The Middle Road

by K. G. Reuss

  “We didn’t do anything special. I wanted to go rafting, maybe ride a horse down to the basin, or do one of those plane rides, but no. My dad would only take us to the horseshoe overhang. I was so scared I couldn’t go out on it. If I remember correctly, I peed my pants when he tried to drag me out onto the overlook.”

  “He dragged you? I don’t know your dad, but that’s a dick move.”

  We get on the highway and see a sign for Lake Pontchartrain. I point to it, and he changes lanes for the causeway.

  “Then you do know him. My dad isn’t Ward Cleaver. He’s a doctor. One of the best in neurosurgery. And he’s a teaching doctor at that. He pushes his students hard, and I was no exception since he was paying for my private education.” I lower the seat back and let the warm sun shine on my face.

  I close my eyes and see my father’s stern face. “He used to quiz me the night before tests until I could answer every one of the questions he made up from my books. Even if I fell asleep, he’d shake me awake and continue on. My father is a hard man, but a great doctor. I’m his greatest disappointment.”

  We enter onto the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway and drive over the open expanse of water. After a few minutes, I can’t see the shoreline. I’d hate to be on this during a storm.

  “I take it singing isn’t something he supports?”

  “The entertainment business isn’t a noble profession in his eyes…saving lives and getting the chance to play God every now and again is.”

  We leave the causeway and get off onto a regular street, just passing through the neighborhoods. Many of them look to be still recovering from Hurricane Katrina.

  “Did you follow in your dad’s footsteps or forge your own path?” I squint at him in the bright sunlight.

  “I took over my father’s business when he passed a few years back. This apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” he replies, sighing loudly. “My dad was also a ruthless son-of-a-bitch. I learned from the best then added my own twisted endings. From his deathbed, he warned me to change my ways, but like any son at the peak of his career, I was too stubborn to listen.”

  “And so now you’re listening? Jaunting out across the country performing good deeds for those in need—what changed?”

  A quick smile plays about his lips. A slight dimple appears in his cheek when he twists his lips a certain way. “What do you mean? Nothing happened. The stress of my last big deal started weighing on me. I developed headaches. Derek suggested a vacation to relax and here we are. End of story.”

  “I don’t believe you. It’s too easy and clean.”

  “Fine. You win,” he answered with a soft laugh. “I’m a few weeks from dying, and this is my last adventure. My last hurrah, if you will. I’ve traveled all over the world but not this country, and it seemed like a great idea.”

  “And now you try to bullshit me? I’m disappointed if that was the best story you could come up with.”

  We stop at a red light. “I promise you, no bullshit. It is what it is. I’m sorry if it’s not glamorous enough for you. I really am de-stressing. The New York real estate market is a beast. I’ve conquered it for years, but it’s taken a toll on me.” He turns slightly toward me and takes my hand in his. “I’m ready to slow down. Find someone of my own who doesn’t want just my money and my penthouse on Fifth Avenue. This is me clearing my head and leaving the asshole behind. I call it the rebirth of Carter George, 2.0.”

  The light turns green, and he shifts facing forward again, slowly releasing my hand like it’s the last thing he wants to do. We enter back onto Interstate 55 South.

  “OK. I’m sorry I doubted you,” I say, my apology heavy in my throat. “The Carter George I’ve read about doesn’t match up with the Carter George I know. That’s all.”

  He flashes a quick smirk in my direction. “Well good. My re-birth is working then.”

  My eyebrows draw together in confusion. “Is this all a PR strategy to clean up your image?”

  “Nah, I don’t give a damn about public relations. You take me at face value or don’t take me at all. I really don’t care.”

  I glance at the steering wheel and watch his hands tremble. He’s not telling the whole truth, but that’s OK. I’m a stranger invading his vacation. We’ve got plenty of time to figure each other out because the one thing I know is that I’m not going anywhere without him.

  Nineteen

  Carter

  My phone buzzes in the console with a text. “That’s probably Derek. Can you reply to him?”

  Teddy picks up my phone and swipes across the screen to wake it up. “Oh my God, Carter,” she shrieks in disbelief. “You have 481 text messages. Aren’t you going to respond to them?”

  “The only messages I reply to are from Derek. He’s all that matters to me right now.”

  “Yep. It’s Derek. He says we’re fueled up and ready to roll when you are.”

  “Text back and let him know we’re almost there. Maybe another thirty minutes or so.”

  I exit the interstate and merge onto Highway 18 which winds along the Mississippi River. The muddy waters churn with barges. Teddy’s face is flushed red from the heat and sun, so I raise the roof and turn the air conditioning back on.

  We drive in silence for a while, enjoying the view until she sighs loudly.

  “Are you OK?” I lean over and put my hand over hers.

  She rolls her head to look at me. “I’m fine. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, for starters, that was the saddest sigh I think I’ve ever heard. Secondly, you’ve been quiet for a while. I thought you were just loving the ride, but that sigh tells a different story. Are you all right?”

  “I’m worrying about things I have no business worrying about. That sigh was my mental pep talk to let it go.”

  “Tell me what you’re worrying about. Maybe I’ll have some insight into your troubles.”

  “If you really want to know, I was worrying about you or your business, to be honest. Aren’t you worried about your company? Or your employees? Is it falling apart at the hands of whoever you put in charge? I mean 481 text messages tell me something is wrong.”

  “Teddy, my company will be fine. If they run it to the ground then they’re the ones out of a job.”

  “How can you be so laissez-faire about it? Don’t you care about your people? They have mortgages, children to support, and bills to pay.”

  I don’t even know how to respond to that. Why does she care? She doesn’t know me or my business, much less any of the people I have under my care. I ruthlessly choke the throat of the businesses I take over for my people. That’s why I poke and prod every last cent out of them in every deal I barter.

  So I can fund the secret savings account each and every employee has with my company. My dad knew living in New York was expensive. He knew most of our employees lived paycheck to paycheck to fund taxes they had no voice in creating. We pay them well, but emergencies happen. So Dad started to stipend a secret savings account for them. They each get $500 per quarter with compounded interest. Hell, most of our older, loyal employees are millionaires and don’t even know it. They find out when they quit or retire.

  I slam the steering wheel with the base of my palm. “I care. Trust me. I care too damn much. But the real question here is why do you care? Are you worried about my billions in hopes that you’ll be granted some the minute I give in and taste that sweet pussy you keep prancing in front of me?”

  “Fuck you. Fuck you to hell and back, Carter George.” She turns her shoulder away from me, her back acting as a wall between us.

  She’s shutting me out.

  A few minutes later, I pull over into an empty parking lot off the side of the road. “Hey, listen. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I said that.”

  She removes her seatbelt and jumps out of the car, walking away from me.

  “Teddy Bear. Don’t walk away.”

  She flips her middle finger in the air at me as her hips sway, taking her farther and farther
away from me in the warm Louisiana morning.

  Damn it.

  I run after her, wrapping my arms around her when I finally get to her. “You’re a runner,” I whisper in her ear. “I know this now, and you’re not running away this time.”

  I hold her tightly as she squirms to be set free.

  “You’re hurting me, Carter.”

  I loosen my grip just a little bit and turn her around to face me.

  “Teddy, sweetheart. Look at me.”

  Her jaw tightens as I lift her chin with my index finger.

  “You drive me crazy. Do you know that?”

  She shakes her head. Her stormy green eyes look everywhere but into mine.

  “My head swims when you’re within a foot of me. My heart pounds against my chest, sometimes so hard, I swear it’s going to crack my ribs. I want to do everything possible to make you happy, but I have no fucking clue what that would be.”

  “I don’t need your money to be happy. I grew up rich and spoiled. I already know that’s not where happiness is found.”

  The dejected look on her face cracks my heart. A tear breaks free from the corner of her eye and slowly rolls down her cheek. Jesus Christ.

  I pull her into me, cradling her face in my hands. My thumb swipes over the trail where that one tear fell. I can’t fucking stand the ache any longer. I can’t stand the constant warring in my head when I think about wanting her and hurting her when she learns our forever is only six months tops. All I know is that I need her. Every single delicious part of her. Fuck death and fuck the greedy bastard within me.

  It’s now or never, and never can’t happen when it comes to her.

  Our lips burn hot when they collide, our tongues rolling over each other in a long, anticipated dance. Her hands dig and claw into my back, holding me to her as I take our kiss deeper. God, I’ve wanted her for so long. I’ve been waiting for this moment my whole life.

  We sway into each other as we pull away to catch our breaths, the momentum of our frenzied kiss throwing us both off balance. I cup her cheek tenderly in my hand.

  “I’m so sorry I was harsh earlier. I need you to know I never cared enough before, but with you, I feel things I’ve never felt. I care about things I’ve never cared about. I want to experience everything with you, but at the same time, do absolutely nothing but spend the rest of my life with you. Is that crazy?”

  “It’s not crazy. I feel the same way. I’m drawn to you. From the first moment I saw you at the bar, I’ve been pulled in your direction. I never strayed far from the RV in Nashville. I watched you for days come and go, wanting to go to you but not wanting to need you. It seems we’re being thrown together.” She presses her cheek to my chest and hugs me tightly.

  “We’re being thrown together, and for whatever reason, we need to stop fighting it. I want you here with me. I want to get to know you. I want to experience your good days and bad ones, learn what makes you cry and what makes you laugh so hard you cry. We’re going to falter and say the wrong things at times. It’s the growing pains of getting to know each other, but we can’t run. Promise me no more running?”

  Her eyes search mine and soften a little. She cups my face with her delicate hands and presses her lips to mine with a kiss that speaks volumes of promises to come. “No more running,” she affirms. “C’mon. Let’s get back.”

  “Do you want to drive us back into the city?”

  A smile spreads across her pretty face. It brightens my whole world.

  “Are you kidding me? Hell yes.”

  I hand her the key fob.

  “Can I open her up and see if she’ll do eighty?” Her eyes dance in anticipation of my response.

  “Can you pay the speeding ticket?” I chuckle under my breath.

  Those perfect pouty lips turn me on. “All right then. I guess we’ll go the speed limit.”

  Twenty

  Teddy

  When we get back from our drive, we leave New Orleans. Carter kisses me gently and goes to take a nap. I help Derek navigate the next leg of our trip. We end up driving into Texas. When we’re on the outskirts of Houston, we finally stop for sleep.

  I wake up feeling giddy. I can’t wait to see Carter. I don’t want to be that girl—the one who’s clingy and needy—but I seriously need this man. Like, he makes me feel…alive. It’s the only word I can think of to describe it.

  I get out of bed, eager to see Carter, but he’s not in the living area.

  “Derek, is Carter still sleeping?” I ask, sliding into the seat across from him at the table with a cup of coffee. He pushes a box of muffins at me.

  “Yeah. He was up for a bit but went back to bed.”

  I frown, a niggling feeling that something isn’t right with him.

  “Is everything OK with him?” I press, worry settling in my guts.

  Derek shrugs, his eyes focused on the muffin he’s picking apart. “He’s just stressed.”

  “You guys keep talking about this stress, and I totally understand why he should be, but when we were out yesterday, I looked at his phone. He had over four hundred missed texts. Don’t get me started on the missed phone calls. Is he in trouble or something?” I lean forward and plead with my eyes for Derek to tell me anything.

  “It’s stress. He’s not in any sort of trouble other than that. If he wants to tell you about it, he will,” Derek says gently, peering into his coffee mug. “Carter is a complicated man. Don’t push him on it. When he wants to talk to you about his troubles, he will.”

  “You just said he’s not in trouble—”

  “He’s not. It’s stress.”

  I scoff, hating that word. Fine. Carter is stressed. Maybe he needs un-stressing. I don’t touch my coffee. Instead, I get to my feet and go to his room and tap on the door gently. He doesn’t answer, so I slide it open and peer at him. He has little dots of sweat on his forehead, and his t-shirt clad chest is heaving as he pulls in ragged breaths. His hand is clenched on his blanket. A whimper comes from his mouth. Molly lets out a whine as she curls against him, her nose nuzzling him, trying to wake him.

  Immediately, I’m at his side. He’s dreaming something bad.

  “Carter,” I murmur, cupping his damp cheek. “Carter. Hey. Wake up.”

  His long lashes flutter, his eyes unfocused for a minute as he stares at me, confusion evident on his face. He looks lost and scared. Vulnerable. Nothing like the strong man I know he is. It’s a look that breaks my heart.

  “Teddy Bear,” he murmurs, coming to. His lips brush against mine as he pulls me to him, his arms a vice around me. His kiss is fire on my lips. I moan against him as his hand finds my breast over my tank top, giving it a tender squeeze.

  Molly jumps from the bed, her nails clicking as she retreats to Derek.

  “The door is open,” I whisper against Carter’s lips as he rolls me onto my back, his body leveled over mine.

  Derek calls out to Molly, then the door to the RV opens and closes, signaling he’s taken her out.

  “It won’t be a problem,” he whispers, his lips skimming a trail along my jaw.

  I respond by twining my fingers through his hair, drawing his face closer to mine. His tongue sweeps against mine, leaving me breathless. I’m desperate to have him, my hips lifting up to meet the grind of his hard length against my thin pajama shorts.

  He trails kisses down my neck to my collarbone before he tugs my tank top off, taking my bra with it. With nimble fingers, my shorts and panties come off next, tossed to the floor.

  His eyes are locked on mine as I breathe hard.

  “What do you want, Teddy Bear,” he growls, his eyes sweeping over my body. I can see the massive bulge straining against his pajama bottoms.

  “I want you,” I manage to breathe out. “All of you.”

  His mouth captures mine again, and his fingers tangle in my hair briefly then trail down to squeeze my bare breasts. Hot lips make haste following his hands and finding a pebbled bud. He pulls it into his mouth, causing a g
asp to fall from my lips as he suckles. His fingers slide through my slick folds like a man on a mission.

  “Oh God,” I gasp as a finger finds the warm bundle of nerves. He rubs me, and I shamelessly buck into his hand as he strokes me gently before he inserts a finger into my slick canal. He curls his finger up and hits all the right places. He adds another one which causes my eyes to roll back in my head as the pressure grows, the tingling making me whimper.

  “Give it to me,” he commands with a rasp, his fingers moving faster, bringing me to new heights.

  I’m so delirious with pleasure that a garble of words exits my mouth as my pussy clenches around his fingers, drenching the sheets and his hand.

  He buries is face in my neck, his fingers slowing as I come crashing back down to Earth.

  “Good girl,” he murmurs in my ear. “My good girl.”

  Twenty-One

  Carter

  Teddy’s breaths come in short, sharp gasps as her orgasm crashes down around her. There’s something about being the one to give it to her that sends a thrill of satisfaction through me.

  I let out a low hiss as she finds the waistband of my pajama bottoms and wraps her fingers around my aching cock. Her eyes meet mine in a silent plea, and I’d be a fool not to let her have what she wants.

  She strokes me, my eyes rolling back in my head at the euphoria her warm touch brings. I push my pants down to give her better access. Her green eyes widen as she takes all of me in. I can’t help the smirk that crowds my lips.

  Yeah, baby. It’s all for you.

  A pink flush covers her cheeks and bare breasts, making my heart jackknife in my chest. I’ve never been with such a beautiful woman before. Sure, I’ve tapped some hot chicks in my day, but not one of them excites me like Teddy does.

  My mouth meets hers in a desperate plea for release as her hand moves faster on my dick. I’m so fucking close to release. I can’t stand it. The tingling builds in my lower spine. My hand finds hers and helps her pump me.