“Sounds like fun.”
“It’s a pain in the ass.” He kicked it, shaking his head. “Fucking scum. The paparazzi have been up my ass for years.”
“Must be hard, living like this.”
“Yeah.” He looked at me. “Sorry to drag you into it.”
I nodded but didn’t say anything. I was suddenly intensely aware that I was mostly naked underneath my towel, just a small bikini covering my body, the same body that I had shown off to him the day before. He looked good in his running shorts and tight blue shirt, his eyes staring at mine.
“About yesterday,” I said.
“Don’t worry about it.” He grinned. “Getting handcuffed to the bed was more than worth that picture.”
I blushed a little bit. “That can’t be true.”
“I mean it. You’re fucking gorgeous, you know that?” He stepped toward me.
“You shoot down one drone for me and suddenly I’m supposed to throw myself at you?”
He grinned, seeing right through my lame attempt at deflecting the situation.
“Don’t act like you’re not dripping wet. There’s nothing sexier than a man with a gun.”
“I didn’t realize you were a caveman.”
“Cavemen didn’t have rifles.”
“Good point. But you know what I’m saying.”
“There’s nothing wrong with wanting a man to take care of you,” he said. He was inches away from me. “You can pretend all you want, but we both know you want me to press you up against a wall and fuck your brains out.”
“No,” I said softly.
“Yes,” he said, and took my cheek in his hand. “That’s exactly what you want. You want to be respected while at the same time fucked and dominated, treated like the dirty sexy fucking girl you really are.”
I bit my lip and tried to look away, but I couldn’t. He was just too intense, and his face was inches from me, and fuck, he was right.
That’s what I wanted. No, it was what I needed. I needed a man like Carter to throw me down, fuck my pussy deep and rough, treat me like his own fuck doll. I wanted him to want me so badly that he just took me.
Which was why I couldn’t stop it when he kissed me.
His lips pressed against mine, crushing them in an intense and powerful kiss. He arms wrapped around me, pulling me against him, his tongue entering my mouth. For half a second, I thought about pulling away, but I quickly melted into his embrace.
Desire, hot and electric, tingled down my spine. It was like everything that I’d been desiring for the past few days was coming together in that moment, and it was driving me insane. Carter tasted good, so damn good, and as much as I hated it I really liked that he shot down that drone for me.
But shit, he was a stepfather. He was my damn mother’s husband. I knew logically that they weren’t really in love and that their relationship was a total sham for the public, but it was just still so damn wrong.
When I had that thought, the most messed up thing of all happened.
It only made me want him more.
He was forbidden. He was bad. He was all wrong for me, but he still made me feel so damn incredible. Carter was a total ass, the opposite of what I usually wanted in a guy, and yet I found myself pushing deeper into his kiss.
Just as quickly as that desire came, it was quickly replaced with a paranoid feeling that someone was watching. If we got caught, even by just one person, everything was over. Carter would lose everything and my poor mother would be humiliated.
I pulled away gently, using up every last ounce of my willpower. He looked at me for a second, a small smile on his face.
“Tell me that isn’t what you wanted,” he said softly.
I disentangled myself from his embrace and turned away. “I have to go.” I held onto my towel to make sure it didn’t fall.
“Sure. Go run away.”
“I’m not running.” I started back toward the pool and knew I was definitely running away.
“It’s okay, sweetheart,” he said. “I’ll have you calling me daddy soon. I’ll have you begging for more.”
I clenched my fists as anger welled up inside of me, but I didn’t look back.
I wasn’t angry because he said that. I didn’t expect anything less from Carter Green.
I was angry because I was starting to think he might be right.
10
Carter
I couldn’t get that fucking kiss out of my mind.
She was slightly damp from lying in the sun. I could taste sweat on her lips and feel it on her warm body. Sure, she had a towel wrapped around herself, but she was still mainly naked. My cock was instantly hard as I pulled her against me.
Maybe shooting down the drone wasn’t the best idea. Cox sure as hell didn’t approve of that move, but it was totally fucking worth it. We hadn’t figured out who sent it yet, but I knew Cox was working on that. Besides, it led to finally tasting Emily, even if it was just a kiss.