Page 34 of Cursed Touch
“She loves you and will forgive you once everything is explained,” he told her, trying to ease some of her worry.
Georgia laughed. “You have a lot to learn about our favorite human.”
After agreeing, he promised to update her on the situation tomorrow. Carter ended the call and dropped it back in the cupholder. He was exhausted after the emotional rollercoaster of a day he’d had. He watched a light go out in Vanessa’s apartment and peered down at his watch. It was twenty after ten. He hoped at least one of them would get a good night’s rest and he knew it would not be him, not even in the luxurious soft leather seat. Reclining back, he did his best to get more comfortable.
Chapter 17
Vanessa rolled to her toes and reached for the ceiling as she stretched. Dropping down on her heels, she sighed and let her head fall to one shoulder and then the next. She’d slept like crap. She grabbed her towel and headed for the bathroom, hoping the water would wake her up.
She scrubbed her body from top to bottom and rinsed the suds before shutting off the water. Feeling a fraction better, she dried and wrapped the towel around her, then pinched it under her arms.
Remembering the night before, she peeked out her blinds and spotted Carter’s car. At first she was pissed to see he had not actually left when she had closed the blinds for bed. After much thought, she realized her heart warmed at the fact he’d stayed.
He said he wanted to keep her safe, and his actions proved it.
She had questioned her words and decisions until exhaustion took over. Her worries seeped into her dreams, a faceless form coming after her and Carter becoming injured in order to save her. She could still feel the agony of losing him in her dreamworld.
Padding to her kitchen in only a towel, she set her coffee pot to brew and hurried back. She dressed in record time as she scoured her brain for the right words to say. Vanessa knew she should apologize for being so bitchy, but she refused to apologize for demanding all the truth.
She refused to live with lies. Lies had the potential to destroy so much. The pull between her and Carter was real and strong. She did not want anything to come between it, including them.
Grabbing her phone, she noted Georgia never replied or called after Vanessa had sent a vague text about her fight with Carter. She frowned. It was unlike her friend to not be there when she needed her.
Instead, she closed the text window and opened one for Carter.
Vanessa: Want some coffee?
Carter: You’d be my hero.
She set the phone down and removed a second mug. With each passing second, her nerves made her crazier. She was eager to see him but afraid of what would come after everything had been said—and not said—the night prior.
Vanessa walked to the door and laid a hand on it. A strange energy pulsed around the knob, and she instinctively knew it was Carter’s ward, the ward he’d put in place to protect her. Hell, he had stayed in his car all night, so why had he put the ward in place?
A knock on the other side sounded, and she yipped in surprised. Her hand flew to her chest, and she gasped for air as she tried taking a fortifying breath. She unlocked the door and pulled it open. “Hi.”
His jaw was a shade darker with the overnight stubble that had grown. His eyes brightened as they took her in, one side of his mouth tipping up. Even past the exhaustion marking his face, he was gorgeous.
“Hi,” he whispered.
Vanessa stepped back, and he followed her in. “I’m not sure how you take your coffee.”
“Black and one scoop of sugar. May I use your restroom first?” he asked.
She showed him to the bathroom off her bedroom and returned to their mugs. Her heart beat rapidly against her sternum. A part of her felt soothed at his nearness, but the other created a mess of sugar on her countertop.
Vanessa felt him in the entry to the kitchen as she brushed the sugar into her sink. “If I’d had known you would sleep in your car all night, I would’ve offered the couch,” she said, keeping her hands busy.
“Your apartment complex gets pretty busy after two. Did you know that?”
She turned on her heels, a mug in hand as she cocked her head to the side. Carter leaned against the frame, his arms over his chest and one ankle crossed over the other. He looked comfortable in her space, and it sent a sizzle of electricity along her skin.
“Excuse me?” she muttered, begging her brain to stay on track.
He chuckled and pushed off the wall to accept his coffee. “Your neighbor downstairs gets a lot of visitors after two in the morning,” he said and brought the coffee to his lips.
“Thank God I had my windows shut then,” she muttered before sipping her latte. “Come on, we can sit on the couch.”
“Do you open today?” he asked.
