19. June
Chapter 19
June
T he eight-hour drive to Carter’s place felt like it stretched for days, yet somehow slipped by in the blink of an eye—time playing a cruel trick.
He’d walked a woman through paperwork and lab data entries at least a dozen times during the drive—his voice strained with exhaustion. Each call ended with the same weary sigh, followed by another apology that seemed to drain what little patience he had left.
“She’s a bit much but does a good job.”
I shrugged. “I bet. She sounds like she’s hopped up on caffeine.”
He reached for his phone, unlocked it as the car slowed, and pressed a button. “She’s not supposed to be, but she has a problem. We’ve addressed it in the past.”
“It’s that bad?”
“Sometimes.” He brought the car to a crawl, the garage door of a sprawling house on the hillside grabbing my attention.
“We’re home.”
“You...” I hunched down and looked up through the windshield. “You live here?”
He chuckled and stared back at me as he parked in the driveway. “Yeah.”
“Wow.” I removed my buckle and stepped out of the car, my breath caught in my throat.
The house was a stunning blend of contemporary and natural beauty, the type of place you might see in a magazine but never expected to encounter in real life. The entire design cascaded down the hillside, each level integrated into the landscape as if it had been there since the dawn of time. Earthy, warm walls meshed with sleek, coal-framed windows, reflecting the surrounding forest.
“This is...” I swallowed, my eyes tracing the wide staircase lined with soft, golden lights, brightening each step as it wound up the side of the house.
Lush greenery surrounded the house and the curvy driveway leading to the hidden garage beneath the house. Tall trees stood like sentinels around it, their branches swaying in the breeze .
This is more than just a house—it’s a work of art.
A house like that was never in the cards for a kindergarten teacher like me, and yet here it was, in all its glory, with Carter offering it up on a platter.
“Are you coming?”
“ Huh? “ I tore my eyes away from the mansion called a home to Carter, who walked through the opened garaged doors.
“I have to take a shower and get ready for work.” He waved me forward. “Let me show you around really quick.”
I glanced back at the car, then followed Carter into the house, my mouth running dry as we stepped inside.
“Your home is stunning, Carter.”
“Our home.”
I gave him a sideways glance. “You live here with someone else?”
He dropped the bags and cupped my cheeks, turning my focus toward him. “It’s our home... You and me. We’ve waited so long for this moment, and nothing is going to change that.”
“We shared a kiss when I was eighteen. That doesn’t really equal moving in with you a decade later, does it?”
But what else did I expect when I arrived here?
He bopped my nose with his index finger. “It’s more than that. I promise you.” He turned, his hand falling into mine, and dragged me along. “This is the kitchen.”
I choked. “Okay.” I put my hand to my chest. “I feel like I’m saying this a lot, but... wow.”
The glossy black cabinets sat in an L shape with a center island where the sink and dishwasher took up residence—the fixtures dawned in gold.
“It’s new. I get it.” He dragged me up the stairs with a glass wall banister—the black marbled flooring with matching gold veins bleeding onto the second floor.
Yeah, new...
That’s it.
We stepped into the dark bedroom wrapped in rich charcoal wallpaper, the tranquillity a cocoon from the outside world. In the center of the room was a low and sleek bed with a platform base, giving it the appearance of defying gravity.
“This is the master bedroom.”
I dropped his hand and fell onto the thick, plush comforter tussled on his bed, the coal gray an ominous theme throughout. The abstract black-and-white image of a barren tree hung on the wall, its stark beauty complementing the decor. “I feel like Snow White after she wandered into the Dwarves’ home, except theirs was quaint and dirty, and yours is... awe-inspiring.”
He straddled my waist, his hand brushing my palm. “I think you mean Belle when she ventured into the Beast’s castle.”
A sultry, mischievous smile curled at the corner of my lips. “Are you the beast, then?”
“No.” He shook his head and stole a glance. “I’m the madly in love prince.”
My stomach hurtled a million miles an hour through space and time, the flutters causing my heart to palpitate. “You...” My mouth dropped, and heat struck my cheeks.
He’s not telling me he loves me.
That isn’t what he meant.
It’s not possible. We barely know each other.
Carter sucked in a breath and hauled himself off of me, dragging me along with him, his change in demeanor a neck-breaking turn. “Anyway. This is the bathroom where I promised you your bath.”
I rushed forward, allowing him to drop the subject, and climbed inside the gray oval bowl-shaped tub, my reflection gleaning back at me. “You can have the bed. I’m sleeping in here.” He laughed as I settled in, my head leaning against the back, my arms resting along the curved edges.
His shirt hit the floor, and his belt buckle jingled as he shucked off his clothes. My heart stopping in my chest. “I have to get ready.” He pointed to the double vanity. “There are soaps and salts under the sink. I wasn’t expecting company when I returned, so I’ll get you some items on my way home.” He leaned over me, his full cock swinging between his legs. “Make yourself at home.” He pressed his lips to mine, his tongue laying claim, then pulled away and walked into an expansive shower with a rainfall showerhead.
The buttons he pressed made a tink and beep . Moments later, water fell from the gold rectangle suspended from the ceiling. A gentle, cascading waterfall tumbled onto the stone flooring beside a long, sleek bench that ran the shower length.
“Why does this house make me feel pampered?” I rolled my head to the side, checking him out as he dipped his head into the stream and swiped the water away from his eyes.
“I hope it does. Maybe it will convince you to stay.”
I scoffed. “I’m not materialistic, Carter. You saw my house in Avon.”
He squirted blue body wash onto a loofah, and scrubbed, covering every toned inch in thick bubbles. “I wasn’t implying you were. I just hope that you’ll be happy here.” He rinsed his body and started on his hair. “If not, I don’t mind moving.”
He can’t be smitten with me.
Not like this.
I climbed out of the tub and wandered into the bedroom, my legs aching, the cuts and scrapes a second thought to the muscles screaming. Dropping onto the bed, I laid flat, resuming my previous position, and stared at the recessed lights, the water shutting off moments later.
Sitting in the car for eight hours with a ten-minute bathroom break while he fueled was brutal on the body.
Carter marched through the bedroom, his gaze brushing over me, then disappeared into his closet, his brows furrowed.
That’s strange.
I sat, shucked off my shoes, and brought my knees to my chest. Resting my chin on my knees, I waited, my breaths oscillating with each exhale.
Did I do something wrong?
In four minutes flat, Carter emerged from his expansive closet wearing black scrubs with a white undershirt peeking out from the V-shape in the collar, then sat beside me and tied up his shoes.
“Did I do something wrong?”
His foot plunked down, and he brought up the other, tying the laces in a neat bow and then double knotting it. He dropped his other foot down and sighed, his hands on his knees as he hung his head. “No.”
I brushed the back of my hand over his scruff. “Okay, it seemed like you were upset when you walked out.”
His hand grabbed my wrist, pulled my touch away, then placed it in his lap and interlaced our fingers. “The last time I was here, I was determined to make you pay.”
How we so easily forget...
I tugged at my hand, and his fingers clenched around me, refusing to let me budge.
“It’s strange sitting here with you when I plotted your death every night here in this very bed.”
“ Mmay —“ I licked my drying lips, my stomach knotting. “Maybe I don’t want to know this.”
“It’s going to take me a minute to get back into the swing of things now that I’m back in familiar territory.” He patted my hand. “And I still have the unresolved issue of who murdered my little sister hanging over me.”
My stomach sank, and the joy drained from me, pooling in a puddle of liquid misery beneath my feet. “I think I understand.” Standing, I slipped my hand free, my throat bobbing as I swallowed. “I can get a hotel for a few days, but um—“
“No, June.” He growled and folded his arms around my waist, hugging me, his head resting on my belly. “It’s nothing like that. I just haven’t really had a chance to process all of this.”
And you think I have?
His lips ran over my stomach, my shirt bunching under his touch.
I wove my fingers through his hair, the soft strands slipping between my fingertips. “I understand. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
“Wait for me.” He glanced up and then stood. “I’ll be home in the early hours. I need you to wait for me. Don’t leave, don’t go anywhere. Just be here when I get back.”
I shook my head, my brows pulled down. “I’m not going anywhere, Carter.” I smiled, my heart soaring. “I’ll be right here waiting.”
He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me with a depth that eclipsed all previous kisses. It was as though he’d reached into my soul, ventured through its depths, and returned with the very essence that made me who I was. Pulling away, he pressed another kiss on my lips and then stepped away with a nod. “Okay. I need to go.”
“Yep. Probably for the best.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
I rolled my lips and bounced on my toes, my heart pitter-pattering in my ears and chest.
Carter took two more steps back, his hand rubbing his scruff, then spun and walked out of the bedroom, taking the air with him. My lungs deflated as the silence slapped my ears, a ringing taking up residence.
It took three long days to cross the country, with the rhythmic vibration of the road easing the ache in my chest and the steady hum of conversation dulling the edge of loneliness. But now he’d left me without a phone or any connection to the outside world. It felt as though he had isolated me, dragging me through society—allowing me to be a part of it but keeping me apart.
What do I do now?
My body pulsed with the last energy reserves from the trip while my stomach gurgled with hunger. It had been eight and a half hours of surviving on nothing but road food and snacks.
The garage door hummed beneath me as I approached the window. A sleek black Mercedes, its grill adorned with a prominent logo, reversed down the driveway. The door slid back into place with a soft, mechanical whir.
“And then there was one.”
I sighed, my arms wrapped tight around my chest as I walked down the stairs and into the living room. The U-shaped sofa, matching the color theme spread throughout the house, sat in the center of the room with expansive windows spattered with the beginnings of a rainstorm.
A coffee table dominated the center of the room, showcasing a carefully curated selection of Men’s Health, National Geographic, and Scientific American magazines.
I snorted as I collapsed onto the couch, sinking into its cushions and tucking my feet underneath me with a pillow hugged to my chest.
Brainiac.
Thunder boomed in the distance.
Did it follow us from Indiana?
What else would follow us here?
What happens now?
I ran my fingers through my hair, my long locks falling around my shoulders.
Large decorative silver globes hung from the ceiling, reflecting my motions. Lightning flashed in the distance, and a micro jerk seized my legs. I hugged the pillow tighter, burying my face, and inhaled. Carter’s scent soaked my senses, and every muscle in my body surrendered.
I laid down, my knees drawn up, and snagged the remote beside the Nat Geo magazine and pressed the power button.
What was the last thing he watched?
Was he a news kind of guy, or did he prefer reality TV?
“As investigators dug deeper, they uncovered a chilling secret—“
“Nope.” I switched the channel.
“What started as a routine investigation quickly unraveled into a nightmare—“
I slammed the power button and dropped the remote onto the magazines.
Thunder rattled the windows, the sun giving into the cloud cover, casting the living room in dim light where shadows danced along the walls like the beasts in my dreams.