“I noticed that at Sunday dinner. They seem to be particularly hard on you.”
So she’d noticed… It probably looked especially bad to an outsider who didn’t know that he gave as good as he got.
“I’m the youngest. Don’t worry, though. They know full well that if they do something to me, I’m going to do something to them. It’s only a matter of time. When they least expect it, that’s when they should expect it.” Mallory looked a little frightened. “I guess your family doesn’t do stuff like this.”
“When we were kids we could be cruel but now…not so much. We’re all too busy to play pranks on each other.”
“I think it has to do with the fact that we live and work so closely together.”
“And nothing to do with being competitive as hell?”
Chuckling, he nodded in agreement. “Well, that too. It’s in the Anderson DNA. We’re always pushing to be better than the others. Easton signed up for one of those obstacle course races a few years back and next thing I know we’re all doing it, trying to beat each other’s times. It’s harmless, really.”
She didn’t look all that convinced. It sounded kind of shitty when he said it out loud. Like they were pitted against each other by their parents but that wasn’t the case at all. If anything, their mother had tried to diffuse the competitions and his father had stayed strictly neutral.
“I think that maybe I’m just not that competitive. I suppose when you put that many males with all that testosterone together they’re going to compete with each other.”
“All I know is that we’ve been doing it since I can remember. But we’d never hurt each other or anything. It’s all in good fun. Just a friendly rivalry.”
Her gaze swept his body and he felt a flush of heat. He liked it when she was bold like that.
“So you don’t have any injuries or scars from your…competitions?”
Mallory was smart as a whip. He wasn’t going to get one over on her. Ever. But he sure as hell wouldn’t mind showing her a few of those scars.
“Now I didn’t say that. I spent pretty much every summer in a cast and I think the Andersons had a bulk visit plan for stitches and x-rays, but to be fair many of those were from playing sports. We go all out there, too.”
“I’m not surprised,” she said dryly. She glanced at the clock on the oven display. “I guess I should be heading to bed. I have work tomorrow and so do you.”
He wasn’t tired. At least, his mind wasn’t. His body was exhausted after a crappy night’s sleep on her couch but he wasn’t about to tell her that.
“I’m a light sleeper. Just knock on my door if you need anything.”
I said hopefully.
“I’m so tired I’ll probably fall asleep the minute my head hits the pillow.” She almost turned to go but then paused. “Thank you. For everything. I’m not sure what I would have done without you.”
“You would have called your family but I’m glad that I’m here and that you didn’t have to. Besides, we’re in this together, remember?”
She nodded and then stood on her tiptoes to brush her lips softly against his. Far too quick. He wanted more but this was not the moment to ask for it. She’d been through the wringer and she needed her rest.
“Goodnight.”
He caught her with one arm, wrapping it tightly around her waist. One more kiss wouldn’t hurt. In fact, it might help. He bent his head and captured her lips with his own until they were both breathless and flushed. He was only frustrating himself but it felt too good not to do. He gazed down into her eyes, now all soft and unfocused. Her hair was mussed and her cheeks were pink. Gorgeous.
“Goodnight, honey. Sweet dreams.”
He’d be thinking about her.
Chapter Twenty-One
‡
Bathed in a cold sweat, Mallory awoke with a start, her eyes popping open and a gasp on her lips. She’d been dreaming and it wasn’t a sweet one. She was standing in the middle of her home and there were faces in all of the windows watching her. She kept yelling at them to go away but they didn’t. When she tried to walk to the door to shoo them gone, her feet were stuck to the floor and she couldn’t move. She was frozen like a statue being studied by strangers. Chilling and disturbing.
Leaning back against the pillows, she took several breaths to slow her racing pulse and bring her ragged breathing back to normal. She stared at the ceiling for a long time reminding herself that she was safe here at the Anderson ranch. No one was going to get into this house, especially with Tiger’s sensitive hearing. According to Carter, the canine would be barking his head off if even a squirrel ventured near the home.
Mallory glanced at the clock on the bedside table and grimaced. One in the morning and it didn’t look like she was going back to sleep anytime soon. The few hours she’d slept had been just enough to keep her from falling back into dreamland easily. If she was going to have nightmares like that, she didn’t want to go back to sleep anyway. Being awake was far better.
I wonder if Carter is having bad dreams, too?
No, you think that if you’re awake he should be, too.
If they hadn’t argued the other night, she might be sharing Carter’s bed right now. Then he could have soothed her back to sleep when she woke. But they had argued, and she was lying here in the guest room. Alone. She didn’t like it much. The bed was certainly comfortable and the blankets warm. It was a lovely room but she couldn’t stop thinking about him sleeping just at the end of the hall. Did he snore? Did he wear pajamas? Did he maybe talk in his sleep? He probably looked really innocent when he slept but she knew that he had a bit of the devil in him.
You could crawl in with him.
She could and Carter might welcome her with open arms. If he was a heavy sleeper, he might not even realize she’d joined him until morning.
Of course, if she were to crawl into bed with Carter she would basically be saying “yes” to sex. The fact that he hadn’t even tried to get her to share his bed tonight had left her a little miffed, if she were honest. She hadn’t said no because he hadn’t asked. If he had, she would have said yes.
He could have changed his mind about them. It was possible, although the way he was acting it didn’t seem probable. More likely, he was being a gentleman, which was sweet. And unneeded.
They’d grown close incredibly quickly, far faster than under normal circumstances. If she’d learned anything from watching a man die in her arms it was that life is short and there are no guarantees. If she wanted something, she had to go after it.
I do that all the time.
No, you don’t. You sit back and hope things come to you.
It might be time to change.
Did she dare? Would Carter be happy she’d come to him? There was no time like the present to find out. Throwing back the covers, she resolutely climbed out of the guest bed and quietly crept down the hall, patting the head of an alert Tiger who was stretched out on his bed just inside the bedroom door. He’d lifted his head when she’d entered the room but he didn’t bark, simply studying her as she crept over to the bed as quietly as possible.
She didn’t want to scare anyone. If she was on edge, so was Carter. She didn’t need him to throw a punch or bean her with a bat because he thought she was a home intruder.
Man shoots girlfriend in the dark. Film at eleven.
* * *
Carter’s room was dark except for a shaft of moonlight filtering through a gap in the curtains that illuminated a path to the bed. King-sized and impressive, the bed was a four-poster and lovingly crafted with intricate carvings on each pillar. When she’d toured the house earlier, she’d been especially interested in this room. A man’s bedroom said something about his personality.
Carter’s bedroom said that he loved comfort, fine craftsmanship, and the color blue.
Lying on his stomach, his muscular back was bare, hinting that he might also be naked under the sheet that covered him from the hips down. As carefully as she
could, she climbed onto the mattress next to him, trying not to jar the bed and wake him.
He looked incredibly peaceful and innocent when he slept. His chest rising and falling in an even rhythm, his features in sweet repose as if he didn’t have a care in the world. Clearly he wasn’t having any trouble sleeping nor did he snore. It would be a shame to wake him. She’d just slide in next to him and curl up on the other side of the bed. He wouldn’t even know she was here, but his mere presence calmed her shaken nerves.
Sliding under the covers, Mallory pulled them up to her neck and turned toward the edge of the bed, her back to Carter. It was hours before morning and she needed to find a way to sleep. Counting sheep never worked. What was that thing she’d seen on television? Deep breathing and visualizing? She remembered the breathing part but for the life of her she couldn’t remember what she was supposed to be visualizing. Being asleep?
She was awash in his scent, and it clung to the sheets and pillows. Even if he hadn’t been lying right next to her she wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about him. She could feel his body heat reaching across the few inches of mattress that separated them, warming her chilled skin. Resolutely she closed her eyes and tried to relax her entire body, but she was far too aware of him.
“You okay, babe?”
Mallory didn’t know when Carter had woken but she didn’t imagine his voice in her head. He’d asked her a question.
“Yes.”
The covers rustled as he moved closer, his body spooning hers protectively. Sighing, she relaxed against him. It shouldn’t have felt so right – she hadn’t known him long – but it did.
“Bad dream?”
She nodded but then realized it was dark and he couldn’t necessarily see her clearly. “Yes. I’m sorry I snuck in here and woke you up. I just…didn’t want to be alone.”
His arms pulled her back against him and he rubbed his cheek against her hair. “It’s fine. In fact, it’s better than fine. I wasn’t sleeping all that great either.”
“Liar,” she said with a chuckle. “You were sleeping like an innocent baby when I came in here.”
That made him laugh and the bed shake. “It’s been so long since I’ve been innocent it’s not even a distant memory anymore but it’s real sweet that you think so.”
“Are you a bad boy, Carter?”
The question popped out of her mouth before she could stop it. Now she was playing with fire.
Getting burned wasn’t even a consideration.
“I am,” he replied promptly, no hesitation in his answer. “But a bad boy still knows how to take care of a lady.”
She almost melted at his words. It had been far too long since anyone had taken care of her in a most intimate way.
“Do you want me to take care of you, babe?”
Yes. A million times yes.
Chapter Twenty-Two
‡
“Easy, babe. I’ll take care of you.”
Carter’s low voice was reassuring but Mallory barely heard him, instead solely focused on his work-roughened hands that were gliding under the oversized t-shirt she’d worn to bed. Her last lover’s hands had been smooth but Carter’s were callused from helping out on the ranch. It was erotic to be caressed like this, the dichotomy of smooth and rough. He made her feel very feminine, which was kind of funny when she thought about it. She’d kind of been a tomboy growing up and her adult years hadn’t been much different.
Pulling the cotton fabric over her head, he tossed it aside and then started tugging her panties down her legs. She kicked her feet to get rid of them even faster, her body heating up from his touch. Pushing the covers down, she reached back to hook her arm around his neck and pull him in for a long, slow, and infinitely sweet kiss. Their tongues rubbed together and played a game of tag, which of course Carter won.
He liked playing games but she had a strong feeling he liked winning them even more.
His fingers smoothed down her thighs and then back up, over her hips and came to rest under her breasts. She shivered and goosebumps broke out over her flesh as his thumbs toyed with her nipples until they pebbled. His mouth found a sensitive spot at the base of her neck, his teeth nipping at the skin and then laving it with his tongue.
Writhing in his arms, she giggled when his fingers tickled her ribs and moaned when those same talented digits plucked at the tips of her breasts, sending arrows of arousal straight to her lower belly. She moved restlessly against him but he had her wrapped firmly in his arms, her back to his front, sheltering her with his own much larger frame. Flames licked at her flesh and swept through her veins. Her head fell back against his shoulder, exposing her neck to his wicked lips and tongue. She’d have marks there tomorrow, a subtle reminder of the carnal evening she’d had with this man.
One of his hands slid down her belly and between her thighs. Her legs spread farther apart of their own accord to give him greater access. There was no point in playing coy. Mallory wanted this and she wanted him. She was already impatient to feel him inside of her but he appeared to be determined to take his time.
A groan escaped her lips when his fingers found her sensitive and swollen pearl. Round and round, his fingers circled the button, sending her arousal into the stratosphere.
So freaking good.
Carter knew his way around a woman’s body and at this particular moment she couldn’t be more grateful about that. He hadn’t been a saint and frankly, she wouldn’t want one in her bed. A devil did nicely.
“Come for me, babe,” he encouraged, his breath warm and soft in her ear. “You can do it. Come for me and don’t hold back.”
Mallory didn’t intend to. It was as if her body was waking up after a long winter’s hibernation. She wanted to roar like a bear striding out of his cave, letting the world know that she was no longer asleep. She’d been on automatic pilot too long. Time to take the wheel.
The coil of arousal that had been building in her belly tightened painfully as his too clever fingers found just the right rhythm to send her over. She tensed for a moment, her nails digging into the flesh of his arm and her eyes fluttering shut.
When her orgasm hit, a disco ball of lights swirled behind her lids and her entire body bowed off of the bed. She cried out with the intensity as waves of pleasure ran through her veins like the creek in the park. Carter held her until she came down from her high, whispering in her ear how beautiful she was and how he wanted to make her do it again.
I am totally on board with that.
Her body was sweaty and shaking when she opened her eyes again. The scent of arousal hung in the air and the temperature in the room had zoomed to tropical levels.
Sitting up, he reached over to the nightstand and rummaged in the top drawer before pulling out a foil square.
“Are you ready for me? Do you want this? Because we can stop here–”
“You better not,” Mallory said, shaking her finger at him. “Don’t you dare leave me here wanting.”
Her vehemence must have tickled his funny bone because he grinned and laughed. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t leave you hanging. In fact, if anything, it would be me that would left that way.”
Reaching under the sheet, her hand wrapped around his cock, running her fingers up and down until he wasn’t smiling or laughing anymore. He was groaning, his head thrown back with pleasure. Or torture. His entire visage was contorted, so it could have been either. He felt like velvet and steel and she took her time exploring the bounty he offered her, letting her fingernail lightly trace the ridges and veins. She wanted to learn every inch of him.
“Jesus, do you have any idea what you’re doing to me?”
His words came out hoarse and deep but he didn’t try and stop her. That spoke volumes.
“Well…yes, I do,” Mallory giggled. “I’m doing what you did to me. I want to be fair about this.”
His head snapped up and the foil square crinkled in his hand. “Fuck fair. I want to be inside of you.”
He went up on his knees, ripping open the condom with his teeth and then rolling it on. She tried to help but she was probably more of a hindrance than anything. Together they did finally get it on though and he settled between her thighs, his hands taking his weight.
With his body above hers like this she was reminded of just how much bigger he was. He had such strength but he was so gentle with her at all times. Even now, at this intimate moment he was hesitating, giving her a chance to back out. She wasn’t going to.
Running her hands down his chest, they settled on his lean hips, urging him forward.
“Now, Carter. I need you.”
He pressed forward, sinking deeply inside of her, her walls stretching to accommodate him. Bending her knees, she wrapped her legs around his waist as he began to move, slowly at first but quickly building speed. She anchored her hands to his shoulders as he thrust in, farther each time until he was in all the way. It felt…amazing.
“Harder,” she panted, swaying her hips so that he was rubbing her clit with each stroke. Miraculously, she was building toward another explosion, perhaps even more powerful than the last. “Faster.”
With a raspy breath, Carter did just that, his hips snapping forward. “Come with me, babe. I’m getting so close.”
Mallory wanted to…she was close as well, but her climax seemed just out of reach. She could almost touch it. But not quite.
As if reading her mind but probably feeling the tension in her body, Carter reached down between them with one hand, his fingers finding her clit. One. Two. Three circles and she was flying off into space. She exploded into little bits of glittering confetti and whirled around the room. At some point, she said Carter’s name and squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to blank out the world so she could simply live in this moment.
Road to Danger Page 11
