by Leddy Harper
The lines on his forehead intensified and his gaze narrowed. His quirked lips now a flat line concealed behind the heavy stubble on his face. My heart stilled, clenched, and then shriveled up in my chest at how fast his demeanor changed. “I should’ve known you’d assume the worst about me.” His tone was low, but not angry. More disheartened than anything. “It’s why I don’t like to tell people my business. But you should know, your impression of me couldn’t be more wrong. In case you missed what I said, let me repeat it. I enjoyed the attention at first, but it quickly wore off. I may not commit to relationships, but that doesn’t mean I fuck around.”
When Carter erected his wall, he had a way of making me feel like a child who’d disappointed her parent. He left me with the impression I’d been lectured, and I immediately reverted back to a lost adolescent girl within her shell. I opened and closed my mouth several times without a single sound escaping. I blinked, as if I had something stuck in my eye. It was moments like these when I envied those with quick, witty comebacks, knowing I’d come up with something good hours later when it’s too late to say anything.
Luckily, the waitress interrupted the awkward moment to bring us our pizza. She leaned over the table and set the pan on the stand between us, effectively cutting off our conversation. It forced Carter to back away, offering me the space I needed to catch my breath. However, the atmosphere around us grew heavy with discomfort as soon as we were alone.
“So…you said your kindergarten teacher yelled at you a lot.” Needing a reprieve, I went back to the original topic in the hopes it would lighten the mood. “What’d you get in trouble for?”
Not once did Carter glance up while shaking cheese and red pepper flakes on his slice. “What didn’t she get onto me for should be the question,” he mumbled softly, almost to himself as he focused on the pizza in his hand. I could tell he didn’t really care to engage in the conversation, but did so to bring peace to the table. “I hated naptime. Hated it. So I used to go to the restroom and sit there until the lights in the room came back on. One time, I was in there, doing absolutely nothing while waiting for naps to be over with, and some kid in the class needed to go. He didn’t knock on the door or speak up, so I had no clue he was lying on his mat needing to pee. I guess he couldn’t hold it anymore and ended up pissing his pants. Somehow, it was my fault. I remember using the argument that I didn’t pee on him so I wasn’t to blame. She wasn’t happy and called my mom.”
I almost choked on my food when I tried to swallow and laugh simultaneously.
“Oh, there’s more.” He took a bite and continued with his memories of his youthful antics. “She had this gumball machine in her class—well, I don’t think it was gumballs, but something like that. One day, I figured out how to rig it so I didn’t have to put in a coin. You see, she used to give us quarters or pennies, whichever one the thing took, when we did something good. I never got any, because the hag hated me. So I took it upon myself to get my own. She didn’t appreciate my ingenuity, and again, called my mom. I think by the end of the year, she had my mom’s number on speed dial.”
“So are you a clepto, or was that just a phase you went through when you were five?”
He washed down his food with what little was left in his wine glass and winked at me. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”
“Well, if I saw you out, I just might hold my purse tighter to my body.” I licked my lips and let my gaze trace the ink peeking out from beneath the sleeve of his shirt. It wasn’t something I’d normally do, considering how brazen the act was, but I thought it would add a bit of sexy comedy to what I planned to say next.
However, I wasn’t able to finish my thought. He dropped the crust of his eaten slice onto the plate in front of him and released a stream of annoyance through his pursed lips. It was harsh enough to garner my attention and force the words to die on my tongue. He attacked so fast I wasn’t able to comprehend the shift in his attitude until after he’d gotten his frustrations out. “Are you from some Bible-thumping, hillbilly town where everyone has blond hair and blue eyes? Where piercings are a sin and tattoos mean you’re either a thug or an ex-con?”
I carefully pushed my plate away and clutched the edge of the table. Like so many others, I could only take so much before I found the courage to stand on my own and defend myself. “I don’t understand why you keep doing that.”
“Doing what?” His voice was laden with contempt.
“We’ll be right in the middle of a normal conversation and out of nowhere, you go all Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde on me.”
He pressed his palms flat against the table and dropped his shoulders, almost leaning over but not quite. “You just insinuated you’d hold your purse tighter because you think I’d rob you. I don’t know how else you want me to react. How would you respond if I told you I’d ignore you in public because you look like a desperate woman who’d do anything to get my attention?”
Tiny, invisible pins stabbed the backs of my eyes, making them swell and sting on the verge of tears. I didn’t want to cry, because I didn’t want Carter to believe he’d upset me. In reality, my oncoming tears were from anger and frustration. Annoyance over the hypocrisy he used with me—and more than likely everyone in his life. Having grown up with someone with a similar disposition, I understood him, but that didn’t mean I’d tolerate it.
I unclenched my jaw and set forth to give him my own unfiltered thoughts. “Not fifteen minutes ago you were offended because I made an assumption about you, yet that’s all you’ve done from the beginning in regards to me. Earlier this week at the gym, you assumed I’d meant something else when you hinted at me having a boyfriend and I didn’t answer. And here you are again, assuming you know what I insinuated.”
Carter craned so far over the table I could practically feel the warmth of his breath with every word he uttered. “You said you’d hold your purse tighter if you saw me in public. How else is that meant to be taken?”
“It was a joke, but—”
“A joke? There’s nothing funny about that.”
“But…” I lowered my voice and emphasized the word he silenced with his unwarranted argument. “You didn’t let me finish. I had an entire punch line, but you got pissed off too quickly. Had you given me two more seconds, you would’ve heard the joke.” I closed my eyes and dropped my chin to combat the tears threatening to spill. “You know what? I’m not hungry anymore. I’m just going to call my sister-in-law and have her come pick me up.”
“You’re really gonna leave me sitting alone in a restaurant?”
I grabbed my purse but didn’t make any other effort to get out of the booth. I stared across the table at him, fury igniting within me. I couldn’t remember the last time a man had enraged me so quickly. “At the gym, I censored my words because I didn’t want you to take them the wrong way. Instead, you took my body language the wrong way. Tonight I tried to let loose and have fun. I attempted to make an uncensored joke, only for you to take it the wrong way. I can’t win with you, Carter. And it’s draining to try. So I think it’s best to give up while I’m still somewhat ahead.”
As soon as I was on my feet, out of the booth, Carter was as well. He stood directly in front of me, not once bothering to glance around at the other patrons on either side of us. It was as if he didn’t care about the attention we drew to ourselves. “I wanna hear your joke. Tell me the punch line.”
I pulled the strap of my purse over my shoulder and held it against my stomach. “It’s pointless now. I doubt you or I will find it funny.”
“I don’t care. I wanna hear it.”
A sigh rolled past my parted lips just as I lowered my gaze to his chest. I no longer wanted to stare into his eyes, no longer caring how they lit me up inside or roused my heartbeat. I felt defeated and only wanted to get out of there, so I relented and gave him the rest of what I had tried to say earlier. “I’d hold my purse tighter to my body, because then I’d have a greater chance of getting felt up if you tried to tak
e it from me. It didn’t mean I think you’re a thug or thief. I only meant—”
My explanation was swallowed by a gasp when he grabbed my hips and yanked my body against his, trapping my hands between my stomach and the waist of his jeans. His belt buckle dug into my knuckles just as the hard planes of his chest pressed against my forehead.
“I’m not a thief,” he whispered into my ear. “But I could definitely become one if it meant feeling you up in the process. Although, if I’m being honest, your purse isn’t what I’d take.”
Jekyll and Hyde…I didn’t know which one was the true Carter, or if they both were, but I couldn’t deny what he did to me.
I tilted my chin up to allow me room to speak without my words being muffled by his shirt. My voice came out in panted breaths of unbearable desperation. “What would you take?”
Using his hold on my hips, he pushed me far enough away to look at my face when he spoke. For some reason, neither of us seemed to acknowledge the spectacle we created.
The patrons vanished altogether with his reply.
“You. All of you. Nothing but you.”
CHAPTER FOUR
It had taken a total of fifteen seconds for the dense layer of desire to lift, and I was left with the reminders of why I’d gotten up from the table to begin with. He may have stolen the air from my lungs and jumpstarted my arousal, but I wasn’t a complete moron. It would take more than raspy flattery and heated touches to make me forgive someone for treating me badly.
In the end, Carter had convinced me to stay and finish dinner. It’d taken a lot of coercing, but when he finally apologized—several times—for overreacting, I gave in and sat back down. He ordered two more glasses of wine, and while we polished off the food and drinks, we talked about my life back home and the expansion of his gym.
By the end of our third glass of wine, Carter got a call he had to answer. He spoke quietly into the receiver while I sat back in the booth under the haze of alcohol. My body tingled with a healthy buzz, and all I could do was watch the way his mouth molded around every word.
“I’m so sorry, Kara, but I have to go to the gym. That was the alarm company, and apparently, the battery on the system needs to be replaced.”
I glanced at my watch, focusing twice as much to read the time, and noticed it was almost ten o’clock. “Wow, it’s late. I didn’t even realize how long we’ve been sitting here.”
“It really hasn’t been that long. I didn’t pick you up until eight thirty.”
He pulled cash from his wallet and tucked it beneath a plate, hidden from my view. Normally, I had manners and didn’t try to see how much someone had spent on me, but after three glasses of wine, etiquette went out the window. I leaned forward and tried to peek at how much he left, but was quickly stopped by a forceful tug on my arm.
“C’mon, Kara.” His grip might’ve been harsh, but his words and tone were playful. He led me outside and helped me into the car. “I have to stop and grab a battery real quick. Do you mind if I do that before I take you back?”
“I’m in no hurry.”
After stopping at the drugstore, Carter decided to head over to the gym since it was on the way back to my house. The thought of being in the gym after hours excited me, so I didn’t complain when he suggested the “quick pit stop.”
He locked the front door behind me and then grabbed my hand. “I have to go to the back. It’ll be two minutes, tops. Are you okay waiting here?” His gaze found mine in the dim emergency lights.
“Yeah. You go do what you have to. I’ll be fine.”
After he walked down the hall that led to the bathrooms, I began to wander around. My head felt heavy from the weight of alcohol, but the excitement of the empty gym kept my feet moving.
Just inside the front door, to the left of the check-in desk, was the entrance to the room with the rock-climbing wall. On the other side of the desk, the light was off at the smoothie counter. Around the corner, where you could normally get lunch or healthy snacks, it was empty. Carter had gone down the hallway past that, into the shadows. On the right side of the front door sprawled the open part of the gym. Cardio was the first thing in line: treadmills, ellipticals, stair climbers. I’d never been beyond that; considering I didn’t weight train, I didn’t need to venture past the typical workout machines. However, the entire space was open, so I’d seen it before. It’s also where I’d regained consciousness after passing out my first day here.
I strolled over to that area, feeling a bit like a rebel. I checked out the benches and empty Olympic bars resting in the grooves. Weight discs sat organized by size on a rack in one corner, and a water fountain hung on the wall in the other.
“What are you doing?” Carter’s deep voice startled me and caused me to jump in surprise. Either he had really light feet or I’d been too engrossed in my exploration, because I hadn’t heard him approach. Which made me seem even more foolish since I faced a wall of mirrors and never once saw him walk up behind me.
I covered my tightening chest with one hand, exaggerating the effort of catching my breath. “God, Carter…you scared me. I was just checking out the place. I was never given an official tour, so I figured I’d wander around while you did what you came to do.”
“Then by all means…let me show you around.” His face split into a wicked grin, and it sent a wave of excitement up my spine. He waved his arm around the open room, passed the cardio equipment and the weight machines, and announced, “This is the gym, as I’m sure you’ve already figured out. You know where the rock wall is…and the men’s room.” He wagged his brows and offered a smirk.
“What’s over there?” I pointed to an alcove against the far wall.
Two closed doors with only a small square window in the center broke up the mirrors. He moved to one, pulling me behind him by the hand, and opened it. Flipping on the light switch, he said, “Training rooms. They’re used for private sessions, both practically identical.”
I stepped into the room and glanced around. Much like the main gym, mirrors lined the walls; however, unlike the rest of the place, there were no windows to the outside. Completely closed off. There were weights, benches, heavy ropes, and cardio machines. Had I known these rooms existed, I might’ve asked for a personal trainer to keep from having to work out in front of everyone else.
“Let me see how much you can bench-press.”
Carter shied away, his smirk brightening his cheeks. “Nah. I’m not dressed to lift weights in jeans and a polo.”
I thrust out my lower lip and batted my lashes at him. The wine eliminated my nervous inhibitions, making it easier to flirt. “Please? You don’t have to lift much. I just want to see it. I think it’s the sexiest thing in the world.”
His tongue swept across his bottom lip seconds before his perfect row of top teeth clamped onto it. The bristles of his beard shifted just below his mouth. My breathing slowed as my attention zeroed in on his actions, wondering what he tasted like. Wondering what it would feel like to have him bite me with those teeth.
A bomb could’ve gone off in the room and I wouldn’t have noticed.
“I’m not adding weight to the bar, so you’ll have to use your imagination.” He strutted over to the bench and straddled it before lowering himself into position. As his eyes locked on mine, he lifted one side of his mouth, and the entire room became stifling with the heat of my desire.
His thick fingers wrapped around the bar above him, and in one swift movement, he lifted it out of the resting grooves. He slowly lowered it to his chest, never taking his eyes off mine, and then raised it high above his head. Even without weight disks, it was sexy as hell. I could’ve watched him for hours, but my feet decided to take control and lead me to him. He continued the motions of working out effortlessly while tracking my movement.
Without the wine at dinner, I probably would’ve given him a compliment and then let him drive me home. But I did have wine. Three glasses—maybe it was four. So nothing prevented me from stra
ddling the bench and climbing onto his lap. I sat there with my hands splayed across his tight abs and stared into his deep forest orbs, not once questioning myself why I’d done it. It had seemed like a good idea, so I went for it.
He dropped the bar back into the brackets, but he didn’t pull his hands away.
“They say if a woman sits on a man while he works out, it increases his testosterone, which leads to muscle growth and improves strength.” The confidence in my tone would’ve surprised me had I been sober. However, it seemed to have completely shocked him into silence while he continued to lie there and watch me. “I figured I’d help you out with that…not like you need more testosterone.”
One minute, his fingers were wrapped tightly around the Olympic bar above him. The next, his hands were gripping my hips so hard my bones ached. He tugged me forward a few inches until my pelvis lined up with his. The harsh movement caused me to topple forward a bit, and I had to hold myself up by his pecs to keep from completely falling into his hard body.
“If you want to measure the amount of testosterone in me…” he gritted out through tight lips and clenched teeth. “…then sit right here and feel my muscle grow.” It was obvious his control was in danger of slipping away.
The sweltering air around us constricted my windpipe and left behind a sheen of perspiration on my chest. It polluted my lungs until my breaths were strained and thick, clogged with lust and heady desire. Had there not been a fire kindling between my legs, I might’ve felt the effects of his words brighten my cheeks and scorch the edges of my ears.
Every muscle in my body froze—I couldn’t move. But I didn’t need to, because he used his hold on me to do it himself. His fingertips dug into the flaming ball of nerve endings at the cusp of my back, just before the rise of my ass. He pressed his thumbs into the hollow spaces above my hips as he slowly rocked me against him. Every push, every pull, added friction to my clit through my jeans and had me growing wetter.
Between the sensations of my nerves misfiring and the pressure building low in my abdomen, I dropped my head forward and released a rumbling moan. My lips parted and a wave of pleasure masked in air escaped. I hadn’t realized my eyelids had fallen closed until my posture changed without warning.