It was my brainwave earlier today. While we spent virtually all our free time together, we tended to spend too many extra hours working on his renovations. It meant little time to take a break. While he’d spent some nights at my place, it was often easier to be at his—because of the work on his property.
The progress was great. I’d achieved a lot, and while there was still a way to go, the house finally felt safe, as in I no longer feared for my life when working in the place, wondering if a wall would collapse or a floor would give way.
Also, Carter hadn’t said much at all about the bullying nonsense at work for a while. I’d asked him several times and he’d reassured me that apart from a few shitty glances thrown his way, nothing else had happened.
I believed him, based on the fact he didn’t seem to be stressed about heading into work as much, but still, it had been a rough few weeks for him, so what better way to relax than getting away from it all?
“’Course I will,” Davis answered. “You doing the whole romance thing… Christ, brother, I never thought I’d see the day.” He laughed far too loudly.
“Whatever.” Not the greatest comeback, but he did have a point. I’d been around the block a few times and wasn’t renowned for commitment or romance, so we both knew this was a big deal. But Carter was worth it.
“Where you heading to?”
I sat down next to Libby and picked up one of the toys off her tray. I walked the weird dinosaur, doll monstrosity in front of her. She giggled in delight before she swiped it out of my hands. I carried on playing with her as I spoke. “I’m not sure. There’s either the lakes or the city.” They were such different places, offering various ways to fill our time. “What do you think?” Davis was worse than I was when it came to relationships, but still, I trusted him in most things.
“Depends.” He stirred the pot as he continued, “You want idyllic romance before you fuck or drunken hard-core sex after partying?”
He was deadly serious. He was also right. I snorted at the both of us. “Should I want the first even though I’m really wanting the second?” Carter and I had never had drunken sex, so the idea had merits. Though a weekend of nothing but relaxing at the lakes did sound like something we could both do with. Plus, we wouldn’t have to socialize or anything. God, I was getting old when I wasn’t even bothering to debate the possibilities.
“Ha! If you take a couple of cases of beer with you, then you could make some of the second choice happen.” He threw me a wicked grin and took the food off the stove.
“Good point,” I admitted. Just the thought of a weekend away, free from disturbances from real life sounded amazing. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and opened Google.
I had some incredible stealth skills. Yeah, I was a badass and decided that if construction went sideways, I had the makings of a spy. I snorted at the thought as I placed the bags in the back of my truck.
Earlier in the day, I’d dropped Rex off at Davis’s and texted Lauren to ensure everything was set. When I’d first decided on this grand-gesture thing, it had seemed easy, but somehow it had spiraled into getting people I’d never even spoken to on board and me purchasing a couple of bottles of champagne.
I shook my head as I made sure the box of food, the bottles, and the crate of beer were all secure. Fucking champagne. When I’d stolen Carter’s phone to grab Lauren’s number—the only person who he’d really spoken about and was friendly with at work—she’d agreed to ensure he wasn’t on call and had then sent me on a mission with a list to make sure the weekend was apparently as romantic as fuck.
Hell, it wasn’t like I was proposing to the guy. Yet. The thought made me grin. I’d tagged on that word a few times over the past few weeks, recognizing that the thought didn’t make me freak out. We weren’t near that stage. Christ, it could be another year or two for all I knew, but I saw Carter in my future. With all that driving me forward, I’d relented and paid a crazy amount of money for a couple of bottles of champagne. I was now off to pick up Carter.
Since it was Friday, he finished at two. The plan was to pick him up and sweep him away. The drive to the lakes was just a couple of hours, giving us plenty of time to settle in for the weekend. It was the peak of summer, with the weather fine, if not a little hot at times. The cabin we were staying at had air-conditioning, a row boat, and sat on a lake.
I was eager to start our weekend of escape.
Carter greeted me with warmth. He was expecting me, since I’d dropped him off for his shift so he was without his car. Lauren exited with him.
“Have a great weekend,” she called, and waved.
“Thanks,” Carter said as he stepped closer to me and dropped a sweet kiss on my mouth. He pulled back and I stepped away to open the door for him.
“Thanks, Lauren.” I threw her a chin lift and a wink, earning me a confused double take from Carter and a laugh from Lauren.
Before Carter could question me, I ushered him into the front seat and then made my way to the driver side. Before long, the engine was running and we were pulling out of the clinic’s lot.
“Lauren?”
I grinned and threw him a quick wink. “Yeah, she seems great.” From the corner of my eye, I saw him shift in his seat and angle himself slightly toward me.
“She is, but I’m wondering how you know that.”
I gave a carefree one-shoulder shrug and a noncommittal grunt. I was sure he was squinting at me, no doubt a small frown forming between his brows, trying to figure things out. I kept my eyes firmly on the road though, wondering when he’d notice we were heading in the opposite direction of home.
“Music?” I asked as a way of distracting him.
It didn’t work. No sooner had I said the word than his body shifted in his seat. I risked a glance at him and watched as he looked around.
“Erm, Tanner, not that I’m questioning your awesome driving skills or anything, but you know this isn’t the way home, right?”
I grinned and answered with a self-satisfied, “Yep,” while I kept my eyes on the road, determined not to look at him in fear I’d break and tell him where we were heading. Somewhere between my random idea of heading away, to planning the break that had seemed to spiral a little out of control, to me driving the two of us to the cabin as a surprise, honest-to-God excitement had taken hold. It felt so fucking good to be doing something nice for Carter, and I couldn’t wait till we arrived and I could see the reaction on his face.
I’d never done shit like this for anyone. Admittedly, there was no real long-term ex in my past, but still, the idea of pleasing him, being the reason to put a huge smile on his face, yeah, that did something to me.
“Yep?” His tone was amused, which I took as a win. At least he wasn’t freaking out or something.
“Yep.” I nodded. “Why don’t you just sit back and relax. It’ll take us a couple of hours.”
From the slight movement of his body, I saw he was angled toward me again. “Okay.” He reached out, placed a hand on my thigh, and gave it a light squeeze. My heart thudded in my chest at the contact as well as his trust. My hand quickly found his and we continued the journey drifting between companionable silence, and chatting about his day and the renovations.
“Hey, baby.” I stroked Carter’s cheek, waking him from his nap. He’d closed his eyes just twenty minutes or so earlier. I’d already grabbed the keys to the cabin and had even managed to unload the truck while he’d slept peacefully.
When Carter opened his eyes, his gaze quickly found mine. His expression tender, he stretched and pressed his cheek into my hand. “Hey.”
“Come on.” I stepped back out of the open car doorway.
Undoing his seat belt, he looked around, his eyes no doubt taking in the lake before landing on the cabin and then me. He climbed out and was immediately in my space, his body close to mine, so close he had to tilt his head to look into my eyes. “Something you need to tell me?” His voice was soft, almost a whisper.
My
grin turned into a quick of my mouth as I cupped his face and pressed a quick, gentle kiss on his lips. “Surprise.” I ended the word with a shrug and a half grin. I was sure he’d be excited, but still, my heart beat faster, pounding harder in my chest as I waited for his reaction.
His smile was addictive. It was the best damn look I’d ever seen on his face before. Warmth spread across his cheeks, the sort that wasn’t embarrassment but happiness. I had no idea how I even knew it, but that look right there, the one he gave me… heck, my heart stuttered for a moment before restarting with a needy, demanding pound.
“You—” He cleared his throat. “You did this for me?”
It was on the tip of my tongue to be a wiseass and crack a joke; instead, I leaned down, brushed my lips to his, and answered, “Yeah, baby, it’s all for you.”
Apparently it was the right fucking thing to say, as I’d never seen Carter react so fast. In the barest of seconds, his sweet ass had climbed me like a tree. I stumbled as I adjusted to having his whole tight body wrapped around me. His mouth was on mine in a fierce and bruising kiss. My mouth angled to his as I welcomed the delicious assault of his tongue, his lips, and red-hot groans as he ground himself against me.
I gripped his ass to keep him from falling and to hold him closer to me, loving every moment of friction, and everything he threw at me, but I needed to get him into the cabin before I took him in public.
I slowed the kiss down, despite his disgruntled moan, then pulled back, stopping the kiss. My gaze roamed his face, taking in the lust filling his eyes, and focused on his lips. Already they were a little swollen. Pressing my mouth to his neck, I inhaled the scent that was uniquely his. “Let’s take this inside,” I mumbled against his neck.
He nodded in approval. “Do you need me—”
I tightened my grip on his ass and spun around before taking purposeful strides to the cabin door. Thank Christ, I’d left the thing open.
“I’ll take that as a no then.” Amusement lifted his voice and he leaned in, resting his head on my shoulder, his face turned toward my neck so his warm breath hit my skin. His breathing was erratic, fast and irregular, pretty much mirroring my own.
Once inside, I pushed the door closed with my foot, and then took a step to the couch. I paused when Carter shook his head. “Bed?” I asked.
“Shower,” he whispered.
Shower it was.
We made it to the en suite already buck naked and impressively injury free. No easy feat since the journey had taken us a good ten minutes of stumbling into walls, tripping over jeans, and me finding the willpower to wrench Carter’s mouth off my erection.
We washed each other thoroughly, then I pressed Carter against the shower wall, still covered in soap suds, my mouth connected to his as our tongues swept against each other’s. He hissed when I gripped him and stroked lazily. I wanted to take this slow, despite throbbing with the need to be deep inside him.
Hot, smooth, and wet, he was perfect in my palm. With a quick sweep of my thumb over his tip, his hiss turned into a groan. I swallowed the sound at the same time as my fingers traveled to his balls. I cupped them, giving him a gentle squeeze, then brushed back toward his ass, sweeping my finger against his puckered hole. Carter wrenched his mouth from mine.
“Fuck me, Tanner.”
I laughed, my heart filling with emotion. Grinning, I leaned in and said against his neck, “You know I love it when you lose control enough to swear, baby.” My lips against his flesh, I pressed against him once more before I pushed my finger into him. “Say it again.”
This man of mine had the sweetest of mouths. Not only did he taste delicious and gave me the best head of my life, but the only time he ever swore was when he was seriously pissed off, or so needy for me that he couldn’t keep his words straight. Pushing him to the edge and making his dirty mouth come to life was one of my favorite things. This time, he didn’t disappoint.
“Tanner. Fuck. I need you.”
I licked a path from his ear to his collarbone, then kissed and nipped my way to his chest. “What do you need?”
A gasp-groan escaped him and drew my gaze to his face. His neck was angled back, and his eyes were shut, his top teeth bit down on his bottom lip. I pressed my finger deeper inside him, watching his face closely. His eyes snapped open, and he peered down at me. Dragging my finger out slowly, I lowered to my knees with my gaze locked on his.
“What do you need?” I repeated.
“Everything.” He groaned when I rewarded him by pushing back inside him and rubbed my chin against his bobbing shaft. “Just fuck me so fucking hard that I… I…” My tongue on his crown was a distraction, sure, but two uses of fuck in a sentence deserved a reward. “…I only feel you, only want you. I want your tongue…” He gasped when said tongue wrapped around his head before lapping lightly at his slit. “…I want your tongue, your fingers, your cock, I want them everywhere.” Carter’s breath came out in heavy pants by the time he stopped speaking, and mine wasn’t much better.
His words spurred me on. I wanted everything he said too. I wanted to bury myself inside him so deeply that he’d feel me when he dreamed, when he bathed, when he fucking brushed his goddamn teeth. I wanted to be the only one who would ever touch him again. Fuck it. I would be the only lucky bastard who would lay hands on him. There was no other possibility and no other explanation other than I loved this man with my whole heart and fucking soul.
Fuck.
I sprang up, taking both hands with me, and held his face between my palms. Two bright brown eyes peered back at me in surprise. My mouth slammed against his as I poured every ounce of feeling I had for this man into that one kiss, needing him to understand I was there. I wanted it all too.
“I love you,” I finally said as I eased back from his mouth, my heart beating fiercely against my chest as my eyes met his.
The surprise had gone, lost in the heavy kiss we’d shared. But on my words, his eyes once more widened before softening, a smile lifting his cheeks. “I love you, too.”
No hesitation. No stumble. Just four perfect words that undid me.
I grinned, my lips connecting with his briefly before I demanded, “Turn around, baby, let me show you how fucking much I love you.”
His eyes all but rolled back in his head at my tone and instruction. Carter turned for me, his palms pressing against the shower wall. Short, heavy breaths mingled with the sound of the water splashing against our bodies and the floor.
After redirecting the spray a little so I wouldn’t end up drowning, I sank to my knees and looked up. “Baby.” He angled his head to look down at me. “This ass is mine.” Even in the steam of the shower I watched in satisfaction as the heat of a blush rose on his cheeks.
I bit his ass lightly, causing a needy gasp from Carter. Then I opened him to me. Without me asking, he readjusted his feet and legs and bent just enough to give me access. Fuck me. His puckered hole was perfect.
I’d had too many fantasies of tasting him in the best of ways, knowing above all else, my tongue would make him so goddamn hard, he’d be likely to come before I’d gotten my real fill of him. Leaning closer, I pressed my tongue gently against his opening, earning me an immediate groan of bliss. I lapped at him, all the time focusing on his response, wanting to know what would push him over the edge and give him the greatest pleasure.
Sex with Carter was easily the best I’d ever had. He was giving and eager to try new things as well as voicing his desire to satisfy me. That and knowing he loved me…. I eased my tongue into his channel, keeping the muscle stiff. God, I wanted this, wanted him, needed him every way I could get him.
Tight and perfect, he welcomed me into his body as he groaned and whimpered, sporadic “fucks” easing past his lips. When I pressed a hand against his lower back, encouraging him to bend even lower, he did so immediately. We moaned in unison as I penetrated deeper and felt him pulse around me.
“Fuck, I’m going to—”
Ripping my ton
gue from his body, I spun him around and latched on to his erection, taking him deep and sucking with everything I had. I hollowed my cheeks and sucked hard, grasping his ass to pull him even closer. The first hit of his cum against my tongue was in unison with Carter’s words “Fuck, I love you.” It was garbled and high-pitched, and I would have grinned if I wasn’t busy pulling every drop out of him.
I eased off when he sagged against the wall, his fingertips brushing my hair and trailing against my cheek. Looking up at him, blinking past the splash of the water, my face brightened. He beamed back and indicated for me to stand. On my feet, I leaned against him, pressing a small kiss against his closed lips.
“Tired?”
He nodded.
“Come on then. Let’s get you to bed.”
Carter lifted a brow and then glanced between our bodies. I throbbed, but I wanted Carter rested and happy. I snorted at myself. Loved up and not looking out for my own poor cock.
“What?” he asked, amusement in the lilt of his voice.
“Nothing. But I can wait.”
He didn’t look convinced.
“I can,” I answered with a small laugh. Admittedly, it was going to be hard to ignore, not only because of the fact I was rock-solid and was standing to attention, but it was always like this with Carter. I always wanted him. But at that moment, having gotten him off from sharing my tongue with him, that was fucking satisfying in itself. My impatient dick would have to wait.
I’d woken with Carter lowering himself on me. It was officially the best morning ever. Getting head in the morning was fucking incredible, but waking to him sheathing me inside my favorite place ever, yeah, hands down it was the best way to start the day. That and bareback, which we’d only recently been cleared for, had been fucking magic.
I’d come hard and fast. Not surprising since I’d fallen asleep with blue balls. But it was all worth it to start the day deep inside him. We’d since had breakfast and were walking around the lake, hand in hand, the epitome of a loving couple. Every time I thought it, I smirked like some sort of, well, enamored fool. Go figure.
Let Me Show You Page 12
