Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
“Can Carson stay for dinner, Mom?”
“That’s up to him. I’m sure he has other things he needs to be doing.”
“I don’t. I took a few days off, so I’m free.”
“Let’s have spaghetti! It’s my favorite!”
“I love spaghetti,” Carson said.
“Mom makes the best meatballs, too. Do we have any, Mom?”
“We do.”
“You’re so lucky,” Ty told him. “They’re the best meatballs in the whole world.”
“I can’t wait to try them.”
When Ty ran ahead of them to the car, Cresley said, “You don’t have to stay if you have work or other plans.”
“I don’t. I cleared my schedule until this situation is resolved.”
“Carson… You don’t have to do that. We can stay home with the alarm on until he’s found.”
“How would I have a second of peace if I wasn’t right there to make sure you guys are safe?”
“Carson! Unlock the door!”
He found the key fob in his pocket and hit the unlock button. “We’ll talk about this later. I need to swing by my place to grab a few things and then let’s get you guys home.”
At his place, Ty and Cresley came inside while he packed a bag and gathered ongoing case files so he could finish investigative reports that were due to various attorneys before he turned the next wave of reports over to Anthony.
He’d texted his colleague to let him know that Cresley’s case had been transferred to his sister’s firm and they were taking over her protection detail.
I’ll be out for a few days, and I’m putting you in charge.
I’ll finish up the pending reports tonight, and then you’ll have to pick up the others.
I’ve got you covered, boss man, Anthony had replied.
When they returned to Cresley’s, Carson checked in with the new detail. The first thing he noticed was that the guy sitting outside her home was so young he still had acne. Had Kaidan put their best guy on this important job?
“I’ll be inside, and I’m armed,” Carson said, giving the young man his number and filling him in on the day’s events. He noted the discarded fast-food bags and containers that littered the passenger seat and floor of the guy’s car. “Do you have a picture of the ex and a copy of the RO?”
“Yes, I have the case file and have been reviewing it.”
“Any sign of trouble, call me.”
“Will do.”
“LAPD will be coming by with regular patrols, too.”
“Got it.”
“Stay alert.”
“I said I’ve got it.”
He walked away, feeling less than confident that the kid had anything other than a ravenous appetite for fast food.
When he was inside, he texted Kaidan. Is that pimple-faced kid the best you could send to provide security?
You just dumped this on me today, and he was the only one available. Our lead investigator says he’s a machine. Can stay up for days without needing to sleep.
I’d rather have someone more experienced.
He’s it for now. Take or leave.
If possible, Carson was even more on edge than he’d been earlier, but he put on his game face for Cresley and Ty. He raved about the meatballs and then watched Ty’s favorite Spider-Man movie. He read three books to Ty and helped to tuck him in while managing a nagging sense of wary anticipation.
Cresley’s emotions were all over the place while she watched the two of them interact like longtime pals rather than new acquaintances.
Ty adored Carson, and while she appreciated the attention Carson paid to her son, she worried about his little heart being broken once Carson remembered he hadn’t planned to get involved like this.
Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have let Ty anywhere near a guy she’d only recently met and started seeing, or whatever it was they were doing. But nothing about this situation was normal.
After Ty was in bed, Cresley was pouring a glass of wine in the kitchen, when Carson wrapped his arms around her from behind and kissed her neck, making her shiver.
“Today was a really, really long day, wasn’t it?” he asked.
“Felt like a month.”
“All I could think about in between all the shit with What’s-His-Name was being alone with you again.”
She turned to face him and curled her arms around his neck. “Thank you for all the time and attention you gave to Ty. He loved every minute of it.”
“So did I. He’s so fun to hang out with.”
“He’s the best.”
“So’s his mommy.”
They needed to talk about a lot of things, but when he kissed her, talking was the last thing on her mind. It amazed her that a kiss from him was more exciting than far more racy sexual encounters had ever been. Why him? Why now? Why with a man who said he didn’t want a relationship or commitment?
He leaned his forehead against hers. “You’re completely undoing me.”
“Likewise.”
Carson pulled his vibrating phone from his back pocket, checked to see who it was and then put it on the counter. “Now, where were we?”
“There was some kissing, if I recall correctly.”
“Ah yes, the kissing. How safe are we to misbehave with Ty in the house?”
“He never wakes up during the night.”
“That’s good to know.”
In a matter of seconds, he had her arranged on the counter, her legs wrapped around his waist.
“Are you sore, honey?”
“A little. It’d been a minute for me.”
When he would’ve pulled back from her, she didn’t let him. “I’m okay as long as we take it slow.”
“I can do slow.” He ran a hand up the inside of her thigh and discovered she was naked under her dress. “What a lovely discovery,” he said as he pressed his fingers into her, being careful not to hurt her. She clamped down on his fingers and made him gasp.
He freed his cock from his pants and withdrew his fingers. “Hold on tight.”
She wrapped her arms around him and let her head fall back as he entered her.
“Is this okay?”
“Mmm, don’t stop.”
“That’s the last thing I want to do. God, Cres… You feel so good.”
“So do you.” Her fingers were buried in his hair, and he shuddered when she dragged her fingernails over his scalp.
He pressed his fingers against her clit, triggering her orgasm and his.
Afterward, he rested his forehead on her shoulder, trembling from aftershocks that made him hard again.
She groaned. “You’re going to kill me.”
“We can’t have that,” he said as he withdrew from her, kissing her softly and sweetly.
She wanted to melt into his warm embrace, but the warning bells in her mind were becoming too loud to ignore. “Can we talk?”
“Sure.” They disentangled and took turns using the bathroom off the kitchen to clean up.
“Can I get you anything?” she asked when he returned.
“I’ll take an ice water, please.”
“Coming right up. Do you mind if I drink the wine? I should’ve asked before I poured it.”
“Of course not.”
“Okay, just checking.”
She handed him the ice water, reached for her glass and followed him into the living room, sitting next to him on the sofa.
Carson put his arm on the back of the sofa and played with her hair. “What’s up?”
“Um, well, the other night, you said this thing that’s happening between us wasn’t going to happen, and since it seems to be happening… I guess I’m a bit confused.”
“So am I.”
“What do you mean?”
“I meant what I said the other night. I’ve never wanted to be involved with anyone this way, but this… It’s different.”
“How so?”
“I want to be with you, and not because I’m worried about what Marlon might do next. It’s because of you and how I feel when I’m with you.”
“How do you feel?”
He blew out a deep breath. “I feel so many things, it would be hard to list them all.”
“Try.”
“Let’s see…” While he thought about it, he ran his fingers through her hair, as if he couldn’t bear to be close to her without touching her.
She was more than fine with that.
“I feel excited to be around you. When I came back to get you after taking Ty to school, my heart did this weird lurching thing when I knew I was going to see you again.”
Cresley smiled. “That’s a good one. What else you got?”
“It was fun to have dinner with you guys and to tuck Ty in with you. I love being around him.”
“I love the way you two talk to each other like old friends.”
“He’s an amazing kid. You’ve done a beautiful job with him.”
“That’s the best compliment anyone could ever give me, but he’s made it easy by being such a sweetheart.”
“Back to how I feel around you… You make me a little crazy, like I’ll go mad if I can’t hold you and kiss you and have hot sex with you again as soon as possible.”
She laughed. “That can be arranged.”
“The thing is, though… It’s never been like that for me before. I mean… I never object to sex, but it’s not like this desperate craving that comes over me with you.”
“‘Desperate craving’ sounds serious.”
“It’s quite uncomfortable.”
Cresley loved how he made her laugh even when he didn’t intend to. “I’d say I was sorry to hear that, but I’m not.”
“It’s like you’ve turned my whole life upside down, and now I’m trying to figure out the rules in the upside-down world.”
Cresley smiled. “How’s that going?”
“There’s a lot of confusion, disbelief and desire. So much of that last one.”
Could he be any more adorable as he tried to make sense of what was going on? “You said you didn’t want it, and I need to respect that.”
“I appreciate that, but I think I might’ve been full of shit back then.”
“Back then as in, like, three days ago?”
“Is that all it was?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Hmm, well… You’ve done quite a number on me in a very short amount of time.”
“I’ve done a number on you?”
He twirled a length of her hair around his finger. “I was just minding my own business…”
“Haha, you mind other people’s business for a living.”
He laughed. “That’s true, but in this case, I didn’t intend… I mean… This must be nothing new for you, but for me…”
“It’s new for me, too.”
“How’s that possible?”
“Since my career took off, it’s been hard for me to tell who likes me for me and who’s using me to get themselves ahead like Marlon tried to do.”
“Tell me about that.”
She grimaced. “Do I have to?”
“Only if you want to. I’m curious about how you ended up with him.”
Carson braced himself to hear about her history with other men. “I dated an older guy for a couple of years. I was really into him, thought he was it, you know?”
“No, I don’t know what that’s like.”