No Control (The Fighter Series Book 7), page 7
“Umm…you busy?” Kinley asks.
Her voice causes my heart to beat faster and I push up to my elbow. “No. You okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine,” she says, sounding her sweet self.
I drop back to the bed.
“I had to share this with someone. This guy came in today and bought a beautiful two-carat diamond with marquise diamond petals. A seven-thousand-dollar ring.”
“Wow. Who would’ve thought someone would go to a jewelry store to buy jewelry?” I deadpan with a chuckle.
“Shut up.” She giggles and I’m grinning like a bastard. “Here’s the thing. He was wearing a wedding band, so we assumed it was for his wife. But come to find out it was for his girlfriend,” she groans. “I wonder if his wife gets the same treatment as the whore in the background? Why do guys do that?”
“That’s pretty fucked up,” I say. “Not sure why he would do it. I wouldn’t.”
“Okay, what’s wrong? You don’t sound like yourself.”
Because I passed up on a good lay because my dick wouldn’t get hard because I’m too damn busy thinking of you…
I don’t dare tell her that.
“I’m good.”
“Did you have a bad day at the gym?”
“No.”
“Carter. Talk to me. What’s wrong?” Her voice, sugary sweet worry, does something to my chest as if she reached in and twisted it.
Fuck. I blow a frustrated breath. “I’ve just had a weird and shitty night.”
“I’m sorry,” she says, sounding genuine. “Feel like talking about it?”
Not only no, but hell no. “No.”
“I’m here if you change your mind.”
I smile into the dark, picturing her beautiful green eyes, soft and tender. “Thanks. Tell me something good.”
“Hmmm… Well, I got to take a bubble bath before work,” she titters.
Images of her naked, water rippling around her body, flash and it causes my dick to twitch. “You and your baths,” I state, digging my fingers into the bridge of my nose. I can’t think of her like this.
“Yeah. I’ll let you go. But if you need me, call me. I really hope your night gets better,” she says before we hang up.
I toss my phone beside me and close my eyes, sighing. When I do, I’m greeted, yet again, by Kinley’s face. Her green eyes, her cute freckles, her hair falling around her face.
My dick pulses. I’m throbbing hard. From Kinley.
Fuck it.
I pull my cock out of my boxers and stroke my shaft. Kinley is all I see. Round tits bouncing as I drive into her. Her mouth shaping around her moans. Her skin glistening with a sheen of sweat. I fist my dick faster. Her hips thrust off the bed, meeting my drive, and she whimpers my name. My nuts constrict as my spine tingles and I groan out as I come.
I’m panting, in the dark, with cum all over my damn stomach to a girl who doesn’t realize this is what she does to me.
Kinley excites me. Intrigues me. Stirs my soul. And I need to figure out what’s there.
Chapter 12
Today has officially sucked. It’s been a shitty day. Seems like everyone who came into the store was either pissed off and taking it out on us or was looking for a ten-thousand-dollar diamond for two-hundred dollars. By the time I got home, I was over it and headed straight for my bathtub, ready to steam and relax my day away.
When my phone rings in the quiet of my bathroom, it scares the shit out of me. As I jerk, water sloshes, splashing over the sides.
“Hey,” Carter says. “What are you up to?”
“Taking a much-needed bath, again,” I say.
He hums. “Bubbles and candles?”
“Bubbles. I never do candles.”
“It’s kind of late for you to take a bath. Isn’t it?”
I don’t take baths late in the evening because instead of helping me sleep, it invigorates my mind and I’m wide awake. Him knowing this, actually paying attention to my life, pulls a smile from my grumpy face.
“After my day, I needed one. People are assholes,” I admit.
“I may be able to help your night. You work tomorrow?”
“No,” I say slowly, wondering what he’s up to.
“Ryker is having a cookout. I’d like for you to come.”
I’m grinning ear to ear. “I’d love to. What time?”
“Six. But come a little earlier.”
“Okay. Do I need to bring anything?” I ask.
“Yourself,” he says full of charm, and it sends a shiver through my body even though I’m sitting in water hot enough to sting my skin.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
I’m beaming from ear to ear when we hang up. Resting my head on the back of the tub, I’m so giddy that my body is vibrating. I haven’t been this excited to see someone in years and it feels great. Carter does something to me, other than bombarding my thoughts. I look forward to talking to him, to hearing his voice and the way it pulls a smile from me. He’s just… I like him in my life.
But my moment is short lived as my phone rings again. This time it’s the one name I don’t want to see—Ben.
“Kinley?” He sounds pissed. “Josh just told me you got robbed. This true?”
How the hell did a high school friend who I never speak to find this out?
Dammit, I groan mentally, squeezing my eyes shut. “Yeah. Like five months ago.”
“Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?” he roars sounding like he’s foaming at the mouth.
It could be because I just talked to Carter, but it grates my spine. “Because I didn’t feel like it was any of your business,” I state matter-of-factly.
“It is my business!” he bellows out. “You mean a lot to me, Cinn.”
“Well, I’m fine.”
His breath shakes as he takes a few deep inhales. “Do you need anything? I can be there in—”
“I don’t need anything,” I rush out, feeling braver than usual.
“That’s what your mouth says. I’d like to see you, make sure you’re fine since we missed each other a few weeks ago.”
“Your girlfriend would get upset if you make a second trip. Besides, it’ll be for nothing. I’m fine.”
“Like that’s ever stopped me before.”
“Wow. What a dick thing to say. Does she know? Surely she wouldn’t be happy about you running off for another woman,” I reply brusquely.
“She and I aren’t serious. That’s not for you to worry about.”
What a dick. “That’s right. I forget how confusing you can be. Here. Not here. Faithful. Not faithful.”
“What the fuck is wrong with you? Are you delusional?” he snarls. “I never cheated on you. You’re my imprint. I’d never intentionally hurt you.” His words end a little calmer.
I don’t reply.
“Are you in the tub?”
“Yeah, and you’re ruining it for me.”
Where is the boost of courage coming from?
He hums. “You remember when I would give you—”
“Don’t stroll down memory lane,” I interrupt.
“You used to love it so much and I’d relish the reward over and over. I miss you. I hate you living so far away.”
“Stop.”
“You know no one will ever love you like I do,” he continues. “No one can.”
“I’ve got to go. Tell Josh I said hello and please let him know I’m fine.”
“Cinn—”
I hang up with my heart slamming against my ribs and thrumming in my ears. I’m breathing like I’ve run a marathon. I didn’t want to hear what he had to say. Not this time. Ben enjoys telling me how no one else will love me, no one else can love me because I’m not worth loving. It’s not the first time I’ve heard the words. I’m sure it won’t be his last. But this time, I felt bold. Maybe it’s the day I’ve had, or the conversation with Carter, or the fact that for once I feel good about myself. Either way, I didn’t want to hear it.
Carter opens the door and my breath is ripped out from my chest. His hair is wet, and he’s shirtless with his muscles on display. He’s only in dark-washed jeans and he’s…holy shit he’s sexy.
“Sorry. My mom called and I couldn’t get off the phone with her. I’m almost ready.” He steps aside as I enter.
Instantly, I’m engulfed by the smell of fresh soap, clean shampoo, and man. All man. “It’s, um, it’s okay. No worries,” I stammer out, looking at everything except him.
A chuckle rumbles from his chest. “Want something to drink?”
I keep my view on my shoes—a safe place. “No. I’m good.”
Except I’m not. I make the mistake of letting curiosity get the best of me and I slide my view up his body—his sexy stomach, across his large chest, over his broad shoulders, up his strong jaw, and fall directly in the trap of his gaze. A cocky smirk pulls the corner of his lips.
Shit. Busted. I quickly jerk my view away.
He runs a strand of my hair through his fingers, tugging it gently, and then dips his head to look me in the eyes. “You really like what you see, Kinley.” It’s not a question. The gravelly statement is full of the truth. “I like it when you look at me like that even when you don’t say a word.”
“It’s…I…You…” I quit trying to manage a coherent sentence and swallow the turmoil in my stomach.
“Why do you lose the ability to talk around me?” he asks, amused.
Great. He finds my fluster amusing. Frantically, I begin drawing circles on my thigh to help calm me, but it’s not doing a damn thing. I resort to honesty. Not like he doesn’t know it.
“You’re like a, umm…you’re really good-looking.” God, I’m so stupid.
My chin blazes when he tucks a finger under it and tips my face to his. “Then look at me,” he whispers.
Trembling, lust threads around my muscles and through my body. Static begins crackling around us, zipping over my skin as an elaborate desire pools deep within me. Holy shit, this is intense.
“I have,” I admit, summoning the courage to look him in the eyes.
His lips tic slightly. “Your freckles are beautiful on top of your blush.”
How embarrassing… “I hate them,” I murmur.
He brushes his knuckles down the side of my face and I all but melt into the touch. “You shouldn’t. They’re beautiful.”
Oh my god, I can’t breathe.
“Touch me, Kinley,” he rasps, his voice deep and gravelly.
I feel lightheaded.
The tremble of lust turns into a throb pulsating through my entire body. Clutching my hands, he places them on his chest and drags them across the skin of his pecs, down his stomach, and around his ribs. His heart pounds under my palms, his chest rises and falls, and his nostrils flare. I’m on the edge of an orgasm, desperate not to let my eyes roll. My breathing…I’m panting.
He bends and grazes his lips across mine, silently asking for permission. I press into them. The kiss is slow, exploring the limits of my apprehension. He cups the back of my head and deepens it with a low throaty moan. My breath is gone. I grasp the back of his neck for strength to keep my wobbly legs from buckling. Another groan vibrates in his throat and it seduces a whimper from me.
This kiss may have started slow, like igniting kindling, but my whimper causes it to erupt into an explosion. Carter switches gears and it becomes hard and ardent, desperate and needy. His palms slide down to the small of my back and he yanks my body flush against his. The feel of his erection electrocutes me and suddenly I’m ablaze with desire.
He pushes my back against the wall, breaking the kiss to graze down my neck and across my collarbone.
“Oh, god…” I moan, rolling my head to the side.
“You’re so fucking gorgeous.” His whisper is sexy and hoarse. “I’ve fantasized about you for months.” He bites on my earlobe and it almost buckles me with pleasure. “I want to taste you, to feel you wrapped around my dick and moaning for me.”
Damn his words are hot.
“Tell me I can have you,” he murmurs tantalizingly.
“I can’t do this.” The words tumble out of my mouth opposite of my aching body’s plea. I yank his mouth back to mine by his hair and dig my fingers through his strands.
The kiss is on a different course. It’s hot and messy, fueled with voracious intensity that’s erupting from us. We’re savage to feel each other. Our hands are all over the place. Months of thinking about him, envisioning his skin on mine and the things he can do to me—all my want for him burns from me in a starved way.
“Your words say one thing, but your body says another. Which do I listen to?” he asks.
“My body,” I plead with need.
With a growl, he tugs my jeans down my thighs, wraps his arms around my waist, and lifts me to the kitchen counter. He pushes my legs farther apart, running his fingers up my thighs before pausing to look at me.
“Tell me. With your words. Tell me I can have you.”
With courage built on lechery… “Please,” I beg.
His finger slides across my clit. I gasp, jerking my hips up. It’s been so long, too long since I’ve had a man’s touch, and Carter has me desperate to explode. Pressing a finger into me, he uses his thumb to continue to circle my clit and slams a kiss into me.
My body shatters. Unabashedly, I fall apart, mewling into his mouth and digging my fingers into his shoulders to steady myself.
Only when I slow does he release the kiss, leaning back to lower his pants. He strokes his dick as he grabs a condom from his wallet.
Reality hits me. I’ve never been with anyone other than Ben and he’s told me I’m a worthless lay. Guilt and shame… “Carter. It’s been a really long time.” I feel so stupid admitting it.
A slow smirk spreads across his lips. “Good. Let me ruin you for anyone else.”
“I—”
His lips press to mine, stealing my words. He poises his dick at my entrance and ever so slowly, he sinks into me an inch at a time, and it lights my world on fire.
“Oh…” I sigh, dropping my head back as he roots himself, forcing my body to stretch around him.
After giving me a second, his hips begin to move, dragging his dick in and out, pumping eagerly. It’s deeper than I’ve ever experienced, hitting places I didn’t know existed. The pressure intensifies the sensitivity. My limbs turn to fiery liquid, seeping into each muscle causing my skin to prickle. He rocks and his fingers find my clit again.
Colors begin to explode and I’m slammed into the most powerful orgasm. I cry out, arching my back as he thrusts deeper, pumping long strokes and gripping my hips.
“Shit.” He grits. His nostrils flare. “Fuck.” His hiss morphs into a long, drawn-out growl as he roots into me. I whimper, gripping the edge of the counter.
Gently, he drags in and out a few more times before dropping his forehead to mine. “Fuck, Kinley. That was great.” His breath spreads across my face.
Months of thinking about him, of dreaming of what it would be like, was absolutely nothing compared to what we just did. Satiation causes my body to buzz.
Carter kisses the tip of my nose. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I sigh. “You?”
He grins. “Fucking perfect.”
Chapter 13
Kinley sounded like heaven and felt the same. So much more than even my fantasies. All these months I craved her, the desire became overwhelming and pretty fucking hard to control. The way she looked at me with so much thirst caved my willpower and made me ravenous to feel her. She was fucking euphoria.
Now she’s fidgety and unsure what to do, barely able to look at me. If I had it my way, I’d skip the cookout all together and cherish her in my bed. I’d make sure I’m all she wants to see.
I run my hands down her arms and kiss the side of her head. “I want to ditch this cookout and have more of you.”
She blushes without looking up at me.
“That’s what started it.” I brush her cheek with my thumb. “Your blush turns me on.”
Biting her lip, she finds the courage to peer up at me.
I’m in awe of her. “Fuck, Kinley. If you could see you through my eyes. You’re so fucking beautiful.”
The smile on her lips reaches her eyes. I want that. I want that all the time and I’m determined to see her shine.
I got pretty damn lucky when my realtor found my house. It’s in the same neighborhood as Ryker’s, just a few streets over. I jumped on it. Not because of Ryker but because I knew if it was good enough for him, it was good enough for me. When my life took the change, I could safely raise a family here.
My home was the first thing I bought with my new flashy paycheck. I deserved it.
I park my Jeep in front of Ryker’s house and kill the engine. “You’re about to meet everyone I consider family other than my mom.”
She smiles to me. “Throwing me into the fire?”
“Yeah. They can be rowdy, but they have hearts of gold.”
Clutching her hand, I walk us in.
“Doucheface!” Kyce shouts as we enter and all eyes slide to us.
Kinley’s body tenses beside me. Ryker’s left brow rises, not expecting me to bring company. And then we’re pounced on.
Candice comes springing over and wraps a hug around my neck. “Aren’t you looking all handsome,” she croons before switching her attention to Kinley. “And you finally brought home a girl.” She claps. “Our little Carter, growing up.”
I chuckle under my breath. “Shut up. This is Kinley.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” she bubbles out just as Abby swarms us.
“It’s good to finally see you without your sling. How’s everything feeling?”
I nod. “Good. Occasional aches, but nothing I can’t handle.”
“You’ll have that. It’ll get better.”
“This is Abby,” I introduce. “She’s the overprotective resident nurse.”
Abby purses her lips, cocking her hip, and then greets Kinley. “It takes a village to keep all these knuckleheads in line. Stubborn men and all.”
Guiding Kinley by the small of her back, we sink deeper into the Hayes lair. Jackson claps my hand and I kiss Sarah on the cheek as I introduce them to Kinley before heading to Ryker.
