A Splash of Hope (2 page)

Adam was never one to miss a beat. “Why?”

“Somebody has to trip the old ladies. Otherwise, they might think no one cares,” she answered, deliberately misunderstanding. Adam rubbed his hand across the back of his neck. He looked uncomfortable. Faith’s shoulders sagged in defeat.

He watched her in silence for a moment longer before blowing out a ragged sigh. “Tell Serenity to call me when you find her. Just so I know she’s all right, okay?”

Faith nodded absently, watching as he walked away. She’d never been more tired in her life. Of course, she’d also never wanted to throw her shoes at a man’s back more than she did right then.

***

The hour Carter spent sending his son’s wedding guests packing was one of the longest in his life. He counted every second of the sixty minutes in his head. Carefully, he kept his expression blank. By the time he could—finally—climb back inside his car, his hands shook with impatience. The short ten-minute drive back to his house had him grinding his teeth. As soon as he closed the front door behind him, shutting out the rest of the world, he caught a glimpse of shell-pink toenails. The knot forming inside his chest eased a little at the sight. His gaze moved upward, taking in the creamy expanse of exposed skin revealed by her tiny boxer shorts and tank top. Damn, she was the most beautiful woman he’d ever known. Her wavy brown hair fell over one shoulder. Worry darkened her green eyes. He knew he should reassure her. Instead he bent, touching his lips to hers. It was meant to be gentle but insecurity ripped away at his skin. The emotion was so foreign to him, he took the entire day to recognize it for what it was.

Burying his hand in her hair, Carter pulled her closer, deepening their kiss. He refused to relent until her breathing turned ragged. She clutched his shirt. Pulling away, he brushed his thumb over her bottom lip. Serenity was his whole world. There was only one other person he loved as furiously as he did her, and that was his son, Adam.

“It’s done.”

“Any regrets?” Only the slight tightening of the fingers clutching his shirt gave away her nervousness as she asked her question.

“Not a damn one,” he answered, trying to put as much feeling as he could behind the words. Her hands relaxed. In that moment, he knew she recognized the truth in his voice. In case she ever thought to forget it, he swept her into his arms. Striding quickly through the house, he headed toward their bedroom. He would spend the rest of the night making love to his young bride, chasing away the last of her doubts.

Chapter Three

Faith: Present day

Faith circled the parking lot twice looking for Serenity’s car. Finally, she pulled into the parking spot directly in front of Serenity’s apartment. The red brick apartment complex wasn’t in the richest part of town, but neither was it the poorest. It looked like a dozen other places around town. She didn’t spot Serenity’s car. The outside of the building also didn’t give any clues away. Instead of waiting to see if she’d answer her door, Faith pulled out the spare key she kept in case of emergencies. She quickly inserted it into the lock, turning. Nothing happened. She spent a few minutes longer trying to get the key to turn before accepting reality. The locks had been changed. Aggravation roared through her veins, forcing her to knock a little harder than was strictly necessary. When her knocking went unanswered, she pounded as hard as she could on the door. The loud racket drew the attention of a neighbor.

“Nobody lives there.”

Faith spun around, intent on blasting Serenity’s neighbor. She tamped down the urge when she caught sight of the girl who couldn’t be more than eighteen. She seemed uncomfortable. The girl shifted from one foot to the other as if regretting having gotten involved. Faith felt like shit for making her nervous. She counted to ten inside her head. Tossing her thumb in the door’s direction, she asked. “Do you know when she moved out?”

The girl shrugged. “I’ve been living here four months. There’s been no one living in that unit since I’ve been here.”

Faith glanced at the door once more in disbelief. Four months? How was that even possible? Thanking the girl for her help, Faith slid behind the wheel of her car. She sat, unmoving and unsure of where to go from here. Four months. They’d spoken to each other, of course. However, it had been close to a year since Faith’s last visit. How had things gotten so off course? She hadn’t known Serenity was dating Adam. Then all of the sudden, she was getting married. She wanted no one spending any money on the wedding. Not to mention Serenity staunchly refused to allow anyone to stand up with her or throw her any showers. Almost as if she’d known she wasn’t going to marry Adam. With that thought firmly set in her mind, Faith reversed direction. Adam had some explaining to do.

Chapter Four

Serenity: Six months earlier

Carter watched in silence as Serenity nervously fingered the stem of her wineglass. He searched for a way to set her at ease. Not a single topic sprang to mind. She followed the line of his gaze to her fingers. She immediately stilled. Sometimes he wondered if she was afraid of showing any weakness in his presence. Even as the idea irritated him, a spike of male pride ran through him at the sight of her hands. They were beautiful, but then again, there wasn’t a single thing about her that wasn’t gorgeous as hell. She was wearing a silky spaghetti strap dress that brought out the green of her eyes. Her hair hung loosely in a knot at the nape of her neck. His eyes ate up every detail. Hunger grew inside him that had nothing to do with food.

“Do you want to get out of here?”

“Yes,” she breathed, sounding almost relieved. He paid her check and then stood, holding a hand out to help her to her feet. As he led her outside, he didn’t ask where she’d parked. Neither did she protest as he held open the passenger side door to his Mercedes CL65 AMG. As she slid in, he let his gaze move over her body in appreciation. He was forced to call on many years of carefully cultivated self-control to climb behind the wheel instead of reaching for her. He’d learned long ago how to school his every facial expression so as not to give away his emotions. It was an important weapon in the world of business. They rode in silence, but it was oddly comfortable. As his house came into view, the gate slid open seamlessly, closing quietly behind them after they passed through. He was rather proud of his home since he’d worked relentlessly for every single stone.

“You have a beautiful place,” Serenity said quietly as he led her through the door. He could hear the honesty in her voice. She didn’t seem intimidated by its size. A surge of respect for her ran through him. It was late. The house was dark, the only light coming from the veranda outside the door, but he made no move to switch on the lights. Inside the doorway, they both froze, standing toe to toe. She didn’t attempt to check out her surroundings. Instead, she watched him steadily. Good manners drove him to ask, “Can I get you a drink?”

She shook her head. He watched, barely breathing, as she shrugged out of the light sweater she’d donned as they’d left the restaurant. It slipped to the floor. Reaching out, she unbuttoned his jacket. Her hands brushed over his shoulders as she pushed it down his arms. He stood still as a statue, not daring to move. Neither of them had pretended to misunderstand as they’d left the restaurant together, but he wasn’t unaware of the facts in this situation. He was too old for her. It wasn’t until she loosened the knot in his tie that the true impact hit him. He reached up, encircling her wrist with his fingers and putting a stop to her motions. She’d been watching her hands. At his touch, her gaze shot to his. A bright smile lit her face. It was the first time she’d smiled all night.

At the sight of it, his shoulders relaxed. He stroked her wrist lightly before tightening his hold. With a gentle tug, he used the momentum to bring her closer. Swooping in, he captured her lips. His heart stuttered to a stop before restarting with a slower beat. Lust thrummed underneath his skin. It didn’t seem as important any longer. Carter wanted her and he would have her. There was no reason to rush. Licking a path across her bottom lip, he tasted the wine from earlier in the evening. When she opened for him, he brushed his tongue over hers lightly, slowly tempting her. When she responded with the lightest brush of her tongue, he wanted to roar with triumph. Pulling away, she drew a ragged breath. This time her hands visibly shook as she removed his tie and shirt. With his chest bare, she ran her fingers over every inch of his exposed skin, leaving nothing unexplored. It made him wonder if she was more nervous than she was letting on. Perhaps she was even stalling in response. Cutting off any chance of such nonsense, he reached down and snagged her dress. Inching it upward, he drew out the anticipation until he could pull it over her head.

*

Carter watched her with blazing eyes. She felt more alive than ever before. He was the most controlled person she’d ever met, but she wasn’t fooled. Even when he kept his expression blank, Serenity could feel the emotions boiling inside him as if he were a tightly coiled spring. She dearly wanted to see him snap. Since she couldn’t wear a bra with her dress, she was already bare from the waist up. Her muscles tightened as Carter’s appreciative gaze swept over her chest. Allowing the dress to fall to the floor, he reached up, loosening the knot in her hair. Running his fingers through it, he removed the tangles as he pulled it over one of her shoulders. He kept his gaze locked on his hands. She watched his face, fascinated. His hand moved lower. When his knuckles brushed over her nipple, her breath left her lungs in a gasp.

“Damn.” The one word as it left Carter’s gorgeous lips, slid over her body like a caress. Linking his fingers through hers, he turned. As he weaved his way around furniture through the darkness, he didn’t make a single misstep. She held tight to his hand, catching only small glimpses of each room as they passed. Finally, they came to what could only be his bedroom. His masculine scent lingered in the air. It was a mixture of expensive cologne and Serenity’s longing. He pressed her backward onto the bed. She wanted to bury her nose in the blankets and soak up the smell of him. It was a moment she already knew she’d relive a thousand times. Instead of giving into temptation, she forced herself to lie still as he hovered over her. Reaching for her hips, he slid her panties down her legs before tossing them over his shoulder.

She could barely make out his outline as his hands moved to his waist. The sound of her breathing seemed unnaturally loud in the otherwise silent room. Her heart slammed against the wall of her chest with enough force she was sure Carter could hear it as well. She thought she might scream in frustration before his bare skin finally touched hers. He covered her body with his. When his mouth closed over her nipple, the rough pull of his tongue over the tip caused her to squirm beneath him. She dug her fingers into his back. He reached down, pulling up her knee. His hard length pressed between them, making her mouth water. Serenity caught herself rubbing against him, unconsciously seeking relief. He kissed her lips, jaw, and neck before drawing her earlobe between his teeth.

“Are you sure?” he asked, taking her by surprise. “You can still back out.”

“Are you insane?” At her screeching reply, Carter chuckled. The low sound, coming from deep in his chest, seemed almost menacing in the dark. At the first press of him entering her body, all thought fled. He was bigger than she’d been expecting. She locked her back teeth against the intrusion, trying to force her muscles to relax.

He paused, kissing her deeply, before whispering against her skin. “Let me in. I want to feel your heat surrounding me, squeezing me. I want to rock against you until you come. Then I intend to do it again.”

She moaned as a picture sprang into her mind of him doing what he described. Carter took advantage of the moment, slamming home. She gasped. He froze, groaning loudly against the side of her neck. Doing as he promised, he easily rocked her into an orgasm. Everything exploded into a heat she never dreamed possible. With her arms stretched above her head, she held desperately to the headboard. She strained against him as he pounded inside her. His hands and mouth were everywhere. She lost track of reality. All Serenity knew was sensation and pleasure. There was a goal to reach. She could tell by the tightness growing in her stomach that she was heading for a blinding light unlike anything she’d experienced before. Carter gripped her hips, painfully slamming against her one final time. The light broke through her haze, nearly blinding her before slowly receding, leaving her spent and sated. She labored for each breath. Her muscles turned to jelly. Carter collapsed, kissing her one final time. Rolling to the side, he gave her room to breathe. Her mind was ablaze with emotion. She’d wanted to see him snap, but she never dreamed it would be so powerful. Turning her head, she brought his face into focus. His eyes were closed. His lips slightly parted, as if he too fought to catch his breath. She couldn’t think of a single thing to say. Instead, she touched her lips to his. His hand came to rest on her cheek. For some reason, the small gesture felt more important than any of the ones before it.

*

“Serenity Hope.” Carter felt more than heard her chuckle. “I’ve never met anyone with a more fitting name. You must be the most peaceful person I’ve ever met.” She snorted, making him smile at the sound. “Well, unless you’re flinging obscenities at passing cyclists.”

Serenity huffed loudly. “He hit me with his bike,” she said, sounding so outraged, he was forced to bite back a laugh.

“You’re sexy when you’re indignant.”

Seemingly mollified, she settled back into his arms. “I like your name. Carter Monroe.” She said his name as if she trying it out on her tongue. “It sounds like someone you can depend on. Someone you’d like to be friends with.”