Page 19 of Carter's #Undoing

As his soothing voice continued with the meditation tactics, leaving room for me to just relax and feel calmer than I had in days, I found my mind revisiting even more old memories.

“Do you remember when we were caught in the school gym?” I asked.

“We were caught a few times,” he said. “But if you mean when we snuck in to go into the pool that one night, then yes, I think about it often.”

Opening my eyes, I noticed he had moved to the portion where we each laid on our backs on the mat and stretched, so I followed suit. “Up until that time, I hadn’t known how relaxing it was to meditate in a pool.”

“That was a great night,” he said. “We were just nominated for homecoming king and queen.”

I laughed. “Lord knows I have no idea how we kept getting nominated for those things. I remember Linc being pissed he wasn’t nominated.”

“That’s because he and Shelia had broken up for like the tenth time that year,” he reminded. “I used to tell Caden I didn’t understand how one of his best friends spent more time arguing with his girlfriend than actually enjoying her company.”

“They love the drama,” I stated. “Linc and Shelia weren’t the same when there wasn’t drama in their relationship.”

Carter laughed. “You damn right about that.”

My eyes turned to him, surprised to hear him laugh.Goodness …His laugh sounded the same. I wasn’t sure why I didn’t expect it to. Probably because not much else about him seemed the same. However, he still had the same laugh. The kind that seemed to start in the lower part of your stomach and by the time he released it, it was rich and made you want to laugh right along with him.

“They are still on and off, you know.”

Carter looked my way. “Who, Linc and Shelia? Quit lyin’.”

“It’s true,” I confirmed. “One time, I was visiting Cranberry Heights and I caught Shelia and Linc stumbling outside of Linc’s car in the alley outside Mack’s Wings. He was pulling up his pants, and she was fixing her hair. It wouldn’t have seemed weird, but I heard from Patty at the Deli that Shelia was engaged at the time. Caden told me she never married that guy though. I went back to New York and told Crayson everything since we used to bet on if Linc and Shelia would still be messing around after high school.”

Carter smiled in that lopsided grin I hadn’t seen in over a decade. Somehow, I managed to control the shiver that went up my spine at the fact that yet again, that was something else that hadn’t changed about him.

“Patty still owns the Deli?”

I nodded. “Sure does. Still the best corn beef sandwiches in Arkansas.”

“How long have you lived in New York?” he asked. By now, we were both lying on our mats, not stretching or anything. Unfortunately, that also meant looking at each other when we talked just made sense, no matter how intense it felt.

“For the past eight years.” I studied his eyes, surprised that I wanted to be honest with him. “After you left, I went to school. Did quite a bit of traveling during and after. Eventually, I found my way to New York, and when Malakai told me he was looking for a gallery manager, I decided to give it a shot.”

“Do you still paint?”

“When I can.”

His eyes held mine. “I think about your watercolor paintings often, especially the one of the lake.”

My heart skipped a beat as I recalled every memory that used to make that lake so special. It was my escape. My private refuge that I’d shared with Carter. We’d spent so much time at that lake, I still couldn’t pass a body of water without thinking about him.

“That painting has always been my favorite,” I muttered, realizing that somehow, our heads had been moving closer together.

“Mine too.” His eyes dropped to my lips, andgoodnessit had been so long since I’d even had a man look at me the way Carter was. He always had a way of making me feel like the most desirable woman in the world, his eyes often causing me to have to focus on my breathing to keep my nerves under control.

Maybe it was talking about the past that made me lower my guard a little. Or quite possibly, it was the fact that I was unsure about so much, that I just wanted to hold onto the one thing I was sure about right now. And for me, that was the fact that despite everything that had happened between us, I still wanted him with every bone in my body.

Sexual attraction was a deadly beast when placed in the wrong hands, yet, Carter had cupped me securely in his palm. I closed the inches between us, my eyes trying to decipher why he looked so much more forbidden than I remembered. My Carter would have had the decency to seem surprised at my boldness when I lifted myself off my mat to straddle him.

My Carter would have asked me if I was sure about whatever was happening between us before he cupped my ass and got a good squeeze. However, this Carter didn’t even seem to contemplate apologizing for the way he was undressing me with his eyes. And when my lips dropped down to kiss his, I hesitated the last few centimeters, my good sense kicking in enough for me question what was about to happen. Yet, the decision was made for me when he took one hand to cup the back of my head, our mouths melting together at first touch.

He caught my exhale in his mouth, the moan I was holding back deep in my belly releasing as he wasted no time stroking my tongue with his. He wasn’t kissing like I remembered, but then again, neither was I. I couldn’t get enough of his lips, and before long, my hips were rotating over his growing erection, the friction too much for my clit even with the clothes between us.

“Shit, Serenity,” he groaned when I increased the movement of my hips. A couple more expletives flew from his mouth which only made me want him that much more. He wasn’t saying much, but every word was dirty and I almost couldn’t believe it. Yeah, Carter used to curse back in the day, but this? This growling, don’t-give-a-damn-about-letting-the-swear-words-fly version was new. At least to me.

I wasn’t thinking rationally, but I wanted to fuck him regardless because I had no doubt in my mind that it wouldn’t be making love like we used to. It would be straight fucking, releasing years of pent-up emotions.

---