Page 46 of Chasing Lynda

He relaxes just a little, returning his gaze to mine. “Good, because if he’d hurt one hair on you—”

“Oh, trust me.” I smile with a perverse sense of satisfaction, “Monroe is lucky Zane and Bennett arrived when they did. I was about to knee him in the balls so hard that he would’ve had trouble to untangle them from around his neck. No one touches me without my permission.”

Carter’s soft chuckle makes me realize the amount of aggression in my tone, but my tension seeps out of me when he whispers in my ear, “Damn, beautiful! You’re even hotter when you get all tough.”

I can’t help but smile, at ease with the fact that Dodge doesn’t look mad for losing his resort manager. “That motherfucker is lucky that I wasn’t there. Or he wouldn’t have left Pleasure Beach on his own legs.”

I’m relieved that his fury isn’t directed at me.

On a rational level, I know I did nothing wrong but years of being blamed every time a man “lost it” are hard to forget. When I lived at home, the incident with Monroe would’ve been deemed my fault; because I was dressing provocatively. Because I put myself in a questionable situation by going to the pool and not leaving when I realized that we were alone. By being a temptation he couldn’t resist.

“Do you want to dance with me?” Carter asks, getting up from his stool and dragging me with him. “Let’s give the guys a second to discuss Monroe’s dismissal.”

I follow him to the dance floor without protesting, grateful for the distraction.

Just as we reach the dance floor in the middle of the room, the music changes to a slow song and I find myself chest to chest with Carter.

His dark blue eyes are fixed onto mine, while his arms are closed around my waist.

I barely resist the urge to rest my head on his chest, captive to his gaze and rendered dizzy by how amazing he smells.

Carter is so good looking that he should be on the resort website, not me.

“Why thank you, beautiful. I feel flattered,” he breathes into my ear and I just realized that I said it out loud.

“Oh, fuck,” I utter, feeling heat rising to my cheeks, frustrated that the music wasn’t loud enough to cover my involuntary confession.

He isn’t just perfect looking, Carter is also very observant, like yesterday morning when he caught me trying to eat that croissant off the floor. “Hey,” he whispers, coming close to my ear again. “You don’t need to feel embarrassed, Lynda. I think it’s more than obvious that I feel attracted to you too. Believe me or not, I don’t kiss every girl I save from eating food off the floor.”

I don’t know if I should feel embarrassed or laugh at his attempt at self-deprecation. “I don’t always eat the food I’ve dropped,” I say.

Well ok, technically it’s a lie. A year ago, I would’ve never entertained the idea of eating something someone else had just thrown away.

I don’t have time to elaborate any further though, because Carter’s lips brush against mine; they’re as soft and gentle as I remember them from yesterday and there’s nothing I want more than to melt against him.

“What’s wrong?” he asks, still so close that I can see the white flecks in the dark blue of his irises. “If you don’t want to kiss me, I’ll stop. I’m sorry.”

I let my eyes wander to our right, where the others are watching us intently from the table we just left.

Carter follows my gaze, keeping his hands around my waist. “Is it because of them?”

I nod, unable to put my thoughts into words and to admit what a mess I’ve already made by kissing three of them in the space of twenty-four hours.

“Do you like one of them more than you like me?” His voice is soft, when he asks me that question; it’s as if he’d be disappointed but not mad if my answer was yes.

I shake my head, not even daring to imagine what my father and my “husband” would say about what I want.

“Lynda, beautiful, talk to me.” Carter coaxes me, without any trace of anger in his voice. “If you don’t use your words, I don’t know if I’m being a fucking asshole by trying to act on my attraction for you. If you don’t like me I’ll stop—”

“I like you, Carter,” I breathe out hurriedly, explaining my feelings before I lose my nerve to do so. “But I also like Zane and Dodge. And Bennett.”

Again, there’s no anger in his voice. “Did you kiss Bennett too?”

I keep my eyes on his, at this point I might as well tell him the truth; especially since the way he said “too” indicates that he knows about me kissing Zane. I shouldn’t be surprised that the guys talk to each other about their hookups. “No. But I—Bennett is ...”

Carter smiles, rolling his eyes. “I wish I knew what chicks find in Ben. I swear to God, he doesn’t even have to try. But,” he says sounding sincere, “Bennett is a nice guy, regardless of how annoying he can be when he doesn’t keep his attitude in check.”

I want to make sure that we’re good. “So you aren’t mad?”

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