Carter Reed Page 9

  Three pitchers later, our table had been joined by the girls that usually accompanied me for drinks. All of them were eager to know Theresa better since she seemed out of our reach for friendship. When they learned what account I had been assigned to, a few gave me heated looks from jealousy or anger. Laura seemed happy for me, but she was the nice one of the group. She was happy for everyone.

  I had long forgotten to check my phone so I wasn’t sure how late it was when a sudden hush came over the table.

  I jerked my head up. “What?”

  All of them were looking at me. No. All of them were looking behind me.

  My eyes went wide and I knew. A knot formed in my gut as I took a deep breath before I turned, but then I relaxed. My shoulders dropped down and I let out my breath. It was only Mike, or Thomas. I wasn’t sure. They both looked the same.

  “Miss Martins,” he spoke. So tall and goliath-like. I snickered at that thought. He could’ve been a gentle giant, but since he was security for Carter, I doubted it. He spoke again with a blank expression over his face, “Your ride is waiting for you outside.”

  “Your ride?” one of the girls hooted. “Moving up in the world, Ems. Hot new project at work and hot new ride.”

  Another girl laughed, “He’s like a butler, for rides.”

  “Is he a chauffeur?”

  Then someone whispered, “I think he’s a Chippendale dancer.”

  The first girl hooted again as she slapped her hand on the table. “He’s going to whip off his pants any second…any second…wait for it…”

  Mike never blinked. He never reacted. He just waited for me.

  I sighed. The fun was done for the night. “I should go, you guys.”

  “Oh, come on! Emma, don’t go. We’re just starting to have fun.”

  I shook my head. “I have work tomorrow.” Theresa nodded beside me and I indicated her. “We have work tomorrow. We can’t slack off like normal.”

  “Like we do, you mean!” The girl wasn’t offended.

  I grinned. “See you all tomorrow?”

  “Wait.” Theresa grabbed her purse and threw $50 on the table. “Can I get a ride with you? I can’t drive home like this.”

  Oh, that was right. I started to dig into my purse to pay my bill, but Mike said in my ear, “It’s already been taken care of, Miss Martins.”

  Oh. He paid my bill? But then I was distracted when I caught his quick glance at Theresa, who was waiting beside me. Comprehension flared and I glanced at him with the unspoken question. Could we give her a ride? Was that allowed? I was still fuzzy on Carter’s rules, or even if he had any rules? Then I frowned. Where had Mike come from? Had they been waiting outside all day and night? But they couldn’t have known I was at Joe’s with Theresa…could they?

  Then I shrugged. What the hell? I was feeling brave and buzzed so I linked my elbow with hers. “Let’s go.”

  She gave me a giggly smile in return and off we went. Mike followed behind at a more sedated pace. When we burst through the door, the car was waiting out front like he had said. As Theresa reached for the back door, I sucked in my breath. It was at that moment that I realized my mistake. Carter could’ve been inside, waiting for me and I knew he wouldn’t be happy at my friend’s discovery of him. When she slipped inside and there was no comment or greeting, I relaxed a little. Then I caught the bland expression on Mike’s face and knew he would’ve stopped her if Carter had been inside.

  I flushed. I was an idiot sometimes.

  When I bent forward and sat beside Theresa, Mike folded into the seat beside me. We had to scoot over for him and Theresa giggled behind her hands. “It’s like you have a bodyguard. Are we giving him a ride home too?” She patted my leg a few times, but then jerked forward. “Who’s driving this car?”

  I cringed. I didn’t want to say it to her. I didn’t want her to look at me differently. Who else had a driver and bodyguard?

  Mike answered for me, “An associate of mine. It’s a new car service offered by Joe’s.”

  “Really?” She frowned. “I never knew about this before. I would’ve used this. A lot.”

  “It’s only for the night, ma’am.”

  “Ma’am.” More giggles came from her. She slapped my leg again. “I had one pitcher too many, Emma, but I had fun. Did you have fun? I think we’ll make a great team for this account. Noah’s going to be so proud of us. I’m glad he picked you for the account.” She leaned close and whispered loudly, “I don’t have a lot of female friends at work. Those girls were fun tonight. We should do that again sometime.”

  I patted her arm as she turned back to her window and asked Mike, “Do you need her address?”

  He didn’t look at me as he spoke, “We already know it. Thank you, ma’am, for asking.”

  I sat back, stunned. I felt snubbed by my own bodyguard. Had I been? Or was the beer speaking to me too?

  Theresa lived in a newer building. As she teetered her way inside, the car waited until she had been let inside by her doorman. I sunk low in my seat. I was back to the home that wasn’t home. It was then that everything slid back into place. I wasn’t some fairy princess with new friends and a new job—well, kind of, but as we progressed across the city, I remembered my place. I had killed a man, and I was in hiding from his family. I sighed and closed my eyes. We would arrive at Carter’s home soon enough, and I doubted I would have a restful night’s sleep.

  When the car dipped down into the basement, I didn’t wait for Mike to open the door or even for the car to stop. I opened the far door and hopped out. I had hit the elevator button before Mike had his own door shut. Both of them hurried for me, but I stood back and watched as the elevator door slid shut. For some reason that made me feel better. I had escaped them, for a second, and in Carter’s own home, but it was a little burst of victory for me.

  My stomach twisted and churned. I didn’t know what was wrong with me, but when the elevator opened to my floor, I stepped out into the little hallway with trembling legs and shaking hands. My palms were sweaty and my pulse had started to race again. It was Carter. If Mike wasn’t happy with me then I knew Carter would be furious, but I had no idea why. What had I done wrong?

  It was my life.

  I could live how I wanted.

  I tried to reassure myself that. Carter couldn’t be mad at me. He didn’t have control over my life. But it was a lie. My heart raced even faster and my body started to feel sick as I opened my door. Then I stopped in shock. My floor was dark. There were no lights on, and as I made my way towards the stairs, I couldn’t see any lights on throughout the rest of the building either.

  I was alone. There was no Carter.

  I wasn’t sure what to feel about his absence, and I refused to believe I was disappointed. Instead of dwelling on it, I showered and headed to bed. It was nearing midnight and tomorrow was a full day at the job again.

  It was later, much later, when my blanket was ripped off of me and I jerked upright. I caught a glance at the clock. It was after four in the morning. Carter stood above my bed. His icy blues glared down at me. He was dressed all in black again with a hood over his head. It covered his blonde hair, but I couldn’t notice anything more. I was caught and held captive by his eyes. They had turned into those of the stranger’s and he was livid with me.

  I scooted against my headboard, but didn’t say a word. I didn’t dare. I didn’t reach for the blanket. I had gone to bed in a tight white top and I was in my panties, but I couldn’t cover myself. I knew Carter wanted that. I remained still and took a quiet breath. I felt like the prey being caught by the predator. A wild animal stood above me, and then he took a step closer. His pants brushed against my bed. He was so close to me.

  He bent down to the bed and placed his arms on either side of me. He grasped the headboard into fists but kept himself off of me. His knees never touched the bed as he bent forward. His breath brushed across my skin. He spoke in a low growl, “I was on my way to Greece tonight when my men called m
e. You disappeared tonight.”

  I drew in another breath. It left me shaking. “I didn’t.”

  “You did.” His breath tickled against my lips. He never blinked. The rage in his was barely contained. “You worked late—”

  “—I texted you that.”

  His fists tightened on the headboard and his knee touched the bed now. It dipped under his weight, but he held himself above me.

  My heart was pounding, but I couldn’t keep his gaze. Too many different emotions were being stirred up inside of me. When I felt the throb start between my legs, I clenched them together and hoped it would go away. What was wrong with me?

  “You sent me a weak text and then you never looked at your phone again.”

  I clamped my eyes shut. He was right.

  “You were hiding from me.”

  Right again.

  His breath hit me on the side now. He had moved and I wondered where he was looking now. Was he closer to me? The bed dipped again so I wondered if both of his knees were on it now. I was still trapped between his arms, but he was so close to me. The throbbing between my legs grew. I wanted him between them. I wanted him against me, on top of me. A small whimper left me before I could stop it. I bit down on my lip and tried to keep another from escaping.

  His hand left the headboard and cupped my chin. “Emma.”

  Oh god. He had softened his tone. It was a sensual caress against my skin now. My leg moved back, just an inch. I opened for him.

  “Emma, look at me.”

  I shook my head. I couldn’t. He’d see.

  “Emma.” His lips touched the side of my mouth now and I gasped. I couldn’t hold back anymore as I turned into him. My lips brushed against his, but he moved back, just enough so his lips only lightly touched mine. He didn’t give in. He didn’t press them against mine.

  I wanted all of him, not just the soft feel of him.

  He moved even closer and his other hand left the headboard. It slid behind my waist and he picked me up. My eyes burst open and I wrapped my arms around him without thinking. He lifted me from the bed and moved me to the dresser. He sat me on top, grabbed my legs, pulled me to the edge, and then fit himself between them. One of his hands braced against the dresser while the other went to my back. He pressed me against him, all of me against all of him. My chest was crushed against his and my lips fell open. The throbbing was so insistent now. I was wet, ready for him.

  “Why didn’t you tell my men you were leaving your work?”

  I couldn’t hear him. The need for him had a haze over my mind. I only felt him, how his heart was still calm while mine raced. The front of his pants burned against me. He had thickened, pressed between my legs, and I opened them wider. Then he drew in a breath. He stiffened against me and his head dropped to my shoulder. His lips skimmed my naked shoulder in a soft kiss. My hair was brushed back and he pressed another kiss to my neck.

  I shuddered against him.

  “Emma,” he whispered now. “Why didn’t you tell my men you were leaving? They searched your entire building before they called me.”

  His voice grew insistent and I struggled to hear his words. When I finally processed his words, a small frown came to me. I didn’t want to talk. Not then, not anymore. My voice had grown hoarse, “I forgot.” My eyes widened, though the lust increased inside of me. What was he doing to me? “I forgot. Theresa mentioned Joe’s and we went over. I saw…” Who had I seen? Someone had distracted me. “I saw Amanda and felt bad.”

  “Why did you feel bad?” His hand brushed more of my hair away and skimmed down my back. He cupped the back of my thigh and pulled me closer to him. I couldn’t get any closer. I was plastered to him.

  My legs opened again, even wider.

  His chest rose against mine and his hand skimmed down my arm to my waist. He lingered on the inside of my thigh.

  I was burning up now.

  He repeated, “Why did you feel bad?”

  My arms wound tighter around his neck. I stuck my head against his chest and said, my voice muffled, “Because I left them.”

  I left them for you.

  I bit down on my lip from saying that thought out loud. He’d know how much I wanted him. I started to wonder if I had always wanted him.

  “Oh, Emma.” His hand cupped the back of my head and lifted me to face him. My eyes opened to slits as I peered at him. He was studying my mouth, his eyes dark with lust as he murmured, “They’re safe. You’re not. You need to be here with me, where I can make sure you’re safe. You pulled the trigger. You’re the one they want.”

  “Jeremy.”

  My own voice haunted me. The bang of the gun came back and I felt the kickback in my hand again.

  “You have to be quiet. People will hear.”

  A sob escaped me and Carter lifted me from the dresser. My arms and legs wound around him, but my head dropped into his chest. Another sob came up and then another. I was crying as he lowered both of us to the bed again, but he held me as I continued. I couldn’t stop crying. As the night progressed, I cried myself back to sleep in his arms.

  Carter sat on the edge of the bed. He watched her. She had cried in his arms that night and he wanted to murder whoever caused her the pain. He couldn’t. She had already killed Jeremy, and Franco was a cancer. Struggling to keep his rage under control, he pulled out the nightstand drawer and studied his gun for a moment. It was his trusty friend, one that he had used so many other times when someone needed to disappear. He hadn’t used it in a long time. He hadn’t had to, but the temptation to take matters into his own hand was great. His arm shook as he tried to keep himself from reaching for it. It’d be so easy. He could slip out, no one would know. He would go to Franco and get into his house, but he couldn’t. Franco’s death was a political death. It had to be approved by his family. And even when he would die—and he would die—the Bertal Family would send another. They were all the same. They would do as Franco had done with Cristino. They would take over the last assignment and do more than they needed to prove their authority to the neighborhood.

  That couldn’t happen. When Franco died, it had to stop with him. No one could hurt her.

  Carter shut the drawer softly and left for the gym. His hands needed to pummel someone so the boxing bag would have to be it. As he went, he was already thinking of ways to ensure that Franco’s death would be the last of it.

  Two hours later, he was still considering ways to cement her freedom.

  I woke from an empty sleep. His arms weren’t around me. I didn’t feel his legs entwined with mine anymore and when I turned over, I already knew he was gone. The clock said that it was after six in the morning. There were no other lights on, not that I could see, but I rose and grabbed the robe again. I pulled it on as I went in search of him.

  I went through every floor and looked in every room. It wasn’t until I got to the bottom floor that I heard him. A light was on and shone underneath a closed door, but I heard thumping from inside the room. As I opened the door, I saw him in the middle of a gym. His black pants were still on, but his shirt was gone and sweat gleamed down his chest. His hands were taped and he was circling a punching bag. There was blood on his tape. I tried to find where he had been hurt, but I didn’t see blood anywhere else. Only sweat and muscles. They constricted and stretched as he continued to hit the punching bag, each illuminated in the stark contrast by the light. I wondered if there was an ounce of fat on him. It didn’t seem likely, but then he stopped as he saw me.

  He touched the bag to hold it as it swayed and his chest rose up and down from his breathing. His eyes narrowed when I stepped inside the room. “You couldn’t sleep?”

  I shook my head.

  I didn’t know what to do. I wanted to be near him, but I couldn’t say that. What would change then? I held my tongue, though my hands fought against me. They wanted to reach out to him. My feet wanted to cross the room and I wanted to feel his arms around me again. I swung my body back to keep myself from going
to him.

  His pull on me was so powerful, too powerful. It scared me.

  “Emma.”

  I jerked my eyes up to his and gulped. His eyes had darkened as he watched me. Lust filled them, but there was more to his darkness. There was danger in them as well. That was what kept me from going to him. He was so dangerous.

  “You never looked at your phone, did you?”

  I frowned. My phone? But then I remembered. I shook my head. No, I hadn’t. And he’d been right earlier. I hadn’t looked at my phone because I wanted to run from him. I wanted to hide from what my life had become. I wanted to forget everything, just for a night.

  “Talk to me,” he urged in a quiet voice.

  I gasped as I heard a soft yearning in him. There was a pleading within him and my eyes went round. He was pleading with me for something. Oh god. I couldn’t stop myself. I crossed the room to him, but I stopped right before him. I didn’t touch him. My eyes fell to his chest and it rose up and down in a steady rhythm. My hand lifted without my decision and touched where his heart was. My eyes widened as I saw my own hand in front of me. Why couldn’t I stop myself when I was around this man?