Carter Christensen was one of a kind. And for tonight, he belonged to her.

Eleven

Bright light penetrated the inside of Carter’s bedroom. Tess stirred beside him and nestled closer to his body. He gathered her close and kissed her hairline at her temple. The past twenty-four hours had been some of the best of his life. That it was all about to come to a close left him feeling too goddamned raw.

Nate and Chloe would be bringing the girls home in a couple of hours. As much as he wanted to lounge in bed with Tess for the remainder of the morning—to kiss, lick, suck, and let his hands roam the soft swells and dips of her body—they couldn’t be naked under the covers when the girls got there. Reality beckoned and though Carter wanted to tell it to fuck right off, he’d known that this would have to come to an end. And still, the past twenty-four hours had passed far too quickly.

He didn’t want to give Tess up.

Carter held her tight against him as though the simple act could change the reality of his life. He had the girls to think about and he couldn’t risk breaking all of their hearts all over again if things didn’t work out with Tess. They’d gone into this knowing all they’d had was a few borrowed hours together. Tess had agreed that it would be best to keep emotions out of the mix. So why did the thought of going back to the way things had been cause panic to rise like acid in his throat?

“Morning.” Tess’s sleepy greeting drew Carter’s attention.

He scooted down farther on the pillow and nuzzled her neck. “Morning.”

Tess reached down between them and took the length of his cock in her palm. Memories surfaced of the previous night. Their time in the hot tub, her thighs quivering against his cheeks as she came on his tongue, the intensity of his own orgasm as she’d taken him deep in her mouth, her nails biting into his thighs. The hours spent in this bed, the way Tess had looked as she straddled his hips and rode him with wanton abandon, and the expression on her beautiful face as she’d come yet again. And the quiet moments afterward when she’d laid in his arms in the total dark and they’d murmured sweet endearments to one another. In the aftermath of their lust, the words had left his lips unbidden. I think … I could love you, Tess.

He’d meant it. Another week, maybe two, and he could easily find himself in love with her.

Thinking back on it, those moments were dreamlike. His chest ached and Carter rubbed at his sternum as though he could banish the emotions that continued to torture him in the harsh light of day.

“I want to make you breakfast.” Tess’s breathy murmur only served to harden his cock and she angled her hip to glide against his erection. The softness of her skin branded him.

His panic resurfaced and Carter rolled away from her with a harsh exhale. He swung his legs over the side of the bed and looked over his shoulder at Tess to find her studying him, her expression a mixture of curiosity and hurt. How could he have ever thought they could do this and come out on the other side unchanged? Unhurt.

“Nate will be here any time,” he said. Realization dawned and Tess sat up in bed, bringing the sheet with her. Carter wanted to tug it away, to bare her gorgeous breasts to him one last time. That would be playing with fire, though. If he started there, he knew he wouldn’t stop until he was once again buried inside of her.

“We should probably get up and get dressed, huh?” He didn’t miss the disappointment in her tone, and Carter’s mood soured. Goddamn it, he didn’t want to be the responsible adult. For the first time in his life, he wanted to be more like Travis. To care only about himself.

That’s not who Carter was, though. He’d never be that guy. “Maybe I could get a raincheck on breakfast.” His heart plummeted from his chest and landed at the bottom of his gut. “It would probably be best if the girls didn’t come home and wonder what you’re doing here so early in the morning.”

“Right. Of course.” Tess averted her gaze and Carter had never felt like more of an asshole.

This was only one of the reasons why he’d avoided jumping back into the dating pool. He refused for his girls to see a revolving door of hookups walk in and out of their lives, and likewise, Carter wasn’t going to be the sort of single parent that constantly sent his daughters away so he could get laid. Tess didn’t deserve this.

Carter stood and retrieved the pair of workout pants he’d left on the floor last night. His gaze wandered to a dresser in the far corner of the room and the framed family picture of him, Steph, and the girls that they’d taken by the lake when Jenny and Jane were two years old. Guilt flared in his chest, squeezed his lungs until he couldn’t take a decent breath. Steph was gone and Tess was right here, warm, willing, and so caring. And instead of letting her stay to greet the girls with him and share a nice breakfast, he was kicking her out as if he was ashamed of her.

Carter wasn’t equipped to deal with any of this. He felt as though his heart would explode at any minute. He didn’t want to hurt Tess but damn it, he didn’t know what else to do.

“Maybe after the girls get settled back in, we could do lunch or something? I could make sandwiches and we could do a picnic down by the water so the girls can play in the sand.”

God, even now Tess was trying to salvage the day. Carter pulled his pants up over his ass and turned to face her. “Yeah, maybe.”

Her hopeful expression fell. Her lips turned downward and Carter wanted to kiss away her disappointment and the sadness that glistened in her deep blue eyes. He had to think about Jenny and Jane, though. He had to do what was best for them.

Is this what’s best for them … or you?

Carter reached for the dresser beside his bed and searched for a T-shirt. He tried to not notice as Tess slipped out of the bed to dress. His gaze lingered on the smooth skin of her back, the curve of her waist, and the perfect globes of her ass that he’d cradled in his palms.

“We don’t have to do a picnic.” She glanced over her shoulder at him as Carter pulled his shirt over his head to keep from meeting her gaze. “We can do whatever you want. We don’t even have to do lunch if you want to spend the afternoon with them by yourself.”

A pang speared his chest, and Carter tried to rub it away. She was too damned understanding. Too compassionate. Considerate. So fucking sexy as she glanced at him over the creamy skin of her bare shoulder. The same shoulder he’d sunk his teeth into as he’d taken her from behind. Carter took a deep breath in through his nose and let it out slowly through his mouth. He couldn’t bear to hurt her, but he didn’t think he could open himself up to more heartache.

“We’ll see.” It wasn’t an outright “no” but he could tell from Tess’s expression that she’d gotten the gist. Carter’s gut knotted up so high he swore it had retreated into his throat. “The girls might be tired since I doubt Nate put them to bed at a decent hour.”

“That’s fine.” Tess’s voice became so small that Carter had to strain to hear her. “I’ll be home either way.”

Carter stared at the wall as Tess continued to dress in silence. He couldn’t bring himself to take even a step away from his spot on the other side of the bed because he knew his damned traitorous feet would take him straight to Tess and he’d do everything in his power to assuage her. This was for the best. They’d agreed there didn’t need to be any strings attached.

“You guys can come over if you change your mind.” Tess headed for the bedroom door and Carter’s jaw clenched. “My door’s open.”

Silence and loneliness swallowed him, and his muscles tensed to the point of pain. He’d turned his back on Tess, made her feel as though what happened between them meant nothing. In guarding his own heart, he’d damaged hers. He was nothing more than a selfish asshole who didn’t deserve her.