Whiskey and Lace (Lace Series) (8 page)

I bit my lip and a moan rolled out of my throat. Carter licked his lips and then popped the button and dropped his trousers to the floor in one swift move. He stepped into the shower with me and placed his hand over mine to feel me touching myself. He took my nipple in his mouth and tugged with his teeth. My back arched into him as he pressed my hand harder into myself. A feral growl escaped his throat and then he dropped to the floor on his knees and held my thighs open with his strong hands as he attacked me with his mouth. I moaned loudly and ran my fingers through his hair. I pulled him tighter to me and he tugged gently on my sensitive bud with his teeth. I groaned in pleasure; the hot water cascading down my body coupled with Carter's mouth making love to me was overwhelming and it didn't take long for my body to buck and tremble with my orgasm. My legs were weak and my fingers tightened and pulled his long, wet hair. Carter held me up with his firm hands to prevent me from crumpling onto the shower floor. He slid up my body and I felt his hard length pressed against my soft belly. 

My brain buzzed with the post-orgasm high, but it didn't dampen my desire for him. He bounced me up on his hips and I wrapped my legs and arms around his body. I dove into his neck and nibbled and licked along the wet flesh underneath his ear. Carter held onto my bottom with both hands and pulled my body away from his just enough to angle his length into me. When he was sheathed inside me he thrust his hips up into me and pinned me against the wall. 

Carter filling me to my very core was some sort of sweet ecstasy and in that moment there was nothing else I craved more than him. He grunted and thrust into my body as we slid and smacked together under the hot spray of the shower. I held one arm out, flat-palmed against one wall of the shower to help support me as I rode him. He held me firm in his hands and pounded over and over frantically, as if he couldn’t get enough of me. From this angle he wasn't hitting me deep, but the closeness of our bodies was providing shallow stimulation that drove me wild. I knew I would come any second. My other hand tightened in the back of his hair and I groaned and panted in pleasure. 

Carter's thrusting became deeper and more frenzied before his teeth sunk into my neck. I came instantly at the pain and pleasure combination and Carter gave one long, shuddering groan and came inside me as my body pulsed around him. His body heaved in exertion and I clung to him, afraid to trust my legs to hold me as his long wet hair tickled my neck. Our breathing slowed down and Carter lifted his head. 

"Christ, I’m so sorry, Eva." He kissed the crevice of my neck tenderly where he'd bitten me. "That will probably leave a mark." He pulled back and looked me in the eye apologetic. 

"It's ok." I touched my fingers to the tender skin. "It was kind of hot." I pressed his lips to mine firmly, and then bit down on his bottom lip without apology. Carter kissed me back and gave a deep chuckle when he pulled away. 

"You are insatiable, Miss Austin." He set me down on the floor and smacked my ass playfully. 

"Only with you." I spun under the stream of water to grab for his shampoo. Carter took the bottle from my hands and washed my hair and body, caressing me slowly and seductively. Carter's big hands all over my wet body threw my system into overdrive. After he was done I took the bottle of shampoo from him and washed his hair lovingly. Running my fingers through his silky, toffee-colored strands and massaging his scalp slowly brought me so much pleasure. I loved Carter's hair. A CEO of a billion-dollar company shouldn't have long, unruly hair, but Carter did and it worked so well on him. His eyes closed and a soft moan escaped his lips as I massaged. Then I ran my hands up and down his body with soap; slowly around his defined arms, across the planes of his toned chest, down to his narrow waist and his strong thighs. Carter's body was the stuff of Greek legend. When Michelangelo sculpted David, he must have had Carter in mind. 

"Come on, angel, we've got a reservation." He stepped out of the shower and dried himself off quickly before wrapping the towel low on his hips. My eyes narrowed to that sexy pelvic muscle in the shape of a V peeking out atop the towel and I bit my lip as naughty thoughts ran through my mind. 

"Evangeline." Carter's eyes were hooded with dangerous lust. He turned the knob to shut off the water and held a towel open for me to step into. He wrapped me up and kissed me on the forehead. Then he went to work toweling me off and soaking up the water in my hair. 

Carter finished and pointed me to the garment bag laying across the vanity. "Your dress. I think there's a blow dryer under the sink, too." He stepped over to the walk-in closet to get dressed. I watched his perfect ass walk away, wrapped in a white towel, and I was ready for him all over again. Carter disappeared and I turned back to the vanity. I fingered through my hair as best as possible without a brush, and then opened the drawer of the vanity to dig for a hair dryer. I found one, along with hair spray and a partially used bottle of perfume. I picked it up with a frown on my face. My first instinct was to throw it at the mirror and head for the door, but I knew Carter deserved more than that, and I did too. We were in a better place now weren't we? We'd learned something over the last few days about ourselves and each other. 

I sniffed the perfume and recognized it instantly. I jogged my memory trying to recall where I’d smelled it before. 

The ball. 

The night Carter and I had first been together. 

Madeleine. 

This was Madeleine’s perfume. 

My grip tightened on the bottle and my heart pounded erratically. I thought they were just friends, why would she keep toiletries here. I knew instantly that they'd been more at one time, but I chose to have faith that it was no longer. Or at least I would give Carter the benefit of the doubt. I decided at that moment that I cared about Carter enough to give him the chance to explain.

He came back out of the closet dressed in dark wool pants with a black shirt hanging open. That man was impossibly sexy at any given moment. Locks of wet hair fell over his forehead in errant disarray and his eyes flashed in pleasure, as his eyes scanned my still naked form. And then his eyes zeroed in on the bottle in my hands. I locked eyes with him in the reflection of the mirror and stood expressionless. 

"Fuck." Carter took two steps to me and grabbed the bottle from my hand and tossed it back in the drawer. He wrapped his arms around me and held me tight to him. "It's old. God, Eva, I didn't even know it was still here. I never go in that drawer. I'm sorry." He held me by the shoulders with both hands and looked me straight in the eye. "Are you ok?" He didn't know how to gauge me since I still hadn't said a word. I nodded slowly and took a deep breath. 

"Yeah, I’m ok. It just took me by surprise. It's just irritating when your man-whoring ways come up to smack me in the face." I gave him a small smile in an attempt to lighten the mood. 

"
Former
man-whoring ways." One eyebrow raised up at me, still watching me as if I might explode at any moment. "You're really ok?"

"Yea." I smiled at him and actually felt it this time. 

"I left a bruise." His fingertip touched my neck softly. I glanced in the mirror and my eyes widened for a moment, surprised at the damage he'd done to my skin. 

"It doesn't hurt." I shrugged. He bent down and kissed it tenderly. 

"I’m sorry, Eva, for this, and the perfume." He locked eyes with me again. "I have something for you." He dodged back into the walk-in closet and then came out holding the Tiffany blue watch case. My eyes darted to his.

"How did you get that?" 

"I stopped at your place earlier. Cate gave it to me." He opened the case and took the watch out. "I want you to wear it tonight." His gaze held mine. 

"I don't think I should keep it." I frowned. 

"I want you to. It's a gift. Please?" Carter held my wrist gently, clasped the watch closed, and then brought my hand to his lips and kissed my palm. 

"I feel like a gold-digger." My eyes pleaded with his to understand me. 

"Don't ever call yourself that." His eyes flicked in anger. "I know you're not, and that's all that matters."

I smiled weakly at him. 

"A beautiful girl deserves beautiful jewelry." He placed a soft kiss on my lips. 

I smiled and tucked my head into his neck and breathed in his scent.

"Come on, reservation." He gave my bum a quick squeeze and shot me a panty-dropping smile. How did I ever stand a chance of winning a battle against him with a smile like that?

Thirty minutes later Carter and I stepped onto the sidewalk to head to dinner. I was wearing a form fitting black mini dress with long sleeves and a mesh neckline that Carter had picked out. The man sure liked his dresses short. I stepped into the back of the Bentley first and settled myself before Carter slid in next to me and raised the privacy glass. His eyes shot to mine with a dangerous glare. 

"Evangeline, where the fuck are your panties?" My eyes widened in surprise that he'd noticed so soon, and then I gave him a sassy smile. The lack of panty lines must have tipped him off. 

"I thought I’d cut right to the chase. Didn't want you ruining the new ones you'd just bought for me." I grinned. 

"Put on some underwear." He tossed the La Perla bag to me. I raised one eyebrow at him. 

"Or what, Mr. Morgan?" I crossed my legs so the dress shifted higher up my thighs. Carter clenched his teeth as his eyes shot to my exposed leg. 

"Underwear, Evangeline," he ground through his teeth, still focused on my exposed thigh. 

"No. I’m good, thanks." I smiled at him sweetly. His eyes shot to mine, surprised at my defiance. He held my glare for a minute before he realized I wouldn't be backing down. 

"You are incorrigible, woman." Carter ran a hand through his hair and then tugged the dress further down my thigh in an attempt to cover me. I smiled in triumph and my girly bits tingled in anticipation at the hell I would put him through tonight knowing I was without my panties. 

Carter and I were seated at a private table at the Meritage overlooking the waterfront. The city lights reflecting off the water twinkled and the ambiance of the dining room was magical. The waiter arrived and Carter ordered for us.

"We'll have the '95 Chateau Margaux with the Kobe Beef and the Diver Scallops." He ordered without looking at the menu. 

"What if I don't want that?"

"You’re being rather defiant tonight, Evangeline." He regarded me thoughtfully. 

"You're being rather controlling." I threw back at him. I took a sip of my wine and worried my bottom lip between my teeth as I gazed out at the Boston night. 

"What's wrong, Evangeline?" Carter said with a hint of exasperation. 

"Who did that stuff belong to?" My eyes darted to his. 

"Back to this?" he frowned. "A friend, an old friend. Someone who hasn't been to my office in a long time, Evangeline. I'll get rid of all of it." His eyes implored me to drop the subject. 

"Was it Madeleine's?" I took another sip of my wine to avoid his eyes. 

"Yes." Carter shuffled in his seat uncomfortably. 

"Why did Madeleine keep things at your office?" 

"We were together at one time." Carter held me with a steady gaze. 

"Another fuck buddy?"

"No, Madeleine and I were engaged," Carter deadpanned. The air left my lungs in an instant. What? I was prepared to wrap my mind around the fact that Carter was a former womanizer, playboy, modelizer, but he had been engaged? Somehow in the back of my mind it had been easier for me to accept his former life when I thought he didn't care for them; that they meant nothing. But at least one of them had. 

I thought back to that night at the ball and what Madeleine had said to me. 

He isn't someone you build your dreams on. 

What happened between them that made her say that? What had he done to her? Suddenly her cold demeanor and vicious attitude made sense; she was jealous, she did have a claim on him. She had his heart, at least she had at one time. And may have been the only one to have ever done so. 

My breathing was shallow and I thought I may be on the verge of an panic attack. 

"Are you still friends with her?" I set my glass down and stared at him.

"Yes, but we broke things off a long time ago."

"You still see her?" My heart was thudding so loud in my ears I could hardly hear my own thoughts. 

"Yes, we work together on some business things. She's an investor, it's sort of unavoidable that I see her." I bit down so hard on my bottom lip I thought it might bleed. 

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Eva." Carter raised his voice in warning as I stood and rushed to the restroom. When I got there I slammed the door, locked it and plopped myself down on the plush settee. Tears sprang to my eyes as I tried tugging the dress down over my thighs. 

"Evangeline." Carter's voice boomed through the door as he pounded with his fist. I sat silently and continued to cry. "Evangeline, open the fucking door." He was pounding relentlessly. 

"Go away, Carter," I whispered through sobs. 

"Unlock the door or I swear I will break it down," he growled. I took a few deep breaths willing myself to calm down. I walked to the door and unlocked it. He burst through like a bear with an unpredictable look of anger on his face. I sat back down on the settee and waited for him to say something. 

"What the fuck is the problem, Evangeline?" I continued to ignore him. "So I was engaged a long time ago, that's all over," he pleaded with me in a gruff voice. 

"The problem isn't that you were engaged," I whispered through clenched teeth. "The problem is that you still see her; you're still friends with her." I was grinding my teeth in anger. 

"I have to, she's a part of my company. And we're friends, she's always been there for me." Carter's voice softened. 

"I don't care. Your fucked up past keeps coming up to bite me, and you didn't even tell me she was your fiancé after she sharpened her claws on me that night at the ball," I spit out angrily.