by Jessie Evans
“Six thirty,” he confirmed, turning toward the door, but stopping when Lula said his name.
“Thank you,” she added as he glanced over his shoulder. “For understanding.”
“You don’t have to thank me. I’ve become a patient man, L.J. Especially when it comes to the things in life that are worth waiting for.” He waved goodbye, slipping his hat onto his head as he stepped out into the night.
It was true, he was a patient man, but that didn’t mean he intended to make it easy for Lula to hold him at a friendly distance. He knew her better than she realized, and he intended to use that knowledge to get her back in his arms, where she belonged.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Lula
On their first night out, she and Carter found seats at the back of Lonesome Point’s one-screen theater and shared a bag of peppermint-chocolate drizzled popcorn while watching A Christmas Story. Half the town was crowded into the small theater and Lula ended up sitting elbow to elbow with Trish Mullens from her book club.
At first, she was shy about introducing Carter to Trish and highly conscious of the curious looks from everyone who spotted Lula wearing an uncharacteristically vibrant orange dress while out on a date. But by the time Ralphie began to daydream about his Red Ryder BB gun, Lula was lost in the movie and the feeling of her fingers brushing Carter’s as they reached for the same piece of popcorn.
By the end of the movie, the rest of the world had faded away, until there was nothing but warmth spreading through her chest and a different kind of warmth curling in her belly. It had been a scandalously long time since she’d been with a man, not since her ill-fated long distance relationship with a university librarian in San Antonio five years ago, the one that had ended when Steve decided to join a monastery.
During the past few years, she hadn’t missed physical closeness that much. No man had ever made her hunger for a sexual connection the way Carter had, and after a while, she had begun to doubt any man ever would. She had eventually allowed her libido to go dormant and resigned herself to more productive pursuits than attending singles mixers or internet dating.
But now Carter was back, walking beside her, filling her head with his sexy smell, warming her body with his as he pulled her in for a hug on her front stoop after the movie.
“That was fun,” he said, his breath ruffling her hair, making her skin tingle before he released her and stepped away, starting down the steps to the shop with a wave. “See you for climbing tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow,” Lula echoed, lifting a hand and fluttering her fingers.
But her fingers weren’t the only thing fluttering, and Tuesday afternoon proved even more tingle-inducing than Monday night.
Lula’s blood started pumping faster the moment Carter helped her into her climbing harness—his hands lingering on her upper thighs as he adjusted the buckles—and didn’t let up for a solid hour and a half. Every time Carter reached out to help her onto the next ledge or his fingers brushed against her calf as he encouraged her to lift her foot a little higher to find the next foothold, her pulse would stutter anew.
By the time they were back at her truck, loading up the equipment, Lula was fighting the urge to tackle Carter to the ground and wrestle him out of his clothes. Only the knowledge that she was the one who had insisted they take things slow and Carter’s seeming ease with just friends gave her the strength to keep her hands to herself. After all, no one likes a gutless flip-flopper—or a frisky one—and if Carter were feeling the same relentless pull that she felt, surely he wouldn’t be able to walk away from her so easily.
But Tuesday’s date ended the same way Monday’s had, with a friendly embrace on the porch that lasted just long enough for Lula to become keenly aware of the firm muscles beneath Carter’s sweatshirt.
Then he was gone, trotting off like he didn’t have a care in the world. Meanwhile, Lula went to bed cranky and achy and lay awake for hours, her restless legs shifting back and forth and her stomach churning. She tried to tell herself it was the rock climbing that was to blame, but she knew sore muscles weren’t the cause of the ache that gnawed away at her insides, reminding her of all the places she hadn’t been touched in so long.
Wednesday she and Carter shared a romantic supper at the local steak house, and Thursday they spent the evening in Lula’s living room, cuddled on the couch while one of the many versions of A Christmas Carol played on the television.
Less than a week earlier, Lula had been standing at her window thinking her own bah humbug thoughts, but now she wanted to mute Scrooge and make out in the flickering rainbow lights of the Christmas tree. She could imagine how beautiful Carter would look with the red and blue playing across his bare chest, the way his eyes would darken as she explored his skin with her fingers, her lips, her tongue…
“I’d better head out before I fall asleep,” Carter said halfway through the movie, leaping to his feet as Lula was mentally tracing a line from his manly pecs down to the thin trail of hair disappearing into his jeans.
But he bolted for the door without even a hug, leaving Lula alone on the couch, running her fingers over the warm place on the cushion where he’d been a moment before, filled with so much longing that she wanted to scream. Or cry. Or strip down to her underwear and beg Carter to come back over and see if he could resist the new black lace bra and panty set Mia had slipped into her mailbox as an early Christmas gift the day before.
Instead, she took a long cold shower that did nothing to cool her off and went to bed with her vibrator for the first time in longer than she could remember. But the silver bullet was a pathetic substitute for Carter’s kiss, Carter’s touch, and the way he used to hold her gaze as he pushed inside her, making something so intimate even more intense.
Friday dawned gray and cloudy, and Lula decided to play sick. She sniffed through the entire morning as she served customers and restocked the gift shop area, and when Carter came in for tea, she backed out of their plans to go caroling with Lula’s book club friends. She couldn’t make it through another evening of pretending to be just good buddies.
Carter was understanding—too understanding. He didn’t even seem upset that he would be spending the evening alone at his hotel.
Lula fumed silently through the rest of the day. That night, she barely slept, and the ache that had been making every cell in her body sore and frustrated was worse than ever.
Distance from Carter obviously hadn’t helped things, so Saturday afternoon she dressed in jeans and a festive red and white striped fleece and met him after work. They drove out to her cousin’s ranch and joined Mia and her family for a holiday trail ride through the Shermans’ expansive property. As they rode, she watched Carter’s backside shift in his saddle, a sight that made her mouth go dry and her hands grip the reins too tight.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t keep her eyes off of him or keep from remembering the way she’d once dug her fingernails into his muscled flesh as he moved inside her, bringing her to life the way no man ever had.
“I think that look just got Carter pregnant,” Mia whispered as she pulled up alongside Lula on the four-wheeler her father had declared the only trail vehicle fit for a pregnant woman.
Lula’s cheeks flamed. “Oh, hush. You’re such a mess. I think you, of all people, would have figured out who gets who pregnant by this point.”
Mia giggled. “I’m just sayin’, if you two aren’t you know whattin’, you should be. He’s been looking at you the same way.”
“I don’t kiss and tell,” Lula said primly, even as her gaze returned to Carter’s strong thighs draped over either side of his horse’s back.
Good Lord, the man looked way too good in blue jeans. Add in the brown sweater that emphasized his broad shoulders and the cowboy hat, and Lula was about to lose her mind. She was at the end of her rope and her cousin’s knowing smile wasn’t helping things.
“Why don’t you go catch up with your husband, Mia?” Lula said, making a shooing
motion. “I like you more than I did a week ago, but you can still get back on my bad side.”
“Heaven forbid.” Mia winked. “Sorry Lu, but you’re not nearly as scary since you’ve been in love. You’re pretty adorable actually.”
Lula started to protest that she wasn’t in love or adorable, but what would be the point? Mia was going to believe what she wanted to believe, and the truth was Lula wasn’t sure how she felt. As frustrated as she’d been the past week, she’d also been having more fun than she’d had in ages.
The new memories she and Carter were making together were bridging the distance between the present and the past. It wasn’t so much that the love they’d had was coming back to life, but that something new was arising from the wreckage of their first romance. It was nurtured by the good things from their past and informed by the bad, and in her heart Lula knew it would eventually become something stronger and more solid than the love they’d found the first time around.
It wasn’t simply lust that made her skin hot when she was close to Carter, it was the love she felt for him, longing to be free. She didn’t want to hold back or be cautious. She wanted to show him how much she cared, in a way a man and a woman could only do when clothes were no longer in the equation.
So when Carter dropped her at her house after the trail ride, just as the stars were poking through the night sky and the gas lamps downtown were flickering to life, Lula held on tight when Carter tried to pull away from their hug.
“What’s up, babe?” He ran a gentle hand up and down her back that she knew was meant to be comforting but only made her nerve endings sizzle with more frustrated desire. “You okay?”
Lula shook her head but kept her cheek against his strong chest.
“What’s wrong?” he asked.
Lula took a deep breath. “What if I said maybe I’d changed my mind about taking things slow?”
Carter was quiet for a moment. “Have you changed your mind?”
“Maybe,” Lula said, still too nervous to meet his eyes. “Would that be okay?”
Carter took her face in his hands, gently encouraging her to look up until she tipped her head back. When she did, the expression on his face was enough to make her stomach flip and her nipples tighten. Carter looked like a man on the verge of starving to death, and she knew it wasn’t food he was hungry for.
“It would be more than okay,” he said, holding her gaze with a focus that made her shiver. “It’s what I’ve been dreaming about, but I don’t want to hear any maybes, Lu. When you ask me to come to bed, I want to be damned sure there’s no doubt about what you want.”
He leaned closer, whispering his next words inches from her lips. “Because once I get you there, we’re not leaving until I kiss every inch of you and make you come so many times neither of us has the strength to get out of bed for at least two days.”
Lula swallowed and a soft whimper vibrated her lips.
“So think about that tonight, beautiful.” Carter pressed a kiss to her forehead that she felt in a hundred different places. “I’ll be over tomorrow before supper. If you want to stay friends, that’s fine. Just meet me at the door with that pretty red dress on, and we’ll go out to eat. But if you want more, stay upstairs and don’t put on a damned thing, and I’ll have you for supper.”
With one final kiss to her cheek, Carter turned and walked away. Lula watched him cross the street, her entire body sending up a silent wail for him not to go.
She realized what he’d been up to now. He’d been deliberately withholding everything but the friendliest of touches, knowing nothing would drive her crazier. He knew her well, but she knew him pretty well, too, and her wheels were already churning, thinking of all the delicious ways she was going to drive Carter crazy tomorrow night.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Carter
To say Carter was disappointed when he crossed the street the next night to see Lula waiting in the doorway of Tea for Two in her red dress was an understatement. He was devastated, deflated, and realized he was in for another lonely night with nothing but memories of Lula to keep him company.
But he didn’t let his disappointment show. No matter how much he wanted to make love to L.J., no matter how crazy she’d made him the past week with every heated look and lingering touch, he wasn’t going to push her. He was in this for the long haul. She could have as much time as she needed. He had faith she would come to trust the love growing between them. Until then, he would keep enjoying her company and treasuring the moment at the end of the night when he got to hold her close, even if it was only for a little while.
“You look gorgeous,” he said, smiling as he climbed the steps to the porch. “Hungry? I thought we could walk down the street and grab Mexican or get fried chicken at the hotel if you’re in the mood to stay close to home.”
“I think close to home sounds best,” Lula said, a twinkle in her eye as she leaned against the doorframe. “I’ve never left the house without underwear on before, and I don’t intend to start now.”
Carter’s eyes widened. Before he could recover from his surprise, Lula lifted the hem of her skirt, revealing the lace where her thigh high stockings ended, but stopping before she confirmed whether or not she was kidding about her panties.
“It occurred to me last night that you’ve been playing games with me, Mr. Bryce,” she said, swishing the red fabric slowly back and forth, making Carter’s mouth go dry and his jeans get decidedly uncomfortable. “So I figured it was my turn to play a game with you.”
“Play with me,” Carter said, his voice husky. “I’m yours.”
Lula’s red lips curved seductively. “Then you admit that you were deliberately depriving me of anything but a friendly hug just to drive me crazy?”
Carter grinned. He should have known nothing would get by L.J. “I might have thought that was the quickest way to convince you that this just friends thing is for the birds.”
She laughed that smoke and sugar laugh, which was one of his favorite sounds, and crooked her finger. “Then come on in, cowboy. I think it’s your turn to be teased.”
“Tease me all you want,” he said, stepping inside and kicking the door closed behind him. “But I’m going to kiss you first.”
His arm wrapped around her narrow waist, pulling her against him. He dropped his lips to hers and kissed her the way he’d been dying to since the moment he’d laid eyes on her. He kissed her like she was the woman he loved, the woman he craved, the woman he’d dreamt about during the long, lonely years without her.
He kissed her until every fear and worry faded away and there was nothing but Lula’s smell, her touch, and the magic they made when they were in each other’s arms.
Lula
Carter’s mouth fused to hers and his tongue licked the seam of her lips, shooting a shockwave of desire through her that stole her breath away. She opened her mouth to him and his tongue slipped inside, stroking against hers, awakening the hunger that had been burning inside her all week.
From a distance, the controlling voice in her head insisted she had to stick to her plan to deliver a proper teasing punishment, but her heart said plans were overrated. Especially when the man of her dreams was making love to her mouth with his tongue—savoring her, tasting her, devouring her with a single-minded passion that assured her there was nothing else in the world he’d rather be doing than kissing her senseless.
“Carter,” Lula mumbled, gasping as his free hand cupped her bottom through her dress, pulling her close to where he was so hard she could feel him pulsing against her stomach through their clothes.
“You really aren’t wearing panties, are you?” he asked, his breath coming faster as he backed them both toward the stairs.
“Why don’t you find out?” she asked with a wicked grin. The smile lasted for all of the three seconds it took for Carter to jerk her dress up around her waist and slip his hand between her legs. Lula’s pulse spiked at the sudden intimacy, but it was exactly what she needed,
what she craved.
“Jesus, L.J.” Carter moaned against her throat as he discovered how wet and swollen she was from a single kiss. His hand shook as he teased through her slick folds, making it clear he was as affected by the chemistry between them as she was. “I’ve been dreaming about this for so long. I can’t wait to taste you.”
“Take me upstairs,” Lula begged, driving her fingers into his soft hair. “I don’t want to wait anymore.”
“I’ll never keep you waiting again,” he promised, sweeping her into his arms. “I swear, Lu. I’ll never keep you waiting, and I’ll never let you down.”
Upstairs, Carter lay her on the bed and stripped her bare, kissing her until her head spun and her pulse raced. He teased her nipples with his tongue, licking and sucking, sending shivers of delight along her nerve-endings. He awakened the bliss in every secret place—from the hollow behind her ear to the sensitive skin above her hip that always made her moan. He made love to her like a man who had never forgotten the magic they made together, stoking the passion inside of her until she was trembling.
“Please,” she begged, squirming beneath him, the feel of his erection hot against her thigh as his tongue teased her already sensitized nipples, driving her crazy. “Please, now.”
“Are you sure? There’s no rush,” he said, trapping her nipple gently between his teeth as his fingers slid in and out of her.
But it wasn’t his fingers she wanted. “I’m sure,” she said, unable to resist the urge to buck into his hand, even as she reached down, stretching until she was able to wrap her fingers around his shaft. Her eyelids fluttered as she stroked him up and down. He felt amazing, so thick and hard, and so hot that his skin felt feverish.
They were both on fire, and there was only one thing that would put out the flames.
“Make love to me, Carter,” she whispered as she continued to stroke him, summoning a ragged sound from low in his throat. “Make love to me until I forget we ever spent a day apart.”