CHAPTER 8
DELLA
This night is turning out to be perfect. Carter seriously just rocked my world.
I don’t give him time to say something else. I reach up and pull him back down on top of me. I can actually hear every beat of my heart as nervous anticipation builds up inside of me.
I’m conscious of everything about this moment, the way his body is pressing into mine in all the right places. The carnal growls he makes when I touch him unravels me.
His mouth devours mine making my mind cloud over with lust for him. I want this moment to last forever. I slide my hands down his back, tracing his spine until I reach his ass, where I let my hands linger.
He presses his body harder down on mine, his chest firm against my breasts. I feel him hard and ready between my legs. My abdomen clenches as my legs fall open for him.
“Fucking perfect,” he groans.
I trail hot kisses along his jaw as he positions himself at my opening.
I know that I’m taking a huge risk, putting all I’ve worked so hard for on the line, but I can’t stop now.
Am I being selfish? Yes.
But, I want this so much. Just this one moment with Carter before we have to say goodbye. A passion filled moment made up of sweet lies. I want something that will be just mine that I’ll be able to cherish and remember forever.
“You’re the one, Della,” he whispers, as he starts to slowly push inside of me.
I kiss him harder, and as he slowly fills me all I feel is a slight discomfort. When he pulls out, I sigh with pleasure and practically melt against him.
Carter slips his arms under me, crushing my body to his.
“I knew you were mine from the second I saw you,” he says, as he rolls his hips into me, making tiny firecrackers explode everywhere inside of me, I feel every delicious, hard inch of him.
My mouth drops open. I can’t even get a sound out as Carter shows me a whole new level of ecstasy.
He’s ruining me. I’ll never be the same again.
A quickening feeling builds in my abdomen, and I dig my fingers into his ass, trying to keep him there.
A low moan escapes my throat and I throw my head back, pushing my body into his, trying to get closer still, as he rocks into me.
He moves his hand to my butt and keeps me locked to him. I didn’t even notice I was moving. His hand holding me in place is exactly what I need because I feel him so much deeper as he starts to thrust harder.
He speeds up and with every powerful push of his hips, he drives his cock inside me. Tingles start in my toes, and my body turns to liquid ecstasy as I clench and contract with one wave of pure deliciousness after the other.
I can’t moan. I can’t breathe until the last ripple ebbs away, and I feel Carter shudder as he’s overcome with pleasure above me.
His eyes are burning like twin coals, alive with passion. He’s so beautiful that it makes my insides quiver. I can’t believe I just had sex with Carter Hayes.
Damn. That was amazing.
Tears well up in the back of my throat because this moment is so perfect that I don’t want to give it up. I want to be selfish and stay here with him.
I reach up and trace my fingers down the side of his face. He places a chaste kiss on my lips.
“Be right back.” I miss his warmth the second he pulls away from me. He gets out of bed and walks to the toilet.
When he closes the door behind him, I sit up and look around me.
The sheets are crumpled around me and the smell of sex hangs heavy in the air.
His phone starts to ring somewhere in the room. He comes out of the toilet and quickly pulls on his jeans. Fishing the phone from his pocket, he looks down at the screen. I catch a glimpse of the phone and see the name Charlotte.
He moves away from the bed as he answers it.
I hear a high-pitched voice on the other side.
Carter gives me an awkward smile and walks to the door. He’s just about to pull it shut behind him when I hear him say, “You’re not interrupting anything. What’s up?”
That’s when I realize all his words were lies. Empty lies and I fell for each of them. He just won the bet. I let him have me for four hundred dollars.
Humiliated, I get dressed. I struggle with the stupid shirt I was wearing, and grab one of his instead. I slip my sandals on and rush out of the room.
“Just stay calm. I’ll leave right now,” I hear him say and the words just make everything so much clearer. I was just a screw.
I run down the hallway and rush down the stairs and out of the house.
I get in my truck and break all the speed limits to get back to the apartment.
When I run into my room, the tears start to fall.
I’m an idiot.
I throw my belonging in my bags and take everything down to my truck. When I’m done packing everything I remove my key from my keychain. I close the front door and lock it, before shoving the key under the door.
If I hurry I can be back in Saluda before midnight.
***
CARTER
When I see Charlotte’s name flashing on my screen, I know it can’t be good. She’s been Dad’s PA and right hand for so long she might as well be family.
I don’t want to have this conversation in front of Della, so I step out of my room as I answer.
“Can you talk,” she says hurriedly, not giving me time to greet her.
“You’re not interrupting anything. What’s up?”
“You need to catch the first flight back home. It’s your Dad.”
Ice cold fear washes over me. I shove a hand through my hair as my heart starts to race with dread.
“What about Dad? What happened?”
“Come home!” she screams. “He’s had another heart attack. They say it’s bad. You need to come right now.”
It feels as if my life is shattering around me.
“Just stay calm. I’ll leave right now,” I say automatically.
As I cut the call Rhett comes up the stairs. He looks pissed off until he sees my face.
“What happened? Della just ran out of here upset about something. Did you have another fight?”
I shake my head, not understanding what he’s saying.
“Dad had a heart attack,” I say as I’m being sucked under by the delayed shock.
“Fuck. Is he okay?”
Rhett takes hold of my shoulder and I force the words out. “We have to go home. It’s bad.”
“Pack your shit. I’ll get rid of everyone and book our flights.”
I turn to walk back into my room, but Rhett pulls me back and gives me a hug.
“He’s a fighter.”
I nod as apprehension flood me. It feels as if the night is closing on me and I won’t get to see the sun shine again.
“I can’t lose him,” I say more to myself than to anyone else.