Page 37 of Falling for the Forward

It only takes us ten minutes to get there, and when we do, the guy working behind the counter does a double take when he sees Carter.

“Stanton...you’re Carter Stanton. From the Crush.”

“Yeah.” Carter shakes his hand and the guy asks for a selfie with him.

Then we’re assigned a lane and given some basic instructions on axe throwing. Of course, Carter is a natural, getting the axe to stick exactly where he wants it almost every time.

I can barely even get it to reach the target, let alone hit it.

“I’m hopeless,” I grumble when yet another axe lands on the ground.

“Here.” Carter grabs an axe and comes over, standing behind me.

He’s solid and warm, my ears on the same level as his broad shoulders. His flannel has the scent of his light leather and pine cologne. Nervousness coils low in my belly as he puts the axe in my hand, covering my hands with his own.

“Back more.” His voice is a soft caress on my ear, making me shiver.

He moves one of his hands to my stomach, placing a flat palm there as he says, “Use your core.”

I’m going to melt. Every nerve ending in my body is firing and heat is flooding me. Carter is more man than every guy I’ve ever been with added together. And then multiplied by ten.

“Ready?”

I nod, not trusting my voice. He does most of the work for me, and the axe lands left of center, but at least it’s on the target.

“Nice job.” He puts a palm on my lower back as he steps away.

What happened to my plan to never be with another man again? If Carter asked me to go have sex in his car right now, I don’t think I could say no.

It’s my traitorous body overruling my good sense. I can’t let myself fall for another man.

“I’m taking a break,” I say, walking over to our table and sitting down.

I watch him throw axes for another hour, and then we walk to a local bookstore and a few more boutiques. We have dinner at a local microbrewery, and even several hours later, I’m still feeling pulled toward Carter.

I want to be close enough to smell him and feel his solid body against my much softer one. I want to see if I can possibly undo him the way he’s unknowingly doing to me.

I trust my instincts, though, and instead of watching another movie with him, I go to my room to read.

I fell in love with a fake in Tyler and got burned. Carter has been completely transparent about our relationship being fake. Not real. All for show.

Stick to the plan, Suki. One year. For the girls. And the money.

Then, I can start over and make all my decisions based only on what’s best for me.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Suki

“This duck is goingto be fabulous,” Harry promises as he chops fresh spices on a wooden cutting board. “I always sell out of this early at the restaurant.”

I look up from the potatoes I’m peeking at and blow him a kiss. “I owe you for this.”

He waves a hand dismissively. “I’m happy to be here. You know my family only talks about sports and politics on holidays. And they serve that canned cranberry gel garbage.”

“I love you, but that stuff is delicious.”

He cringes dramatically. “It’s not even food. Wait until you try my cranberry orange relish. We’re serving it on baked Brie.”

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