Page 49 of Under Control

Carrick launched forward, taking three big steps to close the distance between them. He wrapped one solid arm of muscle around her and yanked her close to him. After he’d hardening his grip and lifted her up and into him, she tilted her face up to his mouth—fearful butwilling. His breath was a mix of whiskey and mint as it wafted down to her.

“Are you testing me?” he demanded. “Are you playing games here?”

“No,” she cried breathlessly.

“Thisisn’tcharity.”

He stared down into her with intense eyes, studying her. She could only guess that he was debating what he was going to do next. She squeaked as he tightened yet again around her ribcage, holding her harder and closer than she’d ever expected.

“Then what is it?” she whispered upward. “I don’t understand why you are doing this.”

He hoisted her slender frame up in his thick, strong arms so that her eyes were level with his and her tip toes were just grazing the ground.

“It doesn’t matter.”

He dropped her, her feet hitting the sand hard. With one last threatening look, he pulled away and moved down to the shoreline—leaving her absolutely breathless and alone.

Chapter Nineteen

Danica

Danica sat in the tent, trying to recover. In her mini skirt and tank top, she hugged her knees to her chest, and though she was getting cold, she couldn’t feel it because she was sad, really hurt. He had hurt her, but she wanted him to come back to her all the same. Everything he’d made her feel that day and the one before came crashing to the front of her mind—like a teaser for something she’d never really get to have.

Finally, after too long, he stepped up to the tent, then he unzipped it and reached in. It looked like he was just grabbing a sweater, and she wondered if he was going to leave her to sleep alone.

“Carrick,” she whispered, and he turned his head to her.

He shook it, clearly telling her to stop talking to him. She could feel the struggle within him because that same one was happening in her.

“I just…” she tried to say something, pure need coursing through her veins.

He paused, watching her.

But before she could find words to finish her sentence, she shivered, wrapping her arms tighter around her knees. His gaze trailed up her bare legs to her chest and her lips.

“Don’t go,” she pleaded, her voice barely audible.

He must have heard her because he lunged toward her, grabbing her and pulling her up and onto him as he fell back onto one of the sleeping mats.

“Don’t you fucking think I want this?” he asked.

“I want this, too.”

“Fuck,” he growled and moved his hand up to the back of her head, bringing her face to his.

Then he took her mouth, kissing her like never before.

Lighting her on fire.

She straddled him and let him feel every inch of her. Acting hungry as hell, he inched her farther up his body, wrapping her even tighter against him and keeping his hand at the back of her head so she couldn’t escape his deepening kiss. As he held her, she found his hand underneath her black mini skirt, which had hiked up as he’d pulled her onto him.

Never before had she let herself completely fall into a man.

“You have no idea what you do to me.” He groaned low and hot as he slipped his finger underneath her panties, tracing the long, thin, wet line of her pussy’s aching slit.

“Be my first,” she begged with unchecked words from her heart, acknowledging for the first time what he meant to her.

“I shouldn’t.” Carrick worked his way down her jaw to her throat, running his teeth along her neck. “I really, really shouldn’t.”

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