Page 25 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
“You’re coming to my mom’s masquerade ball at the end of the month, right?” I ask Avery as she sits in a leather lounge chair with her legs tucked under her.
She grimaces. “I don’t know, babe.”
I playfully shove her shoulder. “Come on. I need all of you guys there.”
She pulls her lips to the side like she’s trying to let me down delicately. “Piper and Jack are flying in for the weekend, right?”
“Yeah. That’s what she said in our group message.” Then I raise my eyebrows. “B and her fuck buddy are coming too.” Her hand flies up to her mouth, catching the drink before I got sprayed with hot brown liquid. “Thank you for not spewing that on me.”
She bubbles with laughter. “Mason is herboyfriend now—they’re living together.”
“Whatever.” I wave my hand in the air. “He’s still her little fuck toy to me.”
She shakes her head. “Oh, Lina.”
I cock my head to the side, not letting her get out of my question. “You’re coming.”
Avery rolls her eyes. “Yes, I’m playing with you. Of course, I’ll be there for every one of your mom’s showboating events you drag us all to.”
“Oh, you don’t know the half of it. I’d lose my mind if I went to everything she tried to force me to attend.”
“I can’t imagine.” Avery picks a small piece of her blueberry muffin and pops it into her mouth. “Every time she’s around, it turns into theCorrine-show.”
“Right?” I run my finger across the smooth lid of my coffee cup. “The charity events are the onlyCorrine-showsI give in to her for. Never those life-sucking, pretentious happy hours or dinner parties.”
Avery scratches the tip of her nose. “It’s still such a mystery how you came from your two parents.”
“I know. Don’t even get me started.” I flip my hair behind my head, casually glancing around the small crew lounge, when my stomach flips. My eyes fall onto the tall, dark-haired man standing in a group of pilots.
Suspended in mid-thought, I take him all in. Carter’s broad frame is slightly bent, leaning against the extended handle of his black Tumi suitcase. His cap is pinched between his two fingers, and it moves a little when he laughs at something one of the other men says. His deep, tanned skin peeks out from thecollar of his uniform, and I imagine gliding my tongue across it. I wonder what he tastes like or how having those thick tattooed arms hidden underneath his shirt would feel around me.
I remember the first day I saw his tattoos. I about tripped in the middle of a hotel lobby. We were away on an overnight, and he was sitting downstairs at the hotel bar with a few of our coworkers—the sleeves on his white -collared shirt were rolled up, exposing the intricate artwork. I stared for as long as appropriate, letting the wetness pool in my panties. I used my vibrator to give me three orgasms that night. I imagined him on top of me, sliding himself in and out, caging me beneath his arms.
I’d give myself to him in a heartbeat.
Finally, my eyes land on his lips. Bringing my fingertips to the bottom of mine, I get lost in the fantasy.
“Lina?” Avery’s distant voice isn’t enough to break me from this trance.
As if my gawking couldn’t be more evident, simultaneously, Avery’s arm waves in front of my face, just as Carter’s large amber eyes capture me.
My lips part, unable to turn away. The corner of his mouth quirks up into a smirk sending a shock zipping down my spine, causing my stomach’s muscles to clench.
“Lina,” Avery’s voice calls to me once again.
I blink a few times, tearing my eyes away from him. “Yeah, sorry.”
She taps my knee. “You alright?”
“Yes,” I reply, swallowing the cotton in my throat.
“What were you looking at?” She twists her body around tostare behind her before turning to face me. “Seriously, the two of you.”
“What?”
Her hand comes to her hip. “You know what.”
“Whatever.” I shake away every inappropriate thought about this man who is much older than I am.
