by Aliyah Burke
“Why don’t you just order some wine? From the way you’re looking at that glass, it’s what you want.”
“You don’t have a clue what I want, Carter,” she replied refusing to turn and watch his final approach to the table. Damn it!
He stepped into view and lowered his muscular body to the chair. He’d just showered and she could smell his soap as it mixed with his aftershave. His white button-down had the first few open, allowing her a peek at the hair on his chest.
Hair she used to run her fingers through as they—she screeched those thoughts to a halt.
“Sorry,” she said, holding out her hands in a placating gesture. “Let me try this again. Good evening, Carter.”
His lips twitched. “You look like you’ve swallowed something vile. Is it that hard to be across from me?” He canted his head to the side. “Would you like me closer to you, so you’re not looking directly at me? I remember sitting next to you before, my hand between your legs, up your skirt, and fingering your wet pussy.”
She whimpered, shifting on the chair. Having two of his thick fingers buried deep inside her slick channel would be a dream. “I would appreciate it if we could stop sniping at each other. We’re going to run into one another, given the jobs we have and I need to be treated with the respect I’ve earned with my position.”
Carter placed his order when the waitress approached and turned to her.
Shocked, he didn’t tell her what she wanted, Gina put in hers as well.
Neither spoke until their drinks had been delivered. She still wished she had alcohol in her glass but she knew better. This man was dangerous when she’d been stone cold sober, if she loosened her inhibitions any, she would wake up in bed with him somewhere.
Would that be such a horrible thing?
She couldn’t afford the pain that path would bring. Not now. So, she opted for a tall glass of lemonade. Didn’t do a damn thing to take the edge off, but she could face him with all her facilities present. At least…mostly.
“I can do that.”
Gina blinked as his words yanked her from her mental thoughts. “Thank you.”
He rested his elbows on the table and stared at her, his gray eyes burning eerily in the light.
“What?”
“That could have been resolved with a simple phone call. We still have the entire dinner to get through. What else do you want from me?”
“Nothing like that,” she snapped instantly.
“You sure about that?” He quirked a brow.
“Positive. If and when I have an itch to scratch, there are a good number of men in this city with whom that can happen. I don’t need a damn thing from you, aside from your civility at those moments we are in the same area.” It may have been her imagination but she swore a flash of pain sprinted over his features before being smoothed away. Why?
“A truce then,” he said.
“Thank you.”
He scratched the side of his jaw before reaching for his beer. “How have you been, Gina?”
She narrowed her eyes.
“I’m trying to make small talk. Unless you’d like to talk about the sex we used to have?”
Nipples drawing tight in her bra, she shook her head. “I’ve been busy.” A moment of silence. “It took a bit, but I found my way and went after what I wanted out of my life.”
“So you have everything you need then?”
“I wouldn’t go so far as to say everything, but I’m a lot closer than I was before.”
The glimpse of remorse and pain zipped by in his gaze once more.
Sure, she could have told him she was referring to after she went back to school, but despite wanting them to get along civilly, the need to make him feel just any bit of what she went through still raged.
“Glad to hear it.” He glanced around the room. “Come here a lot?”
“No, can’t say that I do. How are you doing? How’re your parents?”
“My folks are doing well, thank you. I know you saw Cameron, he mentioned the two of you having dinner.”
She smiled. “We did. I’ve always liked him.”
“I know.” An edge returned to his tone.
Gina chose to ignore it. Their food arrived and she dug into her salad with gusto, her last meal was hours ago.
They talked about mundane things over the course of the meal. She declined dessert when the offer came and asked for separate bills.
Carter glared when they were again alone. “I’m paying for dinner.”
“Nonsense. This was a meeting to discuss work, not a date. I’m paying for my own.” She reached for her purse.
“The fuck I’m letting a woman pay for her own meal.”
“Would you be like this if you had gone out for a discussion with a male that you had some problems with and were trying to bury the hatchet?”
“No.”
“Then, there you go.” She slapped a twenty on the table.
“But with a guy, I also wouldn’t be sitting across from him remembering how it was when my dick was in her mouth as she watched me with those damn green eyes of hers. Or the way she moaned my name as we fucked into the wee hours of the morning, just to spend the rest of the lazy Sunday in bed.” He flicked her money back toward her, swiped her bill, and put both in his hand giving them to the waitress when she walked by once more. “No change.”
“Damn it, Carter.”
“In no world, Gina, will I look at you like just another colleague. You’re my wife.”
The possessiveness drenching his words were an electrical jolt to her clit. “Ex.” She crumpled up her bill and shoved it in her pocket.
He rose when she did and together, they went to the door. Outside, the wind had begun picking up once more.
“Ex or not, you’re still mine.”
God, what she wouldn’t give to have that deep voice in her ear as he fucked her from behind up against a wall. Telling her how much he liked her tight pussy. Pushing his thumb into her ass right before she came. “You gave up that right. I’m not looking for reconciliation, Carter. I want civility. Nothing more from you. I’ve moved on. Made a life for myself. My goal with this tonight wasn’t to rekindle a damn thing. It was to ensure my professional life and yours wouldn’t be an issue.” She took a shaky breath. “Good night. And thank you.”
Gina refused to look back and see if Carter watched her. She wouldn’t give him that. At her coupe, she slid behind the wheel and drove home to her empty apartment where she succumbed to the tears and the memories she so desperately wished to put behind her on a permanent basis.
αβ
Carter unlocked his apartment and walked inside, mind still swirling over the dinner with Gina. The need to touch her overwhelmed him and he nearly risked the bodily injury that would be coming just for a taste.
“Where have you been?” Cameron asked walking into view.
“Do you get the concept of privacy?”
“Says the man who just walks into my place whenever the fuck he feels like it.” Cameron plopped down on the sofa, propping his feet up on the coffee table.
“What are you doing here, Cameron?”
“Just thought I’d say goodbye to my brother before I head out of town.”
“You’re not leaving for a week or so.”
“True, but now that you know Gina is here, I won’t see a hair on your ass. You’ll be after her.”
“Didn’t know you were interested in the hair on my ass.” He grabbed two beers from the fridge and tossed one to his twin. “And why do you say I’ll be after her?”
“Because I’m not an idiot. I get it, I don’t understand what stupid fucked up reason you had for giving her those papers but you’re still in love with the woman. Your wedding ring is on your dresser. You carry her picture around in your wallet. Why don’t you just admit it to yourself that you fucked up and go see if you can win her back?”
“Are things that simple in your world, Cameron?”
“The truth
is always simple, Carter. Didn’t say it was easy but it is simple. You just speak it. That’s all there is to it. No need to be slick, or conniving. You just be honest.”
“Are you sure you’re not moonlighting as Dr. Phil?”
He laughed. “Pretty damn sure if you look at my bank account. We’re nowhere making the same amount of money.”
“She doesn’t want me.”
“God, you’re an idiot.”
Popping open the can of Budweiser, Carter frowned. “Excuse me?”
“She doesn’t want you? Is that what you get out of this? Did you think she was going to roll over with her legs spread and say take me? Are you truly this arrogant? How is it possible we come from the same parents?”
“Speak what you have to say, Cam, before I kick your ass just on principle.”
“You’re going to have to earn her trust, again. You’re going to have to apologize for being the ass you are and see if you can learn to be friends with her. Oh, and you may want to try and respect her.”
Carter almost dropped his beer. “I always respected her.”
“Bullshit.”
He clenched his jaw and counted to ten to control his temper. “Care to explain?” His words were sharp and tipped with poison.
Cameron put his feet on the floor and leaned forward, resting his arms on his thighs, beer dangling from one hand. “If you saw a man who constantly told a woman what to eat, where to sit, what to wear and never let her make her own decisions. What would you think?”
“He’s an ass. What does that have to do with anything?”
“I’m not finished. He shoots down her ideas of what she wants to do, not in a direct way but subtly. Off handed comments and the like, maybe not intentional but with the same effect and in a way worse, since he doesn’t think he did anything wrong. He is constantly taking calls from other women, not thinking of how it makes her feel. But gets pissed when she challenges him about why they are always calling him, knowing damn well if the roles were reversed and she was getting calls like that from men, he would have lost his shit. You know, Carter, you can stop me when this sounds familiar. I can keep going, otherwise.”
The floor swallowed him up as his brother’s words slapped him in the face. Cameron spoke the truth. That had been him the entire time they were married. “I never cheated on her,” Carter defended.
“I don’t give a damn. That woman is amazing and special. You took her for granted and she left when it got to be too much for her. Now, she’s back. Don’t ruin her life for a second time, Carter. I’d really have to reevaluate if I want to be your brother anymore.” Cameron walked to the door, leaving his beer on the coffee table. “See you in a few months.” Then he was gone.
“Fuck!”
Carter strode to the bookcase along the wall and picked out a photo album he kept. With it in hand, he returned to the couch and took a seat. Looking through it, he saw the pictures of him and Gina. As the pictures progressed throughout their marriage, he could see differences in her. Those expressive green eyes stopped sparkling. Her smile no longer looked as bright.
Other people had just whispered how sorry they were the marriage had broken up. Even his parents had. Cameron however hadn’t. He owed his brother a thank you. He realized how he messed this up, now he just had to find a way to fix it and get his wife back.
Lifting the beer to his lips, he paused when his phone rang. “Liaci.”
“Explosion at Fifth and Sommerset. Get your ass to the station, we’re rolling out and we need all hands on deck.”
Carter ran out the door before the call had even finished and got to his truck. He would make a plan to get Gina back later. Right now, he had a job to do.
Chapter Four
“Nice job, Moyer.”
Gina glanced at the man walking beside her as they left the courtroom. “Thanks Davidson. Glad we nailed the bastard who’d been setting those fires.” She smoothed a hand down her red dress. “I didn’t know how many he’d set though, not until I started digging.”
Davidson adjusted his tie. “I don’t think his own lawyer did until you brought it to their attention.”
“Just doing my job,” she replied.
He chuckled.
“I’d love to watch you as a lawyer as well. I think you’d be kicking some ass there. Lunch is on me.”
Her stomach growled and she laughed. “More than just a hotdog outside the courthouse please.”
“Hey, now. I am a big spender.”
She rolled her eyes and lengthened her stride.
“Care to tell me where we’re eating that you’re trying to put me in the poor house?”
“All you need to know if that I’m driving and we’ll go really fast.”
“I do like going fast.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’d heard that about you.”
“Ouch. And whomever told you that was lying. I know how to take my time.”
“Not discussing your sex life with you, Davidson.” Especially, since mine consists of me and my drawer of vibrators to get me through dry patches.
“You know you should come out with me. We’ll find you a hot guy to rock your world.”
“We? Am I going to be the class project?” She unlocked her coupe and they climbed in.
“No but it’s obvious that you need to get laid because you’re some kind of cranky. Of course, with your ass of an ex back from Texas, I can understand that.”
She pushed the ignition and listened to her powerful engine turn over. “Thank you for your support on that. You could have sided with him.”
“Why? I don’t know him. You’re my friend and because I’m a guy who’s your friend, I feel it is my duty to kick his ass.”
She squeezed his hand. “You know I love you.”
“I know, I know.”
They left the courthouse parking lot and she shifted gears, putting them on the street where she depressed the accelerator, racing off. Taking them to the seafood restaurant they frequented, she whipped into the parking lot.
Dark clouds swirled above them but as of this moment, no rain fell. For which she felt grateful. They entered side by side and waited for someone to seat them.
“Did you hear about the fire last night?”
Davidson’s question yanked her thoughts from what she was going to order. “Yes, the warehouse that blew up. Williams is heading up the investigation on that one.”
“I heard that Station Twenty-One got the call and it was all hands on deck.”
Yeah, she’d heard that too. Carter flashed before her mind’s eye and she sent up a quick prayer that he wasn’t injured. “Anyone get hurt?”
“Two were admitted to the hospital but I don’t have their names.”
They were seated and she sipped her Pinot Grigio while waiting for her combination of Seafood-stuffed flounder and some garlic-grilled sea scallops, fighting the need to pull out her phone and place a call. “I’ll check later.”
Thankfully, Davidson didn’t state the obvious, that it wasn’t her job to check on them. They enjoyed their meal and she dropped him off at the office. With a wave, she drove off, needing to see for herself if Carter was okay.
His address already known as she’d pulled it before. She parked at his apartment building, and climbed out. Slamming the door, she paused and rested against the polished shine of her car.
Buck up. Go check on him.
“Get on with it already, Moyer,” she admonished herself.
In the building, she pressed the button for the elevator, not wanting to take four flights in her stilettos. The higher the car rose, the tighter the knot in her gut grew. What if he had a girlfriend? What if he didn’t and was just having sex with some random woman?
The elevator stopped and the doors slid open. She hesitated, nearly terrified enough to push the ground floor button, she forced herself out of the box. The hallway seemed quiet, not even any children or a sign of anyone.
She paused before his door then
reached out and knocked. This has got to be one of the most idiotic decisions that I’ve made in a long time. Seconds before she bolted, the door swung open leaving her face to face with a bare-chested man she’d married at one time. Carter Liaci.
Gina ran her gaze over him. His gray shorts did nothing to stop her fantasy of what lay behind the cotton. In fact, it inflamed her desire.
He had some bandages on his arm and a scrape on his face. “Gina,” he rasped. “What are you doing here?”
“I heard about the explosion last night, knew it was your station who responded. Also heard that two people went to the hospital. Wanted to check and see how you are doing.”
His gray eyes deepened in color, then he silently swung the door open.
She moved by him, trying her damnedest not to admire how good he smelled. Another epic fail.
The click of the door closing behind her reminded her just how alone the two of them were. No potential passersby to break up what could become an ugly confrontation. No witnesses at a restaurant as like at their previous interaction.
“You look sexy as fuck,” he said, walking by her to his kitchen.
“Thank you?” She wasn’t entirely sure it had been a compliment given the faint sneer in his tone.
“Big date?”
“No, I had court. Testifying against the man who burned down those four buildings.” She hadn’t moved from her spot but tracked him with her eyes. Watching him over the counter as he started some coffee. “Did I wake you?”
“Yes.” He flicked his gaze up to hers. “I like the way you used to wake me as opposed to knocking on my door.”
“I didn’t come for that kind of conversation, Carter. I came to see if you were okay.”
“Few minor bumps and bruises. Is that all you came for?”
Was he dismissing her? “Did I interrupt you? Have a hot girl in your bedroom that you need to get back to?”
He took down a mug, gave her another cursory glance and pulled out a second. “Not yet with the girl and yes, you did interrupt me. I was sleeping as I already said, dreaming of the woman I fell in love with and married. Want to know more about the dream?” Carter left the kitchen area and stalked her. His steps were slow and methodical, almost as if he dared her to run.
