Page 76 of Above All Else
Did I do something wrong?
In four minutes flat, Carter emerged from his expansive closet wearing black scrubs with a white undershirt peeking out from the V-shape in the collar, then sat beside me and tied uphis shoes.
“Did I do something wrong?”
His foot plunked down, and he brought up the other, tying the laces in a neat bow and then double knotting it. He dropped his other foot down and sighed, his hands on his knees as he hung his head. “No.”
I brushed the back of my hand over his scruff. “Okay, it seemed like you were upset when you walked out.”
His hand grabbed my wrist, pulled my touch away, then placed it in his lap and interlaced our fingers. “The last time I was here, I was determined to make you pay.”
How we so easily forget...
I tugged at my hand, and his fingers clenched around me, refusing to let me budge.
“It’s strange sitting here with you when I plotted your death every night here in this very bed.”
“Mmay—“ I licked my drying lips, my stomach knotting. “Maybe I don’t want to know this.”
“It’s going to take me a minute to get back into the swing of things now that I’m back in familiar territory.” He patted my hand. “And I still have the unresolved issue of who murdered my little sister hanging over me.”
My stomach sank, and the joy drained from me, pooling in a puddle of liquid misery beneath my feet. “I think I understand.” Standing, I slipped my hand free, my throat bobbing as I swallowed. “I can get a hotel for a few days, but um—“
“No, June.” He growled and folded his arms around mywaist, hugging me, his head resting on my belly. “It’s nothing like that. I just haven’t really had a chance to process all of this.”
And you think I have?
His lips ran over my stomach, my shirt bunching under his touch.
I wove my fingers through his hair, the soft strands slipping between my fingertips. “I understand. Just tell me what you need me to do.”
“Wait for me.” He glanced up and then stood. “I’ll be home in the early hours. I need you to wait for me. Don’t leave, don’t go anywhere. Just beherewhen I get back.”
I shook my head, my brows pulled down. “I’m not going anywhere, Carter.” I smiled, my heart soaring. “I’ll be right here waiting.”
He cradled my face in his hands and kissed me with a depth that eclipsed all previous kisses. It was as though he’d reached into my soul, ventured through its depths, and returned with the very essence that made me who I was. Pulling away, he pressed another kiss on my lips and then stepped away with a nod. “Okay. I need to go.”
“Yep. Probably for the best.”
“Yeah. Probably.”
I rolled my lips and bounced on my toes, my heart pitter-pattering in my ears and chest.
Carter took two more steps back, his hand rubbing his scruff, then spun and walked out of the bedroom, taking the air with him. My lungs deflated as the silence slapped my ears, a ringingtaking up residence.
It took three long days to cross the country, with the rhythmic vibration of the road easing the ache in my chest and the steady hum of conversation dulling the edge of loneliness. But now he’d left me without a phone or any connection to the outside world. It felt as though he had isolated me, dragging me through society—allowing me to be a part of it but keeping me apart.
What do I do now?
My body pulsed with the last energy reserves from the trip while my stomach gurgled with hunger. It had been eight and a half hours of surviving on nothing but road food and snacks.
The garage door hummed beneath me as I approached the window. A sleek black Mercedes, its grill adorned with a prominent logo, reversed down the driveway. The door slid back into place with a soft, mechanical whir.
“And then there was one.”
I sighed, my arms wrapped tight around my chest as I walked down the stairs and into the living room. The U-shaped sofa, matching the color theme spread throughout the house, sat in the center of the room with expansive windows spattered with the beginnings of a rainstorm.
A coffee table dominated the center of the room, showcasing a carefully curated selection of Men’s Health, National Geographic, and Scientific American magazines.