Chapter Sixteen – Carter

Carter woke early in the morning. Caroline was the first thing he saw, which was all right by him. He was slowly getting used to sharing his life with another human, after all those years alone in the mountains.

Yesterday, to protect the person he loved, and the people he counted as friends, Carter Eden had come out of retirement. Or hiding, however you wanted to look at it. Newspaper reporters were invading Bear Creek, and he didn’t want them to ruin the town by asking questions that shouldn’t be asked, and digging dirt on residents. He was going to have to face this head on and deal with it. He just wasn’t sure how.

All he knew was there would be no more hiding away. He was done with that.

Kissing Caroline on the cheek, he got out of bed and hit the shower. He had a shipment of timber arriving at the house today. And appliances were being delivered, which meant he and Caroline would be able to move in soon. But he was going to miss Caroline’s little house. In truth, he was happy here. It was small, but had everything they needed and was easy to maintain. Carter had never been the kind of guy who wanted to be tied to a house.

A wave of nostalgia hit him along with the water from the shower. He missed his cabin. He missed the solid wood furniture he had made with his own hands. He’d sourced the wood, dried it, and then carved it.

Although this life had its own perks, like hot water. He washed his hair and his beard, he was going to have to shave it off soon, it was hot and scratchy when he had been working all day. Carter got out of the shower, and stared at himself in the mirror while he ran a comb through his hair. He was almost unrecognizable compared to Carter Eden the movie star.

Was this the man he wanted to be?

His hand gripped the comb tighter, and he leaned on the wash basin. If he was truthful, he wanted to have it all. He wanted to make beer and be a business man, but Carter Eden, actor, was still inside him too. When Will and the others talked about his movies, an overwhelming urge to be that man again swept over him. It hadn’t all been bad, and the distance his time on the mountain had given him had finally made him realize that.

A knock on the door made him jump guiltily over his thoughts. “Can I come in?”

“Sure.”

The door opened and Caroline stood there looking sleepy, her face pale. “Someone wrote an article.” She held out her smart phone for him to see.

Carter leaned forward and looked at the photo of the two of them kissing, that accompanied the headline, Finding Eden.

“It’s a good photo,” Carter said, trying to make her smile. It didn’t work, it was as if whoever took the photo had tried to capture them at their worst. It was a zoomed in image of them working in the grounds of the house. Both of them were hot and sweaty, and looked like hobos. Ironically that was one of the things he loved about Caroline the most, she got on with the job, no worries about breaking nails or if her makeup ran. To Carter, she was the most beautiful creature he had ever set eyes on. Strong. Determined. His. “Hey, we’re strong enough to take it,”

She pulled her phone back toward her and scrutinized it. “I look terrible, I have my work clothes on and my hair is pulled back, I look like a man. I can imagine all your fans asking what you see in me.”

He pulled her into his arms. “Don’t even say that.”

“It’s true though, without the mating bond a man like you wouldn’t take a second look at a woman like me.”

“Proves what a fool I was,” Carter said, his heart aching for Caroline. “I love you, Swanky Tanky, just the way you are.”

“You don’t have to say that,” Caroline replied.

“I know. And I didn’t say it because I had to. I said it because I wanted to. I need you.” He reached out for her, and pulled her into his arms. “We are meant to be together.”

“I love you too,” Caroline said. “I never thought I would.”

“Love me?” he asked.

“Love anyone. I never thought I would want this kind of life. The army was always it for me. You know?” She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder, and he inhaled the scent of her. She was more delicious than honey beer. “I was happy serving my country. I loved driving tanks. I loved making a difference. And when I left, I was as scared as hell I wouldn’t fit in.”

He chuckled, his hand stroking her back as he soothed her. “You fit in perfectly here. You know how much Will respects you. And how much your brother loves you.”

“I do. Although I try to brush it off.” She lifted her head and looked at him earnestly. “I’m not very good at showing my emotions.”

“Oh, I don’t know…”

“Not those kind of emotions,” she said, batting his hand away. “I mean love.”

“Want to know something?” Carter asked.

“Do I?” she asked warily.

“Yes. You do.” He stroked her cheek and then kissed her lips. “You are the first person, besides my folks, who I have ever said I love you to.”

“Really? Not even in Space Monkeys?” Caroline asked. “You weren’t in love with Sergeant Chimp or anything?”

He chuckled. “Spoiling the moment here…” He bent down and picked her up, carrying her back to the bed, fully intending to show her just how much he wanted her, just how much he needed her.

“I never learned all that romantic stuff,” she said, as he kissed her mouth.

“I can teach you everything I know.” He pulled the T-shirt she wore to bed over her head, his hand cupping her breast. “I learned from an expert.”

“One of your movie scripts?” She gasped as he sucked her nipple into his mouth, and rolled his tongue over it. “I didn’t know you were a porn star.”

He held his laugh inside until it faded away, as his own arousal became painfully hard. Carter slipped his hand along her thigh, and found her heated sex wet and ready for him. He pushed two fingers inside her, pushing deeper, in and out, stroking her inner walls. Caroline eased her thighs apart, and he moved, nestling between her legs, and guiding himself into her.

Caroline lifted her knees, changing the angle of her body. He thrust hard, penetrating her fully, as he watched her beautiful face. She might not speak of her emotions but her eyes, brilliant blue in the morning light streaming in through the window, showed them.

“Quit staring,” she said, her pale cheeks turning pink.

“Make me,” he challenged.

She moved so swiftly, her body strong, catching him off guard. Before he knew it, he was flat on his back, and she was straddling him. Caroline closed her eyes, and moved her hips in a mesmerizing rhythm, her head flung back, as she buried him deep inside her. Carter placed his hands on her hips, feeling the strength of her body, the softness of her flesh, and the heat of her skin.

Caroline placed her hands on his and rode him, whimpering as her orgasm closed in on her. Carter followed, his need for release overwhelming. He lifted his hips off the bed, impaling her on his hard cock, thrusting ever higher until his climax crashed into him and his essence filled her body. Her sex tightened around him, gripping him, pulsing and throbbing as she came.

Carter sat up, and held her close, rocking gently inside her as his arousal waned. “You are perfect.” He kissed her, her lips, her neck, her breasts. “And you are mine.”

“Always.” She cupped his face in her hands and stared into his eyes. He smiled, and she kissed the corners of his mouth before she whispered, “I love you,” in his ear.

“Of course you do, Swanky Tanky. Why else would you put up with this shit?”

She groaned. “Spoiling the moment.”

“Sorry.” He leaned forward and rested his forehead on her breasts. She circled her arms around him and cradled his head.

“Out with it,” she said.

“What if I did an interview?”

“Is that what you want?” Caroline asked.

“It’s not a matter of what I want.” He looked up. “If I do an interview or two, it would probably take the heat off.”

“I think it’s a good idea,” Caroline agreed. “We have nothing to hide. But what if Fern gets dragged into this?”

“That is my greatest fear. I didn’t protect her when I should have.” Carter thought back to that day. “She was a fan, only a child, and I panicked.”

“I’m sure she doesn’t blame you,” Caroline said.

“She tried to take her own life,” Carter reminded her.

“You know what?” Caroline asked. “I doubt whether what happened was enough for her to do something so drastic. Really. She may have had something else going on her life.”

“And I should have found out. Instead, I did what I thought was best to protect her. But maybe what I did hurt her more.”

Caroline’s phone began to ring before she had a chance to reply to Carter. “It’s Fiona.”

“At this time in the morning?” Carter asked, checking the clock, it was 7:34 a.m., too early for a social call even from Fiona.

He watched Caroline’s face and listened as she spoke. “You did.” Caroline looked up at Carter, before swiftly looking away. “And you think that is a good idea?” She listened to Fiona’s voice, then added, “OK, set it up… Yes.” Then she hung up and looked at Carter.

“What’s wrong?”

“Fiona has found Fern.” She took a deep, shuddering breath. “She wants to meet you.”

“She’s found Fern?” Carter asked. A sense that things had been going on behind his back hit him. “Why was she even looking?”

“I asked her to try to track Fern down. I know how much it meant to you to know she was OK. So, dead or alive, happy or sad, I asked Fiona to try to find out what she could.”

“And you weren’t going to tell me that she was looking?” he asked, feeling betrayed.

“I didn’t want to get your hopes up. Fiona didn’t know if she could find her.” Caroline came to him, and held him close. “Please, do this. Speak to her.”

“Caroline, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Isn’t that what you wanted? Closure?”

“Yes.” He held her close. “It’s what we all need.”

“Thank you,” Caroline said.

He only hoped the girl he met wasn’t hurt and broken over how he had handled things.