist as he did. He had loved seeing her completely naked, he’d loved seeing all of her skin, but there was something about seeing her half clothed that was erotic to him, too: covered up but naked. He couldn’t decide if he wanted to look at her or touch.
“Come here,” she whispered, reaching for him, sliding her fingers into his hair.
Touch won out.
He kissed her and her legs parted for him but he didn’t enter her. Instead he placed his hands between her thighs, stroking her. She was more than ready for him, but when he touched her, she whimpered, the sound so arousing it nearly caused him to explode. He touched her again, a longer stroke, a little firmer this time. She moved against his hand, clearly not wanting to be teased anymore. He sank his fingers into her, rubbing her as he stroked inside her, showing her with his fingers what his body was planning to do to her next. Their kisses turned hard and hot and hurried. Frantic, almost, and soon she was shuddering against him. He lifted his lips from her mouth so he could look down at her. He always loved to look at her after they had finished making love. She was so unguarded then. He could see every feeling in her face. But he didn’t get to process her emotions for too long because she reached for him, rubbing him through his pants with one hand as she undid his belt with the other.
“Damn it, Bell,” he hissed as she slid a hand into his boxers, the feeling almost too good. “I need to be inside you.”
She nodded and then said the sexiest words he had ever heard: “What are you waiting for? I’m right here.”
She unzipped his pants, tugging them down as he brought himself closer to her. Her legs hooked around him, and he fully pressed against her. She was ready for him and the anticipation of that wet heat around him almost caused him to lose it.
“Now, Carter.”
He obeyed her order … and just as he began the slow slide into her, honking penetrated his ears, bright lights shone into his car, and for a moment he couldn’t process what was going on.
“Shit. The tow truck is here,” Belinda said, pushing him away. “Shit!” She looked at him, her face pained. “What the hell are we doing? What the hell am I doing?”
“It’s okay, Bell. The windows are fogged up. They can’t see what we were doing.”
“It’s not that.” A horrified looked crossed her face. “You came here to divorce me. Divorce me! We can’t keep doing this. It’s screwing with my head. I need to move on with my life and you need to move on with yours. We need to be done.”
“You think I expected this, to still be so attracted to you?”
She shook her head. “Send me the papers, Carter. Please. Just send them.”
And with that Belinda slipped on her shoes, straightened her clothes, and walked away from him without another word.
CHAPTER 10
Ain’t nothing but a hound dog …
“Daddy?” Ruby called to him from her tiny desk in the corner of his office.
“Yes, babe?” He looked up to find her head down, most of her attention absorbed in the drawing she was in the middle of.
“Can you buy me an iPhone?”
“What?” He shook his head. He thought he knew his daughter, but she never ceased to surprise him. “What do you need with an iPhone?”
“I could play games on it. You don’t let me play on your phone anymore. But if I had my own phone then I wouldn’t want to play with yours.”
He blinked at her for a moment. She made a very sound argument. “I don’t let you play with mine because the last time I did you sent fifteen picture messages to my old boss.”
She looked up at him, kind of exasperated, like she didn’t know what the hell she was going to do with him. “I don’t know why you got so mad. I didn’t mean to. I was trying to send the pictures to Grandma. She said you should get me my own phone, and that way we could talk to each other anytime we wanted. She said that she’s sad I moved so far away.”
Carter inhaled. He wasn’t speaking to his mother, still bothered by the fact that she’d gone out of her way to make Belinda feel like she didn’t belong, but he couldn’t let that interfere with her relationship with Ruby. In her own odd way, Bernadette Lancaster loved her granddaughter. He wasn’t surprised his mother would suggest he buy a five-year-old an expensive cell phone. “I’m sorry, Ruby. I know you miss your grandma, but I’m not buying you an iPhone.”
“Okay.” She went back to her drawing. “Daddy?”
“Yeah, Rube?”
“Can you get a TV for your office then?”
He looked up from the plans he was drawing and gazed at her, her little face so serious. She was bored. She never complained about being there for two hours almost every afternoon, but he should have known that construction paper and coloring books weren’t enough to keep any child occupied for so long. Sometimes he thought it might be better for her to go to the after-school program and be with the other kids. He sent her when he had meetings he couldn’t reschedule, but most days he was selfish and kept her with him. It was one of those parenting moments when he wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing or not.
He had so many of those lately.
“How about we go to the store this weekend and see about getting you a tablet? You could read books and watch movies and play games on it. It will be like your own little computer.”
“Can I go on the Internet?”
“No.”
She shrugged. “Okay.”
She went back to her drawing and he went back to his until he heard, “Knock, knock.”
Molly poked her head in his door and smiled at him. She had been stopping by his office more and more the past couple of weeks. They even had lunch together in the break room a couple of times, but he still hadn’t agreed to dinner. He liked Molly but he didn’t want to date her.
“I was heading out to class and just wanted to drop in and say good night before I did.”
“Good night, Molly. Have a good weekend.”
“You, too.” He thought she was about to leave but she stepped farther inside his office. “You got any big plans this weekend?”
“Big plans?” He shook his head. “Just plans. I think I’m going to take Ruby to the electronics store and maybe to the movies.”
He glanced at his daughter, who was staring at him, and winked. She gave him a soft smile before she went back to coloring.
“Oh, that sounds nice. And hello, Ruby. I nearly didn’t see you there.”
“That’s because you were too busy gawking at my daddy.”
“Ruby!” he scolded, but he was more than a little surprised that she’d said anything to Molly at all. She was coming out of her shell. He would have been inordinately proud if she hadn’t been so rude.
“Well, don’t you have a mouth on you, little Miss Ruby,” Belinda said, walking in. “I’ll have to admit I’m a little relieved to hear it. You were far too polite and well behaved for a normal child. I was starting to think you were a robot.” She smiled at Ruby, her green eyes sparkling.
He was surprised to see her in his office. He didn’t think he would see her so soon after their afternoon in the back of his car. She’d asked him to send the divorce papers but he hadn’t. He couldn’t bring himself to. Not after what had almost happened between them.
“How are you, beautiful girl?”
“Good.” Ruby grinned widely at Belinda, seeming happy to see her.
“You should apologize, though. It’s okay to be a little sassy sometimes, but it’s not okay to be unkind.”
Ruby nodded, looking contrite. “I’m sorry, Molly.”
“That’s okay,” Molly mumbled as she focused on Belinda. The two women looked at each other, checking each other out in the way only two women could.
“I’m, Molly. I work here. I’m Steven’s intern.”
“Hi, Molly. I’m Belinda,” she said, giving no explanation as to who she was. “Nice to meet you.”
/> Molly glanced at Carter and then back at Belinda as if trying to figure out their relationship. He might be reading too much into it, but it seemed that Molly was a little more interested in who Belinda was than she should be.
“It was nice meeting you, too. I need to get going. Good-bye, Carter. Let me know if you want to do something this weekend.”
Belinda crossed the room, stopping at his desk. She gave a quick look at the door before she bent to speak into his ear. “I think Miss Perky Blond Intern has the hots for you.”
He grinned at her, trying to ignore the feeling of her warm breath on his skin. She was arousing without even trying. “Are you jealous?”
She searched his face for a moment, all traces of humor melting away. “Damn. I’d almost forgotten how beautiful your smile is.”
She was the beautiful one. He took a moment to study her but he didn’t need to because he’d barely taken his eyes off her since she walked into his office.
She was in bombshell mode again in a body-hugging red dress and little denim jacket. She was always in bombshell mode, but today he had an especially hard time pulling his eyes off her. She was too much for him to take in. Lush breasts, tiny waist, an overabundance of curves. She never hid it. She was never afraid to show herself off to the world. Belinda wasn’t a woman who hid herself in corners. She wasn’t quiet. She wasn’t understated. She was the opposite of everything he had ever known or wanted. He had spent so many years being angry that he had forgotten those little things that had made it impossible for him to live without her.
“I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds with Ruby a few minutes ago,” she said awkwardly, and he realized he had been staring at her just a little too long. “I had no right to ask her to apologize. She’s your child.”
“No. You should have.” He managed to pull his eyes away from Belinda long enough to give his daughter a pointed look. “She was rude.”
Belinda gave Ruby a small smile before she turned back to Carter and lowered her voice. “She’s just a little territorial over her daddy. Or maybe she has exceedingly good taste. If she doesn’t like the woman you’re dating, maybe you shouldn’t date her.”
“She likes you. What does that tell you?”
“Of course she likes me.” She raised her chin haughtily. “I’m not trying to get in your pants.”
“Really?” He felt like teasing her a little. He dropped his voice, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her close so that his lips touched the curve of her ear. “Should I remind of you of what happened in my car a few days ago?”
Her eyes shot up to his and she shook her head. “You started it!” She tried to pull away from him, an embarrassed flush creeping up her face.
“I can finish it, too. Just say the word.”
“No,” she hissed. “I came here to divorce you. Do you have the papers here?”
He looked at his desk drawer where he kept the papers, but he made no move to retrieve them. It would make sense for him just to pull them out, for her to sign and go on her way, but …
This whole thing seemed wrong.
“How about we try some idle chitchat for a couple minutes first?” He took her small hand between his and just held it for a moment before he turned it over and stroked his thumbs over her palm.
“Stop.” Her eyes went wide.
He ignored her request and continued stroking. His fingers brushed against her pulse. Her heart was racing. “What’s the matter, Bell?”
“Your kid is here,” she said, her voice just above a whisper as she pulled her hand from his. “You’re supposed to be divorcing me. What the hell are you trying to do?”
He knew Ruby was here. He could feel her eyes on them. It was because of her he was going to stay sane and push back those thousands of feelings that ran through his chest when Belinda was around. It was because of Ruby he was going to try to ignore the urge he had to kiss her.
“Tell me about your store. You own it with your best friend. Ellis, right? How is she?”
“You remember?”
“How could I forget? You two went to prom together, and she made your dress.”
She smiled at him, the thick suffocating tension between them melted. “And I wondered if you were listening to what I said on our dates or just staring at my boobs.”
“A little of both,” he admitted. “Speaking of dates, are you seeing anybody right now?”
She was quiet for a moment. “Why are you asking? You already know I was faithful.”
Faithful. She said the word like they were still a couple. Like they were still really married. She wasn’t his wife anymore. How could she be? Six weeks together and four years apart did not make a marriage. They were strangers now. Familiar, connected strangers. “You kind of wish when your wife leaves you that she has been lonely and miserable without you.”
“I can never tell when you’re joking.” She shook her head.
“Just because you haven’t been with anybody else doesn’t mean that you aren’t seeing anybody. We were together,” he said seriously. “I need to know that there isn’t someone else.”
“There’s nobody.”
“Ah.” Relief coursed through him. “So I can sleep soundly tonight.”
They were quiet for a moment, awkwardness invading the air as they stared at each other.
“Do you have the papers here?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“No.” He lied to her for the first time. “I have them at home.”
She exhaled, seeming relieved. “Mail them to me. Send them to the store.” She looked over at Ruby. “I didn’t want to do this in front of her anyway. It seems wrong.”
“It does.” He rubbed his now throbbing head before he turned to his daughter. Her little face was scrunched in concentration as she tried to figure out what was going on with the adults in her world. He stood up, causing Belinda to take a step back. “Ruby, Belinda’s here to take you out.”
Ruby’s eyes lit up. “You are?”
“I-I am?” She gazed at Carter with curiosity, but then she turned to Ruby, who looked so damn hopeful that she crumbled. “I wanted you to take you guys to check out the new frozen yogurt place in town.”
“Frozen yogurt is a poor substitute for ice cream,” Ruby said, leaving her desk.
Carter was about to scold his daughter for repeating another thing she had clearly heard from an adult, but Belinda put her hand up to stop him.
“Is it now?” She raised a brow.
“Yes, Grandma says that frozen yogurt is what fat people eat when they are trying to convince themselves they are being healthy.”
“Well, baby doll, I could take you for ice cream but the Fro Yo Fortress has thirty-seven different yummy toppings. You could put gummy bears and cheesecake and M&M’s on your yogurt if you wanted to. If I take you for ice cream, all you get is sprinkles.”
“I’ll go for frozen yogurt. I’ve never had it before. I don’t even know what Grandma is talking about.”
“Good choice. Wait for us by the door. I need to tell your father something.” She walked over to him, stood on her tiptoes, and spoke into his ear. Her breath tickled him, her breast pressed against his arm, and for a moment he shut his eyes as her nearness assaulted his senses. “What the hell are you trying to pull here, Lancaster?”
“Nothing. I shouldn’t have told you that I wanted you to stay away from her. It was wrong and I’m sorry for doing that. I would like to be your friend, Belinda. If we are going to live in the same town we might as well try to get along.”
“Is it possible?”
“I don’t know, but it seems worth a shot.”
His phone rang and he glanced at the clock, remembering he had scheduled this call. “You two go on without me. I have to take this.”
She nodded and gave him one long last look before she walked out the door with Ruby. He’d never thought the day would come when he would see his wife and his daughter together. He wondered how many times he would see it
before it all ended.
*
Belinda glanced at the top of Ruby’s messy hair as they left Carter’s office. She couldn’t believe that this was happening. Somehow something had changed between them. She wasn’t sure what. Maybe his explanation was what she needed to move on. She was still hurt by his omission. She still regretted her foolish decision to marry him, but she wasn’t angry anymore. She could picture him in that hospital with his very hurt baby. She could imagine the loss he’d felt when Bethany had died and the huge amount of responsibility that settled on his shoulders the moment she did. She could forgive him for not trying to save their marriage. She could finally forgive herself for the same reason.
She hadn’t been in the neighborhood when she stopped by. She had been at the store going through the motions, trying to pretend that her every thought wasn’t occupied by Carter. She kept thinking back to the other day, when they were stuck together in his car, when they were so close to making love again, and a little piece of her had spent the day missing him. She was obsessing about him. And it had to stop.
There was no need to drag out this divorce. She decided to take charge of her life and go to his office and sign the papers. She was supposed to be figuring out what the hell she was going to do with her life. Not reliving the past with a man she should have never married.
When she showed up at the office she had planned on quickly signing the papers and then leaving to go home and plan her next move. But the Lancasters had thrown a wrench in her plans. Carter suddenly didn’t seem so hell-bent on ending their marriage—and then there was Ruby, who looked so serious and kind of cute sitting at a miniature wooden desk with a tiny little rolling chair. From that alone Belinda knew that Ruby spent a lot of time in her father’s office. It seemed Carter was the type of man who liked to keep his child close, but Belinda wondered if that was the best thing for Ruby. Being cooped up in an office all afternoon seemed kind of boring. But she didn’t dare say anything to Carter about it. It was none of her business. Besides, what did she know? She could barely keep a plant alive, much less give advice on how to raise a child.
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