Page 30 of From the Ashes
“Tell me,” I insist, fidgeting with my hand on the counter.
Carter looks at them, then puts his palm slowly on it, closing his hand on my fingers, encapsulating them in his large palm.The heat under his skin soothing me.How did he know I needed that?
“Just thinking ‘bout something Ash said earlier.” He looks up and meets my eyes, his face wincing slightly.
What is it?
“It’s nothing. My boss hosts this party each year. It’s, um, we can bring families and friends if we want to.” He shrugs, but the hold of his hand on mine tightens, and I pull my hands away before taking his hand into mine and lacing my fingers with his. Both of us remain silent for a minute, processing his words with the contact of our hands filling the space with electricity.
He’s inviting you to meet all his friends. He’s asking you out in three weeks. Three weeks. To show you his world. It’s… It’s huge.
Does he really like me?
Do I really like him?
Are things going too fast?
Am I ready for this?
“I…” I mutter, hypnotized by the way his thumb strokes the back of my hand.
“You don’t have to give me an answer now. Take your time, there’s no rush,” he reassures me calmly, and I don’t know if I am mistaken, but I think I hear a tiny bit of warmth in his tone. I like that he’s giving me time as if he can tell I’m not one hundred percent sure about this. If this were my first relationship, I would head straight into it without asking myself too many questions. But I’m a freshly divorced, single mom, recovering from years of abuse. I am glad he understands that being cautious isn’t all about him. It’s mostly about starting something new and figuring out if I’m ready for this.
“Okay, thank you,” I say, heat coursing through my veins, loving the contact of his touch and his reassuring words. Cartermight be five years younger than me, but he definitely does not lack any maturity.
“I like when you blush,” he tells me, his voice low and hoarse. I look up, meeting his blue eyes that I could drown in if I’m not too careful.
“I like when you touch my hand like that,” I answer back, and we remain like this for a minute before the buzz of my phone breaks the moment. I stand as gracefully as I can, trying to find it in my bag.
“It’s work,” I tell him, realizing I wish I could have stayed longer. “Thank you again, I really liked it…”.
“I really liked it too,” he declares, standing and making me feel so small all of a sudden. Damn, he’s so tall. “I’ll walk you back,” he says, staring at me in a way I know most people would feel uncomfortable with, but somehow I’m getting used to. Carter’s a bit intense, but, well, I think I kind of like this about him. It’s better than indifference. It’s better than punches. It’s just…overwhelmingly satisfying. Like removing a strip of tape after painting a wall. It just feels right. He walks me back to the elevator, but I end up insisting on getting down by myself. I’m already late and I need to freak out properly in the elevator. Alone. Just shake my hands and take deep breaths because what the hell was that? I came in for lunch and I’m going out my belly full of butterflies and my mind filled with what-if’s. The ping of the door sounds and I pull a strain of brown hair behind my ear.
“Thank you for coming,” he utters, tone controlled, “I really like having you here.” His words catch me off guard. I smile shyly and blush like a fourteen-year-old.
“Thank you, it was really nice. I had a great time,” I say, stepping back into the elevator. His chest rises, and for a second, I wonder if he’ll follow me inside too but he clenches his fist and remains where he is.
“Can I see you again?” His voice is almost flinching, his blue eyes turning darker by the second.
I nod. “Just…call me.” Then I press the zero button and watch him disappear behind the sliding doors. Once it’s closed, I sigh and let my back rest on the wall. I feel like I’ve just ran a marathon, and somehow, all I want is to go back to him.
But am I ready to fall in love again?
9
CARTER
“What?”shouts Ash, furrowing his brows as we play darts at the club. We had to come to finish the inventory and give my successor a bit of help with one guy who wasn’t much of a talker. Needless to say, removing his teeth with a fork really helped him get his memory back. It’s already quite late in the evening as I strike the target right in the middle, making Ash whistle at the result.
“How many days are considered enough to call back a woman after she had lunch at your place?” I ask, gathering more darts. Ash blinks several times, which I know for him means confusion and surprise.
“Did it go well? Did you guys….?” He touches his index fingers again, and I really don’t get why he does that. Must have a sort of thing for hands. But he was always weirded out by my gift last year, so why would he be into fingers?Makes no sense. Whatever.
“She said I should call her. I wanted to call her five minutes after she left my place, but I wasn’t sure about it. It’s been three days, and having no news is making me want to strike someone’s skull with a hammer,” I admit, because the more I wait, the moremy hands twitch to hurt something and release the pain building up in me.
“Okay, so first, let’s just forget about the hammer for a minute and take a deep breath,” Ash coaxes, his voice falling a tone down, his hand pushing from top to bottom in the air. He’s always trying his new age methods on me as if it could calm me somehow.
“Ash, you piss me off when you do that,” I grunt.
