Page 129 of The Stolen Moments Trilogy

I shake my head and look at her. “Don’t. He’s been so optimistic lately, and having you around is going to help. If you go back to your old house, he’ll want to follow. I can’t stop him if he wants to do that, but the level of care I can provide him with here is far higher.”

Emilia nods and looks around the room, her eyes lingering on some of the decorations. Some of it is stuff she bought when we first moved in together, and I could just never bare to get rid of it. I guess I expected a reaction of sorts, because disappointment fills me when I don’t see recognition in her eyes.

“I’ll leave you to settle in,” I tell her, even though the last thing I want to do is walk away from her.

Emilia nods at me, and I turn to walk away, my heart in disarray.

Chapter 8

Emilia

I wake up just as the sun rises and get ready on auto pilot, the way I have for years. I could barely sleep last night. All I could think about was Carter. I didn’t expect to see him. I certainly didn’t expect to be staying in his house.

I inhale deeply as I make my way down, tired to the bone. My mind flashes back to how I woke up in his arms last night. For a couple of seconds, I thought I’d still been dreaming. I was so close to reaching out and kissing him. I wanted to thread my hand through his hair and lose myself in him, the way I do in my dreams. My heart clenches painfully and I shake my head. Being here, being around him is already messing with my mind, with my heart. I’ve spent years convincing myself that I’m over him, and right when I was ready to let go and move in with Sam, life pulled me back to him.

I walk into the kitchen, the first couple of rays of sunlight brightening the room, and I look around in awe. Like everything else in this house, the kitchen is amazing. I run my hands over the marble counter with a smile on my face. A small part of me wonders what it might have been like to decorate a house with Carter. I still remember how much he enjoyed the little changes I made to our bedroom in his small apartment, and it hasn’t escaped my notice that some of the candle holders and decorative pillows in my bedroom are identical to the ones we used to have. My traitorous heart can’t help but be a bit excited at the thought of Carter holding onto some of our things. It makes me feel like a small part of him might be holding onto me. I know I shouldn’t want that, I shouldn’t even be thinking it, but my heart is foolish.

I sigh and make myself a cup of coffee, the smell of fresh coffee waking me up just slightly. I’m startled when a door opens behind me, and I turn in surprise, my heart skipping a beat.

Carter is standing in the doorway wearing nothing but his swim shorts, his hair still wet, and my breath catches. He lifts a towel to his hair and I watch as a drop of water runs down his chest. “Carter,” I whisper.

He looks surprised to see me and his eyes run over my attire, his brows rising. I look down and stare at my clothes in confusion. I’m dressed appropriately in suit trousers and a blouse, my makeup done perfectly, yet Carter somehow looks disappointed.

“Emilia,” he murmurs, pausing in front of me. I look into his stunning hazel eyes, and my heart starts to race. Carter smiles at me and reaches past me to grab a coffee cup. His proximity makes my heart skip a beat, and for a second I’m tempted to reach out and touch him. Carter helps himself to a cup of coffee and I bite down on my lip.

“I, um, I didn’t realize you were up, or I’d have asked your permission before using your kitchen,” I murmur awkwardly.

Carter frowns and looks at me, and I hate that I can’t read his expression. He’s still Carter, but he’s far from the twenty-two-year-old I used to be in love with. The man standing before me is all hard lines and unreadable smiles. He’s so close, but he feels so far away.

“Since when do you ask for permission for anything? Besides, I told you that you’re welcome here. Just make yourself at home.”

I blink and then smile. He’s right. When it came to Carter I’ve never once asked for permission to barge into his room and wreak havoc, but we aren’t kids anymore. Besides, we haven’t seen each other in so long that I find it hard to read him. I can’t tell if he’s just being polite, or if he’s actually fine with me being here.

I glance around the room and lean back against the counter, trying my best to keep my eyes off his body. He looks amazing. He’s far leaner than he used to be in college, and his muscles are so clearly defined that I can’t help but wonder what they’ll feel like underneath my fingertips. He’s even more handsome than he’s always been in my dreams. Reality isn’t meant to be better than dreams are, but with Carter it always has been.

“So, this is your house, huh? It’s astonishing, Carter. I always knew you’d be successful one way or another, but this is beyond my wildest dreams.”

He leans back against the counter opposite me, and the way he looks at me makes me feel on edge. There’s something about that look in his eyes that makes me feel like I’m somehow letting him down.

Carter pushes away from the counter and puts his coffee cup down before walking towards me. My heart starts to hammer in my chest as he cages me in, his arms on either side of me. I can’t think clearly when he’s so close.

“W… what are you doing?”

He grits his teeth and takes a step closer, his body only inches from mine. I’m so tempted to close the distance, to pull him against me. I can’t help but wonder what he’ll feel like, pressed against me. A thousand feelings I thought I’d buried come rushing back the second he’s near me.

“For years I’ve wondered what it might be like if we were to run into each other, Emilia. Years.”

I gulp and look into his eyes, my heart pounding. Part of me wonders what he’d say if I admitted that I’ve always wondered the same thing.

“Yet here we are. Fucking strangers to each other. I always thought I’d one day see you again, and you’d still be mine. We’d still be us.”

Carter sighs and pulls away from me. He shakes his head and runs a hand through his wet hair. He turns his back to me, and my entire body is screaming for me to walk up to him, to run my hands over his body and pull him back. He still affects me like no one else ever has. He still has a hold over me.

“Make yourself at home here,” he says. “I imagine you’ll be here for a while.”

I nod and smile tightly. “Thank you. I’ll be here for a few months at least, but I’ll try my best to stay out of your way.”

Carter frowns. “A few months?” he asks. “So, you have every intention of returning to London if your father gets better?”

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