Page 96 of Beauty Beneath the Sorrow
My dad doesn’t look suspicious. I need to relax. If there’s nothing to hide, then I need to stop being obvious. But we do have something to hide. A bigfuckingsomething.
“I have Bristol in the car. We were wondering if Lina wanted to join us for dinner,” my dad repeats, glancing at me again. He’s waiting for an answer.
Now, Carter turns to me with wide eyes. “Do you want to take a rain check, then?”
I open my mouth to speak, but my dad’s voice is what I hear instead of my own. “Why don’t you join us? If that’s alright with Lina.”
Carter’s eyes meet mine once again. My eyebrows furrow, begging him to come. A beat passes while we stare at each other before Carter replies but doesn’t break eye contact with me, “Sure, that sounds good.”
Thank god. Wait. This is bad. This is not a good idea. We’re all going to have dinner together. What the actual fuck?
I open the door further, letting my dad walk in. “I’m going to go upstairs to grab my phone and put on some shoes.”
I take the steps two at a time, determined to get this thing out of me. Grabbing what I need, I head into the bathroom. After a few failed attempts, I start to panic. I need to relax. My muscles will loosen once I calm down. The vibration of my phone on the counter breaks my concentration.
Carter: Are you alright in there?
Me: I can’t get this thing out!
Carter: Oh shit. Don’t worry, I’ll help you later.
Me: You’d love that, wouldn’t you?
Carter: Fuck yes, I would.
I’m up here freaking out, and he’s down there with his dirty mind around my dad. What the hell?
Me: Ha.Ha. What should I do?
Carter: Let’s go with your dad to make him happy, and then we can work on that egg later.
Why do I feel like he’s laughing about this in his head? I bet he thinks this is hilarious. I roll my eyes, fix my clothes, and head back downstairs.
“Ready?” My focus bounces between Carter, who has the most giant fucking smirk on his face, and my dad, who looks genuinely surprised that I’ve agreed to join him and Bristol for a meal.
“Great!” My dad claps his hands together, clearly excited. “How about sushi?”
Oh, Dad, at least you’re trying.
Carter shakes his head while slipping on his jacket. “Lina doesn’t like sushi.”
How does he know that? My eyebrows snap together, and my lips puff out with bewilderment. “Iactuallydon’t like sushi.”
“I’m sorry, Lina. I completely forgot that.” My dad’s face softens. “How about you pick then.”
I smile. “Italian?”
“That sounds perfect.” Carter flashes me a knee-buckling smile, then turns to my dad. “Right, Baywatch?”
My dad shrugs and aggressively nods his head. “Anything you want. That works perfectly fine with me.”
A short time later, we’re all enjoying wine and salads. It’s been nice seeing my dad relaxed around Carter. Based on how they interact, I can tell they’ve known each other for years. They like to give each other shit like brothers would.
I must admit that it was hard for me not to laugh when Bristol ordered wine. I fought the urge to make a sarcastic comment about her age. I’ve also already found myself getting lost in the thoughts of Carter and me being a couple. The way his eyes light up when he makes a joke or how he casually rests his palm on my knee under the table—is absolutely divine.
As my dad begins to tell a story from when he and Carter served together, I’m slammed with a powerful vibration from my pussy that zips up my back, forcing my posture to snap straighter.Oh my god. I forgot that it was in there!
I clutch the table, my eyes barely open when I see Carterfiddle with his phone, possibly to turn it off.Shit. It’s not working.My insides clench, and I start to see spots.
