Page 41 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
Frustration blankets his dark features. “I’m further from that than you fucking know.”
I have to pull away from the intensity of his glare. Doubt whips at my back, but my heart believes him.
“Why would I believe that?” I quietly challenge. This conversation has taken a deeper turn than I could have expected.
Carter angrily shoves his hand into his pockets. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Alright!” I cry out, feeling ashamed for insulting him.Goddamnit.
He gives me his back. “Let’s go,” he calls out, expecting me to follow.
“Where are we going?”
“Let’s go, Lina,” Carter repeats, walking away.
This time, I follow.
By the time we got back to the hotel, our tension had only grown. Like the gentleman he is, Carter still walked me to my door.
“Look, I’m sorry,” I say, twiddling with my key card.
He steps into me, leaving almost no space between us. His two fingers come under my chin with a firm but delicate touch, raising my face to his. “You are beautiful and kind. You are driven, a smartass, and you deserve nothing less than a man to choose you every day,” he growls and slowly leans in, pressing a soft kiss on my forehead. “You need to be worshipped over and over again for the rest of your fucking life.”
I am blazing on the inside. My eyes fall closed. Melting intohis weight’s resistance, I tip forward slightly, my chest flush with his.
“Do you understand, baby?” His soft lips are still on my skin.
My breath has halted, and my mind goes blank, unsure of what is happening. I manage to get out only one word in response. “Yes.”
Then Carter draws his head back but does not release my face, holding my eyes captive with an unwavering stare. “Do not see him tonight.”
Without a thought, I respond in a whisper, “I wasn’t planning on it.”
“Good.” Carter’s eyes fall to my lips before he turns away, leaving me standing in the hallway, confused and wet between my legs.
What the actual fuck happened?
Chapter Twelve
Lina
My mom asked me to arrive at the masquerade ball an hour early. She’d tasked me with mingling with some of the sponsors before the event began. Typically, I’d give her a hard time, but I felt more of a soft spot on this occasion because of the connection with Carter. Knowing this event would benefit someone close to him, I obliged my mother’s demands. And in true Corrine fashion, she didn’t even thank me.
I brushed it off this time. I need to pick my battles, and this is not one I want to fight.
Carter mentioned he’d be here tonight as well. We haven’t spoken since what happened between us in New York. It was awkward, yet it felt like an acknowledgment that we both recognize something intimate going on. I have no idea what it is, but it’s something fierce. Now, more than ever, I’m unsure of how to act around him.
Since this is a masquerade ball, I don’t know what his mask looks like. I feel vulnerable but excited because he could be any of these men.
After what feels like hours of making small talk with the sponsors, I scan the room to see if any of my friends have arrived yet. It only takes me a minute to spot Piper and her husband,Jack, standing around one of the cocktail tables.
Thank god we shopped for our costumes together because I wouldn’t have been able to recognize her. We both bought matching floor-length black lace dresses. Piper’s has a plunging neckline, whereas mine has a slit in my left leg.
Jack is dressed in a black and white tuxedo, with a mask covering half his face. He is dressed similarly to most of the men here tonight, except for slight variations in each mask’s type and facial coverage.
I quickly prance my way over, pushing myself by a group of women dressed in black velvets with tight maroon-laced corsets.
“Hey, babes,” I greet them. The three of us exchange friendly hugs. “How was your flight?”
