Chapter 9 #2
“Don’t call me princess,” I said halfheartedly. Why did hearing his voice calm things in me?
I should hang up. I shouldn’t have called at all.
“Why are you calling, Sophia? Is there something wrong?”
I shouldn’t tell him a thing.
“Cale— Is he there? Are the girls safe? What did he do?”
I could hear him rustling in the background, as if he was moving, and my hand tightened around the phone.
“He just called. And I heard his voice, and it was after we talked with the lawyers.” I explained everything that had happened, the words falling from my lips without thought.
I could have called anyone else, and yet why did I call him?
“I should have just left it alone. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have called. I shouldn’t lean on you.”
“No, you should have called me. And you did. And don’t apologize, Sophia.”
“You don’t deserve that burden.” He paused for so long I was afraid he’d hung up.
“Maybe it’s not a burden, Sophia.” Another pause. “I’ll pick you up in ten minutes. Bring a suit.”
I stiffened, looking down at the phone for a moment, trying to contemplate what the hell he had just said.
“What?”
“Are the girls with you?”
“No, they’re with my mom.”
“Pity, they would’ve had fun. But this is for you.”
“Carson...”
“Just breathe, Sophia.” A deep breath. “No promises. Right?”
This time that phrase didn’t wrap me in comfort, it wrapped me in apprehension. Yet I answered anyway.
“No promises.” And that was how I found myself on a boat on Cage Lake of all places, wearing a sundress over my bathing suit, a large hat covering my head and shoulders, staring at Carson as he maneuvered the decently sized speedboat across the lake.
When he showed up at the house, I thought I had been dreaming, and yet he had taken one look at me, brushed my hair from my face, and piled me in his SUV.
During the drive up we talked about the merger, and the girls’ upcoming recital.
Nothing important and yet everything. I didn’t understand who this man was, or why he was here.
But he seemed to be a fixer, one who needed to make sure everyone around him was taken care of.
Maybe that was why he had done the same with me. Just like he did for his sister.
“When did you find out that your family owned this town?” Carson asked as he stopped the boat, and we rested on the water.
He sat next to me, his feet outstretched, and I couldn’t help but look at the man.
He had on long cargo shorts, a white muscle top, and a linen shirt over it.
He’d put a ball cap on, but put it backwards, his hair longish underneath the brim.
He also wore expensive sunglasses that just made him look sexy as ever.
I had told myself, just like we had told each other, that we would not want anything more than that one night.
And yet I couldn’t stop staring at him. What was this? And did I want the answers?
“I found out when the rest of my family did. I never even knew there was a small town called Cage Lake up in the mountains. But here it is, the perfect tiny town with its own lake and everything plastered with my last name on it. It’s a little disconcerting.”
“I should build a town for the Woods family. Just to rival yours.”
“I’m sure the family would love seeing that happen. Isabella, however, would do all in her power to keep Cage Lake in the top spot. She’s slightly competitive.”
“So says the principal ballet dancer.”
“Well, she is even more so than me. Just saying.”
“Good to know.”
“So your family, you have your sister Cora, right?”
He stared at me for a moment, as if I had crossed a line, and maybe I had. But he seemed to know so much about me, and I barely knew anything about him.
“Yes, Cora is ten years younger, getting married soon. In fact, she keeps pestering me to bring a date.”
I smiled softly.
“Oh really?”
“Well, I suppose bringing a date to the wedding is expected for most people. But I want to bring someone who knows that there will never be a promise. Someone that understands. I don’t want what my sister has.
She and Juliet are perfect for each other, and that’s great, but I’ve seen the other side of things. Just like you have.”
My heart shuddered, and I knew he was telling the truth, so why did I feel so disappointed?
“My parents are still alive. But they’re terrible people who don’t understand that my sister loves another woman. Nor did they understand that I don’t want to be part of their business. My father and your father were friends for a reason.”
I leaned into him and squeezed his hand. When he tangled his fingers with mine, his thumb rubbing my palm, I didn’t even think he’d realized he had done it.
“You’re a good big brother.”
“I try to be. You should come with me.”
I frowned, trying to meet his gaze.
“To where?”
“To the wedding. You would like Cora. And I like seeing you in dresses.”
I didn’t say anything, as I watched the sun glisten over the water, and realized that neither one of us knew what we were doing. But I did not want forever either, I reminded myself. I had thought I had once, and it had nearly broken me. So maybe this was the best case scenario.
“I can go. For your sister. She needs all the people that she can get in her corner for sure.”
“Good.” His eyes darkened, and then he leaned down and nipped at my lip.
“Carson.”
“We’re both adults. We can say no, but if you want me for this? To be your friend? Then I’m here.”
I swallowed hard, need warring with reality, and yet, this was exactly what I had wanted. Carson, but on our own terms. No forevers.
I nodded, and then he smiled before kissing me softly and standing up.
“I made a chicken Caesar salad on a baguette, and I have that sparkling water you like. The flavored stuff. You should eat.”
“How…how did you know that’s one of my favorite sandwiches?”
“I told you, Sophia. I pay attention.”
And then I found myself eating my favorite sandwich, with my favorite drink, wondering how he could continue to do this without asking for a single thing in return. And what did I give him?
Worry? My body? I could give him that freely. But it wasn’t enough. Because he never said a damn thing about what he needed. Nor did I know what I would give if he truly spoke his feelings.
After we finished eating, and I slathered on more sunscreen, I finally relaxed. A sense of peace washed over me, and while I knew I had a thousand things to do when I got home, and work piling up, it didn’t matter in this moment.
When he began to rub my feet, I pulled them away.
“I have dancer’s feet, they’re so ugly.”
He scowled at me and pulled my legs onto his lap.
“I box, and I fight MMA occasionally. My nose is broken, and I have calluses on my feet and hands. Your feet look like they do because of your strength and your discipline. Don’t be embarrassed.”
Blushing, I let him rub my feet and god, I couldn’t help but moan into him as he pressed his thumb into my arches. He smirked at me, and I knew exactly what he was going for.
And then his hands slid up my legs, massaging my calves, my thighs. When he gentled his touch over my scars, my back straightened.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“I remember you.”
I frowned. “What do you mean by that?”
“I saw you dance. More than once. You were so fucking beautiful. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of you.”
I had no words for that. He had seen me dance? Before the accident? Who was Carson Woods and why was he holding me?
“I saw you then, and I knew you. I still see the strength within you. Even if you don’t dance anymore, I still see you, Sophia.”
And then his hands were moving again, this time parting my thighs. I leaned back on the soft cushion, as he positioned himself between my thighs, and kissed and sucked his way to the apex.
“So warm, so wet already.”
“Carson. You don’t have to.”
He kissed over my bathing suit bottoms, then tucked them to the side. “I told you I love eating pussy. I love eating your pussy. So don’t tell me not to. Unless you truly don’t want me to have my tongue on your cunt.”
“You with this dirty talk.” I slid my hand down my stomach to his hair, tangling my fingers. “I think I like it.”
“Good.”
And then his mouth was on me, and I gasped out his name.
He spread me with his tongue and moved so his fingers did the same.
When he blew cool air over my heat, I arched for him, my toes curling.
And then he sucked my clit into his mouth, sending me over the edge.
Just like that, I was coming over his face, my wetness sliding down his chin, and he continued to eat his fill.
And when he hummed against me, my thighs clamped around his head, the orgasm still shaking me.
He leaned back onto his knees and wiped his chin. I should be embarrassed, but he was so damn sexy in that moment, I couldn’t breathe.
“Sweet and tart. My favorite dessert.”
I knew he’d never want me to feel embarrassed, so in answer, I scrambled to my knees and pushed him so he was on his back. He let out a rough laugh, and I undid his pants before he could say anything. When I pulled him out of his boxer briefs, his eyes darkened once more.
“Sophia. You’re playing with fire.”
“I think I’m playing with your cock.”
Even the words sounded foreign on my tongue, but as he smiled greedily, I pumped him once, twice, and then licked the slit at the tip of his dick. His eyes crossed, and I knew I had done the right thing. When I lapped at the barbell right at the slit, his whole body shuddered.
“Sophia. Damn.”
“Can I swallow you like normal with this?” I asked, honestly curious.