Chapter 40
Chapter forty
Kelsey
“Come in,” I yell, jumping out of the burrito I’ve rolled myself into as I watch TV in my bed. It’s just so good to be home.
I hustle to intercept whichever one of my sisters decided to come over after just seeing me at our parents’ house for dinner. As much as I enjoyed seeing them after my time away, we don’t need to get back into the habit of them showing up whenever they want and eating all my food.
“Hey!” Carter’s voice reaches me, and I speed up, slipping a little in my socks as I round the corner. I right myself just in time to see him shutting the door behind him.
“I hope it’s okay that I invited myself over,” Carter says, his eyes betraying his concern. “I was going to call first, but…”
“I’m so glad you came! I wasn’t sure if you were done with dinner with your mom, so I was waiting until after nine to text you. Not like a booty call, I just… I know you’ve got your shows to watch. Which one did you two decide to start?” I ask, hoping Carter missed my unfiltered-nonsense spewing.
“What are you questioning, Kels?” he asks, pulling me into a hug.
“I’m not questioning anything.”
“You’ve rambled about two times in the thirty years I’ve known you, and it’s only ever been about relationship things.”
“I’m not sure how we work now that we’re back,” I admit.
We were all but living together for the last month, but now we have two houses, two work schedules, two separate lives.
It crossed my mind to invite Carter to dinner with my family, or to offer to go with him, but I knew Carter wanted time with his mom, and it felt awkward to ask if I could come along for his welcome-home dinner.
Not because I didn’t want to be there—it wasn’t about that.
I’m excited to see his mom and get to know her better.
But now we’re back to our normal lives, and I’m not sure who we are.
Are we the type of couple who spend every minute together like we were on tour?
Do we have a standing Friday-night date night?
Do we text during the week? Do we have shows we watch together?
“We work the same as we did before,” Carter says, pulling the end of my ponytail to get me to tilt my face toward his.
“That’s not true,” I say. “We’re not going to be spending every minute together. We both have houses, jobs, families.”
“Well, I’m going to have to move out of my house, and I highly doubt I have a job anymore,” Carter says, his tone light like he’s trying to make a joke, but I know how much it must hurt to admit those things.
“So I guess I’ll just follow you around.
I can carry a speaker and play Jaxon’s songs all day if it’d make you feel more comfortable. ”
I shake my head, stepping back. “You’re ridiculous.”
Carter looks around us, cataloging my slate-gray floors and white countertops before shifting his attention to my dining room table. “Your house is really nice.”
“Thanks,” I say, realizing he’s never been inside before. I look around, trying to see the space through his eyes. I’ve lived here for almost six years now, and I’ve done a few DIY projects with the help of my dad to fix it up. I like the clean lines and open spaces it offers. “Want the tour?”
“Of course,” Carter says, looking at the spot under my hallway table like he’s considering whether or not to take off his shoes.
I’m glad to see I’m not the only one questioning how this night is going to go.
“I don’t mind people wearing shoes in my house,” I offer before deciding to just put my cards on the table. “But if you’re going to stay the night, this is the best place to keep them.”
“You’re sure you’re okay if I stay?” he asks, his tone betraying his uncertainty.
“I’m not sure I can sleep without you anymore,” I say in jest, but like all good jokes, there’s a kernel of truth in it. I probably could sleep without him, but I don’t want to.
At my admission, Carter takes off his shoes, placing them nicely under the table where they’re out of the way. “And why would you want to?” he says, offering me a wink.
“You’re moving in with your mom?” I ask, mentally working through what it means to date a man whose room is next door to his mom’s as I lead him up the stairs to show him my guest rooms.
“I don’t have another option. Cash flow is going to get tight, and that’s the easiest way to get an extra thousand dollars a month. I don’t think it’s either my mom’s or my first choice, but it is what it is.”
“Hmm.” I’m not sure what to say, as “luckily, I have my own house, so we can bang here” seems a bit uncouth.
I continue the tour, Carter making the appropriate noises of interest as I show him each room until we make our way back to the kitchen.
“I think you missed the most important part of the house,” Carter says, his face bright with mischief. “Where’s your bedroom?”
“Oh, a lady never tells,” I say, fluttering my eyelashes at him like a woman from a regency movie.
Carter chuckles before scooping me up and over his shoulder, my head inches from his ass.
“Hey!” I yell, lightly slapping the firm muscle in front of me. “Put me down, you oaf.”
“Process of elimination would suggest your bedroom is behind that door,” he says, and I lift my body enough to see that he’s pointing to the white door that’s tucked away at the back of my dining room.
The door to my bedroom. Stupid smart men.
Without waiting for me to answer, he hauls me to the door, a pleased vibration flowing through his body when he pushes it open and finds my king-sized bed, the white comforter bunched up on one side, pillows strewn everywhere.
“Nice bed, Kels,” he says before tossing me onto it on my back. “I can’t wait to fuck you in it.”
“Then what are you waiting for?” I ask, holding his gaze as I slip out of my clothes.
He pushes down his jeans and kicks them away before crawling over me, finding my mouth and fusing our lips together in a demanding kiss.
“You. I didn’t know it, but I think I might’ve been waiting for you for most of my life.”
He kisses his way down my neck, then my breasts, before draping my legs over his broad shoulders.
“I’m yours,” I breathe.
He smiles at me, a wicked tilt of his lips that promises pleasure like I’ve never felt before. Lowering his head, he nibbles the inside of my upper right thigh, and my breath fully vacates my lungs.
He strokes his fingers over me, and I shudder. The movement causes him to pause, his blazing eyes meeting my own. I can’t take my eyes off his face, off the lust and love moving together like the dancing sparks of a raging fire.
Slowly sinking a finger into me, his eyes darken as mine fall closed at the overwhelming sensation.
His thumb flicks my clit, and I moan, my hips moving upward of their own accord, trying to find relief.
Dropping his gaze from my face, his focus turns fully to my center, and he replaces his thumb with his hot, wet mouth.
In a long, lazy stroke, he licks up the full length of me as if he has all the time in the world.
A timeframe my burning body very much disagrees with.
My core tightens, my thighs gripping the sides of his face, and the vibrations from his responding chuckle almost send me over the edge.
“Carter,” I moan as my hips rise, asking for more.
“On your knees,” he orders, and I rush to follow his command. As I do, I realize this only happens with Carter. Only with Carter am I okay with giving up this kind of control. Because I know it’s not giving up my independence or power but sharing it with the man I love.
Carter’s warm hand traces up my spine as he moves behind me. I turn my head to the side, watching as he aligns the head of his thick cock with my entrance. He pushes in, just the tip, and catches my hips as I try to take control and press back onto him.
“I’m going to fuck you hard and fast, Kels,” he whispers, planting kisses up my spine. “I can’t help myself. I want to love you slowly, but I just…”
“Do it.” My low, rasping voice is a plea.
“Condom?” Carter asks.
“I’m on birth control,” I say, knowing the smart answer is to wear a condom anyway, but wanting the feel of him bare inside me too much. And the idea of an unplanned pregnancy is somehow a little less scary now than it’s ever been—I know I’m with the man I want to build my life with.
“I’m…fuck, I’m clean, but…are you sure?” It’s a quiet question that suggests he knows the offer means more than just increased pleasure for us both.
“Yes. Please.”
Carter obliges, slamming home until he’s fully seated, his cock hitting against my cervix.
“Oh,” I whimper. My eyes fall closed as the ripples of pleasure course through my body.
I move against him, letting him control the pace as he continues to pump into me.
I’m at the edge, seconds away from falling, and judging by the erratic pace Carter is moving, he is too.
I drop to my elbows and snake my left hand between our legs, lightly squeezing his soft sac.
“Fuck.” His groan is barely audible, and he quickly pushes my hand away, reaching around to find my clit again.
One firm circle of his fingers is all it takes, and I break, my walls squeezing him as he finds his own release.
We stay like that, neither of us strong enough to do anything for a few long seconds, before I finally collapse.
Using my arms as a pillow, I lie on my stomach, catching my breath as Carter pulls the covers over us both.
It’s peaceful.
“Tell me about your dinner with your mom,” I say.
He does, and I’m so glad he was able to have a good night with her. He worried so much about her while we were gone; I know he wasn’t sure what it would be like when he returned home.
“But I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Carter concludes, kissing his way along my ribs. “I’m going to move back in with my mom. It’s not ideal for her memory or for me, but it will mean more money and fewer hours I’ll need to hire care for her down the road.”
“What if you moved in with me?” I offer.
I know people would say it’s too soon, but I also know this thing I have with Carter isn’t going to go away.
And if being able to call my house home base would help him with his mom, I’m all for it.
Actually, after what we just did, I’d be all for having access to that every night for the rest of my life, even if he didn’t need a place to live.
“That’s…” He trails off, and a wave of uncertainty washes over me.
“No pressure,” I say, closing my eyes like I’m about to go to sleep. “I just thought I’d offer.”
“I just don’t want you to feel obligated to ask me,” Carter says, his hand sneaking into my maze of limbs to find one of my fingers to hold. “When we move in together, I want it to be because we can’t stand being apart from each other, so we need to cohabitate.”
I chuckle, peeking out at him from behind my eyelashes.
“Well, if the last five hours were any indication, I don’t like being apart from you.
There is also something to be said for being practical.
I have a house that’s big enough for a family of five, and I live in it by myself.
You need a house. We love each other. Move in. ”
“People will talk,” Carter tries again, and this time, I realize it’s not that he’s opposed to the idea; he’s worried about me.
“So? People will talk no matter what we do, so we should do what we want.”
“And your parents?” he asks, but I can tell he’s about to agree to it.
I didn’t realize I wanted him to move in so badly, but now I’m arguing it, I want him to live with me.
And not just because I want to win the argument—though I do love to win.
Living together makes sense. And I’m excited to start our life together.
“My parents will respect my decision. As will my sisters. That’s what family does.”
“Okay. Then, when my lease comes up at the end of the month, I’ll move in,” he says. “That gives you a week to change your mind.”
“Not going to happen.”
“And I’ll figure out what I can pay you for rent,” he says quickly. “I’m not sure what it’ll be right now, but I’ll pay something.”
“Carter, Bryn lived with me off and on for over three years and never paid me a dime. Plus, that defeats the purpose of you saving money.”
“It doesn’t feel right to make you pay for everything,” he says, his voice low.
“How about this? We’ll split utilities, and you’re in charge of doing the dishes and the laundry. And we’ll call it even.”
He’s quiet, and I know he’s thinking through it all. Trying to decide if it’s an arrangement he feels okay about.
“Okay. Thank you. I love you, Kels,” Carter says, placing a light kiss on my cheek.
“I love you too, Puffin,” I say, and he nips playfully at me at the nickname. I know he secretly loves it, though.
I was worried I’d be bored once I was back in Wild Bluffs, but now I know that won’t be the case. Carter’s living situation is solved, and I get my favorite person as my roommate. Not bad for my first night home.
Plus, I have a plan for Carter’s job, I just need to call Jaxon Reid—I mean Steele—first.