Chasing Carson

by Amanda Bennett

  After I had taken some time to sort out how I felt about his ex, okay this actually only took me maybe a day, but in the end I realized that his past was his past. There was nothing I could do to change it, just like he couldn’t change mine. No I hadn’t been engaged, but the seriousness of my one and only relationship was enough for me to understand what he went through. I knew what it felt like to have someone cheat on you, and it was enough to make you never love that person ever again.

  I never doubted Ruger’s feelings for me, but having his past thrown in my face was just too much for me to handle, too soon. I looked in both directions as I started to cross the street, when I noticed the same black sedan parked around the block that I had seen almost every morning when I went running for the last week. As I turned the corner in the opposite direction of the car, I smiled. I smiled because I knew it was Ruger who was following me. It was a small gesture, but one that meant the world to me. It let me know that even though I had told him I didn’t want to see him, he still needed to see me.

  Thirty minutes later, I was running back up the street to the house when I spotted a small wrapped gift sitting on the back end of my car. I glanced both ways down the street but didn’t see any sign of life, or the black car. My brows pulled together in confusion as I approached the box with caution. After what happened with the two guys outside of the garage that day, I was still cautious about everything. As I got closer, I noticed a small tag hanging off of the bow. I flipped it over and my heart melted where I stood as I read the small but sweet message scrolled across the paper.

  Happy Birthday to the one girl who will always have my heart.

  ~R

  I picked up the box and clutched it to my chest as I scanned the neighborhood for the black car. When I still didn’t find it anywhere, I turned and made my way up the driveway and through the small gate to the front door. I held back the tears that threatened to expose my sadness to the world as I walked inside. Nobody was in the living room, so I quickly ran up the stairs to my right, and straight into my room. Once I was securely inside and alone, I sat on my bed and set the present in front of me, afraid to know its contents.

  I sat there for a good fifteen minutes before I finally stood up and began pacing around my room. As much as I wanted to open the gift, something was holding me back. What if this was it, and he was telling me good-bye? What if I opened it and it was a token of his love for me, and then he wasn’t here for me to thank? I grabbed my phone off of my desk and typed out a text message to Trey. He was still the only one that I had confided in about Ruger, and therefore the only one I could talk to about it.

  Hey, just got a present from Ruger. Should I open it?

  ~C

  A few minutes later, a text came in from Trey.

  Hell yes you should. I want to know what’s inside. Lol

  ~T

  I took in a deep breath as I pulled the small package onto my lap on the floor. I unwrapped it slowly and neatly, prolonging the end result. My heart was beating a million miles a minute as I pictured him wrapping it up and waiting for the perfect moment to leave it for me. When I got down to the brown cardboard box, I let out the small breath I didn’t know I was holding in. I slid my fingernail under the tape that held the box shut and slowly closed my eyes. When I opened them, and the box sat open on my lap, my jaw practically fell to the floor as I looked at the contents.

  There in my lap sat a gold medallion on a gold chain. The medallion was that of the Archangel Michael. I grasped the chain and pulled it from the tissue paper set inside the box, and noticed a small white tag attached to it. There, attached to this beautiful and thoughtful gift, was another note from Ruger.

  To keep you safe when I can’t.

  ~R

  It was the sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me, to date. I had never felt so loved, so cherished than I did right now. I held up the medallion in my hands as tears began to fall. If there was ever any doubt as to how this man felt about me, it all dissipated as I held the one thing that expressed exactly how he felt for me, in my hands. All I could think of was how much I wanted to go to him. To tell him how much I loved him and wanted to try and make this work, but I wouldn’t have the slightest clue as to how to find him. My phone went off next to my leg with a text message, startling me to death.

  So, what was it?

  ~T

  I quickly text him back before I ran to take a shower.

  Nothing special. I’ll see you tonight.

  ~C

  As much as I wanted to tell Trey all about the amazingly thoughtful gift, I kinda wanted to keep it to myself. This gift was intimate and I wanted to keep it that way. I grabbed my bathrobe and made my way out to the bathroom next to my room. I was just about to close the door, when a foot jutted into the open space, causing the door to jump back at my face.

  “Seriously.” I growled.

  When I looked up, there he stood, all six feet four inches of him. Before I could say another word, he was bending down, pulling me up, and pulling my legs around his waist. His lips fell against mine, hard and needy. My hands sunk into his hair, pulling him as close to me as possible as our tongues intertwined with one another. He kicked the door closed behind him, and then pressed my back firmly against the wall. Our kissing was fervent and all consuming, and I let myself get lost in his touch.

  The lyrics to the song I had just been listening to ran through my head as his hands gripped the inside of my legs tighter. As much as I wanted this, I didn’t want it in this way. I slowly pulled back from him, our lips losing contact as our lustful gazes met with one another.

  “Hi.” I whispered.

  “Hi.” He whispered back against my neck, before letting his lips make contact with my flushed skin.

  “Take me to my room.”

  “Are you sure?”

  I simply nodded as he walked us down the hall and into my room, kicking the door shut before gently pressing me down onto the bed. The mattress enveloped my back as he looked down at me with complete adoration. His fingers slipped between my skin and my sports bra, and I sucked in a strangled breath at his touch. I had never felt anything like the electricity that sparked when our skin met. He pulled it up and over my head and quickly discarded it on the floor behind him.

  I lay there beneath him bare breasted and exposed, but it never crossed my mind to hide my body from him. If anything, I wanted him to see all of me. I reached for the waistband on my running pants, but he playfully slapped my hand away. I tucked my hands behind my head as he slowly and torturously removed my pants. I let my eyes flutter shut as he raked his gaze down every inch of my body. I could feel his want for me growing between my legs, but I let him do what it was he felt was necessary to make me feel comfortable.

  When my eyes fluttered open, he sat there staring at me. I could tell he wanted to say something, but now just wasn’t the time. I didn’t want anything to ruin what was happening between us. Right now it was just he and I, and nothing else mattered. As he tugged his shirt over his head, exposing his amazing abs, I made quick work of unbuttoning his pants. Before I could try and push them down, he stood up and dropped them to the floor. There he stood in front of me in all of his naked glory.

  His body was one to be envied. Everything was tight and defined, and big. I looked up at him with a smile just before he descended onto me, settling in between my legs. I pressed my lips against his neck, and then traced his jawbone with my tongue. His body shivered beneath my touch and I couldn’t help but smile. He was mine. All mine.

  Thirteen

  Ruger

  I was positioned at her entrance, waiting for what I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t like I wanted her to tell me no, but I guess I just needed her to say yes. I ran my fingers through her hair and down her face, as I stared into her hooded eyes. She was absolutely beautiful. There wasn’t a single thing about her that I didn’t want to see. Her body looked as though she was sculpted to perfection. Her taught muscles that pulled tighter as I ran
my fingers lightly across her skin had me achin’ to be inside of her.

  “Tell me you want me.” I whispered against her skin, causing her to tremble beneath me.

  “I want you, Ruger.”

  As the last letter of my name passed between her lips, I sunk into her. I let out a loud groan as her body adjusted to my width and length. I stilled once I was fully inside of her to make sure she was okay. When I looked down at her, her eyes were closed, her lips partially parted as they let out a sigh, and I took that as my sign to keep goin’. I moved in and out of her at an excruciatingly slow pace, as the fear of hurtin’ her took over. As I eased back into her, she wrapped her legs around my waist and pushed hard against my backside. Apparently, the pace I was goin’ wasn’t enough for her, and I smiled.

  It didn’t take long for the both of us to finish. As I thrust into her one last time, my name passed through her lips and my heart exploded with love. Once I got my erratic breathing under control, I placed both of my arms on each side of her head, holdin’ myself up so I could look at her. There was a thin sheen of sweat that glistened on her body and she looked absolutely radiant. That was the moment that I knew I would never be the same.

  “Happy Birthday, sweetheart.” I pressed my lips lightly against hers and when I pulled back, a tear fell from her eye. “Am I hurtin’ you?” I quickly moved to the side of her, pullin’ her blanket up to cover both of us.

  “You weren’t hurting me.” She finally answered. “That was…I don’t even know how to put it into words.”

  I let out a loud laugh before leaning back over her and kissin’ her deeply. When I pulled back, I saw the woman I wanted to spend every mornin’ wakin’ up to and every night sayin’ goodnight to. Deep down, I suppose it was always meant to be Carson. Maybe my time with Rowan was to teach me what I wanted in a woman and what I didn’t. The way I felt towards Carson in this very minute was a feelin’ that words just couldn’t do justice. Isn’t that what love is though, never havin’ the right words to do your relationship justice?

  “Thank you for my gift.” Her voice was soft and soothin’ when she spoke.

  “You’re very welcome.”

  “How did you get into my house?”

  “You do realize that I’m a U.S. Marshal right? Kind of part of my job.” I laughed.

  “But where is everyone? Surely someone saw you?”

  I shook my head no, and we both laughed. “Nobody is home, sweetheart. I waited for them to leave before I snuck in. You know, you should be more careful. I could’ve been some random stranger breakin’ in.”

  “In this neighborhood? Doubtful.” We both lay there in silence for a while before Carson finally asked me the one thing I wasn’t sure I wanted to answer.

  “Ruger?”

  “Yes, Carson.”

  “Tell me about you.”

  I turned onto my back, pullin’ Carson onto my chest as I started my story. “Well, let’s see. When I was eighteen I enrolled in the Army. I didn’t have a bad home life or any other complicated reason like that, I just had an overwhelmin’ need to serve and protect my country. When I first joined, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life. I didn’t know if I wanted to make a career out of the Army, but I knew that I felt a strong sense of family when I was in. I was close with everyone in my platoon, and when we first got shipped out to Afghanistan, I was terrified. I had never felt fear like that before in my life, but I did my job over there and I did it good, that was actually when I decided to become a sniper. I was real good at it too. I had a guy teach me, and it was like second nature to me.” I glanced down at her to make sure she was still listenin’. She had been so quite, I wasn’t sure.

  “I’m still listening.”

  “So, when I got home I decided to pursue that. You know the parts between all of that, so I won’t put you through that again. One day when I was visitin’ some family, a Marshal came lookin’ for me. I honestly thought I was in some deep shit, but come to find out, they wanted to recruit me. So that’s how I became a Marshal. Since then, that’s all I’ve done.”

  “What about your family?”

  “My mom died when I was away. I didn’t even get to come back for her funeral. And my dad, well I’m not sure what happened to him. Just know I haven’t seen him in a very long time. I was real close with my grandparents. They’re the ones that left me the farm, but they’ve been gone for some time now.” I let my last sentence trail off as I could tell that Carson was startin’ to feel bad for me.

  “That’s so sad. I’m so sorry.”

  “Don’t be. I had a good life. My parents were great to me when I was younger. They got divorced when I was about seven, but I lived with my father and he was awesome, right up until I left for the Army. After the divorce I never really saw my mom unless we ran into her somewhere, she called a lot though.”

  “So how is it that you have never heard from him since?”

  “I couldn’t tell ya. I guess it just is what it is.” I kissed the top of her head, and then slid out from underneath her still naked form. “I should probably go. I don’t want to get you in trouble, especially not on your birthday.” I pulled my clothes on while Carson lay on her bed watchin’ my every move. “Does somethin’ interest you now, Carson?” I winked as I remembered her first answer to that question.

  “Nothing about you interests me, Ruger.” She teased.

  I jumped onto her and started kissin’ her entire face as she giggled. It was one of the sweetest sounds I ever heard. When I stopped, our eyes met and I sealed my lips over hers. When I pulled back, there were so many things I wanted to say to her, but the sound of car doors shuttin’ pulled me out of the trance she had me in.

  “Shit, you gotta go.” She stood and pulled her runnin’ clothes back on. I started makin’ my way over to her window, but stopped to kiss her one last time. “My party is tonight at Shelton’s, will you come?”

  “I’ll see ya there.” I smiled, and then stole one last kiss before I climbed out onto the roof. I looked back one last time once I got to the ground, and smiled at the radiant girl lookin’ out her bedroom window at the man she just made love to for the first time.

  Fourteen

  Carson

  I stood back looking at myself in the mirror, in a whole new light. Sure I have had sex before, but it wasn’t just sex with Ruger. I honestly felt like I had met the man that I was going to spend the rest of my life with. Everything inside of me just knew that he was the one, and nobody was going to tell me differently.

  I tugged on my loose hanging curls one last time before finally making my way downstairs. When I walked into the room, everyone was silent. I checked myself for any spots or something weird on my face, but stopped when my dad started to laugh.

  “Oh honey, you look just fine. I think everybody just can’t believe how grown up you look.”

  “Oh.” I smiled. “Thanks Daddy.” I kissed his cheek, and then made my way over to my mom to give her a hug.

  “Carson, you look amazing.” Lyndley’s voice caught me off guard. After all the trouble we have been having lately, I honestly didn’t think her and Ky would show up tonight.

  “Thanks, sis.” I made my way over to her, pulling her into a deep hug. “Truce?” I whispered.

  “Absolutely.” She smiled as she pulled me into a deeper hug.

  “All right, we should get going. Everyone is going to be waiting and wondering where you’re at.” Ky shouted.

  “Let’s go.”

  “You want to ride with us?” Lyndley asked.

  “Yeah.” I replied.

  When we pulled up to Shelton’s I grabbed my purse and practically jumped out of the car. I was beyond excited to see my friends, but I was even more excited to get to see Ruger again. Since he left earlier, my body yearned for his touch. I needed to feel the close proximity of his body to mine, no matter where we were.

  Shelton’s was pretty busy tonight. Not only was it a Saturday, but it would also appear that half
of the school came to wish me a happy birthday. Shelton’s was the perfect place for a party. Half of it was a restaurant and the other half was a nightclub. It was one of my favorite places to go on the weekends that I could actually get into. It didn’t hurt that my dad knew the owner also. Him and Mr. Shelton have been friends for as long as I could remember, and it was the only place I would ever consider having my party, every year.

  I pulled open the door to the club portion when a loud unison “SURPRISE,” was shouted by everyone inside waiting for me. A huge smile formed on my face as I looked around at everyone who made an effort to come out and celebrate with me. Mr. Shelton was the first one to approach me.

  “Happy Birthday, baby girl.” He gave me a big hug, and then went straight to talking to my dad.

  As each individual person came up to hug me and say happy birthday, I couldn’t help but look for Ruger, but I didn’t see him anywhere. I finally started making my way towards Amelia, Trinity and Trey, when Lyndley grabbed me by the elbow.

  “Hey, come talk to me in a minute.”

  I smiled and nodded, and then walked straight for Trey, wrapping him in a huge hug. “You made it.”

  “Of course I did. Happy Birthday, love.”

  “Thanks, Trey.”

  “Happy Birthday, girl. Oh my god, we have missed you so much. Wasn’t that party just insane?”

  I pulled back from the group hug that Amelia and Trinity had me wrapped in. “Yeah it was. How have you guys been?”

  “Good. Just getting started in school. We miss you like crazy. I can’t believe that you didn’t want to move on campus with us.” Trinity said emphatically.

  “I know.” I feigned sadness as I continued to look for Ruger.

  “Hey guys, can you excuse me for a minute? I’ll be right back.” The music started to filter through the sound system as I made my way across the room towards Ky and Lyndley. I grabbed Lyndley’s shoulder to turn her towards me, when Ky jumped up and grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the exit.