Chapter 5
Now that I have his attention.
Ten minutes into our drive, Carter hadn't said a word.
He had his right arm resting behind my seat, his left hand steering the wheel, some unheard rap song blaring from the speakers.
He bopped his head occasionally to the music.
Carter barely glanced at me, although I didn't feel any awkwardness, at least from him.
He was content. And why wouldn't he be? Carter fully expected us to have sex once we reached his place.
There was no need to strike up a conversation to get to know me better.
He would hit it and quit it. Maybe because he was my neighbor, he anticipated I would be convenient sex.
Whenever he was in the mood, he could invite me right over.
Most girls on campus would be down, even for some of him.
Just this morning, if someone said I would be riding with Carter on the way to his place, I would've been open to doing whatever.
Virgin status and all. The reality, as we turned off the highway and the smell of sand and the ocean wafted through the vents, was that I wanted more from and with him.
If I slept with him now, all I would ever be is a notch on his belt. I wanted to mean more.
I had his attention, as Chelsea said. Now, I just needed to keep it. Treat him like Grey.
"You hungry?" I asked.
My voice seemed to startle him like he'd forgotten I was beside him.
"I can eat." He shrugged. "Think you want to order something once we get to my place?"
"Or we can go right there." I pointed to an In-N-Out Burger on the side of the road. "We can sit outside since we just worked out."
Carter looked at the short line. "It's hot. We can get it to go and sit on my balcony if you want to be outside."
"Don't really want my roommate in my business." That was a partial truth. I didn't want Grey to hear my voice and demand to know why I left his car. I also wasn't ready to go to Carter's condo yet.
Carter's forehead puckered, though he didn't question me while he pulled into the lot and parked. I waited in the truck, and he walked around and opened my door. "Thank you."
"Told you chivalry was still alive." He grinned warmly, and for a moment, I second-guessed my decision to be with him in public instead of the privacy of his condo. This fine-ass man wanted me alone, and I was the barrier.
Carter guided me by the small of my back through the front door. When we approached the counter, he looked down at me. "Guess my order. See if we're compatible."
"If I guess wrong, we're not?"
"Yep." He nodded, tossing his keys in his hand.
"Ooh, the pressure is on. Thank God, I chose In-and-Out since all they sell is burgers instead of Jack in the Box."
Carter laughed in agreement.
I rubbed my palms together. "I got to get this right. No matter what I order, you have to eat it and tell me later if it was your choice."
When it was our turn, I smiled brightly at the teenager at the counter, who immediately smiled back.
"Give me a triple burger, no onions, and no special sauce.
Add mustard, mayo, and one slice of American cheese.
Fries. And a Neapolitan shake. Then I want a double combo with a Coke.
" I stepped back and gestured at an amused Carter. "He's paying."
"Ketchup for the fries?" The guy at the counter continued to address me, though Carter stood before him.
"I mean, what's fries without ketchup?" I replied, fully aware that I had Carter's attention along with a couple of other male customers. Men really do like confidence. Grey always told me that, and at this moment, I owned it.
I waited for Carter to pay, then followed him as he chose a booth, explaining, "It's too hot to sit outside."
He slid in next to me instead of across from me.
His nearness affected my pulse, though externally, I remained playful and teased, "There's a whole side over there."
"Maybe I don't want you far from me."
He lightly squeezed my bare thigh, and I had to refrain from flinching from the heat of his hand on my skin. Thankfully, he removed his hand because if he kept it there, I might have jumped his bones then and there.
Pace yourself. You want more.
"What if I wanted to look at you? It's hard to turn my head in this small space." I smiled. My jaw started to ache. I'd been smiling a lot in the last hour.
Carter shifted in his seat, filling my view with him. "You see me, Darren Brown, from philosophy class."
I breathed through the flutters in my stomach. "Carter St. Patrick...I thought we established that we knew each other's names. Tell me something I don’t know about you."
He whistled softly. "I'm going to enjoy this."
"Enjoy what?"
Carter propped his elbow on the table and rested his chin on his palm, watching me. "You."
My panties were so wet with how his dark eyes sparkled, telling me I could have him if I wanted him. "Me?"
"I see what you're doing, and I get it." He smiled.
I frowned like I had no clue what he meant. "What am I doing?"
"Delaying the inevitable. No reason to be scared." Carter observed.
"I’m not scared.”
Carter studied my face, and I prayed I didn’t have a pimple or an unmentionable in my nose. “Yeah, you are. What do you think will happen once we get to my place?”
“It’s not what I think. It’s what I know.” I sat back in the booth. Honesty has always been me; right now, being me...or a slightly elevated version of me was working.
“Then, if you know, why are we here instead of my bed if you’re not scared?”
I could see my reflection in his eyes, which was my sign. Win or lose, I would be straight up with him. “Because I want more.”
His eyes immediately shuttered. Then our number was called. He opened his eyes without looking at me and rose to get our food. I itched to text Chelsea. But it was time for me to figure out how to deal with men on my own. Even someone as popular and handsome as Carter.
When Carter brought the tray to the table, he sat across from me. Clearly, my response had once again shifted the mood between us. He reached for the triple burger, and I snatched it before he could pick it up. Half-irritated, half-teasing. “That’s for me. The double combo is yours.”
“You eat a triple with a shake? Where does the food go?” He looked me up and down in disbelief.
“You asked me to guess what you eat, and I did. The double is yours.”
“What if I want the shake?”
“Is that what you usually order?” I asked pointedly.
“No... but that shake looks good.”
I removed the wrapper from the straw, jammed it into the cup, and sucked up the smooth, creamy ice cream. “It’s delicious and all mine.”
He tried to grab it, and I moved the shake just out of his reach.
I quirked a brow. “I don’t share.”
Carter bent over the table and sucked on my straw before I could move the shake. His hand covered mine on the cup. We locked eyes while he tasted my shake. He licked his lips before his other hand cupped my chin to kiss me. His tongue briefly met my tongue, and I tasted the sweetness of chocolate.
He returned to his side with a smug smile. “It’s so much better when you share. I can see who I want and be your secret. Your boyfriend doesn’t have to know about me.”
“I don’t have a boyfriend.”
“Right.” He scoffed. “I saw how your old dude reacted when I volunteered to help. He was threatened. No worries. You can keep him and see me, too.”
“I just told you I want more. Why would I want that if I already have a boyfriend?”
“If you’re here with me, you’re not happy.” He grabbed my burger and gave me his. “You guessed my meal right, but your meal is a hell of a lot better than mine. I didn’t know you could order a triple burger.”
I couldn’t help grinning and singing, “So, we’re compatible.”
He took a huge bite of the burger, and while chewing, he exclaimed, “Damn, girl, this is my new burger. We just might be compatible. I love smart, sexy girls. Can you cook? If you cook, we fucking getting married.”
“Yep.” Pleased at his compliments, I chomped on my double burger. “But I only cook for boyfriends.”
“You cook for old dude?” He scarfed down fries while waiting for my answer.
“Yeah...but...” I let my words trail off at his triumphant expression.
I guess if I saw him move in with a pretty girl and she cooked for him, I would think they were a couple.
“Okay...how do you propose we do this? I want us to go out. Not just be inside having sex. And I don’t want to run into your women. I live next door.”
“Yeah, with Grey,” Carter added, his mouth twisted slightly.
“Don’t get jealous.” I smiled. Talking to Carter had been easier than I imagined.
He polished off his food and started eating my fries as if mulling over my words. “I won’t.”
“Well, I will. I heard you having sex the other night. I didn’t like it.”
Carter covered his mouth with his fist and chuckled. “Told her she was too loud.”
“That’s my point. I don’t want to have sex with you and then hear you with someone else the next day.”
“First, I fuck. I don’t have sex.” He sat back and let his shoes touch mine.
Though his cocky manner turned me incredibly on, I still asked. “The difference?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
“I told you I’m not having sex...fucking...you unless we agree to more.”
Carter’s deep-throated chuckle traveled straight to my spot. “You’re so cute. Can’t even say fuck without blushing. He’s obviously not hitting it right.”
“I have no complaints.” As soon as I said that, I closed my eyes. Shit. Shit. He’s pulled me into his world where I cheat on my boyfriend.
A boyfriend that I don’t have.
A boyfriend that he believes is Grey.
“Not yet.” He pushed my food toward me. “Finish eating, or I’ll finish it.”
“I don’t know why you're rushing me. We’re not doing anything until you promise not to sleep with another girl in your place as long as we’re sleeping together.” I pushed the burger back to him. “I don’t like the special sauce. You can keep it. The fries and the shake are enough.”
He picked up my phone that I’d placed next to me. “Here’s my number. Use it whenever you're ready to fuck.”
“We’re not hanging out after this?”
“Isn’t that why we're here? We're hanging out now.” Carter removed the cup's lid and swallowed some ice.
“That’s it?”
He reached under the table, took my gym shoe off my foot, and placed my foot against his hard and long length. “If we go to my place, we’re fucking.”
His erection intrigued me. I slowly caressed him, and he closed his legs. “Stop before you make me come.” He whispered, “And if that happens, we’re definitely fucking.”
Carter's threat worked, and I moved my foot and donned my shoe.
"Now, eat your fries," he ordered.
Carter drummed his knuckles on the table while I finished eating. I didn’t say another word or touch him. He wore thin shorts, and I knew he wouldn’t make a move until his manhood went down.
“Why are you smiling?” He asked.
“Didn’t realize I was,” I admitted.
"Care to share?"
“Feels good to know I can make you hard.”
The corner of his lips curled. “Would it make you feel better to know that every time I saw you in class, I had to tell my dick to behave?”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah.” His eyes never wavered from mine.
Blushing, I looked away first. “That does make me feel better.”
Carter stood, and my gaze traveled down to his semi-erect imprint. “Eyes up here.”
I sidled out of the booth. “I’m looking out for you.”
“Sure...sure...sure, Darren.”
As he followed me out of the restaurant toward his car, he hugged me from behind and said near my ear. “If I agree to your terms, you'd better stop being scared and be ready.”
I once learned in a psychology class that negative and positive emotions can coexist simultaneously. It had never happened to me until this moment. With Carter's strong arms embracing me possessively, knowing the attraction had been mutual, his promise thrilled yet frightened me.