Shoulders squared, back arched, and bum on full display, she opened her closed fist, taunting him in a luscious voice over her shoulder, “What’s it gonna be, Summer? Come Fuck Me Red or Eat My Pussy Pink?”

Hearing the crinkle of leather move beneath his body as he inched forward, sent her pulse into overdrive. Standing completely motionless, Carrie Ann worked to steady her heavy breathing, worried she might hyperventilate waiting to feel his touch.

The heat of his breath, fanned over a hip causing goosebumps to skitter down her leg. “My, God. You are so beautiful, Red.”

Her shoulders sagged a bit feeling his hands begin to traverse over her curves in awe. Carrie Ann remained still, reveling in his touch. He roamed over her body, pressing and coasting, laying a trail of kisses over the lace covering the small of her back.

“Carrie Ann Lowell, you have a gift for surprising me. I am so in love with you. Do you have any idea what I’m going to do to you when we get home?” The sound of his voice near her ear was pure sin.

“Red and pink zebra stripes?” Her whimper weighted with anxiousness. “Polka dots?”

Using one hand, he latched his fingers over both her wrists. Summer raised to his feet. His free hand threaded through her hair, sifting from her nape to the crown of her head. In a delicious display of control, he pulled firmly at the roots, maneuvering her head to the side. A lustful growl skated over her exposed neck. He indulged in a few nibbles before sinking a long gentle bite into the dip between neck and shoulder, drawing a low moan from her throat.

“By the time I get the pink base coat on, you’re going to beg me for the red polka dots.” He spun her to face him. “Where would you like to sit? I should warn you…you might want to pick a very comfortable position, because by the time I finish with you, my little screamer, you’re going to be hoarse and worn the fuck out.”

Blush tinged her cheeks, she couldn’t suppress a nervous giggle. Praying for her knees to hold out, she taunted brazenly, “Bring. It. On.”

His long, powerful legs bracketed her thighs, urging her backward until she bumped into the chair. She started to stumble backward, but he looped an arm behind her, forcing an arch in the small of her back.

“Hold these for a minute, please.” A low laugh rumbled in his chest, tucking a bottle into each cup of her teddy before dropping to his knees. The man’s ravenous appetite verged on insatiable. His immediate advances surprised her a little. Summer usually saved this part for the end.

Dragging her fingers through the full head of cropped blond hair wedged between her thighs, she asked in wonderment, “How much…” Her mouth clamped shut, awkwardly gesturing toward her nether regions.

“Pussy?”

“Can one man…”

His brows raised comically at her discomfiture. “Eat?”

Blushing fiercely, she nodded.

Summer attempted to act contrite, but it was no use. An obnoxiously cocky grin tipped the corners of his mouth. “I could eat copious amounts of your pussy.” He didn’t stop there, he latched onto her hips, settling her into the chair, moving his face inches from hers. “I could eat your pussy every day for the rest of my life…forever.”

Somewhere tucked between the P word and forever laid a momentous shift in the gravity. An enormity of significance she hadn’t quite prepared for. The profound sentiment turned his eyes the color of liquid gold. She cupped his jaw, pulling him in for a passionate, long lasting kiss.

“Forever, Red. That’s what I want,” he assured beneath her lips. “And don’t think for one minute I’ll take anything less. Not now.”

Summer sat back on his haunches. As his hands coasted down her left leg, lifting her foot to inspect the intimate work at hand, all she could think was I hope he still feels that way tomorrow.

Chapter Thirteen

‡

The moon cut through the window casting a narrow beam of muted grey over her exposed leg. Carrie Ann readjusted her foot peeking out from the sheets, so her polka dotted toes glimmered in the moonlight.

She’d been lying awake for hours. The faint sound of guilt, tapping on her shoulder, getting louder and louder, like the drip of a broken faucet. Every time she attempted to open her mouth, her throat clenched shut.

She sat upright, crossing her legs, huddling the down blanket to her chest. Summer slept sedated and happy.

“Summer?” Her whisper was nearly inaudible, yet it echoed like thunder in her ears.

He didn’t budge.

The muscles in her throat felt coated and thick. She tried to swallow, but found no saliva. The sound of her heavy breathing overrode the fury of her pulse. She nudged his chest. “Summer?”

One eye peeled open, then the other. He blinked a few times, shooting upward in a start. “Are you okay? Is it lightning?”

Her head rattled back and forth.

His eyes screwed wide, taking in the night, before flopping back on his pillow. A groggy smile wedged its way to the corner of his mouth. His hand drifted to her waist, pulling her to him. “You wanna snuggle?”

“No,” she croaked. A hot blur stole her vision, but she felt the caress of his touch change from comfort to concern. “We need to talk.”

Apprehension weaved across his sleepy face, deepening the fine lines on his forehead. He brought the palm of her hand to his lips, nuzzling it to his stubble. “Are you afraid to go home with me? We both know it’s going to be a circus, but…”

“I’m not scared of that.” A cloud of darkness loomed overhead, shrouding her in shame.

“What are you afraid of?”

“I’m…” It took three tries to clear the sentiment from her throat. “I’m afraid you’re going to be mad…or disappointed in me.”

“Red…how could I ever be disappointed in you? It’s not possible.”

Tears rolled down the tip of her nose, dripping to the sheet. He sat upright, crossing his legs and taking her hands in his. He waited a painstakingly long time for her to continue, but she couldn’t find the words.

“Why don’t you tell me what you’ve got bottled up in that beautiful mind of yours?” Summer encouraged, trepidation shone clearly in his eyes.

“That day…” A frayed exhalation filled the small soundless space. She looked away from him, but the feel of his thumbs turning tender circles over the top of her hands brought her back to him.

“It’s okay. Take your time, Red. What day?”

“That day I found you with that girl.”

“Carrie Ann, I thought we…”

“I was coming to tell you something that day.” Heat prickled her chest and neck. Her stomach twisted in knots, constricting painfully.

His profile shadowed and his face grimaced. “Go on.”

“I was coming to tell you…” She looked away, shrinking into the layers of bedding, trembling uncontrollably. “I was coming to tell you that I was pregnant.”

The comforting motion of his thumbs stopped. Wetness blinded her of sight, but she sensed his body turn rigid.

“What?” Devastation, confusion, loss, anger…encompassed the one word.

“I had come there that morning to tell you that I was pregnant.”

Slowly, almost as if in slow motion, he shirked backward, dropping her hands. She reached for him, but he skirted her touch. “I don’t understand. What do you mean…was? You’re just now telling me this?”

Though his rebuke was tiny, the impact monumental. She couldn’t get a word out.

“Please don’t tell me that you…” Reproach coated his tone. “Christ, Carrie Ann. Please don’t tell me I have a kid…”

“No!” she screeched. Each tiny muscle in her contorted as she began to sob. Her head swung wildly from side-to-side. Blinded by tears, she shoved at his hands that were now trying to grab hold of her. Her breathing came in jerky gasps, fighting for air to fill her lungs. “I lost the baby. Our baby.”