Whiskey and Lace

One





The tile was cool beneath my bare feet as I descended the stairs softly. The house was silent with no sign of Carter. His sense of interior design was impeccable; dark marble tile covered the floors and modern art pieces decorated the room. He had stunning abstract paintings on the walls that provided the only source of color in the house. Large windows overlooked a fantastic view of Boston Public Garden with the city beyond. Cream leather furniture was positioned in front of the fireplace and a cozy white rug contrasted with the dark floors.



I moved towards what I thought must be the kitchen and took a breath, preparing myself to come face to face with Carter. I turned the corner and he sat with his leg crossed ankle to knee and his phone to his ear. He wore a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt and still managed to look deliciously sexy. His hair was still damp from a shower and I wanted nothing more than to run my fingers through it. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach as memories flashed back from last night.

Just then Carter looked up at me and a small frown played across his lips as his eyes scanned my under-dressed form. He held up a finger and then pointed to the coffee pot on the counter. I made my way further into the kitchen and took a coffee mug off of the rack. I poured and inhaled; the warm steam calming my nerves instantly.

"Cream or sugar?" Carter had ended his phone call and stood across the kitchen from me. I spun around to see his steely blue eyes watching me.

"Cream would be good." I watched as his lean form strode to the built in fridge and then slammed the carton down beside me on the counter.

"On second thought, I think I'll just go." I set my cup down and left the kitchen.

"Evangeline, stop. We need to talk about last night."

"There's nothing to talk about it. I'll leave and we can pretend it never happened," I shot back at him. His eyes hardened in response.

"No. Evangeline." He grabbed my arm tightly. "We didn't use protection," Carter gritted through his teeth. "I always use condoms. I just… forgot." Anger burned in his eyes.

"Oh, I'm on birth control." I tugged the hem of the shirt down nervously.

"Oh, thank God." Carter ran a hand through his hair.

"And I'm clean. Not that I've had a lot of partners, but I've been checked for STDs, and I'm clean." I paused, waiting for him to respond. When he didn't I turned on the heel of my foot without looking at him. "I'm going to get my dress and go."

"Wait, is that what you want, Evangeline?" He grabbed my arm again. "Because that's not what I want." His eyes softened. "I'm sorry. I should have asked you, instead of being an ass. And I'm clean too. I get checked regularly." I narrowed my eyes at him.

"Hey, really. Stay." He pulled me into his arms and tickled my earlobe with his breath. "We'll have breakfast." I regarded him for a minute more, debating. He pecked me on the lips before pulling me by the hand back into the kitchen.

'What do you want for breakfast?" A smile played across my lips once I realized there would be no coyote ugly moment this morning.

"I’m fine. Coffee is perfect."

"I don't think so, Evangeline. You're eating something, whether I make it or we go out."

I smiled; bossy Carter had returned.

"You cook for all the girls you bring home?" I teased.

"I don't bring girls home, Evangeline. I've never brought anyone here." He gazed at me.

"Oh." I averted my eyes from his.

Carter pulled out eggs, peppers, and cheese from the fridge. He cracked the eggs into a bowl and cussed when a piece of shell fell in. I giggled and took another sip of my coffee. Carter shot me a glare over his shoulder and then a smile broke out across his face. I watched him with a smirk as he chopped peppers because it was painfully obvious that this was not something he did often.



"I can't watch for another minute." I stood and made my way to him. "Let me see." I held my hand out for the knife.

"Thank God." He handed me the knife and watched as I diced the peppers quickly.

"You do this often, then?" Carter leaned into me, his arousal pressing into my bottom.

"Don't distract the woman who wields the knife." I giggled as he nuzzled into my neck.

"Of course." Carter stretched his toned arms above my head to grab a skillet from an overhead rack, pressing his body into me. I turned and traced my fingers along the waistband of his jeans, paying special attention to the trail of hair that dipped below the waistband. Carter groaned as he set the skillet down on the counter and wrapped his arms around my body, pinning me between himself and the counter.

"Did I tell you how sexy you look in my shirt?" Carter pushed his hips into me, and then set me up on the counter. "You're gorgeous, Evangeline. Every guy had his eyes on you last night, and every woman was jealous."