Gage, Ronna - Send Her To Me (Siren Publishing Classic) (6 page)

Was the stroke of luck a blessing to celebrate, or a pain in the ass?
Lucky for Carter the couch made out into a sofa bed big enough for him to sleep. “How much?”

“The room will be one
-
hundred fifty dollars.”

Carter looked down at Kelli. Her teeth gnawed on her bottom lip, worry flashed in her eyes. “We’ll take it.” He handed her the money from the winnings, which covered the cost of the room with a few dollars left over.
Good thing I didn’t have to use my credit card
. He dared to look at Kelli once again. Although she no longer chewed on her bottom lip, he suspected she felt some sense of relief. He knew in his heart that he’d forgo a suite and get two of the regular rooms if Kelli asked for it. He would do whatever he had to do to ensure her comfort and security for the night. He suspected that she did not have a lot of experience in dating, and more and more little things almost confirmed it. The thought of staying the night alone with a man quite possibly made her nervous. Kelli intrigued him. Nevertheless, to have her, he needed to play it delicately. If he took advantage of her drunken condition, she would never be able to trust him, thus losing his chance with her. He could be a good guy with little problem, but he never had to work so hard at being a gentleman.

* * * *

Kelli looked at the wide mirror in the bathroom and sighed with relief. The extra large T-shirt swallowed her up, hanging down to her knees, and covered the black souvenir shorts she wore underneath. No real need for the shorts, but decency and horniness called for them.

She knew if she went to Carter without shorts, her drunken state would allow her to throw caution to the wind and make love to him in a matter of minutes.
The decent thing to do is not tempt him or fate.

Kelli took a deep breath to calm the buzzing in her head. She knew better than to drink two glasses of the champagne the hotel management sent up to them ten minutes after they arrived in the room. The so-called gift for winning at the blackjack table took its toll on her now.
I wished we hadn’t won so much money.

The first sip was to make her feel more at ease, but it didn’t, so she had another and now she felt dizzy. She splashed cold water on her face, hopeful to calm the buzzing in her head. It helped a little, but the room still spun. Sitting on the tub, she looked around the bathroom, unable to focus on much. She cupped more water on her face.

“This is just typical of my luck,” she whispered to the image in the mirror. “This one-room suite will force Carter and me to stay together….alone…all night.” She worried over the choices she had to face when she left the restroom. “I can go with it and hope for the best, or I could under no circumstances give in to his charm.” She sighed at the chosen word to describe Carter.
Charm!
He stepped up and took control of the situation in the most charming way. The tenderness in his voice eradicated some of the nerves. His reassuring touch of his strong hands when he stepped up behind her, slipped his arm around her waist and he being the gentleman suggested a perfect solution. “I’ll take the couch. You take the bed.”

Why didn’t I ask for two rooms?
Then there would be no anxiety on my part.
“Because you didn’t think of it,” she scolded herself for the question. Truth of the matter, loneliness kept her in this edgy mood. She hated the thought of being alone. She wanted to be with Carter and feel protected. Feeling a little less anxious by the recognition of her motives, the weight of the circumstances lifted from her shoulders. She pulled open the door and stood in the doorway frozen in place. Carter turned to her. Sexual masculinity surrounded him, everything she craved. She wanted to explore the possibilities his body stored. Forget fighting the urge of wanting him. All bets were off. It was every man and woman for him or herself.

* * * *

At the sound of the lock disengaging, Carter turned toward the bathroom. Kelli paused in the doorway, her face flushed.

He crossed the room to her. “Kelli, are you all right? Honey?”

She looked up into his eyes. “Yes.” She gave a small laugh.

“Come lie down.” He led her to the king-sized bed.

“No. You sleep on the bed. I’ll take the sofa,” she argued. Stumbling over her feet, she giggled and fell on the sofa. “See, I’m shorter.”

Carter picked her up. She was so light in his arms, and her tiny body fit perfectly in them, he carried her to the bed.

“Here, I already pulled down the covers for you.” He set her on the bed.

“That is so sweet.”

Sweetness had nothing to do with it really. He knew she would be too drunk to do it herself.

“It was nothing. Didn’t I warn you about mixing alcohol?

“Yep.”

“Lie back,” he whispered. The second she settled into the pillows, she looked up at him with trusting eyes which clenched his heart.

“I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered.

Carter sat next to her. “Why?”

She sighed. “For getting drunk. I wanned this night to be speshel,” she slurred.

“Oh.” Carter smoothed the hair off her face. Her sparkling eyes, slightly parted lips, and flushed cheeks all beckoned for him to take her. His gaze scanned down to follow the flushed tones of her skin. Her nipples protruded from under the T-shirt. His cock stiffened in that instant. It was almost painful at how fast it happened. He looked away.
You have to do the right thing and be the stronger person right now.
He cleared his throat. “If I’d known you could not handle your liquor, I would have cut you off long ago, small fry.” He mussed her hair.

Kelli giggled.

He looked down at her glowing face. The twitch in his shorts gained his attention. “What’s so funny?”

“You can’t cut me off. You like lik’er,” she slurred. Her eyes closed.

Carter laughed. “Good one.”

Unbeknownst to her, she pinpointed his exact problem. He wanted to lick her, to taste every inch of her body. Instead, he bent and gently kissed her forehead.
Walk away,
now.
She is in no condition to give herself to you.
If it were possible, this was a time he hated to have a conscience. He almost envisioned a good angel and a bad angel sitting on his shoulders, arguing who had more control. Finally, the good angel took over and gave him the strength he needed…determination. He refused to take advantage of her condition the way he’d done so many other women. “Good night, Kelli,” he whispered.

She gave him a half smile. He started to get up, but she grabbed his hand and pulled it to her chest. His knuckles grazed her nipple; she cuddled his arm close to her heart. “No, don’t leave me.” She rolled over on her side, pulling him in the bed with her. He couldn’t move. The tight grip she held on his arm made it impossible.

“Honey.” He softly kissed her cheek. “If you don’t let me go, I will have to sleep with you,” he warned softly into her ear.

“’Kay,” she murmured. She released a long sigh.

Carter heard her soft snores and knew she slept. Gently, he tried to pry his arm out of her grasp, but the slightest movements made her clutch it harder. He looked around for something to replace his arm with but found nothing. With no other options, he did the only thing he could under such circumstances—he got in bed with her. He settled in behind her and pulled her closer to his body. He sighed with dissatisfaction. Lady Luck showed she could be a bitch tonight. Here he lay with the soft, warm, delicate figure of this desirable woman and couldn’t have her. Her snores made him laugh.

“Just my damned luck.”

Chapter Six

Kelly woke up after a restful sleep, refreshed with no aftereffects of a hangover. She yawned, stretched, and rolled over onto her side…and almost jumped out of her skin at the sight of Carter lying next to her. “Carter!” she shrieked.

He opened his eyes and smiled. “Good morning, did you sleep well?”

Confused, she glanced away but caught a glimpse of his sinful grin before she did. “Yes, thank you for asking.”
Oh God, what have I done?
Did I make the worst mistake of my life and have sex with him? In my drunken state?
She closed her eyes in hopes to recall the previous night.
Think, Kelli!
Dread filled her, but she had to know for certain. She took a deep breath and asked one of the hardest questions of her life. “Carter?”

“I love to hear you call my name first thing in the morning.” He rolled over onto his side to face her.

Her stomach went on alert, and her heart skipped a beat.
No, this can’t be happening
. “What happened between us last night? I mean, did we…?”

Carter placed a hand over his heart. “You don’t remember?” His voice sounded…wounded.

Kelli glimpsed at him, and then laughed at the wounded expression in spite of herself. It was too comical not to be serious…wasn’t it? The laughter eased her tension. However, the question remained—did she or didn’t she sleep with him? And it bothered her that she didn’t remember. The possibility of their sleeping together conjured all kinds of salacious images—a hot, heavy breathing, naked limbs, and skin-to-skin contact. The wait was almost unbearable.

After a long, quiet pause, Carter cupped his palm over her cheek. “No, we didn’t do anything last night but sleep. I stayed on my side of the bed and you on yours…sorta.”

Relief flooded through her body. To have a relationship based on something real was important to her. A one-night stand would jeopardize the plans she had for her and Carter. “What do you mean, sorta? And by the way, how did you wind up in bed with me?”

Carter sat up, leaned against the headboard, and affixed his gaze on the ceiling fan. “You grabbed hold of my arm, pulled it close to your chest, and then rolled over, dragging me into bed with you…literally.” He told her, mocking her gestures perfectly.

“No I did not!” she defended, her cheeks heating in an instant.

“Yes, you did. You grabbed my arm so hard I feared I’d lose it if I moved.”

Kelli concentrated on the last thing she remembered. “Last night you carried me to the bed.”

“Yes.”

“You played with my hair, and then told me to sleep. Not to worry that you’d sleep on the sofa.”

“Yes. Somewhere between that comment and sleep, you decided to use my arm as a teddy bear.”

Kelli smiled. “At least my virtue is intact,” she stated with a sigh of relief.

“As long as I’m around, and you don’t give in to me, it will remain in that condition.”

Kelli’s eyes watered with the overload of emotions in her heart. By no means was she a virgin, hadn’t been since her high school sweetheart took it on prom night, but while she watched Carter’s reactions for signs of doubt, she saw something worthwhile. His expressive eyes showed honor to his promise. She smiled. “You are the sweetest man, Carter Banks.”

He groaned and placed his finger to his lips for a quick second. “Shh, don’t say that too loud. I have a reputation to protect.” Softly, he kissed her. She tasted only sweetness in the man and for that, she soared with delight.

Chapter Seven

Kelli looked at the mini Victorian clock on her dresser. “Six thirty! I only have thirty more minutes to get ready.” She placed her hand over her stomach. Nervousness grew steady by the second. Carter would be by to pick her up for their date at seven o’clock, and her body reacted with charged energy. Although she talked to him on the phone and through text messages on a daily basis, tonight would be the first time she actually saw him since she woke up in his arms two days ago. Her heart raced with anticipation to see him. The idea sent warm feelings all through her body.

Take it easy!
her heart warned.

“He’s not like Larry, who used me for his own mind-fuck games and sex.” At the time of her and Larry’s relationship, she thought he’d be the man she’d marry and spend the rest of her life with….happily ever after! But it was a dream, like all high school girls think of their boyfriends. Little did she know Larry had other plans; he wanted her best friend instead. Three months into her first college semester, he sent her a woman’s version of that proverbial Dear John letter. Anger and hurt consumed her for a long time. Still, to this day, she didn’t know if she was over him or not. His betrayal hurt her that deep. Fear of getting hurt again kept her from involvements with anyone else.

Today, for the first time since that heartache, Kelli had an urge to take a risk with Carter. The magnitude of her attraction for him both terrified and thrilled her. Every time she heard from him, her body tingled with awareness, and at the same time, she waited for the inevitable end. This fear terrified her into sending little messages to her heart to slow down. Exploring the promise of a relationship with Carter was a big step for her to take, one that might lead to heartache.

“Mine!” She looked to the sky. “God, should I chance it and trust him? In Oklahoma, he’d proved himself a gentleman when he insisted she sleep on the bed, and he would sleep on the small sofa in the suite.” Kelli smiled at the chivalrous gesture. Suddenly, she imagined his long legs hanging over the side of the armrest while his frame tried to fit on the small cushions of the sofa. Kelli giggled. “Carter always makes me laugh. Even when he isn’t around, I laugh out loud like a crazy loon.”
It would be easy to fall for someone like…