“Woman, this is a crazy amount of computers,” Carter tells me as I hook all my monitors up in my office. He’s not wrong, but for what I do, I need six monitors and more cables than should be deemed legal. It’s a good thing I understand it and love my job.

Since he’s right, I keep quiet, hooking up the machines.

“You gonna leave enough room for my desk?”

I look over to the corner where his desk, bookshelf, and single computer sit. It’s good the space is pretty large, but still … “You may want to move your stuff to your room.”

He lets out a laugh. “Not happenin’.”

Shrugging, I tell him, “Suit yourself.”

He goes to his desk, making his own space, and we work in comfortable silence.

At lunch time, he makes us sandwiches, which we eat out on the back deck. I’ve noted his cell phone rings a lot. He takes the calls outside of the room where I can’t hear. I’m not too sure how I feel about that. I have no right to be jealous about anything, but he does kiss me, give me soft touches, and is exceptionally attentive to me. When I asked who he was talking to, he told me his guys, and I let it rest.

I came here for a fresh start. Suddenly, I have the home of my dreams and possibly the man of my dreams in a package deal. Carter pulls at something inside me, he gives me comfort, and as much as I wonder what he does, who he is, I find that I don’t want him to go away.

For an awkward arrangement, one I’m still not sure about, I find myself becoming settled in it.

“Shouldn’t you be working?” I ask him after we finish eating.

“Took the week off. Wanted to spend it with you.”

“Why?” I sigh. “Carter, this isn’t adding up. I can’t get ahold of my people. The contract is there in black and white, and I have no idea why you would want to live here with me.”

Carter rises, pulls me up from the chair, then his lips are on mine. He takes and takes and takes, demanding more of me with each movement. The kiss consumes me as I fully give in to it, in to him. He sucks all the breath from my lungs, and when he pulls away, I’m a bit light-headed.

“Because, we’re gonna take this time to get to know one another.”

“Normally, people do that without signing a contract saying they have to live with each other.”

“One thing’s for certain, Izzy; I’m not normal.”

You can say that again.

That night, he cooks steaks on my back grill, baked potatoes, and corn on the cob. His meat practically mooed it was so pink, but he ate it all. Carter made mine medium-well, and it was divine. We spent another night on the couch, this time watching movies. Carter changed it up on me, though, by holding me tight.

* * *

“I wonder why the light brown wolf hasn’t come back,” I tell Carter over breakfast a couple days later.

“What do you mean?”

I realize I didn’t tell him of the black wolf coming to me at night. He has every night since the first. I’ve even made it a mission to make sure I’m awake so we don’t miss our time together. I even had this silly notion to let him sleep in the house instead of the cold outside, but I didn’t let into it. He’s a wild animal, after all.

“The black wolf has come every night, but the brown one hasn’t.”

“Do you want the brown one to come?” His question has a hint of suspicion.

“Well, not really. Not like I like the black wolf coming around, but still, if he’s nice, I don’t mind him hanging out with me.”

A low growl comes from Carter.

“Did you just growl at me?”

He says nothing as he goes back to his pile of bacon and sausage. The man can seriously pack on the meat. His body doesn’t show an ounce of it, and the more he doesn’t wear a shirt, the more I don’t want him to wear one. Like, ever.

I drop the growling questions and the conversation.

* * *

“Where are you off to?” Carter asks, coming down the stairs.

My mouth waters at the sight of his sculpted body. It’s something I’ve only read about in books. Which reminds me, I need to find the box for those and unpack them in my office.

“I’m running to the realtor’s office to see what’s going on.” I’ve left messages over the past four days and I’m over it. There is a possibility the man went on vacation or something for the week, but not even his secretary is answering the phone when I was able to get right through before. Something is up, and I need to figure it out.

He stalks my way, lust burning deeply in his eyes. When he reaches me, he encases me in his arms and attacks my lips.

He tastes so good and kisses even better that I fully give in to the feeling.

My core clenches and gives a slight spasm. Carter growls like he felt that movement, clutching me tighter and pressing my breasts tightly to his hard chest. It’s my turn to groan as he takes the kiss deeper, tilting my head.

Carter begins to move us as a haze of desire washes over me, taking me to a level I haven’t ever been on. One where the want is so deep that it scorches my insides and the throbbing ensues.

In the haze of need and desire, the realtor and this arrangement is forgotten. All that remains is Carter and our connection.

I’m tipped over and laid on the soft couch, Carter’s hard body coming down on top of me and pressing me into the cushions. He roams his hands over my body as he settles his hips between my legs, his hard length resting against my core through his jeans. Tingles and then pulses course through my core and into my lower body.

I reach inside Carter’s shirt, skating my hands over his hard, muscular back. Up and down, my nails score him. This does something to him, like igniting a switch. His hips start to move, his cock hitting my clit. The pressure becomes too much, and I have to rip my lips away from his to cry out.

The orgasm is right there, on the cusp, and I reach for it. Beg for it. I want it with everything inside of me. Having Carter here these past few days has been a test of will, and since grabbing my vibrator hasn’t been an option, I need this. I need to be unwound.

“Carter,” I moan, beginning to move my hips in time with his. He moves his lips down my neck, scoring his teeth against the sensitive place between my neck and shoulder. He stops moving his hips, though, so as good as it feels, I can’t get over.

“What do you want, Izzy? I’ll tell you exactly what I want.”

“Please.” The word is breathy. Turned on isn’t in my vocabulary at the moment. More like on fire.

He brings his lips to my ear. “I’m going to eat your pussy until you scream.”

“Oh, God.”

He smirks. “Not God. Carter.”

Carter tears my pants and underwear from my throbbing body, not one bit sweet or slow. He dives between my thighs, licking me from bottom all the way to top, stopping at my clit as it thumps, demanding attention.

Carter nips my clit hard as he sticks two fingers inside of me, filling me and setting off my orgasm. My hips buck up, back arches, and chin lifts as I yell out my release. However, he doesn’t stop. Each touch of his tongue is like a thrashing, as if he can’t get enough of me and I surely haven’t gotten enough of him.

Out of breath, I look into his navy eyes and watch them smolder. Something about seeing him between my legs with that expression sends another bolt of lust through me, dampening my pussy further.

“Shirt off, Izzy.”

With shaky arms, I do just that while he strips out of his clothes. My core clenches at the sight of him, and a low moan comes from my lips.

He removes his shirt and his body is perfection personified. Sculpted abs look like he works out rigorously, and the V that dips down into his jeans is so fierce I just know that what’s under those pants is something that will wreck me. Sure enough when the pants come down, he’s hard and ready.

I know I shouldn’t have sex with him, but damn, my body craves him like a drug. Never have I wanted a man this badly before. Like, if I don’t have him in the next few minutes, I’ll combust.

Carter straddles me at my waist, not putting weight on me. He then places his hand around his very hard, long cock, stroking it up and down. His grip is strong and fierce, and a damn huge turn on, increasing my desire for him.

When I bring my hand up to touch him, he releases himself then positions his hand on top of mine, squeezing him hard, harder than I would have done myself. He shows me exactly what he likes until his head falls back. Meanwhile, it’s taking everything I have not to squirm from the heat building inside of me again. I love this. Love that he does this to me.

“Press those tits together, Izzy.”

I do as he instructs, and then he spits down on his cock before moving the hard length between my breasts. He grips my flesh and presses them together hard, creating a channel for his dick, then proceeds to fuck them, back and forth, shaking the couch.

The tip of him comes close to my lips, so I stick out my tongue and taste him. This spurs him on, and soon, he’s coming all over my chest and chin.

Still hard, he moves back down to my core and feasts on me.

“Fucking love seeing me on you, marking you.” His words rumble against me, sending just the right amount of friction. Then, when he latches on to my clit, I implode, this one much more intense than the first. I scream his name.

He inserts his fingers, pumping me toward another orgasm. My back falls as it wrings every last drop of my energy out of me, which is disappointing because I want more.

Carter drops his body on top of mine, his come sticking between us. Looking into his eyes, I see so much swirling inside of them. I wish I knew what he saw in me, because I feel my heart constricting for this man. I feel like there’s a connection building with these invisible wires connecting us, and it scares the shit out of me.

He kisses me, and I wrap my arms around his neck.

When he pulls away, my heart squeezes. I pull him closer, not wanting this moment to ever go away. We stay like this, staring at one another for so long he begins to embed himself inside me, and that scares the shit out of me, too.