Jenny put down her dishtowel. “Hi, Rachel. This is a surprise. Looking for Carter again?”
“No. I have his cell number now.”
Jenny grinned. “Good for you. So what’s up? You want something to drink?” Her gaze dipped to Rachel’s midsection. “A seltzer or soda?”
“Just water, please.” She glanced around at the quiet room and remembered how busy it had been that first night, when she’d come here with Diane. “How long have you worked here?”
“Mostly all my life,” Jenny said. “My dad owns the place. Or he used to. I’m buying him out, a little every month. Dan jokes that when we finally own the place outright, we’ll license the name and become a chain. I’m thinking one bar is plenty.” She handed Rachel a tall glass of water with ice and a slice of lemon. “Here you go.”
“Thanks.” Rachel sipped the water. “I, ah, I’m not sure why I’m here. I didn’t know where else to go. You know Carter and you seem nice.”
Jenny shook her head. “That doesn’t sound good. Is there a problem?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. I was getting my oil changed and I went for a walk while I was waiting. I saw Carter across the street with a bunch of guys. There was a blonde there, too. Tall and really beautiful. He kissed her. Seriously kissed her. For a long time. I know what he does and I know this is probably some part of that, but still…”
Jenny pulled up a stool and sat down. “Carter doesn’t cheat. He has a lot of flaws, but that’s not one of them. He doesn’t lie or even bend the truth. If you two are together and he was kissing someone else, then it was about work. Trust me. I’ve known him for a lot of years. Despite plenty of opportunity, he’s never once strayed.”
If he were in a relationship, Rachel thought glumly. But they weren’t. Not really. So who was the woman?
Jenny leaned toward her. “Look, I’m sorry about before. That I told his mom you were pregnant. I didn’t know you and I wanted to protect Carter. He’s important to me. Now, I kinda wish I’d kept my mouth shut.”
Rachel smiled. “It worked out okay, but thanks for apologizing. I adore his family, but they’re a lot to deal with.”
“I know. That’s what’s so great about him. Listen, Carter is terrific, but there will always be women in his life. His family, his old girlfriends, even me. He adores women and they adore him.”
“I’ve met a few of the old girlfriends. Some of them are scary.”
“I know.” Jenny smiled. “There were a couple who made it clear that they wanted him back and they didn’t care that we were together.”
“I ran across one of those, too. They’re everywhere. He says he’s sworn off women before, but with so many exes strolling around, I don’t see how that’s possible.”
“They were short breaks,” Jenny told her. “Sometimes measured in hours.”
Rachel ran her finger down the length of the glass. “What happened with you two? Why did you break up?”
“Honestly? I wanted him to fall madly in love with me and he never did. I don’t think Carter’s ever been in love. Not romantically. He thinks he’s immune, but I believe he’s going to fall hard one day and I can’t wait to see it. Maybe you’ll be the one.”
Rachel had her doubts about that. “He’s had plenty of opportunity.”
“If you’re going to be with him, you have to be able to handle what happened before. Those other women exist.”
“So I’ve seen. Some of them can’t seem to let go. You did, though.”
“I was pretty broken up when Carter and I split, but it worked out for the best. Dan is amazing. If I’d stayed with Carter, I never would have met him.”
“But you’re still a part of Carter’s life. Isn’t that strange?”
“It was at first,” Jenny admitted with a smile. “But after a while I realized I missed his family more than I missed him. Liz and I had become close. So I just butted in. No one minded, least of all Carter. Which is good. I’m the only child of a single dad. I never had brothers or sisters. Now I have both. The Brockett clan is good at taking in strays, and I’m happy to be one of them.”
Strays? Rachel had never thought of herself that way but she supposed she fit the description, which didn’t make her comfortable.
“You should talk to Carter,” Jenny said. “Ask him about the kiss.”
“But that would be so logical and mature. I don’t think I’m ready for that.”
“It’s your call. Better to get the question answered than wonder.”
“It’s not a big deal,” Rachel assured her. “We’re not…we’re not that serious.”
“Really? For someone who isn’t serious, you seem plenty upset.”
“I’m fine.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself?”
Carter thought about calling first, but he didn’t want to get into it on the phone with Rachel. So he swung by his mother’s house, picked up lasagna, garlic bread and salad, then showed up at Rachel’s place a little after five.
“I hope you haven’t eaten yet,” he said when she opened the door.
She wore her hair back in a ponytail and her face was scrubbed clean of makeup. He liked seeing the pale freckles on her nose and the tiny scar by her right eyebrow. She wore a T-shirt and old jeans, an intriguing contrast to her usually prissy teacher clothes. Not that he hadn’t learned to appreciate the subtle sexiness of prissy.
“What?” she asked as she stepped back to let him in. “I haven’t eaten. I was going to have a salad or something. Why are you here with dinner? We didn’t have plans.”
He carried dinner into her kitchen and set it on the counter. “I’ve had five phone calls in the past hour,” he told her. “Word travels fast.”
She groaned. “Jenny called one of your sisters?”
“Two of them, actually. They called the third and my mom.” He took her hands in his and rubbed her fingers. “I was working. Ellie is my partner. That’s all. We’re posing as a couple for this assignment. I would never cheat on you.”
She made a halfhearted attempt to pull her hands free. When he didn’t let her, she sighed.
“It’s fine. I understand. Plus, it’s not like we’re really dating.”
For once he couldn’t tell what she was thinking. “Whatever we are, that can’t have been fun to see.”
She shrugged. “I was shocked and then I wasn’t sure I had the right to be upset. Not that I was.”
He tugged her a little closer and stared into her eyes. “I’m sorry you were upset. I really am doing this for work.”
Her mouth twisted slightly. “Oh, sure. Talk about a yucky assignment. She’s beautiful.”
“She’s okay. But I don’t think of her that way. She’s my partner. It’s about as exciting as kissing one of my sisters. Besides, even if I wanted to like it, I couldn’t. Her husband is a big guy and he’d beat the crap out of me.”
That earned him a smile.
“I’m okay,” she told him. “Thanks for worrying, but you don’t have to.”
“Are you sure? Because I grew up with three sisters. I know how to dig up a good worry on command.”
The smile widened. “Maybe next time.” She tilted her head. “Are you mad because I talked to Jenny?”
“You’re allowed to talk to anyone you want.”
“In theory. I wasn’t spying on you or trying to dig up secrets. Honestly, I just didn’t know what to think.”
“Did she help you feel better?”
“Sort of. We talked about your past.”
Not good, he thought glumly. “You can’t hold that against me.”
“I’m not. However, I think there should be some kind of club, or support group. We could come up with a name and hold meetings. You could be a guest speaker.”
He released her hands. “You are upset.”
“I’m really not. It’s just you’re not like any other guy I’ve ever known.”
That didn’t sound pleasant. “It’s the volume thing,” he mutter
ed, knowing he wasn’t going to apologize for dating a lot. Despite the gnawing in his gut, he hadn’t done anything wrong. “Look, when I’m with a woman, she’s the one I’m interested in. Not anyone else.”
“I know that. You’re loyal and honest and from what I can tell, you don’t have any flaws.”
“That’s what I’ve been saying for years,” he told her. “No one listens.”
She smiled again. “Okay, you do have flaws, but they’re not typical ones.”
“Which would be?”
“I don’t know. An obsession about sports. An inability to show up on time.”
“I’m prompt.”
“Yes, you are.” She shook her head. “I don’t even know what we’re talking about anymore.”
“We’re talking about the fact that I’m sorry you were upset before. I should have told you about Ellie.”
“It wasn’t your fault. It was just…weird.”
“Recoverable weird?” he asked.
Her green eyes sparkled with amusement and pleasure. “Yes. Recoverable weird.”
He gave an exaggerated exhale. “Good, because the other kind of weird is just not for me.”
“You’re a little crazy,” she said.
“Also a good thing. See—I have so many good qualities. I’m prompt and charming and totally into the person I’m with.”
“So if this was real, you’d be totally into me?”
Awareness filled the room. Carter had a three-second battle with himself and need won over noble sacrifice. “I’m already totally into you.”
Her eyes widened but she didn’t look away. “You don’t have to be. We’re just trying to fake out your family.”
He moved closer. “Is that all? So nothing else is required?”
“Not a thing.” This time she eased toward him.
“So anything not related to faking out my family would be a waste of time and energy?” he asked as he put one hand on her shoulder and touched her cheek with the other.
“Totally.”
“Something I can relate to.”
He kissed her. Rachel had known he was going to. In fact, she’d counted on it. Maybe it was a complete waste of time and energy, but she couldn’t think of a better way to do it.
Her body clenched in anticipation of the pleasure she always experienced when he put his mouth on hers. She wrapped her arms around him and leaned against his hard, muscled body. Her breath caught, her lips parted and she prepared herself for the ride.
He claimed her with a kiss that touched her down to her itty-bitty red blood cells. Heat poured through her making her tremble and want to rip off clothes. Desire exploded until she wondered if a kiss was going to be enough. If this time she would need more.
He plunged his tongue into her mouth. She met him stroke for stroke, savoring the tingles that accompanied every brush, every inch of contact.
Apparently he felt the pressing need, too, because he dropped his hands to her hips and urged her closer. She pulsed against him. The second she did so, she felt the hardness of his arousal. Her body remembered what it had been like to be claimed by him and she trembled.
He kept his hands on her hips, holding her in place, then rubbed against her. She desperately wanted to wrap her legs around him so he could do exactly that to her hot, swollen center.
He kissed his way along her jaw to her neck, and then down her neck. “We have dinner,” he whispered against her skin. Quick flicks of his tongue followed by little bites punctuated his sentence. “Lasagna.”
“I love lasagna,” she moaned.
“So we could stop and eat.”
Stop? Was he kidding? She slid her hands under his loose T-shirt and rested her palms on his bare belly. “Do you really want to stop?”
He raised his head and grinned. “I think the pasta will keep.”
“Me, too.”
That decided, she expected him to pull her into his arms again. Instead, he grabbed her hand and led her down the hallway. When they were in her bedroom, he sat on the bed and pulled off his boots. After he’d let them fall on the floor, he tugged her between his legs and unfastened the button at the waistband of her jeans.
“I’ve only seen you in dresses and skirts,” he said. “Long dresses and skirts.”
“They’re more practical for my job.”
She’d been planning on saying more. She had a whole speech that defended her wardrobe, but just then he pressed an openmouthed kiss to her belly and she forgot everything, even how to breathe.
“I’m not complaining,” he said against her skin. “I like it. Very old-fashioned, but sexy. Still, the jeans are nice. I like seeing the curve of your hips and butt. I like thinking about touching those curves.”
Her throat went dry, while other parts of her got really, really wet. “You’ve only been here about twenty minutes. How could you have thought all that so fast?”
He tugged her jeans and panties down to nearly her knees. “I thought it all in the first thirty seconds.”
Was that true? On the heels of the question came the realization she was kind of trapped. And naked. She couldn’t step out of her jeans and she was still dressed on the top half. This was not how she’d imagined things going between them.
“Carter, I…”
“Trust me.”
He bent toward her and used his fingers to gently part her. She nearly lost her balance and had to put her hands on his shoulders to steady herself. Then, while she tried to figure out how to explain that she wasn’t very comfortable, he licked her.
The combination of being slightly off balance, semi-naked and the erotic kiss nearly did her in. She gasped as she felt him lick her again. Just a quick, wet caress that made everything else seem unimportant.
“Okay, yeah,” he murmured. “More of that.”
He moved his hands to her waist, then eased her around until she was on her back on the bed. Her jeans and panties went flying, then he was between her legs and she knew that she would soon be lost.
He kissed her there as perfectly as he kissed her everywhere else. Openmouthed, slow-moving and thorough. He explored her, teasing, circling, touching until he found all the places that made her gasp and squirm and beg. Just when she started to think this was a game for him, he settled over her center and picked a rhythm that made the bottoms of her feet burn.
Over and over, he touched her. As her body tensed, he moved a little faster, making her push them to the next level. She began to pulse her hips as every part of her focused on the perfect pleasure.
Her breathing quickened. She tossed her head from side to side. Nothing had ever felt so good.
Then, just as she knew the end was as inevitable as the tide, he slipped two fingers inside of her. The unexpected fullness pushed her over the edge and she lost herself in her climax.
Her release poured through her. It went on and on, making her writhe and cry out and beg him to never stop. Finally the shudders slowed enough for her to catch her breath and open her eyes.
He’d braced himself on one arm and was lightly kissing her stomach. When he looked up, she saw the fire in his eyes and knew he was a man on the edge.
“Don’t feel you have to wait,” she told him.
He hesitated about an eighth of a second, then unfastened his belt and his jeans and pushed them, and his boxers, down.
“One day we’re going to do it like regular people,” he said as he positioned himself between her still trembling thighs. “You know, get naked first. Have a conversation.”
She reached down and guided him inside of her.
He was thick and hard and he filled her until she knew she was going to have to come again.
“Conversation,” she gasped as he plunged in again, “is highly overrated.”
Chapter Ten
Rachel woke up to find bright sunlight flooding her bedroom and a heavy arm draped across her stomach. She felt a delicious combination of contentment and exhaustion. Despite the fact that she’d slept in
, she’d barely gotten four hours of sleep in the night. She would be dragging all day. But as the reason for the dragging was fairly spectacular, she wasn’t about to complain.
She rolled on her side and saw Carter already awake and watching her.
“Morning,” he murmured.
“Morning.”
She ran her fingers across the stubble on his jaw, then fingered the stud earring.
“Such a bad boy,” she told him.
“Smile when you say that.”
She laughed. “I’m pretty sure I’m smiling about everything. What you do with a woman could be considered illegal in several states. I don’t think one man is allowed to have that much sexual power.”
“I can handle it.”
He could sure handle her.
He kissed the palm of her hand, then rolled onto his back. “What’s the plan for today? Do you have a lot to do? I’m open. Maybe we could do something together.”
Her insides gave a little shimmy. “That would be nice,” she said carefully, not wanting to appear too enthused. Hanging out was just that. Two friends spending time together. It didn’t mean anything, except maybe the possibility of a repeat encounter in bed.
“Shopping,” he said, glancing at her. “Women like shopping.”
She laughed. “Or we could go to a movie.”
“That sounds good. I like movie popcorn.” He pulled on her hand, drawing her closer. “Or we could stay in bed. I’m kinda tired. What about you?”
Before she could answer, there was a knock on her front door. Rachel glanced at the clock. It was only a little after nine. She didn’t usually get visitors. All her friends phoned rather than dropped by.
She sat up and grabbed her robe, then slipped into it and tied the belt.
“I have no idea who that is,” she said as she walked into the living room.
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