by SJ McCoy
Summer laughed. “Poor Shane.” She smiled at Carter before looking back at Shane. “I mean who knows, you could be right. Maybe finding the right person and settling down is what brings out the best in all of us.”
Carter didn’t dare hope that she might be talking to Shane about him.
~ ~ ~
It was dark by the time they got back to the house. It had been a great evening, and Carter had been right about not being able to get away early. Summer turned to him as he pulled up outside the front door. “I saved my voice, so don’t go trying any excuses. You’re coming in and we’re going to talk.”
She loved the slow smile that spread across his face. He nodded and came around to open her door for her.
Once they were inside she led him through to the kitchen. “Would you like a glass of wine?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, thanks. I’ve had my one.”
She was disappointed. She’d been envisioning the two of them sharing a glass of wine while they talked. She’d decided she was going to be completely honest with him—tell him how she felt and what her fears were. She was hoping he would do the same, and a glass of wine might help him open up a little.
He sensed her disappointment and relented. “All right. I’ll have a small one.”
Once they had their drinks, they went through to the living room. This was weird. He was her friend, they’d spent quite a bit of time together, but she was nervous. It felt like a first date. She was aware of the implications of every word and every move. She wanted them to talk, and she wanted to be able to look at him while they did. But she didn’t want to sit in one of the big armchairs facing the sofa, in case he thought she was avoiding sitting beside him. She took the easy option and sat on the sofa, leaving Carter to decide whether to sit next to her, or opposite.
She was a little disappointed when he selected one of the armchairs and placed his glass on the side table. He looked as nervous as she felt.
“So, where do we start?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Part of me thinks we shouldn’t start at all. Once we have this conversation, we can’t take it back.”
She let out a little laugh. “Maybe so, but we can’t take it back anyway. Just because neither of us have said how we feel. We both know, don’t we?”
He nodded, that slow smile spreading across his face. “We do. But…”
“But what?” her heart was hammering. She was afraid he was going to go back to his solution of avoiding her, and she didn’t think she could stand that. It would drive her nuts to be here and not be able to see him.
“But what do we do about it?” He took a sip of his wine then set his glass back on the table before meeting her gaze. “We’ve said we’re going to be honest with each other, so here goes. I like you, Summer. I like you a whole lot more than I should. I’d like to be more than your friend.”
She nodded. Her heart was hammering even harder now. It made her so happy to hear him say the words out loud. “Me too.”
His eyes widened.
“Why do you look surprised? Surely you already knew that?”
He nodded. “I guess I did, but it’s still a shock to have you confirm it. A good shock. But, Summer, I’m a coward. You know my story with Trisha. I’ve avoided women for years, because I never want to feel that kind of pain again.” He shook his head. “But you. You make me feel like it’d be worth it.”
“Worth it?” She didn’t understand.
“The pain is inevitable. You’re going to leave. I’m going to get my heart broken. But you make me feel as though whatever time we get to spend together will be worth a lifetime of hurt afterward.”
She sucked in a deep breath. “But I don’t want to hurt you, Carter.”
He smiled. “I know. That’s part of who you are, part of why I like you so much. You’d never hurt a soul if there was any way you could help it. But the fact is, I’m going to hurt any which way this goes down. I could hide from you for the next three months. But every day would be torture, knowing you’re here and I could be spending time with you. Or we could spend the time together, and then I’ll have to watch you leave.”
Summer sighed. She saw another option, but she didn’t want to say it before she knew if it was a realistic one. “I feel the same way. If you plan to avoid me while I’m here, that will hurt me so much. I’ll understand. But it’ll hurt anyway. But I’m scared. I’m scared that if we do spend time together…” She couldn’t help it, she let her eyes wander over him, taking in his gorgeous face, his big, strong arms, his broad chest and muscular legs. “…if we do get to know each other properly, I’m scared about what will happen afterward.”
He nodded. “I’ll survive.”
She shook her head. She’d known he would think that she was only worried about hurting him. “Maybe, but I’m not sure I will.”
His chin jerked up. “What are you saying?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m saying. I think I’m getting too far ahead of myself.” She took a long sip of her wine. She really was getting ahead of herself. Maybe this whole conversation was too far ahead of itself. They barely knew each other. Yes there was an undeniable attraction between them, but… She smiled. “I guess I’m saying that I’m starting to feel uncomfortable. I guess I’m saying that all we really need to do is decide if we’re both brave enough to give this a shot, and if we are, well, I guess we’ll just have to see where it goes?”
He nodded slowly.
She waited. Was he nodding his agreement with what she was saying, or was he nodding that yes, he was brave enough to give it a shot.
When he finally spoke, her heart felt as though it was exploding in her chest. “I’m brave enough if you are.”
She grinned and raised her glass to him. “I certainly am. Here’s to being brave.”
He touched his glass against hers and then downed the whole thing.
She did the same.
His smile was different. He seemed more relaxed and she was pretty sure the wine hadn’t affected him that rapidly.
He held her gaze for a long moment. “I guess I didn’t realize how uptight I was feeling. It’s funny, isn’t it, the relief that comes with making a decision.”
She nodded.
“Even if it might be a really bad one.”
Oh, she didn’t want him to feel that it was a bad decision! She got up and went to him, and did something she’d been longing to do since the first day she met him. She sat down in his lap and looped her arms up around his neck. “Let’s make sure it’s a good one,” she said. It already felt like the best decision she’d ever made. His arms had automatically closed around her. It felt as though he surrounded her, and it felt so right. He was so big, so muscular, and hard. She shifted a little. His muscles weren’t the only hard thing! He lowered his gaze and turned his head away. She didn’t want him to feel embarrassed! She tucked her fingers under his chin and made him look at her. “I don’t know why you’re looking like that. I take it as a compliment.”
The corners of his mouth turned up. “It’s a compliment all right, darlin’. You have no idea what you’re doing to me.” A low deep chuckle rumbled up from his chest. “I could compliment you all night long.”
Ooh! She liked the sound of that! She raised an eyebrow at him, but he shook his head. “You already know me better than that. I’m a good old-fashioned boy. There’ll be no rushing with that.”
She pouted, she couldn’t help it. That chuckle rumbled up again. He brought his hand up to her cheek and sank his fingers into her hair. “You can sulk all you like, but it’ll be worth the wait.”
She stared into his eyes, her body reacting to his words. She couldn’t wait! But she knew she’d have to. She brought her hands up to his shoulders and brought her face closer to his. Then she waited. And waited. “Are you going to kiss me, or not?”
His arms tightened around her as he pulled her against his chest. He held her gaze until his lips met hers. He ran his ton
gue along her bottom lip, making her sigh. Then his mouth claimed hers in a kiss that left her with no doubts that he’d be worth the wait. She’d never been kissed like that in her life. With one arm, he crushed her to his chest; his other hand tangled in her hair, pulling her head back to give him better access to her mouth. She clung to his shoulders as she kissed him back. When he eventually lifted his head, her breath was coming low and shallow. She wanted more—so much more. From the way he kept shifting under her, she knew he did too. No matter how much he tried to move away, the bulge in his pants was pressing into her, letting her know that that part of him, at least, had no more patience than she did. She squirmed in his lap, but he shook his head.
“I should go.”
“No! I don’t want you to, and I don’t think you do either.” He couldn’t go now!
“That’s exactly why I should go.”
“But you just had all that wine!” She felt bad, but his safety on the road wasn’t really her first concern.
It made him hesitate though. “I have to go.” He sounded less adamant now.
“There’s a spare room,” she said with a smile. “I promise I’m not trying to keep you just so I can have my wicked way with you. I just don’t want you to go yet.”
He thought it over for a few moments. “Okay. I’ll stay.” She loved the way his eyes twinkled as he added, “But you have to promise; no funny business. No sneaking into my room in the middle of the night.”
She laughed. “Okay. I promise. But you can sneak into mine if you like.”
He chuckled. “No I can’t, even though I would like. We’re going to do this right.”
She nodded. She wasn’t used to a guy who wanted to take his time, but it was part of Carter’s charm. He was a true gentleman. “Okay then.” She reached for her glass, but it was empty. “Would you like another, since you don’t have to worry about driving now?”
He nodded and followed her into the kitchen. When she turned back to hand him his glass, he looked troubled.
“What is it?”
“Nothing. Well, maybe something. I’m wondering how this is going to work. I mean, my first thought was that I want to take you out to dinner—on a date. But…well, can we do that? Do you want to be seen out with me? Is that a problem? What about your sister?”
Summer put a hand on his arm. “It’s okay. Autumn’s okay about it. She wasn’t really mad because she thought I was seeing you. She was mad because…” How could she explain all of that? By being honest was the only way. “She was mad because she thought I’d given up on my singing. She thought I was afraid I’d never get my voice back, and that I’d gone out to find myself a man and a different kind of life by way of consolation.”
“I see.” Carter really didn’t look as though he did see at all.
“Don’t you go thinking that’s what I am doing!” She’d hate him to think that.
He shook his head. “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind.”
“What then?”
“I was wondering how bad your voice is, if your sister sees that as a possibility.”
Summer sighed. “I don’t know. It’s called a granuloma. It’s like a little hard growth on my vocal chords. It’s more common than you might think. It might go away without surgery—that’s the hope—if I rest it enough.”
Carter gave her a pointed look. He was right. She was talking way too much today.
She shrugged. “I know, but we could hardly have said everything we needed to if I had to write my side down could we?”
He shook his head. “And what if you do need surgery?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know if I’d want to. There’s no guarantee the vocal chords wouldn’t be damaged or that the stupid thing wouldn’t grow back again afterward. It’s just a game of wait and see right now. But, the point is, you don’t need to worry about Autumn. She knows I like you and she knows I was hoping we might…” Oops, maybe that was saying too much.
He raised an eyebrow with a smile. “You were hoping we might what?”
She shrugged. “Get to be more than friends.”
“We will. We are.”
She nodded. “So how about we take our wine out on the deck and look at the stars?”
He surprised her by shaking his head. “No.”
“Why not?”
“Because, it’s cold out there. You don’t seem to be doing a very good job of taking care of yourself, so I’ll help. You don’t need to be out in the cold air. You’re talking plenty and you’re not sounding too bad.” He gave her a mock stern look. “But I think that might be the wine lubricating your throat.”
She sighed. He was right, of course. “So what do you want to do instead?”
He made his way back to the living room and sat on the sofa, patting the space beside him with a grin. “I told you I’ll take care of you. I want to do something that will stop you from talking for a while—and keep you warm, too.”
Oh my! He was so damned sexy! She’d thought he didn’t even know it, but the sparkle in his eyes right now said he knew damn well the effect he was having on her. She gladly sat down beside him and smiled up at him. “And what kind of something would that be?”
He closed his arms around her and drew her to him. “This,” he said in the moment before his lips came down on hers.
Chapter Five
Carter opened his eyes and looked around. It took him a minute to remember. He was at Summer’s place. He drew in a deep breath then slowly let it out. In her spare room. Was he crazy, or what? They’d made out on the sofa in the living room for hours last night. She’d tried everything she could think of to get him out of his pants—and into hers. He shifted uncomfortably as his body woke up at the memory. And he, big old dumbass that he was, he’d turned her down—repeatedly. What kind of guy lay on the sofa, making out with his dream girl and refused to take her to bed? What kind of guy turned down the opportunity to spend the night with Summer Breese? He shook his head. He did. He didn’t just want to spend the night with her. He wanted to spend time with her. Of course he wanted to sleep with her, but he wanted more than that. He wanted to build something special with her, so that by the time they did go to bed it would mean something. He started at the sound of her moving around downstairs. He checked his watch. Damn! It was seven thirty already! He scrambled out of bed and pulled his jeans on. He grabbed his socks and shirt and headed downstairs.
When he reached the kitchen he stopped and stared. She had her back to him as she fixed the coffee. She was wearing a pink sleep shirt. It barely covered her ass and left her long, slender, tanned legs bare. He ran his gaze over them, all the way down to where her ankles disappeared inside a pair of pink, fluffy slipper boots. He’d always thought that women who tried to do ‘cutesy’ needed to grow up. He was revising his opinion rapidly as he watched her move about the kitchen. Cute was the new sexy in his mind.
It was only when she turned around that he realized he was standing there staring, socks and shirt in his hand. She smiled and let her eyes drop to his chest. He clutched his shirt tighter. Jesus! What was he thinking? She was looking at him as if she wanted to eat him up and he was trying to cover his modesty with his shirt? He let his hands fall by his sides as he smiled back at her.
“Good morning.”
“It’s a very good morning!” she replied.
He cocked his head to one side. “It is? Why’s that?”
“Because it’s my first morning back in Montana. I get to wake up in this beautiful place, and even better I get to start the day with a beautiful man standing half naked in my kitchen.”
He smiled. “Sorry. I panicked when I saw the time.” He started to put his shirt on.
She came over to him and placed both her hands on his chest. He had to close his eyes and take a deep breath, and he had to remind himself that he was the guy who didn’t want to sleep with Summer Breese—yet! His body begged to differ. It didn’t want to wait another second. Not with the way her
hands felt as they stroked across his chest and up to his shoulders. Not with the way her breasts felt as they pushed at his chest when she stepped closer. Not with the way her fingers felt as they sank into his hair and pulled his head down for a kiss. He closed his arms around her and pulled her close, loving the feel of her pressed against him. He wanted nothing more in that moment than to lift her off her feet, carry her back upstairs, and make it a very good morning indeed. But he resisted. He kissed her softly then stepped back. He had to smile at the disappointment on her face as she looked up at him.
He shrugged. “I have to get to work.”
“Oh.”
That made him chuckle. “Don’t sound so surprised.”
“Sorry, I just don’t want you to go.”
“I don’t want to, but I have to. And I think I’d better put my shirt on before I step outside, don’t you?”
He loved the way her gaze lingered on his chest before he shrugged into his shirt. His brothers always teased him about his physique. He was proud of the body he’d built, but he’d done it for himself—not to draw admiring glances from women. The way Summer looked at him made him feel even more justified in spending so much time in the gym.
She smiled. “I suppose you’d better cover up, yes.”
He nodded and buttoned his shirt, trying to hide his smile at the way she watched.
She looked up at him with a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I’m being a little brazen, aren’t I? But you’re so hard to resist. You’re gorgeous and I can’t hide the fact that I think so.”
He chuckled. “Please don’t apologize. I love it! I’m glad you like what you see.” He allowed his own gaze to drop from her face and take in her pert little breasts, her gorgeous figure, and her slender legs. He smiled and bit his bottom lip. “I’m just trying to be more discreet about how much I like what I see.”
She tucked her fingers under his chin and made him look her in the eye again. “Well, I’m glad you do like it. I’m freezing my ass off here, in the hopes you would like. But once you’ve gone I’m getting straight back into my warm, fleecy PJs.”
