"Eva," he groaned.
"Yes, Carter?" I whispered again. I threaded my fingers up into his hair and felt the silky locks between my fingers, and then pulled softly as my teeth tugged on his ear lobe. A moan escaped his throat and he held his hands tighter on my back, stopping me from rocking into him.
"I want you," I whispered and dusted my nose along the line of his neck, inhaling his intoxicating scent.
"No, Eva," Carter panted softly.
"What do you mean, no?" I whispered and moved my hips against his growing arousal. The seam of my jeans against his hardening length was hitting just the right spot and driving me wild with need.
"I mean, no. I want you, but not here. Not before we're married."
I pulled back and my body stiffened at his rebuff. I arched an eyebrow at him, needing an explanation.
"I want to do the honorable thing, Eva. I don't want us to sleep together before we're married."
A giggle bubbled out of me uncontrollably. "Are you serious? You're going to go all chivalrous on me now?"
A small smile played across his lips.
"I think that ship has sailed." I pressed my body back into him. "You've had me in your bed…" I ground my core into his arousal, "and your kitchen…" I whispered in his ear, "your office…" I tugged on his ear again with my teeth, "your office shower…" I felt his breathing pick up. Carter couldn't refuse sex; I could plainly feel the evidence of that against his zipper. "I also remember a bathroom in one of Boston’s finest restaurants." I wrapped my hand around his neck and pressed my lips to his in a passionate kiss, my tongue thrusting past the barrier of his lips and smoothing against his. His hands slid up the skin of my back and kneaded almost painfully. He rubbed up and down, and then reached one hand down the back of my jeans. When his fingers reached the lace of my panties a groan escaped his throat. I felt his fingers clench around the fabric and I pressed his lips to mine harder and ground my center into his arousal. His hand slid further down the back of my pants and squeezed the flesh of my bottom. The gesture was so erotic I felt arousal shoot straight to my core. I leaned back off his lap to pull my shirt over my head. I wanted to feel Carter. I wanted reassurance that what we were doing was right. I needed the reminder that we really were perfect together.
"No, Eva." He held my wrists in his hands tightly before I could get the shirt over my head. "I want you. You have no idea how much I want you right now." His voice came out strained as he jerked his hips under me, showing me just how much he wanted me. "But I want to wait more."
My mouth dropped open in shock. Then my lips turned into a pout. "You are so stubborn." I slid off of his lap and back into my own seat.
"There's only one other person I’ve met that's even more so." His eyes twinkled at me and his lips turned up at the corners. I rolled my eyes and grabbed my tablet again, desperate to calm the lust buzzing in my system and to ignore the impossibly sexy and stubborn man sitting next to me.
We landed in Aspen at midnight but after two flights in one day, we were both exhausted. Plus we were still on Eastern time, where it was two o’clock in the morning. A dark SUV met us on the tarmac and we were shuttled to Carter's house.
The house was located in Aspen's Red Mountain neighborhood, and although it was a pitch black October night, the neighboring houses and gates were lit with an inviting warm yellow glow, a reminder that Carter lived in a world of wealth that I wasn't accustomed to. I slipped my hand in Carter's and rested my head on his shoulder sleepily as the road meandered higher up the mountain overlooking the town. All the driveways we passed were protected by imposing security gates disguised in beautiful rich woods and local stonework.
Finally the car slowed and turned into a driveway sheltered by evergreens. The car stopped for a moment as the driver entered the security code, and then we made our way up the driveway to a secluded house nestled among thick evergreens and aspens. The car pulled up to the large entrance and Carter looked down at me tenderly.
"You ready?"
I smiled and yawned, nodding my head. He gave a small chuckle, pulling me to him and placing a chaste kiss on my lips, before we both stepped out of the car.
The soft glow of the outdoor lights bounced off the house’s wooden and stone pillars. The home was top to bottom river rock, in every color of gray and beige. The copper-colored stones of the driveway added an inviting warmth, making the home look like it had grown out of the mountainside. Large, reclaimed wooden pillars sat on either side of an oversized wooden door that looked like it belonged on a medieval castle. The estate was, quite simply, breathtaking.