Chapter 12

June

“Sign this.” I slap the expense report down on Carter Abraham’s desk, and he sighs as he raises his pen to the paper. As soon as the last stroke of his signature is down, I whisk it away and put it into the appropriate file.

“Is that it?” There’s a hopeful, puppy dog kind of look in Carter’s eyes as he asks, and I can’t help but smile with relief as I nod.

“That was the last of it,” I say. “I think we might actually be done for the day.”

Carter lets out a deep, pleasurable sigh that makes my ears turn pink as he leans back in his chair.

“Thank fuck,” Carter swears.

While I’m not exactly the cussin’ type, after the day we’ve had, I’m inclined to agree.

“Everyone else gone?”

I nod again, popping myself up on the corner of his desk and running my fingers through my hair. “We’re the last here.”

“Then this calls for a drink.” Carter says it with that masculine certainty that doesn’t allow for argument. He produces a bottle of chilled wine from beneath his desk. “Half glass or whole?”

I exhale with whimsical delight. “Do you even have to ask?”

Carter’s eyes twinkle with mischief and amusement. “Whole bottle it is, then.”

He twists open the cork with dramatic flair as I giggle, still perched on the desk with my legs crossed.

He crouches down and retrieves two wine glasses from the bottom drawer of his very expensive-looking mahogany desk.

“Do you really have wine glasses in stock just so they can be right on hand in your office desk?” I cackle.

Carter grins and tosses me a wink. “Always be prepared. That’s my motto.”

“That’s a wise phrase to live by,” I say in a flirty voice. I relish the refreshing glug sound the wine makes as it hits the bottom of the glass.

“Say when,” Carter says, eyes on me as he pours in the Merlot.

I don’t want to get sloppy, so I stop him about halfway up.

“That’s enough.” I nod to confirm.

“For now.” He is giving me a deviously handsome smile.

“You always want to bring out my naughty side.”

I’m in a giddy mood, and I have a feeling the alcohol currently rolling down my throat and soaking into my bloodstream is going to magnify that state of mind.

Carter leans in so ridiculously and intoxicatingly close that I can smell his cologne. It fills my nose with desire.

“Today has been hell,” I admit. I glance outside to the bustling city streets below.

There’s a siren wailing in the distance, and the lights from the buildings twinkle like stars to illuminate the city in a fuzzy glow.

“One of the busiest I’ve seen in a while,” Carter admits.

I heave a dramatic sigh.

“Well,” I say, raising my wine glass, “cheers to job security, I guess.”

Carter chuckles, a deliciously sexy sound.

“To job security and new beginnings.”

“Ah,” I say with surprise. “There’s a statement I can get on board with. A bright future.”

“With fantastic sex,” Carter adds.

The wine is giving me a warm feeling as I giggle. It’s almost as if I can actually feel my inhibitions sliding out the window.

“The night is young,” Carter states with bold confidence that makes me curl with jealousy.

Why can’t I have strong self-assurance like him? I watch as he emerges from behind his desk and walks over to the window.

“It makes you feel so small…” he says and trails off, entranced by the city surrounding us.

I laugh.

“You should witness the pastures at night out on the farm back home,” I mention.

Carter turns to face me, his face etching with curiosity. “What’s it like there?”

“Worlds away from this,” I chuckle and point out to the vast concrete jungle out the window.

“I can imagine so.” Carter nods in agreement and glances back outside.

“It’s amazing,” I blurt out of nowhere.

Carter looks at me again with intrigue. “How do you mean?”

Shrugging, I smile with the nostalgia, memories rushing back into my mind as if they were floating butterflies tickling my internal senses.

“It’s so quiet and serene, it’s almost...surreal.”

“I would love to visit there someday,” Carter admits.

We stare at each other for a few brief moments, soaking in and absorbing each other’s energy. The sexual chemistry breezes through us like wildfire.

“I used to always love lying under the stars and trying to pick out all the constellations.” I laugh. I don’t know why that memory sticks out and feels like a million years ago. “You have no idea how small you feel until you’re out in the wide, open spaces looking up at the night sky with the galaxy spread like a blanket over the earth.”

Carter stares at me as if he’s glowing with approval. His gaze is spellbound and remains locked on me for so long that I begin to squirm with self-consciousness.

“What?” I glance at him and chuckle anxiously.

His captivating and intensely blue eyes finally break away, but they’ve already bore a hole right through me.

“Nothing.” He smiles and looks down, chuckling softly. “It’s just…I’ve never met a girl like you.”

“I hope that’s a good thing.” I smirk with playful enthusiasm.

He takes my hand. It feels strong, burly, and warm.

“Yes. Take it as a compliment, June. You are a beautiful girl, inside…and out.”

I blush, and my heart flips. It’s almost as if my legs turn to jelly and the liquid running through my veins makes me tipsy.

I’m not drunk, by any means. However, the alcohol is definitely breaking my walls, and I can’t control it when I begin to naturally let my guard down.

“I bet it was fun growing up on a farm.” Carter looks at me and gives me a tender smile.

I shrug.

“It was nice, for sure. There are pros and cons to it. If I’d had a mother, it would have been a little better, though.”

Carter’s eyes fill with recognition.

And pain.

“Your mother died?” he asks in a faint, barely audible whisper.

“Yeah…” I say with chagrin. “Of cancer when I was a little girl.”

“I’m so sorry to hear that.” Carter turns to face me.

He runs a sultry yet caring hand through my hair.

Goosebumps spike and prickle my skin at his touch.

That touch, I can’t describe what about it exactly, but it’s filling me with astounding amounts of sexual heat.

“I lost my mom, too,” Carter admits, and I see the sorrow flood his face.

“Really?”

I don’t know why I’m so surprised. It’s not likely that he would make something like that up.

“Yeah...” He nods and trails off. “She died while giving birth to me and my brother.”

I take a moment to search for the perfect words, but they just aren’t coming.

I do feel sorry for him, too, I really do. At the same time, I just don’t want to talk any more about my mother’s passing.

I’m not in the mood to dig through those feelings right now. I want to keep the mood light.

I don’t want to wallow in sadness and drink myself into a pitiful oblivion.

Walking back over to the desk, I graze my fingertips against his keyboard.

“I’ve always wanted to be a mother.”

I let the revealing words slip from my tongue without caution.

Carter’s eyes are burning a hole through me again, and I’m scared to look up at him.

“I have the perfect solution for that,” he offers.

I chuckle at the irony. “Is it simple?”

I finally meet his gaze.

He’s trying to be nonchalant about the whole situation, I just know it. He shrugs, playing into the spirit of his personality.

“As long as we keep it uncomplicated.”

His grin is infectious, and soon I find myself beaming, too. It’s not because I’m agreeing with his offer, though.

It’s because he’s so darn cute.

It’s ambitious of me to believe that all my problems can be fixed by having a baby. But on the other hand, I have no proof that it wouldn’t work, either.

Carter is scrutinizing my reaction. I can tell by the way he’s narrowing his eyes on me.

“Sign the contract, and I’ll make you a mother.”

I take a deep breath and plop down into his office chair, molding myself into it.

“You’re a handsome guy,” I reveal.

“Tell me something I don’t know,” he jokes while running a hand through his sexy, dark hair.

I giggle. His sense of humor is amusing, and sex with him is amazing…but is it enough to build the foundation for a lifetime of happiness?

“So, what’s the catch?” I ask.

“There’s no catch,” Carter frowns.

“No, I mean…why don’t you just find a girlfriend and settle down?” I want to say I suspect that there’s more to this story than he lets on, but I’m afraid to go that far.

“It’s…complicated.” He chuckles nervously and shoves his hands into the pockets of his pants. He begins pacing back and forth between the desk and the window.

“I’ve got all the time in the world.” I sit up straight and act as if I’m settling in for a marathon movie-watching session or something.

Carter looks conflicted and groans. “I’ve had my heart broken, too.”

I click my tongue. “It’s a cruel world out there.”

That makes him laugh.

“Being raked over the coals emotionally has stunted my relationship goal-oriented growth,” he admits.

“Join the club,” I giggle and take another smooth sip of my wine.

“I got cheated on.” His confession comes complete with a stone-faced glance in my direction.

“Let’s drink to the people who screwed us over…literally.” I raise my glass again.

“I’ve had an enormously difficult time allowing myself to grow close to another female ever since,” Carter admits, his voice full of regret.

I understand his desire to keep people at arm’s length, especially girls. I’ve been through the same type of pain as he has. It’s almost mystical how alike Carter and I are—we’ve shared a lot of the same hardships, and it seems too uncanny to be coincidental.

What if fate is bringing me to him for a reason? I have to keep my mind open to the possibility that there’s more than meets the eye to the universe’s plan for me.

“Well, you’re certainly young, rich, and good looking.” I grin at him. “You’re the perfect candidate, ideal in every way.”

Carter leans in and the burst of electric energy inside of him is rubbing off on me.

“So, what’s the problem then?” he asks in a high, anticipating voice that’s out of character for his usual cool, calm, and confident personality.

We stare at each other for what seems like an eternity. I know exactly what is happening here. We are sizing each other up, internally weighing the options against the good and the bad.

I don’t know what compels me to do what I do next. The bravery inside of me begins to stir. The more I learn about Carter, the more I like him.

My hand picks up the pen laying on his desk beside the contract. My mind isn’t doing the work here, I’m deliberately acting with my heart instead.

In an instant, my signature strokes against the page. It glistens up at me as I stare at it, in awe of what I’ve just done.

Carter is grinning wildly as he approaches me with a careful stride. His eyes stay on mine as he gently pulls the wine glass out of my hand and delicately places it on the desk beside me.

“Was the wine good?” he asks seductively.

I nod. “Yes, I enjoyed it very much.”

My heart is racing, beating like a kettle drum through my chest. Suddenly, I feel very hot…

“Good.” Carter’s eyes glaze over with lust that’s hard to deny and impossible for him to hide. “It’s the last alcoholic drink you’re going to have for a while.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

He smiles with his eyes, brightening the room.

“I’m putting a baby in you. Tonight.”