She looked far from contrite, but she was listening. “Carter being in business is all the more reason to have an agreement,” Eva argued. “He can protect himself, too.”
“And start our marriage off by worrying about its failure?”
“Nonsense, Katherine. A prenuptial is there to protect you—”
“Bullshit,” Kat barked.
Eva’s mouth snapped shut.
“This is all about you and your trust issues,” Kat growled, sitting forward. “He is my fiancé.” She held up her left hand, the diamond sparkling brilliantly under the restaurant’s lights. “I’m marrying him. I will be Mrs. Carter! Everyone else gets it. Everyone.”
Eva’s gaze dropped from Kat to the pristine linen tablecloth. She breathed deeply but remained silent.
Kat’s voice softened. “You need to understand this is happening. I will not sign a prenup. This is real. Forever. No matter what.” She exhaled heavily and sat back in her seat, suddenly tired. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. I wish you could see that and just . . . stop fighting this.”
A small smile flittered over Eva’s lips. “I’m not fighting anything, Katherine,” she insisted. “I learned quickly that you and Carter are a force to be reckoned with. And I can see how happy you are. You’re glowing, in fact. I was simply thinking about your future.”
Kat reached a hand over the table, gently taking her mother’s wrist. “Carter is my future.”
Eva nodded minutely. “You understand I had to try.”
The anger that had boiled under Kat’s skin started to recede. “Yes, I do. But you have to understand that, without Carter, everything else would be worthless to me anyway.”
chapter seven
The late-January sun was losing the battle against the dark clouds that loomed heavily over the coast, and the sharp wind bit at Kat’s face as she climbed out of her car outside the beach house. After slamming the car door and grabbing bags of provisions from the trunk, remnants of her conversation with her mother still gripping her temper, Kat hurried up the decking to the house.
She and Carter spent as many weekends as they could at the beach house, away from the city, away from work and other people. It was their way of reconnecting, of coming back to each other when other things started to get in the way of the two of them. Ordinarily, they arranged their weekends midweek. This weekend, however, had been impromptu.
In truth, Kat hadn’t been surprised when she received a text from Carter asking her to meet him there. He had left early that morning to go visit Max for the first time at the rehab center in Pennsylvania. Carter had decided to drive the three and a half hours, taking his brand-new custom-made Maserati GranTurismo MC Stradale instead of Kala. Its legs needed stretching, apparently.
Seeing the car outside the beach house, all black, sleek, and sexy, she could definitely see why he’d chosen it. Driving it would no doubt be an extraordinary experience, which was just what Carter needed to occupy his anxious mind.
Kat knew that the visit to Pennsylvania had to have been difficult for both men. They hadn’t seen each other since Max’s admittance and Carter had been distant and fidgety all week. His friendship with Max was strong and, whether they both admitted it or not, they loved each other very much.
Carter had missed Max; he’d fretted about his friend ever since he’d left him at the center all those weeks ago. He’d never said it in so many words, but a part of Carter blamed himself for Max’s descent into drugs and depression regardless of how much Kat tried to suggest otherwise and, as far as Carter was concerned, leaving his friend in his hour of need was another black mark on Carter’s friend card. Kat was helpless against his self-deprecation.
The house was quiet except for the crackling of the wood burning on the open hearth in the sitting room, which looked decidedly bare since the Christmas tree and decorations had been put away. Kat put the food and drink she’d brought into the fridge, stealing two Oreos from the snack cupboard for her troubles.
Turning to walk back through the house, assuming Carter was upstairs, she noticed the open lock on the back door. Narrowing her eyes, Kat peered through the window that overlooked the beach. Sure enough, standing alone on the sand, arms wrapped around himself, lost in thought as he looked out at the gray ocean, was Carter.
Grabbing her coat, scarf, and two more cookies, Kat opened the door and made her way down the decked path to the sand. Carter turned his head slightly as she approached, sensing her presence without her making a sound, causing her to smile. With a deep breath of the fresh air, Kat stood at Carter’s side, watching the waves with him, not speaking for a few minutes until, eager to pull him from his somber mood, Kat bumped his shoulder with hers and lifted her palm, showing him the two Oreos. The smile he gave was small, but he took the cookies anyway, eating them the way Kat always loved: licking the cream in a way that should be illegal. He pocketed the parts that were left.
“So,” Kat began when he still hadn’t spoken, “I was thinking. I’m going to run a nice, relaxing, hot bath before dinner.”
Carter dipped his chin in understanding, still watching the water.
“For the two of us.”
His eyes snapped to hers. They flared briefly with lust but the melancholy in them was just too strong for it to be overcome completely.
Without another word, Kat took his hand and led him back to the house.
The water of the bath was bubbled and hot while the wine Kat had poured for the two of them was cold and soothing. Always insistent about watching her take her clothes off, Carter undressed once Kat had, kissing her mouth softly before he climbed into the bath and motioned for her to join him, which she did, sitting between his legs, her back pressed to his chest, head back against his shoulder, waiting patiently for him to speak. Her hands rubbed down his shins and back up to his hard thighs, while his arms wrapped tightly around her waist. He kissed her neck and sighed, but still no words came.
“So lunch with Mom was interesting,” Kat offered. “She’s had a nice, cozy chat with our family lawyer. About a prenup.” Carter didn’t react. “A prenup for us. Let me tell ya, that shit went down like a lead balloon.” Carter huffed a breath of laughter. “I swear she’s losing her damned mind.”
“Let her do it if that’s what she wants,” Carter uttered into the skin behind her ear.
Kat stilled. “What?”
His hands meandered from her waist to her chest, where he cupped her breasts and shifted behind her. “If that’s what she needs to do to know that you’re okay, let her. Without you, all the other shit would be pointless anyway. It’s you I want—everything else just falls away.”
Turning her head, Kat kissed his jaw. “That’s exactly what I told her.”
Carter’s lips sought out hers. “Then tell her it’s fine.”
Reaching back, Kat cupped the back of his head and kissed him deeply. As the kiss slowed, he leaned his forehead against hers, his distress palpable.
“Talk to me, sweetheart,” she urged softly. “It’s okay. Tell me. How was it today?”
Carter closed his eyes and exhaled. “It was . . . Seeing Max there—he seemed all right, but . . . he isn’t. Does that make sense?” Kat nodded. “He’s trying so fucking hard, and I know it’s killing him being there away from what and who he knows, not being in control.” Looking at her, he rubbed a wet hand down his face and then through his hair. “He knows he’s where he needs to be, but he’s still . . . so lost. Truthfully, it was weird seeing him sober. I’d gotten so used to that wide-eyed manic look of his.”
He sat back, allowing Kat to turn. Water splashed over the lip of the tub as she settled on her knees between his. “Was he happy to see you?”
Carter smiled sadly. “I think so. It was weird. We didn’t really know what to say to each other. And that’s not us, you know? We’ve always been able to shoot the shit, talk about anything. But it was . . . different.”
Kat cupped his cheek. “It will be for a long time, but i
t’ll pass. You just have to be there for him. He’ll come back to you.”
“I know.” He sighed. “I told him he can stay with us here when he’s released. That’s okay, right?”
Kat smiled. “As long as he needs.” She kissed him. “When will he be home?”
Carter shrugged. “Could be another month, could be two. His therapist will make the final decision and, from what I understand, it’s not going well.”
Kat could only imagine. If Max was anything like Carter, he’d have completely shut down to a stranger asking any personal questions or questions that conjured up bad memories. “He’ll get there, baby.”
“He’s started art therapy, if you can believe that.” Carter snorted. “Asshole hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years.”
“He’s an artist?” Kat asked curiously.
“A damned good one, though he’d never brag about it. He painted when we were kids. His graffiti is notorious, especially with the NYPD.” He laughed then, a true laugh filled with good memories. “He did the paintwork on all the cars and bikes that came into his dad’s shop. He was really good.”
“Then I’m glad he’s found something he loves again,” Kat murmured, tracing the water resting on Carter’s chest with the pad of her thumb.
Carter’s gaze turned dark as he watched her, and he said, “He’ll never get better unless he stops loving Lizzie. But how can he get over her? She’s the one. His other half.” An agonized breath shuddered from him. “Come here.” She straddled his waist, wrapping her forearms around his neck. “If I lost you the way Max lost her,” he murmured, following the curves of her face with his blue eyes. “How could I breathe without you? Now understanding what he’s lost, I’m amazed he’s still alive.”
Kat hushed his scared, hurting words with her mouth, kissing him with every ounce of love she had. She lost herself to the kiss, seeking out his tongue and bringing it into her mouth so she could taste him, so he could taste her. He grunted and held her so tightly, pinching her wet skin. With his arms around her, he lifted her, pushing his hard body into hers, making her gasp against his lips. She settled on him, waiting for him to guide her, to feel his familiar, strong, urgent hands on her hips. But he didn’t move.
“I just need to feel you,” he explained, holding her, breathing into her. “Us.”
“We’re okay,” she told him simply. “I’m here.”
Kat’s heart broke for the helplessness he felt, and for Max and the excruciating struggle he was going through. Despite her initial anxieties regarding Max and the way he lived his life before he entered rehab, she could barely comprehend the strength it must have taken him to get up each and every day and face a world without his love, without the son Lizzie was carrying before his tragic loss. The mere thought of losing Carter sent a sharp pain lancing through her chest.
After kissing for what felt like hours, Carter eventually kneeled up in the tub, placing Kat on the edge of it, and made love to her slowly, tenderly, moving, not with purpose to come, but to immerse them both in the sensation of their lovemaking. Kat’s orgasm was gradual and warm and pulsed through her body for minutes afterward.
Wrapped in woolen blankets by the fire, Kat and Carter ate grilled cheese, feeding one another grapes, sipping wine, and enjoying the sound of the thunderous rain on the roof.
“Did you mean what you said to your mom on Christmas Eve, about having the wedding here at the house this summer?” Carter asked, his gaze fixed on the flickering fire.
“Sure. I don’t want to wait a long time, and I think a wedding here would be beautiful. Me barefoot in the sand. You sexy as hell in . . . well, anything.” She smiled when he snorted. “It is the place I told you I loved you for the first time.”
Carter nodded and leaned back, his head resting in Kat’s lap. “The thing is, you know I’d marry you anywhere, anytime,” he said, teasing the ends of her hair with his fingertips. “I mean, I’d marry you tomorrow, right here, your mother’s prenup and all”—Kat laughed—“But I . . .”
Kat cupped his cheek, knowing he was hesitating through his fear of disappointing her. Her heart bloomed with warmth. “But you don’t want to make any plans until Max is home.”
Carter sighed with clear relief. His voice was small, his face apologetic. “Yeah.”
Kat shook her head. “It’s all right. I figured that’s how you felt. I know you want him there. Why wouldn’t you?”
“You’re sure?”
Kat paused, biting her lip. “Will we still be engaged?”
Carter’s brow furrowed. “Damn right.”
“Do I still get to kiss you whenever I want?”
Catching on, he smirked. “Anywhere you want.”
“And we’ll still be waking up together every morning?”
“I’ll even let you be the big spoon.”
“Then I’m sure.”
Carter laughed and pulled her down to him, peppering her face with kisses. “I fucking love you,” he said ardently, rolling her onto her back and lying over her. “My Peaches.”
“It’ll all be okay, Carter,” she whispered. “I promise. He’ll be okay.”
He pulled her closer. “I hope so, baby. I truly hope so.”
acknowledgments
Thank you once again to everyone who has made this possible. The team I have behind me is truly amazing, filled with people who have endless patience, and who encourage me to always be my best. Lorella, Micki, Louise, you’re epic. I admire and value you all so much, and I don’t tell you all nearly enough. Thank you.
To my family, who have to put up with so much. I will never be able to show you how much your tolerance and belief in me means. I love you.
To all of you who continue to have such faith in my words. From my best friends who cure all my ails with wine and pizza, my work colleagues who have over the past few months become my own personal group of awesome cheerleaders, to my twitter and Facebook followers who show no end to their enthusiasm and excitement for this series. I hope this small snapshot of Kat and Carter’s life together was as good to read as it was to write.
You’re an exceptional group of people and you all make the hard parts of this journey so much easier. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
I can’t wait to have you with me on the rest of this incredible adventure.
Find out where it all began in
A Pound of Flesh . . .
Wes Carter: Dangerous, brooding and behind bars, Carter’s emotional scars are as permanent as the ink on his skin.
Kat Lane: Vibrant and gutsy, Kat chooses to become a prison tutor in tribute to her father whose murder haunts her.
As teacher and student, any relationship is against every rule.
But although their love is forbidden, it won’t be denied . . .
Available now from
Sophie Jackson’s powerful and utterly addictive
A Pound of Flesh series continues with An Ounce of Hope . . .
You fell for Wes Carter. Now there’s a new bad boy in town. Just as sexy, just as edgy . . .
Meet Carter’s best friend Max . . . and the woman who offers him hope of a second chance at love.
Will Max be able to let go of his past and fully let Grace into his life, or will his heart remain closed forever?
Coming soon from
FIND YOUR HEART’S DESIRE. . .
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.headlineeternal.com
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Love and Always (A Pound of Flesh #1.5) Page 6
