Page 57 of Forbidden Eyes
It’s the bravest thing I’ve ever said. And the most honest.
Standing out of sight and waiting to make my move, a hundred plans and scenarios played over in my mind. All of them confirmed that I was totally crazy. Rushing across the country to find Carter just to warn him about my dad? What could I do to stop him? Would he listen? Through the myriad of questions plaguing me, though, there was an overriding pulse—a current running through me—and it beat entirely for Carter. No matter how brief, how limited our time has been so far, he’s made an indelible mark on my heart.
And I only want more of him.
It’s entirely selfish on my part. Carter still has a chance to explain things to my dad, to try to make him see sense and not start the war I know he’ll be in the middle of. But after this? We’re going to have to run, which is why I’ll need all the money I have at my disposal.
Under different circumstances, running away with the man you’re about to give your heart and virginity to is quite a romantic feat. But somehow, I don’t think it will be the Disney movie ending I was subjected to growing up.
We stand there, locked in each other's sights for what seems like an eternity. When I called Carter, I didn’t know what to expect, but having him say he wanted me with him wasn’t high on the list. Of course, it was everything I wanted to hear.
Finally, he holds out his hand. I look down and pause, suddenly panicked at whether he’s asking for my hand or not? I choose to shrug my bag from my shoulder and hand it over. His slight smirk tells me it was the right thing to do. Then he pulls me against him once again, sending my nerves scattering like leaves in a storm.
“Let’s get out of here.” His words are a promise of what’s to come between us and exactly what I need to hear, but I can’t turn off the ticking sound in the back of my head, like we might be on borrowed time.
When Carter opens the door to his car, I can’t keep the blush from my cheeks at the memories it brings back.
“Easy, now. Next time we’re going to even the score.”
“Score?” I ask, confused.
“You came. I didn’t. That score.”
“Oh.” I busy myself with the seatbelt, suddenly flustered about a whole load of other questions. Carter comes around and jumps in.
“Where are we heading?” I didn’t have any expectations after getting to Carter. Where he’d take us or where we’d travel to didn’t really matter. I just knew I needed to get to him, and we needed to go.
“Back to the hotel.”
“The hotel?” I ask, confused at his plan.
“Yeah. It’s a Cane property. I never stay anywhere else.”
“But, don’t we have to leave?” I swivel around to face Carter, now concerned that he’s not taking this seriously.
“I’m not running.”
The weight of that word settles between us and heats my blood. There’s anticipation from both of us, but I can also feel the line still between us. The one Carter warned of when I came. The one he told me he'd cross.
The journey back to the hotel is quiet. Tense. Just being around Carter makes me nervous, but in a sexy, adrenaline filled way. I want to find out wherethat nightcould have gone if he hadn’t locked me out, and if I’ll have the courage I had then to walk up to his door again. Of course, everything has changed since then. My world has crashed around me, and because of our actions and my inability to keep secrets from my father, Carter now has a man more than capable of murder ready to hunt him down.
We pull up outside the hotel and I’m attacked by my conscience screaming at me that this isn’t right. “Are you sure about this?” The worry in my voice is clear.
“What part of this would you be referring to?”
“All of it? Staying at the hotel, still in Miami. Not running, me?” I can’t help the doubt that’s plaguing my thoughts. “There are so many reasons not to—”
The heat of his lips sears against mine, and the questions that seemed so consuming, so important, melt. His tongue sweeps my lips open, and he claims me in a way I’ve never felt. Like I’m open to him, and only him. I fall deeper into the kiss, following his lead, and lose all sense of self.
“Now.” He pauses, resting his forehead against mine. “I don’t want any space in that pretty head of yours for questions. I’m not fooling around," he continues, jumping out of the car to come around to my side. His hand reaches for me, fingers pulling me close and tight to his chest. "You have until we reach the penthouse to get your head on straight, and then, Fia, you’re mine.”.
If I’m not careful, my constant checking is going to give him whiplash. After seeing him kill several people, I know he can handle himself. I just need to trust that he knows what he’s doing when it comes to me. And pray my dad sees sense.
We take the elevator up and for every second—every heartbeat—I count my breaths. My head focuses on something regular and normal so I don’t get lost in the possibility of what will happen when we walk through that door.
You're mine.
What does that mean when uttered by a man like Carter Wade? Nerves claw over my body and stir my breathing into action. My counting becomes faster, and the pattern changes. My mind drifts to the anatomical details of breathing. The oxygen filling the lungs, travelling along down to the bronchial tubes and ending in the alveoli before passing into the bloodstream. My bloodstream that is only rising in temperature every time I take another breath.