“Good shift tonight. Here you go.” He held out a wad of cash for me to take.
“What’s this?” I asked, taking the money from him and putting it in my purse. There must have been close to three hundred dollars there.
“That is your share of the tips. Be here tomorrow night at four. You’ve earned yourself a job.”
I smiled. “See you then.”
I stepped out into the quiet room. The first thing I saw was Carter, his head down resting on his arms, his eyes closed. He looked so peaceful as he slept. I approached him slowly, and just as I went to place my hand on his shoulder, his sleepy blue eyes opened. “You ready?” he asked.
I nodded. He stood, grabbed his jacket, and walked behind me, holding the door open for me to go through.
Nothing was said between us. We started walking for a bit in the direction of my hotel. It had been ten minutes when he finally asked where I was staying.
“I have a room over at The Knights Inn,” I said, clearing my throat. I could feel my face getting warm. He had lived here for three years; surely, he knew what type of shithole I was living in.
He frowned. “How long have you been staying there?”
I swallowed hard, ignoring his question, and kept walking.
“Are you living there?”
I didn’t answer him. I couldn’t because I couldn’t look at him. Finally, he grabbed my arm, stopping me, and pulled me around to face him. As soon as our eyes met, I crumbled. “I have nowhere else to go. I left home. I only have a few hundred dollars to my name. My credit card was canceled.” I really didn’t want to cry in front of him, but the tears were already pouring. I spun around and started walking again. I was almost at the corner when I noticed Carter wasn’t with me. I turned to look behind me and watched as he turned and started heading in the opposite direction.
“Where are you going? I thought you were walking me home?”
“Home? Fuck, that isn’t your home, Hope. It’s a soon-to-be-condemned shithole filled with prostitutes, druggies, and guys like your friend Pete. We’re going to my place. We can get your stuff in the morning. At least there I know you will be safe.”
I stood there, looking after him.
“Are you coming, Hope? Girls like you don’t stay at places like that. Come on, my roommate’s gone for the summer. You can have his room until you find something better.”
I didn’t know what to do. He was right, I didn’t belong there, and I knew that. He slowed his stride as I stood there looking after him. I glanced in the direction of my hotel. The streets were dark, and to be honest, I didn’t want to spend another night in that dump. A light rain started to fall as I watched him slowly walk farther away from me. I glanced back down the dark road to the scummy hotel and thought about just heading back there, but then I looked back to Carter. I shivered a bit and changed my mind, running to catch up with him. As I walked beside him, shivering, I wrapped my arms around myself and rubbed both arms to try to warm up.
“Here, take my jacket,” he said, taking it off.
“No, no, I’m fine.”
“You’re not fine, you’re cold. When did you become so stubborn?” He pulled the jacket around me and wrapped it over my shoulders, the warmth from his body still lingering inside the coat. I breathed in the familiar smell of him; it hit me right in the center. He smelled the same as he had three years ago.
We walked in silence the rest of the way to his place, just the sound of rain hitting the pavement and the occasional car driving by, but being with him, I felt safer than I had since coming to this city.
I followed him into a clean apartment building and got in the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, I leaned up against the wall, fighting to keep my eyes open. “Tired?”
“Hmmm...yes. I haven’t had much sleep in the past week.” I closed my eyes for a moment, and when I opened them, Carter was staring at me, a soft smile on his lips.
“What?” I murmured.
“You’re cute when you’re tired. You always were.” I couldn’t help but blush as his eyes locked with mine.
The elevator finally opened on his floor, and Carter tore his eyes away from mine. I trailed behind him as we headed down the hall toward his apartment. My eyes were firmly planted on his ass. He had always looked incredible in jeans. “Here we go.” My eyes flew from his ass, and I watched as he slipped his key into the lock.
He stepped aside and held the door open for me. “After you.” His voice was soft. As I walked by him, I accidentally brushed up against him, that touch sending a shiver through me.
Carter
She had scooted past me and I took a quick second to check her out before I walked through the door, locking it behind me. She removed her shoes and slipped out of my coat, holding it in her hands. I took it from her and hung it up in the closet. “Let me give you a quick tour. The place isn’t very big, but it’s clean and safe.” I pointed out where my bedroom was and where she would be staying, the bathroom and the rest she could figure out. Just as I finished showing her around, something struck me: she was finally standing in the apartment I had originally rented for us. She looked up at me and smiled, and then a funny look came over her face. “What is it?”
“I just realized I don’t have anything to sleep in. All of my things are back in the hotel,” she said, looking at me with innocent eyes.
“It’s okay, I’ll grab you something.” I wandered into my room and sorted through my dresser, pulling out a T-shirt for her. I quickly took my clothes off and put on a pair of shorts. When I emerged from my room, I caught her eyes wandering over my bare chest. I had bulked up considerably since she had seen me last. She took the shirt from me, her hand shaking as she reached out. “Thanks, Carter. You’re sure it’s okay that I stay in here?”
“I’d rather you be here than there, so yes, I’m sure. Tomorrow we’ll head over to the hell hotel and get your stuff, and as I said, until you find something other than that shithole, you can stay here with me.”
“Thank you,” she whispered. Taking the shirt, she wandered into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. I grabbed my keys from the counter and hung them on the hook by the door. Within minutes, the bathroom door opened, and I watched as she walked into Carson’s room and shut the door behind her.
Fuck, I wanted her. The want had never diminished even the slightest bit over three years, and tonight just proved exactly how much. I had just buried that want behind my studies and behind the wall that I had built over my heart. When I saw Pete touch her, I felt like I could have torn him from limb to limb. My overprotectiveness came out, and then when I found out where she was staying it was out in full force.
I went out to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge. I looked at the time. It was almost four. I was going to be useless to take my exam in the morning. I lay down on the couch, after lighting a couple candles on the living room table, and closed my eyes. I turned the stereo on low and put on soft music; I needed to unwind. It had been a long day and I was exhausted. I lay with my arm over my eyes just listening to the light jazz pouring from the speakers. I found it almost impossible to relax knowing that she was only on the other side of a flimsy wooden door. All that kept running through my mind was that tight ass and how close to within reach she really was. Hunter had been right; she wasn’t healthy for me. It had taken me so long to get her out of my mind. For the first year, the few times I had gone home, I would find myself watching for her to come home from wherever she had gone, and almost every night it would end in anger, because I would find her with him.
I grabbed my cell and texted my brother. He was the only one with whom I could share this. My cell phone lit up almost right away.
HUNTER: PLEASE TELL ME YOU DIDN’T BRING HER HOME.
ME: WHY?
HUNTER: IS SHE AT YOUR APARTMENT RIGHT NOW?
ME: MAYBE.
HUNTER: GO TO BED, CARTER. YOU DON’T WANT TO GET YOURSELF INVOLVED WITH HER AGAIN.
; I stared at my screen. He was right—what did I know about her? She had shown up out of the blue working at the bar I hung out at and living in some shithole. I knew nothing more. I didn’t know if she was single, married, pregnant—anything. The little I knew was that she had left home. But I did know that the feeling growing in me wasn’t good, because I had an overwhelming desire to take her and make her mine again.
HUNTER: PLEASE, CARTER. DON’T DO THIS TO YOURSELF AGAIN.
I threw my phone on the table. He was right. I couldn’t allow myself to get involved with her in any way whatsoever. I had come too far, and this summer was far too important to the rest of my life. I couldn’t throw it away over a girl; I couldn’t throw it away over her. I shut the stereo off and blew out the candles, took one last look at the door she was behind, and wandered into my room, shutting the door behind me.
Hope
I lay in bed staring at the red numbers on the clock. It was almost five. I kicked the covers off, I was so hot. I got up, opened the bedroom door, and peered out into the darkness. Carter must be in bed; there was no light spilling from his bedroom. I took my chances, running in my T-shirt and panties to use the washroom and then returned to the safety of my room.
I crawled back into bed and lay there staring at the ceiling, thinking back to earlier tonight. The memory of him standing in front of me shirtless kept playing like a movie in my mind. I had wanted so badly to run my hands over his chest, to pull myself into him and nuzzle at his neck.
I hadn’t been touched by a real man since him, and I had forgotten how his large, strong hands felt as they ran over my body. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine them running up my bare leg, gripping my ass as he kissed my neck. I could feel myself starting to get wet from the thought of him. I had often felt this way when thinking of him, but I was afraid to quench that ache. Slowly, I slipped my hands inside my panties, gliding my fingers over my clit. The more I imagined his mouth licking and sucking on my nipples, kissing his way down my stomach and the feel of his strong hands slipping under my ass, gripping me tightly as he finally buried his face between my legs, the more the throbbing ache needed to be quenched. As I ran my fingers over my clit again, I was sure a moan escaped my lips.
I stilled when I heard the loud click of his door opening. I was suddenly pulled back into reality. Ripping my hand from my panties, I fought hard to calm my beating heart. I listened hard, hearing nothing. I decided to grab a bottle of cold water from the fridge. When I stepped out of my bedroom door, I was knocked to the side as Carter collided with me. He reached and grabbed me before I fell to the ground, wrapping me securely in his arms, his hand landing on my almost bare ass and my one hip. I gripped his shoulders as he steadied me on my feet.
“I wasn’t expecting you to be there. Are you okay?” he asked.
I couldn’t speak. All I could feel was the fire building in me again, this time at the feel of his hand on my ass. I looked into his eyes and slowly moved my hands from his shoulders, resting them on his chest, which was even more of a mistake. He felt more amazing than he looked. My eyes finally traveled from where my hands rested, taking in the contour of his neck to his lips, and finally meeting his beautiful blue eyes. He really was a stunning man. He looked down at me, his hands still firmly gripping me, not saying anything.
“Are you okay?” he repeated softer this time. I shook my head, afraid my voice would give away what I was thinking.
“Sorry, I needed some water and had to use the washroom. I wasn’t expecting you to come right out of the bedroom door at that exact moment.” He smiled as his hands dug into my skin.
Almost as if I had burned him, he ripped his hands off me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to grab you like that,” he mumbled. “I didn’t want you to fall.”
I wanted to scream that it was okay and to take his hands and put them back on me where they had been, but instead I stepped back inside my bedroom door and let him pass, watching after him as he walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. I stood staring at that door for a few moments and then went to the kitchen and grabbed a water from the fridge. Instead of opening the cold bottle, I placed it on the back of my neck. It wasn’t just the heat from the early summer night that was making me hot anymore.
Carter
I ran cool water into the sink and filled my hands, splashing it over my face. I hadn’t meant to grab her, but now I couldn’t get the thought of running my hands over that tight round ass out of my mind. She had fit against me so perfectly then and still, but when she ran her hands over my chest, it felt like she trailed a burning match across my skin. I fucking wanted her, and no matter what anyone said, I was going to make her mine again. I had to.
I pulled the towel off the rack, dried my face, and left the bathroom to go and grab a cold water. I needed to get back to bed. If she was still up, I didn’t know if I could trust myself around her. I stepped out of the bathroom and came around the corner to see her standing with her back toward me, that perfect ass peeking out from under the T-shirt she wore.
My eyes skimmed over her, my thoughts running a mile a minute, my favorite one being her kneeling on all fours before me, her hair wrapped around my hand, while I took her from behind. I felt my dick twitch. I needed to control my thoughts. I was only in boxers; it would be hard to hide what I was thinking from her if she turned around.
“Are you feeling okay?” I couldn’t help but ask her. She had a water bottle pressed up against the back of her neck.
I saw her jump a little and turn to look at me. Her eyes trailed down my body. They seemed to almost jump out of her head. There was no hiding it now; I was well endowed, and in the light that cast from the bathroom, I knew she could see I was as hard as a rock.
“Yep, just warm in here. I’m going to head back to bed.” She swallowed hard, her eyes trailing over me once more before she buzzed past me and into Carson’s room. Before she shut the door, she turned and ran her eyes over me a third time, a soft smile coming to her lips. “Good night,” she whimpered as she shut the door, leaving me standing with a raging hard-on alone in the living room.
15
Hope
A knock on the apartment door finally woke me from my sleep. I lay in bed, waiting for Carter to answer, but when I didn’t hear him and the knocking kept up, I got up and headed to the door.
“Carter, love, open the door.”
I frowned to myself and pulled the door open. It was the woman from the bar last night. Upon closer look, I realized I knew her from somewhere else, but my memory failed me.
“Can I help you?” I watched as her eyes skimmed my body. I looked down at myself, realizing that I was only in the T-shirt Carter had loaned me.
“Who are you? Where is Carter?” she asked, looking over my shoulder into the apartment.
“I guess he isn’t home. I’m Hope.” I held my hand out to her, but she didn’t shake it. Instead, she continued to look over my shoulder. “...and you are?”
“Felice, from across the hall. What time do you expect him?”
“To be honest, I haven’t a clue where he even went, so I can’t even guess when he will be home.”
“I see, well, can you give these to him? He left them in my apartment last night,” she said, holding out a pair of black boxers. I couldn’t help but blush.
As I took the boxers from her hand, I looked up at her and noticed she was studying me, as if she knew me from somewhere as well. “Where do I know you from?” she asked.
“I work at Joe’s.”
“Sure, yes, that’s it.” She was still studying me intently.
“Is there anything else you need?” I asked. I was getting a little freaked out.
“Just tell Carter I stopped by.”
“Sure thing.”
I shut the door and locked it, walked to Carter’s room, and threw the boxers on his bed.
16
Carter
Hope had still been asleep when I had left this morning. I needed to w
ork off this frustration I was carrying. After returning to my room after our encounter, I had spent a copious amount of time with my hand and the remainder of the early morning tossing and turning. At seven, I decided to pack my gym bag and head off to the university to get in a workout before I had to take one of my final exams.
As the elevator opened to our floor, all I could think of was my pillow, but the closer I got to my apartment, all I could hear was music. I had one hell of a headache from being up all night, and when I stopped outside the door, I realized the music was coming from inside my apartment.
My head pounded. The music was even louder when I opened the door. Dropping my gym bag on the floor, I glanced around the corner and saw the sexiest pair of fucking legs I had seen in a while. They were smooth and well defined and were flung over the back of my couch, and for a moment I thought about what they would be like wrapped around my neck as I buried my face between her creamy thighs. However, I didn’t need a repeat of what happened this morning, so I did my best to stop those thoughts. I had no right to think of her that way anymore anyway. She wasn’t mine, but fuck it, there was nothing wrong with looking, so I leaned up against the wall and just took in the sight before me. I noticed the remote for the stereo lay on the table beside me. I smiled to myself, grabbed the remote, and shut the godawful noise off.
“What the...”
“You’re finally awake,” I chuckled.
The legs disappeared, and Hope popped her head up and looked in my direction. “Good morning, Carter! Hope it’s okay that I was listening to your stereo. I felt like some music.”
Her blonde hair was tied up in a messy bun, and she wore a thin, little, black tank top that left nothing to my imagination, a hot-pink bra on underneath. It was hard enough to draw my eyes away from her beautiful breasts that were almost spilling out of her tank top. She wore snug little jean shorts, and when she turned around to set her drink down on the table, the cheeks of her tight, round ass hung out the bottom of those short shorts, which just led back to her damn legs. I could feel myself getting hard and had to avert my eyes away from her and concentrate on something else, but it did little good, my dick was already throbbing.
The Malone Brothers Boxed Set Page 23
