Dangerous Beauty: Part One: Destiny (25 page)

Keeping up with the game, Jenna jumped up from the couch.

“Oh Nathan,” she said with an exaggerated sigh. “You can have me if you catch me,” Jenna said playfully imitating Carter.

Carter channeled her inner Nathan and growled again. She started moving closer like she knew Nathan would. Her eyes narrowed on her prey. “Carterina,” she growled, trying to mimic Nathan’s Italian accent that comes out every time he says her name. “You’re entering dangerous territory, baby. Come here and I’ll go easy on you.”

Jenna giggled. “No, Nathan,” she said in an overly dramatic tone.

“Get over here woman. Don’t deny me what’s mine. You’re mine, Carterina, all mine. I own that sexy little body. Now strip,” she growled.

Jenna laughed and started running, but Carter was too quick and tackled her to the floor. Carter got on top of Jenna and straddled her body while Jenna squirmed and laughed beneath her. “Mmm… You ready for me baby?” Carter said staying in character, locking Jenna’s arms above her head, just like Nathan does to her.

Jenna giggled. “Yes Zeus. Take me. Yes! Yes! Yes!” she screamed.

The girls heard a throat being cleared and their heads snapped to the direction of said throat.

“Are we interrupting something?” Nathan said with a smirk on his sexy face.

Nathan, Kyle and Benny stood behind the couch looking at the girls with amusement in their eyes.

“Hey, Jenna. We found this guy down stairs, he says he’s your boyfriend and that he loves you. So Nathan told him that he could come up here and wait while we call the psych ward to come and pick him up,” Kyle said pointing his thumb at Benny.

Nathan hit Kyle’s arm. “I did not, you asshole,” Nathan said and Kyle laughed and walked to the kitchen toward the heavenly smell of food.

Buzzed out of their minds, the girls squealed and scrambled off the floor excitedly. They jumped over the couch and into their boyfriends’ arms.

The guys caught them and laughed as the girls rained kisses on their faces.

“What has gotten in to you?” Nathan asked through a laugh.

“Hey Nate, I think I found what’s gotten into both of them,” Kyle called and Nathan looked in the kitchen at Kyle.

Kyle held up two empty bottles of wine and Nathan chuckled. “Are you drunk, Carterina?”

“Buzzed… not drunk. It would take a lot more than wine to get me drunk Naaathan.” She popped a kiss on his lips.

“Uh uh, Carter,” Jenna said looking over at Carter while leading Benny over to the couch. “Don’t let him get away with his web of lies just because he looks really sexy in those suit pants and that red button down shirt,” she said pointing over to him.

“Hey, what the hell?” Benny said and Jenna turned to him.

“Shh, Benny.” She turned back to Nathan and Carter. “We’ve uncovered your little secret, Zeus, and don’t think you’ll get away with it just because you’re really good in bed.”

They all heard Kyle chuckle from the kitchen. “Damn,” he said while eating a chicken wing.

“Okay, seriously what the hell?” Benny asked and Jenna rolled her eyes pulled him on the couch.

Kyle laughed from the kitchen. “Damn, Nate. What did you do?”

Nathan frowned and looked at Carter. “What did I do?”

Carter gasped in outrage remembering her exchange with Julia in the elevator and attacked Nathan. Her motor skills were a bit impaired, due to her semi-intoxicated state, so her usually fierce fighting moves, were reduced to a series of girly slaps against Nathan’s big, hard chest.

Nathan looked down at her small hands hitting his chest repeatedly then up at the adorable scowl on her face, as she focused on her attack. He walked them both to their bedroom while she continued to attack him. “We’ll be right back. I think my love and I need to have a little chat,” he yelled out to everyone as he walked down the hall with an angry Carter still locked around his waist. Once they made it to the room Nathan closed the door and sat on the bed with Carter straddling his lap.

Smack!

Carter smacked him right in the face. The sound of the slap was much more serve then the actual slap. Nathan’s eyes opened wide in shock.

“What the hell was that for?” he asked through a chuckle, still shocked that she slapped him.

“How could you?” she pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

Nathan tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He knew what she was talking about. Reno had already called him and told him about what happened in the elevator with Julia. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, baby,” he lied. He wasn’t going to say her name. He knew Carter would probably slap him again if he did.

“Julia, Nathan,” she whined. “That stupid, arrogant, blond, tall, beautiful model that lives in the damn building. She’s desperate for you. I saw it in her stupid brown eyes.” She pouted and punctuated each sentence with a slap against his chest “And she’s tall. And pretty. And she’s a model. And she has perfect clothes. And pretty shoes. And pretty shopping bags.”

Nathan kissed her lips softly, then her cheek, then her neck. Carter took a deep breath and gripped his shoulders. “Your shopping bags are prettier than hers,” Nathan teased, kissing her neck.

“Nathan, stop trying to distract me. I’m mad at you,” she moaned, letting her head fall back, giving him more access to her neck. Her body betrayed her, she couldn’t help it. She pressed her body against his. “Why didn’t you tell me about her?” She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sensations Nathan created kissing her neck while his hands roamed her body.

Nathan’s hands slipped under Carter’s shirt and he cupped one of her breasts and squeezed. Carter moaned.

“You want the truth?” Nathan asked pressing his lips against her ear. Carter nodded, unable to speak. Nathan smiled against her ear. “Because I forgot about her,” he said truthfully. He was being completely honest. The first time he thought about Julia was today when Reno called and told him that Carter found out about his past with the woman. The truth is, that for the past five months Nathan’s thoughts and time have been completely consumed by Carter and work, the two most important things in his life, in that order.

“Nathan, stop kissing my neck like that. You’re going to start something and we have guests.”

“So what, they can wait,” Nathan said, not letting up. He brought his mouth to hers and captured her lips in a fervent kiss.

Carter grabbed his face with both hands and moaned, feeling heat engulf her body. But the knowledge that people gathering in the living room made her break the kiss. “Nathan we shouldn’t, we should get back in there,” she said weakly. Really, she wanted him as badly as he wanted her.

“Carter, baby, they’re fine. We’ll be quick, I promise.” Nathan lifted Carter’s shirt over her head. He unhooked her bra, and tossed it and her shirt to the side.

“Nath—“

“Don’t fight me, baby. I need it,” he said, a small plea in his voice, before capturing her lips again. Honestly, he did need her because he was so close to losing his mind it wasn’t funny. Nathan was exhausted. The extra hours at the office handling his work load, as well as his father’s, had really been taking a toll on him. Nathan had been taking on more work since Mitchell’s mysterious disappearance, while his father focused on the search. Nathan has been working non-stop keeping things in order and running things smoothly while his father searches for Mitchell as well as the reason for his abrupt disappearance. But Nathan didn’t want to think about any of that right now. What he needed at this moment was to be wrapped up in his beautiful Carterina. He needed to surround himself with her love, warmth, and he needed it now.

Carter could see in his eyes that he needed her and heard it in his voice too. She knew Nathan had been stressed lately, and she wanted to do anything she could to take some of that stress away. She hoped the hot meals and massages she had waiting at home for him every night helped him. But right now she could see he needed to feel the closeness that he only felt with her and that she only felt with him.

Carter broke their kiss, jumped off his lap, and pushed her shorts and panties down her hips. Nathan made quick work of his belt, pushed his pants down, and sat on the bed as Carter straddled his lap once again.

Nathan gripped her waist as she reached between their bodies and gripped his length. He moaned and bit down on his bottom lip when her soft hands wrapped around him, and stroked him softly. This is what he needed, time with his perfect Carterina, enjoying the feel of her beautiful body.

Carter positioned him at her entrance and slid down on him. They both moaned as their bodies joined and Carter began to move up and down, tightening her inner muscles around him.

“God…Carter,” Nathan groaned. “Just like that, baby.”

Carter bit down on her bottom lip hard, trying to contain the cries of pleasure threatening to escape her as she rode him. She didn’t know if she could keep quiet for much longer, especially when Nathan gripped her hips tighter and took control of their movements.

He held on to her tight as he thrust his hips upward at a quicker pace. Carter held on to his shoulders for dear life, digging her nails in every time he hit her g-spot. She wanted to scream, it felt
so
good. And right when a loud cry nearly escaped her lips, Nathan captured her mouth in an earth shattering kiss, silencing her as he continued thrusting in and out of her body. He brought his free hand up to grip a handful of her thick soft hair and broke their kiss. Pressing his forehead against hers, he looked into her eyes as he continued to pump mercilessly into her body.

Carter whimpered. “Oh God, Nathan, I’m going to scream,” she whispered breathlessly. One loud moan escaped her lips. “I’m gonna come…” And God was she going to come…hard!

“Come for me, baby. I’ve got you.” Nathan jerked her head back softly and bit down on her neck hard.

Carter erupted.

Nathan’s hand quickly covered her mouth, muffling her loud cries, just as she clung to him tightly surrendering to a soul crushing orgasm.

It wasn’t long before Nathan went over the edge himself. After three long hard thrusts he exploded inside her, grunting against her neck.

He fell back on the bed and held Carter tightly in his arms. “I love you so much,
мое красивое Роуз
.”

“I love you too, bubby.” Her arms tightened around him as they lay in each other’s arms, too exhausted to move. Carter rested a moment before speaking again. “I missed my doctor’s appointment for my birth control shot last week because I’ve been so busy, and we’ve been having unprotected sex, Nathan,” Carter said against his chest.

“Are you frightened we may have conceived a child?”

“Aren’t you?” she asked.

“Do you want me to be honest?” Nathan asked. It took Carter a minute but she eventually nodded yes. “No. I would love for us to have a child. Honestly, Carter, I would rather you be at home with our children, safe, then out cleaning up messes with Mickey.”

“I know,” Carter whispered against his chest. She knew Nathan would rather her be home every day waiting for him, but she loved working with Mickey. It gave her purpose, she felt needed whenever Angelo gave her a new situation to handle and Carter loved feeling needed. It was better than feeling empty like she used to feel before she met Nathan. “You can’t want a baby just to keep me home, Nathan,” Carter said.

“I don’t want a baby for that reason, Carter. That’s just a nice little bonus for me,” he said kissing her forehead. “I wouldn’t mind if you were pregnant because I want a family with you. I know it would be fast, but so what, everything with us has happened fast, honey. I told you I loved you the first night I saw you again after nineteen years. You had to know I would put my son in you soon after that,” he teased.

“How do you know we would have a son?”

“Just a gut feeling. My gut feelings are always right,” he said confidently.

“Well, I’m not having your son until you marry me, bubby. So next time we have sex, bring a condom. I don’t have another appointment until next week.”

“I haven’t asked you to marry me yet?” Nathan said feigning surprise. “Damn, I was sure I did that on the beach too.”

Carter giggled. “No, you didn’t,” she said, playfully hitting his chest.

“Well, I guess that’s just one more thing to add to the old to do list,” Nathan said through an exaggerated sigh.

Carter chuckled. “It’s nice to know I’ve been added,” she said dryly.

Nathan kissed her forehead. “Isn’t it?” he teased.

They lay there for a moment in silence before Carter spoke again

“Can you do me a favor?” Carter asked as she placed a soft kiss on his chest.

“Anything,” he replied stroking her hair.

“Can you make Julia move out?” she asked.

Nathan laughed, a soft deep laugh that vibrated against Carter’s face as she lay on his chest.

“Yes, honey, I can,” he said kissing her forehead. “But are you sure you want to kick the woman out of her apartment. She will be living here much longer then we will be.”

Carter lifted her head and looked at Nathan. “We’re moving?” she asked.

“Mmm hmm,” he replied nodding his head yes.

“When?”

“Sooner than you think.”

“Where?” Carter asked curiously. She didn’t know they wouldn’t be living in the penthouse long.

Nathan kissed her lips softly. “Home,” he said looking in her eyes.

Carter leaned against Nathan’s arm flipping her butterfly knife through her fingers as they rode to work together. It had been a long time since her and Nathan had actually gotten to leave the house at the same time. She was both surprised and happy that Nathan slept in with her this morning. She knew he needed it, he works way too hard. She had actually started taking less work so she could go home earlier and be there when Nathan got home, just so they could spend more time together before he passed out sleep.

She also needed the extra time to help Jenna pick out new furniture and decorations, since her and Benny announced that they’d decided to move to Manhattan just a couple of days after her and Jenna first talked about it. When Carter first got the news of their move she and Jenna screamed over the phone for about ten minutes. They would have kept screaming if their voices didn’t get tired and scratchy, and if Nathan didn’t yell in the living room telling her to shut up.

But all in all, the past week had been a great one for Carter. Nathan had been extra sweet since their epic maybe baby discussion a week ago. That thought reminded Carter that her appointment for her shot was today. She would have to remember to tell Angelo she was leaving early. She was working with him today helping him go over a few numbers since she was practically a math genius. She also needed to make sure she called her and Nathan’s personal shopper. Nathan wanted steak tonight for dinner so she figured she would incorporate it in his favorite pasta dish. She needed to call the cleaners and make sure Nathan’s suits were going to be delivered, she didn’t want to bother Gianni with that task, and she had time. She needed to make sure she was home in time to get those so the cleaner wouldn’t have to leave them at the front desk. She really needed to call and ask the maid why her damn curling iron was broken in two when she got home.

Carter’s to do thoughts were cut off when she actually focused on what was happening around her. “Umm… Nathan, honey, where are we going?” she asked looking around and seeing that they had left Manhattan and were being driven to heliport. She wasn’t even aware she had zoned out that much.

Nathan looked down at her face. “Home,” he said then he kissed her lips.

Their doors opened and they both got out. Nathan grabbed Carter’s hand and they climbed into the helicopter. Carter eyed Nathan suspiciously. She had no idea what he was up to, or why they were getting on a helicopter.

“What are you up to, Nathan Salerno?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

Nathan chuckled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, Ms. Stone, or is it Steele this week?” he teased.

Carter giggled. “We’ll go for the legal one this week,” she replied.

“Ahh, so Ms. Stone it is. Well then, Ms. Stone, do you mind joining your dear boyfriend in a game of hooky for the day?” Nathan said with the most charming smile Carter had ever seen.

His gorgeous dimples were showing and Carter wanted to kiss him, so she did. “I would love to,” she said with a smile on her face. “Now tell me what you’re up to and where we are going.”

“I already told you where we’re going, Carterina. As for what I’m up to, well that’s a surprise, love,” he said with a sly smile.

***

“Nathan, I can’t find you!” Carter yelled giggling and running through the immense breathtaking garden that went on for miles. “This isn’t funny you jerk, you left me. Nathan! Where are you?” she yelled turning yet another corner on one of the many trails in the garden.

Carter was sure she had just gotten lost in the incredibly large garden at her and Nathan’s future home. Carter stopped and admired the assorted flowers and beautiful manicured grass.

Home, my home.

She still couldn’t believe it. It was like a dream, and she never wanted to wake up from it.

After their helicopter ride they landed on a heliport at private airport in an area Carter faintly remembered from when she was only three years old. She remembered looking out of the window and seeing all of the tall trees. She remembered holding her father’s hand as they were escorted to a car and were driven to the breathtaking mansion where she stood now.

When they first arrived to the property, Carter was blown away by the stunning beauty of the landscape surrounding the colossal stone and brick mansion. The vast property was surrounded by a high stone wall and an iron security gate. Carter wondered as they drove up the long curved driveway how many people it took to keep the land as perfectly manicured as it was. The inside of the enormous seven bedroom, six bathroom mansion was completely empty, except for a large king sized bed in the master bedroom. When Carter looked around the empty mansion she couldn’t contain the giddy feeling building up inside her, especially when Nathan informed her that this mansion would be their home.

It was the mansion Nathan shared with his mother until her tragic death. When he turned twenty-one, his father gave it to him and told him to do with it what he pleased. Nathan told him he was going to sell it, but he couldn’t bring himself to let go of the home and garden his mother loved so much. And a month after he met Carter he had the inside stripped and remolded. He put the majority of the things in storage and got rid of the useless items. Nathan told her he hadn’t even been to the house since his mother’s death, but he knew that this place was perfect for them.

“It’s the perfect place for us to start our family whenever we decide to, Carterina,” he said tenderly as they stood in the middle of the large living room. Nathan stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and leaned close to her ear. “There’s a sweet little town a little distance away called Pleasant View, good schools, plenty of space, and completely safe. I have security surrounding the area with trained guard dogs, nobody knows about this home. The only men that have ever been here are Dante, Lucca, Mickey, Kyle and their fathers.”

“What about Mitchell. Has he been here?” Carter asked. She didn’t want him to know about this place. She was pretty sure the son of a bitch ran away because he was guilty of something.

“Absolutely not,” Nathan said firmly. “My mother hated Mitchell so my father never brought him here. The only business partner my father let come to this house was your father,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed her cheek.

Carter was happy that only close family knew about this location because she loved it. Nathan was right it would be the perfect place for them to start a family. They walked around the entire house while Carter made décor plans in her head. She absolutely loved the kitchen. The floor was polished hard wood, marble counter tops, the cabinets a deep cherry wood. It was stocked with all knew appliances that Carter couldn’t help but imagine herself using for the many meals she would cook for Nathan and their children, whenever they decided to have them.

Carter couldn’t believe how much she learned about herself these past few months being with Nathan. She had absolutely no idea how domestic she was until she found herself with someone to take care of, Nathan. She honestly didn’t understand how he was surviving without her. He told her that before she was in his life he spent the majority of his time on private jets traveling around the world doing business for his father. Carter loved taking care of Nathan. She loved how much he needed her, it gave her a more fulfilling sense of purpose than work ever could. She walked around their future home with him dreaming about how wonderful their life together was going to be. She silently promised to be a good wife and mother, to devote herself to the type of family she always dreamed of having.

She was surprised once again to find out that Nathan had packed them both an overnight bag. He had a bed delivered and everything else they needed to be comfortable for their first night together in their beautiful home. Carter loved looking around the house, but what she really wanted to see was the garden,
their
garden. She wanted to see the garden where she and her love spent their first day together, where he gave her first kiss, the beautiful garden that destined them to meet again.

When they changed into more comfortable clothes, they decided to make some lunch and take it with them out to the garden. Carter could barely contain her excitement. Much to Nathan’s amusement, she bounced around the kitchen making their sandwiches while Nathan packed sides and drinks. She was so excited to be spending the day with Nathan in their garden.

After nineteen years she never thought she would get to go back to the garden with her bubby, and the thought was enough to bring tears to her eyes as she continued searching for Nathan. After they had lunch Nathan had disappeared within the large garden. There were so many things that Carter didn’t remember about this garden. She couldn’t help but admire the small ponds and waterfalls that she spotted along the trail. This was the type of garden that people paid to see, and she had one right in her own backyard. She smiled at that thought —
her own back yard
. She never would have guessed her life would turn out like this. After her father was murdered she lost all hope at happiness. She stopped dreaming, hoping, she even stopped praying because she felt like no one would hear her.

But here she was. Standing in this beautiful garden, behind a beautiful mansion, looking for a beautiful man, and they were all hers.

All mine
, she thought with a small smile on her face.

“Nathan, stop hiding from me,” she yelled as she turned another corner on the long trail. She was okay with looking for him because it gave her a chance to look around. But then again, the thought of her never finding her way out of the garden made her start calling Nathan’s name again.

She was continuing her search when she saw something in a bed of red roses that caught her eye. Carter squinted and walked toward the roses to see if she was actually seeing what she thought she was. Once she made it to the rose bed she picked up a picture and gasped, “Oh my God,” she whispered. She looked around behind her, “Nathan,” she called “I-I can’t believe it. It’s us,” she said staring at a picture of a three year old Carter, and a five year old Nathan sitting on a white plush swing smiling at whoever took the picture.
Anya
, Carter thought
, it had to be Anya
. Carter couldn’t believe it. She didn’t remember any pictures being taken when she came here that day, but then again she was only three, there was only so much she could recall.

Carter looked up from the picture and noticed another lying farther within the bed of roses. She ran forward with anticipation. She leaned forward, picked up the picture, and laughed as her eyes began to fill with tears. The picture showed her and Nathan sitting at the picnic table with Carter resting her head on his shoulder. She had her thumb in her mouth and from the looks of it Nathan was filling her little spaceship plate with fruit. Carter looked up again hoping to see another picture and when she did, she darted for it eagerly. The next picture had her laughing louder and tears flowing down her face. Nathan had both hands on her face and his lips pressed against hers.

“My first kiss,” she whispered pressing the picture to her heart.

She found five more pictures featuring her and Nathan cuddling in different areas within the garden before she finally came upon the big white gazebo featured in many of the pictures.

The most beautiful assortment of flowers Carter had ever seen surrounded the gazebo, and a big plush white couch swing sat in the middle. In front of the plush couch sat a small table with a gorgeous music box with dark wood and golden edges sitting in the middle of it. Carter looked at it wondering why it would be sitting in the middle of the gazebo, but when she noticed another picture sitting next to it she ran up the steps, excited to see another adorable picture of her and her love.

In this picture Carter lay on the plush swing sleeping, with Nathan next to her and his little arms surrounding her small body protectively. Carter smiled at the way they were laying in the picture, it was the same way they sleep in their bed now, her cuddled close to Nathan’s chest and his arms wrapped tightly around her. She could feel the floodgates opening again, but before the first tear fell she spotted a small key sitting in the spot where the picture lay. She picked it up, and looked closely at the music box noticing for the first time, a small lock on the front of it.

Her curiosity sparked. She stuck the key in the lock and turned. There was a click right before the box began to open on its own. The top came up slowly, the sides dropped, and back of the box fell flat.

Carter stood frozen. Her eyes locked to the big diamond ring sitting in the middle of a picture of Nathan and her on the plush swing. Nathan held two yellow roses in his hand and Carter looked at him with tears running down her face while he placed a soft kiss on her cheek.

Carter’s hand came up to her mouth as the tears began to flow freely down her face.

“My beautiful rose. I knew you would find me,” a deep loving voice said behind from her.

Carter turned around and saw Nathan walking up the steps of the gazebo with a yellow rose in each hand. He stood directly in front of her, towering over her, his striking gray eyes so sweet and full of love. Carter looked up at him unable to stop the waterfall of tears coming from her eyes.

Nathan placed both roses in one hand, and gently wiped the tears from her eyes. “Don’t cry, beautiful girl,” he said placing a kiss on her cheek. “Make a wish with me,” he said softly against her skin, putting a rose in her hand. Nathan rested his forehead against hers, kissed his rose softly, and dropped to one knee in front of Carter.

A soft sob escaped Carter’s lips as she watched Nathan reach for the diamond ring. He sat his rose down and took Carter’s left hand in his. He looked into her eyes.

Oh my God…

“Nineteen years ago I made a thousand wishes, prayed a million prayers, and the object of each one of those wishes, every one of the prayers is standing right in front of me, in all her regal beauty. After my mother,” Nathan cleared his throat and began again, but Carter could see the pain in his eyes at the mention of his mother. “After my mother was taken from me, I stopped believing that there was anything beautiful in this world. I stopped hoping, dreaming…praying. I was lost, angry, and alone. That was until I was convinced not to go to Russia this year, but to a little “housewife city” called Hope Beach,” he teased, and Carter giggled through her tears. “What I found in that little “housewife city” changed me, or I should say
who
I found. Carter you have given me happiness, peace, hope…love, things that I thought I’d lost thirteen years ago. Your beautiful heart humbles me, your smile warms me, your laugh…it’s the sweetest music. Make my wish come true, baby. Carterina Anastacia Stone, will you be my wife?”