The Taste of Mr. Davenport (8 page)

“Is everything okay?” He asked and worry was evident in his voice.

“Yes… I mean no. I can’t do this, Carter. I’m miserable here. The only person that talks to me is my new roommate and she is practically a hermit. I miss you. I miss being with you. I miss the sound of your voice.” Her voice broke at the end, and she cursed herself for being so overly sensitive.

“God, Claire. I am so so sorry, baby. This isn’t what I wanted for you at all. I’m sorry that I can’t give you more. I regret what happened more than anything. But I have to focus on repairing my relationship with Elise. That’s my priority.”

“What about me?” She said so low he barely heard her. Carter felt pain in his chest at how small she sounded. If he could go back and do things over again, he would have saved her from the humiliation and sadness she had to endure the last few months. And he would definitely save her from the heartache he caused her.

“I’m sorry. You are one of the most beautiful and special women I’ve ever known. I just can’t say sorry enough.”

Claire heard voices in the background and what could have been Carter’s hand muffle the phone. “Look, Claire. I have to go. I’m on location. I don’t think we should speak anymore. I know that isn’t what you want to hear, but I think it will be best for all of us. Take care of yourself.”

The phone disconnected and Claire dropped to her bed, sobbing hysterically.

* * *

Claire walked across campus, pulling her coat closer to her body. Brisk fall air had settled over campus along with gusts of wind that could chill you to the bone. It was a downfall of being in such an open area.

She vaguely heard her name being called, but kept her head down in an attempt to avoid whomever it was. Most people on campus knew about what had happened that summer, and they all made comments about it. She just wanted to be left alone.

“Claire!” The voice shouted again, and it sounded vaguely familiar. She kept walking still gun-shy about interacting with anyone.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind her, and a hand wrapped around her arm, tugging her to a halt.

“I was hoping I’d finally run into you.” Claire looked up to see Brian standing in front of her looking as cute as he did the last time she saw him. She looked at him with a confused expression on her face.

“What are you doing here?” The smile on his face warmed her and made her feel normal for the first time in months.

He cocked his head and studied her for a moment. “You didn’t know I went to school here? I only have one semester left.”

“I had no idea.” She bit her lip and looked at him from behind her long eyelashes. It made Brian’s heart skip a beat, and his cock stir. She was so damned beautiful. He didn’t care what the other students were saying about her. It was the detriment of being on a smaller campus. Even if she did sleep with Elise’s father, he still wanted a chance with her. When she pushed him away that day on the beach, he was disappointed. Now he had a chance to reconnect with her, and he wasn’t going to pass it up.

“I was about to grab a bite over in the Student Union. Care to join me?” He tucked his hands in his pockets and looked so vulnerable that Claire bit back her quick “No, thank you,” and instead agreed. It would be nice to have a civil conversation with someone other than her roommate.

“Great!” His face lit up, and he reached for her book bag hanging off her shoulder. “Let me take that for you.”

“Thank you,” Claire murmured, and couldn’t help let a smile break free on her face as they walked across campus to the Student Union. Even though it felt foreign seeing as how she hadn’t done it in months, it still felt good. And she had Brian to thank for it.

* * *

Seven months later…

Graduation day was a bittersweet moment for Claire. She looked back over the last three and half years with tears in her eyes. She started college a young, scared girl just coming out from under her parents’ strict thumb. She met Elise, who would help draw her out of her shell and become the woman that she was. And, of course, Carter Davenport was a big part of making her who she was today. Their summer may have been brief, but it showed Claire not to wear her heart on her sleeve. She knew love was out there. She just knew better than to look before leaping next time.

One regret Claire had was her lost friendship with Elise. After their first semester following the fling with Carter, Elise transferred to the same school as Bobby. They weren’t far apart, but, then again, it didn’t really matter. Elise wanted nothing to do with her. She made that point clear more times than Claire cared to remember.

Standing in line along the side of the stage, waiting for her name to be called, Claire looked over at Brian sitting next to her parents. He had graduated the semester before her. While the job he found at an architectural firm was two hours away, he still came to visit her every weekend. He had become her best friend. Her rock. She didn’t know how she would have survived all these months if he hadn’t found her.

Brian gave her a sexy smile and a wink when her feet hit the top step. Her name was next. This was it. Her final step into adulthood. When she heard the Dean recite her name and accomplishments, she took a deep breath and headed towards her future. One where she would write for the local newspaper and share a bed with Brian. She might not feel all the heart stopping lust for him that she did for Carter, but she was convinced it was only because Brian wasn’t taboo for her.

She was determined to make this relationship work. She owed it to both herself and him.

After all the names were called, caps were thrown, and shouts of excitement made, Claire joined Brian and her parents at the reception being held under a large tent on the school campus.

“We’re so proud of you,” her mother said softly as she gave her a hug.

“Love you, peanut,” her father whispered during his embrace.

She turned to Brian, and his arm wrapped around her shoulder and pulled her into his side. She rested her head on his chest, remembering just what all those muscles felt like when they were unclothed.

“I was actually going to wait until later to do this, but I can’t wait any longer,” Brian said and moved to stand in front of Claire. “I’ve known how special you were since the first night we met. I’m honored that you gave me a chance and I want to tell you that I love you more than anything.”

Movement behind Brian caught Claire’s attention, so she was shocked when she realized Brian had dropped to a knee in front of her. He took her hand and started speaking, but Claire didn’t hear any of it because Carter stood behind him staring at her with a look of intensity in his eyes, his face and the way he held himself. In his arms were a dozen roses. She blinked, unable to comprehend fully that he was here—in front of her.

“Carter, what are you doing here?” She asked, making Brian stand up in a huff and block her from Carter’s view.

“You need to leave,” Brian demanded with more authority than she had ever heard him use before.

“I’m here to speak with Claire. Not you. Claire, can we have a moment alone?”

Her heart leapt at the thought of being with him again, even as her head screamed to send him away. There had to be a reason he was here and the curious side of her was ruling out the reasonable side.

“Brian, it will be fine. I should at least hear him out.” Claire stepped around him and squeezed his hand reassuringly. He made a sound of protest, but let her walk the few feet away to where Carter waited for her.

“What is this?” Claire demanded. “I haven’t seen you in almost a year and now you’re here with flowers. I don’t get it.”

“I know. I… I couldn’t stay away any longer. I need you, Claire. I love you. I’m a fucking fool for waiting this long. I tried to forget you. I really did, but I can’t. Please tell me that there is some way you can forgive me. And God, please tell me you aren’t going to marry him.”

“And what if I am?” Claire raised her chin defiantly. Inside, she was quaking at his speech, but outwardly she was portraying a calm she didn’t know she could channel. How could he leave her for all this time and then expect her to come back to him just like that? She might be young, but she was no fool. Not anymore anyways.

Carter looked down at his feet and then back up at her. “If you can honestly tell me that you don’t love me anymore, then I’ll walk away and never look back. But if there is even a shred of hope for us, I’m going to wear you down. This isn’t over unless you tell me right now that there is no chance whatsoever.”

“Claire, is everything all right?” Her father asked as he joined them. “You’re Elise’s father, right? What do you want with my daughter?”

“I love her,” Carter responded and Claire’s stomach dropped like she was on a roller coaster. It felt marvelous, even though she hated to admit it. Hearing him assert his feelings to her father meant everything to her. It was a little too late though.

Her father, however, looked confused and disgusted all at once.

Carter turned back to her and gave her a sad grin. “Think about what I said. I’ll be staying at the Marriott until I hear from you.”

He handed her the roses and walked away. Claire looked from Carter to Brian and had no idea what she was going to do. One thing was for sure. She needed some time alone to decide.

Brian wasn’t happy about what happened with Carter. First, his proposal was ruined, and secondly, he loved Claire and wanted Mr. Davenport far away from her. She was a broken shell of a woman when they connected, and he didn’t want that for her ever again. He left her with the ring, and a promise that he would be waiting for her to make the right choice.

She watched Brian walk to his car on his way back to his hotel. It was only right he didn’t come to dinner with her parents after the spectacle that happened that afternoon.

Later that night with her mind made up, Claire knocked on the door of the hotel room ready to take on her future. She didn’t know if it was the right choice or if she’d be happy forever. She only knew it was the best choice for her.

Epilogue

Carter looked through the peephole and his breath caught at the sight of Claire standing there. He was already rock hard from watching a porn flick on his laptop while he waited for her. Getting off with his hand was all he had these days. When things first ended with Claire he tried to fuck as many women as he could to forget about her, but it didn’t work. During that low point, he realized that they were just poor substitutes to her.

It was then he decided that he needed to set things back to right with her. He needed to stop pussyfooting around Elise and tell her that he loved Claire whether she accepted it or not. Luckily for him, she eventually warmed a little to the idea. She still wanted nothing to do with Claire, but Carter had every hope she would eventually come around.

He opened the door and smiled at Claire. She was so fucking beautiful. He hated knowing they were apart for almost a year. The only reason why he didn’t come for her sooner was because she deserved to be able to finish school. Of course, if he had known she was getting serious with fucking Brian, he would have come a hell of a lot sooner. If he hadn’t shown up, Claire would probably be celebrating her engagement in Brian’s bed. Instead she was about to spend however long she wanted in Carter’s bed, because he was never going to walk away from her again. She was going to have to be the one who left him.

“Does this mean what I think it means?” He asked, not even caring how pathetic and hopeful he might sound.

She nodded tentatively and tightened the knot in her trench coat.

He gestured for her to come in and shut the door behind her. He leaned against it and attempted to calm his raging hormones. He wanted to pounce on her and fuck her senseless, but he knew that probably wouldn’t go over well. She was sure to want some answers, especially since she was taking a leap of faith by choosing him.

“Claire, I want you to know I’m honored that you chose me. I know I gave you no reason to trust me. I’m going to work my ass off to prove to you that you made the right choice.”

“I know,” she responded and continued fiddling with the belt on her coat. “I plan on making you show me every fucking day that I picked the right man. I’m not that weak girl that let you walk away. I’m stronger now. I had to be. You have no idea what you left behind…” Her voice cracked and she cursed her emotions for betraying her. She wanted to come across as the self-assured, confident woman she had become. She worked hard to be that person.

“I know, baby. I’m so sorry. You have to believe me.” He took a step towards her and she decided they had plenty of time to talk later. Right now, she had to feel his lips against hers and his hard body against her soft one. They could worry about all the rest later. She wanted to make love to him, and if that made her a slut, then she didn’t care.

She held her hand out and halted his movements in her direction. “Let’s not waste time talking.” She reached down and untied her belt. Her coat parted and she slowly slid it down her arms.

Carter’s mouth dropped open at the sight of Claire’s creamy skin being revealed under her coat. She wore nothing but a pair of thigh high stockings and high-heeled shoes. And she was utterly gorgeous. No woman he had ever been with compared to her.

“I want you to fuck me,” she whispered and he lost his restraint. This was something he hoped he never got used to, losing it with her. He hoped she always affected him this way.

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” he murmured before lifting her by her ass and backing her into the wall. Her legs wrapped around his waist and her hands fisted his hair. Hard. It was such a fucking turn on. “Do you want it hard and dirty? Or slow and sweet?”

Please say hard and dirty,
he thought.

“Dirty. I want to be filthy by the time we’re done.”

Fuck! He could oblige her of that. No doubt.

His cock throbbed as his mouth moved over her neck, her collarbone and then down to her tits. His tongue circled each tight bud, watching as they puckered further. He reached between them and explored her with his fingers. She was wet and growing wetter by the moment. Her legs spread around his body left her open, giving him easy access to the heart of her. It was humbling to know this was all for him.