by Lucy Score
He took her hand, brought it between his legs, and pressed it against his hard cock. “Do you see what you do to me, Summer?”
Conversations flowed around them as his erection throbbed under her hand.
“Should I see if I have the same effect on you?” His hand slid another inch higher, his fingers stroking her inner thigh.
Summer’s eyes went wide. She was shaking her head when someone passed her the coleslaw. Summer very nearly bobbled the dish when Carter traced a long finger over her very slick folds.
She felt her muscles quiver, demanding more. Needing to be filled.
One-handed, he took the dish from her.
Another brush from the pads of his finger had her knees opening to take more. He withdrew his hand.
“More later, baby,” he whispered, spooning coleslaw on to her plate.
Summer shut her legs and her mouth and tried to get a grasp on her sanity.
Joey had scored a position at the end of the table next to Beckett. But when he got up to get another beer, Jax slid neatly into his place and swapped their plates. Joey pretended not to notice but scooted further away until she was teetering on the edge of the bench.
“Jax, quit crowding Joey,” Phoebe ordered. “Where are your manners?”
“We were literally raised in a barn, Mom,” Jax teased. But he slid an inch or two away from Joey.
“Who wants dessert?” Joey demanded, jumping up from the bench. She hurried over to the other table and away from Jax.
Phoebe sighed and shook her head.
After generous portions of Joey’s homemade apple crisp were sampled, the first murmurs of going home started.
“Before anyone leaves,” Summer said, pushing back from the table. “I have a little something for all of you.”
She rose and pulled the small gift bags out from under the beer table where she had stashed them. “I just wanted to thank all of you for welcoming me into your home. I never thought I’d say this, but I can’t wait to come back to the farm next month.”
She rounded the table handing out the bags.
One-by-one, they each pulled out forest green t-shirts with the new Pierce Acres logo on them.
“Summer, these are wonderful,” Phoebe said, holding her shirt up to admire.
“She designed the logo herself,” Carter said, grinning. He got up and dropped a kiss on Summer’s cheek. “Let’s see how they fit.”
He pulled off his shirt and stuffed it in the bag.
Beckett and Jax followed suit. Joey gave her a thumbs up from across the table. Three shirtless Pierce brothers made for an impressive sight.
Summer had snuck a peek at tags for Carter and Jax, but she’d guessed for Beckett. Thankfully, they all fit.
Phoebe hugged her. “You’re a sweet girl. Look how happy you’ve made my boys,” she said, grinning at her sons. “Especially that one.”
“Thank you for being so welcoming. I’m going to miss you,” Summer said.
Phoebe hugged her again. “We’ll be seeing you again. I’m sure of it.” She moved to help Franklin pull his t-shirt over the polo he wore.
“Got one for Franklin, too, huh?” Beckett grumbled.
On impulse, Summer rose on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss on his cheek. “I’m going to miss you, Mr. Mayor.”
“Come back and see us soon,” he said, his face softening into a grin. He squeezed her arm. “And if you ever decide to upgrade your Pierce brother, give me a call.”
“Beat it, Beckett,” Joey teased. She held her t-shirt, logo up, in her hands. “Thanks for this,” she said to Summer. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“You’re welcome. I was thinking about getting you one that said Future Mrs. Pierce that you could wear around town.”
Joey’s eyes narrowed. “Very funny. I’ll be sure to send you a clip of the ‘I want to have six babies with Carter Pierce’ article that’s due out soon.”
“Appreciate that. I’ll frame it and hang it at work to remind me what real journalism looks like.”
Joey frowned as if sensing danger. And Summer realized Jax was approaching.
“Well, I’ll see you around,” Joey said hastily. “I think I’m going to head home.”
“Say hi to the horses for me,” Summer called after her.
“Bring your boots next month. We’ll go for a ride,” Joey said over her shoulder.
“I should probably walk her home,” Jax said, watching her go.
Summer put her hand on his chest and held him in place. “What you should probably do is give her some space instead of stalking her like a jungle cat.”
“I gave her eight years of space.”
“Give her time to get used to you being here.”
Exasperated, he ran a hand through his hair.
“Jax, honey, will you help me pack up the leftovers?” Phoebe called from the table.
“Sure, Mom.” He turned back to Summer. “I’ll see you in the morning before you go, right?”
“I’ll be here.”
Jax leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll miss you when it’s just me and that bearded lug here.”
“Get your mouth off my girl,” Carter ordered, wrapping his arms around Summer from behind.
“What can I say, you’ve got good taste,” Jax winked.
“Carter, honey, we’re going to pack up the leftovers in the kitchen and head out,” Phoebe called, her arms full of plates and platters.
“Leave the dishes in the sink. Summer and I will clean up out here and take care of them later.” He gave Phoebe a peck on the cheek and shook Franklin’s hand.
Franklin pulled Summer in for a one-armed hug. “It was a pleasure meeting you, even under the unfortunate roof and robe circumstances.”
“You make a mean ziti, Franklin. I’ll be thinking of you when I’m back in New York trying to find a good Italian place.”
“Anytime you get hungry, just come on back,” he chuckled.
And just like that they were alone in the barn.
Wordlessly, Carter slid the door closed and turned to face her.
Lit only by candles, the room flickered with shadow and flame. He looked like equal parts angel and devil. How could something so breathtakingly perfect belong to her?
Summer didn’t realize she was backing away until she felt the rough edge of the table behind her.
“You look beautiful tonight.” He said it quietly. He hadn’t touched her yet, and already her blood was humming.
“You look pretty good yourself,” she said, smoothing the t-shirt over his chest to break some of the tension she felt rising in her body. It fit just as she’d imagined it would. Soft cotton layered over hard muscle.
He brought his hands to her waist and moved between her legs. She opened her thighs wider for him, dragging her hemline higher.
“Thank you for the shirts,” he said softly.
“Thank you for… everything, Carter.” She meant it. The past week had taken her to places she never expected. Sparked feelings she didn’t know she was capable of having. She felt… hope. She wasn’t ready for it to end.
Carter brought his fingertips to her face. After tracing along her jaw, her neck, they threaded into her hair.
“Kiss me, Summer.” His whisper brought a tremor to her body.
She leaned into him, laying her lips on his, savoring the taste and texture of the raw power that he kept leashed.
He let her lead, let her gently deepen the kiss until it bloomed like a flower under the sun.
She ran her hands up his arms, over his chest, gripping his shoulders.
She felt him harden against her and cuddled into him closer.
“Do you know what I thought about all evening?”
Summer shook her head, letting him gently ravage her with his lips.
“This.” He slid his hand under the skirt of her dress and, with a deft thrust, stretched two fingers inside of her. Summer felt her knees buckle at the invasion. Her thighs quaked as
they tried to close against Carter’s legs, but he merely moved in closer, forcing them farther apart.
He grabbed her hair, pulling her head back. “Open for me, beautiful,” he whispered against her. His tongue and fingers entered her.
“I love how you touch me,” she whispered against him.
Without breaking contact with her mouth, he freed himself from his jeans and brought the head of his cock to her wet center. He lifted her onto the edge of the table, spreading her legs wide.
He let her grip his shaft and guide it between her damp folds. Back and forth, she worked him with her hand sliding him against her until she trembled. His tongue rubbed against hers in a kiss so carnal it scared her.
“I thought about taking you like this,” he murmured, moving his lips over her jaw, down her neck. “Then I thought about bending you over the table.”
His voice caught as she brushed her thumb over his sensitive tip.
“What did you decide?” she asked, biting his bottom lip.
Carter growled low in his throat.
“This.” He pulled back just enough to drag on a condom before lifting her in his arms.
He kicked a chair out from the table, and as he sank down onto it, he sank into her. She gasped against his throat.
“God, I love how you fit me,” he whispered, lips skimming her throat.
Summer’s legs hung over the sides of the chair, toes skimming the floor. Carter adjusted, shoving his jeans down further so he could open his legs.
She moaned at the friction it caused inside her.
“So perfect. So beautiful. Hold still a minute, baby.” He held her hips in place when she started to move. “I just want to feel this. Feel you surrounding me, belonging to me.” His fingers dug into her hips with the effort to stay still.
Summer shivered. She was so full.
“Let’s take this nice and slow.”
Carter untied the knot in her denim shirt and slid it from her shoulders. He dipped his thumbs under the thin spaghetti straps of her white dress.
“Did I mention that I’m not wearing a bra, either?” she murmured, pressing kisses to his face.
His hands stilled on her waist.
“I’m glad you didn’t tell me until now. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have lasted through dinner,” he said, trailing his mouth over her collarbones.
He slid the straps from her shoulders, and Summer held her breath as the material clung to her breasts for a moment before slipping down her body.
The candlelight flickered from behind her, casting shadows everywhere. But she could still see Carter’s eyes, the hard glint of need when he leaned in to softly nuzzle at her breast.
Summer sighed and ever so slowly rocked her hips forward and then back. Carter moved inside her, with her. He ran his tongue over one sensitive tip and then the other. His strong hands lifted her so he could move with her.
“Slow, Summer. Slow,” he whispered, his breath hot against her skin.
She rode him slowly in the candlelight until the wave of pleasure took them both to the peak before sending them drifting, spiraling down to earth.
The morning arrived too quickly for Summer’s taste. One minute she was wrapped in Carter’s arms, and the next she was opening her car door, saying goodbye.
“Text me when you get home, okay?” Carter reminded her for the third time.
“I will. And we can talk tonight?”
“Nine o’clock,” Carter nodded.
Summer swung her bag into the passenger seat and turned around to face him. She wrapped her arms around Carter’s waist one last time.
“I don’t know what to say. How to tell you…” she pressed her face into his chest.
His arms enfolded her again and he brought his chin to the top of her head. “Just say ‘I’ll see you soon.’” He was right. She fit him just right.
Summer nodded and sighed. “Okay, one more kiss.”
Carter obliged and gave her a kiss that scorched her to her toes.
“See you soon, honey,” he said, kissing the tip of her nose and her forehead.
“See you soon, Carter.” Biting her lip, Summer pulled back and slid behind the wheel.
Summer slipped on her sunglasses and, blowing him a kiss, pulled away.
19
Summer had expected to feel a bit of relief returning to the city, back to her routine. Back to everything that was so familiar to her. Instead, she was antsy and distracted. She spent her first week back—and a better part of the second—bogged down in the work that had piled up while she was gone and sneaking out of events to call Carter.
She had gotten a lot of compliments on her “glow” when she returned, which she told everyone had to do with the fresh air and sunshine. Not a sexcation.
Hmm, a sexcation. She scribbled a note to herself to see if any of the other big monthlies had covered that topic before.
She was rapidly becoming an expert on them. They had planned to wait two weeks before seeing each other again. They hadn’t even made it one full week. He met her at the train in Rhinecliff on a Thursday, and they spent the entire night making love in a motel.
Dinner came from the vending machines. Carter put her back on the train at six the next morning, and it was back to work for both of them.
They had done it twice now.
The second time, there had been a delay at the station, and Summer arrived at the office in a panic having missed two morning meetings. It was a warning from the universe, she decided. Focus on work. Stick with the plan.
To cheer herself, she opened the email Joey had sent her a few days ago.
To: [email protected]
From: [email protected]
You’re officially Blue Moon famous. Let me know next time you’re in town and we’ll go to Anthony’s house to make sure he’s never heard from again.
The email contained a link to the The Monthly Moon story, which skirted the rules of good journalism by speculating that, while Summer had left for Manhattan, it wouldn’t be long before she returned to their fair community to permanently end her search for a husband after one of Blue Moon’s most eligible bachelors won her heart.
It included a bulleted list of her qualifications for a good man and how Carter Pierce rated in each category. The only category he didn’t rank highly in was “chiseled jaw.” An asterisk educated the reader that his jawline was unable to be properly measured due to his beard.
Joey Grier was quoted as saying that Summer was looking forward to starting a large family.
The article ended with, “In related news, Ms. Grier is looking to rekindle her high school romance with Jackson Pierce. It looks as though two of the Pierce bachelors are officially off the market.”
Summer rolled her eyes. If her father thought what she did for a living was a disgrace to journalism, he would be horrified by The Monthly Moon’s coverage.
She turned her chair to take in the view out the window.
She had felt off-balance ever since returning to the city. It was harder than she imagined to divide her time between work and a personal life. She wasn’t exactly used to having a personal life, having dedicated so much of herself to her goals since college.
She was just getting used to a new normal, Summer told herself. She could make it work.
“Must be nice to have time to just sit and do nothing,” the cat-like voice of Kira Nakano purred.
All five feet and ten inches of her leaned against the wall of Summer’s cubicle. Everything about her was sharp. Candy pink nails that her manicurist shaped into points and black hair that hung to her shoulders in a razor’s edge bob.
“What can I do for you, Kira?” Summer said, her tone as sweet as sugar.
“I just wanted to stop by and see how you’re doing since your vacation.” She examined the talons on her right hand.
“I was on an assignment,” Summer reminded her.
“I just assumed it was a vacation since you’ve had so much trouble getting ba
ck into the swing of things,” Kira said, pasting a phony look of concern on her face. “Missing those meetings earlier this week?” she tut-tutted. “Since you weren’t there, I thought I’d get you up to speed. Katherine gave me the piece to do on Sylvia Van Brennan’s new album.”
Summer smiled sweetly. “Oh, the two hundred words on her holiday album? How nice. I bet that will keep you busy for a while.”
Kira’s eyes narrowed. “I’m also coordinating the anniversary issue contributors. Gosh, isn’t that something you did last year?” She tapped a pink nail to her chin. “Maybe Katherine is just realizing that you don’t have as much to offer as she thought you did.”
“I guess that’s for Katherine to decide,” Summer answered shortly. “Maybe you should go remind her how invaluable you are.”
Kira glared at her. “You’re tan. All of that farm work is going to give you sun spots. You should see a dermatologist.”
“Thanks for stopping by,” Summer said. “You’d better run along now. You don’t want to get behind with all your special projects.”
“Ladies.” Nikolai Vulkov sauntered into Summer’s cube.
“Nikolai.” Kira gave him a frosty nod before strutting out.
Summer shoved her hands through her hair. “Ugh! That woman makes me want to push her off a rooftop and then hit her with a bus.”
Niko pressed a kiss to her cheek. “She has that effect on most people.”
“You never… with her…?” Summer demanded.
Niko put his hands up. “I don’t sleep with every beautiful woman I meet.”
“You think snide nastiness is beautiful?” Summer snorted.
“Not everyone can be as sweet as you,” he teased. “So I see you survived farm life.”
“I have. And had a pretty good time doing it. How was Paris?”
“Same old, same old.”
Summer grinned. “Jet-setting off to Paris for a shoot and then on to Blue Moon Bend. I can’t wait to see you on the farm.”
“Oh, like you’re so at home there.”
“I told you. I had a good time.”
Niko’s eyes narrowed. “Uh-huh. And what did you say Old MacDonald’s name was?”