Chapter 8
Carter sat down on the couch and put his arm around Zahara as she ripped into the presents that he and his family had purchased for her. Her eyes lit up like a child in a candy store’s when she received her slippers and housecoat from his parents and a body bath basket plus a one-year spa subscription from his brothers. He almost lost his hearing and his life when she opened her gifts from him.
She screamed in excitement when she opened the first one, a brand-new, state-of-the-art chemistry set with beakers, goggles, burners, and protection gear in a feminine pink. He knew pink was her favourite colour. She had tears in her eyes when she was done squeezing the life out of him. He felt a little bit flushed at the way she was looking at him know. He might not be happy that she was experimenting while pregnant, but he wanted her to know that she had his support, and he was proud of her.
He then handed her an envelope, and she stared at it with surprise and curiosity on her delicate features. She pushed her glasses up her button nose and then took the paper from him. She shook it, and they could all hear a clinking sound, like keys.
She opened it up and turned it over to empty the contents. A folded piece of paper fell into her hands. She stared at it for a minute, and then her eyes met his. “What is this for?”
“This is a Christmas and early graduation gift.” He watched as she frowned, confused, and he could feel the rest of them wondering what he was up to. But he ignored them and concentrated on her and her expression. He could not wait to see the look of happiness she’d have when she found out what the paper was for.
“Open it Zahara.”
She stared at him for a couple of moments and shook her head. “I already know that it’s going to be too much. The chemistry set was enough. All my gifts are wonderful, I do not need anything more.” She went to give the paper back to him.
“What are you doing? Do not be silly and open the gift. We are all waiting to see what he gave you,” Diamond interrupted.
He heard the murmur of voices agreeing with her. Zahara gave a little smile before she opened the paper and began to read the contents. He could tell that the importance of the letter was making her emotional, as her hands began to shake.
“Oh Carter.” She looked at him above the letter, her eyes dark with emotion.
“What! What is in the letter? Read it aloud.”
She began crying, and Carter pulled her into his arms. “The piece of paper says that when she has graduated, she has a three-year internship with Havier Cosmetics Inc., and then, if she wants to run her own company after that, I have bought her a piece of land to build her own facility.”
“That’s too much Carter, I—” she cried and hiccupped.
“You are the mother of my child, and I will do whatever it takes to give you the world,” he said huskily before kissing her on her lips.
“Carter, that is so sweet and thoughtful.” Elizabeth came over and wrapped both of them in her arms.
“Well, that was an amazing surprise, so I guess you decided not to pop the question and went with the land instead,” Michael joked from the corner of the couch, where he had been sitting and unwrapping his gifts.
Zahara froze in Carter’s arms and pulled away. He and his mother turned and glared at the offending brother.
“What ring?” As Carter turned his gaze back to hers, Zahara searched his eyes, her own widening as he sighed and pulled out the ring that was in his pants pocket and got down on one knee.
“Zahara Lily Jones, you have given me the precious gift of making me a father.” He reached out and touched her belly reverently, and he felt her quiver under his touch. He was confident that she would not say no, knowing that he would take care of her and their child and that she would want for nothing, as he had shown her with the gift of land and the mentorship job. He continued, “Will you do me the honor of allowing me to be your husband and marry me?”
He watched as Zahara licked her lips and gazed around the room. He knew that everyone was waiting in anticipation, as the room was completely silent. Not even breathing could be heard. Her eyes flashed back to his.
“Do you love me?”
It was his turn to freeze, and a feeling of coldness swept through him. He had hoped that she was starting to accept the fact that love was not a factor in them being together. Carter had accepted the fact that she was going to be his wife and the mother of his children and was beginning to grow fond of her. He found that he wanted to make her happy, but love...no.
“Carter?”
He considered lying to her for a second, but then, he was not that type of person, and his family would call him out on it. “No. But—”
“Then no. I will not marry you. We do not need to be husband and wife to raise a child together. We can live separate lives and still be there for our child. I am tired and think I need to go and lie down,” Zahara said, suddenly looking very tired when she had been so happy minutes earlier. She could not bring herself to look at him and got off the couch, making her way around him. He reached for her arm.
“Zahara. You cannot say no. You need me to look after you and be there in case, in case, anything should happen to you,” he beseeched her, but she pulled her arm away and kept walking. He got up to go after her.
“You should be grateful that I even want to put a ring on your finger, especially after I gave you the present of your dreams.” His voice was cold with fury and embarrassment. He had never had to beg a woman to do anything, and she had turned him down in front of his family and friends. That stung his pride, and he lashed out.
Zahara stiffened for a minute and then dropped the paper on one of the side tables before continuing.
He moved to follow her; their discussion was not over, and they needed privacy.
“Son, let her leave and get some rest. You need to cool down. Let’s go outside for a minute.” His father stepped into his path. Carter stared at his father coldly.
“Move, Dad.”
“No, son, we need to talk. Come with me now.” His father’s expression said Carter had to come with him or else.
Frustration and anger worked through him, and he clenched his fist. “Please son, let’s go and get some air, okay?”
Carter looked around the room and saw Ambra and Diamond trying to look busy with gathering up the unwrapped paper that lay littered around the floor. Neither one wanted to make eye contact with him, but he could tell from their faces that they were uncomfortable being in the room.
His mother had disappeared, and he assumed she left to go and check on Zahara. His brothers were standing up from the couch and looked like they were ready to block him if he should try to go and talk to Zahara. They regarded him with disgust.
“Son.”
Carter nodded and moved to the coat rack to grab his winter coat and boots while his dad did the same thing. They walked outside in silence and began to aimlessly amble towards a cluster of trees and rocks that had a beautiful view of one of the many mountains in Switzerland.
They stood that way in silence, Carter’s thoughts racing and shame filling him as he reflected on how he had just treated Zahara.
“Carter, you can talk to me. I know Delilah’s death was hard on you son, and I thought therapy and the boxing was helping, but just now in there, you are still clearly not okay.”
“The therapy and boxing are helping, Dad. Having to lose someone, especially the woman that you loved and wanted as your wife, does not just get better like that, especially when it is your own fault she is gone.” He sighed.
His father looked at him in shock, and then his expression grew sad. “Carter, it was not your fault, it was an accident. There was nothing anyone could have done, the other car broadsided her when it ran a red light. It was his—”
“I know whose fault it was, and if she had not been upset about me wanting her to sign a prenup, she would not have been on the road and would have been with me that night. She left hurt and in tears, Dad,” Carter said, his voice sounding hoarse as the memory of that night—their argument, her face before she left, and then the call about the accident—and the pain of what had happened ripped through him again.
“Oh son, it still was not your fault. This was an unfortunate accident that happened, and you cannot keep blaming yourself.”
He pulled Carter into his arms and hugged his son close. His father really was not a hugger, he left it to Elizabeth to bestow the hugs and kisses to the children when they were upset, but it felt nice to feel the security of his father’s arms, even if he was also a grown man himself. Carter let out another breath of air, his chest feeling constricted, and he hugged his father back.
“I know that it is not what you want to hear, but it is the truth. Bad things happen, and we lose people that we care about. It hurts, but eventually it gets easier, and you will be able to move on in—”
Carter pulled away abruptly, taking a step away from his father. “Would you be able to move on if something should happen to Mom?” Carter asked.
His father stood there and then looked at him solemnly. “I don’t know, probably not,” he answered honestly.
He nodded, not wanting to hear anything else. No one would understand what he was going through and the emotions he had felt when Delilah had left him after they argued. He had not told his dad or anyone that the last thing she had said to him was that he had cared more about his assets than being in love with her. He had stood there silently, not denying her accusation because he had been mad that she had looked at the prenup that way. He loved her, but he was no fool. Anything can happen in a good marriage, just look at his father and mother. They had had the perfect marriage—until they didn’t. And after Delilah had died, he wondered if she had been right.
“Thank you for your advice, but I just need a moment to myself outside.”
His father opened his mouth to argue, but whatever was on Carter’s face caused his dad to pause and then nod sadly. He patted his son on the back and left him to his contemplation.
When he heard the crunch of the snow signalling his father’s departure, Carter made his way to a snow-covered boulder and sat down on it, drawing his coat tight around him and shuffling his booted feet back and forth in the snow as he mulled over everything that had happened today.
He stiffened suddenly, aware that Zahara was standing right behind him before she placed her hand on his shoulder and then moved around to the front of him, now facing him.
He gazed up and squinted a bit because she was standing in the glare of the sun. He could make out her shape but not her face, until she shifted and moved closer to his knees, which he parted, and she stepped between them. Carter could now see her face. She did not look hurt or angry anymore but reflective.
“You heard our discussion,” he said, more as a statement than a question.
She nodded and then sat down on his knee. He shuffled around and pulled her close into his body, keeping her warm while she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders.
“Your father is right. Unless you had a crystal ball and knew what the outcome would be, you could not have known what would have happened after you argued with her. And from what I have been hearing about Delilah, she would not want you to blame yourself either.”
He just held her, saying nothing, because that was not the only reason he was feeling guilty, and he wasn’t ready to talk about it just yet.
“I want you to know that when the time comes, I will sign the prenup.”
He leaned his head back and stared at her in surprise.
“Why?”
She grinned. “Because I plan on being a bigger mogul than you. Everyone will say Carter Brooks who? Oh yeah, he is married to Zahara Jones, who is famous for her male cosmetics line,” she teased.
His mouth quirked up. Then she cupped his jaw, her hazel eyes staring straight into his for him to see the truth of what she felt for him.
“I am not marrying you for your money. It is because I love you and want only to be with you.”
He sucked in a breath because this was the first time she had said the words aloud. When she spoke about them, she only ever kept saying that they were meant to be.
“This soon? As you pointed out, we do not really know each other.”
“When you know you know, just like your brother Leaf did with Deana. Besides, I don’t think I will have to worry about a prenup.” She leaned over and caressed his lips with hers. He cupped her head as he leaned back in question.
“Because once you are in love with me too, it will not matter to you because you will feel safe and secure in my love for you and your love for me. You’ll know that we will be together until we are old and gray and take our last breaths together.”
She gave him a beautiful, knowing smile, and he groaned and slammed his lips over hers, taking her sweet mouth in a passionate kiss.
Her lips parted and her tongue sought his. He angled his head, deepening the kiss and pulling her tighter to him.
He let out a low rumble when he felt her fingers delve into his hair and she ran her nail tips across his scalp. It made him feel good, arousing him, and he imagined her with his cock in her hands, her fingers gently raking across his tip. He felt his blood leave his body and rush to his cock, hardening it.
Zahara began to rock her butt slightly against his burgeoning erection, and he stood up with her. Her feet met the snowy ground before he opened her winter coat, tearing his lips from her, his gaze taking in her now-exposed form. She was beautiful to him; motherhood had swollen her belly and breasts, her lips were slightly fuller now, and her hair was vibrant and curly, just the way he liked it.
Carter pulled down the fleece pants of her two-piece lounge wear that was the colour of gold. He loosened the draw strings and then reached inside, delving past her underwear to the core of her. She was so wet for him already. He moaned and separated their lips to whisper hoarsely.
“Your pussy is ready for me already; so wet and feels so good. Your pussy is very needy right now, and only I can satisfy its hunger. I will fill this needy cunt with my cock. You will ride me hard and fast till we both come.” Carter loved that when he talked dirty to Zahara, she got so wet from it.
His lips began to trail a path down her cheek to her exposed neck, and he licked the skin there before sucking it. She clenched her hands in his hair and let out a deep moan as he continued to stimulate her. She was getting wetter with each pass of his fingers, and he could feel her walls tremor. He was going to stop soon because he was finding it hard to control himself. He felt like a young buck during his first time with his girl. He needed her that much.
But as he nibbled her soft skin that called to him to give it his attention too, he continued his heated words near her ear. “Because I am so fucking hard for you right now, I want to feel your essence coat my cock. I cannot wait any longer to take what is mine again.”
He pulled away to see her smiling the siren smile of a woman who knew exactly how she was affecting him, just like he was doing to her. He was at the point of losing control, and she was basking in it, which turned him on even more.
Zahara then leaned forward and nipped his lip hard. He growled and sank his fingers inside of her while his lips took hers again. Her hands moved in his hair as he plundered her moist interior, preparing her for him and being careful not to crush her against his body. He loved feeling the pointed tips of her nipples pressing against his chest.
He felt her clench hard around his fingers and knew it was time. He did not even unbutton his own coat but pulled it aside to access his jeans with his free hand. He unsnapped his jeans and lowered his zipper, and she was there pulling him free, holding his hard flesh in her hot hands. They didn’t even register the cold around them, as the heat between them was keeping them warm. They shifted and he pulled her underwear down, then freed his fingers to put them in his mouth to taste her before sharing his fingers for her to enjoy herself as he sat down, pulling her on top of him and spreading her legs over his.
“Put me into that tight pussy of yours. Feed my cock inside of you until I am up to the hilt.”
Zahara shifted her hips and their eyes entangled as she brought his head to her slick opening, rubbing it against her.
They both groaned and his cock jumped in her hand. He could feel precum at the tip now, he was so engorged. His penis was demanding that she stop playing and let him enter her.
“Please,” he found himself begging. Since he had first lain with her, he had not wanted to sleep with anyone one else. She had a hold over him and his cock that no other woman had ever had, and that scared him.
She rose up slightly and in one move sank down on him. He watched as she worked her bottom lip while lowering herself slowly over him, inch by excruciating inch. He was mesmerized by the flushed look on her face, her tongue peeking out to caress her bottom lip where she’d worked it with her teeth, her lashes fluttering over her closed lids. Her lashes were long, thick, and natural, almost grazing her cheeks. She opened her eyes for him to get lost in the passion swirling in the sea of green staring back at him. She took his hand and raised it to her breast, pressing it there firmly. Then she tilted her head back slightly, closing her eyes, a look of want and extasy crossing her features as she continued to take in his hard, wide berth.
He cupped her firm, plump breasts and raked his nail and finger across one of the distended peaks. He lowered his head and sucked it into his mouth, clothing and all, wetting the fluffy material.
She finally sank down, taking him inside her to the hilt, and he pulled away to look at their connection, his shaft enfolded into her tight sheath, their colours blending beautifully together. He wondered for the first time what colour his child would be and hoped he or she would have their mother’s colouring because he found it beautiful.
He moved his hand from caressing her flesh and raised it to the back of her neck, holding her there. Then he moved his other hand to cup her lower back and the top of her buttocks, giving her support as he slightly pulled away before giving her a quick, hard pump. He was taking over now because she was too good, so tight and wet, her walls caressing and squeezing his staff, driving him mad and making him wanting to move hard and fast inside of her. He loved to hear the lustful sounds he ignited in her, and she did not disappoint as he thrust inside and up, rocking in and out at a quickening pace that built up during every pass.
“Let me hear your sweet sounds baby. Sing for me.”
She began to let out low moans as he curved up into her, hitting the sweet spot, and he could feel himself leaking alongside her moisture raining down on him and between them, dripping onto his balls. She was so goddam wet and could not control her body’s reaction to him.
She freed one of her hands from his hair and used it to squeeze and tweak her own breast, her moans and pants coming faster now. He lowered his head closer to her and breathed in her scent. It smelled sweet and musky to him, just like it tasted on his tongue, and he could not wait to eat her out at the next opportunity. She was like a feast waiting for him.
She let go completely of his hair and then grabbed his wrist, pulling it away from the back of her head. He raised his head back up in time to see her take his fingers to her parted lips and suckle them into her mouth. He bucked now because the sucking sensation he felt below and now on his fingers were driving him wild, and he couldn’t hold back any longer. He began to give long, hard strokes inside of her and then quick, short bursts, alternating back and forth until he felt his balls draw tight. He shouted as he was overcome with his release. His hearing cut out a bit, but he could her a muffled scream coming from her just as she clamped down on him, her legs jerking around him. She was sucking so intensely on his fingers that spittle was coating his and her mouth.
His jaw went tight, and his face felt flushed from the orgasm racking his body. He pulled his fingers from her mouth and began to rub her hardened clit with his wet tips, bringing on another orgasm that racked her body. She shouted out a curse that had him smiling and then groaning as she sucked him in tight, her vagina clenching and unclenching, drawing more out of him. His breathing was laboured, as was hers, and he felt hot all over.
“Fuck, so good.”
He felt her nodding as she tried to catch her breath, and he wrapped her in his arms and held on as their bodies began to cool from their orgasms. He felt himself grow flaccid and slip out of her, fluid between them now.
She pulled back slightly and brought her lips to his, kissing him sweetly before moving away and giving him a tender smile. The smile quickly turned into a yawn, and then she gave a slight shiver. He noticed that she had some perspiration on her forehead and neck. He stood her up and used his scarf to clean them up as best as he could before buttoning them back up.
“Time to go back. You need your rest, and I am sure everyone is wondering where we are.”
Zahara nodded tiredly and let out another yawn that she covered with her hand. He noticed that her eyes were drooping and looked sleepy. He now felt guilt for not only hurting her before but also making her tired now.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I, or the baby by being...?”
She grinned and patted her belly. “We are all good and you didn’t hurt me. It felt damn good and you know it! I’m pretty sure I scared all living things in this forest with my shouting and moaning.”
He grinned because she was loud and vocal during sex, and for someone who had not been with anyone before, she knew what she liked and was a very engaged lover. If he had not been her first, he would have thought she was experienced.
He was starting to feel glad that he was her first and no one else would ever have her after him.
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard, “So now you can take that concerned look off your face.”
Carter nodded and put a possessive arm around Zahara’s waist. They started to make their way back to the family. He stopped, and she looked at him questioningly.
“I did not mean what I said back at the house. I should not have said what I did to you about my gift and that you should be grateful for the proposal. I am deeply sorry about that.” She went to open her mouth.
“But I do not regret proposing to you at the chalet. You are—”
She put her finger on his lips. ‘Shush, you are about to ruin a good moment between us. I am not going to say yes to your proposal.’ She pressed harder when he opened his mouth to say something.
“How about a compromise for now, okay? We will live together and see how everything goes. Get to know each other better and build our relationship. Then we can revisit your proposal later.”
She released his mouth and looked at him solemnly as he stared down at her grimly, but he had to concede. At least now he would be around her and the baby. If they were living together, he could work on convincing her to marry him, sooner rather than later.
Zahara rolled her eyes as she watched him. “I can hear the wheels of your marriage-proposal agenda swirling around in that brain of yours.”
“Fine, we can move in together and get to know each other like you want, but no sex until then,” he said.
“Wow, savage! So I am to be punished until I agree to marry you?” She glared at him angrily.
He shrugged. “Why should we complicate things with sex as we get to know each other? I am surprised you did not suggest this yourself.”
An angry sound escaped her lips before she began to march off, and he quickened his pace to catch up with her, hooking his arm back around her to bring her tight to his side.
She elbowed him to let her go, but he held on with determination. “So, we have a deal.” He leaned down and kissed her on her nose. He knew that she would not be able to hold out much longer and would cave in and agree to his proposal. Not only did she love him as she claimed, they could also not resist being with each other.
“You would do that to a pregnant woman.” She stared at him with large, wide side eyes, and he had to contain his laughter.
She then scowled. “Don’t you know how horny a pregnant woman can get? This will be torture, but fine, you might think you have the upper hand, but you will be suffering along with me. I will be using every weapon at my disposal to make you pay.” She smirked happily, and it was his turn to scowl now.