I kiss Carter goodbye, and we have one more love session in his room before I go.

When I get to New York, I’m feeling the paradox of the best sex afterglow I’ve felt in a while, and the weight of my father’s condition on my shoulders. I feel so helpless, being so far away.

As soon as I touch down, I text Carter to let him know, and he texts me back within a minute to tell him to call him tonight, after I’m settled.

For the first time—maybe ever—I feel like we’re an official couple, and I feel confident in thinking that.

Last summer, I marched on with him in spite of the sense I had of some impending dread that he would dump me at any moment for no reason at all—just because a better option cropped up.

Now, taking the subway back to my New York apartment, a faint smile tugs at my face thinking about him, how spectacular our love life has become, and how it feels like this is just the tip of the iceberg.

I need to do something fun for Carter, to thank him for all of his support this past week.

“Well if it isn’t the ghost roommate,” Lance chirps, getting up from the couch and greeting me at the door with a big hug, and a soft smile. “Are you doing okay? Any updates?”

I shake my head. “Just the general sense of dread that he could go any moment. Oh, and hoping for a liver transplant. Which kind of means I’m hoping for someone else to die in a tragic accident, so I try not to think about it too much.”

Lance hugs me again. “Hang in there.”

I hear a noise in the living room, and slip out of the hug to look.

“Surprise! Say hello to your new roommate.”

It’s Joseph.

A big, warm smile comes over my face.

“Are you ready to pay half the rent you were? Because I’m paying an extra third, now.

I squint. “I’m not sure about that math. But yes, I welcome you with open arms. Although this would have been nice to know.” I wiggle my eyebrows at Lance.

“I didn’t want to worry you while you were in Blackwell. I figured you had enough on your plate.”

A knot jumps up in my throat.

Joseph and Lance draw in closer to me and each of them put a hand on my back.

A smile peaks through my sadness. “You two have the same comforting technique. That’s so cute.”

They make eye contact with each other and shrug. “Do you feel comforted?” Joseph asks.

I nod.

“That’s what counts.”

I thrust myself back into my daily routine of dance. I’ve missed a new portion to the show, so I have to play catch-up to learn it. Luckily, I’m a quick learner, and Lance is there to show me the new steps.

I call Josh and tell him we’re over. He seems sad, but understands where I’m coming from, and thanks me for not leading him on anymore. Katherine also texts me, but I figure I had better focus on getting back into my routine before I consider taking on her services.

Carter and I text lots and chat almost every night. I get a fresh new feeling about him, similar to what Amy said.

He’s still the cocky old Carter, but he’s more genuine now, wanting to know every aspect of how my day went.

When I get home and open the apartment door one night, I notice there’s a package on the dining room table for me. Lance or Joseph must have brought it in.

No one’s home.

I pick up the package and head to my room.

Sitting down on the bed to open it. The return address is a PO box, and it’s confusing. So I’m not sure who it’s from.

It’s a set of white lingerie. A note falls out, in Carter’s handwriting.

Laces,

Put this on tonight for our Face Time session. I have a surprise for you tonight.

(And I’m not just talking about the lovely new garments I got you )

XOXO, Carter

My heart tumbles as I pull the lingerie out, and I can’t help but smile. It’s white satin with sparkling borders, complete with a little halo. The bottom is a thong in the back, and on the front of the panties says ‘Property of Carter Flynn.’

Grinning broadly, I roll my eyes.

That cocky, cocky man.

Still, after I shower, I slip into the panties. They’re comfortable and I look quite sexy in them, I must admit.

I’ve never been big on sending sexy selfies, but Carter clearly put some thought and research into this outfit, so I decide to indulge him. Putting one arm in front of my breasts, I toss my hair to the side, strike a sexy pose in front of the mirror, and snap a picture.

Lacy: I’m ready for our Face Time session

My nerves race as I stare at the three dots appearing on the phone screen.

Carter: Me too. Give me a sec though

Carter sends a sexy selfie through of him. I gulp.

He’s just out of the shower, his body is glazed with moisture, and I can’t help but stare at the towel wrapped around his waist.

My body heats, and my phone rings.

It’s Carter. I answer it, and he’s Face Timing me from the bathroom.

“Hey,” he says. Before I can say hi, he adds, “Wow. You look incredible right now.”

“Thanks,” I choke out, then squint at the background of the bathroom. “Where are you right now?”

“Hotel. I’m traveling with the team again this week.”

“Oh. I noticed you weren’t at home.”

There’s a pause for a beat as we stare at each other on the screen. Finally Carter breaks the silence. “Let me text you,” he says.

Carter: Hello there Sexy

Lacy: Hi. So…I’m going to be honest. I’m really turned on at the moment. What would you do if you were here right now?

I lay back on top of the bed, waiting for the next text to come through, my nerves firing. When the phone buzzes, I look anxiously at what he writes.

Carter: After ravishing you with kisses, I would fuck you from behind until you came several times. Then i would bring you to your knees, fuck your face for a while, then have you finish me off with your tits while you played with yourself to another orgasm

Lacy: That sounds amazing..

Carter: What can I say I like taking care of my girl

Lacy: I def need that. Deep cock Therapy lol

Carter: Exactly :P. Very therapeutic. What would you do if you could do anything with me right now?

Lacy: I would suck on your cock for a while until it was super hard. Then i would turn over on my knees for you to slide it deep in me hard and fast.. then go down on my stomach for you to lean in to me and I’d grind on you until we both came

Carter: Fuck that’s hot

How horny are you 1-10 right now

Lacy: I’d say 7. I can feel myself getting wet lol.. hbu?

As I consider sliding a finger into my panties so I can stop teasing myself, my phone rings and I pick up.

“Hey again,” Carter says in a low growl.

“Hey,” I say, swallowing a lump in my throat. “Decided you wanted to switch to a phone chat?”

“I thought the sexting would be fun while I got ready…but it ended up just distracting me. And I needed to hear your voice.”

“Me too. Too bad you’re not here, though. So we could do all of this for real,” I tease.

“So that’s all you need to be happy?” Carter asks. “Just me to be there for real?”

I shrug. “Well, maybe that and a pizza. I’m hungry all of a sudden.”

Carter snaps his fingers. “Too bad I’m not a genie.”

I laugh. “Seriously though, I should go.”

“Good night, Laces. Good luck finding that pizza. I hear New York restaurants close pretty early.”

“If by early you mean, they’re open twenty-four seven, absolutely. Good night, Carter.”

I sigh when I hang up, and lay my cheek against the pillow.

My heart tumbles, and I flip on a different mix on my Spotify.

The corny love song mix.

The first song that comes on, Tie Me Down by Gryffin, Elley Duhé is perfect.

This is what falling in love feels like.

This is what falling in love should feel like: full of pleasure, filled with hope for the future. Knowing I can tell Carter any dirty thought I’m having, and he’d never judge me.

I send Carter a quick message.

Lacy: I thought of something. You should tie me up next time. I liked when you did the bed post thing last summer.

My skin tingles as I hit send. The message is read and I see the three dots appear almost instantly, telling me Carter is typing.

Carter: You don’t have to ask me twice. Also…did you order that pizza yet?

Lacy: I can’t wait. And no, I didn’t order it.

Carter: Good. Don’t

I bite my lip, confused.

Lacy: Why not? I’m hungry

I notice Carter starts, then stops writing his response to me several times, but even after a few minutes, there’s no response.

I send an additional question mark, but it goes unread.

After listening to a few more songs on my playlist in bed, I throw on some pajamas, get up and head to the kitchen, thinking maybe I’ll just grab a snack.

The buzzer sounds, and I squint as I press down on the intercom.

“Hello?”

A man with a deep voice and a heavy Brooklyn accent answers. “Yeah I’ve got your pizza delivery here.”

“I didn’t order any pizza,” I respond.

“Are you Lacy Benson?” the voice says.

“Yes, but I…”

“It’s for you,” the voice says.

Suspicious, I head down the stairs to the outside door to see who is there.

Goosebumps make my skin tingle when I see Carter standing outside with a black baseball cap.

I open the door with an ear-to-ear grin.

“Can I help you?” I say in a cheeky tone.

Carter smirks.

“Special delivery.”

Stepping into the doorframe, he presses me against the wall and wraps me up with a kiss.

Butterflies swarm in my chest—the good kind this time.

The smell of pizza fills the staircase as we head upstairs.

“I thought you said you were traveling with the team,” I say as Carter comes inside.

“I was,” he grins, setting the pizza down on the kitchen table. “We were in Philadelphia yesterday. So today I decided to fly up here and grab an Airbnb close by you so I could surprise you.” He puts a hand on my hip as I bite into a piece of pizza. “Are you surprised?”

I nod. “Very surprised. Well done.”

We collapse on the couch, watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones, and joke about it.

“Admit it. You would totally have dated Jon Snow,” Carter chides.

I shrug. “I mean, is there any question? He’s the hottest guy on the show.”

“I’d totally be with the Wildling girl. She’s so cute. And at the same time, a badass,” Carter says, running his hand along my leg.

I bat my eyes toward him. “What kind of sex do you think Jon and the Wildling had?”

“Oh, I’m sure they got into some fun, freaky stuff. I bet Jon ties her up.” He wiggles his eyebrows, and then leans toward me and whispers. “Like I’m going to do with you later tonight.”

My cheeks heat up when he says that. After the delivery boy prank tonight, it had totally slipped my mind how I’d just admitted to Carter I wanted to be tied.

I watch as he pulls out a long rope. “Turns out, great minds think alike.”

Taking my hand, he leads me to the bedroom.

In the bedroom, Carter tells me to lay down on my back, then strips my pajamas off of me, so I’m just wearing the ‘Property of Carter’ black and white panties.

“I like it when you tell me your dirty little fantasies,” Carter grits out.

“I like it that you don’t judge me. Sometimes I feel silly when I say the things that pop into my head.”

Carter arches an eyebrow. “What other things pop into your head?”

“Lots of things,” I say as Carter drags the rope up my thigh. “I’ll reveal them to you slowly. You’ve got to earn my fantasies.”

Standing up, Carter takes off his shirt and jeans, leaving him just in his boxers. “I’d like that. I think this one will keep us occupied for quite some time. There are many different ways I can tie you up.”

Writhing against the top of the covers, I feel my body heating up again. It’s almost unfair how turned on Carter can make me with just his sexy stare.

“You decide,” I answer.

Laying down next to me on the bed, Carter kisses me tenderly for a few moments, then whispers in my ear.

“Lie on your belly.”

I twist, and feel Carter bring my wrists together, then takes a few minutes to work them into an intricate knot.

“Can you get out from that?” he asks when he’s done.

I feel around the knot, attempting to twist my fingers around the rope and loosen it.

“I don’t think so.”

“Try,” he says, running a hand down my back. “I’ll be right back to give you a minute.”

For the next couple of minutes, I fiddle with the rope, but to no avail.

A few minutes later, Carter comes back in with the pizza.

“For after,” he says, putting it on my dresser.

“I can’t undo the knot. It’s too complicated,” I admit, then grin. “I guess you’ll have to punish me.”

“Guess so,” Carter bellows, and I see him take his boxers off. Getting in bed, he kneels with one leg on either side of me. He continues: “Lucky for you, you were a good girl and put these on right away.”

Carter’s hand strokes my clit through my panties.

“I did,” I purr, feeling a hazy pleasure course through me as he reaches under the cloth to touch my flesh. “I like the outfit. I want to wear it as often as I can.”

“Why?” he asks. “Be honest.”

I swallow, trying to focus as he rubs my clit. “Because I like being yours. Especially now that I trust you.”

He pauses the stroking motion. “You didn’t trust me before?”

“I wasn’t sure if I could,” I admit. “But now I do, and I’m enjoying being yours.”

“Fuck, I love hearing you say that,” Carter growls. He slips my panties off, positions his body behind me, and pulls me up by my hips. Since my hands are tied, I press my cheek into the pillow.

He holds my tied hands, and I feel his hard tip rub against my slit.

“I love that it’s the truth,” I mewl.

Carter rubs his cock against my opening back and forth a few more times, then pushes inside just a little.

“Mmmm,” I moan.

He goes in and out of me with shallow strokes, rubbing against my clit.

“Stop teasing me. I know you can go deeper.”

“Nope,” he growls. “That’s as deep as I go.”

In the corner of my eye, I see a snide grin on Carter’s face.

“Liar,” I belt out, and right as I say the word, he pushes all the way inside me with his full hard length.

“Oh, yes. God that’s good,” I say, my voice hoarse sounding.

Carter thrusts into me, slow for a few minutes, teasing me. My skin tingles all over as he slides in and out of me.

Growling, he ratchets up the intensity, and pulls my upper body up off the pillow with my hands.

I arch my back into him, he thrusts his hips at me, and we writhe in sync, our bodies fusing into one.

“Fuck yes,” Carter growls as he pushes deep into me, and I clench as my orgasm rocks through me.

I moan—loudly—still feeling his power behind me as he takes me.

His hands fiddle with the knot, and next thing I know he’s undone the rope. After he pulls out, he spins me around, and pushes back inside.

For the next hour, he screws me in so many ways and I come so many times I start to think I’m living in a dream.

“Carter,” I whisper in his ear, gripping his thick hair with my hand. “Come. Please.” My tone is desperate.

“Where?” he grits out.

“Inside me.”

I feel his cock shake inside me as he comes.

He grips my hands and kisses my neck, our sweat-glazed bodies sticking to each other. Finally, Carter pulls out.

I stare at the ceiling with wide eyes as I take deep breaths. “That was on another level.”

“I know,” Carter says, propping his body up on his elbows.

Just then, there’s a knock on the door.

“Hey Lacy,” It’s Lance. “Did you get pizza? It smells good in here.”

Still dizzy from the sex, I stand up. So does Carter. He throws on the nearest piece of clothing he can find, one of my bathrobes. I put on his basketball shorts and his t-shirt.

“Lacy? You there?” Joseph says this time, and he knocks again. “I swear, I heard you singing.”

“Just a second,” I say.

Carter and I look at each other and crack up that we’re wearing each other’s clothes.

Shrugging, Carter opens the door.

“Hey guys,” he says.

Lance and Joseph stand there with wide eyes. “Oh. Hi Carter. Why are you wearing…” Lance trails off when he sees me. “Ah, I see. You two are doing like…a clothing exchange?”

Carter winks. “We’re getting a little freaky with our role playing tonight. You guys should try it some time.”

They both laugh. “You obviously haven’t told him about dress-up night?” Joseph asks me.

I shake my head. “I thought you wanted to keep that secret.”

“What the hell is dress-up night?” Carter asks.

“Like we said, it’s a secret,” Lance says.

Carter nods, then spins around and picks up the half-eaten box of pizza on my dresser. “Well if I give you some pizza, will you tell me?”

“You drive a hard bargain,” Joseph says. “But I think we can work something out.”

We all head out into the living room, sit on the couch, and eat pizza while Lance and Joseph tell us all about dress-up night. It involves Lance pretending he’s a billionaire in a suit, and Joseph happening to stumble into a hotel bar late at night.

By the time they’re done explaining it, I’m in stitches laughing. We all are.

I lean back into Carter, cuddling into him on the couch.

Carter’s phone buzzes on the coffee table, and he checks it, then puts it back down.

“Who’s that?” I ask.

“My coach,” he says.

“Oh. Okay.”

And for the first time, I feel like we’re not dealing with some crisis.

We’re just a couple.

A very happy couple.

I smile wryly to myself thinking about what my panties say. Lance squints at me.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” I smirk, sinking my head into Carter’s shoulder. “Absolutely nothing.”

But I notice he puts his phone down, screen-facing-down.

I’m a screen facing up person, and that eats at me.

But I don’t say anything.