15. Sunny
15
SUNNY
I yawned as I crawled onto Carter’s bed after our long night of painting. Opting for no wine to avoid getting sleepy hadn’t helped at all. I was just exhausted no matter what I did. When the painting was finished and people were clearing out of the gallery, I had energy to spare, so I asked him to bring me back here to his place. Now, I felt like lead weights were tugging my eyelids shut.
“Do you want to rest a while?” he asked thoughtfully as he stretched out next to me. His gentle fingers curled a few hairs around my ear while I tucked my arm under my head and smiled up at him.
“Absolutely not. I don’t know what’s gotten into me lately. I’ve just been too tired to function. Maybe it’s just working longer hours than I was in Tampa. Another yawn snuck its way out, reaching up to wash over me in more waves of fatigue.
“It’s really okay if you need to rest. I can read or watch a show, and if all we do is sleep that’s okay. I’m not expecting anything.” Carter pressed his lips to my forehead. A cloud of his cologne circled me as he did, drawing a smile to my lips again.
“You really are the sweetest man I know. Do you know that?” I thought about other guys I had dated in the past, how their personalities differed from Carter’s. I could chalk it up to him being a bit older and more mature, probably more experienced in life. Or maybe he really did just care about how I was feeling and that was the difference. Those other guys never gave a crap about my heart.
“How about something else that might help you feel better? A back rub?” he asked. I scrunched my nose. “A glass of wine?” I shook my head but kept a straight face. I’d been having suspicions about that slip-up with the condom that day in my father’s Malibu home. The fatigue, the emotions…I wasn’t going to take a chance.
“Alright, then, what about a hot bath?” Carter’s eyes scanned my face, and I thought about it for a second. He was trying so hard to be sweet and take care of me, and while I figured a bath would only make me sleepier, I didn’t want to discourage him.
“Sure, a bath sounds great,” I replied and then watched as he slid off the bed to scurry away and draw a bath for me.
Having a man who would go to any length to help me warmed my heart. I let my eyes close and relaxation sink me into the sheets while I listened to him preparing things in the bathroom. Eventually, I felt a soft hand on my shoulder and a shake.
“You dozed off…Do you still want the bath?” Carter asked, hovering over me.
I blinked hard a few times and nodded, rolling to my back to let him take my hand and help me up. It was only a little after nine, but it felt like midnight as I rose to my feet and followed him into the bathroom.
He had a steaming bubble bath ready, candles lit, soft music playing. I drowsily blinked and let him help me out of my clothing. His hands trailed over my skin, lips kissing softly in nonsexual places until I was nude. Then he helped me climb in and sit down.
The water was perfect, not too hot, not too cold, but I felt lonely. “Stay with me?” I said, peering up at his towering form.
“Wouldn’t dream of leaving.” Carter winked as he loosened his tie and slid it off. Then he unbuttoned his cuffs and rolled up his sleeves. He knelt beside the tub and took my hand.
“You don’t have to undress too,” I explained, flushing a deep red as my brain caught up with my mouth.
“Oh.” He chuckled, a low rumble that sent butterflies spiraling in my belly. “I only planned on washing your back.” He smiled coyly and winked at me again before he unbuttoned his shirt and let it fall to the floor. His chest was sculpted and muscular. I tried not to ogle him but it was just too difficult not to stare at the perfect specimen in front of me.
“With abs like that, you can wash my back anytime.” I snickered, ducking my head into the bubbles for a moment to hide my blush. Suddenly, I felt like a teenager, hiding a secret crush on a much older man. Carter grinned at me and cocked his head.
“Feeling a bit better?” he asked as I rose back out of the bubbles and wiped them off my face.
“Well, when you start taking your clothes off it does something to me.” I shrugged a shoulder and felt the blush deepen. I was still exhausted, but the idea of feeling him against me was comforting. “Want to join me?”
I didn’t have to ask him twice. The water level rose a little as Carter settled into the tub behind me, nestling against my back. I sank deeper into the tub, letting my heavy eyelids fall as I leaned back against him. Relaxation seeped through every inch of me as his fingers kneaded away the knots that had formed in my muscles from painting. The combination of the warmth, the bubbles, and his presence lulled me into a state of utter relaxation.
“You’re right, this was exactly what I needed.” My eyes drooped closed for just a second before popping back open again when he stopped massaging me.
As he worked his way down my back and then back up again, I couldn’t remember the last time I had felt this safe or cared for. We really did have a deep bond forming, and I was stupid to deny it. It didn’t matter to me that he was older than me by fifteen years or that he’d been divorced, or even that he was my dad’s best friend. What mattered was our connection, the fact that we’d found each other and that our hearts were bound together by so many things.
“You know,” I started thinking of how Carter had said maybe I’d find something worth staying here for. “I’ve been thinking.”
His hands continued to massage me, every now and then finding a sensitive spot. I lay against his chest with my eyes pressed shut and he kissed my temple.
“What’s that?”
“If I stayed here in LA, and we did this…” Gesturing with my hand, I made water slosh around. “This thing we’re doing. How do you think my dad would react?”
Carter didn’t answer right away, instead his hands stilled and his breathing hitched in his chest. When he spoke, his voice was a soft rumble in my ear. “He wouldn’t be happy, but I think if you’re happy, that’s all he’d really care about.” I wasn’t sure if that was true at all. Deep down, I was worried that Dad finding out I was dating Carter would be like a nuke dropped on my family. Dad would be livid.
I turned slowly over my shoulder and saw the concerned expression on his face. It looked like he’d put some thought into this too.
“I know it’s a lot to ask you to stir up more drama with your dad after everything you’ve been through.” Carter ran a hand through his dark hair, and I wondered if he was having doubts about his friendship with Dad.
“It’s not that simple,” I said, feeling the last of my resistance crumbling away. It was too good with Carter, this connection we had. I couldn’t walk away from him now, not when I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. “Things with Dad haven’t ever been simple.”
“No, I get it,” Carter said, releasing a long breath. “And you’re right, we don’t know how he would react until we tell him.”
“So, you’re okay with us giving this a try? You and me?” Taking each other’s hands in the water between us, I looked into his eyes—saw the want and hope flickering there.
Carter nodded and brought my hands up to his face to kiss my knuckles. “I want this more than you could ever know.”
I felt a weight lift off my chest as I leaned in to press my lips against his. It was slow and tender, the kind of kiss that made my heart skip a beat and the butterflies in my stomach double in number. Carter’s arm slid around my waist, pulling me close as our mouths melded together. With each brush of his warm lips against mine, my willingness to fight for our happily ever after only grew stronger—no matter what the cost.
A longing started to grow in my core too. The intimate moment of finally getting our hearts and minds on the same page gave me a burst of energy I wanted to expend pouring out my affection on him. I deepened the kiss and took my hands from his, resting them on his shoulders. He gripped my hips harder and pulled me down onto his lap where I felt his swelling member.
“Carter…” I breathed needily against his lips. Those cerulean eyes of his only darkened as he slid a hand up the inside of my leg, sending goosebumps over my whole body.
“I think I’m falling for you, Sunny,” he said against my lips before reclaiming them once more. His other hand slid down my torso and under the water where he found most definitely not-innocent places to explore. I gasped into his mouth and dug my nails into his shoulders.
“Mmm, Carter,” I moaned. His name on my lips sounded sweet, intoxicating. I wanted to hear it on repeat forever.
The hand around my thigh moved higher up, until a calloused thumb slipped over my clit and my breath hitched. Carter’s lips moved down my jawline, trailing heated kisses along my neck as he made his way to my collarbone. I arched into his touch, feeling more alive than I had in weeks. The world around me was slowly melting away, leaving only the two of us in this moment where I could forget anything but his touch.
“Carter,” I moaned again as his kisses trailed lower, lifting up to keep pressure constant on that sweet spot between my thighs as he gripped his dick and positioned it.
He groaned and bit gently at the column of skin between neck and collarbone before saying roughly, “Let me have you now, and don’t hold anything back from me anymore.”
With a moan of approval, I pulled Carter’s face back up to mine and kissed him with every ounce of desire that filled me. It was searing hot, lustful. He held himself upright as I slowly sank down, the head of his dick pushing against my slick entrance until I held it in place. Then his hand moved, and it was all in my control.
I leaned forward, taking him inch by inch until his cock was at my cervix. My body stretched and clenched around him as he filled me so completely, his pelvis pressing against my heat. Our breaths mingled in the humid air as our eyes met and held. I could see the same fire burning brightly in his that matched mine—a desire to consummate us, to prove we were worth the risk no matter what happened tomorrow.
“You are so incredible,” he breathed, “so beautiful.”
“Mmm,” was all I could answer as my eyes fluttered shut and my head hung back.
Carter began to move, his cock sliding in and out of me, long deep thrusts that lit a fire inside me. I clung to him for dear life, my grip tight on his shoulders as I moaned through gritted teeth. Water sloshed around us, up and over the rim of the bath, and my lips crashed against his with force. Carter groaned against my lips before biting one and sucking it into his mouth. The slow, delicious burn of orgasm started to build in the pit of my stomach, radiating heat outward through my veins.
As he thrust into me again and again, I couldn’t stop the whimpers and moans escaping me. Carter cupped my breasts, massaging them and twisting a nipple between finger and thumb while his other thumb continued to rub my clit in small even circles. With a muffled cry I shattered around him, my muscles contracting hard around his cock as pleasure coursed through every fiber of my being.
I twitched and jerked. My hips clenched around him involuntarily, feeling every final thrust as he grunted out a stream of profanities. His movements were concentrated, purposeful as he drove my orgasm until his eyebrows rose.
“God, I’m gonna,” he grunted, and I lifted off of him, allowing is dick to pulse white stringy loads of cum into the bathwater. Carter jerked and twitched, but his thumb continued to rub my clit.
He smiled and looked up at me through heavy eyelids, and I rose slowly on shaky legs. “Let’s not sit in that,” I said, cringing, and he chuckled.
We climbed out, rinsed off in the shower, and then he dried me off, wrapping the towel around me before drying himself. I waited while he pulled the drain plug so the water could drain. His hand rode the small of my back as we walked to bed where I curled up on my side, feeling a bit nauseous from all the activity.
We were on the same page about what we wanted—a chance to have a real relationship now, one I felt like I was finally ready to have. But even as he pulled me against his chest and peppered my shoulder and cheek with kisses, I felt uneasy.
“What if Dad freaks out entirely?” I asked him, but inside I also wanted to ask what if I’m pregnant? Because everything was seeming to point to that. The drunken romp in my bedroom the day we met five weeks ago was fun, but my gut told me we had made a mistake.
“Then we’ll talk it out, okay? He’s your dad, baby. He’s going to love you forever no matter what. He might get mad for a while, but he’ll get over it.” More kisses rained on my damp skin and Carter’s arm tightened around my middle again.
“What about you?” I asked. Dad and Carter were good friends. If this destroyed their friendship, I’d never forgive myself.
“We’ll be fine, Sunny. Stop worrying.”
Carter’s words weren’t as reassuring as he probably hoped them to be, mostly because half of my question remained unanswered. What would he think if he found out I suspected being pregnant? He’d already told me how gut-wrenching it was to lose a child, how he wasn’t really fond of the idea of more children because of his trauma and the fear of it happening again. How would he feel if I really was pregnant?
How would I feel?