by Jill Sanders
“Carrie…” He felt like he should give her some warning, but before he could come up with the words, her lips were covering his. His body jumped from zero to full steam in under a second as her body fit against his like a glove.
Memories surfaced of the first time he’d kissed her, of the last time he’d kissed her. Of how many times he’d wanted to kiss her in between.
Chapter 10
She didn’t want to hold back, not any more. Not when she’d felt so much for him for so long. She knew he was trying to pull away and felt him stiffen when she reached for the button on his jeans. When she pressed her breasts against his chest, he relaxed and let her open the clasp. Then she was tugging his shirt away, tossing it on the ground. Her fingers ran over his skin, turning her on further. When she tried to tug him back to her, he rolled with her until she was tucked underneath him on the sofa.
“Carrie,” he sighed as he looked down at her, “are you sure?”
“More than I’ve been in years.” She smiled up ant him and dug her fingers into his hair, then pulled him back down to her lips.
“If we do this,” he said as he trailed kisses down her neck, “we do it right this time.”
“Were we doing it wrong last time?” She chuckled.
He pulled back and looked down at her. “We were moving in together,” he reminded her.
“I was there,” she said softly. “I still am.”
He was silent. “The entire town is going to know our business.”
“They already do.” She laughed. “Why are you trying to talk me out of this?”
He sat up, running his hands over his face. “Because I want this more than anything I’ve wanted it a long time, and I don’t want to mess it up.”
“Then don’t.” She started to pull him back down again.
“My dad,” he started.
“Forget about everyone else right now. Let there just be us. We’re the ones who matter.” She straddled him again, and this time she blocked him from rolling with her. “No, I’m in charge this time.” She held his shoulders to the sofa. “Since you keep questioning things, I’m taking the reins.”
Her lips covered his and she enjoyed the taste and feel of them under hers. Her nails dug into his skin as she scraped them over him. His breath caught when she reached the spot she’d found years ago where he was ticklish.
“See, you haven’t changed that much. You’re still ticklish here.” She used to love teasing him, testing his limits.
He chuckled. “Test me, you may regret it.” He almost growled it. Her fingers ran over the spot again.
He ripped her shirt from her shoulders and in a quick move, he stood up and had her legs wrapping around his hips as he held her still. Her back bounced on the sofa as he came back over her once again. Her legs were still wrapped around his body, but he pushed them down until he could pull the jeans from her legs.
“Mine,” he said when he finally had her lying naked on the cushions. His eyes had turned darker than she’d ever seen before. “Say it.” He sat on the edge of the sofa, looking down at her.
“Yes.” She reached for him, but he backed away. “No, I won’t touch you until you say it. You’re mine.” He smiled at her.
“I always have been,” she agreed. “Josh, touch me,” she begged.
When his hands covered her, she cried out with pure delight and begged for more.
“Tell me what you want. I want to hear you say it,” he growled, his lips hovering an inch above her breast.
“Kiss me, touch me,” she begged.
“Where,” he asked. “Here?” His lips brushed her peaked nipple.
She arched, wanting more.
“Yes,” she sighed.
“Here?” He brushed the other nipple, using his tongue to set her body on fire.
“More,” she cried out, her nails digging into his shoulders.
He moved, and this time his mouth hovered over her navel. “How about here?” He brushed her skin again and she arched, her fingers going to his hair.
“Josh.” She shook her head, her eyes closed on pure pleasure.
“What about…”—he moved further down— “here?” He brushed his lips over her skin again and she cried out, almost bursting from the featherlight touch.
“I can’t seem to get enough,” he said against her skin. “I could spend a lifetime rediscovering every soft curve of yours.”
He disappeared, and she cracked open her eyes, needing more. He stood above her, the top of his jeans unclasped as he looked down at her.
“My god, you’re so beautiful,” he whispered. “I’ve wanted you for so long. I’ve dreamed of seeing you like this again, of being with you just once more.” He pulled his jeans down and slipped on a condom.
“Please,” she begged, holding up her hands towards him.
He moved over her, spreading her legs wide, clasping her wrists and holding them above her head as he positioned himself just outside her.
“Tell me again,” he urged.
“I’m yours,” she said softly just before he took her.
Later, Carrie lay there, her breath coming in short bursts as Josh’s body pinned her to the sofa.
“I should have taken you to bed,” he said in her hair.
“I wanted you here.” Her hands ran up and down his sides, usually avoiding his ticklish spot, but every now and then she would touch it, causing his breath to catch.
Suddenly, he was gone. Her eyes opened, and she squealed as he quickly picked her up from the sofa.
She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, and he started walking towards the stairs.
“At least I can do it right the second time.” He smiled down at her. She rested her head against his shoulder and sighed. “I’ve missed this.”
“I don’t think I ever carried you before.”
“No, not that.” She chuckled. “Just being with you.”
He reached the top of the stairs and stopped. “Which way?”
“There.” She pointed to her room. Louie was already heading in there, sniffing around. “He misses DeWalt.” She sighed.
“Hey.” Josh slid her down until her feet touched the floor. “We’re here.” He sighed and rested his forehead against hers.
“Thank you.” She held onto him.
He walked her backwards until her knees hit the bed. “Come on, I’m still a little jet-lagged. Let’s lie down.” He pulled her into her bed. Louie immediately jumped up and lay at their feet.
She rested her head against Josh’s shoulder and before she knew it, she was fast asleep.
She woke the next morning when her standard five a.m. alarm went off.
“What in god’s name is that?” Josh groaned and tried to shut the sound off.
“Alarm.” She giggled and turned it off. When she sat up, Josh tried to pull her back to bed.
“I can’t. The chickens need to be let loose, the animals have to be fed and watered…” She moved to get out of bed, but suddenly, was shoved back under Josh’s hard body. He was smiling down at her.
“Which can all happen twenty minutes late today.”
She was about to argue, but then he kissed her, and she lost track of time and enjoyed the ride.
When she finally did get around to taking care of the animals, it saddened her to see the fresh grave in the flower garden area.
Kneeling, she touched the dirt and told DeWalt she was sorry for not being there to protect him. Before tears could form in her eyes, she stood and continued her morning ritual.
She entered the house again and was surprised to smell something delicious coming from her kitchen. Josh stood at the stove, whipping the fresh eggs she’d collected in a bowl.
“How did it go out there?” he asked.
“Fine.” She smiled at Louie laying at his feet. “Something smells wonderful.”
“Omelets. Go ahead and sit. They should be done in just a minute.”
She grabbed a cup of tea, then sat down and watched
him cook. “Have you been keeping up with cooking since you changed your profession?”
“Not as much as I’d like, but they just got my kitchen finished in the apartment. I’ve tried a few things in there.” He turned and set a plate in front of her. The omelet was huge, with fresh veggies on top. While she watched, he shredded cheese on it, which instantly melted.
“Salsa?” He set a bowl in front of her.
“I didn’t have any…” She scooped some salsa up and realized he’d made it fresh. “Okay, seriously, wow.” She shook her head and sighed as he sat across from her with his own plate.
“So, I was thinking about what we talked about last night,” he said between bites.
She glanced up, her eyebrows going up slightly. “We talked about a lot of things.”
“About doing it right. What do you think about me and Louie moving out here with you? We can help out with the—”
“Yes.” She smiled. She didn’t need time to think it over, not after hearing his story, not after last night. “I’d like having Louie around,” she joked.
Josh laughed and reached over to take her hand. “I’ll pack my stuff and bring it over later tonight.”
She nodded. “How about I make dinner for you tonight?”
“Sounds perfect.” And it was. Everything was so wonderful when he was around, she wanted to hold onto each moment forever.
* * *
“Really, man?” Mason stared at him. “I can move in here?”
The two of them were standing in the apartment. Josh had everything he owned back in his car. He’d have to come and get his bike later, when Carrie could drop him off, so he could ride it back to her place. Correction, their place.
“It’ll save you on driving time.”
Mason was still living in a hotel outside of town and it took him almost fifteen minutes to get to work each day. This way, he’d have someone on site to watch out for the place. Something told Josh that the last break-in was just the first. He was still pretty sure his father had something to do with the disaster that had happened downstairs. Even though his father had been standing beside him at the time, Josh knew his old man had friends that could have helped out.
“What about all the furniture?” Mason asked.
“I don’t plan on moving it.” He smiled. “Relax. Rent will come out of your paycheck.” He slapped Mason on the back. “Besides, think of this as security detail. Speaking of which, can I ask you to help me install a full system up at Carrie’s place? Someone shot her dog last night.”
“What?” Mason jerked around and turned his eyes towards him. “Someone shot DeWalt?”
Josh’s eyebrows jumped. “You knew DeWalt?”
“I hadn’t met him, but the other day, when we had lunch together, she talked about him.”
“You had lunch together?” Josh tried to hide the jealousy in his tone.
Mason smiled and slapped his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Carrie’s like a sister to me. There wasn’t a spark, not like there is with Sophia.” Mason’s smile turned goofy.
“When am I going to meet the lucky lady?” Josh relaxed.
“She had to go out of town again early this morning.” Mason frowned. “She’s been so busy running back and forth to the city.”
“What does she do anyway?” He handed over the keys to the place.
“She’s in sales. I’m not sure what kind.” He frowned. “I know she was thinking of moving to Pride to start her own business.” Mason shrugged.
“Pride is a great place to do that. It’s growing like crazy.” He started towards the door.
“I’ll move in tomorrow night. I have to give the hotel a twenty-four-hour notice.”
“Sounds good.” He glanced around, proud at what he’d turned the upstairs into. It no longer was just an office, but a home.
The two of them worked through the morning. Mason had put everything back in order after the break-in. Josh had ordered the highest quality security system for the place, including hidden cameras. He was even thinking of installing a server vault in the back room. He and Mason talked with Parker about how to make it work. The man was a genius when it came to remodeling.
Josh had known Sara all of his life and after working one-on-one with her new husband, he figured the duo was a perfect fit. He couldn’t be certain, but the man had hinted that he’d had a run-in with his old man at one point. Hell, it seemed everyone in Pride had enjoyed a run-in with Kevin Williams at some point. If not, all they had to do was stick around town a little longer and, eventually, his father was bound to piss them off.
“I’m heading over to the Oar for lunch. Want to join?” Parker asked.
He glanced down at his watch. Sara would just be getting to work at the restaurant. “Sure.” He smiled when he thought about seeing Carrie again.
The sun was out, so he decided to ride his bike to the Oar. He was about to pull out of his buildings parking lot when a patrol car pulled into the lot at the rear of the building. Josh groaned inwardly. He’d hoped to put off Carrie’s father for a day or two.
“I was just heading out to lunch…” he started.
“That can wait.” Robert stepped out of the vehicle. The look on the man’s face told him he meant business. Well, shit.
Josh turned off the bike and stepped off it. He figured he’d face the man when getting his licks.
“What’s up?”
“There’s no easy way to say this. Your father was in an accident,” Robert said quickly.
“He’s dead?” Josh broke in.
“No, but they’re taking him to the ICU in Edgeview.”
For a split second, Josh thought of continuing on to lunch. Then he sighed heavily and nodded. “I’ll meet them there.” He parked the bike and jumped in his car instead. “Can you tell Carrie I’ll be home late tonight?”
Robert’s eyes narrowed at him, but then he nodded, and Josh drove away. As he drove to Edgeview, he thought of all the questions he should have asked Robert.
Was anyone else hurt? Had his father been drunk?
His phone chimed a few times with text messages, but he wasn’t in the bad habit of reading or answering text messages while he drove.
When his phone rang, his speaker announced Carrie was calling.
“Hey.” He answered with a flick of his thumb and her voice filled the car.
“Hey, I heard about your dad. Are you there yet?” she asked.
“No, I’m just pulling into Edgeview.” He turned the car and headed towards the hospital.
“I can take off—”
“No,” he interrupted. “I appreciate it, but…” He sighed. “Stay there. I won’t be home too late.”
“Keep me posted,” Carrie said.
“I will.” He was silent for a while. “Carrie?”
“Yeah?” she whispered.
“Thanks for understanding about him.”
“My dad wanted me to tell you that—god I hate this, but I promised—you’re invited to family dinner this Sunday.”
“Why do you hate it?” he asked, smiling.
“Because I know he’s going to grill you. Aiden’s coming home for the long weekend and…” She sighed. “You think your family is messed up? Wait until you get the third degree from mine.”
“I can handle it, as long as you’re by my side.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she said, and he smiled.
“I’m pulling into the hospital now. I’ll text you when I know more.”
“Okay, see you at home tonight.”
“God, that sound wonderful,” he said before saying goodbye.
When he looked down at his father half an hour later, he grew angry. The man was cuffed to the bed, which told him that whatever had happened, it was his father’s fault. He hadn’t talked to the local police yet, but from the details the doctor had given him, his father would make a full recovery. One of the family members in the other car hadn’t been so lucky.
Chapter 11
&nbs
p; Carrie’s head jerked up when she heard the front door. Louie let out a bark, but when his tail started wagging, she knew it was Josh and relaxed.
“Hi,” she said as he turned to lock the door behind him.
“Hi.” He looked surprised. “I thought you’d be in bed already.”
“We wanted to wait up.” She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. “How did it go?”
He’d texted her some of the details, but he’d left out most of what she’d learned from her father.
He held onto her and she felt his entire body shake. “He killed a man,” he said into her hair. “I mean, everyone in town knew it was bound to happen, but you can’t put someone in jail for the inevitable, right?”
She pulled back. She’d had dinner with her folks at the restaurant. The entire town was talking about it, and many felt guilty that they hadn’t done more. Including her. How many times had the man driven through town or shown up somewhere drunk?
“It’s not your fault, or anyone else’s. Only Kevin’s. He’s been through enough AA sessions that he knew getting behind the wheel was bad.”
They sat down on the sofa. Josh put his head in his hands. “I talked to the family.”
“Of the man?” she asked. Josh nodded his head while it still rested in his hands.
“I offered to pay for the funeral. They were so understanding. They didn’t want anything from me. They didn’t blame me and even prayed with me.” He was crying now, and all Carrie could do was hold onto him. “My brother’s coming home to help me deal with the mess.”
“Tom? Isn’t he overseas?”
“Yes, he was. I guess he’s been back in the States for a few weeks on leave. He thinks Dad should get the death penalty.” He glanced up. “Susie isn’t going to come. She works at a hospital in San Diego. She made it clear that, whatever the man had done, he could no longer affect her.”
“Have you talked to your mother?” she asked. She’d seen Brenda earlier that morning, before all of this happened.
Josh sighed and pulled her into his arms as he leaned back on the sofa. “She didn’t sound surprised. I think your dad stopped by and told her first.”
