On the Rocks (A Turtle Island Novel)

by Kim Law

  Seeing her arousal matching his, he brought one hand between them and touched her core. Her moan said that was what she needed, so he leaned in, his body cresting, readying for his own orgasm, and he made sure she took the ride with him.

  He didn’t slow until they were both drained. What seemed like minutes later, he had enough breath to finally move again, so he eased himself off her and peered down at the wildness of her hair. The fully satisfied glaze on her face. He’d done that for her, and that made him happy.

  “You good?” He spoke softly.

  She nodded, the move as quiet as his words. “Two times. Thank you.”

  “Uh-uh,” he reminded her. He kissed her fingertips. “We don’t thank. And anyway, I didn’t do that for you.” He pressed a lingering kiss to her lips; she still tasted like chocolate. “I did it for me. I needed you badly. And baby, I’m gonna need more.”

  Her relaxed chuckle made him smile.

  “And anyway, it can be your turn next time.” He winked at her.

  “My turn?” She eyed him carefully. “To do all the work?” She began to nod slowly. “Okay. But only if I get to give commands like you did to me.”

  He scooped her up. “Once we figure out that bed . . . baby, you can command me to do whatever you want.” He kissed her again. For a very long time. And he prayed for the next few days to go by slowly.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Ginger stood at the open French doors, peering out on to the office deck, aware that Carter had no idea she was there. He’d gotten up two hours earlier and pulled on his jeans, and she’d heard him go out the front door. She’d had a brief moment of worry—Was he leaving in the middle of the night? Had she been the only one to seriously enjoy every last thing they’d done last night?—but then she’d decided that if that were the case, it was too bad for him. She’d had one heck of a good time, and she wouldn’t regret it for a second.

  But then the outer door had reopened, and as he’d come up the stairs, she’d listened to him bypass her bedroom for the third floor. He’d been up here ever since, and she could only assume he’d been doing exactly what he was now. Writing.

  “I brought you a drink,” she said, almost regretting interrupting him. She could only imagine what gripping new story he’d dreamed up.

  He looked up from his keyboard, his eyes unfocused.

  She smiled and held up the selection of water, Diet Coke, and beer, and he finally seemed to see her. His returning grin brought to life the flutter that she attributed only to him.

  “Good morning,” he murmured. He took the water, and wrapped a hand around her neck. He pulled her down for a quick kiss. Then returned to typing.

  She let out a happy sigh. The man was writing again.

  With his keystrokes as background noise, she crossed to the other side of the doors and settled on the ground. She popped open the soft drink, leaned her head against the wall, and let the early morning dampness kiss her face. This was the best way to start a day.

  Closing her eyes, she took in the morning. It wasn’t high tide, but the waves were rolling in. She enjoyed the sound of their power as Carter continued to type from the fold-out chair she hadn’t even known was at the house. His laptop sat on an old TV tray in front of him. This was what she’d envisioned when she’d built the house. Not Carter, or anyone writing a book in the dark of predawn, per se. But sitting here with someone. Enjoying life together.

  “When are your friends getting in?”

  She glanced over as Carter took a drink of his water. “Andie will be in before lunch, but she’s got a meeting to go over some things about Seaglass,” she told him. “Her mother and Kayla run it, and Ginny owns the bed-and-breakfast where they house the majority of their guests. So whenever Andie comes to town, the four of them get business out of the way first.”

  He took another drink, and Ginger eyed the curve of his neck as his head tilted farther back. The sight reminded her of the way he arched at the peak of passion. She’d licked that neck last night.

  Multiple times.

  “And Roni?” he asked.

  She swallowed her lust. She had a bad case for him.

  “Her flight doesn’t land until later. I won’t see her until the concert, but the three of us are coming over here afterward. Girls’ night.” She wiggled her brows as if she and her friends intended to have a wild evening. The better guess would be lots of laughter, and in bed early.

  She enjoyed the regret in Carter’s eyes when he said, “Guess I’m on my own tonight.”

  “You think you can manage?” The better question was, could she?

  “I don’t know.” He set his water on the ground, and curled a finger toward her. “You’re too far away, Red. Come over here to me.”

  “You were busy.” She rose, glancing at the sky as she did. The sun was close.

  “Sorry. I woke up with a scene in my head.”

  “Don’t apologize. Just write.”

  He chuckled, and when she reached his grasp, he snagged her and tumbled her into his lap. And then he gave her a proper good-morning kiss. He tasted of toothpaste. She’d seen a toothbrush beside hers when she’d used the guest bath earlier.

  “Good morning.” He nuzzled her ear after finally freeing her lips. “I missed you.”

  She smiled and cuddled in close. “Did the scene come out well?”

  “Good enough. I’ll fix it later.”

  His arms went around her, and they both grew quiet as, together, they watched the sun show itself. There was water for miles in every direction, a bright greeting to the day, and she was curled in a warm lap with strong hands at her back. This was a memory she would hold dear.

  When she could see blue between the sun and the ocean, she peeked up at Carter. “Will you come to the concert tonight? Not like a date, but as a friend. Julie, too. I’d love for you to see Roni play. She’ll blow your mind.”

  “I’ve actually seen her before.”

  She pushed up off his chest. “You’ve seen Roni in concert?”

  His smile was part little boy, part guilt. And totally adorable. “I had a little crush myself.”

  “You had a crush on my friend . . . while I had a crush on you?”

  He grimaced. “Life is funny like that.”

  “She’s married now.” She eyed him, pretending suspicion. “And pregnant.”

  “I didn’t say I still had a crush!”

  Ginger didn’t admit that she was a tiny bit jealous, and Carter tugged her back down for another kiss. He nipped and played, taking his time, and eventually sucking her bottom lip between his. The move reached well beyond her mouth, though, as her breasts ached, once again, for his touch.

  She forgot her jealousy and simply enjoyed what he did to her. The man was an excellent kisser.

  “I remembered her from her summers here,” he told her after depleting all oxygen from her lungs. “And I knew she was a professional pianist, even then. She traveled with her father as a child, right?”

  Ginger nodded.

  “I eventually bought one of her CDs. I saw her play in New York years ago. She’s good.”

  “Then you’ll come?”

  “I’m way ahead of you.” His hand slid from her back to her rear, tracing its shape with his fingers. “I already have tickets for both me and Julie. You could hook us up, though. Bring us backstage?”

  If he would keep touching her, she’d do anything he asked. “It’s a deal,” she breathed.

  His lips sought out the favored spot on her neck, and she considered stripping off her shirt and straddling him right there on the deck. She wondered if the chair would hold if she did.

  But then she saw his eyes drift to the laptop. He kept kissing her—slower—but she could see that the story was pulling at his attention.

  She should leave him, she knew. Let him write the next bestseller. But the morning was ideal, and she selfishly didn’t want to give it up. Workers would be there within the hour, so time was limited. And she wanted t
o spend that time with Carter. He was so different from a couple of weeks ago.

  Carter reached toward the laptop, and with one hand he pecked out a few words.

  When he paused, she said, “Could I read it?”

  Horror-filled eyes shot back to hers. “Read my book? While I’m still writing it?”

  She grimaced. “Is that against the rules?”

  “It’s against my rules. No one reads the book until I’m finished with it.”

  “Oh.” She glanced at the laptop, feeling deflated, and chuckled when he shut the cover to keep her from seeing the screen. “I didn’t realize writers could be so particular.”

  “Definitely particular.” He closed his arms around her again, pulling her attention back to him, but this time he turned a contemplative look her way instead of a heated one. Except . . . she also detected a hint of heat beneath the surface, as well. She had no idea what he was thinking.

  “What?” she asked.

  His eyes flicked toward the computer briefly. This time when he looked at her, the underlying heat was more obvious. “I do have one thing you could read.”

  “Oh, yeah?”

  The fingers at her back slipped under the cotton of the shirt she wore. She’d come out in only the button-down that she’d taken off him the night before. “It has nothing to do with the book I’m writing,” he warned.

  She frowned. “Then what is it?”

  “A sex scene.”

  Golden-green eyes with little sunbursts spreading from the pupils drank her in, and she caught her lip between her teeth. She peeked at the laptop. “And you’d let me read it?”

  His hand flattened on her back, marking her skin with a broad patch of heat. He nodded.

  “Show it to me,” she whispered.

  The idea of reading a sex scene Carter had written—while sitting in his lap nearly naked—turned her on. He nodded once again, seeming unable to form words, and quickly tapped out a few keystrokes. Then he turned her so she sat facing the laptop, and clicked one more key.

  The screen filled with words.

  She wore rubber boots and shorts that barely covered her ass.

  Ginger gasped. She looked over her shoulder. “Is this about me?” Her heart beat wildly.

  “You leave a lasting impact in those boots, babe.”

  She gulped and turned back. As she went back to reading, his hands boldly parted her thighs. Her back arched, and her pelvic muscles clenched as if he’d pushed himself inside her. His fingers lazily began to stroke between her legs while her eyes rushed over the words.

  She was on top of him, riding him, her breasts bouncing and his mouth seeking. He ripped her shirt from her body, and then she was being slammed into the wall, calling his name.

  Her body reacted to the scene, and Carter slipped a finger inside her. She moaned and squirmed against him. He had her drenching wet, and she could feel the hard ridge of him beneath her. She wanted him naked. She wanted him in her.

  “Keep reading,” he urged when her head dropped to his shoulder. He lifted her head so she was once again looking at the screen. “Out loud.”

  Then he opened the top button of the shirt she wore, and slid his hand inside. He palmed her breast. A second finger slipped inside her down below.

  She moaned again.

  “Read,” he demanded.

  “‘Her legs clamped tight around his body,’”—her voice shook as she read his words aloud—“‘feeling him pulse deep inside her. Her heels dug hard into his ass. The pressure energized him, making it hard to retain control, and his name was wrenched from her throat as he thrust deep once again. The next sound he heard was a whimper.’”

  “Carter,” she begged. She also whimpered.

  He pushed the hard steel of his dick against her bare butt, and she grabbed at his jeans. She wanted to feel him bare against her.

  “No,” he growled out. His fingers worked faster inside her, and his thumb found her clit.

  “Please,” she begged again. “I need . . .”

  “Keep reading.” His other hand squeezed at her breast, alternately pulling on her nipple.

  She licked her lips, trying to find the moisture to continue, and couldn’t stop the grinding motion of her hips. She needed to come soon. He pumped beneath her once again, and her eyes crossed. But then she forced herself to focus on his words.

  “‘Sweat slicked their bodies together as he continued, not giving her a second to breathe, and not taking one for himself. He pushed her harder, insisting she join him before he exploded inside her like the animal that he was. And that would be soon. He bit down on her shoulder, and he felt her body begin to soar. He savored her screams when she came, thrilled at the feel of her nails slicing open his skin.’”

  “Oh, God, Carter,” she whispered.

  “‘You’re mine.’” He ground out the next words on the screen, his breath drifting across her ear. He kissed the side of her neck then, sucking her skin between his lips and teeth, and that small action was the thing that finished her off.

  She came apart on his lap, her orgasm stronger than any she could remember. He didn’t give her time to finish before he stood, her still shaking in his arms, and carried her inside the house. Within seconds he had them back in her bedroom, his pants removed, and a condom in place.

  And then he was in her.

  He ripped the remainder of her shirt open as he had in the story, parting the material to expose her body to his gaze, and he plunged himself deep. There was nothing gentle about his moves, but she didn’t want gentle. Not right now. She wanted to be fucked.

  Barely a moment later, her orgasm started again, and she squeezed her eyes tight as he joined her. The sounds coming from him didn’t sound human, and that only added to the moment.

  She wrapped both arms around his shoulders as he shook against her and held on. And when he was done, a hot breath panted across her cheek, and he touched a soft kiss to her temple.

  It was a simple gesture. And it affected her as profoundly as their lovemaking.

  It was another one of those moments that would be hard to forget.

  “You sounded incredible!” Ginger rushed to Roni’s side after the concert Saturday night, pulling her friend into her arms and hugging her tight. The top of Roni’s head came to Ginger’s chin, and her pregnant belly pressed into her lower abdomen. “And you’re so darned cute.”

  She released her hold, but kept Roni’s hands in hers. With a sweep of her gaze, Ginger took in the formal black dress, Roni’s wild curls, and her seriously cute belly. She glowed.

  They stood in a dressing room of the convention center, just the two of them because Ginger had literally run the moment the concert had ended. She hadn’t gotten to see Roni yet, and she’d needed to hug her friend.

  “How are you?” Ginger asked.

  “I’m good.” Roni smiled. “Really good. This has been a great tour.”

  Ginger could see the exhaustion in the tightness around Roni’s eyes. “But you’re ready to get home? You miss your family?”

  Roni chuckled. “Yes. Very.”

  “And I’ve no doubt they’re ready to see you.”

  They hugged once more before the door opened and they were joined by others.

  Ginger’s mother and Clint came in first, followed by Andie, who held baby Teddy, Andie’s Aunt Ginny, and Andie’s mother, Cassie. Carter and Julie were only a few feet behind everyone, and they stopped just outside the door. Ginger had seen them before the concert started, but their tickets hadn’t been with hers so she’d asked them to meet her at the end of the night.

  Roni and Andie hugged, and Roni greeted Teddy with the expected baby talk, then she passed around greetings to Ginny and Cassie before landing on Ginger’s mother.

  “Pam.” Roni reached for her. “It’s so great to see you again. Huge congrats on the engagement.”

  “Thank you.” Ginger’s mother pulled Roni in tight. “And your own congratulations are in order.” She pulled back a
nd smiled down at the black-covered bump. “That stepdaughter of yours has to be as overjoyed as you.”

  “We all are. January can’t get here fast enough.”

  “Speaking of things that can’t get here fast enough . . .” Her mother brought Clint into the group. “Meet my fiancé, Clint.”

  Clint looked dapper in a black suit with his salt-and-pepper hair. He kissed Roni’s hand and did a little dip of his head, and Ginger thought every woman in the room swooned. He was such a charmer.

  He and Ginger’s mom spent a few moments talking with Roni, with Cassie and Ginny adding to the conversation as needed. Cassie took Teddy, and Andie moved to Ginger’s side. Flowers appeared—they’d been sent from Lucas and Gracie—and were deposited in the dressing room, then finally, talk slowed. At which point Roni turned a pleasant smile to Carter, who remained just outside the dressing-room door.

  She flicked a very quick glance to Ginger—silently questioning if they’d done it or not—and Ginger felt her cheeks heat.

  Anyone but Ginger and Andie might not have noticed the next look, but Roni totally took Carter in. In a you’re-doing-my-friend sort of way. The three of them had been close for years, and it was a given that they watched out for each other. Ginger might just be having a casual relationship with Carter, but she was involved with him. And Roni would take him out if he messed up.

  “Carter Ridley.” Everyone around Roni parted so she could make her way to his and Julie’s side. “I remember you from years past.”

  At that, Carter smiled. It was too wide, and Ginger had no doubt he was remembering his crush. “So good to see you again.” He looked at Andie. “And you, too, Andie,” he added. “I remember you three hanging out during the summers. You were inseparable. And you drove the boys crazy.”

  Roni laughed at that. “I doubt it, but that’s sweet of you.”

  “He used to have a crush on you,” Ginger informed her.

  At the shocked look of both her friends—and Carter—Julie spoke up. “He’s moved on to Ginger now.”

  Carter playfully thumped his sister on the back of the head. He smiled to the group. “I’m not sure if any of you remember my annoying baby sister, Julie?”