Eight
Natasha
Faint streaks of light coming through the curtains warmed my body. I sighed as I flipped over, my arm landing on something warm and stable. My eyes fluttered open and I found a pair of warm eyes staring back at me.
Warm green eyes and a soft, kind grin.
“Morning,” Carter said.
“I fell asleep,” I said.
“We both did.”
“Are the kids up yet?”
“I don’t hear them,” he said.
“If I get up now, I could get downstairs before they suspect I stayed over.”
Then, like clockwork, I heard the little pitter patter of feet out in the hallway.
“Shit,” I said with a whisper. “They’re up.”
“Stay here,” Carter said. “I’ll get them breakfast and get them to school today. You can sneak out then.”
“I’m so sorry,” I said. “I shouldn’t have fallen asleep.”
Carter leaned over and kissed me, silencing my words and warming my body.
“Never be sorry,” he said. “Last night was…”
My eyes danced between his as I watched a sort of happiness spark behind them. A smile danced across my lips as he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. I turned my face into his palm and kissed it, listening as the energy of his kids quickly began to grow.
“Enjoy the bed,” Carter said. “When we leave, feel free to use whatever you need to clean up.”
Carter leaned over and switched on his bedside lamp. I pulled the comforter up to cover my naked body, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the view. I watched his body get out of bed, seeing it for the first time. His ass was tight and his legs were defined. His back crawled with muscles and his shoulders were broad. He turned to me, his eyes dancing along my exposed leg as I blushed.
But I was studying him, too. Taking in the swell of his chest and his sculpted abs.
And the cock that swung between his legs.
He pulled his robe around him and headed downstairs to take care of the kids. I laid back down in bed as heat poured over my body. I must’ve fallen back asleep, because the next time I lifted my head from the bed I felt Carter’s lips pressing against my cheek.
“Sleep. If you’re still tired, then sleep, Natasha.”
“No, no. I’m okay. How was breakfast?” I asked.
“Good. Clara had a bowl of cereal and the boys wanted to split an omelet. I didn’t even know they ate omelets.”
“I’ve been trying to work other things into their diets,” I said.
“Well, you’re doing a fantastic job,” he said. “They’re in the car. I was simply coming up to make sure you were okay.”
“I’m fantastic,” I said with a grin.
“Good. Then I’ll see you after work.”
I watched him in his tailored suit as he walked down the hallway. I waited until I could hear his car pulling away from the house, then I sprung from bed. I rummaged around the floor for my pants, then pulled my phone out of my pocket.
I texted Emma and told her it was a requirement to do lunch today.
I walked into Carter’s bathroom to freshen up and I was stunned at the decadence of it. He had a jet bathtub as well as a stone-walled walk-in shower. It took me a few times to figure out how to use the thing, but once I got the water going it felt like a waterfall was caressing my body. I stayed in there until the hot water ran out as the steam swirled around my body. I reached for a towel and groaned at how soft it was. It was like wrapping a cloud around my curves.
A hell of a way to wake up.
I stepped out of the shower and gathered my clothes up. I got myself dressed and out the door just as Emma sent me a text back. I was meeting her across town at our favorite sandwich shop and I had no idea how she was going to react.
I still didn’t have any idea on how I should’ve been reacting.
“About damn time you got here,” Emma said.
“I hit every single red light trying to get here,” I said.
“Well my hour lunch just turned into forty-five minutes. I hope you wanted your usual, because that’s what I ordered for you,” he said.
“Then I’ll get to the chase so you can help me out.”
“Oh fuck. What did you do?” she asked
“I slept with my new boss, Emma.”
Our food was sat down in front of us but Emma didn’t even look at it. Her jaw was too busy mopping the floor at her feet. I blushed underneath her gaze and picked up my lemonade, trying to avoid her eyes in the process.
“You what!?” Emma asked.
“Could you be any louder?” I asked.
“Probably! Holy shit, Nat. You slept with the kids’ father? Isn’t that man, like… a millionaire or something?”
“That doesn’t matter. Emma, I don’t do stuff like this.”
“No, you don’t. Ever. You’re the biggest goody two-shoes I know.”
“Thanks. I think.”
“What happened? When? Tell me about it. How was he?” she asked.
“What happened? We had sex, that’s what happened. Last night.”
“Oh shit! You got hickies? Let me see them. I wanna see them, please?”
“No. Emma, I’m freaking out here. What do I do?” I asked.
“Was it good?”
“It was phenomenal.”
“Did he call you or anything afterwards?” she asked.
“Um…”
“Natasha. What?”
“I may or may not have fallen asleep after.”
“That’s fine. Happens to the best of us.”
“In his bed,” I said.
“You slept with your boss and spent the fucking night?”
“Can you keep your voice down?” I asked.
“Man, you bypassed the traps in the tunnel and went straight for the holy grail, didn’t you?” she asked.
“What do I do?”
“What do you mean ‘what do you do’? Was he upset or weird when you two woke up?”
“No. He was actually kind of sweet,” I said.
“Sweet how?”
“He told me to stay in bed so he could get the kids to school. You know, so they didn’t know I slept over. He came and kissed my forehead before he left, and he told me to use whatever I needed to clean up.”
“He wasn’t just sweet. He was taking care of you. Natasha. Your millionaire boss was taking care of you after fucking you. He fucked you like a ragdoll, didn’t he?”
“Seriously?”
“Oh, I want details. My love life’s shit right now, so you’re going to spill them,” she said.
“No, I’m not. You know I don’t kiss and tell.”
“You usually don’t kiss, period. Come on, give me something. How many times did you cum?”
“Emma, come on,” I said.
“Answer the question and I’ll get off it.”
I sighed and held up the number ‘two’ and Emma began to squeal. She clapped her hands and wiggled around in her seat like someone had just told her the secret to living a perfect life. I rolled my eyes and sipped on my drink, leaving my sandwich untouched. I wasn’t hungry, even though I knew I should’ve been.
“So, how does it feel?” Emma asked.
“How does what feel?” I asked.
“To do something scandalous?”
“It didn’t feel scandalous. He initiated it and I… wanted it.”
“Such a dirty girl. Do you like him?”
“Of course I like him. He’s a decent guy,” I said.
“No. I mean, do you like him. As in, are you catching feelings for him? Because I know you. You get attached.”
“No, it’s nothing like that. He’s been under a lot of stress at his company and while I love his kids, they’ve been wearing me out.”
“I think you like him.”
“I think you’re reading into this more than you should,” I said.
“I know you better than you know you, Nat. You might not like him now, but you’ve crossed a line neither of you can come back from. Things’ll get steamier and another encounter might happen-”
“I’m not sleeping with him again.”
“Oh. Okay. You’ll cut off nice sex just like that with a sexy ass millionaire, because we can all do that.”
“If you’re going to keep calling him that, then at least get it right. Carter Marshall has a multibillion-dollar company. Not million.”
“Oh… sorry,” Emma said mockingly.
I rolled my eyes as I picked up half of my sandwich. The last thing I needed to tell Emma was that I was harboring feelings for Carter. Things with us felt natural. This past month and a half with watching his children felt more like a family dynamic than a work one. He was kind, and we had spent many nights talking over wine after he helped me bed down the kids. They were lovely and always kept me on my toes, and I enjoyed the time I spent with them.
All of them.
It reminded me of the family I wanted to have someday.
But I wasn’t sure where to go from here. Did I tell Carter how I was feeling? Was last night a one-time deal? Surely he didn’t expect to keep things going. He was a busy man with three children who had lost a wife. He probably wasn’t expecting to get into a relationship ever again. Not after that kind of tragedy. And I got it. I really did. I slept with nightmares every night because of what happened in Africa. And I sure as hell wasn’t about to indulge him in that to try and cultivate a relationship with him.
Except last night.
I didn’t have nightmares last night.
“How are you liking your new apartment?” Emma asked.
“Huh?”
Her voice ripped me from my trance and I found her grinning.
“Wipe that thing off your face,” I said.
“You were thinking about him, weren’t you?” she asked.
“No.”
“You were thinking about that thick cock of his, weren’t you?”
“Emma, shut up.”
“His lips on your neck.”
“I hate you,” I said.
“Is he a talker in bed? Or a silent sort of grunter?”
“Can I get a to-go box, please?” I asked.
“Make that two. I gotta get back to work,” she said.
I hugged Emma’s neck and waved as she hopped into a cab. I had thirty minutes before I needed to go get Clara from school. I got into my car and nibbled on my sandwich as my mind drifted back to last night.
Was it a coincidence that I hadn’t had a nightmare while sleeping next to Carter?
I didn’t know, and something told me I wouldn’t get a chance to test my theory again.