Page 14 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
Carter pushes off the side of the car and turns to face me fully. “He’s not good enough for you, Lina.”
I blush while chuckling. “And you know that how?”
He steps closer, backing me into the side of his car. With a slight bend, he lowers his lips to my ear. My pulse picks up as he crowds me with his large presence. Heat radiating off of him warms my insides. The sensation of feeling his weight on top of me zips down my spine and settles between my legs.
“Because you shouldn’t be giving yourself to a guy who spent more time staring at other women than admiring the piece of art he had in front of him.”
Oh fuck.What the hell am I supposed to say to that? How am I supposed to react or respond? How do I interpret that comment?
Unable to form words, I angle my head up. His breath lightly dusts my lips as our mouths are less than two inches away fromone another. My lungs constrict.
Carter’s gaze quickly falls to my lips before he pulls back. “You should get home.”
Stunned by the intimacy of what just happened, I simply nod, then turn away and walk to my car. Without glancing over my shoulder, I know Carter has yet to get into his. My back sears under his concentrated stare. He’s making sure I get to my car safely. I know that’s what he’s doing.
It’s not until I’m in the driver’s seat that I see him get into his car.
I arrive home only a few minutes later, still filled with conflicting emotions about Max and the encounter I had with Carter. Maybe if I had hooked up with Max, it would have helped cure this strange headspace I’ve been in. Or at least help me make sense as to why my body comes alive every time I’m around Carter.My vibrator better be charged.
Walking into the house, I get blasted with the smell of nail polish remover. I miss living alone.
“How was your date with Max?” Zoe is sitting on the floor in the kitchen, painting her toenails.
“You can’t do that in the bathroom like a normal person?” I ask, removing my sweater. “Or better yet, go to a salon to get them done.”
She glances up, arching an eyebrow at me. “And get some weird fungus? No, thank you. Besides, I like doing them myself.”
“You won’t catch anything if you go to a clean place,” I retort, sliding open the patio door, then stroll over to the living room, feeling slightly down.
“Whatever. How was your date?”
I fall into the cushion of my oversized, fluffy white couch. “It was dull, yet adequate.”
“Sounds like he rocked your socks off,” she replies sarcastically.
“Oh yeah, he sure did. He talked about himself the entire time—his career in finance and how he hopes to make a million dollars by the time he’s thirty-two”—I wave my hand in the air—“blah, blah.”
“Was he hot?”
“Yes, extremely. Which made it even harder for me not to take him up on his offer for after-dinner drinks,” I complain.
“Well, why didn’t you?” she retorts.
“Honestly, I don’t know.” I kick off my heels, sending them over to the hardwood floors with a thud. “Maybe I wasn’t in the mood?”
“I can’t believe you turned down a quick fuck because youweren’t in the mood.” Zoe extends her leg to admire her work.
I pull my mouth to the side, glaring at her. “I’m never going to get used to you talking like that.”
Zoe was ten when I moved out of the house. I went away to college and then directly into flight attendant school. I rarely got to hang out with her while she lived through her teenage years. I kept as much distance as possible between my mother and me—which unfortunately meant Zoe too.
So, when she asked if she could move in with me for her first year at college, I jumped at the chance to spend more time with her. We naturally fight and bicker how you would with any sibling, almost as if we’d grown up together.
“That’s a shame.” She frowns. “Poor Lina and her baby ears.”
“You’re such a brat.” I laugh.
“This is true.” She climbs to her feet, balancing on her heels.
