As she obeyed him, he pulled down his zipper and moved her dress out of the way. Another adjustment and he lifted her up, shoving his cock deep inside of her. “Hell, yes.”

She rolled her hips, his hands on her breasts, pinching her nipples through the material. “Oh God.”

“Damn, but you make me hot,” he said, his hands coming to rest on her hips and helping her find a rhythm. “That’s it…ride my cock, baby. Love watching you take it.” He smacked her bottom. “This ass of yours, always shaking it at me, like I wouldn’t notice…think you’ll let me fuck you there?”

“Yes,” she moaned, her movements frantic now. “Whatever you want.”

He thrust so hard inside of her that she could practically taste him. “Trent do that with you?”

“What—no, no one.” Trent was the last person she wanted to talk or even think about right now.

“Don’t care really,” he said, his teeth scraping at her neck. “Just want to be the last one.”

“Me, too.” If she had her way and wishes came true, then he’d be her last everything. But what a man said during sex and what he actually meant were always two different things.

Always.

He found her swollen clit, his fingers doing things that had sobbing his name and digging her feet into the floor mats. “Come for me, Melanie,” he said.

Concentrating on nothing but his hands and cock, she let the pleasure build. “Don’t stop, don’t stop,” she chanted.

His breath was harsh in her ears, the hand on her hip holding her so tight that she knew there’d be bruises later. The belt he’d worn dug into her bottom as he moved beneath her, faster and harder until the entire car creaked with their movements.

“Watch me fill you.” Leaning against him, she pulled up her dress and did exactly that. She watched as his cock disappeared inside of her, hitting her in all the right places. She couldn’t stop watching.

He shoved the neckline of her dress down, until her breasts popped out. The little bit of lace covering them seemed to inflame him further. “Need those in my hands.” He tweaked her nipples, making them ache for more. For his mouth and tongue and teeth. “Rub that swollen clit of yours.”

Boldly she touched herself, rubbing and pressing in the exactly the way that would make her come the fastest. “Are…you watching…too?”

“Hell, yes. I don’t know where to look,” he said, nipped at her shoulder. “Spread your legs wider, I need to be deeper.”

Widening her thighs, he went so deep that she jolted at the invasion. “Ugn.”

“Perfect…so fucking perfect with you.” He tugged on her nipples, sending a bolt of pleasure and lust right to where she throbbed and ached. To where everything centered.

To where, just like their first kiss, everything was him. All she breathed, tasted and wanted was Carter. The first sparks of her orgasm made her shake and tremble.

“Come for me.” Then he bit her neck and she came so hard that she screamed and saw stars. Another thrust, then a second and a third, and he joined her, groaning against her back.

When they had both fallen back to earth, he helped her clean up between kisses. His touch was so gentle that she wanted to cry.

“What am I going to do with you?” he asked softly. He brushed a strand of hair out of her face and kissed her cheek.

Love me, she wanted to say. Just love me. Instead she lowered her forehead to his chin and said, “You have to tell your momma why we’re late.”

Chapter Sixteen

“I swear, we almost started without the two of you,” Leah said as Melanie and Carter walked in.

“Sorry, Ms. Leah,” Melanie said, gripping his hand so tight that it almost hurt.

“We had a little car trouble, momma,” Carter said, leaning in to kiss Leah’s cheek. Yeah, that should work. Especially since his mother classified any car not made in the last five years as old.

April narrow her blue eyes at him. “Thought all of Chase’s cars were in great shape.”

Guess it wouldn’t be too gentlemanly of him to say something along the lines of ‘You should know since you fucked Chase in all of them’? “Is that your professional opinion?”

Melanie loosened her fingers from his grip and walked to the next room. He almost went after her, until he heard her speaking in low tones to Zoe.

Leah passed him the plate of roast beef. “Set this on the table.”

“Yes ma’am.” He moved to the dining room and set it in the middle of the table. Turning to head back into the kitchen he almost smacked into April.

“Offer still stands, Carter,” she said.

“Still not interested.” He side-stepped her and moved into the kitchen. “Anything else I need to carry in there.”

“Key Lime pie.” Leah handed him the pie plate and pie cutter.

“But the only person who likes this is Melanie,” he said, his brow furrowing. He hated the taste of lime, unless it was in the neck of a Corona. Or on Melanie’s tongue. He smiled.

Leah raised her cobalt blue eyes, studying him. Heat rose up his neck and he pulled at the collar of his shirt. “And your point?” she asked, then she passed him a plate of blueberry cobbler. April’s favorite. Was this to show him how compatible he and April were because their taste buds were similar? Color him confused as hell. “Set this on the hutch, please.”

Once he set the desserts on the hutch, everyone seemed to file in the dining room at the same time, even his aunt and uncle were there. Although, they weren’t looking too happy about being seated by one another.

“Where’s everyone else?” Carter ticked his chin up at Melanie and pulled out a chair for her. A sweet smile lit up her face and she started forward.

“Baseball practice and job obligations, bless their hearts.” Leah cleared her throat. “I thought it might be fun to have place cards at the table.”

“Yippee,” his baby sister Evangeline said, twisting her fingers in the necklace at her throat.

“Why would you think that?” Lawton asked, making his wife smile wider. Oh yeah, his dad was in for it now. That smile had been known to make grown men quiver in their boots.

“Because April suggested it.” Leah held one up. “She handmade each one. Don’t you think they’re pretty, Raylene?”

“Gorgeous.” Carter’s aunt glanced at Leah, then at the table. “Looks like I’ll be sitting between my favorite nieces.” She cast her gaze at April. “Did you decide where everyone will be?”

April smiled like the Cheshire cat. “I did.” Suddenly she gasped and a little frown marred her forehead. “I forgot about you, Missy.”

“It’s Melanie.” Carter could have sworn he heard Melanie’s teeth grind together.

“Sorry, Miranda.” April gestured to the kitchen. “You can always sit at the kids’ table.”

“We don’t have a kids’ table,” Zoe snapped, then turned to Melanie. “You can sit beside me.”

“She’s sitting with me,” Carter said, putting his arm around Melanie’s shoulder.

“Enough drama.” Leah threw her hands up in the air. “Sit.”

Silence descended upon the room as everyone found a seat and began to pass around plates of food.

“Raylene!”

“What in the—” Carter’s dad stood, moving to the window and parting the lacey curtains. “Oh good Lord…I’m eating in the other room.” Lawton picked up his plate, silverware and drink and left the dining room.

“Raylene! It’s me, Louis.”

All eyes turned to Carter’s aunt. Her fork was frozen in the air, halfway to her mouth. Then those same pairs of eyes found Melanie.

“Didn’t you pay the man?” John asked.

Melanie inwardly cringed. Please make him go away, she prayed, or at least make Carter’s Uncle John keep believing that was exactly why her daddy was here.

“I know you’re in there, sugar,” Louis shouted. “Don’t take him back. I know we had words but I didn’t mean it. C’mon and give me another chance.”

“Another what?” John asked, his face turning dark.

“Oh, God,” Melanie whispered, looking down at her plate. Her face had to be red as a firecracker.

“I’m leaving you, John,” Raylene announced, placing her fork on the table.

“For him?” John jerked his thumb at the window.

Raylene slowly rose to her feet. “I’m not happy here, John. Not with you or him.” She took a deep breath. “I want out of this marriage and this town.”

“Raylene,” Louis shouted again, and Carter’s aunt shook her head, stomping out of the room. John followed her, the door slamming behind him.

“Roast anyone?” Leah asked, a bright smile on her face.

“No, thank you,” everyone seemed to say at once.

Carter’s mother stood. “I need to get…well, something.”

“I’ll come with you, Mrs. Ambrose.” April hurried after her.

Oh goody, Melanie thought with a grim smile. Now the two of them would spend the next thirty minutes talking about her and her daddy, with lots of bless their hearts thrown in.

“I’ll go check on Dad.”

“Me, too.”

As soon as his sisters were out of sight, Carter turned to Melanie. “You knew about this?” Carter asked, his tone more than accusing. He sounded down-right pissed.

She nodded.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t think it was anyone’s business.” And she’d been ashamed as hell.

He threw his napkin down. “Your dad is messing around with my aunt, my married aunt, and somehow that’s not anyone in this room’s business?” Leaning back in his chair, his jaw worked.

“What was I supposed to say? Pass me the gravy and oh by the way, my dad’s been sleeping with your married aunt. Besides, he didn’t mess around with Raylene all by his lonesome. From what I understand she’s a willing partner in all this,” Melanie snapped. She hated this, hated defending her dad. Especially to Carter of all people.

“You shouldn’t have lied to me.”

“I didn’t lie to you,” she said, smacking her hand on the table. “I didn’t tell you.”

“Lie by omission is still a lie,” he reminded her. “It’s the one thing I’d thought you’d never do to me. Ever. That’s a deal breaker for me, Melanie, and you know it.”

Melanie choked back a sob of fury and helplessness, wishing she was anywhere but here. Wishing she hadn’t gone with him to Charlotte, wishing she’d never tried to make Carter see her as anything but his sister’s pain the ass best friend.

At least if she had, then she would always wonder what would happen between them, instead of knowing for sure. And for sure, this was it for them.

“How could you help break up a marriage, Melanie?” April cried as she walked back in the dining room, with Leah hot on her heels.

Now that witch got her name right? “I give up; you tell me how I helped,” Melanie snapped.

“Wasn’t it enough that you’re keeping the father of my child from marrying me?” Melanie noticed how silent Carter stayed. How he didn’t say a dang thing while April kept running her mouth. His silence was damning.

Leah let out a gasp, dramatic as usual, but this time Melanie couldn’t blame her. “Carter Mason Ambrose, how could you keep this from me?”

“Because it’s not true.”

“He speaks,” Melanie muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. “What other magic trick can you perform?”

Carter gave her a look, then turned his attention back to the two women staring at her accusingly.

Leah looked from April to Carter, the back at April. “So you’re not pregnant?”

“Oh, she’s pregnant alright but it’s not his,” Melanie said. No way in hell she let that poor excuse of a woman try to pin anything on her or Carter. No matter how mad she was at him right at this moment.

Tears filled April’s eyes and Melanie struggled not to roll hers. The woman was a better actress than the one who’d won an Oscar last year. “You actually believed him?”April asked on a sob.

Melanie blinked. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Tell her the truth, Carter,” April demanded.

Carter looked at Melanie. Anger made his eyes dark, almost black in the light. She wasn’t sure if his anger was only directed at her or at the two women who had lied to him. “She’s pregnant and I’m not the father.”

A little high-pitched sob left April’s mouth. “Why would you lie?”

“Dear Lord, I need to call a prayer circle.” Leah placed a hand on her forehead. “Come get me when y’all figure out if I’m going to be a grandmother or not,” she called over her shoulder.

Miraculously, April’s tears dried up and she smirked. “Think that was fun? Just wait until the press finds out.”

“There’s these things called paternity tests,” Carter said, leaning forward. “I’m completely willing to take about a hundred of them.”

“Maybe so, but in the meantime…” April drew little circles on the tablecloth. “Sure will be hard living in Charlotte with all this hovering over you. Can’t imagine many of daddy’s friends will give you much business in the meantime.”

“The success of my business doesn’t depend on your daddy’s friends,” Carter said, his jaw clenched. “Do you really think I’ll be hanging out with your friends in Charlotte? Give me a break.”

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