Dangerous Beauty: Part One: Destiny

by Michelle Hardin

  Carter gasped and tried to push away. Nathan pulled her back. “Oh my God, you are,” he said through a chuckle and a sly smile appeared on his face.

  Carter shook her head firmly. “Don’t even think about it Nathan. I’m not kidding, I’m deathly ticklish, it’s a sickness,” she said frantically and Nathan laughed loud.

  “A sickness? Oh honey, I have to see this,” he said with a big smile on his face.

  Carter’s eyes shot open and she tried to squirm out of his grasp. “No Nathan, don’t!” she said worrying her bottom lip. Nathan straddled her body, grabbed her arms and pinned them above her head.

  “Hmm. Where should I start?” He brought his free hand up to her waist giving it a light squeeze, she squealed and Nathan laughed.

  Carter tried to plead with him again, she had to, and begging was her only option at this point. “Nathan please don’t…Ahh!” she screamed and writhed beneath Nathan when he began to tickle her relentlessly. He had no mercy, he didn’t even care when she begged him. Carter chanted please over and over again like she was reciting a mantra, and he still didn’t let up. She was positive she had never laughed so hard in her life. “Oh my God, Nathan, You’re going to kill me,” she screamed through laughter and finally he stopped and looked down at her, his gray eyes bright and full of amusement. His smile, just as bright, revealed his perfect white teeth and the most amazing dimples Carter had ever seen. She sighed. God, she loved him. “Have mercy on me, Nathan, please. I’ll do anything,” she begged breathlessly grabbing a hold of his hands.

  Nathan’s head fell back and he laughed. “Jesus, it is a sickness for you isn’t it?” he asked and Carter nodded her head emphatically. Nathan chuckled while he rolled off of her and lay on his back next to her. He pulled her to him until she was on top of him and she laid there exhausted.

  “Why are you so mean to me?” she pouted against his chest and the jerk chuckled.

  “I hope you know I’ll be using that ‘anything’ later on,” he said and she knew the jerk had a sly smile on his face even without looking at him.

  Carter feigned confusion. “Anything? I don’t remember saying anything.”

  “Oh, you didn’t?” His hands went to tickle her waist.

  “No wait! I think I remember now. I’m pretty sure I said anything,” she said frantically gripping his hands.

  “Are you positive you remember?”

  “Yes! Yes, I remember you meanie. Now let me go,” Carter replied faking a pout.

  Nathan placed a quick kiss on her lips and smacked her behind. “I love you, now get your ass outta here woman.”

  Carter giggled and got off the bed and walked to the door. “Love you too, bubby. I’m going to grab something to eat in the kitchen before I leave,” Carter said over her shoulder before she left the bedroom.

  Once she finally made it down the long hallway to the stairs she saw someone she always loved to see at the bottom of the staircase. “Kyle!” she yelled as she ran down the steps and into his arms hugging him tight.

  Kyle hugged her back and smiled. “Damn, did you miss me that much?” he asked as he placed a big kiss on her cheek.

  Carter smiled brightly at him. She really did miss Kyle. He hadn’t been around as often lately. Well either he hadn’t been around or she was too caught up in spending time with Nathan, but either way she missed him like crazy. He was her best friend, her fun womanizer.

  Carter smiled warmly and reached up and ran her fingers through his long black hair. “Yeah, I missed you, but that’s my fault,” she touched his face lovingly and a small smile appeared on his face. “I haven’t really been paying much attention to anyone but Nathan lately. Jenna yelled at me yesterday,” Carter said with amusement in her eyes.

  Kyle kissed her hand. “Sweetheart, I think that’s what people do when they fall in love,” Kyle said sweetly. “I forgive you for ignoring me and forgetting that I exist, if that confession was an apology,” Kyle said playfully.

  Carter laughed. “It was. Now come with me to the kitchen,” she said grabbing his hand and leading the way. “I’m hungry and since this is your house you are responsible for feeding me.” She smiled at him over her shoulder.

  Kyle followed. “You’re very demanding, you know that?”

  Carter just shrugged her shoulders. “Yep, I know.” She knew she was. She always thought it to be a great quality, but whatever.

  “You’re in luck, you little brat, I was about to get myself something anyway,” Kyle said as they made their way into the kitchen.

  Once they made it to the kitchen, she saw Dante, Lucca and Mickey sitting at the dining room table laughing with beers in hand and she smiled and shook her head. Those guys were the three freaking amigos. They did everything together and they always had beers in hand when they did it.

  Carter let go of Kyle’s hand as he made his way over to the refrigerator. She looked over at the guys and waved. “Hey, besties,” she said with a wink.

  “Hey,” they all said simultaneously and raised their beers.

  “You guys aren’t drunk yet, huh?” she asked in a playful tone.

  Dante shook his head and smiled. “Not yet, but we will be. Hopefully, by the time your friend gets here so that we can make a good impression,” he replied.

  Carter laughed and then remembered who was in the room and instantly wished she could disappear.

  Kyle turned around abruptly and looked at Carter with a frown. “Jenna’s coming over?”

  Carter bit her bottom lip. She didn’t want to mention that Jenna was coming over to Kyle because the two didn’t get along. She turned to look at Kyle and he was glaring at her.

  “You invited that evil woman over here?” he growled and Carter couldn’t say anything. Yes, she knew that Jenna and Kyle never got along, but she still had hope for them becoming friends one day.

  Kyle’s jaw clenched. “Carter, answer me,” he growled.

  Carter rolled her eyes, he sounded a lot like Nathan. They seriously acted just alike sometimes.

  “It’s not that big a deal, Kyle. She’s not that bad,” she defended, crossing her arms over her chest.

  Kyle snorted. “Not that bad? The last time she and I were in a room together she threw a drink in my face and called me a pig for no damn reason! I hadn’t even introduced myself to her yet,” he said angrily.

  Carter tried to hide her smile as the memory of Jenna throwing a drink in Kyle’s face at their condo flashed through her mind.

  Jenna was just being a good friend when she did that, and Carter appreciated her for it. When Jenna first met Kyle at their condo she was under the impression that Kyle and Carter were dating, which would have been okay if she hadn’t seen him feeling Tessa up at the bar a day earlier. Remembering Kyle’s face after Jenna threw that glass of water in it had Carter ready to burst into laughter and her hand shot up to her mouth to hold it in.

  Kyle’s eyes widened in shock. “Do you find that funny?” he said in outrage, but she could see a bit of amusement in his blue eyes.

  Carter nodded her head. “It was an honest mistake, Kyle. She thought you were cheating on me with Tessa.”

  “Tessa?” Lucca said from the table. “Isn’t that the waitress from the bar last night?” he asked looking over at Kyle.

  Kyle gave Lucca a strained look and shook his head.

  “Yeah, I remember her. It’d be difficult to forget, she was very…spirited,” Mickey said through a chuckle.

  “Yeah, that’s her. Hey Kyle, didn’t she go with you last night when you left? Is she still here?” Lucca asked.

  Carter’s brows furrowed and she looked up at Kyle in question. “Here? Like, here now?” she asked not understanding what they were talking about. Kyle knew that Tessa was a bitch to Carter on a regular basis, all because of him. Where the hell was his fucking loyalty?

  Kyle gave Carter an apologetic smile. “I got kind of drunk last night. I barely remember anything, all I know is I woke up and she was sleeping next to me. La
st I checked she was still passed out in my bed,” he said trying to look innocent.

  “In your bed?” Carter yelled, shocked. Kyle never let the women he screwed in his bed.

  Kyle looked away from her guiltily. “I’m no happier about the shit than you are, Carter. Trust me.”

  Carter just stood, staring at him blankly. She was trying very hard to remember what her father said about not giving into her temper, but Kyle just royally pissed her off. She had told Kyle that bitch, Tessa, had been making her life hell at work because of her friendship with him, and he obviously didn’t even care.

  Carter had hoped that Tessa would back the hell off after she nearly choked her to death, but that just seemed to make things worse. It definitely got worse when Carter called her out on the rumors that she drove passed Kyle’s beach house every day when he was gone for those three months trying to see if he was avoiding her. Carter was to the point where she was thinking about giving in to Nathan and quitting her damn job just to get away from Tessa. Carter constantly had to bite her tongue and clench her fist in order to keep from killing Tessa, and she really wanted to kill Tessa. But no, she hasn’t killed the bitch, instead she made a promise to herself that she would not touch her again due to the simple fact that Carter knew she could kill her. Carter knew that she could beat the shit out of Tessa, and that just isn’t fair for her because the whore didn’t even know who she was messing with. Carter usually didn’t care about being fair, but she’d changed. She was so proud of herself for ignoring Tessa’s bitchy comments and constant “accidental” shoves at work, especially since when she shoved her everything that Carter carried at the time would fall to the floor and she would have to clean it up. To be honest, it was easy for Carter to shake off the comments Tessa made about her, but the ones she made about Jenna, not so much.

  “Carter, baby, you’re scaring me,” Kyle said breaking Carter away from her thoughts.

  You should be scared you bastard, she thought.

  Carter continued to look at him, her expression cold and impassive. “Excuse me, Kyle,” she said politely as she walked passed him to the fruit and grabbed an apple. She went over to the knife drawer and a beautiful, extremely sharp knife caught her eye. There is nothing Carter loved more than a sharp knife and cutting something when she was this pissed off. Kyle seriously better thank God that she had the fucking apple.

  She heard Kyle moving around behind her. “You’re mad, I can tell, but because I know you adore me and will eventually forgive me I am going to make you a peace offering,” he said and she turned to see what he was doing. “I’m going to make you your favorite lunch,” he said taking out the peanut butter and jelly.

  Carter rolled her eyes. That was her second favorite lunch. The son of a bitch didn’t even remember that, plus she needed alcohol not peanut butter and jelly.

  Carter walked over to the refrigerator and shoved Kyle’s big body to the side and grabbed a beer. She saw him watch her as she walked over to the table where Lucca, Dante, and Mickey were sitting and pulled up a chair. She turned and glared at him. “You’re an asshole, and a pig,” she spat as she sat down, crossed her legs turning her back to him, and opened her beer.

  “Yes, I am,” Kyle admitted with a nod and started to make the guilt sandwich.

  Dante pulled Carter’s chair closer to him and put his arm around the back of it. “So, are we going to get to know why you’re so pissed about this?” he asked with his thick eyebrows raised.

  Carter shrugged, and just when she was about to open her mouth and tell them how Tessa had been making her life hell, the bitch walked in the kitchen with one of Kyle’s t-shirts on, stretching as if she had just woken up. Carter’s entire body tensed.

  “Oh shit,” Mickey muttered.

  Kyle groaned. “Fuck,” he said as he ran his hand through his hair.

  10

  One Long Ass Day, Part 2: Girl Fight

  Dante felt Carter tense next to him and he looked at her with concern, rubbing her shoulder.

  Carter relaxed and gave him a small smile as she turned her attention to cutting off slices of her apple. She decided she wouldn’t even acknowledge the fact that Tessa was there. Kyle could deal with the crazy stalker bitch himself.

  Tessa yawned loud and stretched again. She didn’t even care when her shirt rose up revealing a red thong. Carter rolled her eyes and made a face of disgust.

  “Morning, baby,” Tessa said as she sauntered over to Kyle. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed his cheek over and over again until he pushed her back. “What?” she asked looking at him confused, and then she looked toward the dining table. “Oh wow, I didn’t know you had…” She paused when she saw Carter. “What the fuck is she doing here?”

  Lucca, Dante, and Mickey’s mouth’s dropped open and Carter continued to look down at her apple.

  Lucca shook his head in disbelief. “She did not just say that shit,” he said.

  Carter smiled a little despite her irritation with Tessa.

  “I think she did,” Dante said.

  Mickey snorted. “Who the fuck does she think she is?” he asked glaring in Kyle and Tessa’s direction.

  Kyle took a handkerchief from his pants pocket and wiped his face where she kissed him then tossed it in the trash, disgusted that she had just touched him and put her lips on him after he’d just showered. “Don’t ask me what the fuck anyone is doing in my house, Tessa. It’s none of your damn business. Go get some clothes on so you can go. She’s welcome here, you aren’t,” Kyle said coldly, turning his attention back to his task of making the sandwich he hoped would make Carter love him again.

  He’d really fucked up this time, but he hadn’t meant to. He hated Tessa just as much as Carter did. He was just too drunk last night to remember that little fact. He had been drinking a little too much lately, and purposely avoiding Carter and Nathan because his dumbass little brother was right. He was jealous. Jealous was actually an understatement. He hated the fact that Nathan had Carter, because he wanted her, and he was sure he always had. It took a year for him to figure it out and he felt so stupid for missing all of the chances he had to show her that he loved her, and now it was too late. She was in love with another man, his best friend none the less.

  Kyle had definitely been in a bad place the last three weeks. He couldn’t look at Nathan and Carter without feeling pain in his chest. He nearly collapsed when he found out who her father was. It was all too much, and last night was the big mistake. Carter was the only woman that had ever been in Kyle’s house until now. He’s been so mad at Carter, he wanted her to feel just a little of his pain, and last night his drunk ass made it happen. When he woke up this morning and saw that Tessa was in his bed he immediately felt like shit. He then promised himself that he wouldn’t avoid his best friend and the only woman in the world he cared for anymore. Carter was too important to him, and he knew she still cared for him. Especially when she greeted him like she did today, like nothing had changed, like she still cared about him, like she loved him. Kyle couldn’t lose that…or her. He needed her too much.

  Kyle felt a boney hand hit him in the arm and he looked up from his task at Tessa standing next to him seething. “Why the hell are you still standing here?” Kyle asked confused. Had he missed something?

  “I said why the fuck do you want me to leave? Is it because of that bitch?” Tessa yelled pointing at Carter. The girl had lost her mind. Her face was crimson, her breathing was labored and she look like she was about to explode.

  “Are you out of your fucking mind? I said go get your shit and get the fuck out!” he snapped getting frustrated that she was still standing in his kitchen.

  “What the hell is going on down here?” a deep voice said from the stairs. Everyone looked over to the stairs to see Nathan stepping down the last two steps and walking into the kitchen.

  “Who thefuck are you?” Tessa asked looking at Nathan with her hands on her hips.

  Nathan walked right passed her t
o the bowl of fruit and grabbed an apple. He sat up on the island a little distance away from Tessa and Kyle, bit into his apple, and chewed.

  “Who the fuck are you?” he repeated in deep low tone. He wasn’t asking her who she was, he didn’t care. He was just echoing her question like the true crazy person he is.

  Kyle hit the counter with his fist and Tessa flinched. “Don’t worry about who the hell is in my house! Get the fuck out, Tessa.”

  Tessa crossed her arms over her chest defiantly, refusing to leave. “I’m not leaving Kyle, and I’m definitely not leaving so you can fuck that ugly bitch right after you spent the entire night making love to me,” Tessa yelled.

  Carter chuckled and all eyes went to her. “Making love?” she muttered shaking her head. “Bullshit,” she said in a sing song tone.

  Nathan frowned. “Who the hell is she talking about?” he asked confused.

  “Carter,” Lucca replied still glaring at Kyle.

  Nathan’s brows shot up in surprise. “Carter? My Carter?” he asked pointing to himself and Lucca who nodded yes while keeping his glare on Kyle. Nathan looked at Carter and saw she was looking down and cutting into an apple with a very sharp knife. He swallowed hard. Who the hell gave her a weapon?

  “Hey baby, are you okay?” he asked, already knowing that she was a ticking time bomb. He got even more afraid for the crazy girl when Carter just nodded her head without making eye contact with him. She kept her attention on what she was doing with that knife and that unnerved Nathan, the last thing they needed to do was hide a body in Hope Beach. Nathan looked back to the girl and narrowed his cold gray eyes on her. “You should probably go. Carter isn’t really someone you want to fuck with. Instead of finding out why the painful way, just go now.” Nathan smirked. “I promise you, Carter only shares a bed with one man in this house, and it ain’t Kyle,” he said as he took another bite of his apple.