Page 86 of Explorer's Revenge
She stiffens under my touch and then slowly turns to look at me, her eyes brimming with tears that fall silently down her cheeks. Her chin wobbles as she tries to stop.
Fuck, that look . . . It burns me to my core.
I slide my hand down and grip hers. “Talk to me, Carter. What’s going on? Did something happen?” I ask, my voice softer than it’s ever been.
For a moment, I don’t know if she’ll answer.
“Talk to me, Carter. I’ll fix it.”
“You can’t. I don’t even know,” she answers around her sniffles. “It’s like everything has caught up to me, and I needed to get out of that room. I couldn’t stop—” Shaking her head, she covers her face.
My brow furrows. This isn’t like Maeve, but she’s been through a lot, so it makes sense that all of her strength would eventually crumble. With a gentle grip, I tug her hands from her face and wrap my fingers around her wrists when she tries to escape me again.
“Carter, stop.” She keeps struggling, and we fall back, her eyes wide as we both freeze. Her hands are still in mine, and I’m pinning her down. Every inch of me is touching her. I sit up, not wanting to put pressure on her bad leg, and she stares up at me, looking so lost and confused.
“Come here, baby.” Gathering her into my arms, I lean back on the bed. She remains stiff at first before relaxing. Her hands fist my shirt before she buries her face in the fabric and cries for everything that happened, everything she endured and saw.
“That first night I cried so hard I threw up,” I murmur. “Everyone else was asleep, but I was so scared for Logan and what it meant. I couldn’t let anyone else see.”
Her head lifts, and she meets my eyes. “Wilder crying? I don’t believe it.”
“I’ll take a picture next time,” I tease. “All I’m saying, baby, is that this is normal. You were running on adrenaline on that island, we all were, and we endured things we could never even begin to explain to other people. Thinking we were going to die nearly every moment of every day takes its toll, so if you need to cry, then cry. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Gee, thanks,” she grumbles and smiles. I wipe her face before she lowers her head.
“Don’t worry. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to fighting you,” I tease, and she smiles through her tears.
“Okay, tomorrow,” she murmurs as she lies back down.
Resting my head on top of hers, I hold her tighter, my heartbeat easing in my chest. I’m always so worried about what tomorrow will bring and how I can keep my family safe, but in this moment, with her in my arms, I feel like I can breathe for the first time ever.
I don’t know how long we lie like this before her breathing evens out, and when I glance down, I realize she is asleep. Pushing her hair back, I kiss her head just like Way did. “I wish we could stay like this forever, Carter,” I whisper. “I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to face what that means, especially the possibility of losing you. It’s selfish, but I don’t want to let you go. You make me feel alive, Carter, and I don’t think I can goback to a life before you.” It’s a stolen confession, words I’ll never tell her. Carter isn’t one to be tied down, but it’s the truth.
I wish we could stay like this forever, but tomorrow always comes.
Sighing, I pull her closer and close my eyes. I don’t know how long I sleep for, but when I wake up, we are still wrapped around each other. I’m facing away from the door, and her back is against my chest as she lies on her good leg. She burrowed into my arm that’s under her head, but something woke me up.
A noise.
I strain my ears, and it comes again. It’s from her.
She’s moaning.
The sound is soft and breathy, and I look down, finally realizing where my other hand is. It’s in her loose hospital pants, cupping her bare pussy and playing with it. She’s wet and warm and grinding into me, and I was fucking feeling her up.
Bad fucking hand! I stiffen, knowing I’m taking advantage of her, though I don’t know if it counts since I was asleep too, but obviously I’m a perv while I’m sleeping.
“Don’t stop,” she whispers, and I realize she’s awake. Her head turns, and she boldly meets my eyes. “I think we both need something to cling to, some semblance of sanity . . . something good, so don’t fucking stop, Wilder.”
“Carter . . .” I swallow, fighting a losing battle to stop my hand from feeling her soft, warm heat again.
“You’ve never treated me like glass, so don’t start now.” Reaching up, she grips the back of my head and drags me down until my lips are close to hers. “Fuck me like you’ve always wanted, Wilder. Fuck me like you hate me.”
Glancing from her eyes to her mouth, I groan and give in, pressing my lips to hers as I stroke her cunt. She rolls onto her back, giving me better access, her thighs falling open.
She’s so fucking hot and wet, I need to taste her more than I need my next breath.
Sliding my hand from her pants, I get to my knees, grip the waistband of her pants, and slowly tug them down and off before throwing them behind me.
