Authors: Marilyn
“You didn’t say anything?”
“No. Not unless a moan counts. What’s wrong?”
He ran a hand through his hair. “Nothing.” He flashed a brief smile. “Let’s go to bed.”
Aware of a feeling of unease because he suddenly seemed so cool, she nodded and led the way to the bedroom.
While he undressed, she closed her negligee and slipped into bed. Uncertain of his mood, she turned onto her side with her back to him. When he joined her in bed, he settled close to her but didn’t touch her.
She searched her mind for a way to lighten the mood between them. “What are they like?” she asked.
“What are who like?”
She sighed. If his voice got any cooler, it would send a chill through her. “Your sons.”
“My sons?”
Relieved that his voice had warmed, she nodded. “Yes. Tell me about them. What are they like?”
“CJ is the oldest. He’s twenty and will be going to medical school next year. Danny is eighteen and wants to be a lawyer. Both are excellent students who graduated with 3.9 GPA and earned scholarships to colleges of their choice.”
She turned onto her side to face his side since he lay on his back, nude except for his briefs. “You and your wife must be very proud of them.”
“We are. In addition to being great students, they’re good guys. But she’s my ex-wife. I’m divorced. Remember?” After a moment of silence he turned to look at her. “Now tell me about your boyfriend.”
She frowned. “If I had a boyfriend, I wouldn’t be lying in bed with you, Carter.”
“I meant the blond.”
“Mark? He’s my best friend, but not my boyfriend—as I’ve already told you.”
He stroked a finger down her arm. “Has he ever been your boyfriend?”
“No. He hasn’t. “
“You’ve never been intimate with him?”
“No! We’ve never been anything but friends. He’s not my type and I’m certainly not his.”
Just as I’m certain I’m not yours.
“So you’re not in love with anyone?”
She shook her head. “There’s no one in my life for me to be in love with.”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course I’m sure.”
He exhaled and suddenly reached out to draw her into his arms. “Good.”
His questions and reaction to her response confused her. Clearly, she was missing something but she wasn’t sure what. And she didn’t want to ruin the moment by probing for information he might not want to share with her.
How can you want a relationship with a man you’re hesitant to talk to?
She drew away from him, turning on her side.
He immediately curled his body behind hers, placing an arm across her waist. His warm lips brushed against her ear.
Closing her eyes, she settled her ass against his groin
He groaned. “Don’t start any shit you’re not prepared to finish,” he warned.
Although she would have welcomed another fuck, she decided it would probably be wise if they didn’t fuck again until she figured out what had spooked him.
She reached down to lift his hand from her waist so she could kiss it. “I want to fall asleep in your arms.”
He nibbled at her ear. “So who’s stopping you?”
She smiled and drifted into a contented sleep.
* * *
Kira woke several hours later alone in bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she checked her apartment to confirm that he had left while she slept—again. The first time he’d left while she slept had been disappointing but understandable. His leaving this time without waking her was unexpected and hurt like hell.
She sank down on the chair near the door. As she tried to corral her thoughts, a tear trickled down her cheek. Quickly followed by another and then another.
Why are you crying? You knew he wasn’t interested in anything but sex. That’s what you got so you have no reason to behave like an emotional teenager crushing over a man she can never hope to have.
Despite her attempts to reason with herself, the tears continued to flow freely down her cheeks. She was still sitting in the chair weeping when she heard a key in her door lock. Moments later she bolted to her feet as her door opened.
Carter stepped inside and closed the door. He placed her keys and a bag of takeout on the hall table, his gaze locked on her face.
Realizing there was no point in trying to hide her tears, she stared at him.
He stepped close and took her in his arms.
She leaned against him. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“For what?” He asked.
“I don’t have the right to cry because I thought you’d left in the night again.” Mindful that men didn’t like weeping women she drew away from him.
He pulled her back into his embrace. “It’s all right, sweet. I’m not adverse to a woman who cares enough to cry when she thinks I’ve walked out on her. I woke up hungry. I thought you would be also so I borrowed your keys and went out to get us something to eat.” He kissed her cheek. “I hope you like Chinese.”
Her relief at seeing him and hearing his explanation frightened her. “I do.”
“Good. Let’s eat in the moonlight.”
Whatever he wanted to do was fine with her. She nodded.
After a trip to the kitchen to collect plates, glasses, and utensils, they sat side-by-side on the sofa in the moon lit living room to eat.
They finished eating and he slipped his arm around her shoulders. Cupping his other hand under her chin he lifted her face to kiss her.
Although she longed to talk, she suspected he didn’t. So she closed her eyes and parted her lips. She savored the taste of his mouth on hers and the feel of his hand sliding down her negligee to cup her breasts.
Pinching her nipples, he kissed her until she was breathless. Then he eased her onto the sofa and spread his big body on top of hers.
After shifting his body to the side to allow him to push the negligee away from her bare pussy, she heard his zipper slide down. Moments later his semi-erect cock pulsed against her body.
She trembled, parting her thighs.
Trailing his lips along her neck, he pressed a condom in her hand.
He rolled onto his side and between the two of them they managed to roll the condom over his cock. Settling on his back he gripped her hips.
She rose over him and slowly lowered herself onto his shaft. A series of soft moans escaped her lips as she drove her hips downward until her pussy bulged with delicious cock.
With her hands resting on his body she rode him slowly, relishing the jolts of pleasure she experienced each time she had his big dick buried deep inside her pussy. She fucked herself on him with a growing lust that spread chills of pleasure all through her body.
With each seductive slide of his shaft back into her body, she felt as if she were surrendering a sizable piece of her heart to him. The feeling frightened and tantalized her while heightened her pleasure. Within minutes, she felt her peak rushing at her.
Oh, God, Carter. I think I love you!
As her climax thundered through her, she lay on top of him while continuing to fuck him until he gripped her hips and shoved his cock deep up into her pussy and shuttered as he came.
Feeling weak with satisfied pleasure, she lifted her hips.
He pulled his back and his cock slipped from her body.
She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder. “Let’s go to bed.”
“In a moment,” he said sliding his palms over her bare ass.
They lay together on the sofa for several moments before they got up and walked hand-in-hand into the bedroom.
Lying within the circle of his arm, she felt warm, protected, happy, and filled with anticipation. Her tears hadn’t turned him off and he’d shown himself to be a considerate lover. It was early days but just maybe it was okay to hope they could have a real relationship that wasn’t based solely on great sex.
She fell asleep with his body curled along her back.
Her optimism vanished when he woke her early the next morning. Fully dressed, he sat on the side of the bed. None of the warmth and tenderness she’d felt the previous night was evident in his gaze or his voice when he spoke. “I have to go but I didn’t want you to wake and find me gone.”
Closing her négligée over her bare breasts, she sat up. He exuded a coldness that chilled her. She suspected she wouldn’t see him again. Struggling to overcome the urge to ask him not to go, she nodded. “Okay.”
They stared at each other in silence for several long agonizing moments before he finally brushed the back of his hand against her cheek.
And she knew for certain their brief fling was over. She had managed to say or do something that had turned him completely off without knowing what it was. The remnants of her pride would not allow her to ask for an explanation. Still, despite her best efforts, she sucked in a breath and felt tears well in her eyes.
He lowered his lids and rose. “I’ll see myself out.”
She bit her lip as a tear trickled down her cheek.
After a brief hesitation, he turned and walked away.
What had she done or said to change things so drastically between them? Or had he just had his fill and was no longer interested? After falling asleep filled with hope the previous night, she decided she needed to at least force him to admit it was over so she wouldn’t waste time hoping he’d call. She scrambled out of bed and went after him. “Carter?”
He sighed before the turned at the entrance door to face her.
“
Yes?”
She moistened her lips. “You didn’t say. Will you call?”
He looked less than thrilled by the question. “I can if you like.”
Tell him to go to bloody fucking hell!
Instead, she nodded.
“Then I will.”
But she knew he wouldn’t.
Chapter Eight
Walking away knowing he was leaving Kira in tears was one of the hardest things Carter had ever done. He felt like an insensitive and selfish heel. But after her declaration of love during sex and her tears when she’d thought he’d left, he knew she felt far more for him than he did for her. Since he had no desire to hurt her, he needed to end their brief relationship before she ended up even more wounded than she already was.
Feeling the need to justify his behavior, he drove to Dan’s apartment.
Dan was not very sympathetic. “You just walked out on her?”
Both the question and Dan’s tone annoyed him. “I didn’t walk out on her. I left
after
telling her I was going. There’s no need to make it sound as if I slithered out in the middle of the night while she slept.”
“What am I missing?”
“What do you mean?”
“Correct me if I’m wrong but didn’t you spend weeks obsessing over her? And now you fuck her and then just walk away from her? Why? Is she lousy in bed?”
“She’s great in and out of bed.”
“Then what am I missing?”
“She’s in it for the long haul. She has an end game in mind.”
“And you don’t?”
“No I don’t.”
Dan arched a brow. “You could have fooled me.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Carter, this is me. You’ve been stressing over her since the moment you met her. You kicked your jailbait girlfriend out on her ass the day after meeting her.”
“I already told you I was tired of Jill’s shit.”
“Jill had been pulling the same shit for nearly a year. You kept excusing her behavior until you met Kira. One night with her and out Jill went on her skinny, flat ass. I don’t care how much you deny it but that only happened because you met and fell for Kira.”
He shook his head. “I was attracted to her but I did not fall for her.”
“When are you going to face the fact that even if that horny body of yours isn’t ready to settle down your heart is?”
“If you’re implying that I’m in love with her, forget it. I’m not and I’m not going to be.”
“But you think she’s in love with you and you’re okay walking out on her knowing that?”
“What the fuck did you expect me to do, Dan? She wants to get serious. I don’t.”
“Don’t you?”
“No, I don’t, but if I stayed around she’d be hurt even more and I don’t want that.” He sighed. “I don’t like knowing she’s hurt, but there’s not much I can do about it.”
“Isn’t there?”
Dan was starting to piss him off. “You know, right now, the last thing I need is you on my case making me feel worse than I already do for hurting her.”