Page 53 of Cursed Touch
He held her to him, listening to her breaths until they became shallow when sleep came, and only then did he follow. They barely moved all night. When one of them shifted, the other followed, always seeking out the other’s touch or embrace.
Carter woke first and found himself on his back. Vanessa’s leg lay across his as she hugged the side of him. One hand rested over his heart, and her face was soft with sleep. The sheet had made its way down their bodies, and his morning wood was barely concealed in his underwear, the tip peeking out of the elastic band.
He had never slept with a woman in a bed and not had sex. The very intimate act tugged at his heart, and he knew his resolve was waning. He would not be able to hold back much longer, but he refused to claim her without her knowing the consequences.
Each time he avoided her advances for more, rejection flashed hot in her eyes. He could not continue this way, especially not after the beginning of last night’s argument.
His fingers found her hair and brushed it off her face. The silky strands fell forward again without weight to keep them in place. Vanessa’s breathing changed, and he stilled.
A little moan slipped from her lips, so he waited to see if she would wake. It was still early enough that she could sleep, and he did not want to wake her—not to the reminder of Tyler’s murder or the pain Carter inflicted.
A moment passed as she stirred, then her body stiffened. Looking down, he saw her eyes wide as they took in his dark room. “It’s early. Go back to bed, sweetheart.”
Her head came up slowly, and their gaze met. “Am I in your bed?” she asked, her voice groggy with sleep.
The raspy sound sent a shiver down his skin. “Yeah,” he managed to say past a lump of desire.
He watched her and noted the moment everything flooded back to her. Vanessa sat up, taking the sheet with her. It fell at her waist and exposed him to the thighs. Carter tucked a hand under his head, afraid to do much more and upset her.
“Oh my God,” she whispered, and her gaze met his again. “Tyler’s dead?”
He dipped his chin in response.
Vanessa brought her knees to her chest and shoved her fingers into her hair. “Who could have killed him?”
“Not sure, sweetheart, but…”
She twisted her body, her knees dropping against his thigh and one hand bracing her weight. “But what?”
Carter lay his hand between her knees, and his thumb caressed the smooth skin. “Tyler was a witch.”
Little lines formed between Vanessa’s brows. “He was a witch? How do you know that? How did you figure that out? Wait… Were you ever going to tell me?” She asked question after question, her anger visibly rising.
Carter held back the smirk threatening to break free. He did not want her upset with him but preferred seeing the fire in her eyes to the anguish from moments before. “He was. I sensed his wards around his apartment door the first time I went to your place, and honestly, I don’t know. It wasn’t really my place to tell you his business.”
“So why are you telling me now?” she snapped.
“If a lycan bit him previously and now he’s found murdered, I’m going to take a stab in the dark and say whoever killed him wasn’t a human.”
Her lips parted with understanding. “Oh…”
“Worst-case scenario?”
“Yeah?” she asked.
He braced his weight on his elbow to get closer to her. Carter breathed her in and sighed. “Worst case, whoever killed him was really looking for you…”
She shook her head. “I was afraid you’d say that.”
Carter raised his free hand and cupped her cheek. Vanessa nestled into his palm, and her eyes closed for a second before her hard eyes met his, and she pulled back. “What are we doing, Carter?”
He rubbed his lips together to stave off the need to take her mouth with his. His heart thundered. He was unsure how to answer her question.
A little growl escaped her lips, and she tossed both hands in the air. “I can’t do this,” she said and turned her body away from him.
The sudden movement snapped him out of it. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back and under him. Her wide eyes looked up at him, with her hair fanned across his pillow, her chest rising and falling, and her hard nipples visible through her night shirt.
Carter lowered himself between her legs and pinned her to the bed, ignoring the fact she would feel his hardness in the position. He ran a thumb across her lower lip, wishing he could suck on it but knowing he could not prolong the conversation any longer.
