by Skylar Hill
The breath knocked out of his lungs, Dillon lay gasping on the ground, dazed, as Carter leaned over him.
“I may be a geek,” he said, his mouth tilting up. “But I’m a geek who takes krav maga. Better luck next time… if you’re stupid enough to try.”
The elevator doors dinged open, and Carter stepped over Dillon’s prone body, to walk inside. As the doors closed, he couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face.
He wasn’t smiling because he’d just kicked Dillon’s ass, even though the guy kind of needed it. He was smiling because he had nothing but good things ahead of him. Olivia healthy and happy. His parents stress-free and able to focus on their lives and work and Olivia, on anything but hospitals and worries. Nat taking over the company, freeing him up to invent. His own lab, where he could fiddle to his heart’s content—no timelines, no paperwork, no day-to-day business he hated.
And Maddy.
His smile grew wider at the thought of her. He wanted to take her somewhere after all this was over and he was recovered and Olivia was out of the woods. Just the two of them. Somewhere isolated. Maybe he’d rent a place on an island. Or maybe an island itself. Somewhere with sand and the ocean and Maddy in a bikini and impractical shoes that had plastic cherries swinging from the straps.
As the elevator doors opened and he made his way out to the parking lot, his mind turned from sand and sun and vacations to a deeper desire that he hadn’t let himself contemplate until now.
Maddy in his bed was good. But Maddy in his life? Even better.
He wanted to wake up and wander into his kitchen and find her there in one of his old shirts, her feet propped up on a stool as she drank her coffee and did the crossword. He wanted to end each day with her in his arms, in his bed, in his heart. He wanted her funny shoes in his closet and her long legs tangled with his under those ridiculously expensive organic cotton sheets and her laughter floating through his—no, their—home.
He stopped walking, the realization hitting him all at once. How had he not seen it until now?
Well, fuck. You really can be stupid, Carter, he thought as a overwhelming feeling—joy, relief, that damn fizzy, happy kind of love that felt like nothing else—rose in his chest.
When the time was right, he was gonna marry the hell out of that girl.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Maddy
Maddy couldn’t sleep. She’d gotten a text from Nat saying Off to NYC. Emergency board meeting and a message from Zoe saying that Carter had to cancel their lunch date. She’d heard nothing since from her or Carter since.
Had Dillon done something? Maddy’s fists curled in anger as she paced her apartment for what felt like the millionth time. It was nearly midnight and she really needed to sleep, but she couldn’t when she had no idea what was going on. She’d called Carter, but it had gotten directly to voicemail, like he had his phone shut off.
She sighed, pushing her hair off her face, thinking maybe she’d make some popcorn and watch bad TV, when there was a knock at her door.
She scowled at the door. That better not be her creepy landlord. “Larry,” she called. “If that’s you, you better get the hell off my doorstep.”
There was a pause, and then through the door, “Maddy? It’s Carter.”
She felt a thrill of relief as she hurried to unlock the door and let him in. “Hey,” she said, stepping aside. He had a carry-on in his hands and a flannel shirt tossed over his soft gray t-shirt. “I heard you were in New York.”
He nodded, setting his bag down and venturing deeper into her place. “I had some things to take care of with the board.”
She bit her lip. Was he angry at her? Had she screwed everything up for him? God, she never should have danced with him at the party. She should’ve kept her wits about her. He was just so… him. And he was irresistible.
“Is everything okay?” she asked.
“I was a little worried there for a second,” he said. “Apparently Dillon saw us at the Halloween party?”
Maddy flushed guiltily, her eyes sweeping down to study her toes. “I should have told you.”
“I wish you had,” he said. “I get that you and Nat are really close. Best friends and all that and you’re used to going to her for help. But you and I, we’re …” he trailed off, surprising her by taking her hand in his. She wore an old eternity ring on her pointer finger, a band of white gold engraved with orange blossoms. He ran the pad of his thumb over the metal, like he was memorizing the light bumps and grooves of the flowers. “I want you to come to me,” he said, finally finishing his thought. “I want you to rely on me. I want to be the one to help you fix your problems.”
“I’ve never had that,” Maddy confessed. “Not with a guy, I mean.”
He nodded. “I know that asshole ex of yours we ran into at the party did a lot of shitty things,” he said. “But I’m never gonna be him, I promise. I want to take care of you.”
“I want to take care of you, too,” she said, resting her head on his chest.
“We’ll take care of each other,” he said, and she loved how that sounded. Loving how it was with him, how easy, how good, how natural. “But you gotta tell me about stuff, so I can help take care of it.”
“Deal,” she promised.
“Nat and I defeated Dillon and his dad pretty handily,” he said, leading her to the couch and sitting down, letting her cuddle against him, in the nook of his shoulder. His arm was warm around her own shoulders, holding her close. “But I realized something today,” he said, his green eyes lit with a glow she’d never seen before. “I realized that even if I hadn’t already planned to step down as CEO, I would’ve done it in a second if they told me I couldn’t have you too.”
“Carter…” She didn’t even know what to say.
“That’s kind of big, isn’t it?’ he asked, smiling bashfully at her.
Maddy felt like everything in her life had been moving toward this moment and this man: a man who would be a partner and a protector, her shield, her strength, and her backup in every challenge.
“Yeah,” she said. “That’s really big.”
“Can I ask you something?”
She nodded. He was still playing with her hands, with the ring on her finger, weaving his fingers with her own. His hands were so much bigger than hers, calloused in unusual places from holding whatever tools he used to make the toys. She wondered if he’d let her watch him work some day. They’d probably end up fucking on a lab table, she thought with a wry grin.
“Will you come on Tuesday?”
“To the hospital?” she asked, feeling an immense wave of relief wash over her. She’d spent the last few weeks—ever since she’d found out about the transplant, even more they’d kissed for the first time, before they became… this, them—so worried about his upcoming surgery. She knew that kidney transplants could be very safe—and they were much safer for the donor than the recipient. But she was worried for him and his little sister. For his whole family. And selfishly, she wanted to be there for him, anyway, when he woke up.
We’ll take care of each other, he had said.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’d really like it if you were there.”
“I’d love to be there,” she said.
“Good,” he said.
She pressed a kiss to their entwined fingers, biting playfully at his knuckle and growling to lighten the mood. He grinned, leaning forward to bop her nose with his own, and tilting down the last inch to kiss her.
What started out playful and affectionate shifted to heated and urgent with just a brush of his hand against her breast. She moaned into his mouth, pressing into his palm as he cupped the weight, squeezing gently.
“Your curves are so fucking sexy.” The words were dragged across her skin with his mouth, as he pulled her sweater off her shoulder, kissing the skin greedily. He dragged her up and into his lap in one movement, making her stomach swoop and her pussy clench at his strengths. “Sometimes I’d catch you bending o
ver in the office. Those tight sheath dresses you wear… I was going crazy thinking about you every day. All I wanted to do was get behind you, cup your hips, and sink into you.”
She shivered at the thought of being bent over Carter’s desk at the office—no, even better, his lab table, scattered with toy prototypes that he then proceeded to “test” on her.
He laughed… a low, delicious sound that made her want to grind up against his leg. Anything to get some relief. “Be good now,” he said.
She shot him a naughty smile. “Oh, what are you going to do if I’m not? Spank me?” She rolled over, the thin little nightie she was in riding up her waist, exposing the curve of her ass.
She wasn’t wearing any panties. It was a blatant invitation.
He cocked an eyebrow at her, his big hand smoothing her cheeks as she felt herself get even slicker between her thighs. God, she wanted everything with him. He drew the anticipation out, stroking her skin, building her desire up. Then he swatted her, six quick taps that were playful and teasing, with just the right amount of sting. She giggled as he leaned down, mischievously biting one of the lush mounds. His lips dragged up to her lower back, his fingers still digging into her ass.
“You’re so perfect,” he groaned against her skin. “I want to fuck you every way I can get you.”
She sighed in pleasure, loving his lips against her sensitive skin as she arched against his body, feeling the hard plane of his chest pressing against her ass.
“Like this,” he murmured as his hands closed around her hips, bringing them up, her ass pressing against the hot bulge in his pants.
She tossed her head back, rolling her hips against his erection, smiling over her shoulder as he groaned. She loved how thick he was, and when he drew back to unbuckle his belt and get rid of his pants, she had to stop herself from licking her lips when she saw the tip of his cock peeking out from the waistband of his boxers. She’d done that. She’d made him that hard.
“Like what you see?” he asked, catching her eye.
She flushed, caught. She rose to her knees, her palm coming to cup the hot bulge of his cock, massaging the hot length, tracing every vein and ridge through the soft material. He groaned, catching her wrist.
“You keep doing that and I’m gonna bend you over this couch,” he said.
“Promises, promises,” she said, shooting him a saucy grin and wiggling her butt at him.
He swatted her again, making her yelp in delight, and then he was pushing his boxers to the ground and running his lips from the bottom of her spine to the very top, rendering her liquid-hot, gasping and wriggling, melting into his hold.
The hardness of his chest pressed against her back, the warm bulk of his body surrounding her was overwhelming in the best way as he pulled her hips up, his cock bumping up against her pussy. She could feel her body clench, like she was trying to draw him in, and her breath hitched, desperation building inside her as she felt him move away slightly to get a condom. Her fingers curled into the couch pillows as she felt the blunt head of his cock pressing against her again, this time with intent. She gasped as he thrust into her; she was so wet he just slid into her, the angle of her hips making him slide so deep she was gasping, her fingers twisting in the cushions.
He took her in long, powerful strokes, the kind that had her whining and twisting, tossing her head, arching her back to get him even deeper in her. She loved this, the slide of his cock against her G spot, his fervent kisses pressings along her spine, his hot breath against her ear as he muttered filthy, sweet things into her hair.
Her breathing sharpened in her chest, her orgasm building so fast it took her by surprise, reaching that crystalline point and shattering before she was ready, and it wrenched a moan out of her as every muscle in her body relaxed. The only thing that holds her up is his arms, the only thing keeping her aware is the thrust of his cock, sending aftershocks shooting through her entire body.
“Fuck, Maddy,” he groaned, palming her ass, his forehead pressing against the back of her neck, his body covering hers as he came so hard she could feel his cock twitching inside her. It sent a dirty little thrill in her, thinking about it.
It took them a long time to part and clean up. When they finally dragged themselves back to her bedroom, it was late. She shut off the lights, letting him take the left side of bed, sliding into the crook of his arm, her arm slung around his stomach, her head pillowed on his chest.
They were quiet for a long time, until she was almost sure he was asleep, but then… “Maddy, are you awake?”
“Mm-hmm.”
She felt him press a kiss to her forehead, and she let her fingers play over the smooth expanse of his skin, resting over the kidney area, thinking about how giving he was. How good.
“Tell me what you’re thinking about,” she asked softly.
“The transplant,” he said.
Of course. It was what she was thinking about, too. It was looming over them, over him, over everything.
“I’m scared,” he confessed to her in the darkness. “I’m scared it might not work. What if she rejects my kidney? If something happened to her…” he trailed off, unable to finish, unable to even contemplate it.
Maddy knew the feeling. She knew that silence. Her heart and eyes filled with emotion as she held him close, pressing a kiss to his chest. “She won’t reject the transplant,” she assured him. “I can’t make you promises about tomorrow,” she continued quietly, stroking a hand down his side as kissed the top of her head. She wasn’t cruel enough to make him promises she might not be able to keep. “But I can give you and Olivia my hope. My prayers. My every thought.” My love, she thought. I can give you my love. But she wasn’t brave enough to say it. Not yet. “And I can give you my belief,” she said, as his hand tightened in hers. “You will both be okay. I believe that.”
He drew her tighter into her embrace, and she breathed in the scent of his soap, of sandalwood and spice and the promise of something deep and mysterious and hopeful. “I’m so glad I have you,” he said.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “I can make you that promise.” It felt big and frightening to say it, to declare it, but it was the truth. It was the promise she could give him. A revelation she hoped he’d take in stride.
“Tomorrow,” he said. “You’ll be there when I wake up?”
“I promise,” she said, so glad that he’d asked her. She’d been dreading all those hours tomorrow, waiting to hear from anyone—Zoe, probably—about how he was. If she was able to stay and wait for him in the hospital… that would make her feel so much better.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Of course,” she murmured. “I would do anything for you.”
“You’re so sweet to me,” he said, in that drifting way she had started to become familiar with. He was about to fall asleep, his words tumbling together until they were all mumble. “… don’t want you to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Maddy said again, but she knew he’d already drifted off, his hold on her tightening a little as he fell into dreams.
“Sleep well,” she whispered, pressing close to him, her own eyes fluttering shut.
Tomorrow was a big day.
Give us a good day tomorrow, she thought, putting it out into the universe. Let everything go as planned. Let him be the giving man he is.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Carter
The morning of the transplant, Carter woke early, before his alarm went off. Maddy was tangled in his arms, fast asleep, and for a moment, he just cuddled her close, breathing in the smell of shampoo, grapefruit, and mint. It was a combination he’d never really thought of, but now it followed him around, like the best kind of memory.
Today was the day. He glanced at the clock on his phone. He had twenty minutes before he was supposed to get up, but he was too restless to just lie there. He carefully extracted himself from the tangle of Maddy’s legs—God, that bedhead of hers; it never got old. She look
ed like a cat had mistaken her head for a ball of yarn.
He smiled fondly at her and then tiptoed out of the bedroom. He couldn’t eat or drink anything, but he put together a smoothie for her, setting it on the counter in a travel cup before checking his messages.
There were texts from Nat and some of his other friends and all of his relatives, wishing him and Olivia love and luck. And a text from his mother saying they had arrived at the hospital. He sent a text back, saying he’d be heading out soon.
He went to stand out on Maddy’s rickety balcony, staring out into the courtyard. He was excited. Nervous. Terrified.
He was so damn terrified. It was the kind of fear he’d never experienced in his life. He had no fear for his well-being. What came would come. But Olivia…
No matter what happened, Olivia needed to be okay.
“Hey,” said a soft voice, just seconds before her arms came to loop around his waist. She stood on her tiptoes, hooking her chin around his shoulder so she could see what he was looking at. “It’s going to be a good day,” she said, pressing her palm over his heart. He covered her own hand with his, his eyes closing as he breathed in the feeling of her pressed against his back, the warmth of her, the comfort she provided.
He’d never felt fear like this before. But he’d also never felt love like this before. Love for Olivia. Love for Maddy. Love for his family.
It was staggering and humbling. He was a lucky man.
“Yeah,” he said, drawing her to his side so he could kiss her. “It’s going to be a great day,” he said, when they parted.
“I just realized I’m kind of springing meeting the parents on you,” Carter said as they pulled into the hospital parking lot.
“Oh dear,” Maddy looked down at her jeans and cherry-red peacoat. “I probably should’ve worn something nicer.”
“They’ll love you,” he assured her as they got out of the car and headed across the lot. It was just starting to rain as they made it inside the lobby, and they took the elevator up to the third floor, where the surgical wing was.