Touched by You

by Elle Wright

  “Wellspring Water is going to have to terminate his contract,” Parker explained. “Senior is chomping at the bit, too. He’s already rallied the board, he’s even talked to his attorney about suing Marshall and Sullivan for breach of contract. He’s out for blood. He wants to destroy Carter.”

  Brooklyn knew her father wouldn’t take Carter’s defiance lying down. And the assault charge would only be the beginning. Call her soft, or even crazy, but she didn’t want her father to ruin Carter’s life.

  “Okay. I don’t want to hear about Senior. And I don’t want to hear any excuses from Carter either. If he’s married, no matter what his explanation is, he’s a damn liar. I asked him flat out if he was married, and he told me no.”

  Parker muttered a colorful curse. “I’m sorry, Brooklyn. I know you liked him.”

  Was it that obvious? Of course, it was. She’d been downright giddy when he was in the room, or near her. She couldn’t help but smile at the mere thought of him. She had thought she’d felt a connection to him, something deep and strong. And to think he had been yanking her chain since the day they met...

  “It’s okay, Parker. I’m not blameless. I went after him. He kept turning me down, but I kept asking.” That’ll teach me. She wasn’t meant to be the aggressor. She pulled into her subdivision and parked right next to Carter’s car. He was home. Finally.

  She hung up on Parker without saying goodbye and stomped up to Carter’s door. She pounded on it frantically, almost daring him not to answer it.

  But when the door swung open, all her bravado faded into oblivion and she was left speechless. The woman standing in front of her, looking ever so comfortable in Carter’s home, was wearing nothing but a robe.

  * * *

  “Who is it?” Carter walked out into the living room and stopped in his tracks at the sight of Brooklyn standing in the doorway. “Brooklyn?”

  He’d waited up for her the night before, but she never showed up. He’d called her countless times, but it went straight to voicemail. Where the hell had she been?

  “Carter,” she said, her voice cold and almost robotic. There was no feeling, no warmth. Not like the other times she’d called his name.

  He closed the distance between them, pushing past Aisha. “Where have you been? I’ve been calling you. I have something to tell you. I didn’t want to leave Wellspring without being honest.”

  Brooklyn pushed past him into the condo. Her gaze dropped to the suitcases in the middle of the floor. She spun around. “You’re leaving?”

  “How much do you know?”

  Brooklyn jabbed a finger in his face. “I know you’re married, with a child, Carter. How could you do this to me?” With her hands on her hips, she gestured toward Aisha, who was watching the situation with wide eyes. “Is this your wife?”

  Frowning, he started to explain, but she cut him off.

  “Shut up.” She sliced a hand through the air. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised. Men lie. Period. I don’t care if your wife is standing in this room, practically naked. You’re a married cheater. And I’m going to need you to stay the hell away from me.” Brooklyn turned to Aisha. “Good luck with him. I hope you can find someone that will treat you right.”

  “I hope so, too,” Aisha said, covering her mouth to hide her grin. Carter shook his head, knowing his sister was enjoying the scene in front of her. Soon, everyone would know that he’d just got his ass handed to him by the little, spicy, beautiful Brooklyn Wells.

  Brooklyn jerked her head back. “Excuse me?” She turned to Carter.

  Her assumptions, the story concocted based on that asshole Sterling’s word, was downright laughable. Married cheater? That couldn’t be further from the truth. Carter pointed at Aisha. “That is not my wife. Aisha is my sister.”

  Brooklyn’s mouth fell open and her fingers flew up to touch her parted lips. “Oh.”

  Carter stalked toward her, and she took a small step back, retreating from him.

  “I’m not married. I told you I wasn’t married.”

  Brooklyn tugged on her ear. “But Sterling . . . I heard about the fight. You broke his jaw because he accused you of being married with a child. Why would you do that if it wasn’t true? Why would you risk your livelihood for a rumor?”

  “I asked the same question,” Aisha said. Carter glared at his cosigning sister.

  “Well?” Brooklyn asked incredulously. “What is it?”

  “I’m not married, but I was.” The words tumbled from his mouth in a rush.

  “You’re divorced?”

  “My wife and my daughter died a couple of years ago. In a fire.”

  Brooklyn gasped. “I’m so sorry, Carter. I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

  He moved forward, closing in on her. “There’s nothing you can say. I should have told you from the beginning, before we . . .” He couldn’t finish the sentence. What they’d shared the other night was perfect, from beginning to end. He didn’t want to sully it with this conversation. The two didn’t go hand in hand.

  “No. I shouldn’t have . . .” She let out a tortured laugh. “I barged into your house all crazy and deranged.” Brooklyn turned to Aisha and held out a hand. “I’m Brooklyn, by the way.”

  Instead of shaking her hand, his sister pulled Brooklyn into a hug and told her, “We don’t shake hands, we hug.”

  Brooklyn met his gaze over Aisha’s shoulder, and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”

  When his sister finally stopped hugging his woman . . . Wait, my woman? Carter had just referred to another woman as his woman and it felt right, natural. New. He took Brooklyn’s hand and pulled her toward him. “Can we talk? Alone.”

  A few minutes later, they were in Brooklyn’s house, sitting on the couch. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He was really about to have a conversation about Krys with another woman, the only woman.

  Brooklyn sat down next to him. “Tell me about your wife and your daughter.”

  Carter’s head snapped up, and he met her concerned gaze. Swallowing, he nodded, knowing she deserved the truth.

  “Krys was my college sweetheart, my first love. I proposed right after college graduation,” he explained. “But we didn’t get married until I finished grad school. A few years later, we found out she was pregnant. My daughter, Chloe, was born during a heatwave on July fourteenth.”

  “Do you have a picture of them?” Brooklyn asked.

  “I pretty much lost everything that day.” The only thing he had left was Krys’s wedding ring, the heart ornament, the files in his file cabinet, his tools, and his cookware. Aside from her wedding ring, nothing else that was salvaged had any emotional value to him. Everything else, all his pictures, his other keepsakes . . . gone. “There was nothing much left of them. Everything that mattered to me was destroyed in the fire. Everything.” His voice broke and he paused to take in a deep breath.

  His mother had gathered a few pictures of their family that she’d had around the house. She’d also kept a few of their wedding pictures in a small photo album. And he’d been able to snag pictures from Krys’s Facebook page. But that was it. The fire took the wedding garter, her favorite pillow, Chloe’s little stuffed bunny, his daughter’s first pair of shoes.

  He felt Brooklyn’s soft hand on his back. “I’m so sorry, Carter. I can’t even imagine the pain you’ve gone through. Or how it must have felt to lose your family in such a horrific way.” She leaned against his shoulder.

  He rested his head on top of hers, taking comfort in her. “So when you told me you’d wanted to die with your mom, I knew how you felt. I almost died with them,” he admitted softly. “I wanted to die with them. But I didn’t.”

  Carter finished the story, telling Brooklyn about the trial and the subsequent lawsuit and civil trial. When he was done, he bowed his head, the weight of the conversation taking its toll on him. A tear fell and he felt exposed. Weak, even.

  Brooklyn massaged his neck, whis
pering in his ear that he was okay, that she was there, that she understood and wanted to be there for him.

  “Carter, I hope you know that I appreciate that you opened up to me. I know it was hard.”

  “Thanks for hearing me out.”

  She bit down on her lip. “I have to ask, though. Are you sure you’re ready to move on? I know loss. For the longest time, I couldn’t even talk about my mother without feeling overwhelmed by my sometimes debilitating grief.”

  “That’s just it. I’ve spent the past two years seeking justice for them. I won the lawsuit, but it didn’t make me feel better. I went to my condo and still felt alone. That’s when I realized I needed to get away, to focus on me. That’s why I came here. I needed time in a place where people didn’t know me or my story. I wasn’t here to move on, I was here to heal. Then . . . I met you.”

  Carter wasn’t sure it was even possible to have such encompassing feelings for someone he’d just met. But he did. He wanted Brooklyn. He wanted her to want him. Which he knew she did.

  He was suddenly hit with the urge to kiss her, to taste her. So he did, meeting her lips in a tentative kiss, nothing hot and heavy, just soft and warm.

  “I’m sorry you had to hear about it this way,” he said once he was able to pull away from her. “I wanted to tell you myself.”

  “I’m just glad I caught you before you left.”

  “I wouldn’t have left without seeing you. You’re the reason I’m still here. My attorney got special permission from the court for me to go home. Aisha tried to get me to leave with her last night. But I couldn’t leave without seeing you.”

  “That’s good to hear.”

  “I hope you know how much this means to me, to be able to be honest with you about my past. Makes it easier to be with you now.”

  Brooklyn nibbled on her bottom lip, but he reached out and ran his thumb over it until she released it. “Does it?”

  Carter tilted his head, assessing her. “Are you concerned?”

  “I just . . . I’m not sure how we’re supposed to move forward. Is there a speed that you prefer? Slow, fast?”

  “I still owe you a date. But I think we passed slow the other night.”

  She laughed, and he let it soak into his soul. It would only be a few days away from her, but it already felt like a few weeks. “Well, I’m ready when you are.”

  “It’s still Friday.” Carter watched as the wheels turned in her head. “Come out with me.”

  “What happened with Sterling?” Brooklyn bit down on her thumbnail. “Why did you hurt him?”

  “He’s an ass.” Carter didn’t like the change in subject. In fact, he’d be perfectly fine if he’d never have to hear the name Sterling again. “He disrespected my relationship with Krys. He disrespected my relationship with you. And before I knew it, I swung on him.”

  Brooklyn let out a deep breath. “Carter, you know this is going to make this so much worse for you. My father plans to destroy your company. They were working together.”

  He’d already figured that. Sterling seemed too comfortable at WWCH. Carter could concede that the other guy may have played it the way he had in order to provoke him. And he’d fallen right into the trap. Martin and Aisha were right. His head wasn’t in the game.

  “Your father has already terminated our contract,” Carter told her. “By all rights, we can sue him for terminating without just cause. We wouldn’t win, but we could do that.”

  “You don’t understand. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t be in this position. Sterling would have left you alone if he didn’t feel threatened by you. My father would have happily let Parker manage the ERP project with little interference. I’m the reason you’re in this situation.”

  Carter gripped her chin, turning her to face him. “Brooklyn, this isn’t your fault. I chose to allow that man to push my buttons. I could have walked away, but I didn’t.”

  “We have to do something, Carter. We can’t let them win. And I can’t let you leave.”

  Then she kissed him.

  Chapter 18

  Brooklyn couldn’t breathe, but she couldn’t stop either. Kissing Carter. She’d heard his explanation and it felt like the truth. She would give him another chance, and clearly she was already ready to move the party to the bedroom, or the floor, or against the wall.

  “Make love to me,” she whispered against his mouth.

  Carter pulled back, sucking on her bottom lip before letting go. “I want you. So damn much. But we need to talk about this, before we get so lost in each other we can’t think straight.”

  Brooklyn grumbled in frustration. “Can we talk later?” she pleaded, cupping his erection in her hand and squeezing.

  He let out a low, filthy curse before he took her mouth in his again. She pulled him down on top of her, moaning as his weight rested on her.

  Carter quickly descended, tugging at her shirt until the fabric ripped and flew across the room. His hands were rough on her skin as he pushed her skirt up, inch by inch, and ripped her panties off. He kissed her hard, with tongue and teeth.

  Desperation speared through her, and a need she’d never felt before filled her to the brim. She wanted Carter, more than anything else in that moment. Everything else could wait, especially right now, while he was strumming her body like she was his own personal instrument.

  His fingers dallied over her slick folds as he brushed her clit with his thumb. Arching her hips off the bed, she urged him forward, wanted to order him to take her that instant. But he specialized in driving her crazy.

  When she was so close she would cry if she didn’t finish, his fingers tightened on her wrists and he pulled her up and over him. She straddled his thighs, peered down at him watching her, touching her.

  “Scared?” he teased.

  He was right at her entrance, but his grip on her hips prevented her from descending. Meeting his gaze, she replied, “Never.”

  He slammed her down hard on his dick, and she gasped as she adjusted to his size. Carter was a very well-endowed man. Part of her was a little nervous when she’d first seen him. But they seemed to fit like the pieces of a puzzle.

  Bending down, she licked his cheek before she kissed him. Moaning, she rolled her hips, taking him deeper inside her.

  “I’m going to make you forget for a minute,” he murmured against her mouth. “I only want you thinking of me while I’m inside you.”

  That’s a safe bet. There definitely was no one else on her mind. She leaned forward, resting her hands on his chest as she moved over him. His fingers tightened on her hips and he guided her into a rhythm all their own.

  Soon, they were slick with sweat as she rode him hard, and he was pushing into her with wild abandon. His thrusts were hard, punishing even. She was sure she’d end up with a few bruises from the tight hold he had on her hips. But she liked it. She wanted more. The thought that she was the one that he’d chosen, that she was the one that unraveled his control, made her dizzy. He’d let go with her. No one else.

  Brooklyn arched her head back as a wave of pleasure spread through her. One of his hands cupped her breast, while the other one slid over her stomach, down to her core. He pushed down on her clit, and she tensed right before her release took her over.

  Sitting up, Carter pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her back as she rode him through her orgasm. Then she heard him let out a low curse, as he followed her over the cliff.

  Brooklyn collapsed against him, grinning when his arms engulfed her in a hug. “You’re so hot.” She laughed when she felt him chuckle beneath her.

  “Feeling’s mutual.”

  She lifted herself up, kissed him, and snuggled back into him. He was still inside her, and hardening fast. He wanted her again, and she wouldn’t deny him.

  It had been a crazy day, but she was glad they ended up back on the same page, in each other’s arms. Hearing his story, seeing the grief he still had on his face, was heartbreaking. But she was glad that he didn’t s
hy away from telling his truth. It made her want him more.

  Carter squeezed. “I’m sure I’ll never get enough of you, beautiful.”

  “Really?” Wiggling her ass, she grinned to herself when she heard him mutter a curse.

  “You’re killing me,” he said with a soft chuckle.

  She rested against him, satiated and sleepy. “I don’t want you to go home. I want to laze around with you this weekend.”

  “There’s a pretty simple solution to that problem, you know?”

  She lifted her head, meeting his gaze. “And what’s that?”

  He shrugged, ran his forefinger down her nose before he kissed it. “You could always come with me.”

  * * *

  “Beautiful, it’s okay,” Carter told her after several seconds of silence. “You don’t have to come home with me.”

  “No, I want to come with you. But would I meet your whole family, or something?”

  He shrugged. “Maybe. We don’t all hang out with each other every day. For all I know, they could be out of town.”

  Every single one of his siblings led busy lives and had challenging careers. They were a family of dedicated hard-workers. That work ethic had paid off, because each of them had made a small fortune in their current businesses.

  “I can’t imagine not knowing where Parker was.”

  “I’m sure Aisha can’t imagine not knowing where we are. It’s a sister thing. I promise Parker isn’t losing sleep over where your other brother is.”

  Brooklyn giggled. “You’re probably right. And Bryson barely calls. I doubt he concerns himself with our whereabouts.”

  “You don’t talk about Bryson. Where is he?”

  She shrugged. “I have no idea. I haven’t seen him in months. We get along, but Bryson cannot stand Senior.”