Page 73 of The Charade

He ripped the contract pieces in half again. After tossing them on to the floor, he sat on the wooden chair beside his desk, reached for my hand and pulled me closer so I was standing between his splayed legs.

"I don't think I can keep up my half of the bargain anymore, Ava," he said. "I know we said we'd only pretend to like and flirt with each other." His thumb rubbed the skin along my knuckles. "And I said that falling for you wouldn't be a temptation in the least, but I'm realizing that I was just lying to myself because falling for you has been the easiest thing I've ever done."

He pulled me even closer to him, so close that I had no other choice but to climb onto his lap. His hands gripped my hips and he leaned forward so our foreheads were touching. As he was looking deeply into my eyes, I knew that falling for Carter was the easiest thing I'd ever done, too.

I hadn't really expected it. Sure, I'd thought he was the most beautiful-looking human I'd ever laid eyes on the moment I met him, but that had nothing on what I knew about who he was as a person now.

He was a little rough around the edges at times, but he was a good brother, a loving son, a caring friend. An all-around good person. And based on everything I'd seen from him the past few weeks, I also knew he'd make for an amazing boyfriend.

As we stared at each other, both of our breaths coming in short bursts, I knew I needed to tell him how I felt. So I gathered up as much courage as I could—because, let’s face it, this moment was what dreams were made of and I really didn't want to mess it up—and said, "You're not the only one who breached the contract. Because I think that I'm falling for you, too."

He searched my eyes for a moment, as if he wasn't sure he'd heard me right. But then he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. His lips met mine in a long, slow kiss, and I knew from the urgency of his kiss that he’d been wanting this very thing to happen for as long as I had. That kiss in the woods had sparked something real inside us and the longer we tried to ignore it, the stronger the desire became. He cared about me. He wanted me.

The thought that someone like Carter could actually feel those things about me flooded my chest with a lightness I hadn't felt in a very long time—maybe never before.

"I've been thinking about doing this," he mumbled against my lips in between kisses. "Every day for the past two weeks."

"Me too." I sighed.

He slid his hands up and down my back as he kissed me, and it felt incredible. I slipped my hands into his hair, remembering how much he'd liked it the last time I did that. And when he let out a light moan, I couldn't keep the slight smile from taking shape on my lips because I liked that I could do this to him.

"You're trouble, you know that?" he mumbled in between kisses.

"Good trouble, right?" I asked, pulling away for a second to take a much-needed breath.

He nodded and said, "Very good trouble," before he started trailing kisses down my neck.

28

Carter

Was this actually happening?Was I actually kissing the most beautiful girl in the world in my room right now?

Because if this was reality, then I must have done something very good in a previous life to deserve a moment like this.

I breathed in Ava's scent as I kissed her neck. She smelled like lavender and pear with a hint of something citrus. I had no idea if it was from her body wash, lotion, perfume, or maybe a mix of all three, but I wanted to breathe in her scent all day and happily get drunk on her.

I'd never been drunk before, never even had a sip of wine from my parents’ wine cellar, but I had a feeling that being drunk felt a lot like how I felt kissing Ava—fuzzy and warm and deliriously happy. Happier than I'd been in such a long time. It was as if I hadn't truly known what it was like to be alive until I met this vivacious girl. And the more I was with her, the more I never wanted to be apart.

I explored her neck and jawline, enjoying the erratic way she was breathing and the slightly salty taste of her skin. But as I trailed kisses across her collarbone, I could tell she was anxious for me to find her lips again because she took my face in her hands and directed it back up to hers.

"Just kiss me, Carter," she commanded. "I need your lips on mine now."

I couldn't help but smile because I liked that she wanted me and wanted this kiss as much as I did. Not about to argue with this feisty girl, I obliged. I sucked gently on her bottom lip, lightly flicked my tongue against her cherry-flavored mouth. And when she opened her mouth to mine, I didn't hesitate to explore.

My stomach muscles tightened as our tongues danced together, and when she moaned into the kiss and pressed herself closer to me, all I could think was that I wanted more.

So much more.

I wanted everything.

Her hands slid down my shoulders and arms, and when she squeezed and then explored my chest with her palms, I was thankful that I'd been putting in the extra time in the gym because I wanted her to like what she felt there.

She must have liked what she felt because when she finished exploring the contours of my chest with her hands, she slipped them under the hemline of my T-shirt and slid them along my stomach and lower back, sending electrical jolts coursing through my system.

I moved my hands along her back again, pulled them along her hips and squeezed the tiny bit of softness she had there. My fingers trailed along the sliver of skin above her jeans, and I loved how warm and smooth her skin was.

"This is so crazy," she said breathlessly, pushing her long hair away from her face and pulling it over one shoulder.

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