I took it and watched them leave.
“Are they gone?” Nora asked, cracking open an eye when the door clicked shut.
Lifting my eyebrows, I asked, “Did you do that to get them to leave?”
“Of course.”
“It’s almost like you were trying to protect me from their questions,” I mused, thinking of how she interrupted them the first time they’d asked about the personal threats.
“I was.”
I blinked and blinked again. Pointing a finger at her, I said, “You were trying to protect me?”
“Duh. That’s what you do when you love someone.”
“Love,” I echoed, pressure crushing my chest.
Could it be? Could what Alan have told her not mattered?
Cautious, afraid to hope but already doing it, I asked, “What exactly did Alan tell you?”
Just then, Knox burst into the room. “Aaron’s out of surgery.”
Nora
Reality vs. Fantasy Observation #5:
Fantasy is having more than enough time.
Reality is never having enough.
Do you know how hard it was to have a private conversation with the man I loved in a hospital?
It was impossible.
Literally impossible.
I woke up confused. First, because when I reached for Carter he wasn’t there. Second, because it took me a minute to remember where I was. The hospital. Overnight observation.
If the stark-white walls and antiseptic odor of the place hadn’t been enough of a reminder, the pain in my head would have been. Whatever feel-good juice they gave me yesterday had officially worn off.
Gently probing the back of my head, I could tell the area was most definitely still swollen. The feeling of the buzzed area around it was jarring against my fingertips, but at least the length of my hair covered up the shorn section.
When I went to bed, Carter had been beside me. After the full day of events, we’d both been too exhausted to have the conversation waiting for us.
Worrying something happened while I’d been asleep, I slipped out of the bed. I had on Carter’s socks again. He literally took off the ones he’d been wearing and put them on my feet last night.
I liked his clothes. I think I probably liked them better than my own.
Rolling the IV pole with me, I headed toward Aaron’s room. His surgery had gone well, and the doctor said he would make a full recovery. He was heavily sedated the entire day, which made Carter doubt the good prognosis. I supposed it went back to his lack of trust. He needed to hear it from Aaron himself and not the doctors he didn’t know.
The door to his room was open when I approached. Inside, I could hear both Carter’s and Aaron’s voices. Relief I didn’t know I’d been seeking relaxed my body, making it easier to breathe.
“Did you get a good look at the driver?” Carter asked.
“Man, midthirties, baseball hat,” Aaron replied. “Which could describe half the men in Miami.”
Carter cursed low. “You shouldn’t have done that. You should have let him hit me.”
I pressed a hand to my mouth. The thought of it was just too horrible.
“I’m head of your security. This is my job.”
“You’re more than an employee to me, and you know that.”
Aaron grunted. “Even more reason for me to protect you.”
“You could have died. How would you have protected me from that?” The low anguish in his voice tightened my stomach. Carter was gruff and cold on the outside, many people probably thought he didn’t have a heart. In actuality, though, his heart was tenderer than anyone else’s.
Alan painted him out to be a villain, some kind of ruthless killer. I knew better. I knew the events that happened all those years ago were probably what shaped Carter into who he was today.
“I’m not going anywhere, punk. Someone’s gotta stick around to keep you straight.”
Peeking around the door, I watched Carter lean forward in the chair beside Aaron’s bed. “Regal is going to pay for what he did to you.”
“A man like that, you know he’s going to be hard to take down.”
“He’s getting desperate, though, and desperate men always make mistakes.”
Feeling a little guilty for eavesdropping, I stepped farther into the doorway. “Can I come in?”
Carter jumped up, put down the coffee in his hand, and rushed over. “What are you doing out of bed?” he asked, slipping an arm around my waist.
I missed you. “I wanted to check on Aaron.”
“How’s the hospital treating you, Nora?” Aaron asked.
“Probably about the same as it’s treating you.” I grinned. “Don’t these make great accessories?” I motioned to the IV in my hand and his.
“The best.” He agreed, chuckling.
He looked pale and tired, but the life in his eyes was all there. He also had stitches, his in his forehead. His lip was busted, and I could see a few other cuts and scrapes on his arms.
“How’s the ribs and the lung?” I asked, sitting in the chair Carter had just vacated.
“I’ll be good as new faster than you can blink.”
Leaning forward, I put my hand over his. Mildly surprised, he glanced down, then back at me. “Thank you for what you did,” I told him, sincere. “I’m so glad you’re going to be okay.”
Emotion moved behind his eyes. Then he looked away. “What’s with you two this morning?” His voice was gruff. “Getting all sappy and shit.”
“You just wait ‘til Valerie gets here,” I teased.
He groaned. “Think the nurse will give me something to knock me out?”
Carter laughed.
“Be nice!” I scolded. “You should be thankful a woman like Val cares so much.”
Aaron smiled. “I do.”
“How much longer are you going to have to be here?” I asked.
“Not long,” Aaron answered.
At the same time, Carter replied, “A few days at least.”
Aaron made a rude sound. “I got shit to do.”
“The only thing you got to do is get better.”
“Don’t make me get outta this bed,” Aaron threatened, sitting forward.
Carter wasn’t intimidated at all. “I’m your boss. I’ll pull rank.”
“Shit, kid. You’re only my boss in name.”
Carter took a step toward the bed, but I put my hand against his stomach. He was still dressed in the same bloodstained clothes from yesterday.
“What do you mean in name only?”
Aaron laughed.
“It’s not in name only,” Carter muttered. “I sign his paychecks.”
“I work for your boy here because it’s the only way he can keep me close enough.”
I looked up at Carter for confirmation.
“You know it’s hard to find people you can trust.”
“So you aren’t actually his butler, bodyguard, and head of security?” I asked, confused.
“He’s all of those things.”
“Butler, my ass,” Aaron grumped.
“Carter said you were family.”
Aaron’s face cleared, and he nodded. “We are.”
“I think I might still be confused,” I mumbled, rubbing my forehead.
Carter leaned over me, concern in his face. “Should I get the doctor?” Brushing a strand of hair away from my face, he added, “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” I promised. “I think the pain meds wore off is all.”
“I’ll get you some more.” He started away.
I grabbed the tail of his shirt, tugging him back. “No, I’m fine. I need as clear of a head as I can get right now.”
“Why’s that?” Aaron asked.
“Because we need some kind of evidence proving Lewis Regal is behind this hit-and-run.”
“That’s not your job,” both men said at once.
I rolled my eyes. “But I can help.”
“No,” Carter insis
ted, but Aaron seemed intrigued.
“How?”
“I heard you talking before. You said everyone makes mistakes.”
Carter’s brows wrinkled. “So?”
“So…” I pursed my lips, thoughtful. “Lewis Regal and I share a common mistake.”
Carter
I pitied Aaron. And I’m not talking about his punctured lung, broken ribs, and host of other injuries.
I’m talking about the noisy woman currently making a fuss at his bedside.
Valerie was a serious piece of work.
But she was loyal, a good friend to Nora, and clearly into Aaron. That meant she was sticking like glue.
Maybe I’d get used to her volume.
Maybe—hopefully—Aaron could get her to tone it down.
With Aaron out of the woods and currently being worried over by his soon-to-be girlfriend, all my attention was back on Nora.
Not that it really ever left her.
Maybe now that she was sprung from the hospital, we’d actually get a chance to talk. I was more curious than ever about what happened between her and Alan. First, she protected me from the police and said she loved me. Then she tried to involve herself in catching Regal.
“Hey,” she called softly, tugging on my hand.
My footsteps paused in the hall when our eyes collided. Forgetting the bustle of the hospital around us, the bright lights overhead, and the constant noise from the intercom, Nora was all I saw.
“Did you forget something?” I asked, gesturing back toward the room.
She shook her head.
Shifting closer, I tightened my hand around hers. “What is it?”
“I want to tell you something.”
“We can talk when we get home.” A private conversation in this hospital was clearly not going to happen.
“I can’t wait,” she said, glancing up and down the hall. Smiling secretly, she tugged my hand. “C’mon.”
Nearby was a storage closet, no more than a box packed with medical equipment and who knew what else. The second the door closed behind us, the room was plunged into almost absolute darkness. The only light was from a small rectangular window in the door.
There was only enough room in here to stand, close enough that her chest brushed against me every time she took a deep breath.
It really wasn’t the time, I know, but desire uncurled inside me.
“What is it you had to say that couldn’t wait?” I asked, amused.
Her blue eyes found mine, even in the dim light. “I love you.”
My heart skipped. “I already knew that.”
“You knew it,” she emphasized. “But do you know it?”
I swallowed thickly. Suddenly, the closet seemed much smaller than before. I wanted to touch her, but I was afraid to. “I know Alan probably told you some really bad stuff about me. I know he showed you this.” Fishing out the now bent photo I’d found under her couch, I held it up.
Nora averted her eyes and pushed the photo down. “You were at my place?”
“Ironically, I was on my way to tell you everything. When I got there, I found this and your blood everywhere.”
Grabbing the front of my shirt, she leaned in, resting her forehead against my chest. “I want you to tell me everything. I need to know.”
“Right here in this tiny closet?” It didn’t seem like the best place for something like this, but okay, if that’s what she really wanted.
Her low giggle filled the darkness, making my heart skip again. “No. Not right here.” Looking up, she smiled. Lifting onto tiptoes, she pressed her lips to mine.
It was a brief kiss, but I felt it all the way to my toes.
“You’re nervous,” she whispered.
“Yes.” I agreed.
“You don’t need to be.”
My eyes searched hers for any indication of doubt.
Nora didn’t back down from the interrogation my stare inflicted upon her. Instead, she merely smiled, confident in what I would find.
“I love you, Carter. Nothing is going to change that. I just wanted you to know that. I don’t want you to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” I refuted, even though her words were making it hard to talk.
“Yes. You are.”
I picked her up, legs automatically winding around my waist. Turning so her back was pressed against the wall, I cupped the back of her head to protect it. “Say it again.”
“You’re afraid.”
“Not that.”
“I love you.”
“Again.”
“I love you.”
I stole her lips and considered never giving them back. Her words replayed over and over inside me until they replaced the beat of my heart. That beat became the rhythm in which I kissed her, soft and gentle but without even once lifting my head.
I forgot we were in the hospital, forgot about all the words left unsaid. I wanted closer to her. I wanted to feel her around me. The small closet grew warm. My tongue stroked deep into her mouth.
Sliding my free hand beneath the hospital gown she was still wearing, I caressed the inside of her thigh and stroked over her core.
Nora shuddered against me, her kiss deepening.
“Nora,” I whispered, breaking the kiss.
“I love you.”
Reaching between us, I freed my throbbing cock, then pulled aside her damp panties.
Her arms tightened around my neck. Our eyes met.
In one push, I was inside her, her slick, tight core gripping me. Burying my face in the side of her neck, I thrusted upward, taking it slow as if we weren’t in danger of being caught.
The muscles in my back rippled from pleasure, my balls drew up against my body, and inside her, I throbbed for release.
Tugging on my hair, she dragged my head back, meeting her unfocused gaze with mine. I watched her while her low moans filled the small closet.
Ready to burst, I buried myself deeper. Nora rocked slowly, her forehead falling to my shoulder. Both my arms wrapped around her, and we fell together, quivering and shaking as one body.
Her body went limp in my hold, so I leaned her against the wall while straightening her clothes and mine.
“Damn,” I whispered, feeling satiated on a soul-deep level. “I feel like we just had some epic make-up sex before we had the fight.”
Grabbing a fistful of my shirt, she pulled me down. “There won’t be a fight, okay? Just be honest with me.”
That I could do.
Nora
“When I was a teenager, I ate, slept, and breathed video games,” Carter said, his voice fond as he recalled. “It drove my parents crazy because I never wanted to do anything else. I woke up thinking about the game, and I fell asleep with some kind of device in my hands.”
He’d never mentioned his parents before. He said the only family he had was Aaron, so it surprised me to hear him talk about them now.
“It was the same for my best friend, Chris. We were so into it, you know?”
I nodded, afraid if I said anything more, he might stop talking.
“We started messing around, building a game we wanted to play. The deeper we got into it, the more we wanted to do. Eventually, we created a whole world we knew other people like us would love, too.”
“Primal Fear?”
He nodded. “We posted a few demos online and a few videos of us playing it in some forums. It took off. People wanted more. They wanted to know where to get it, how to play… It went viral.”
“And that’s why Lewis Regal wanted to buy it.”
He nodded. “If I had known what a serious douchebag he was, I never would have agreed.”
“What happened?”
“He approached us. Offered us the kind of money we’d never even dreamed of. I mean, here we were, these seventeen-year-old kids who hated school, had no promise for the future, and this man was offering us enough money that neither of us would ever have to work.”
“You agreed to sell
it.”
Carter shrugged. “Sure, why not? Not only were we getting paid, but we could see our creation in the hands of millions of people. It was surreal.”
“I would have done the same thing,” I said, knowing in my heart it was the truth.
“Chris had always been a bit of a partier…” He began, his voice changing. “We both liked to drink and get high. For a while, it was becoming a little bit of a problem, but when we started building Primal Fear, he got better, like he had something to focus on.”
I nodded. “Makes sense.”
“Right before we signed the final contracts, he wanted to celebrate. We were about to be millionaires.” Carter got up from his chair and went to the window, gazing out over the ocean view from my apartment. “Who wouldn’t want to celebrate that?”
I hated the self-blame I heard in his voice, the regret.
“I drank until I passed out.” His voice was bleak. “When I woke up, I found him…”
The picture of the dead body Alan showed me flashed into my mind. It was a horrible sight, even in a photo. I couldn’t fathom what it must have been like to see it up close and personal. To know the person who died.
“Alan said there were pills involved.”
His dark head nodded, but he didn’t turn around. “Yeah, I guess after we’d gotten drunk, he’d taken some pills. I never saw him do it. Maybe I was already passed out or he did it in the bathroom.” His voice trailed off as though he were reliving it all over again. “It was probably in the bathroom, since that’s where I had the pills.”
My throat tightened as if someone were squeezing it. “They were your pills?”
“They were in my bathroom. Someone gave them to me at a party I’d gone to. I never took them. I should have just thrown them away.”
His palm flattened against the glass. The bright sunlight made him look like a shadow standing there instead of a flesh-and-blood man.
“They interacted with all the alcohol in his system. The cops said it was an overdose.” His head bowed as if the weight of the past were too heavy to hold.
Going to him and wrapping my arms around his waist, I pressed against his back. At first, he stiffened, and I thought he might try and push me away. But then his body relented, and he allowed me to hold him.
Mr. Fantasy: (A standalone romance) Page 27
