“I tried to see you, Carrie Ann…for a long time. I tried.” He paused, continuing in a shallow telling breath, “I wasn’t left any choice. I was forced to move on.”
“The months that followed…they seem like a blur to me now.”
“I remember them clearly.”
“I should have shared it with you. I refused to give myself permission to grieve. Somewhere deep inside…a tiny part of me felt relief. Every time I tried to tell myself that it happened for a reason…that she…we…just weren’t meant to be, I was consumed with shame. I was so angry for months, furious at the world…at you…at my family. I was even mad at my mother for not being there when I needed her.” Carrie Ann’s voice cracked. “I felt completely alone. I alienated myself from everyone except—”
“Does your father know?”
“Yes. He was home when it happened, but it’s not like we discussed it. He can barely talk to me about normal topics. But, Shayla never left my side.”
His face hardened to stone as an apprehensive shroud clouded his eyes.
“Please don’t be upset with Shayla. She pleaded with me to talk to you about it. She has for ten years, even yesterday.”
“I’m not upset with Shayla.” Slowly, his focus seemed to drift back into reality.
In a slow revolution, he rolled her onto her back. His hands were everywhere, showering her with tender caresses. His breath swept over in a sweet burn, pressing delicate kisses to her cheeks and eyes. Summer eased his mouth over hers. The heat and hardness of his erection grew against her thigh, but he paid it no attention, seeming perfectly content showering her with pure love.
“Red?” He pulled back, gazing into her eyes. Their deep level of connection, vivid in the pale moonlight. “I’d like to give you something.”
A curious smile tipped the corner of her mouth. “What do you want to give me?”
“A little girl.”
All of the pain and hurt that had been woven around her heart for so long began to disintegrate. His suggestion was completely genuine and sincere. An overwhelming swell of love prickled every far frayed corner of her heart. “She doesn’t have to be a girl. Boys would be wonderful too.”
“Plural. I like that. Maybe one of each,” he paused, releasing a low groan as she tilted her hips, readily taking him in, unsheathed, skin on skin. Fears and flesh yielding to the love of Summer as a dreamlike state of happiness filled her to the core. “I realize you’re on birth control, and I don’t want to pressure you, but you can stop taking them whenever you’re ready.”
In a room full of darkness the world around her had never shined more brightly.
*
“Remind me again. Why did we have to come back to California?” she questioned, sitting at a dead stop in LA traffic in his new, updated version of Big Dirty. The shiny new Range Rover that wasn’t big or dirty but it was definitely bad-ass.
“I have a thing—”
“You have a very nice thing,” Carrie Ann giggled.
He leaned across the void between the seats. His eyes turned dark and hot with caution, sinking his teeth into her bare shoulder. “Red, you’d better be careful. You’re treading on thin ice.”
Her eyes gleamed, unable to contain her laughter. “Or what? Do tell.”
“The rear seats fully recline…and have a built in massage function. Just think, I could be working you over from the front while getting a massage from the back. It’d be like another set of hands.”
“One set of hands is more than plenty.”
“Damn straight.”
An hour later he pulled into her drive and cut the motor. Carrie Ann slipped her fingers over his forearm. She drew in a deep relaxing breathe. “So where do we go from here?”
“Home, Red. We go home. We’re going to walk through that door, pack up your things, slap a For Sale sign in the yard and go home.”
“It’s a rental.”
“Even better. Consider your rent paid for the remainder of your lease.”
“I really need to handle a few things. Catch up on emails, work, call Sara and Shayla.” She hesitated ruefully, adding with a grumble, “Plus, have a chat with my dad. Which I should probably do in person.”
“Red, you’re gonna need to learn how to micromanage being ravished by me on a daily basis, while working and having more fun than you’ve ever had in your life, plus romantic dinners, social events and all the other necessities of life. Unfortunately, that will also include the media and paparazzi. But I plan on waking up beside you in bed from now on. I don’t care who tries to stand in our way or what we have to go through. So, if you think I’m leaving you here for the night, or a week, or whatever you expected…you’re wrong.” Before she could respond, he added, “If this isn’t what you bargained for then now’s your time to speak up.”
“I’ll make a pot of coffee.”
A frown wove between his brows.
“For packing,” she clarified with a flirty smile. “And for the record I won’t need to micromanage your ravishing. I gladly welcome it.”
“Good thing,” he touted in a tone of authority.
“Oh, it’s a damn good thing.”
It took a few hours to make a dent in her belongings. They filled every piece of luggage and laundry hamper, loading her favorites into his Rover and her Cadillac. They left the rest for movers.
“Should we stop by and see your father?”
“No.” The reply whooshed out so fast it sounded panic-stricken. Her relaxed mood instantly shifted to dread. “Did you really need to kill the euphoric buzz I had going?”
“Let’s just say, you should probably check your text messages.” His warning raised the hair on her arms. “I’d be happy to come with you. Act as a buffer. I’m sure it won’t be an easy conversation.”
“Summer, this isn’t a pissing match between the two of you.” The deep indention between his troublesome eyes indicated his disbelief. “I can handle my dad, now.”
“Carrie Ann, I’m sure you can take care of yourself, but your father wields a mighty sword and has a degree in Master Manipulator of people. You included. Hell, there was even a time when I cowered to his power,” he admitted grimly. His quiet voice blistered with annoyance. “But he will never hold court or judgement over me again.”
Irritably she yanked the front door open, spinning to face him. He snatched hold of the door before it knocked into the wall. She glanced up at him sharply, but her petulance turned to butter when he pulled her resistant body into a tight clinch. His golden irises set fire to her soul, warming her all the way to her toes, hitting her with an endearing, lopsided grin. “Red, we’re not going to let him get between us. Don’t make me rip off your clothes to put a smile back on your face.”
“You started it.”
“You’re right. I did. I’d prefer to get it over with, so we can go about our life together. With or without his approval. If he thinks he’s got one, tiny fissure of space to exploit, he’ll sniff it out and turn it into a three foot gap.”
Reaching up, her hands traced along the dense muscles of his shoulders. “Summer, as much as I hate to admit this, I just need a bit of time to strategize before seeing him. I don’t let him push me around anymore, but I want to handle it the right way. He’s gonna have to come to terms with my decisions and I’d like to think that he’d come to love you…and you him…if nothing more than for the fact that it would make me happy.”
Summer’s expression softened. He held her secure, reassuring her with small squeezing rotations to the tight muscles of her nape. “You’re right. Maybe we should see him separately.”