Chapter Fourteen
“I’ve never been so terrified in my life,” Eliza said as she finished recounting the events of the previous evening to Trish. She leaned in against Carter, who sat on the loveseat by her side, and snuggled Audrey close. “If Carter was human, we’d both be dead now. The bullets he took would have killed a lesser man.”
“It takes more than a few piddly little twenty-two bullets to bring down a bear,” Carter argued. “All I needed was a blood transfusion and a chance to shift a couple of times and I was as good as new. The real trial was dealing with the city cops. What a bunch of assholes. Even with all the evidence on our side, it still took them forever to admit they were looking at a clear case of self defense.” He put his arm around Eliza and lightly caressed the side of her bruised and battered face. “I just wish my healing abilities extended to you. I’d like to bring that SOB back to life and kill him again for what he put you through.”
Eliza touched the swollen and bruised skin around her eye. She looked like hell, but she’d survived. “At least it’s over now.”
“Well, that’s the craziest shit I’ve ever heard, but thank goodness you’re both all right.” Trish’s gaze shot to Audrey. “Whoops. Sorry about that.”
Eliza waved off her concern. “Don’t worry about it. I’m sure she’s heard worse.”
“I bet,” Carter teased. “Some situations call for a little profanity.”
Trish rolled her eyes at her son. “You would say that since you curse like a sailor.”
“I’m a grown man. I can cuss if I want.”
Trish shook her head. “Just wait until the first time your kid repeats one of those bad words. I bet you’ll change your tune then, mister.” She turned her attention to Eliza. “You sure you want to tie yourself to this one. He’s stubborn as a mule and twice as ornery.”
Eliza couldn’t help but smile at the banter between mother and son. “Yeah. My heart was pretty set on him even before he rushed to my rescue last night. I think I can overlook a few minor flaws in his personality.”
“Hey now,” Carter replied. “I’ll have you know, I’m a great catch, the perfect mate for you.”
“Yeah,” she agreed. “You really are.” She rested her head on his shoulder, so thankful to be alive and have the chance at a new start with the man beside her.
“And on that note, I think it’s time for me to head out.” Trish stood. “Are you sure you don’t want me to watch after Audrey so the two of you can get some rest?”
“We’ll be fine,” Eliza said. Sleep sounded like heaven after the stress of the previous evening and being up all night long while they were dragged from the hospital to the police station, but she couldn’t bear the thought of being away from Audrey right then. “Thanks for the offer though.”
“All right. I’ll let myself out and pop back around later to check on you.”
“Thanks Mom,” Carter called out.
After Trish left, they stayed put, content just to be near each other. Eventually, the bubble burst. Audrey got hungry and started to fuss. Eliza carried her into the kitchen to feed her and Carter stepped out to make some calls and check on his business.
When he came back in, they ate an early dinner together and vegged out in the living room to watch TV and play with Audrey. Eliza’s inner turmoil crested and receded like the tide. Although she was so thankful to be alive and well and with her family, her thoughts kept turning back to what might have happened the night before. She couldn’t believe how close she’d come to losing everything thanks to one lunatic’s bigotry. If he’d succeeded in his mission to punish her for loving those he deemed sinful, her death would have left Audrey motherless and Carter without a mate.
As if sensing her anxiety, Carter scooted a little closer on the sofa until their thighs touched. She glanced over at him and felt her heart skip a beat. Love for him bubbled over inside of her and made her thoughts take an intimate turn. Her palms itched to reach out for him, but she knew once she got her hands on him, things would escalate quickly. It was smarter to wait until after the baby went down for the night before she crawled into his lap and demanded what she wanted. She yearned to feel his strong arms wrapped around her, to taste his lips, and feel their bodies connect on a deeper level, like two puzzle pieces interlocking to complete each other.
Despite giving Audrey all her attention and trying to think of other things, the natural urge to be with Carter, to reassure herself they were both alive and well besieged her and wouldn’t be denied.
Just when she feared her control would snap, Audrey began to yawn and rub her eyes. Eliza breathed a sigh of relief and got up to start her daughter’s bedtime routine. “Looks like someone’s getting sleepy,” she told Carter. “I’m going to give her a bath and put her down for the night.”
He stood and rubbed his hand over her back. “Need help?”
“Nah. I can handle it.” She gazed up at him, took in his nearness and the casual touches, and realized he probably felt the same pressing need to stay close. “Actually, you could fix a bottle while I give her a quick bath, if you don’t mind.”
“Sure. I’ll do that and bring it to you.”
“That’d be great. Thanks.” She kissed his cheek and headed down the hall with Audrey. It only took a minute to fill the baby bathtub and settle Audrey in the warm water. She kicked and splashed, babbling happily as Eliza washed and rinsed her.
Carter came into the bathroom while Eliza was drying Audrey off. He stood back and waited while she rubbed the baby down with soothing bedtime lotion and redressed her in clean footie pajamas. Once she was finished, she carried Audrey into the darkened bedroom for her nightly bottle. Carter sat beside them and silently watched as Eliza fed the baby and rocked her to sleep.
Afterward, they exited the bedroom together. Eliza left the door ajar so she could hear Audrey if she woke up. They’d barely made it into the hallway before Carter had her back against the wall and his mouth over hers. She gasped into his mouth and then threw herself into the kiss, giving him her all. He tasted so good and felt so right pressing against her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him, while the kiss went on and on. Her head spun and her body quickened, her breasts aching where they pressed against his hard chest. Warmth filled her core in preparation for him.
He ran his hands down her back, over her butt, and lifted her off her feet. She moaned at his display of strength and wound her legs around his waist. He kissed the corner of her mouth, her cheek, and then ran kisses down her throat. She tilted her head to the side to give him more room to work and closed her eyes, relishing the feel of his warm mouth skimming over her skin. She buried her fingers in the hair at his nape and tightened her thighs around him.
He nipped at her earlobe. “Let me claim you tonight. Tell me you’re ready to be mine forever.”
She opened her eyes and gazed back at him. “I’m already yours.”
He gave a sharp nod and brushed his lips over her temple and cheek in kisses as soft as butterfly wings. “I won’t ever let anyone hurt you again.”
The vow wasn’t a new one. He’d spent most of the evening murmuring similar promises to her. “It wasn’t your fault.”
He buried his face against her neck and nuzzled the curve of her throat. “I should have protected you.”
“You did.” She peppered kissed over his forehead and the side of his face, lingering over the corner of his mouth. “I wouldn’t be here without you.”
He ran his nose along her jaw, scenting her. “You’re everything to me,” he whispered, and slanted his lips over hers once again. Talking flew out the window as passion flared between them.
His grip on her ass tightened and then he was moving, spinning around with her in his arms, and striding into the guest room across the hall. He didn’t stop kissing her and she trusted him not to let her fall. Within seconds, he was laying her down on the bed and following her down, stretching out on top of her as if he belonged there. Maybe he did. All she knew was the undeniable urge to get as close to him as humanly possible. She wanted to make love with him and have him claim her, binding the two of them together tighter than Spanx.
He ran his lips down her throat and nipped at her collarbone. “Mmm… You smell so good.”
“You do, too.” He always smelled delicious, all musky and manly, with a hint of whatever sporty deodorant he used. It made her want to snuggle up against his chest and just breathe him in. She slid her hands beneath his shirt and up the smooth, muscular planes of his back. She tugged at the fabric, wanting it out of her way. “This needs to go.”
He sat up on his knees between her thighs and pulled the shirt off over his head, uncovering his sexy chest and abs. He smiled down at her, the expression full of wicked intentions. “Your turn.”
Without hesitation, she yanked her blouse off over her head and flung it aside. The faster they shed their clothes, the sooner she’d get what she wanted. “Race you.”
He reached for his belt. “You’re on.”
She popped the button on her pants open and wiggled out of them. Carter stood up in the middle of the bed and shucked his jeans and boxer briefs, leaving him gloriously naked from head to toe. She paused and starred, running her gaze over every luscious inch of him, lingering over the sharp jut of his hips bones and the impressive length of his hard cock.
Carter dropped back to his knees. “Need some help?”
“You distracted me.” She pulled her sports bra off over her head and pitched it at Carter.
He caught the bra and lifted it to his nose as he watched her work her panties over her hips and thighs. Once the fabric hit her knees, he dropped the bra, caught the delicate fabric, and finished removing them. “There. That’s better.”
Feeling impatient and more than a little brazen, she bent her knees and dropped her legs open.
He lowered his gaze and licked his lips. “Damn, Eliza… You’re so beautiful.”
The sincerity in his voice and the blatant appreciation in his eyes made her feel beautiful and cherished, something she’d experienced so rarely before she’d met Carter. She lifted her chin, motioning him closer. “Come here.”
He wasted no time covering her body with his own, resting his weight on his forearms by her head. Using his thumbs, he brushed the hair from her face. “Are you sure this is what you want?”
She looked him square in the eye. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”
He gave a tight nod and kissed her. She wrapped her arms and legs around him and threw her all into returning every slick caress. The kiss went on and on until her head spun and her lungs burned with the need for a deeper breath.
The proof of Carter’s desire for her pressed against her moist center, long and hard, and ready for action. Unable to resist, she reached between them, took him in hand, and guided him where she needed him most. There would be plenty of time for foreplay and slow lovemaking later—a lifetime’s worth—but right now she needed him with an urgency that refused to be ignored for another second.
Carter lifted up just enough to get the right angle and pushed forward, sliding inside her with one long thrust. She threw her head back against the pillow and groaned at how perfect they fit together. He was just large enough to make her delicate muscles stretch to accommodate him, but not so big that taking him hurt.
He peppered kisses across her jaw and down her neck, and rolled his hips, retreating just a little before advancing forward again. She reflexively tightened around him and teased a rumbling chuff from the depths of his chest.
The force behind his thrusts gained momentum, and his rhythm increased, picking up speed until he was pulling almost all the way out and driving back into her with enough vigor to propel them up the bed. All she could do was rock against him and hold on tight. Her entire world shrank to one man and the way he made her feel. In that moment, nothing else mattered.
He shifted to the left and the new angle forced his cock deeper, made him feel larger and harder, and she couldn’t hold back the breathless moan that escaped her lips at how good he felt. His heavy weight and the chiseled planes of his chest and torso pressing down into her soft curves made her feel safe, loved, and so feminine.
He buried his face in the curve of her neck. His hot breath fanned over her skin as he spoke. “I’m so sorry, Eliza…” His hips rotated, grinding into her mound. “I can’t hold back much longer. I need you…too much…”
Snaking her arms around his back, she gripped his taut, flexing buttocks and squeezed, urging him on. “Do it. Take me… Make me yours…”
Firm lips covered hers. His tongue thrust into her mouth at the same time his cock plunged back into her receptive body. Beneath her fingertips his ass hollowed, tensed, and he began a slow and steady rhythm that made her body burn and her heart sing.
Every stroke and drag of his rigid cock in her swollen, sensitive channel fanned the flames of her desire higher, made her soar ever closer to the pinnacle her body struggled to reach. She threw her head back, closed her eyes, and gave in to the sensations bombarding her. With every stroke, every touch, the hot coil of pleasure in her gut wound tighter and tighter. The pleasure was too strong, too much to withstand, and yet something held her back and kept her from reaching the pinnacle.
Carter’s warm, slick tongue coasting over the skin between her neck and shoulder was all the warning she received before sharp fangs pierced her skin. Pain mixed with the pleasure, and her orgasm flashed over her, washing her away on a tide of ecstasy so strong that all she knew, all she felt, were the powerful contractions racking her body and the man she loved holding her tight, keeping her centered so that she didn’t fly apart under the strain of her climax.
Before the final aftershock had ceased, Carter groaned against her skin and thrust deep. Tremors racked his body as he came, spilling inside her. Once he stopped shaking, he turned his head and brushed his lips over hers. She kissed him back, soft and slow, and ran her hands over his back and shoulders, unable to stop touching him.
Finally, he pulled away and gazed down at her. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She cupped his face and lifted up to kiss him again.
He smooched her lips, her cheek, and then eased back and rolled onto his side next to her. She turned to lie facing him and buried her face in his chest, and listened to the rhythmic thump of his heart beating strong and true. His big strong arms wrapped around her, holding her tight, and a sense of peace settled over her. From that moment forward, neither of them would ever be alone again. Regardless of what happened, they would have each other and the family they built together.
For the first time in longer than she could remember, she looked forward to tomorrow and whatever the future had in store for them.