Page 55 of Cursed Touch
“Not really. Honestly, the idea of someone getting into my thoughts freaked me out, so I repressed that wee bit of information until you came along,” he said, a boyish smile tugging at his lips.
“Well, I appreciate you not forcing your thoughts on me without my consent. Ha! Who would have thought consent to a telepathic link should be included with consent to intercourse?” she joked, her mind reeling at all the possibilities a link could bring.
Carter twisted, and she tried to keep her focus on his face and not the hard planes of his chest and abs. He looked better than any of her wet dreams, but she needed time to think things through.
He pinched her chin and forced her eyes to his. “I care about you more than I have any other woman. It’s absurd, considering how little time we’ve known each other. I may not be able to explain what’s brought us together, and I can admit it used to terrify me, but I don’t want to lose you. If you decide all of this is too much, I’ll respect your decision. But know this now, I won’t walk away until I know you are safe.”
Her immediate response was to tell him she wanted him. All of him. Crazy magic, telepathic link, family who tended to get kidnapped… All of it. But she didn’t. She stared at him and nodded in understanding. “I need time to process,” she said instead, logic winning the current round.
Carter closed the gap between them and brushed his lips against hers. It was soft and sweet and packed an emotional punch that left her mind spinning. He held the power to ruin her, and she hated it. She had never given any man an ounce of that power, but with Carter, it was natural.
He was the first thing she thought about in her day and the last before sleep took over. They would need to interview his siblings to understand the bond better, but she knew deep inside she was in it for the long haul. Her mind would put up a fight, but something told her they were one kiss from opening the flood gates to her deepest thoughts.
Carter stood and offered her a hand. “We should start getting ready.”
Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, she realized more time than she’d expected had passed with their one-on-one. She accepted his help and stood before him. “Thank you.”
He chuckled. “I mean, I know you can get out of bed yourself, but I was just making it a bit easier.”
She smirked and shook her head. “No, I mean thank you for being honest with me. Thank you for telling me everything. I understand why you’ve been so wishy-washy with me.”
He laid a hand where her neck and shoulder met, the familiar zing moving along her skin at his touch. “I’m sorry I hurt you with waiting so long. I—” he stopped and cleared his throat. “I could never hurt you on purpose, I hope you know that.”
They say the eyes are the window to the soul, and she finally understood the phrase. In that moment, she stared into his. Raw emotion laid out for all to see. “I know that now.” She grabbed his wrist and gave it a squeeze. “No more half-truths, okay?”
Carter agreed, and they sealed it with an innocent kiss before she padded out of his room to hers.
Vanessa brushed her teeth, did her hair, and dressed, her mind in a fog all the while. She processed everything they had talked about that morning. By the time she walked into the kitchen, she was no closer to wrapping her mind around a morsel of what she’d learned.
Carter leaned against the counter as he sipped his coffee with one hand and held his phone with the other. He wore a white button-down, long-sleeve dress shirt and gray slacks, which fit perfectly on his narrow waist.
Vanessa went to his side and smiled at her own mug. Every morning since he’d learned how she took her coffee, she found it hot and ready for her.
“Okay, I’ll give Peter a try in case he caught wind of something the cops haven’t. Thanks again, Junior. Give Debbie my love,” Carter said before ending the call. He slid the phone into his pocket and smiled at her. “You look beautiful.”
Vanessa grinned. “Thanks, you look pretty handsome yourself.”
“Thanks.”
“Was that your brother?” she asked. Trying to recall every one of his siblings was getting easier the longer she was around him.
Carter drank deeply before nodding. “It was. He’s a private investigator and used to be a cop. I called to see if he heard anything about Tyler’s murder.”
“And?”
He pursed his lips. “He hasn’t, but he said he’ll ask around. Junior suggested asking Peter since I mentioned Tyler was a witch.”
“So, not to be rude, because Peter has been seriously great—albeit annoying— but if he’s a werewolf, why would he know witch stuff? I mean, wouldn’t it be separate people’s business?” she asked, trying to understand the structure.
“Peter’s the pack alpha. He tends to know all supernatural business, or seems to try. He can’t protect his people if he has his head in the sand about the others.”
She nodded. “That actually makes a lot of sense.” Vanessa took another sip of her coffee and set it down on the counter. “Will you call him now?” she asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned into his hardness.
Carter raised a brow. “I can… Sweetheart?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re taking everything I said earlier pretty well… I kind of expected you to want space from me.”
