“Eyes up here, baby. I’m not just some piece of meat,” Carter says, with a smirk on his face. I love seeing him so relaxed for once.
I smile up at him. Waking up together, rolling around in bed, getting ready to start our day, it’s so perfect and normal. But I know this is just a moment in time. We still have so much ahead of us. Carter still has to take care of business, and he would be doing that right now if I hadn’t gotten hurt. So that means there’s still more for him to handle. This is like a splash of cold water on my happiness.
Dropping my head, I look back down at the sheets until he’s standing over me. He lifts my face to meet his eyes.
“Where did you just go, baby?” he asks as he strokes my jaw with his thumb.
“I…it’s just…I know we don’t have this for long. I know there’s stuff you have to do. I have so many questions. I’m still really confused,” I whisper, hating that I have to bring this up. But I want it all out in the open. He said he won’t slip out on me again, but I’m still a little scared that he might. Now I know it’s not because he doesn’t love me, or doesn’t want to be with me, but because he has things he needs to take care of for us.
“Baby, I’m not going anywhere and, to be honest, I don’t want to go into everything right now. Let’s face it later. This morning I want to enjoy my woman. I’ve wanted this for so long. Let’s just pretend for a little bit that we don’t have anything but this. Will you give me that this morning?”
I nod my head and he picks me up off the bed. I wrap my legs around him and he catches my lips. I’ve kissed few people in my life but I know no one could measure up to him. His kisses are just like our sex – full force and packed with so much emotion. He tastes and takes whatever he wants. He continues to kiss me while carrying me into the bathroom and sitting me on the sink. Turning on the water, he picks me back up and puts me in the shower.
“You do know I can walk, right?”
“I’m just being safe, Cherry. Bathrooms are slippery and I don’t want you to fall. You’re carrying our baby.”
I roll my eyes and Carter gives me his “do as I command look” and I just roll them again. “I’ve been taking showers for the last three months all on my own, so I think I’m fine.”
I regret the words as soon as they leave my mouth. I see the pained look on Carter’s face and I think he’s going to say something. Instead he brings his hand to my stomach and rubs it. When his eyes meet mine again, I can see how much we mean to him. It’s written across his face, clear as day. Carter isn’t a man with many faces, and the ones he gives me are nothing like I’ve ever seen him give anyone else.
“No one will keep you from me again. Ever. I have a plan, Cherry. I’ll keep you close to me, but I’m going to finish what needs to be done. I know someone fucked with your car, so evidently they found you. I thought I hid your tracks when you took off, but it looks like I missed something. Or maybe it was me. I was selfish when I left prison and I came straight for you. I didn’t think I had any tails but I should have known they would be watching me. They knew how bad I wanted you. How nuts I went that night. They also knew the minute I took that plea deal that I’d give up anything for you. They knew I would sit in that jail cell and not give two fucks about doing that time if it meant that when I was done I would get you.”
“Oh, Carter,” I whisper, his words bringing tears to my eyes.
“Let me finish, Layla,” he says and places a finger over my lips. “I missed that moment when you found out you were pregnant. They took me away from here and they took that from me. I’m done with them taking me away from you. I’m going to say this one more time so you know how serious I am. I’ll never leave you again unless I’m six feet fucking under. You got me?”
“Yes,” I tell him, feeling some of my worry slip from my shoulders.
“Yes what?”
“Yes, I got you Carter.”
“Good, baby,” he says. He reaches for the shampoo. “Now let’s get you all cleaned up so I can spend the day dirtying you.”
“Sounds perfect,” I reply, and lean my head back into the spray.
“But after we’re all clean you have to make your men some food. I’ll need energy to do all that dirtying up.”
“Men?” I ask. Is someone coming over?
“Yeah, Junior and me,” he says, rubbing my belly.
“Hey, that’s a little girl in there. Well it better be,” I scold.
“No fucking way, Cherry. If we have a little girl who looks like you, I’ll end up back in a jail cell.”