“Carter, is that you?”
I let out a sigh, trying not to cry, and rubbed my hands on my jeans. “There’s, ah, more to the story, but I just … how can I get him to talk to me? You know, I actually never thought he’d talk to me again after everything, or that I’d see him again. I guess I’m a wimp, but I feared the rejection, and I know he thinks the worst of me. I’m not ashamed of the porn, but … seeing him in the flesh, it’s like a part of myself returned to me. I don’t even know what I want, but I want to be good friends again.” I sniffled and leaned my head on Marshall’s shoulder.
“Oh buddy, come on, let’s get back to our place. You can chill out and watch trashy television, take a breather, and stay to have Stuart’s world-famous shepherd’s pie.”
I stretched and laughed then let out a deep breath. “Okay, that sounds really, really good right about now.”
7
JAMIESON
The thought of another social gathering with Carter was almost too much to handle. Taking a deep breath, I walked to the park near Marshall’s place. I chose to focus on the good part. A party. For a dog. Or two dogs. If it wasn’t so fucking adorable sounding, I’d cringe. They’d picked a gorgeous day for it: not too warm yet, with a blue sky.
Stuart had told me that they were having a party to celebrate Jess and the new addition.
I spotted them at a table near a large oak tree as Marshall waved me over. I nudged him as I reached the table. “No paparazzi.” We loved joking with each other, and it was so fun to tease him.
He strutted out on the green grass, did a fashion turn, pretended to stop for the imaginary camera, and came back over. “They’re welcome to me.” Laughing, we walked over to the table. Stuart was there and he hugged me. There was a large blanket set up, along with a badminton net as well. Jess padded over to me along with another dog.
I knelt down. “And who’s this little monkey.” An adorable King Charles cavalier puppy licked my hand. “He or she?” I looked up to Stuart.
“She. Princess Swarovski of London.”
I gaped at him but gritted my teeth. “Oh, uh, nice name.”
Swatting my head, he looked down at me as I moved to cross my legs. “I’m kidding. Her name is Lola.”
Lola licked my cheek. “So cute.” My voice turned high-pitched like most people did when talking to a baby or puppies.
There was movement behind me and I sensed Carter had arrived. Turning towards him, I was polite enough, giving a pinky wave and then turned back to Lola.
I could hear him talking to Marshall and Stuart, and my hands balled into fists against my will. I looked back at Carter once more to admire his tall stature and the most perfectly styled hair before he noticed. I could only hear part of the conversation. Something about modelling and just getting back from a photoshoot.
A few other people I didn’t know showed up, and Stuart played host, swanning around to greet everyone and pass out drinks. I wasn’t used to this dynamic, really. I had no one to latch on to. Well, Carter, I thought momentarily, if we were friends again. I’d be polite. But keeping my distance was difficult also, as I’d proved last time, leaning into his touch.
“Name your poison?” Stuart said behind me. I went to get up and felt my legs creak, needing to stretch. He helped pull me up. “Old man.”
“I know, right?” I laughed. “I’ll have a Coke if you have it.”
“Coming right up.” He walked off, smiling.
Carter came towards me and there was nowhere I could move without being super obvious that I was using a ginormous avoidance tactic. I wasn’t that person. So I straightened my shoulders and told myself that I wasn’t admiring his legs in those casual shorts; I wasn’t admiring his stride, and I wasn’t thinking how good it would feel to have him pick me up in his arms.
And then I gasped because he was right before me, waving his hand in front of my face. “Earth to Jamieson.” He chuckled and handed me the Coke. “Courtesy of Stuart or Martha Stewart … Stuart Stuart?” The look he gave me was willing me to engage, to do something. I could do it for a couple of hours.
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “Ha-ha. Yeah, I can’t decide if he’d love or hate that title, but he definitely channels his inner Martha sometimes.” I looked over to Stuart setting up all the food. “He’s in his element for sure.” I looked down, rubbing my foot in invisible dirt in the grass, then took a sip of my drink. This conversation ship was sinking fast. I didn’t even know if that was a thing, but the analogy worked in my mind.
“So …” he said.
“What …” I said at the exact same time.
“No, you go ahead.” He looked down at me and lifted his arm then dropped it. For a moment I was sure he was going to drape it across my shoulders.
Marshall jogged over to us, saving us from ourselves it seemed. “Guys, I was calling you. Come on. It’s time for food and cake.”
“Human or dog …” we both said in unison. That made us both laugh. We followed behind Marshall to the gathering. Everyone chattered and we all took seats at the tables. The day was beautiful, and Marshall and Stuart looked over the moon.
It was hard not to watch them kiss and fondle each other. Their love was infectious. I laughed at myself and took the food offered to me, pulling my head out of any romance clouds.
“This is so delicious, Stuart.” I moaned as I took a bite of some sort of divine garlic-infused bread.
He walked behind Carter, across from me, tapping his shoulder. “You, Jamieson, used to be the crown jewel in eating my food, but Carter here is giving you a run for your money.”
Carter’s mouth was half-full of something, and I noticed his plate piled high. Wiping his mouth with a napkin, he swallowed and seemed to only realize he was being talked about.
“Pass me the macaroni, then.” I piled it onto my plate and continued eating. I almost let slip that, yes, I remembered all about Carter’s appetite, but I wasn’t bringing all that up. It would then lead up to me knowing him in the past.
“Well, be glad that we love your food and we haven’t pushed it around the plate and strategically placed a napkin.” Carter then raised his glass to me.
I reluctantly did the same. After eating, we helped clear up all the garbage and little leftover food, and everyone stretched out under the tree or on the picnic blankets. Lola followed me. Stuart said earlier she seemed smitten with me. I sat cross-legged again and knew I was going to feel it later. Since when had I gotten so old? Petting her, I made little squeaky noises, and she nudged my nose.
Next thing, Carter was sitting across from me and handing Lola and myself a plate each.
“Are you sure you got each plate and type of cake right?” I asked taking it from him. “Thanks.”
“Ha-ha, you don’t want weird-ass-carrot-and-something-for-dog’s cake.” The smirk on Carter’s face almost took my breath away. His fitted shorts and just-tight-enough shirt made him look magnificent.
He leaned over, so close, and I gasped. “I’ll just wipe that drool off as you stare at me.”
“There’s no …” My hand flew up to just under my lips and it was bone dry. Dammit. To give him credit where is credit due, he didn’t look smug and laugh at me.
If it had been anyone else, I would have been telling him it was well played. When I looked over at Carter, he just continued eating. “This is delicious.”
Food, I could discuss. “Yes, so good.” I fed Lola a small amount of hers. Glancing around, there was no one within earshot. I wasn’t sure if that made me feel uneasy or not. I didn’t want the past to come up—to even think about it or discuss it. I let out a huff of air.
Someone, who’s name I wasn’t sure of, came over to tell us about the badminton game that was starting. “Come join us. It’ll be fun.”
As the guy left, Carter stretched his long legs out and mumbled, “Not my idea of fun. I’m going to sit here and relax in the sunshine.”
Pettiness maybe, but I couldn’t help it. “
Why, because you’re scared I’d beat you?” I sat up and walked towards the court. I didn’t turn to see if he’d follow me. I knew he was competitive as hell and could hear his footsteps fall in line behind me.
At the makeshift area, they’d marked out a court and put us in teams of two. I shook hands with the guy I was with. Somehow Marshall and Stuart were on the same team. I’d have to give them hell about that later.
Everyone was obviously playing for fun, not competitively. It was enjoyable and it took my mind off Carter and other things. The guy—Darius—was a great laugh, and I learned he worked at the coffee shop that Stuart frequented. Stuart could make friends anywhere, I was sure.
We sat out the next round and it was Carter’s turn. The heat was beating down in the afternoon sun now, and I could feel my back getting hot. Taking off my shirt was beginning to look like the only option if we had to play again. We’d won the last set.
I picked up my bottle of water while trying to unsuspectingly watch him. His tanned skin and the light sheen of sweat were making me hard behind my shorts. Good thing I was sitting down. Carter had always been an athlete and had an athletic build, like a swimmer.
The long strokes he took kept me mesmerized. As he moved forward and back with such agility, I had to wonder if he missed it. Training all day. Most days he didn’t see it as a chore, like some might. It brought back memories of just how much he loved sports and his natural ability.
“Come on,” I whined. “Just skip one practice.”
“Jamie, didn’t you just tell me not one week ago that I needed to focus and keep up my training. What did you have in mind anyway?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. You’re right. Get back out there and run those laps.”
We were behind a large pillar. Risky, but still out of sight. The rain was drizzling down, making the track wet. I wasn’t being mean but Carter’s hair looked terrible, matted down flat; he’d even said so himself. He pushed my hair behind my ear. “You are kind of sexy when you’re bossing me around.” Then he planted a kiss on my lips, making me moan. “Come join me if you want,” he said as he jogged off.
It was not my idea of fun, but if it meant being with him, I happily would. I knew I’d slow him down, so I only planned to stay for one lap or so. After that, he went under some shelter to do sit-ups. That was perfection for me. I could spot him.
As he sat up, he tried to kiss me and I moved my head quickly away. “No, no … Every ten you might get a kiss.”
He kept going and then peeled off his wet shirt. As I stared he got an extra kiss from me. Then he stood up and pulled me with him inside the gym. His stride was quite cocky, and I wondered what he had in mind. I knew we were mostly alone from taking his lead, so we could be flirty and cheeky together.
He handed me a badminton racket and his voice was dripping with sarcasm. “We’ll play to ten points. If you win, I stop an hour early, we go to your place, order pizza, watch a movie, and other stuff.” The last words sounded absolutely lecherous and delicious. But I could tell from the way he walked and then winked at me, that he had no doubt he’d be the winner here.
“Game on.” Biting my lip, I smirked at him. And so he lobbed the first shot over. It was a pretty close game, and in the end, I won by a small margin. I jogged around the gym, cheering. I really shouldn’t want him to bail on training. It was a rarity, but really we’d both win in this scenario.
8
CARTER
The round robin of badminton had my team going strong. When I sensed Jamieson’s gaze on me, I had to really resist looking his way as he held his gaze much longer than usual. No way would I give him the satisfaction.
It came down to my team against another. Jamie’s team had gotten knocked out pretty early. I did feel bad for him. His teammate was a bit of a swing-and-misser. Not that we were supposed to be super competitive, I was just analyzing it all in my competitive brain.
After some people had left, the crowd got smaller and I happened to still be on the court. I bounced the birdie up and down when I heard a voice nearby.
“A game?” It was posed as a question. Jamieson’s voice sounded deeper than usual, huskier, and more serious. The tension between us was palpable.
I had no idea if this was a good idea, but I was hardly going to say no. He probably knew this. I stripped my shirt off, which I’m sure was mean as hell as I knew he’d been checking me out, but what the hell. “Oh, nothing would give me greater pleasure,” I replied in a polite voice.
I spun on my heel and went to my side of the net. There were some lingering people watching, but I didn’t care. I let out a deep breath. Playing for fun was long gone. This was war.
My first hit across the net wasn’t a lob, more of a hard serve. Jamieson ran to catch it, but he had no chance. Then, he quickly moved closer to the net.
Taking his turn, he slammed it across the net to the far left corner. I just barely managed to hit it back to him that time.
He was at the net and tapped it back. I was too far back and not paying enough attention so I missed it. Rookie mistake, I thought.
A crowd had gathered with some people cheering for each of us. Stuart and Marshall had smartly stayed to the side with the dogs.
Grunts could be heard at either side as we both were obviously in the zone and playing to the death. Some of the rallies back and forth lasted longer than anyone had imagined. After an hour, it was tied. I walked up to the net and watched Jamieson as he strolled over towards me.
His blond hair was flat on his forehead and his earring glistened in the lingering light. With his shirt off and his treasure trail leading down into his shorts, it was any wonder I was able to focus on the game. “Nice move back there. You almost took my eye out.” I couldn’t help but tease him, it seemed.
“Oh, and when you hit my knee,” he said in retaliation, “that wasn’t on purpose.” He bit his lip, which was adorable and it quickly turned to a grin.
Dammit if I didn’t want to wipe that grin right off his face and kiss him roughly. I cleared my throat, and remembering way back in school, I said, “To the death. I have a comeback to make.”
I was gripping the net now with my nose almost touching it, breathing deeply. I think my words sounded a lot braver than I was actually feeling. I clenched and unclenched the hand that wasn’t holding the racquet. “First to ten?”
“Five,” he countered and held out his hand for me to shake it.
I took it. “Done.”
Jamieson was up against the other side of the net, almost chest to chest with me. I noticed his nostrils were almost snorting like a bull, and yet, it was turning me on. Fuck, I wanted to touch him. I raised my hand up but dropped it and moved to the back of the court.
I noticed Marshall when he suddenly tapped me on the shoulder. “Ah, you two okay? Stuart said things seemed to get a bit intense over here.”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t worry about us. Hug the dogs or something.”
“Okay, okay,” Marshall said, putting his hands up and shaking his head.
I looked at Marshall. “Sorry, man, but everything’s good.” Then I glanced Jamieson’s way and he gave a thumbs up from across the court. That made me feel a lot better.
I raised my racquet and hit the birdie over the net. Jamieson lobbed it back to me. I managed to hit it back over and he missed it.
When it was 3-2 in my favour, Stuart ran over. “Is this a good idea?”
Dropping his racquet, Jamieson spoke before I could, “Of course it is. We’re all grown adults.” He practically growled it out. “And we’re in the middle of a game.”
Marshall and Stuart both looked at us—uncomfortable and unsure. “It’s okay, guys. We aren’t going to go at each other’s throats or anything. Just finishing this game.” I tried to keep my voice even.
As Stuart pulled Marshall with him, I overheard him say, “Come on. Let them get it out of their system.”
Back on the court we both had our game faces on. Jamieson had put his
shirt back on. I wouldn’t lie. I was disappointed at not getting to see his compact body move across the court.
The score was 4-4, so I needed to focus on the game—I had to win this. Then I had an idea. It was risky but I was going away soon anyway, so if he said no, that was it. I wouldn’t see him again for awhile. Wait, why was that a good idea?
“Hey, uh, Jamie, come here.” I watched as he ran over to me. It warmed my heart a bit as I was a bit worried he’d drop the “behaving civil” act once the party was over. “If I win, we go somewhere to talk. You listen to everything I want to say.”
“And if I do?” He stood there with his arms crossed.
I hadn’t even thought of that option. “I’ll think of something if you do,” I said, cheekily.
His face displayed a grin before he quickly disguised it and let out a huff of air. “Okay, whatever. Let’s play.”
The birdie lobbed back and forth. A sharp pain hit my wrist and it felt like I sprained it. Mayfair Models would not be happy with me. I recalled when Marshall had hurt himself.
At one point Jamie performed some feat of acrobatics when he did a somersault and still managed to get the birdie over to me. Right then, I almost wanted to give him the game, but he would have hated that.
He soldiered on, we both did, and eventually I was running backwards towards the end of the court. I used my overhand swing to hit the birdie and heard a gasp from the crowd that had formed. The intensity was nerve wracking.
And then it happened. My swing didn’t make it over the net. Instead, it hit the net and bounced down on my side. I felt like a dark cloud had literally come to cover me. I noticed out of the corner of my eye, Stuart going to congratulate him.
He did look so happy. I took a moment to smile and then made sure it was gone just as quickly. If only he’d let me speak. Was that so much to ask?
Carter (Mayfair Model Series Book 2) Page 6