Carter Buchanan in a minivan tossing Cheerios to a cranky two-year-old? As if.
Switching off the light, I walked down the hall to open a bottle of wine. I deserved a glass… or a bottle. The doorbell had me veering to the front door. I peeked through the peephole and I swore my heart stopped beating.
“I know you're there, Emma,” he said through the door.
Why was he here? One-night-stands didn't just show up on your doorstep. That would defeat the purpose of the name.
Taking a deep breath, I flipped the deadbolt and opened the door.
God, he looked good. Today he wore a bespoke black suit with a crisp white shirt, pale blue tie. His outfit cost more than my run-down car. His gaze raked over me from my hot pink toenails on up.
“I like this look,” he commented.
Oh shit. Yoga pants, old t-shirt, no makeup, sloppy hair. It was the least romantic look on the planet. Instead of groaning, I said, “What are you doing here?”
“Taking you to dinner. Hopefully.”
“Dinner?”
“You finished your degree and got a new job. It's definitely worth celebrating.”
“Carter, I'm not dressed to go out.”
He stepped closer and I backed up, then realized I'd never invited him in.
When he stepped inside, he looked around. “Nice place. Suits you.”
I'd kept the walls white, but added bright spots of color with throw pillows and posters. There was only so much you could do to a rental, but now with my new job, I could start saving for an apartment of my own.
“Thanks. Carter, I—”
My words cut off when his dark eyes met mine. There was more in those dark eyes than a graduation dinner.
“Go to dinner with me. Not because of your job, but because you want to.” When I just stared at him, my mouth open, he continued. “I want you to.”
The way he said it had my resolve slipping.
“I'm not dressed for dinner.” I pointed at his suit.
Without another word, he tugged at the knot on his tie, loosened it and slipped it from his head, undid the top button of his shirt. Shrugged off his jacket and slug it, along with the tie, over his arm.
“There. And you look… perfect, by the way.” His eyes heated, but also held something else I didn't recognize. “We'll go to the diner. Just say yes.”
I wanted to, so, so badly. But with Carter came baggage, tons of it. A one night stand was one thing, but even though I wanted more with him, I knew him. I knew his lifestyle. His women. I wanted him so badly it hurt to breathe, but I also knew the facts. Carter would break me into a million little pieces if I let him. Last night convinced me of that. If I let him touch me again, I was doomed. I was too weak to be with him and not fall in love with him. Hell, it was too late for me already. I knew it. But that didn’t mean I was a masochist either. I knew how this would end and I couldn't compromise where my heart was concerned.
“Dinner. Come on.” His smile came out then. The big guns. “You have to eat.”
I rolled my eyes. That fucking smile. It so wasn’t fair. “Fine.”
I agreed, but only so I could tell him I couldn’t see him again. That was not a conversation I wanted to have in the privacy of my home with a big, soft bed so temptingly nearby.
He waited as I slipped on some shoes and grabbed my purse, locked up, then helped me into the car. I was cocooned in the supple interior with the distinct scent of leather and, of course, Carter.
He slid into the driver's seat and put the car in gear, wrapped his hands around the steering wheel.
I knew what those fingers could do, how dexterous they were. I shifted in the seat and could not stop glancing at him from the corner of my eye. God, he was sex on a stick. In just his dress shirt, the linen molded perfectly to his broad shoulders, thick biceps. I’d been discreetly studying his rock hard body every day for the last ten months, but never without a suit jacket. The company gym was on the second floor, and I often had to track him down there. Gym shorts and a tight, sweat-soaked t-shirt were a good look on him, and more than once I’d had to turn away as I spoke to him, afraid the urge to lick him up and down would show on my face.
But now I knew what he looked like naked, what he felt like.
He drove for a few minutes in silence. I had no idea what to say. I looked like a slob and felt so far out of his league. I didn’t even know why I was here, in his stupid car. Dinner. God, this… delusion was just stupid. It wasn’t like this was going to go anywhere and dinner was just going to make it even harder to walk away. The longer I thought about it, the more I realized this was a big mistake. Huge. Nothing good could come from letting my desire, my stupid hope, linger.
I shifted in my seat, annoyed now with the wetness I could still feel coating my inner thighs, the ache in my pussy that was from more than just his cock the night before. I was wet and ready for him. Again. Damn it. Why did it have to be Carter? Why couldn’t I have the hots for Dave in accounting? He was single, not bad looking, and only a year older than me. That would make more sense. But this? This was just crazy.