“I’m trying to take it easy on you, because I don’t want to hurt you and I have no fucking clue as to what you have and haven’t done. What you’re used to and what you like.” Now she did turn to face him, finding his emerald green eyes fixed on her. “I’m going on instinct, on those sexy little moans and whimpers that I love hearing you make. Then you scare the shit out of me—” He shook his head. “—Christ. I’m inside of you—you’re tight as hell…wet as hell—and we’re having a fucking conversation, instead of …fucking. Help me out here.”

She moved her hips and he slid in deeper, a low rumble coming from his throat. Gazing into his eyes, she managed a smile. “I wanted you to slow down, because I haven’t had sex since Trent and I broke up.”

“Ah, hell.” He moved his hand to her face, running his knuckles over her cheek. “That’s a long time.”

His touch made her feel all vulnerable. When he kissed the tip of her nose, she felt positively special, which was flat out stupid and dangerous to her well-being. “Don’t feel too bad for me. I do have B.O.B.”

A crooked grin replaced his look of tenderness. “Think I can give ole’ B.O.B. a run for his money?” He began to move his hips and dipped his head, brushing her lips. “I don’t require replacement batteries.”

Giggles escaped her mouth before she could help it, then full blown laughter. That is, until he tugged her nipple into his mouth and sucked. His large, callused hand on her hip held her in place while he worked his way inside of her. Letting her thighs fall open, she jolted when he went deeper.

“There you go. Fuck me back,” he growled, slipping his hand under her. His fingers dipped between her cheeks, teasing that very private area that she’d allowed no man to ever explore. “You like that?”

“Maybe,” she said in a breathless rush. The tip slid inside and her eyes widened, little sparks of pleasure and pain radiating from that very spot. “Oh!”

“Trust me,” he said, his voice low and dark.

Trust him? Of course she trusted him. She loved Carter. Her heart beat out the syllables of his name. And now that he was inside of her, making her body crave him more than ever, she was going to be a mess when things between them ended. Things would end.

She wrapped her legs around his waist, crossing her feet at the ankles, and was rewarded with a hard thrust that she felt from head to toe. In fact, her toes curled so hard that they popped.

His thrusts became steady, his finger teasing her and going deeper until she didn’t care where he put anything as long as he didn’t stop.

He coaxed her lips open, mimicking what his cock was doing to her with his tongue. She curled her own around it, eliciting a growl from him. Tearing his mouth away, he removed his finger and planted an elbow on each side of her.

“You’re squeezing my dick so tight,” he said, his movements relentless and precise. Every forward roll of his hips, sent his groin in direct contact with her clit, until her entire being focus on that. “Never felt anything so good.”

“I need—” Another roll of his hips and she let out a strangled cry. “Please.”

“Know what you need, Melanie.” He bit down hard on her shoulder and ground against her.

Pleasure and pain crashed inside of her, blending until she didn’t know where one stopped and the other began. She went over the edge, crying out Carter’s name, God’s and who knew what else.

Her eyes closed as he picked up the pace, prolonging her orgasm until he pushed himself deep inside of her. “Oh fuck,” he growled as he came.

For long minutes, she held him in her arms, stroking his back and placing kisses on his neck. So overwhelmed by what had happened, she almost said ‘I love you’ right then and there. But something, mostly the almost absolute knowledge that Carter didn’t feel that way about her, kept her lips sealed tight.

“Next time,” he began and her heart, already beating at a frantic pace, took off. “I see Trent, I’m going to buy him a beer, then beat his ass for hurting you.”

That crazy heart of hers did cartwheels. She was surprised the poor thing hadn’t given out. “Trent’s in jail, so you’ll have to get in line.”

Carter blinked. In jail? Where did Melanie meet these guys? “Do I need to pick your next boyfriend, because your taste in men sucks.” He regretted the words as soon as the left his mouth.

Her hands froze on his back. “Very funny,” she said on a laugh. Only that laugh of hers sounded fake as hell, and it was all his fault.

Dammit.

He needed some time to think. He’d just broken his own rule about getting involved with Melanie. Hell, he’d done more than get involved…he’d most likely just had the best sex of his life with her.

“Sorry. I was out of line.” Sorry was quickly becoming his go-to word when it came to Melanie, which made him feel like a complete jackass.

“That’s okay.” But he knew it wasn’t, not by a country mile.

Refusing to look at her, because he didn’t want to see the hurt in her eyes, he eased out of her tight heat. Rising to his feet, he left her room in search of the bathroom. After he disposed of the condom and washed his hands and face, he stared at his reflection in the mirror.

“Pansy-assed coward,” he muttered.

He had no choice but to make things right between them. Whatever that entailed. Although she had said she wanted to keep things secret. Maybe even casual. For once the thought of being some woman’s booty call didn’t appeal to him. But he chalked that up to the whole Melanie dynamic.

Knowing her since they were kids didn’t help things. It only made this entire situation murky. Maybe it would be for the best if this was a one-time thing. Something impulsive and sexy as hell, but incredibly stupid.

And maybe he should have thought of that before he driven here tonight.

He found her in tucked in bed, wearing his t-shirt as she slept the sleep of the fully satisfied. Guess he’d talk to her in the morning. Pulling the covers back, he joined her. A little breathy sigh leaving her as she scooted her ass up to his groin. He threw an arm and leg over her, completely aware of how perfectly they fit together.

Oh hell, he was in for it now.

Chapter Nine

Daylight streaming through the blinds of her bedroom woke Carter. He blinked and rubbed his eyes. Looking down at the woman sleeping on his chest, he smiled.

Her blonde curls were everywhere. He sifted his fingers through them, breathing in the coconut scent that always accompanied her.

“Morning,” she said, her voice sleepy and cute as hell. She started to slide off of him, but he wrapped his arms around her.

“Morning.” He kissed the top of her head. “How about breakfast in bed?”

“I can whip up some pancakes.” She stretched against him, her breasts straining against his t-shirt.

His cock throbbed, reminding him of exactly what he should be doing with it. “Breakfast can wait.” Though he’d planned on cooking for her, not the other way around. He slipped the t-shirt over her head and rose above her, taking in full breasts and bright pink nipples. “Think I’ll have some dessert first.”

Kissing his way down her stomach, he parted her with two thumbs and her hips jumped. “What are you doing?”

He grinned up at her. “Getting ready to eat.” He slipped a finger inside of her, groaning as her inner muscles clamped down on him. “Where are my manners? Ladies should always be first.” Easing his finger out, he crawled up her body and pushed his finger between her parted lips. “Suck.”

Brown eyes burning with desire closed as her little tongue curled and stroked, licking away her honey from his skin. Her hands came up, pushing against his chest and he fell on his back. She surveyed him with a wicked gleam in her eyes, before she put herself mouth level with his dick.

“Looks like I have entire buffet at my disposal.” Then she opened her sexy lips and took the head of him into her mouth.

“Fuuuck,” he moaned. Not one to just lie there, even with a woman’s mouth on his cock, he fisted his hands in her hair and guided her movements. He couldn’t not watch her head bob up and down.

A little sound of pleasure left her throat and he rocked his hips, sending his cock deeper. Her tongue swiped over his head and he groaned. “Damn, you’re good.” Faster now, he gently pushed and pulled on her hair, setting a rhythm that had him on the edge.

Big brown eyes gaze up at him as her cheeks hallowed.

“I’m going to come, sweetheart.”

Her response was to suck harder and rub his balls. His orgasm shot through him, leaving him with every pull of her hot mouth. She drank him down greedily, her tongue doing things that made his body shake.

“God…fucking…shit,” he growled. Yeah, he didn’t make any sense, but he didn’t give a damn. When he could finally see straight again, she sat up, bare breasts bouncing and nipples begging for his mouth.

“My turn,” she said. Then that sexy woman crawled up his body and sat on his face. Oh yeah, this was exactly what he wanted for breakfast. He spread her, plunging his tongue deep inside and letting all of her honey go down his throat. He licked and sucked and bit until she grabbed the headboard.

A little twist of his lips and she cried out his name. But he didn’t stop. He scraped his teeth over her clit and sucked the swollen flesh into his mouth.

She went wild, bucking against him and screaming.

It had to be the sexiest thing he’d ever seen.

Rolling off of him, she sank down beside him and closed her eyes. “That was—”

“Yeah.”

Lashes lifting, she rolled to her side and traced a pattern on his chest. “Carter, if you’ve got things to do…It’s okay if you leave.”

The relief at her offer of an easy out didn’t come. Instead all he could think about was her sitting by herself at home, or worse, calling his sister and crying. That wasn’t all he thought; he didn’t want to leave. He wanted…her. This.

He dusted his thumb over her pouty lower lip. “Spend the day with me.”

The smile she gave him lit up the room, brighter than the sunshine streaming in. And when she hugged him tight, his heart did a little flip.

Well, shit.

***

Melanie eyed the Mustang parked beside Carter’s garage. There was no way in hell she was going to drive it anywhere. Carter loved that car, more than anything. Or at least he acted like he did.

Carter held open the driver’s side door and gestured for her to get in. “We’re wasting daylight.”

“That’s because someone kept me in bed the entire morning,” she said, her cheeks heating.

He strode from the car, his confident gate sending little bubbles of excitement throughout her body. Wrapping his arms around her middle, he said, “Plan on keeping you in bed this evening, too.”

“Just the bed?” She shivered as he pressed hot kiss along her neck.

“Got some countertops, too. But first”—He pulled her over to the car, practically shoving her inside.“You’re going to drive this car.”

“No.” Even as she said the word, she climbed inside and put on her seatbelt. He closed the door after her and got in on the passenger side. She glanced at the floor and nearly jumped right back out. “I can’t drive stick anymore, Carter, not since I wrecked Ryan Sawyer’s truck.”

A wicked grin kicked up the corners of his mouth. “Hate to argue with a lady, but the things you were doing to me this morning say otherwise.”

Her mouth fell open, cheeks heating to beyond acceptable levels. Flicking her eyes at the review mirror, she wanted to die. Her face was a red as the paint job. Great…just great.

“What if I mess up the car?”

“I’ll be right here with you.” He touched her cheek. “Trust me.”

There he went with those words again. “Okay.”

“Know what to do first?”

“Yes.” Starting up the car or even putting it in reverse wasn’t the problem. It was getting out on Highway Thirteen and putting it into a higher gear. The last time she’d attempted this, she’d down-shifted her dad’s truck some many times that she’d almost stripped the gears and given them whiplash. Her palms began to sweat as she pulled out of the parking lot.

“Doing good, baby.” He placed a warm hand on her thigh, gliding it down over her knee to cover her hand. A hand that had a kung-fu grip on the gearshift. “We’re going to do this together.”

Some of the tension that had worked its way into her shoulders began to fade away as he helped her shift from first to second. “Carter,” she whispered, knowing that her next move was where she had the most trouble.

“Put the pedal to the metal,” he said, his voice so confident that she did exactly what he said. “Ready?”

Don’t close your eyes, she silently reminded herself.

“Don’t close those big brown eyes of yours.”

Together they shifted into to third, then fourth. And the only thing that happened was exactly what should have happened.

She let out a little cheer and Carter squeezed her hand. “You did it.”

“We did it,” she said. There wasn’t anything she couldn’t do with him at her side.

“Fine,” he said and she could hear the smile in his voice. “It was a team effort. Where to next, Miss Smith?”

Grinning she flicked her eyes to him then back at the road. “Wherever the road takes us.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.” Pulling her hand to his mouth, he kissed it. She fully expected him to let it go, but he laced his fingers through hers and every time she had to shift gears, he stayed with her.