Page 8 of Forever After All

"Wait. What? We didn't sleep together. Are you really expecting me to believe that? You're Carter Green. Hockey pro, hot single man, and if the online buzz is anything to go by, also a total manwhore. Do you really expect me to believe that we didn't have sex?" I’m shocked and that comes across in my tone.

I won't lie. Half of me is extremely relieved, but the other half of me is a little gutted.Relieved. Definitely relieved. Keep telling yourself that Alice.

"Firstly, I think you'll find I’m an ex-hockey pro. Don't forget, you lovingly reminded me of that last night." He nudges me. "Secondly, ha. You think I'm hot." I remind myself to keep my mouth shut forever.Stop talking, Alice."Thirdly, don't believe everything you read online. Finally, yes, I do expect you to believe that we didn't have sex. Because we didn't."

Dammit. There’s the reminder again. We didn't have sex. Shut up already, brain.

"Just so we’re clear, I don't think you are hot, I shouldn't have said hot."Shut up, Alice. Stop digging yourself a bigger hole.

"Lies, all lies." He nods his head in satisfaction.

"But…when I woke up, we were both practically naked in the same room, the same bed, and I'm supposed to believe we didn't sleep together? I grabbed your dick, for fuck's sake. You didn't say a word! You just tried to pull me into your arms." I start to sound exacerbated, the post-alcohol anxiety creeping up my throat once again.

"I can't believe I'm even having to say this…” Carter sighs, scrubbing a hand across his face. “No. We absolutely did not sleep together." Now Carter also sounds a little exacerbated. "You could barely remember your own name at the end of the night, let alone anything else.Youwere practically naked because you lost your room key and got undressed.Iwas practically naked because, oh, I don't know, it wasmyhotel room."

"But—" I try to interject but he holds a finger up in front of me, and I feel like a naughty school kid being scolded by their parent. What I was about to say dies on my lips.

"Please don't talk over me, Alice,” he says softly. “I'm trying to explain, and it’ll probably answer your questions."

I make a fake zipping motion on one side of my mouth and pull it closed to signify I’ll stop interrupting.

"It was around three o’clock in the morning. I heard someone banging outside of my hotel room and I opened the door to find you. I was already in my boxers, you know, how I normally sleep,because it was three a.m. You begged me to get you out of your dress because you couldn't reach the strings on the back yourself. I think the words were 'please get me out ofthis fucking torture device before I throw myself out of a window.' You did try to do it yourself for a couple of minutes—to no avail." He snickers as he tells the story. "So I did what any knight-in-shining armour would do and saved the damsel. Rest assured, I was the perfect gentlemen. Scout's honour." He touches his thumb and pinky finger together to give me the three-finger salute, then grins at me for dramatic effect.

What a dork.

"I felt for the knots on the back of your dress, undid them, then closed my eyes while you slid the dress over your body, threw it on the floor, and climbed into my bed."

He rakes his eyes down my body and despite having multiple layers of clothes on, I've never felt more naked. I feel a small shiver creep up my back, and I force myself to look away from him.

"After picking up your shoes, folding your dress, and getting you a glass of water for the morning, I found you sprawled right across the centre of the bed." Carter makes a face like he's pretending to be asleep and makes a snoring noise.Great."I'll be fucked if I was sleeping on the floor. So with the sheet covering you, I picked you up and moved you to one side of the bed so I could actually sleep in the bed. And…that's why we were both practically naked. Did you really think I would take advantage ofyou in that state? My sister-in-law's best friend? What planet are you on?"

"But why did you pull me into you this morning when I woke up?" The heat of embarrassment radiates through the apples of my cheeks and I know I’ve gone red.

One thing about me, is that my cheeks always betray me. I can appear cool, calm, and collected, and then my cheeks are like"Ha. Yeah, okay. Liar."and prove to the world I’m not as cool, calm, and collected as I like to pretend I am.

"Because I wanted to. Because I thought we had chemistry, and because you feel good." Carter answers the question with all the confidence in the world.

"Oh" is all I can manage in return to that information. I half expected him to make some sort of excuse, but there was no excuse, just the truth, and my god, that is sexy.

Alice, you're hungover. He's not hot, it's not sexy. Stop it.

"Oh, um. Well, most men I know would sleep with me regardless. Carter, thank you for looking after me. Really, I mean it." I reach out to touch his arm and give it a little squeeze. His forearm flexes a little under my touch.

"Seriously, Alice? What sort of men do you know that you couldn't trust them not to take advantage of you when you aren't coherent enough to say no?"

"The wrong kind I guess," I mumble, trying not to showmy embarrassment, knowing I don't have the best track record, remembering a fair few walks of shame.

"Apparently so. Trust me, sweet girl. If we do sleep together, it's not something you'd forget in a hurry." His eyes burn into mine, and I force myself to look away from him for the second time. "The next time you grab my dick, you won't recoil in horror and run out of the room either." He shoots me a megawatt smile and winks at me.

I involuntarily squeeze my thighs together at the thought of it.

Stop it. You slut. This is one man who is off limits.

"So are we friends now, then?" I ask.

"You wound me. I thought we already were."

"Oh, stop it. You know what I mean."

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