Page 130 of Red Zone
I almost don’t notice when he turns off the main road, the streetlights fading behind us as we bump down a narrower lane toward the water.
It smells like salt out here, like brine and cool air, and the faint roar of waves grows louder with every turn of his tires.
I glance at him, but he just keeps his eyes on the road, his free hand draped over the steering wheel like he’s been here a hundred times before.
A few seconds later, the pavement gives way to gravel, and he eases the Jeep into a small, half-lit lot at the end of the road.
Beyond it, I can see the long, dark line of a jetty stretching into the ocean. The rocks glisten faintly in the moonlight, and the waves crash rhythmically against the shore, filling the Jeep with peaceful sounds.
Carter throws it into park and cuts the engine, leaning back in his seat with a little sigh like he’s been waiting to get here all night.
“This is nice,” I say quietly, glancing out at the water.
“Yeah,” he says, and I can hear the faint smile in his voice, even though I don’t look at him yet.
“Not a lot of people come out here this late. Just the waves, the rocks…and you.”
I glance over at that, rolling my eyes just enough to cover the way my cheeks heat.
“Do you always ruin nice moments like this?” I mutter, taking another sip of my milkshake.
He chuckles softly. “Not always. Just when you’re here to see it.”
For a minute, we sit in comfortable silence, the only sounds are that of the ocean and the faint slurp of his straw as he polishes off the last of his shake.
We sit there for another long minute, the waves crashing in steady rhythm outside the Jeep.
Eventually Carter leans back again, his fingers drumming lazily on his empty milkshake cup.
“You know,” he says finally, glancing sideways at me. “You don’t have to feel sorry for Jax. He’s tougher than he looks. And Madison’s the only thing that gets under his skin like that.”
I smile faintly at that, shaking my head. “Still. I’ve never seen him like that before.”
“Well…” Carter smirks, tossing his cup into the backseat. “That wasn’t the only fun part of the night. Your dad also wanted a word with me.”
That makes me blink, my head snapping toward him.
“My dad?”
Carter shrugs like it’s nothing. “Yeah. He called me into his office after the game.”
I gape at him. “Oh my god. Why didn’t you lead with that?”
He grins, clearly enjoying himself.
“What happened? Did he—did he say something?” I press, sitting up straighter.
Carter leans an elbow on the steering wheel, his expression faintly smug.
“I thought he was going to,” he admits. “Swear to god, my stomach dropped as soon as he shut the door. I almost outed myself right there, like an idiot. Started rambling about how it wasn’t planned and how I didn’t mean to cross a line?—”
I clap my hand over my mouth, but the laugh still bursts out anyway.
“Oh no,” I say between giggles. “You caved under pressure before he even accused you of anything?”
Carter shoots me a mock glare, but his grin is quick to follow.
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up, Princess. Glad the possibility of my dick being removed from my body is so funny to you.”
