Licking my lips when he shifted the digit from the material to the skin of my abdomen, I blurted out, “They come in eight colors, and I own five of them.”
Instead of laughing at me like I’d figured he would, Carter just nodded slowly. “You should definitely get the other three.”
Given that one of them was neon green, and I knew it would clash with my red hair, I’d been somewhat disinclined to purchase them, but I’d be going back for the burgundy and butter-colored ones now. Nine out of ten was great odds, and surely he wouldn’t be too upset about the neon green ones. It’d be like having an Oscar the Grouch twat.
His finger suddenly veered off its path and began tracing a straight line up my stomach, dipping into my belly button, and then carried on until he reached the hem of my tank top, which had somehow ridden up to my ribs.
Desperately trying to think of something to say, I went with, “I wasn’t wearing the matching panties.”
When he frowned, not following what I was saying, I explained, “The bra—I was wearing a black lace one with straps on it that make me think of bondage, which is weird because I didn’t buy it from a kinky underwear place, just my normal place. And why would anyone interested in BDSM think about boobies, you know?”
The words were as dumb as I was. I wasn’t totally green, I knew tits could be involved in BDSM, but what I’d meant was that… actually, at this stage, even I didn’t know what I’d meant. The guy had fried my brain.
Hearing him groan, I winced and waited for him to tell me I was a dickhead. Not maliciously, because Carter wouldn’t do that, but given our situation, I’d understand completely if he had.
“Baby, I’m trying to take this slowly, and it’d help my battle if you’d refrain from mentioning BDSM.”
My jaw dropped as I tried to think of what to say back. To be fair, talking wasn’t working out very well for me right now, but at the same time, that comment just begged for a response.
I just didn’t know what it was, though.
Before I could break into a sweat about it, he leaned down and gently nuzzled his nose against my own, the sweet move touching me emotionally.
See, out and about, he was pretty remote and serious, but he’d always been the opposite with Shanti and me. After he’d seen us that first time at Garrett and Tamsin’s, he’d found out where we lived and had knocked on the door. That wasn’t what had been the sweet thing. No, that’d been the food he’d been carrying and the big cuddly mermaid toy he’d brought for Shanti.
He’d also brought my favorite watermelon flavored Blow Pops and two five-ounce bags of Twizzlers—my favorite candy ever. The fact he’d remembered something from so long ago and that he’d then spent time with Shanti and me, making sure we didn’t need any help around the house and listening to her tell him all her stories… yeah, he wasn’t remote and serious. He was a big teddy bear with a huge heart.
And to look at Carter Lane, you’d never expect him to be a nose nuzzler or a cuddler, yet he was.
EIGHT
Naomi
Sucking in a deep breath for courage, I kissed him softly, just sweeping my lips back and forth over his. With a groan, he pressed harder against me, and as I opened my mouth to moan, his tongue swept inside, flicking against my own.
We’d kissed before now, but this one was different. Not only were we in bed with fewer clothes on than usual, but I guess we both wanted this badly.
So, when Carter shifted so he was lying on me fully, I didn’t doublethink it or freeze up. No, my legs spread to accommodate him as I wrapped my arms around his neck, licking into his mouth and sucking on his tongue when it chased mine.
If only I’d known what that one action would do to him. I’m not going to lie, I’d have done it sooner. I’d had quite a few hot fantasies about the guy. If I’d known it’d be the catalyst for getting to act them out instead of just closing my eyes and dreaming—which had left me sexually frustrated for years—I’d have grown a set of lady balls sooner and sucked on his damn tongue the second the opportunity presented itself.
Pulling his face away a few inches, Carter lifted his torso, giving him enough space to grab the hem of my tank top and pull it higher but not all the way off. Keeping his eyes on mine, he skimmed his hand from my hip up my torso until he got to my breast, cupping the flesh in his firm fingers as the muscle in his jaw ticked visibly in the dim light.