The Standby Guy

by Natasha Moore

  Chapter Nine

  Katie couldn’t stop from glancing over to Carter on the quiet ride home. The sun dove for the horizon, but there was enough light for her to appreciate the view. His hands rested easy on the steering wheel. How had she never noticed how long his fingers were? Or how strong his profile was?

  She wanted to reach out and trace her fingers along his jaw. Feel the roughness of his five-o’clock shadow against her palm. Remembering his hand on her back earlier, she realized it was getting easier every day for them both to indulge in those small, tender touches. Not to mention those steamy kisses.

  And it was the memory of those touches, those kisses that had her giving into the impulse. She brushed her fingertips along his warm arm. “It was a nice day,” she murmured into the quiet hush.

  Carter glanced over at her. “Yeah, it was.” Obviously following her lead, he took her hand and wove his fingers with hers.

  She cleared her throat. “It wasn’t as stressful as I thought it would be.”

  “You thought the day was going to be stressful?”

  She shifted in her seat so she could watch his reactions. He kept their hands together, resting on the cushioned console between them. “The pretending-to-be-dating-you part.”

  “The family seemed to take it in stride, didn’t they?”

  “They didn’t even pretend to be surprised. It was as if they’d been expecting it all along.”

  He released her hand to turn in to her driveway. The automatic light above the garage turned on. “Maybe even my family assumed we’ve been friends enjoying benefits all these years.”

  Oh God, she hoped not. “If they did, they never hinted it to me.”

  Carter shifted the car into park but left it running. “My family loves you, Katie.”

  She unbuckled the seat belt and turned to face him. “I love them, too. I don’t like lying to them.”

  “We made them happy today, didn’t we? When we eventually break up, they’ll deal with it.”

  “And we’ll still be friends at the end of it all.”

  Carter hesitated. “I hope so.”

  She pulled back in her seat, a knot twisting in her stomach. “You think if we continue this charade, it could cost us our friendship? I don’t want that to happen.”

  “Think of all the things we’ve been through over the years.” Carter cupped her jaw. “We won’t let pretend-dating change our friendship.”

  She leaned into his hand for a moment, savoring the strength of his palm, the heat of his skin, the tenderness of his touch. Their friendship had already changed. She could either jump out of the car right now and send him home…or see where tonight would lead them.

  Carter’s gaze dropped to her mouth. Did he want another kiss? She wanted another kiss. She wanted more than a kiss. But was Carter right? Would taking this step ruin what they’ve had?

  Katie swallowed, nibbling on her lips as she silently argued with herself. The buzz of arousal running through her body made up her mind for her. “I think this is where I ask if you’d like to come in for a drink.”

  His eyes darkened as he caught her gaze. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

  “A drink? Or for you to come into the house with me?”

  “Both.”

  She didn’t know where she got the nerve, but she traced his lips with her index finger. “I know I want another one of those kisses.”

  His tongue darted out and wet her fingertip. She pulled back in surprise. “Another kiss, huh? So you liked the others?”

  “Don’t go fishing for compliments, Mr. Colburn. You know you’re a good kisser. I’m assuming you like them as well.”

  “Sweetheart, I love kisses. In fact, you’ve kissed me so well, I doubt you need any more practice.”

  She swallowed the surprised gasp before it betrayed her. Practice. How could she have forgotten that’s all this was? She’d asked for his help, after all. He obviously hadn’t forgotten, reminding her that this wasn’t the real thing. None of those breathtaking kisses were real.

  Still, her senses were on fire. Her heart raced. Her body yearned. She’d be lying to herself if she’d consider taking him to bed as practice, but he didn’t have to know. She was getting good at pretending, too.

  “If you’re sure you want me to come in with you,” Carter went on, “I’m not going to argue.”

  She took a deep breath and brazened it out. “Then turn off the engine, you sexy man. I want to take you to bed.”

  His grin made her heart flip. “Look who’s found her mojo.”

  …

  Katie’s face lit up. Carter knew he’d do anything to keep her looking that happy. He leaned over, caught the back of her neck, and met her halfway across the console. When their lips crushed together, it was hard for him to breathe, but he wasn’t going to release her. He couldn’t. She moaned and grabbed his shoulders, changed the kiss into something even more passionate.

  When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily. Kat wanted sex. Hell, he wanted it, too. But it would be a big step. An irreversible one.

  He had to take a break for a moment. “I’m going to pull into my garage. I’ll meet you out back.”

  She studied him for a moment, then narrowed her eyes. “If you don’t, I’m going to come looking for you.”

  He grinned. His Kat was turning feisty. “Okay.”

  “Do you want me to make some coffee?”

  He shook his head. “I’m too wired as it is.”

  “I’ll pour some wine.”

  He didn’t really want anything to drink, but he figured she needed to do something besides wait for him. And it would be an excuse if she changed her mind about them sharing anything besides a drink. She was directing this show. “Sounds good, sweetheart.”

  When had he started calling her sweetheart?

  After Katie was safely inside, he pulled out of her driveway and went the short distance to his. Once the garage door had closed behind him, Carter paused for a moment to process all that had happened today and what might happen between him and Katie tonight.

  Had it been a pretense, Katie asking him to help her practice her seduction skills? He didn’t think so. She could have seduced him years ago if she’d wanted to. He would have agreed to friends with benefits in a heartbeat.

  Except for Sean being in the house. Neither he nor Katie would have risked sneaking in and out of her bedroom while her son had been living there. But he was gone now. Was it more than just the Katie list that had prompted her to want to get her sexy on, whether or not she’d lost it to begin with?

  What mattered was that Katie wanted an active sex life. As far as he knew, she hadn’t had one in years, and she deserved to enjoy physical pleasure as much as anyone. And if he could help her jump start her sex life, he was up to the task.

  What was he doing sitting out here in the garage? Kat was waiting for him. He wasn’t usually nervous. He never expected to hesitate. Was something holding him back? Was it because this was Katie?

  Of course it was. He was back to that irreversible step again. Having sex with her could change their friendship forever.

  Or maybe transform it into something even better.

  Carter hopped out of the car. Life was nothing but a series of choices, and he chose to go with whatever Katie decided.

  When he stepped out into the backyard, Katie sat in a lounge chair on his patio. A bottle of red wine and two glasses sat on the small table. The patio lights sent her gold hair shimmering. Her skin glowed pale in the moonlight. Her lips looked lush and wet, probably from the wine. His body hardened further as he watched her tongue dart out to catch the taste on her lips.

  “There you are.” She smiled up at him and handed him a glass.

  He took a sip he didn’t really want and then set the wine down. He probably should sit beside her and come up with some small talk, but he was tired of talking. Tired of thinking and wondering and wanting. His body throbbed with a mix of arousal,
excitement, and edgy anticipation. It was now or never.

  And there’d be no going back.

  Carter took her hand and tugged her to her feet and into his arms. He murmured her name an instant before he crushed his lips to hers. Her lips parted on a shaky moan, and he slipped his tongue inside. He could taste the wine, rich and heavy. She tangled her tongue with his as she pressed her body against him.

  Katie’s fingers grabbed at his shirt, pulling it up so she could slide her hands beneath to stroke his bare back. He shivered from her greedy touch. She shifted until she was straddling one of his legs and moving against him. Nibbling his mouth. Scratching his back. His Katie Kat had claws.

  His Kat was needy. Horny. Just like him.

  Arousal crawled over his skin. It had been months since he’d taken a woman to bed. He wondered how long it had been since Katie’d had sex. Carter had a feeling it had been years.

  He reluctantly pulled his lips from hers. Their backyards were shielded pretty well from the neighbors, but he still didn’t want to get down and dirty outside. “Come inside with me?”

  She whimpered. Nodded. “Yeah.”

  He smiled, wrapped his arm around her waist, and brought her into his house. As soon as they were inside, he spun around and pressed her back against the door, slamming it shut with the force of their bodies. Katie wrapped her arms around his neck and took his mouth. He ran his hands down her sides, along her ribs, and over the curves of her hips. Katie groaned as he gripped her thigh, and she lifted her leg and hooked her heel over his hip.

  She rocked against him, her heat scorching him through their shorts. After a moment, she dragged her mouth away with a gasp. “God, Carter.”

  He dropped her leg and eased away. “This is the hottest kiss I’ve ever had in my life, but I don’t want to take you against the wall.”

  “Are you sure? I thought it was hot, too. Really hot.” Katie grabbed his waist and pulled him flush against her. “In fact, I’m so hot right now.”

  Her face was flushed, her lips puffy, her eyes bright. “Yes, you are.”

  She hooked her heel over his hip again. “Then let’s do it.”

  He didn’t think he could get any harder. It took all of Carter’s will to step away. “Wait ’til we get to the bedroom. It’ll be even hotter.”

  “Promise?”

  “Cross my heart.”

  She sighed. Why was she sighing? “Okay. I’ll add it to my list.”

  “Add what to your list?”

  “Sex up against the wall.”

  He stumbled back. “Are you kidding?”

  “No. Why?”

  “Do you have to add something like that to your Katie list?”

  “Yeah. Why not?” She lifted her chin. “If you don’t want to do it now, I’ll want to do it sometime.”

  His stomach twisted. “Was this on your list, too? Are you only here because ‘fucking Carter’ is another item to be checked off?” He scrubbed his hand over his face. What were they doing? He should send her home right now.

  “What? No!” Sadness slipped over her face, then frustration. “I’ve ruined it, haven’t I? The mood.” She began to pace, her hands over her face. “I don’t know how to do this. Maybe my flirting skills are getting a little better, but I suck on the follow-through. I don’t know why I said that. Is it because I’m nervous? Maybe?”

  The irritation he’d felt had drained away. She was clearly troubled. He knew she wasn’t the kind of woman to play games. He stepped in front of her and clasped her shoulders to stop the pacing. “Are you really nervous, Katie Kat?”

  She avoided his gaze. Nodded.

  Maybe he should have gone with it, taken her against the wall while she was good and ready, but he wanted her in his bed. He wanted to be able to take his time. And he wanted to make sure she wouldn’t regret it in the morning. He tipped her head with a finger under the chin. “Is it because it’s me? Or is it because of Tim?”

  She jerked her head away from his touch. “Tim? Why would you bring him into this conversation?”

  Yeah, Colburn? Why bring up her dead husband? Was he looking for a reason to send her home before they crossed that line? “You’re still in love with him, right?”

  “He was my first love and he’s Sean’s father. I’ll always love him.” She stepped up and got in his face. “But I’m not pining away for him. So don’t use him as some kind of excuse for not having sex with me tonight.”

  “But it’s been quite a while for you, right?”

  “A while? It’s been years, Carter. But it’s not because I never got over Tim.”

  “I thought maybe…” He couldn’t go on. Hadn’t he known it was only an excuse he’d used as a barrier against the feelings for Katie he knew could grow if he let them?

  “Years,” she repeated, softer this time. “Nearly as many years as I was alive before Tim and I had sex for the first time. I’m practically a virgin all over again.”

  He held back the laugh that wanted to burst free. He leaned forward and softly brushed his lips along hers. “I’ll be gentle.”

  She swatted him playfully. Then a small smile lifted her lips. “Maybe I don’t want gentle.”

  In one smooth movement, she drew her shirt over her head and tossed it away. A plain white bra cupped her breasts, and his hands tingled with the desire to touch them. A moment later, the bra joined the shirt on the floor, and his fingers took that as an invitation to proceed.

  Still, Carter would never assume. “I want to touch you so bad.”

  Katie caught his gaze, took his hand in both of hers, and placed it on her breast. His fingers trembled slightly as he traced the soft skin. He weighed the globe in his palm while he thumbed her peaked nipple. All the while he watched Katie’s face. Watched her eyes close, her lips part, her head drop back. Such a simple thing gave them both so much pleasure.

  And there was so much more pleasure to be given.

  Without another word, Carter scooped her into his arms. “Bedroom.”

  She squealed, wrapped her arms around his neck, and dropped kisses to his shoulder as he carried her through the house. “I can’t wait to get this T-shirt off you.”

  Carter placed her on her feet at the side of his bed. He was glad that a quick glance around showed that he’d made the bed and picked up his clothes before he left that morning. It never entered his mind that he’d be bringing Katie here tonight.

  Apparently, Katie wasn’t paying attention to how tidy the room was, because she was only looking at him. She slid her hands beneath his tee, and his muscles twitched from her searching touch. He helped her get the shirt up and over his head. Then he quickly shucked the rest of his clothes, and Katie did the same.

  “You’re beautiful,” he told her. Soft skin and curves. His mouth watered.

  “So are you.” Her cheeks pinked, and she reached for him. “Kiss me. Kiss me before I get nervous again.”

  “I make you nervous?”

  “Not when you’re kissing me.”

  Carter lifted her to the mattress and stretched out beside her. Took her mouth before she could say anything more about being nervous. She was ravenous as she nibbled on his lips and down his throat. She wrapped her arms around him, scraped her nails down his back. She cried out his name.

  “Easy,” he murmured. He began to kiss his way down her body. If she needed the distraction of a kiss so she didn’t dwell on anything but this moment, this amazing moment, he’d give her all the distractions she could take.

  He laved and suckled at each breast for what felt like forever but could have gone on even longer as far as he was concerned. Katie’s moans and cries let him know she felt the same way. But her hips rocked. His cock throbbed.

  Carter kissed farther down her body, dipped his tongue into her navel, and then swept it in wider circles around her abdomen. She fisted the bedcovers and cried out his name again.

  He slid one hand down between her thighs. He let out a moan as he slipped and dipped throug
h her slick folds. Katie squirmed beneath him, rocking her hips as she sought her release. Not yet. He fingered her clit but kept it light, teasing.

  She moaned, gasped, growled. He’d never heard so many different sounds come from her lips. Each one sent a shiver of arousal down his spine.

  “It’s okay, sweetheart,” he murmured as he continued to play with her. He kissed back up her body until he was nuzzling her throat even as he slowed the strokes of his hand. He wanted the buildup to last for her. “You’re so beautiful. So responsive. So sweet.”

  He ached for her. Even though this was their first time together, he could read her so well, every hitch in her gasps, each quiver in her cries. He loved that he could make her hips buck or her back arch with nothing but a single finger.

  There was a tinge of frustration in her next moan, so he knew he’d drawn it out as long as he should. One flick of his thumbnail across her clit and her hips shot off the mattress. Her breath hitched, and her voice quivered. He continued to stroke her, keeping her back arched and those hips writhing for as long as he could. Finally, Carter gathered her into his arms and held her until her body calmed and she came down from her climax.

  Tears sparkled in her eyes as she gazed up at him. “Wow. Thank you. That was a long time coming.”

  She was amazing.

  “Glad I could help.” He kissed her again, then reluctantly pulled away to grab a condom from the drawer in the nightstand. He ripped the packet open and then was surprised when Katie held out her hand.

  “May I?”

  He shouldn’t have been surprised. With a smile, he handed it to her and rolled onto his back, never taking his eyes off her. She knelt beside him, her leg pressed against his hip. Katie took her time, stroking his length with her hand before even beginning to roll on the latex. He bit his lip as he tried not to explode before he even had a chance to bury himself in her soft body.

  “I haven’t done this in a really long time.” Katie sounded more confident than she had before. “Maybe I’m crazy, but there’s something so satisfying about taking care of our protection. Something sensual.” She stroked him some more. “Not to mention really hot.”