The next couple of days are a blur of hospital food, naps, and doctors appointments.

I call Lance to give him an update and let the Blue Illusion Team know I’m in the middle of a family emergency.

Carter is on and off the phone with his publicist, and leaves once a day to get a workout in. Other than that, he sleeps at the hospital with me in very uncomfortable chairs. Although my pillow--Carter’s lap--is quite comfortable.

“Let’s get out of here for a little while,” Carter says one late morning. “Get some coffee, a solid meal, take a walk around town.”

I’m reluctant to leave the hospital when it feels like any moment could be my dad’s last, but I do need to go home and change my clothes, and a square meal sounds spectacular.

We head over to a new diner in town for some eggs, sausage, hash browns, and bacon.

It’s a great change-up from cafeteria food.

After we eat, we decide to go for a walk and get some fresh air, even though it’s chilly out.

Ambling through the streets, we pass the old park where we used to go during our summers, and our middle and high school years.

My heart floods with an array of memories.

Playing basketball with the boys at the park.

Carter and my first dance at the multipurpose center.

First high school make-out session.

First time I ever thought to myself, ‘I should tell him I heard his mom saying his dad is still alive,’ but didn’t.

Suddenly our stroll takes us to the west side of town, close to the train tracks, and we’re a block from Carter’s childhood home.

“It still looks the same,” I say.

“I know. My mom wanted to sell it at one point, but I wouldn’t let her.

We head inside, and a rush of nostalgia hits me.

The house still has the same shag carpet, same tiny kitchen.

Same humble roots.

Carter wiggles his eyebrows. “So. My mom isn’t here.”

I roll my eyes. “Is this your sweet line?”

“Yeah. Worked really well on my high school girlfriend.”

Without saying anything, I head up the stairs slowly, and turn into Carter’s room.

“It’s still the same,” I say, running my eyes over the combination of basketball players and bands in poster form.

I run my hand over his dresser.

“Still the same way you left it.”

“My mom’s kept my room like this forever.”

We lay down on top of the covers. The bed feels heavenly in contrast to what we’ve been sleeping on lately.

We cuddle on top of the covers, and I push my hips into Carter. He wraps his big arm around me, and the next thing I know I fall asleep, not realizing how mentally worn down I am from this past week.

When I wake up, I can’t help but smile looking down at Carter, seemingly in a deep sleep.

He hasn’t complained once this past week about sleeping uncomfortably in the conference room, being in Blackwell, or generally having to be around me and my family all week.

It’s a little bit perplexing, to say the least.

Especially after last summer, when I half-thought he wanted an exclusively sexual relationship with me.

I suppose I underestimated him, but this transformation still perplexes me.

After using the bathroom, I see him still sleeping, and I get behind him, curious how the cuddling situation would work with me as big spoon. It’s not something we’ve ever tried, which makes sense seeing as how Carter is over half a foot taller than me with huge long arms.

Getting behind him, I do my best imitation of Carter doing big spoon, scooting my hips into him and draping my arm over his side. He keeps taking deep breaths, clearly very passed out.

My hand wants to run over the ridges of Carter’s abs, so I let it. I grab his muscled arms and then, too curious not to, I slide my hand over the front of his crotch.

Oh my. Is he...hard?

Just then, he stirs and his eyes blink open, noticing where my hand is.

“Lacy,” he growls sleepily. “What are you doing?”

My heart thumps hard pressing into his back, and I swallow.

“I was trying to be big spoon,” I explain sheepishly.

Carter turns onto his back.

“Oh?” He smirks. “The big spoon where you run your hand over the outline of my cock?”

“Yes,” I answer softly, feeling my skin turning redder every second.

He deftly slips a hand around my shoulders.

“I’ll take that as a sign you’re ready.”

“I am so ready,” I mutter.

“Good,” he says, undoing his jeans. “Because you’ve already got me hard.”

Butterflies tumble inside me as he slips off his jeans all the way, then pulls my face against his for a kiss.

I roll on top of him and straddle his body, and we make out like we’re back in high school.

His hand rushes over my skin, up my belly, and he helps me get my shirt off, followed by my bra. I get his shirt off too, and he brings his mouth up to my breasts and sucks on each of my nipples before flipping our bodies over and making out with him on top.

“You have no idea how many times I’ve dreamed about this,” I blurt out as he kisses my neck.

“You mean doing it in my childhood bed?” Carter asks.

“Yeah,” I answer.

“Probably not as much as I have,” he smirks.

I laugh as he teases me, kissing and pulling off my lips continuously.

“Just fuck me already, Carter,” I beg. “I want you.”

He pulls my skirt and panties off, then slides his boxers off.

I love the feeling of his hot skin touching mine.

“So what did you imagine when you fantasized about this?” He teases, rubbing his tip on my slit.

My mind becomes foggy with pleasure.

“Your hands all over me. On top of me. Taking me in all the ways.”

“And it would be extra hot because it’s in my room?”

I bite my lower lip. “It’s just that this is the closest we’ve ever come to...you know.”

He nods. “Before we broke up, I went down on you here.”

I laugh. “Yes you did—for like an hour until you gave me my first orgasm.”

“That was your first?” His eyes widen.

“Yes. I never wanted to tell you, because I was afraid you would get a big head.”

“Probably a good idea.”

“Ohh,” I moan. “Stop teasing me. I want all of you.”

Leaning down toward my head, Carter whispers in my ear. “No. Just for leaving that out...I’m going to make you wait.”

“No,” I say, a little perturbed. “I want you now…”

My words and protests melt away as I feel Carter’s tongue between my legs.

“Time for a little déjà vu,” he winks, and I hate him for his stupid joke as much as for the fact that he’s not inside me right now.

His tongue quickly distracts me, flicking against my clit.

He keeps on like breathing is optional for the man, and I don’t know where this new, unselfish version of Carter is coming from but I love it.

I’m on the brink of coming when he uses his fingers in tandem with his tongue and it sets me over the edge.

No, forget the edge. It becomes totally blurred and destroyed as Carter licks me even better than he did in my fantasy, kneeling between my spread legs.

The waves of pleasure are so strong they make me dizzy, the whole world floating away so it’s just us two.

Pausing for a moment, he glances up at me.

“I love when you moan like that.”

“I didn’t even realize I was moaning,” I respond.

Grinning hazily, I help him flip me over to my stomach.

“How do you want me?” I ask.

“Like this.”

He lifts my hips up and I put my face down, ear into the pillow, waiting for him to push his hard tip into me.

But what I get instead is his tongue on my pussy again, and I don’t know how he’s doing what he’s doing but his tongue is golden and it heats me up so much I’m melting to jello, high as I’ve ever been.

“Carter,” I gasp. “Just do me already…”

I sense motion on the bed, and feel his wide tip push into me from behind.

“Screw me, Carter. Take me as hard as you want,” I blurt out through the clouds of pleasure that have formed in my brain.

“You’re so damn hot when you say things like that,” Carter growls, then slides his full length into me.

His hands hold my hips as his skin slaps onto me. My pleasure elevates and my mind wanders everywhere and nowhere at once.

Carter pulls my knees out, and I feel his hips on my flesh as he drives deep into me. His mouth falls on the back of my neck, sucking me, kissing me, his hands on my breasts, pulling me into his body as I buck against him.

I tighten around him as I feel his breath shorten. Throaty growls are all that escape his mouth as he shoots into me.

We lay hazy-eyed in a fog of post-pleasure in his bed, chests heaving, staring at each other.

“Do you hear something?” he asks.

I shake my head. “Hear something? Like…”

“Carter, I see your jacket. Are you home?”

Mrs. Flynn’s voice.

We both hear her traipsing quickly up the stairs. Carter scrambles to his feet, putting his boxers and a t-shirt on.

I get under the covers.

There’s a knock on the door. “Carter?”

He opens it a sliver. “Yes, Mom?”

“What are you doing in here? Why aren’t you answering?”

“What’s the matter? I was taking a nap.”

“Okay. Well, I’m about to make some food. Would you like...why aren’t you opening the door all the way? Are you smoking in here?”

“No, mom, I’m not smoking.”

“Do you have a girl in there? Carter, I swear, if you have a girl…”

My heart hammers, and I want to hide or transport myself away, somehow, but I’m naked under here.

I also can’t help but smile at the fact that a grown man--a millionaire nonetheless--is still getting a talking to from his mom for having a girl.

“Mom, I do have a girl,” he says after a long pause. “Lacy’s here. We’re back together.”

My heart warms when he says that, and it’s funny to think of us as ‘back together.’

“Oh. Okay.”

“So, yes, we would love some food.”

“Sorry to interrupt,” I hear her voice.

Carter laughs. “Don’t worry mom. We’ll be down in a few.”

Carter closes the door, then turns to me with a devilish smirk. He jumps back under the covers and squeezes me.

“I’m guessing that was the final part of your fantasy—almost getting caught by my mom.”

“How’d you know?” I ask as he kisses me one more time under the covers.