16
LAUREN
The first few days of the workweek were so busy that I barely even got a chance to talk to Carter, much less spend any time with him. He and the guys had lunch delivered, ate out in the woods, and then stayed at the office late into the night to tackle a sudden influx of work.
I offered to stay with them and help in any way I could, but they insisted I go home and rest. This was all stuff they needed to do themselves, anyway. It meant there were no visits to Carter’s house or even long phone conversations. He messaged me each of those three nights, and we carried on brief conversations, but he was exhausted, and I ended up telling him to go to bed each night.
That meant I was craving a few moments with him by that morning a few days later when I pulled into work. For the last three days, it seemed all three of the guys had coordinated the time they would show up to work, so Carter and I didn’t even get our few minutes in the mornings together like we had been.
That morning was different. It was a pleasant surprise when I pulled into the parking lot and noticed Carter’s truck sitting there, still on as if he had just gotten there as well. I eased into the parking spot beside him and climbed out. He was already on his way around the back of my car to me when I had closed the door.
He reached out for me and gathered me up against him in a tight embrace. His mouth found the side of my neck, and he kissed the curve of my collarbone. He didn’t need to say anything. That tender yet almost desperate touch said everything.
He reached down and took my hand, pulling me along with him into the trailer. We weren’t even all the way into his office when he whirled me around and dropped his mouth down over mine. I let out a soft whimper and completely gave myself over to the kiss. His hands on my hips and his tongue sliding over my lips were insistent, strong, and intentional. He wanted me to know exactly what he was thinking and feeling, even if he didn’t say a single word.
I understood him completely. It was exactly what I was feeling.
I combed my fingers back through his hair and held tight to the back of his neck as we continued to kiss. Our mouths parted for a moment, and he looked into my eyes.
“I missed you,” he said breathlessly.
“I miss you too.”
The words were barely even out of my mouth before we were kissing again. His hands slid from my waist down to my thighs, and I felt his fingers starting to gather the sides of my skirt up, so it bunched up around my hips. Nudging me with his hips and his mouth, Carter guided me across the office until the backs of my thighs hit the desk.
He took his hands from my skirt and grabbed my hips, picking me up and setting me on the edge of the desk. I parted my thighs, pressing my body closer to his. Carter flattened his hands on my lower back and drew me closer, holding me against him as he continued to kiss me.
The heat between us was getting intense. My body ached for his touch. I wanted every part of him, and I wanted nothing stopping us. His hands had moved under my skirt to tease me, and his fingers had just wrapped around the sides of my panties to start peeling them down when I heard the distinct sound of a car door closing.
Carter jumped away from me, and I slid off the side of the desk, wriggling my skirt back down and smoothing my clothes. The door opened just as I was fixing my lipstick. I took another step away from Carter, so we didn’t look like we were standing too close and looked over at the door. Deacon was standing just inside the trailer, paused with his hand still on the doorknob, staring at us.
His eyes went back and forth between Carter and me, his expression curious and a little bit startled.
“Hey,” he said slowly. “What’s going on here?”
The question lilted up at the end, more curious and whimsical than angry or accusatory. Carter and I both shook our heads.
“Nothing,” we said in unison.
I tried not to cringe. We were not being the most convincing we possibly could be right at that moment. But we hadn’t looked at each other since Deacon came in, and we both seemed committed to pretending nothing really was going on.
Deacon might not have been so convinced. He laughed and shook his head.
“Okay.”
He finally walked away from the door, and Everett came in behind him. He looked around the office, a confused expression on his face.