Laci looked at his handsome face and felt a part of herself weaken. Ever since seeing him on her first night back, she really hadn’t been able to stop thinking about Carson. She had thought about him from time to time while she lived in Anchorage, but not as she did now. Before it was all about the hurt he’d caused her. That was no longer the case. She now remembered what it had felt like to be in his arms, making love to him. At one time, she’d thought they were perfect together.
“I don’t know if I can, Carson.”
“At least give me one date. If at the end of it you still think I’m an asshole, then, by all means, keep me out of your life.” He took a step closer and reached out to run the backs of his fingers along her cheek. “I swear to you the Carson you once knew is gone.”
“Just say yes, Laci,” her dad said as he joined them at the back of the truck. “Then Carson and I can get everything up to your apartment. You don’t have much time left on the rental.”
Of course her father would side with Carson. He’d always liked her ex, had even tried to convince her to work things out instead of leaving Juneau.
Carson shook hands with her dad. “It’s great to see you, Matt.”
“And you too. Let’s get the rest of these things into Laci’s place, then the two of you can discuss where you want to go on your date later this evening.”
“Dad! I never said I’d go out with Carson.”
Her father smiled. “Well, I accepted for you. It’s only one date, for now. What’s the harm in it?”
Laci scowled at her dad. “If you like Carson so much, maybe you should be the one to go on the date.”
Her dad chuckled. “I’m happily married to your mother. Plus, I don’t swing that way, no matter how good-looking Carson is.” He winked at her.
She groaned before she brushed past the two men. As Laci walked up the stairs to her new apartment, she decided her dad and Carson could have each other.
Carson laughed as Laci walked away at a brisk pace. “I guess she’s not too happy with either of us.”
Matt shook his head with a smile. “She’ll get over it.” He met Carson’s gaze. “If you really want my girl back, don’t give up, no matter how many times she pushes you away.”
“I still love her. I think I always have, so she won’t get rid of me that easily. Though I did hear Victor would be coming home soon.”
“Don’t worry about him. I’ll have a talk with my son.”
“You know, I thought you’d be the one to scare me off of Laci.”
“I’ve made it no secret that I like you. And to be honest, I can see you aren’t the same man you were before. I see a mature one before me, not some kid who wasn’t really ready to settle down, even though he thought he was.”
“It’s too bad you never told me that before Laci left me.”
Matt let out a bark of laughter. “You wouldn’t have listened to me back then. Come on, let’s lug all this big stuff upstairs.”
Carson nodded and walked over to one end of the couch that sat along the truck’s wall as Matt went to the other. They managed to get the piece of furniture up the stairs with no problem. Actually Carson had to watch how much of his strength he used. It wouldn’t do for him to do something out of the ordinary like carry the couch all by himself, which he could probably do if he really tried.
As he and Matt made trips back and forth to the truck, Carson watched Laci whenever he could. He might have her father on his side, but that didn’t mean Laci would soften toward him because of it. He’d have to work at winning her over.
From time to time, Carson would catch Laci staring at him with a wistful look in her eyes. It was enough to get his heart pumping faster and to make his mating urge known. His cock hardened. After two nights of having erotic dreams about his mate, he walked around semi-hard as it was. It didn’t take much to cause him to have a full-blown erection.
Between Laci, her dad, her aunt and Carson, they managed to get the remainder of Laci’s things off the truck and up to the apartment fairly quickly. And when Matt suggested Carson help him set up his daughter’s bed, he’d jumped at the chance, even though Laci didn’t seem exactly thrilled with the idea.
Once they were done, Carson and Matt went into the living room where Laci and Rita were shifting furniture around.
“I think I better take the truck back before they charge extra time on it,” Matt said.
Laci shook her head. “I said I’d return it. Aunt Rita can follow me and give me a ride home. My car is already here.”
“Rita can follow me, then give me a ride to the house. You picked me up with the truck, remember? I already told you I’d pay for the rental. This way you won’t have any choice in the matter.” Matt gave Laci a kiss. “And besides, you still have to work out the details of the date you’re going on with Carson. Let’s go, Rita.”
Rita gave her niece a knowing smile, then followed Matt out of the apartment. Once they were gone, Carson turned to look at Laci. She’d made sure to put some space between them.
“So where would you like to go tonight?” he asked as he took a couple of steps closer.
“My dad accepted, not me.”
“Should I run downstairs and catch him before he leaves and tell him you aren’t going to go out with me?”
“You wouldn’t do that.”
“Just watch me. I’m willing to use anything I can to get you out on a date.”
“All right, you win.” Laci looked around the room. “Though I don’t think tonight would be a good idea. I still have to unpack everything. Maybe we can do it another time.”
“I’m not going to let you off that easy. If you want, part of our date can be me helping you take your things out of the boxes. With the two of us we can get it done faster.”
Laci crossed her arms and met his gaze. “You’d really do that? The Carson I know would do everything in his power to get out of something as menial as unpacking. I’d take you grocery shopping and you’d let me lug all the bags into my apartment myself, then put them away while you parked your butt on my couch and watched TV.”
Carson winced. Boy, he’d been a jerk. “I told you that Carson is gone. To prove it you can sit on the couch and watch me do all the unpacking. You’ll just have to tell me where you want everything to go. But first I’ll take you out for a good meal, then buy you the groceries you need to stock the fridge.”
“You don’t need to take me shopping. My mom has already bought me a bunch of stuff and will bring it over tomorrow.”
“But you’ll let me take everything out of the boxes for you?”
“I don’t know if I should.”
“Think of me as your slave. You can work me as hard as you want and I won’t complain. I’ll even let you put a collar on me and drag me around on a leash. Think of it as payback for all the times I pissed you off.” Little did Laci know she’d already done that, except for the dragging part.
A small smile spread across Laci’s lips and she shook her head. “It’s very tempting, the whole collar-and-leash thing.”
Carson closed more of the space between them. “I’ll even let you use a whip on me.”
“Now that’s starting to sound kinky.”
“It can be if you want.” He waggled his eyebrows.
Laci laughed, then covered her mouth with her hand, as if she hadn’t meant to let it out. She cleared her throat. “Let’s start with dinner first, then I’ll see about the rest.”
“You’ve made me a happy man.”
She held out her hand. “Don’t take this as me giving you a second chance. It’s only a meal out.”
Carson nodded. “I know. How about I pick you up in an hour? Will that give you enough time to relax for a bit before we go eat?”
“That should be fine. I guess I’ll see you later then.”
He knew he’d be taking a chance, but Carson couldn’t leave without at least getting a kiss from Laci. It was bad enough he ached to be buried deep inside her. He just need
ed the contact to make him think he could still win her over.
Carson put his hand around the back of Laci’s neck and dragged her forward. She only murmured a slight protest before he settled his lips over hers. He kissed her gently, holding back the need to devour her. He was noticeably breathing faster when he released her and took a step away.
“I’ll be back in an hour,” he said, his voice gruff with arousal.
Laci nodded and touched the tips of her fingers to her lips. Carson swung around and left the apartment before he did something stupid like take her to the floor and show her exactly what she did to him.
* * * * *
Laci stared at the closed apartment door long after Carson left. That one little kiss and her brain refused to work. And much to her shame, she realized she really hadn’t done anything to push Carson away, not like the other night. And she was sure he’d noticed.
She gave her head a shake, then walked into the living room area and sat on the couch. She had one hour to pull herself together. Laci touched her lips again. They still tingled from Carson’s moving over them. Telling herself to snap out of it, she jerked her hand down to her lap.
What was she going to do about Carson? Her first night back in Juneau, she’d been firm on not giving him another chance. Now, after being around him for the last few hours, hearing him talk and laugh with her father and aunt, she was wavering. On the surface he seemed to have changed. For all she knew it could be an act for her benefit. If it wasn’t, she’d lose out on the man she’d wanted Carson to be. Damn, he was confusing the shit out of her.
The sound of her cell phone ringing jolted her out of her thoughts. For a split second, she thought it could be Carson calling her, but then remembered she hadn’t given him her number. A glance at the call display showed it was either her mom or dad on the other end, though she doubted it was her father. He wouldn’t have had enough time to return the truck and get home.
Laci pushed the button to connect the call. “Hello?”
“Hi, Laci.”
“Hi, Mom. If you’re looking for Dad, he left a little while ago to take the truck back to the rental place. Aunt Rita is going to drop him off.”
“The move must have gone smoothly then. That’s not why I was calling. I wanted to tell you Victor came home early and I want us all to have a family dinner tonight.”
Laci nibbled her bottom lip. “Ah, I can’t make it.”
“Why not? This is the first time in four years all of us have been in the same city together.”
“I know. It’s just I have a date coming to pick me up in less than an hour.”
“I thought you weren’t seeing anyone.”
“Well, you see, it’s not really like that. I have a date with Carson.”
“With Carson? You mean your ex Carson?”
“Yes, that’s the one.”
“Aren’t you done with him? You said so yourself that you didn’t want to associate with him in any way.”
“You can blame this on Dad. Carson happened by and helped him with the heavy lifting. He also asked me out on a date. Dad accepted for me.”
Her mom let out a sigh. “Your father always did have a soft spot for Carson. I guess if I still want to have my family dinner you’ll have to bring him along.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. I’ll be very disappointed if you don’t show up, Laci. I know Victor is looking forward to seeing you.”
God, she hated it when her mom pulled the old guilt trip on her. “Fine, I’ll talk to Carson when he gets here. I’m pretty sure he won’t have a problem with us going to your place for dinner. What time do you want us over there?”
“Whenever you can come. We’ll be eating in about an hour and a half.”
“All right. See you then.”
Laci ended the call and slumped back on the couch. How did this one little date with Carson turn into him being invited to dinner with her family? This was going to be fun.
Chapter Five
Carson rushed to his apartment and took a quick shower. After sweating from moving furniture, he didn’t want to stink when he saw Laci again. He counted himself lucky she’d even agreed to go out with him. He wanted the night to go perfectly. He couldn’t mess this up. This would more than likely be his one and only shot of getting Laci back into his life.
He hurriedly dressed in a fresh pair of black jeans and a dark-gray t-shirt. He wasn’t going to take his mate to anyplace fancy. Laci wasn’t the type of woman who liked to get dressed up to go out to eat. Casual was more her style. He already planned to take her to the local roadhouse restaurant. They had some of the best nachos and chicken wings.
Carson rushed out of his apartment and down to the parking garage to his SUV. For the first time since he’d been a teenager asking out a girl, his stomach clenched with nervousness. It had to be the importance of this date that did it. He didn’t want to think of what would happen if he couldn’t get Laci to take him back. His mating urge wouldn’t just go away. And there would never be another woman for him for the rest of his immortal life.
Once he arrived at Laci’s place, he parked, then knocked on the door at street level. It didn’t take long for her to answer and wave him inside. Carson followed her up the flight of stairs and into the apartment.
“Are you ready?” he asked. “I thought we could go to the roadhouse restaurant to eat.”
Laci gave him a pained expression. “About that, there’s a change in plans.”
Carson hoped like hell she wasn’t going to cancel on him. It would be a huge letdown if she did. “Like what?”
“My mom called shortly after you left. It appears my brother came home a day early. He’s at my parents’ place now. My mom wants us to have a family dinner, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. So that means both you and I will be going over there.”
He was pleased that he’d been invited for one of her family’s meals, but Victor was a problem he wasn’t sure he wanted to deal with right now. Laci’s dad wouldn’t have had much chance to work on Victor before they arrived. As far as Carson knew, he would get there and end up having a fistfight with Victor and taking one on the eye. That would not show Laci he’d matured at all. And then he’d have to find a way to explain why his face healed in an instant.
“You don’t look too pleased with the idea,” Laci said. “I thought you wouldn’t have a problem with it, considering you want to convince me to see you again.”
“It’s not that. I am pleased with it. The only thing is your brother.”
“What about him?”
“Well, after we broke up and you left Juneau, Victor kind of had it out for me. He confronted me and we almost came to blows. We haven’t spoken since.”
Laci scowled. “Victor never told me that.”
“I guess he figured it wasn’t that big of a deal.”
“Then he thought wrong. It wasn’t his place. I always gave you crap when you’d act overprotective of Eryn. I thought Victor wasn’t like that.”
“Now I’ve made you mad at your brother.”
“I’m sure this would have come up at another time if not now. We’re both going to my parents’ for dinner. If Victor decides to make a fuss then I’ll deal with him.”
Carson bit back a smile. He had changed, but so had Laci. She was a little spitfire now. Yes, she would’ve let him know she was pissed at him in the past, but she hadn’t come across as being so tough.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll let you handle your brother.”
“Good. Now let’s go before my mom calls looking for us. She said we’d eat a half hour from now.”
“Then by all means let’s not be late.”
Laci led Carson out of the apartment and down the stairs. She locked the door behind her, then fell into step with him as they walked to his SUV. He let her into the passenger side before coming around to the driver’s and getting inside.
Since he already knew where Laci’s parents lived, Carson didn’t need her
to give him directions or the address. It was only a fifteen-minute drive from her place, which they spent in silence. He didn’t find it uncomfortable. Just having Laci at his side, being able to breathe in her scent, pleased him.
Carson parked at the curb in front of their destination and got out of the SUV as Laci exited her side. He walked next to her toward the house. He thought to take her hand, but decided not to push it this early into their date.
Laci walked through the front door and Carson followed her inside. He shut it behind him as he sniffed the air. The first thing that hit his nose was the mouthwatering smell of roast beef. His mate’s mother Sharon was a terrific cook. She’d more than likely put on a big spread because of Victor being home.
And speak of the devil, Laci’s brother stepped out of the living room and met them in the hallway. He didn’t look at all pleased to see Carson. Victor was just as tall as Carson, but had a little more muscle mass. Now that Carson was a werewolf that didn’t mean anything anymore.
“I’m surprised you’d show your face around here,” Victor said with a snarl as he glared at Carson.
And so it began. “Your mom was nice enough to invite me over so Laci wouldn’t have to cancel our date. I wasn’t about to say no.”
“Well, you should have. My dad said he approved of you seeing Laci again, but I don’t.” Victor stepped closer until he was almost toe-to-toe with Carson. “I really don’t want you near my sister. You already broke her heart once. I won’t let you do it a second time.”
Laci got between them, put her hands on Victor’s chest and pushed him away. “That will be enough of that, do you hear me? You never used to be like this, Victor. I don’t like it so cut it the hell out. I’m thirty-one years old and perfectly capable of looking after myself.”
Victor opened his mouth to reply, but his father barking his name had him snapping it closed.
“Victor, what did I say before they arrived?” Matt asked as he came into view at the entrance of the living room.
His son took a deep breath. “That I’m to keep my nose out of Laci’s business and not to upset her by being rude to Carson.”
Love on the Ice: 7 (Werewolf Sentinels) Page 4
