Rapture and Lace (Lace #3) (Lace Series) (8 page)

  "I’ve never been in one of these before." My eyes darted to the cables running up the mountain with mild concern on the safety of these things. The gondola started with a jerk and I grabbed Carter's thigh tightly to steady myself. He laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder and kissed my hair.  

  "This is the longest gondola ride in the country. Eighteen minutes one way."

  I gazed out at the landscape as we traveled up the mountain. Thankfully the gondola was enclosed to keep out the blasting winds and cold air, but the metal seats were still chilly. I stood to get a better view from the window. The city of Aspen was now visible as we climbed further up in elevation. The buildings peeked up over the tree line, the cars traveling the road getting smaller as we climbed. The gondola rode smoothly as Carter stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist, and resting his head on my shoulder to take in the view with me.  

  "It's gorgeous." My eyes took in the autumn colors surrounding us. The morning sun lit the bight yellow and flaming orange leaves of the trees across the valley and on the mountains around us. In the distance the mountaintops were barren and dusted with snow, making the scene picture-perfect. The higher we climbed, the further away from reality we seemed to get. I breathed in the crisp air and smiled contentedly. Carter's arms squeezed me and he kissed along the line of my neck and nuzzled into my ear.  

  "You're not looking at the view." I giggled as he tickled me with his nose.  

  "I’ve got the perfect view right here." His hands slid down to my thighs seductively.  

  "You are a cad," I said with a smile.  

  "Only with you, Mrs. Morgan." He grinned and moved my hair off to one side so the back of my neck was exposed to him. He kissed along my tender skin and lightly blew his warm breath against my sensitive flesh, causing a chill to race down my body and land firmly at the apex of my thighs. I tilted my head to one side to give him better access as he ran his nose up my neck softly and dusted his teeth along the outer shell of my ear seductively. Just then the gondola ground to a halt and we were at the top of the mountain. A pouty huff escaped Carter and I smiled and grabbed his hand as I darted out of the gondola to take in the mountain air and the view surrounding us.  

  We stood at the top of the mountain on a viewing deck overlooking the valley. With the birds twittering and the chilly breeze rustling through the leaves, it felt like we were the only people that existed in our perfect world at that moment. I sighed and Carter stood behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist and swaying us back and forth with the breeze.  

  "I have something for you," he whispered in my ear. He turned me around in his arms to face him. "You've made me the happiest man on earth, Evangeline." He dropped to his knees in front of me. "I know that we've done things a bit out of sync, but it wouldn't be us if we did it conventional." A lopsided grin spread across his face.  

  I looked down into his eyes that were swimming with emotion. He pulled a black velvet box out of his pocket and opened it, revealing a glistening ring nestled inside. I dropped to my knees in front of him, tears streaming from my eyes.  

  "Carter." The air whooshed out of my lungs. A round, pale-blue, cushion-cut stone was surrounded by dozens of pave diamonds that extended down the band. The ring was stunning and unique and took my breath away, just like Carter had.  

  "It's my birthstone, aquamarine. And your birthstone is diamond, so I think we're covered there." His mouth curved up at the corners. "It's us. You and me, always." He pulled the ring out of the box and held my hand gently in his own, sliding the ring on my left ring finger.  "Will you wear it? For me?" Carter watched me thoughtfully.  

  "Oh, Carter. It's so beautiful. I love it. But I thought we were going to wait until we got back to Boston? When did you do this?" My eyes searched his.

  "I picked it out the day before we were married." A grin spread across his face. "But they had to size it, so it wasn't ready until now." He rubbed the pad of his thumb around the ring on my finger softly.  I watched the light sparkle off the stones.  

  "I love that I have you with me always." I looked up into his eyes as a few tears trailed down my cheeks. His eyes stared back at me, emotion pooling in their blue depths. I flung myself at him; my arms wrapped around his neck, and hugged him tightly to my body.  

  "You are the most beautiful man I have ever met." I held his cheeks in my palms and kissed his lips, slowly deepening the kiss, our tongues dancing together softly.  

  "I'm so glad I spilled champagne on you at that party," I whispered against his lips. A hearty chuckle escaped his throat.  

  "Me too." His hands wrapped around my neck, holding me to him.  

  "Thank you for bringing me here."  

  "I love it here. I love sharing the things I love with you." He stood and helped me off my knees, encircling me in his arms as we took in the view. We gazed out at the sun lighting the valley below. It was breathtaking and perfect. Just like this whole week had been with Carter. A moment of fear flashed across my brain at the thought that the bottom might fall out once we were back in Boston.  

  Some irrational part of me didn't want to go back, afraid that we would lose this perfect part of us if we did. I sighed deep to quell the anxiety and tried to refocus my brain on the beautiful view before me, and the beautiful man behind me.  

  "You're cold, we should head back down."  

  I nodded softly.

  We hadn't yet decided when we would leave Aspen, but I was already dreading it.  

  He pulled me over to the gondola, my hand firmly locked in his. I stood by the window, ready to take in the view on the way back down. Carter's strong arms trapped me, his hands on the rail in front of me. The gondola started again and we descended back down the sunlit mountain. The new addition on my left hand felt foreign and heavy on my finger, but was also comforting.  

  Carter caught me looking at the ring. "Do you love it?" He nuzzled into my neck.  

  "I so love it, Carter." I leaned back into him.  

  Carter placed both hands on my hips and rubbed firm circles, and then dipped a finger under my warm sweater. My body shivered at his cool touch. I smiled and turned in his embrace, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him softly. He held me at the waist and returned my kiss before he slipped his hands back under my sweater and made his way up my ribcage to dust along my already hardened nipples. I sucked in a sharp breath and pushed my hips into his. I could feel his arousal and my nerves hummed with need.

  Carter deepened the kiss and pulled the cup of my bra down, exposing my nipple to his fingers where he tickled and pinched. I moaned into his mouth and Carter ran one open palm up my thigh, pulling my leg up his hip. He slid his fingers further up my inner thigh until he reached my center through my jeans. My breathing picked up and I captured his lips with mine.

  Carter moaned and pulled away from me, his eyes darting to the lodge at the base of the mountain where the gondola would be stopping. I could hear his brain ticking, trying to determine how much time we had.  

  "Fuck it." He grinned carelessly and then turned me around and pulled me back on the metal bench on his lap. He fumbled with the button of my jeans and quickly unzipped them, shoving the denim and my panties just beyond my bottom to expose me. He groaned and ran a finger up my slick center from behind. I moaned in pleasure and then I heard his zipper come down and he pulled me down onto him roughly, filling me in an instant. A small groan escaped my throat as I started to move on his lap feverishly. He slid his hands around my waist and up and underneath my sweater so we were as skin-to-skin as we could be in this cold mountain gondola. His hands traced a heated path up my body to my breasts where he palmed the flesh roughly.  

  I rode up and down on him quickly, my hands on either of his thighs steadying myself and providing leverage. From this angle he was hitting me deliciously deep and I knew it wouldn’t be long at all, which was good because with every passing moment I could see us getting closer and closer to the main lodge.  

  "I’m getting close, Eva. You feel so fucking good this way." He held my hips tightly as he lifted me off of him to gain more momentum with each thrust. A garbled groan escaped my throat when I slammed back onto his lap with force. He pumped into me harder and one of his fingers grasped my aching bud and massaged it in tight circles. My orgasm was building deep in my belly and with one more thrust Carter had me falling over the edge in pleasure. Arousal pulsed through my body and flooded the apex of my thighs. The sensation was so intense, unlike anything I’d ever experienced before. Somewhere in the recesses of my mind I wondered if Carter could feel it, but my brain was lost to sensations coursing through me as Carter continued to slam into me.  

  "Fuck, Eva. You're amazing," he ground through clenched teeth.  

   I moaned his name repeatedly. A satisfying gasp escaped Carter's throat while he pumped frantically behind me, as he pinched my nipple and then reached his own release. His hips jerked into me and I rode him a few more strokes before his head collapsed on my back, his breathing heavy. My eyes glanced up at the closely approaching lodge and I bit my lip.

  "Carter, we're almost there," I whispered frantically. He heaved a few more breaths and then slowly pulled out of me. I heard him zip up his pants quickly as I pulled my pants up and buttoned them with nearly numb fingers. Carter stood up beside me and held my hand as we waited for the gondola to jostle to a stop.  

  "You're lucky it's so quiet on the mountain this morning, Mr. Morgan." I whispered as I placed a kiss on his cheek.  

  "Not luck, babe. Careful planning." He nuzzled into my hair.  

  "Planning?"  

  "Everyone's got a price." He gave me a casual grin. "The resort isn't open so early in the morning this time of year. I made a few calls, arranged for the operator to be here early." He winked at me.  

  "You are shameless." I giggled at him.

  "But it was worth it right? Riding me in the gondola? That was hot, baby. And then when you came all over me...fuck. You made me come," he whispered in my ear just as the gondola jostled to a stop.  My cheeks flamed with embarrassment at Carter's words.

  The operator gave us a smile as he opened the door and we stepped out. I prayed that he didn't suspect what we'd been up to.

  "So worth it." I slid my hand into the back pocket of Carter's jeans and gave his bottom a playful squeeze. He wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me into him, placing a kiss on my head with a wide grin.  

  We drove back down the twisting driveway of the resort and pulled out onto the main road to town. My hand rested on his thigh as we drove, tracing the ridges of the denim delicately in small circles. His eyes brightened and he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye with a small smile.  

  "Do you want to get something to eat?" His eyes were on the road as we approached the town.  

  "Sure, something light. I don't think my stomach can handle too much after that ride up and down the mountain." My cheeks warmed at the double entendre of my statement. He smirked at me when he caught my embarrassment and I smacked him playfully on the chest.  

  Carter parked outside a coffee shop that we'd frequented the past few days that featured pastries and the most delicious coffee in town. We got out of the car and Carter held my hand as we entered the shop. We snagged a table by the window with a view of the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  

  Carter walked up to the counter and placed our order and I dug through my purse to find my pills. I jiggled them into my palm and waited for Carter to return with drinks.  

  He sat down in the seat opposite me and set water on the table and then quirked an eyebrow when he saw the pills in my hand.  

  "I thought you were just on birth control? What's the other pill?" he asked.  

  "For migraines. I’ve been getting them more frequently the past few weeks; turns out I was under massive amounts of stress." I smirked at him, a reminder of the ups and downs we'd gone through the past few weeks back home.  

  Carter's eyes softened and a look of hurt crossed their blue depths.  

  "You were getting migraines?"  

  "Yes. I get them off an on, but they were getting pretty regular for a while." I gave him a small smile as I took the pills and chased them with the water.  

  "Have you had any lately?" he whispered.  

  "The last week? No. Not since Friday." My mind drifted back to the night he proposed at the foot of my bed. A sad look still hung on his face so I reached across the table to hold his hand.  

  "I’m fine, Carter, really. I am so much better than fine. I'm great. And we're great." I gave him a stern look in the hopes that he'd snap out of his mini-funk.  

  "I know, I just feel bad for everything we went through. Everything I put you through. I'm so sorry, Eva." He grabbed both of my hands in his own and looked at me sadly.  

  "We both did it Carter. My insecurities. Your past, it sort of combined together to make a perfect storm. But we're good now and I love you." I smiled at him.  

  "Yes, we are good." He dipped his head down, his long hair falling over his eyes, and pressed a kiss to the inside of each of my palms.  

  "Just promise me we'll always work through anything. You're worth it to me, Eva. I can be such an ass, but please give me a chance to work through it. Don't run," he whispered.  

  "I won't, Carter. I promise. No running." I brought one of his hands to my lips and placed a kiss on his knuckle. Just then a waitress brought our food and coffee. I dropped Carter's hands instantly and reached for my coffee, sipping the hot liquid and feeling the warmth heat through my body. I looked up at the mountains in the distance and smiled.   

  "Large soy vanilla latte?" he asked.

  "Delicious." A wide smile spread across my face and I was so happy I felt tears prickle at the edge of my eyes.