Page 54 of Peak Suspicion
“Are you still upset about Shayla?”
“Yes. I don’t think she’ll ever forgive me. Especially if Mitch turns out to be really innocent.”
“You were worried about her safety if he’s guilty, though.”
“Yes.” She met his gaze then. “I learned the hard way that people aren’t always what they seem. Even people you love.”
He said nothing. Waiting.
“I lived with a guy in Santa Fe,” she said. “His name was George. He seemed like such a sweet, gentle man. The kind of person everyone likes. Then one day the police came and arrested him. Turns out he was part of a secret club of men who traded child pornography. He had dozens of DVDs and files on his computer. He must have spent hours watching that stuff. It made me sick to my stomach.”
“Oh, Mira.” He pulled her close. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“I thought I was in love with him,” she said. “And I didn’t even know him.”
“No wonder you didn’t want to trust me,” he said. “I may have my faults, but I promise, I’m not into anything like that.” The very idea repelled him.
“I believe you,” she said. “But when Shayla was telling me about Mitch, it brought everything back. I didn’t want her to have to go through what I did. And now she hates me.”
“I’m sorry,” he said. “Maybe one day you can make her understand.”
“It helps having you here,” she said. “You’re not only a good talker, you’re a good listener.”
“I’ve spent a lot of years getting by on a glib attitude,” he said. He stroked her shoulder. “I know how to be charming and I’ll admit I’ve used that a lot of times to get what I want from people. I’m a flirt and I like to joke around, but that doesn’t mean I’m shallow.”
“I don’t think you’re shallow,” she said.
“The truth is, I come across a lot of the time as confident and cocky, but it’s all an act.” He swallowed, wanting to let her see this side of him, but afraid of what she would think of him. “I’m lost inside, a lot of time,” he said. “I worry about what people think of me. Everyone else seems to have their act so together. Aaron is a cop. A good one. Dalton is a computer genius who’s probably going to make billions from his software. Bethany is sweet and kind and everyone’s friend. And she’s smart and brave and pretty much every other good adjective you can come up with. The best anyone can come up with for me is ‘he’s charming’ or ‘he has the gift of gab.’”
She turned to look him in the eye. “I believe you’re a good person. You volunteer with search and rescue. That’s a big commitment. And there’s a lot to be said for being good with words. You proved that today. After all, I teach language. I’m all about words.”
“I love you,” he said. Scary words. But not hard to say to her.
“Oh, Carter.” She kissed him again, a deep, open-mouthed kiss that made any more words unnecessary.
Carter’s confession hadstolen Mira’s breath. She couldn’t speak with such confidence yet, but she thought soon she would be able to. In the meantime, she would show him her feelings.They kissed until they were dizzy, then she pulled away and reached for her phone. “What are you doing?” he asked.
“I’m turning this thing off,” she said. “No more interruptions.” She tossed the phone aside and cupped his face in her hand. “And now I’m going to make love to you until we both can’t see straight.”
He reached for his own phone, switched it off and tossed it next to hers. Then he slid both hands beneath her T-shirt and began tugging it off. “That’s the best idea I’ve heard all day. All year.”
After carefully maneuvering around her cast, the shirt joined the phones at the end of the sofa. Then he pressed his face to her cleavage and began running his tongue along the edge of her bra. A tickling, electric sensation teased through her. His tongue slipped beneath the lace edge of the bra cup, brushing her nipple. She gasped, and jolted against him. “Do you like that?” he asked. He moved his mouth to the fabric over her nipple and exhaled a hot breath. “How about that?”
She should have known he wouldn’t be a silent lover. As he removed her clothing and explored her body he kept up a stream of sexy murmurs, announcing his pleasure at what he found, or asking what she enjoyed, or tantalizing her with descriptions of what he intended to do. The conversation was every bit as erotic as the physical foreplay, which he excelled at also, caressing, stroking and teasing with just the right pressure, until she was gasping and writhing against him, wondering how much more she could stand.
But she didn’t let him have all the fun. She was quick to divest him of his shirt. “That day you were washing the Jeeps,” she said as she licked her way down his chest. “I was so distracted, trying not to stare at you.” She paused to circle his nipple with her tongue. “I was jealous of every drop of water.”
He made a growling noise low in his throat, then stood and pulled her to her feet. “Why don’t we go somewhere more comfortable?”
Laughing, she led him to the bedroom. “As much as I want to take you to bed, I’d like to do another lap around the house,” he said. “Just to watch you walking naked in front of me.”
In the bedroom doorway she turned and cupped her palm to his crotch. His erection strained against the fly of his jeans. She stroked one finger along the ridge and he let out another growl, sending a thrill down her spine.
She took her time lowering the zipper, then took him in her hand, jelly-legged with wanting, but refusing to rush. When his eyes met hers, they were heavy with lust. He bent his head and kissed her hard, and she arched against him.
They fell back on the bed, then tore at the last of their clothes. She started to straddle him, but he stopped her. “Just a minute,” he said, his breathing ragged.
She thought he wanted to catch his breath, but instead he retrieved his jeans from the floor and pulled something from his pocket. She laughed when she recognized the condom packet. “You were pretty confident,” she said.
