31
With her eyes flickering over Carter’s terrified yet expectant face, Kat found herself without words. Hell, what she had for him within her heart, mind, and soul was beyond words. Over and over she opened her mouth to say something, something momentous or meaningful, but found that his confession had left her entirely dumbstruck.
He loves me.
“Carter,” she breathed, closing her eyes. “I love you, too.”
His hand moved to her neck, skimming her wet skin tenderly with the tips of his fingers, tracing the pulse point in her neck she knew was going crazy.
His stare remained fixed on her collarbone. “My Peaches.” He pressed a soft, wet kiss to her throat. “You’re mine,” he said with his lips at her jaw.
She nodded, rubbing her cheek against his. The feel of his skin on hers made parts of her body clench and twist in subjugation.
“Every part,” she whispered passionately.
“Jesus,” he murmured by her earlobe. “It’s so— I don’t even have words.”
She knew exactly what he meant. Theirs was a love beyond words, beyond reason, beyond even the two of them. It was indescribable, inexplicable, but unbreakable and unyielding. Their connection, their bond, was sixteen years in the making. Even though they hadn’t known each other and had gone about their lives from one monotonous day to the next, they’d still been a part of each other, a silent, integral part that would always be, for as long as they both lived.
They were both powerless to stop it or deny it.
A surge of awesome strength swept through Kat’s body, pumping adrenaline through veins already hot from Carter’s declaration. It was an uplifting sensation, one she’d not experienced for a very long time. For the briefest of moments, with Carter in her arms and determination filling her from head to toe, she was truly unstoppable.
* * *
Kat kicked the quilt from off her feet. She was sweltering and, as nice as having Carter’s body pressed against her was, she had to move to cool down.
Glancing at the clock, Kat wiggled out of the bed—where she and Carter had been asleep for the last five hours—pulling her T-shirt off and turning the thermostat down from hot-ass sauna to just warm enough. She hurried to the bathroom, where she splashed some cold water on her face and pulled off her sweats, changing them to a small pair of sleeping shorts.
Kat’s skin immediately began to cool down. With a glass of water in hand, she wandered back into the bedroom to find Carter, still on his back, wearing only his boxer briefs. She smiled when she saw he’d kicked the quilt off, too. His hard stomach lifted and dropped hypnotically as he breathed.
He cracked an eye open and rubbed a palm down the center of his glistening chest, as she lay back down at his side. He looked deliciously rumpled.
She trailed her fingertips through the hair on his stomach. “Hey.”
He turned his dopey, pillow-creased face toward her, smiling lazily. “Hey.”
“How’s your heart?”
He reached for her hand and placed it on the left side of his chest. “You tell me,” he said, piercing her with an intense stare.
Kat bit her lip. “It’s pounding.”
“It always is when you’re near me.”
She took his wrist and did the same, placing his large hand over the top of her left breast. Unhurriedly, Carter lifted onto his elbow, watching his hand and her face with childlike wonder.
“It’s flying.” His gaze moved from his hand, leisurely up the curve of her neck, stopping hungrily at her lips before it rested resolutely on her eyes. His silence made the hair on the back of Kat’s neck lift and tingle, while the air around them began to thicken and buzz.
“Do I do that to you?” he asked, tracing the gooseflesh along her arm.
“Every time you look at me.”
The tips of his fingers danced lightly along the lace edge of Kat’s bra. Her chest heaved at the sensation and her eyes fluttered closed of their own volition. With featherlight touches, Carter moved his hand over to her right breast, tracing every curve, caressing lightly, while purposefully missing the places Kat was desperate for him to touch.
Shifting his body closer, Carter began to draw languid figure eights up toward her collarbone, mapping its shape and pressing against the pulse points in the valley of her throat. It was such a simple thing, for him to touch her that way, but Kat was unable to hold back the soft whimper slowly building with every brush of his gentle hand. His index finger dropped from her throat and meandered knowingly, erotically, down between her breasts, over the fabric of her bra, to the soft skin of her stomach.
Kat held her breath when he reached her belly button. He circled it twice before his finger dipped into it teasingly. Unable to hold her head up any longer, Kat lay back against the pillows, giving herself over to her senses, while Carter continued his wonderful exploration of her more-than-willing body.
“Your skin is so soft here.” His hand skimmed the waistband of her shorts. “So soft.”
Kat gasped when his lips pressed onto the same spot, and purred when Carter’s tongue licked along the trail his finger had just taken.
“Carter,” she moaned.
“What is it, baby?” He moved gradually so his body was leaning over hers.
Kat’s hands moved from his hair, finding his broad shoulders that flexed powerfully under her palms. His chest pressed against her.
“I miss your lips.”
His thumb skimmed her jaw, as his stare burned across her mouth.
“Please.” The word escaped Kat’s lips as a wanton whisper.
Desperate need bubbled below the surface of her skin. The inevitable explosion of passion, always so present when she was with him, was only one touch away.
“Tell me what you want,” he said gruffly. “Keep looking at me like that and I swear to God I’ll give you anything.”
“Kiss me,” she begged. “Just kiss me.”
* * *
Kat’s mouth, pink, wet, and soft, entranced Carter. They’d kissed a million times, in a million different ways, but her request seemed so fucking huge that, for a split second, he could do nothing but stare. A divine image of her mouth around his dick immediately flashed before him, simultaneously drying his throat and weighing his body down to hers in seconds.
Skin to skin, flush and warm.
Carter tried to calm himself but struggled. Fact was, his body didn’t feel like his own. It was as though something had taken it over, like it was being controlled by something.
Something bigger. Something incomprehensible.
He closed his eyes and exhaled a soothing breath.
Who was he kidding? Kat had taken him over. Kat had control over him.
She’d had a hold on him since he was eleven years old. And if he hadn’t realized it before, he sure as shit knew now that he’d loved her every second, minute, and hour of those sixteen long years. He’d lost himself to her on a lonely, dark street one heartbreaking night in the Bronx, and now he finally understood that he’d never, ever truly found himself again.
Sixteen years. Five thousand eight hundred and forty-four days.
Jesus, how had he survived without her for so long?
He loved her, desperately, and, truthfully, it terrified him. He’d missed her without even knowing her and fantasized about her whenever he’d begun to lose himself to the bullshit surrounding him as he grew up. If he weren’t so hypnotized by her, Carter would have laughed at his own blindness and the ridiculous denial he’d immersed himself in since Kat had come back into his life.
As subtle as it was, her body writhed underneath him. Her legs shifted against the mattress and her hips lifted, rocking toward him, seeking out any type of friction. She was exquisite. He opened his mouth, gasping into her. His entire body shook when he pressed his lips to hers, and he grunted when she pulled him down, deepening the kiss quickly.
Their tongues met, reunited, touching, tasting, and rubbing together, inside her mouth, then inside his. Carter gripped her waist with one hand and her face with the other as their passion began to snap and sizzle. Sweet Jesus, the heavy ache pounding between his legs was torturous. He ground his hips against her stomach, showing her what she did to him. Not that she would ever understand. She had no comprehension at all.
He’d been such a damned fool to think he could ever get away without speaking those three words to her. The three words he’d never uttered to another human being in his entire fucked-up life. They’d taken his ass by surprise, but the relief that came with them was more freeing than any parole board’s release letter could ever be.
He moved his mouth from her lips to her jaw and down her neck. She bent backward, curving under him so that he could access any place he wanted on her gorgeous body. He began with her chest, yanking the straps of her bra down the tops of her arms so he could pull at the cups, releasing her to his eager hands and demanding mouth. With his eyes closed, Carter began to lick, suck, and tease, tugging her between his lips. He moaned when she scratched his back, pulling him closer while whispering her need for him.
Carter let his lips caress her hip, the soft flesh of her belly, all the way to her panty line peeking temptingly from beneath her shorts. He wanted her on his tongue. He wanted to feel her in his mouth and make her come so hard she’d see stars. He wanted to devour her, bury his entire face in that shit and never come out for days. He wanted her gasping and soaked. He wanted—
“I missed you,” Kat breathed.
Astounded by the pained expression on her face, Carter rested his chin against her hip.
“I missed you while you were gone.”
Carter’s heart fractured. “I missed you.” He brushed away the stray hair lying on her cheek. He shook his head. “God.” He kissed her. “I was a fucking fool to walk away from you.”
Walking away from her was as close to being burned alive as Carter imagined he would ever get. The pain had crippled him, rendering him immobile.
When the boys had visited him in Kill and tried to explain how Max had fallen apart when Lizzie left, Carter had struggled to understand. Now he knew exactly what pain his friend had been through—was still going through.
Carter never wanted to feel that pain again. He doubted very much that he would even survive it a second time.
“I know why you did it,” Kat whispered. “And if you walking away helped you realize that you love me,” she continued in a hushed tone, “then I’m happy you did.”
Christ, she was right. He’d walked away and cracked into a thousand pieces, bare, with nothing to hide behind. Realistically, Carter couldn’t refute admitting his true feelings had been inevitable. And now that his finely executed punk-ass demeanor had been thoroughly fucked, Carter at last accepted just how exhausting it had been.
“Carter.” Kat reached for his hand and placed his palm flat against her heart. “Show me,” she whispered. “Show me how much you love me.”
As his eyes scoured her face in question, Carter’s brain flashed back through all the times they’d come together, thinking about the ways in which he’d touched her, kissed her, moved inside of her. Show me.
At the beach house.
On the sofa.
The very first time they were together, soaked from the rain, desperate, on his bed until dawn.
He’d loved her so much even then.
Without even knowing it, he’d shown her what she meant to him by using his body instead of his shitty, inadequate words. When the sensation of having his body inside of hers had been so overwhelming and he’d been unable to find his rhythm through the thick clouds of need, he’d simply breathed her in, kissed her languidly, or touched her in places he knew made her moan his name.
Those had been his favorite moments. Connected together but not moving. No frenzy. Just being. Those were the moments Carter was most at peace.
He brushed her hair back and kissed her. He was gentle, his mouth pressing into hers only a little, while his tongue whispered across her lips, tender and loving.
You’re so beautiful, his kiss said. You make me breathless.
The moan from Kat’s throat told him she heard it, felt it. He placed his hand on the back of her neck, lifting her to his mouth. She never resisted. She was incredible in her generosity. Pulling off his boxer briefs, he moved over her, shifting down her chin, kissing her throat, and licking her chest. He nibbled and grazed his teeth across her stomach. His hands slid up her thighs, opening them.
I’ve wanted you forever.
Her hands fisted the bed when he laid small kisses from one hip to the other. Kat bent her knees and rested the balls of her feet on his shoulders. He caressed the crease where her thighs met her body and spread her legs farther, as they beckoned Carter forward, her bare skin aching for his mouth. He kissed the top of her cleft, seeing the sparkle of the wetness lying there. Gently, pushing her lips back with his mouth, he let his tongue seek out her swollen heat and began winding it in slow circles that made her eyes roll and her spine arch.
Holy fuck. She was the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted. His fingers moved, slipping easily along her sodden skin, teasing and asking for more with every dip, twist, and stroke. Little by little, Carter pushed two long fingers inside her and moaned into her skin when she cried out and swiveled her hips against his face. She was so warm. He pulled them out and pushed them back in while he sucked and licked her.
“More.”
I’d give you the fucking world.
He hummed and pushed his face closer, shaking his head from side to side, purring against her flesh when her nails scratched deeply across his scalp. His tongue moved faster and his fingers slid deeper, as sounds started to erupt from her, breathless and begging.
“Oh my God. You’re going to make me come.”
Yeah, he fuckin’ lived for it. She pulled at his shoulders, tugging and pushing while her hips ground against him, drenching his chin. She whimpered and called out, nonsensical words pouring from her mouth until her orgasm snapped and shook through her body. Carter gripped her thighs when they slammed shut around his head and she tried to move away from his voracious mouth. He devoured everything she gave him until she was begging him to stop.
I’ll never stop loving you this way.
Eventually, Carter lifted his head and gazed up at her and the glow washing across her gossamer skin. Her chest heaved heavy, spent breaths. He prowled up her body, lathering her skin with kisses, needing the warmth to keep him grounded. He knew he had to be gentle, tender. The fog of lust had started to descend, hot, frenzied, and hard, but he breathed through it. Right then, chest to chest, her hands gripping his shoulders and her thighs around his waist were enough to calm him.
He moaned into her mouth when she kissed him, tasting herself on his lips. He rested his hands on the bed next to her ribs with his cock trapped between their bodies, wet, wanting, and thick. Every time she moved, she rubbed its entire length, driving him insane, making his hips shift and rotate. He grunted when she bit his neck.
I’m yours to mark.
She lifted her legs and placed her heels on his ass. They both grabbed for him, their desperation slipping through. Carter let go first and watched as Kat guided him, rubbing the tip of his cock along her wet flesh. He sighed, furrowing his brow, enraptured. Coming together that way made Carter’s bones weak. She was soaked and so soft. Carter pushed his hips a little closer, a little harder.
Carter pulled her face to his, nibbling on her plump bottom lip. Kat’s hand pushed so that—for one incredible moment—he slipped inside. The euphoria that always came with their unions blazed up his back and sent his hips into a frenzy.
“My sweet girl,” he whispered across her throat and slowly began to push into her tight warmth. “That’s it.” A little farther. “Oh fuck.”
He lifted his head and pushed, little by little, until he was completely enveloped by her. He was home. A small sob escaped her, but Carter caught it between his lips. The urge to thrust deep and hard clawed at the base of his spine, and his knees moved upward, pushing her thighs wider apart so he could get farther inside. Their fingers entwined by the sides of her head as Carter pulled back, releasing a long groan of breath. He chanced a look down to where they joined and panted at the sight of her all over his cock, glistening and beautiful.
He gasped, sliding back in. “Do you know I’d do anything for you?” he asked. “Do you know I think about you constantly? Sometimes I think I’m crazy. You make me crazy. I’m insane when I’m not with you. Jesus, Kat, I ache.”
She grabbed at his neck.
“I need you so badly,” he continued, breathlessly. “I need us. I need to feel us like this, because I swear to God, my heart, it beats only for you.”
She squeezed his hands and kissed his neck. Their foreheads fused together and he lost himself in her heavy lidded eyes. He continued to move, slow but firm, tilting his pelvis so he reached the spot inside of her that made her breath catch. A small tightening began deep in the depths of his stomach. He gave a sharp thrust and gripped her hip harder than he probably should have. He grunted when she licked his jaw, nibbling on his Adam’s apple in reply.
She held him close, arms around shoulders, holding tight. Never had Carter been so close to her. She was all around him, and he was at her mercy, defeated but entirely victorious. But, above all, above his need to come and his slow descent into euphoric bliss, Carter felt totally and unequivocally loved. The sensation wrapped around him in the same way Kat was, warm and safe, and it crushed him in ways that were entirely fantastic and impossible to describe.
It was the weirdest, most incredible thing.
It was so much more than making love.
It was erotic, passionate, naked, soul bearing—which ordinarily would have terrified Carter.
But not now. Not with his woman in his arms. With Kat, he could take over the fucking world.
Never had Carter been so exposed but so safe.
Never had he given himself to someone so freely and expected nothing in return.
His body lifted higher and higher. “I can’t get close enough,” he confessed with a frustrated growl. He pushed harder and harder, gritting his teeth and making sounds entirely alien to him, quickly being pulled under. He held on tighter. “I’m coming. Kat.”
Carter’s neck snapped back and he shouted and cursed. His cock pulsed with blinding force, as his orgasm ricocheted through him—leaving flashes of white behind his eyes and thundering in his ears—pulsing, hot, and relentlessly hard, into her body. He snarled into her shoulder while his entire body throbbed, writhed, and twitched.
He breathed easier. He felt free. He felt good. Could he dare to believe he was good enough?
Carter clenched his eyes shut, fighting back the salt water threatening to fall, overwhelmed once again by the woman in his arms, overwhelmed by what he’d shared with her, what they’d shared together. He kissed her collarbone and breathed through it. Carter’s body shivered. He buried his face under her jaw and removed his sated cock from her warmth, cocooning himself within her arms and legs, the only sound being Kat’s heart echoing in his ear.
His heart beat back in reply.
I love you, it thrummed. I’m yours, but please, for the love of God, don’t break me.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you for forgiving me. For loving me. I don’t deserve any of it, Peaches.” He held her close. “Thank you.”
Kat murmured sleepily by his forehead, “I guess that makes us even.”
Carter closed his eyes. He knew that wasn’t true. As hard as his time away from Kat had been, Carter had had a lot of time to consider his options, and the one option that was simply impossible to comprehend was the one that saw them separated permanently.
He would not, could not walk away. He’d tried and it had crushed him.
Which left only one option.
He lifted his head and brushed her hair from her sleeping face. “Peaches.”
“Mmm.”
He drew an invisible circle under her lashes and across the flush of her cheek, considering his next words. There was no use in denying it anymore. He was responsible for the animosity between Kat and her mother. Of course, Eva hadn’t given him a chance and would no doubt laugh in his face should he try to explain his feelings for her daughter; nonetheless, Kat had already lost one parent, and he didn’t want her to lose another.
“We have to do something—something important—before we fly back to New York tomorrow. I have to do something.”
She snuggled into him. “Yeah?”
Carter cleared his throat. “I need to talk to your mom.”
* * *
Austin Ford paced like a caged lion in his office, gritting his teeth so hard Adam was convinced they would shatter. Hell, it would match the four-thousand-dollar vase that lay in a million pieces at their feet. Following Ben Thomas’s impromptu visit, the much-anticipated fax had come through from the WCS board. Its message was clear: Pack up your shit, boys. Your presence at WCS is no longer required.
Adam, for one, hadn’t been surprised, and, in many ways, it had come as a huge relief. For too long he had followed his brother through the valleys of aggressive mergers and bullying acquisitions. He’d stood back and watched in humiliated and embarrassed silence as Austin bartered and harassed people and businesses for his own gains.
Yes, he was one hell of an executive and he had made himself and those around him exceedingly rich. But over the years, he’d grown cocky. His manner was less genteel and more arrogant, and the wry smile of disappointment had now become a sneer of disgust that anyone would dare to refuse or stand up to him.
Nevertheless, Wes Carter had done just that.
Despite it being Thanksgiving week, Austin had put every lawyer and favor he had at his disposal on the fax the minute it slid through the machine. He wanted to find a loophole, a lose end, a clause, a fuck-you. He needed to find one. Adam knew that Austin would rather die than let Carter take over WCS, but that was exactly what was happening. There was no way around it, and one of Austin’s cronies had delivered the news.
The vase had been the first casualty.
Adam watched his brother continue his furious journey around the office.
“You’re telling me,” Austin growled, “that there is no way to stop this?” His index finger smacked against the desk, pressing down hard into the fax.
Rick, his consultant, shifted on his feet and cleared his throat. “Yes, sir.”
Austin’s eyes grew impossibly wider. Adam had never seen his brother look so unkempt. His hair was ruffled and a light sheen of sweat covered his cheeks and forehead.
“I don’t fucking believe this!” he bellowed. “How is this even possible?”
“Well, sir—”
“Don’t answer me when I ask rhetorical questions, Rick!” Austin snapped angrily. “I can fucking read!”
Austin exhaled heavily and rubbed a palm over his mouth. “I thought we did everything in our power to cover this up.” He gestured toward the black-and-white photographs Ben Thomas had left. “I was told that things were in place to keep my company safe.”
Adam’s anger surged. And not for the first time. Austin had always considered WCS his. In all the time he’d been in charge, Austin had never once acknowledged Adam’s help or the work he did to keep him clean of all the shit he got into. Of course, there were the obligatory raises and single-malt gestures that would show up on his desk every once in a while, but neither made up for the amount of times that Adam had paid or bartered with people in order to keep his brother’s indiscretion’s off the board’s radar, his dealings with Casari included. Adam had told him Casari was bad news, he knew he was watched by the Feds, but his brother hadn’t listened.
Enough was enough.
The crunch, for Adam, was when it became a pissing contest over Kat, with Carter on one side and Austin on the other. It was pathetic, and Adam had wanted no part of it. He genuinely couldn’t understand why Austin wouldn’t just let Carter have his share of the pie. It would simplify things, keep Carter quiet. But Austin had had other ideas.
The photographs with Casari were all Austin’s doing, and Adam had reached his limit.
Shit, everyone made mistakes, for Christ’s sake, and it wasn’t fair to keep Carter reliving his over and over. Kat was, as Beth had conceded, very much in love with Carter. The guy had a real chance at turning his life around and being happy.
Adam couldn’t stop that from happening. And neither could Austin.
“Austin,” Adam muttered. The other five men in the room shuffled and fidgeted.
“No, Adam,” Austin barked back. “We need to figure this out, work out the next step.”
Adam blinked in confusion and caught Rick’s equally bewildered eye. Sighing, Adam took a cautious step toward his brother and clasped his hands at his front.
“There is no next step,” he said quietly. “This is concrete. This is happening.”
Austin’s eyes narrowed. “What the hell is this?” he asked in disbelief. “Have you all lost your balls?” He eyed each man menacingly, finally coming back to Adam. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
Adam rolled his eyes and pushed his hands into his pockets. “It is over. It’s been over for a long time. It’s time to move on.”
The look of absolute fury on Austin’s face surprised even Adam. He tightened his fists at his side and dropped his chin. “Everyone out!”
Adam watched the staff scuttle out, closing the door firmly behind them. The room was oppressively silent for the thirty seconds it took Austin to reign himself in. He was furious, Adam knew, but honestly, he couldn’t have cared less.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Austin murmured through tight lips.
“There’s nothing wrong with me.”
“Then what the hell are you doing standing there shrugging? Do you not understand what this means?” He held up the fax and shook it.
“I know exactly what it means,” he answered calmly. He took another step toward his brother. “It means that you and I each get a settlement that will ensure we never have to worry about money again, and Carter gets what’s rightfully his.”
Austin blanched. “I beg your pardon?”
Adam shook his head. “Oh, come on, Austin. Let it go. This is how it’s meant to be! He’s the rightful owner; it was written in black and white all those years ago. He deserves to have it back and not coveted by you!”
Austin lunged at Adam, but Adam was faster. It wasn’t always so, but age brought a strength that he didn’t have when they were kids. He pushed Austin away until his back was against the wall.
“Back the fuck off, Austin,” Adam growled with a pointed finger in his face. “I am not six, and this company is not your goddamn G.I. Joe. Face the fact that, this time, your dirty little bastards couldn’t get you out of this and move on with your dignity and name intact.” He pulled back and adjusted his jacket. “Jesus, man, get a grip. You’re losing it.”
Austin swallowed. His face was beet red, his eyes wild.
Adam shook his head. “What happened, Austin?” he asked sadly. “I fucking defended you. I turned Beth against her best friend for you! I’ll never forgive myself for that. Christ, man. I mean, this isn’t you.”
“This is me,” he countered. “This is me keeping this company alive before some coke-headed fuckup drags it back to the gutter he came from.”
Adam glared in disgust. “Like you’re so fucking perfect.” He chuckled without humor. “How can you be so self-righteous when you do the things you do?”
Austin’s back straightened and a glimmer of caution appeared in his eye.
“Yeah,” Adam whispered, glancing down at the photographs. “I’m sure the board would be interested to know who else you do business with. I don’t need photographs to prove the shit I know.”
Austin gave a wry smile. “You son of a bitch.”
“Maybe,” Adam countered darkly. “But I’m telling you: let this go, Austin. Walk away with your head held high. Forget Carter, forget Kat; take your stocks, buy a house, or go on a long vacation to butt-fuck nowhere, but walk away, or so help me.”
Adam turned slowly from his brother, adjusting his tie as he did.
“Well, hell, Ads,” Austin said. “That sounds like a threat.”
Stopping, Adam looked back over his shoulder. “No threat,” he answered before he walked toward the office door. With his fingers on the handle he continued, “It’s a promise.”
* * *
The tension in the car as Kat drove it back to Nana Boo’s was thick, much like the snow that lay like a blanket all over the city. Carter stopped tapping his foot against the car floor and cracked his knuckles, in hopes that the tension that had set his spine poker straight would somehow ease. He was utterly exhausted. It hadn’t been helped by the fact that he was running on seven hours of sleep over the past forty-eight hours. He closed his eyes.
“Are you okay?”
Carter kept his eyes closed, quirking an eyebrow in sardonic response. Like an asshole, he had no words of comfort for her even though he knew that Kat needed them from him badly. She silently craved assurance and support. He simply didn’t know how to give it to her. He settled for placing his hand on her leg.
Contact was good.
He could tell from the tremor in her voice she was as nervous as he was about the upcoming conversation with Eva, and rightly so. Even though he had gone over and over in his head what he wanted to say, Carter knew he was walking straight into the lion’s den, vulnerable and scared shitless.
He just had to make sure he didn’t let Kat’s mother control the discussion—if that was the appropriate word for it. Hell, it would be a heated one at the very least. He had to keep his head and allow her to have her say. That shit was vitally important. Carter was under no illusions; he understood why Eva behaved the way she did.
It was all about convincing Eva he loved Kat with his whole heart, that he would do anything for her, be anything for her. She was safe with him. He would protect her and cherish her until his last breath.
Hopefully, it would be enough. Jesus Christ, he hoped it would be enough.
If he could make Kat’s mother see he wasn’t all about the length of his criminal record, and that mistakes don’t define a man, then he would be on the home stretch. Goddammit, he was a wreck. He wondered fleetingly if he would have time to have a smoke before battle commenced.
“We’re here,” Kat murmured, turning off the car engine.
Apparently not.
Carter swallowed and opened his eyes. “Peaches.”
“Carter.”
They spoke at the same time, nervous and quiet. Carter turned to her with a wry smile.
“Go on,” he offered.
“No,” she insisted with a shake of her head. “Please, what were you going to say?”
What was he going to say? He had no idea whether her name had escaped him simply because the sound of it and the knowledge she was close by comforted him more than he could express. Carter picked up her hand and brought it to his mouth, placing a courtly kiss in her palm.
He sighed. “Whatever she says, whatever she calls me or accuses me of. Whatever happens, I want you to promise me that you won’t say anything.”
Kat’s eyes widened. “What?”
“You heard me.”
If he was going to do this, he had to do it alone. What kind of mother wanted to see the man who loved her daughter as a weak, incapable prick? The last thing he wanted was for Kat to defend him. He was determined to fight this one on his own.
“I can’t promise that, Carter.”
“Please. I need you to do this for me.”
Fire sparked in her eyes. “If she says—”
“I’m not going anywhere,” Carter said firmly, interrupting her. “Look at me. I’m not going anywhere.” He brushed the back of his fingers down the side of her face. “I swear to you. Do you trust me?”
She nodded. “But I’m terrified.”
“I know,” Carter whispered. He kissed her fingertips.
“I’ll try and keep my mouth shut,” she said with conviction. “But if she starts, so will I.”
It was as much as he could hope for.
Standing on Nana Boo’s porch waiting for someone to open the damned door, Carter clutched Kat’s hand like a drowning man. He knew he was drawing all of his strength from her, but that was fine. When her small fingers tightened around his, he knew she was doing the same thing.
The sound of a dead bolt sliding home made his neck tingle and his throat dry.
Go big or go home, right?
Trevor opened the door with a wide, gracious smile as Reggie wagged his tail heartily at his side. “Miss Katherine. Mr. Carter. How nice to see you again. Please come in.”
Kat smiled, but Carter could do little more than grimace. He literally had to pull his feet from the floor so he could walk forward. It was just his luck: the confidence and determination that had filled his body the day before had all but disappeared now that he needed it. With a jolt he suddenly felt very, very foolish.
Kat pulled both of his hands to hers. He pursed his lips and blew a breath of relief, so grateful for her, standing with him, on his side, ready to back him up in any way she could.
“Happy Thanksgiving!” Nana Boo smiled warmly at Carter and kissed his cheek. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Happy Thanksgiving.” He stood back and fixed her with an apologetic stare. “I’m sorry about yesterday.” Kat’s hand pressed into the small of his back. “I’m an idiot and the last thing I wanted to do was to upset Kat. I mean, I know she’d have been upset,” he mumbled. “I just— I wanted— I’m sorry I left, okay, and … yeah.”
Nana Boo’s face lit with an admiring smile, despite Carter wanting nothing more than the floor to swallow his ass whole. She placed her palm on his arm and rubbed it, coaxing his eyes back to hers. The warmth of her gaze and the tenderness in her touch filled Carter with nostalgic hope and love. For one split second, he was seven years old again.
“Thank you for the apology. But there really is no need. As long as you and Kat are fine, then I’m happy.”
“We are fine,” Kat said, moving closer to Carter’s side.
He could have easily lost himself in Kat’s gorgeous eyes, and he would have done so quite happily had it not been for the unexpected sound of a clearing throat that reverberated around the cavernous lobby like a vicious snarl. Kat’s stare snapped instantly to her right, but Carter kept his front and center, tracing the delicate curve of his Peaches’ face. He didn’t need to look; he knew who it was and what to expect when he did.
The silence was about as comfortable as a quilt of glass, and everyone under it became unnaturally still. Even Nana Boo, normally so vibrant and full of life, remained motionless.
“What the hell is this?” Eva asked contemptuously.
Carter blinked slowly, lifting his head to face the woman he was there to see. She was standing in the living room doorway, looking spectacularly pretty and ageless in a pair of black jeans and a gray sweater. A tall man with dark hair and a Yankees hoodie stood behind her. He placed his hand on Eva’s shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. Eva scowled at Carter, folding her arms across her chest. Her face was angry, defensive, but surrounding all of that were the markings of hope.
If she was hopeful, he’d cling on to that fucker like a vise. He could use it to his advantage. He could turn that hope into understanding. That’s all he could ask for. He didn’t need her blessing or her acceptance. He just needed her to understand.
“What the hell are you doing here?” Eva asked sharply.
Carter gripped Kat’s arm, halting her retort in its tracks. Her furious eyes searched his face.
“It’s okay,” he said.
“I invited them here,” Nana Boo answered, lifting her chin toward Eva, daring her daughter to question her actions.
Carter removed his hand from Kat’s and stepped forward. Eva watched him carefully as he approached. The man behind her, whom Carter knew to be Harrison, stepped to her side, a subtle move that told Carter to watch his step. Eva’s face betrayed no emotion when Carter reached her, stopping just two feet away. But, when he held his hand out between them for her to take, a flash of disbelief shot across her features.
“Hello,” Carter croaked. He cleared his throat in annoyance, but kept his eyes on Eva’s. “I’m Wes Carter.”
The walls of the room seemed to bend and strain under the tension that emanated from everyone around Carter, including Eva, who still hadn’t taken his hand. He kept it there, though, determined to show he was no pussy, even though his insides were ready to bust out of his ass and run for the hills.
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he added when the silence became stifling.
Eva’s stare was intense and downright bewildered. Carter wasn’t sure whether she thought him to be completely insane or genuinely stupid. At that point, he’d have personally gone for the latter. She glanced toward her daughter.
“Did Katherine put you up to this?”
“No!” Kat shot back from behind Carter before he could take a breath. “I didn’t. And I can’t believe you’re just standing there and ignoring his attempts at civility like a—”
“Kat,” Carter said firmly, interrupting what he knew was going to be something toxic and unhelpful. He fixed her with a level stare and shook his head minutely. The anger never left the rigidity in her body, but, to her credit, she shut up.
Carter turned to Eva, whose eyes were flickering between the pair of them, and gradually dropped his hand. “Kat didn’t put me up to this,” he said. “I was the one who wanted to come here today.”
Eva remained silent, cautious, and expectant.
“I wanted to come here and talk to you.”
“About what?”
Kat shifted at his side. Still watching Eva, Carter reached out his hand, finding Kat’s, and wrapped his index finger lovingly around her pinkie.
“I wanted a chance to explain.”
“Explain?” Eva scoffed. “Explain what, exactly? Are you here to explain why you’re endangering my daughter’s future? To explain why the hell I should trust you with her when you’re a convicted criminal? To explain what prospects someone like you could possibly have with a woman like Katherine? What exactly are you here to explain, Wes Carter?”
Her voice rose in volume with each word. Carter didn’t miss the quiver behind it, though, and allowed that to ease his temper rising with each slice of her tongue. Kat’s hand shook. She was aching to blow up at her mother, resisting only because he’d asked her to and he loved her all the more for it.
“I can explain all of that, if that’s what you want,” he offered in a tone more clipped than he’d intended. And, without knowing why, he took another step toward her. He saw Eva’s eyes widen infinitesimally, though her chin rose defiantly.
“But I came here to explain that, despite what you think of me, or whatever conclusions you have come to about me and my intentions, I’m in love with your daughter. And no matter what you say or do, I’m not goin’ anywhere.”
Carter could have sworn he saw shock tease at the edges of Eva’s mouth. “Is that so?”
“Yes,” he answered with a sharp dip of his head, determination once again flowing freely through his body.
Kat moved closer, and he indulged in the warmth and security her gesture brought. Eva saw it, too, which conjured up another intense frown. She stared at her daughter, but Kat’s eyes were on Carter, branding him as hers.
“I love you, too,” she said, loud enough that everyone heard.