Page 28 of Smartasses
Chapter Ten
Aubrey was fighting to hold it together when she walked through the hotel room door and into the suite with its three walls of windows overlooking the hotel’s private beach. At any other time, she would have rushed over to the panoramic view of the Nassau Harbor to look out at the gorgeous Caribbean water and sent up a thankful prayer that there had been a hotel room left at the last minute.
Not this time.
It was all she could do to even glance over at the early evening view. All she could do was watch Carter as he strode over to the desk and set the room keys down with deliberate care, each move precise and controlled. Then he stalked over to the window and stared out at the harbor, his entire body tense.
She stood her ground near the door, wanting to give him his space. “I know you’re mad, but I can explain.”
He didn’t bother to turn around. “Can’t wait to hear it.”
The ice in his voice pelted her, and she flinched. What had she been expecting? She’d known it would go like this, and honestly, this was why she’d waited. She’d been a giant chicken putting off the inevitable because she wasn’t ready for this. She wasn’t ready to lose Carter.
Exhaling a deep breath, she straightened her shoulders and looked him straight in the back of the head. If he wouldn’t turn around, fine, but it was past time she finally got the truth out. “The thirst account was for fun. I never meant it to hurt you. It was just a hobby, a silly thing. It doesn’t mean anything. No one is just one thing. I can be the woman who started a dumb Insta account and the one who fell for the last man she ever expected to meet.”
“Really?” He turned around, his hands were shoved into his pockets, and his face blank of all expression as if they were talking about the weather or how long to microwave a day-old glazed donut. “That post could fuck my entire career path.” His voice held steady, as calm as the water in the harbor. “I’d say that means something.”
The casual dismissal in his tone set her on edge, but she bit it back, fighting to keep the emotion out of her voice. Losing control right now would not help. “I didn’t know when I posted it, and by the time I figured it out, it was already everywhere.”
He chuckled. It was not a nice sound. “How convenient.”
“Not really, not at all,” she said, her voice breaking as she blinked back tears. “Once I met you, got to know you, having the post, the account seemed weird.” She took a step toward him, arm outstretched, as if physical contact could make him understand that none of this had been malicious. “I never meant to hurt you.”
The absolute ice-cold fury in his expression stopped her dead in her tracks, and her gut dropped. It was too late. It had been from the beginning, and she should have known that, but she let herself believe that there could be more. It had been a pretty dream, but it had never been real.
“That’s what you think I’m so pissed about?” Carter crossed his arms over his chest as if he had to contain himself. “That you had a damn fan account?” He let his head fall back and let out a hard laugh, then continued his voice rising with each word. “Of all the— I’m pissed because you could have told me, and you didn’t. You knew how much this role meant. I told you.” Pausing, he rubbed the back of his head and pursed his lips together, obviously trying to pull back. When he started speaking again, his voice was quiet and heavy with resignation. “And you kept silent—even after the post was deleted.”
“I wanted to tell you—I tried—but you didn’t want to listen.” She wasn’t innocent here, but she had tried to tell him. “Every time I started, you changed the subject or kissed me.”
“Of course,” he said, smacking his palm against his forehead. “It’s my fault you didn’t tell me. But what does it matter?” He closed the distance between them, stopping just short of touching. “We were just fucking.”
An angry heat rushed up from the pit of her stomach, rushing through her like a wildfire because that was not true—at least not for her, and she would have sworn not for him either. “Is that all this was to you?”
His gaze dipped down to her mouth and then away, a bitter smile twisting his lips. “Don’t pretend you ever thought of it as something beyond a way to gain more visibility for your Insta.”
“Dammit.” Heart racing, she cupped his face in her palms, forcing him to look at her as she rose to her tiptoes, desperate to make him understand. “What’s between us is more than just some stupid thirst account. I’m falling for you.”
“Very convincing.” He turned his head, kissing her palm. “I almost believe that, but we both know it’s nothing but lust.”
“Carter, you know that’s not true.”
Aubrey dropped her hands, but it was too late. The sensual pull of being this close to him, the touch of his lips still buzzing against her hand, the way her body was still so attuned to his as if she could feel his touch before he even reached for her—all of it wound its way through her, making her overwhelmingly aware of how much she ached for him.
“Do I?” He came in close, holding back on touching her as if giving her a final out, one he knew there was no way she wanted to take. “I wish I did.”
Aubrey held her breath as the world stopped at that moment, the one when anything could happen. She could walk away now, or she could try, one last time, to make him understand. The thing was, there wasn’t a choice. She leaned up and kissed him, putting everything she had into it, hoping he’d recognize the truth in her touch.
He pulled back, but there was no missing the hard tension in his body or the desire darkening his eyes.
“This isn’t going to change anything,” he said, his voice a rough rumbling jumble of need and want.
“If that’s true, then why are you scared to touch me?”
“You want me to touch you?” He took her by the hips and pressed backward, backing her up against the wall and lifted her so she fit perfectly against his hard cock. “You want this, Aubrey?”
She didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
This was a mistake, but there was no way Carter could walk out of here without touching Aubrey again. Yeah, he was probably being an idiot, but part of him couldn’t let go, not yet anyway.
