by Sandi Lynn
Standing, I picked her up and carried her to my bed, gently laid her down on her back, and took my sweatpants down, kicking them to the side. To my surprise, she sat up on the edge of the bed and wrapped her soft warm hand around my cock, moving it up and down slowly before covering the tip with her lips. I threw my head back and moaned at the sensation that flowed through my body. I didn’t want her to stop, but I didn’t want to come that way and I was already on the verge. Lightly pushing her back, I hovered over her and kissed her lips while my cock sat in between her legs. One thrust, I was inside and was greeted with a warmth that made my cock tingle with pleasure. Slowly deepening myself inside her, I moaned, as did she. Our lips tangled as I continued to thrust in and out of her at a steady pace. Wrapping my hands around her back, I pulled her up into a sitting position and she moved in sync with me as her legs tightly wrapped themselves around my waist. After a few more thrusts, I pulled out and turned her on her stomach, tracing her back with the soft strokes of my tongue. I could feel her body tremble as I buried myself deep inside her from behind. She came and now it was my turn. I amped up the pace, my heart rapidly beating and the sensation of a full explosion coming on. The sexual sounds that escaped her excited me as I couldn’t hold back any longer. I pulled out and expelled everything I had onto the silky skin of her back. I was so caught up in the moment and the feeling, I had completely forgotten about a condom, and I was surprised she didn’t say something to me about it.
I climbed off her and went into the bath for some tissue.
“Stay in my bed tonight,” I spoke as I cleaned her back.
“Are you sure?” she asked.
“I’m positive.” A small smile crossed my lips.
We both climbed under the sheets and I placed my arm around her while she snuggled against me and laid her head on my chest.
“You could have come inside me,” she spoke. “I’m on birth control.”
“You are?” I asked with surprise.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say something before?”
“I don’t know. You reached for a condom, so I thought you felt more comfortable using one.”
“I’ve never not used one since Angelique, and I don’t know why I didn’t this time.”
Chapter 33
Zoey
That was really the first time he said her name to me. As I lay against him, I softly stroked his chest with my fingers. This felt right. Every time we had sex, it felt right. He was a different man, but the change I saw in him today and how a piece of the darkness that shrouded him lifted, I got my hopes up he was starting to see things differently.
“I think we should get some sleep,” he spoke. “Good night, Zoey.” He kissed the top of my head.
“Good night, Carter.”
I opened my eyes and looked at the big red numbers on the clock that read two thirty a.m. As hard as I tried to go back to sleep, I couldn’t. I carefully and quietly climbed out of bed, grabbed the white robe that was hanging on the hook in the bathroom, and sat out on the small balcony that housed two lounge chairs. I sat there, staring at the darkened water and listened as the waves crashed against the shoreline. I didn’t know what was going to happen with us or if he could ever fully understand who I was. But he had to know I was falling in love with him and I couldn’t stop it. Suddenly, a rush of cold settled inside me.
“You have to make him open up about me,” I heard a voice whisper. “It’s the only way he’ll heal.”
I looked over to my right and saw Angelique standing there.
“He needs you, Zoey.”
Then she was gone.
“What are you doing out here?” Carter asked as he stepped onto the balcony.
“I couldn’t sleep. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“You didn’t. I woke up and you were gone. Come back to bed.”
I stared straight into the vast open water and ignored his request.
“When the plane crashed and I opened my eyes, I was standing in a field of flowers. The sun was so bright I could barely see. But I could feel love and peace all around me.”
“What?” He took a seat in the chair next to me.
“A man and a woman walked over to me and each took my hand. We walked through the field of flowers together. The colors were so vibrant and the smell that filled the air was something I’d never smelled before. They explained to me that I was special and it wasn’t my time to stay with them. They told me that I had a purpose and that purpose was to help those who were dying not to be afraid and tell them of my experience and what I saw. They said that I wasn’t to be afraid of what awaited me on the other side and that two nice men were going to raise me and guide me along the way. I was to help those in need.”
“What did they mean by ‘what awaited you on the other side’?” he asked.
“After they sent me back and I woke up, Scott was there and picked me up. As he was carrying me off the plane, I watched all the souls of the people who died in the crash walk away, including my parents. But I didn’t feel sad. I smiled and waved to them because I knew the place they were going to.”
“Jesus, Zoey. I—”
“Every day since then, I am able to see the souls of those who passed, and some I have to help.”
“What do you mean you have to help?”
“Sometimes, I have to give their loved ones a message before they can move on. Like the guy at the hotel. He needed me to tell his wife that everything she needed was locked in the safe in their bedroom and the combination was taped under the drawer of his nightstand.”
“Have you ever told anyone else about this?” he asked.
“My dads know and my best friend, Holly. I knew I could trust her. We’re soul sisters.”
“I don’t know what to think or what to say about any of it,” he spoke with a shaky voice.
“You don’t have to say anything, Carter. I just needed you to listen.”
“I’m going to head back to bed. I think it would be a good idea if you slept in your room.”
I swallowed hard as I felt the stabbing of a knife go through my heart.
“I will if that’s what you really want,” I sadly spoke.
“It is. I’m sorry.”
He looked at me and then got up from his chair and went back inside. After a few moments, when I knew he was in bed, I went through the adjoining door, closed it, and climbed into my own bed. The truth was out and how he chose to deal with it had nothing to do with me. I couldn’t make him accept it. That would be something he’d have to do on his own.
“Give him time,” Nora whispered as she placed her hand on mine. “Eventually, he will accept it and he’ll see things differently.”
But I wasn’t so sure about that.
The next morning around eight a.m., I climbed out of bed, showered, and got dressed. I didn’t know if Carter was up and I wasn’t about to find out, so I went down to the café in the hotel for a cup of coffee and a donut. As I was sitting there, I saw Carter approaching my table.
“I knocked on your door and you didn’t answer. I also tried to call you, but I heard your phone ringing in your room,” he spoke in a stern tone.
“Sorry, I just came down for a cup of coffee. How did you sleep?” I cautiously asked.
“How the hell do you think I slept after what you told me last night?”
“I’m sure you still have questions,” I spoke.
“Actually, I don’t. I’ve rented a boat and we’ll be heading out in about an hour. I’m going back up to my room. I’ll knock when it’s time to leave.” He turned and walked away.
I rolled my eyes and slowly shook my head. I could feel the tears emerging and I tried to stop them. After I finished my coffee and donut, I went back up to my room.
Carter
I lay on the bed with my hands behind my head still thinking about everything she told me last night. I didn’t know what to think or even how to process any of it. All of it was crazy to me. I heard
her door shut and I jumped off the bed because I needed to tell her something and I couldn’t wait any longer. When I knocked on the adjoining door, she opened it.
“Are we leaving now?” she asked.
“No. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
“I’m going to Hawaii alone, so you’ll need to book a flight home.” I turned and began to walk away.
Suddenly, I felt a tight grip on my arm.
“Why?” Zoey shouted.
“Because I want to be alone!” I shouted back.
“Ah, of course you do because that’s what you’re good at. You’re a perfectionist when it comes to pushing people away. If anyone says something you don’t like or don’t want to hear, you run the other way. I’ve seen you do it with Nora and with me!” she continued to shout.
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about. We aren’t good together and we never will be! Get that through your head! I’m not looking for a girlfriend or anyone to connect with. I’m happy living my life the way I do.”
“Who said anything about wanting to be your girlfriend? I can’t even stand you!” she shouted and caught me off guard.
I stood there and stared into her angry eyes.
“The only goddamn fucking reason I’m here is because they won’t let me leave!” she angrily spewed.
I’d never heard her talk like that before and I was taken aback.
“Who won’t let you leave?”
“Nora and Angelique! You think it was just a coincidence that my plane had mechanical problems and your rental car wouldn’t start? You think us meeting in the airport was an accident? What about LaGuardia and JFK having power outages? What about my flight getting canceled and there only being one seat left on the flight here?! The one directly across from you! I’m supposed to finish this trip with you and they’ll make sure it happens!”
“And why the fuck would they do that?” I angrily shouted at her.
“Because I’m supposed to help you! Damn it, Carter. Open your eyes and your mind. Leave your dark world for a minute and think about this.”
“You’re nuts! You fabricated that whole little story because you needed something to cling to because of the trauma from the plane crash!”
She stood there, a few feet from me, trembling from head to toe.
“Tell him to stay cool and not give Miss Harper a hard time anymore. Tell him that he was the best friend I ever had and he’s going to be okay.”
I swallowed hard and stood there, feeling paralyzed.
“What did you just say?”
She placed her hand on her head and turned away from me. I grabbed her arm and forced her to look at me.
“What did you just say?!”
“Let go of me.” She tried to get out of my grip, but I wasn’t letting her.
“Not until you answer my question!” I yelled through gritted teeth.
“Your friend, Andy. You were in an accident with him and his mom. He died and you broke your leg and needed surgery.”
“How the fuck do you know that?”
“Because I was the little girl who was on the other side of the curtain. I was the one who spoke those very words to you that day.”
My heart started to pound and I loosened my grip from her arm. Taking a seat on the bed, I rested my face in my hands as the memories of that day came flooding back. The little girl who came to my bedside. The feeling I felt when she placed her hand on mine. Those words. The ones Andy told her to tell me. I believed her then because there was no way she knew about my teacher, Miss Harper.
“Angelique told you that she loved you first, in the Empire State Building, about a month after you started seeing each other. You were having dinner and you reached across the table and knocked over her glass of red wine, spilling it all over the beige dress she was wearing. You felt so bad, and as you tried to clean the spots off her dress, she whispered that she loved you in your ear.”
I looked up at her in disbelief.
“After she died, you were going through her things and you found the cuff links she had bought you as a gift for your birthday. You wrapped them in a black silk cloth and keep them hidden in a small black box on the top shelf of your bedroom closet.”
“How the hell do you know that? I never told anyone about those cufflinks. Not even Nora.”
“How do you think I know, Carter? I’ll leave you alone now.”
She turned and went back in her room, closing and locking the adjoining door behind her. I sat there for a moment and then fell back onto the bed, closing my eyes for a moment to get hold of myself, my thoughts, and my feelings.
Chapter 34
Zoey
I didn’t know what was going to happen and I wasn’t going to sit around and wait. I was done being treated like I was nothing. His hot and cold personality made me want to rip my hair out. I tried. I gave everything I had and I was more than patient. Not only was I physically and mentally exhausted, I was hurt and broken. No one had ever made me feel this way and I didn’t care if I ever saw Carter Grayson again. Wiping the tears that fell down my face, I grabbed my suitcase and headed to the airport. I was getting home one way or another.
I managed to get on the first flight back to New York. There were no hiccups and I landed safely. I took a cab to Carter’s penthouse and called Sadie from the lobby to let her know I was there to pick up the rest of my things. As I stepped off the elevator, she greeted me with a hug.
“Why are you back already? And where’s Mr. Grayson?”
“Mr. Grayson is still in Seattle or probably on his way to Hawaii. Who the hell knows and who the hell cares,” I spoke as I walked to the bedroom to collect my things.
“You didn’t kill him, did you?” She smirked.
“Unfortunately, no. Not that he didn’t deserve it, though. We got into a huge fight and to be honest, Sadie, I don’t ever want to see that man again.”
“I’m sorry, Zoey. I had hoped you would have helped him.”
“He can’t be helped. I tried and I did everything I could. You can’t save someone who doesn’t want to be saved.”
I gathered the rest of my things, hugged Sadie goodbye, and climbed into Holly’s car that was waiting for me at the curb. The moment I shut the door, she reached over and hugged me as tears filled my eyes.
“I’m sorry, Zoey. He’s an asshole and you need to forget about him. Put him out of your mind the best you can and go on with your life. You were fine before him and you’ll be fine now.”
“I know,” I lied.
She pulled up in the driveway, and I took my suitcases from the back. After thanking her for picking me up and saying goodbye, I opened the door and stepped into my house. It felt good to be home again.
“Sweetheart.” John stood in front of me with his arms out.
Setting my suitcases down, I cried in his arms. Scott walked over and wrapped his arms around both of us.
“Why don’t you go upstairs, take a hot relaxing bath, and climb into bed. I made some homemade chicken noodle soup and I’ll bring it up,” Scott spoke.
I nodded my head, wiped my tears, and went upstairs. Climbing into the bubbly filled water, I lay back and closed my eyes.
Carter
I heard the door to her room shut. She was probably going down to get some coffee or something. I replayed everything she said over and over again in my head. Nothing that happened was a coincidence, and now I knew that. I said some horrible things to her. Things she didn’t deserve to hear. But everything she said to me, I fully deserved. Zoey Benson was special. Not just to the world, but to me, and that was something I was ready to accept.
I got up from the bed and headed down to the lobby to find her. I checked the restaurants and the café, and when I couldn’t find her, I went up to the lobby desk.
“May I help you?” an older gentleman asked.
“I’m looking for the woman who was with me. Tall, blonde, beautiful. Have you by any c
hance seen her?”
“I’m afraid I haven’t, sir.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
I walked away, and as I was heading to the lobby door, one of the bellhops stopped me.
“Excuse me, Mr. Grayson?”
“Yes.” I stopped.
“The woman who was with you, Zoey. She left.”
“What do you mean she left?”
“I helped her with her suitcase. She got into a cab and headed to the airport.”
I let out a long sigh.
“Thank you.” I reached into my pocket and handed him a twenty-dollar bill.
There was no way she went home. She specifically told me they wouldn’t let her. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I called the airport.
“Could you tell me if any flights to Connecticut or New York were canceled or delayed today?”
“All flights are leaving and arriving on time, sir. There haven’t been any cancellations or delays to either of those places.”
“Thank you.”
I went back to my room and threw my phone on the bed.
“Really?” I threw my hands up and looked up at the ceiling. “After all this, you let her go?”
