Even though Hailey’s all I’ve thought about, I still haven’t decided what I’m going to do.
That’s until I get to taste her.
Until she moans into my mouth.
Possessiveness takes over every part of my rationality, and I lose control.
Breaking the kiss for a moment, I push Hailey back on the couch until I have her beneath me. She opens her legs for me to settle between, and then I take hold of her jaw and crush my mouth against hers again.
My tongue thrusts against hers, showing her exactly what I’ve wanted to do to her from the moment I laid eyes on her.
My heart pounds against my ribs, my breaths exploding against hers.
When she tries to reach for my coat, I take hold of her hands and pin them above her head with one of mine. It draws another moan from her, and unable to stop myself, I move my mouth to her neck and sink my teeth into her skin. I suck hard, wanting to mark her.
My free hand moves down from her jaw until I reach the swell of her breast, and then I squeeze hard.
Christ, she fits perfectly into my palm.
Hailey gasps for air as she arches her back. “God… Carson.”
I bring my mouth back to hers, my tongue plunging deeper, my teeth biting, and my lips soothing the stings. My fingers find her nipple, and I tweak it into a hard pebble.
I want to devour her. I want to own every inch of her.
Mine.
The realization settles deep in me. It sinks its claws into me until it becomes a part of my soul.
Hailey’s mine, and she doesn’t have a choice in the matter.
This is what I’ve been struggling to come to terms with. No matter what Hailey wants, there’s no way I can stay away from her.
There’s no way I’ll let her go.
Wanting her to feel what she’s doing to me, I rub my cock against the heat radiating from between her legs.
It’s about as much as I can take before I tear the clothes from her body and sink balls deep inside her.
Forcing myself to break the kiss, I let out a growl as I move down her body, skimming my nose along her cleavage. Through her shirt, I draw her nipple between my teeth and tug at it. With another growl, I let go of her, and pushing myself up from the couch, I put a safe distance between us, so I don’t give in to my desire to fuck her.
“Wow.” Hailey sucks in a couple of desperate breaths, not moving from where she’s lying on the couch. “If you didn’t feel that,” she takes another breath, “then I’m screwed.”
My eyes burn on her as I focus on calming my own breathing.
“So?” She asks, and sitting up, she gives me an expectant look, her lips swollen from my kiss and teeth. “Am I screwed?”
I shake my head. “Not the way you think you are.”
My words draw a chuckle from her. “Yeah, maybe we should take it a little slower.” Then she teases me, “Never thought I’d have to say those words to you. I guess the saying is true. It’s the quiet ones you have to watch out for.”
She’s going to regret this the moment I tell her I’m a killer. The happiness will fade from her eyes. Her smile will disappear, and it will be replaced with horror.
When I just stare at her, she asks, “You’re okay with this… us, right?”
“Yes.”
It’s you I’m worried about.
Hailey lets out a happy shriek, and then she jumps up, and I have to catch her as she throws herself at me. She wraps her legs around my waist, and I instinctively grab hold of her ass. Her laughter fills the room, and I revel in the sound.
God, do I revel in it.
Selfishly I decide to tell her another time. I just want this for a moment longer… where I’m not a killer, and she’s not a backpacker. We’re just… us. Two raw souls beneath the layers life has piled onto us.
Hailey looks at me like I just gave her the most incredible gift.
I’ll burn in hell for this – for taking this beautiful creature and making her mine. Once she finds out who I really am, it will be too late for her.
Her smile begins to fade. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,”
She lowers her legs until she’s standing in front of me. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?”
“I’m not.” I place my hands on her hips and tug her back against me.
“Then why do you look like someone just drove over your puppy?”
Because one day, you might hate me.
I force my lips to curve up. “Just taking in everything.”
“Oh.” She wraps her arms around my neck, then grins up at me. “Take all the time you need to process this. I’ll just stand here and stare at you.”
I move my hands up the length of her back, memorizing the feel of her. I drink in her beauty and the life in her eyes.
Will her light be strong enough to survive my darkness?
Christ, I hope so.
“Hey,” she whispers, drawing me out of my thoughts.
Needing to know how much time I have to work with, I ask, “How long do you plan on staying in Saint Luc?”
“I can stay longer than the original three months because it’s easy to travel to the other towns from here.”
“How long?” I ask again.
“Another eight months. I want to spend a year in every country.”
That gives me plenty of time.
“Good,” I murmur, and then I lower my head, claiming her mouth again.
HAILEY
While we talk, we end up lying back down on the couch. My body is half draped over Carson’s, his heart beating beneath my ear.
Drawing lazy patterns on his shirt, I ask, “Did you get the flowers?”
“Yes.” He plays with my hair, pulling his fingers through the strands.
“Good, I was worried you wouldn’t see them.” I glance up at him. “Were you home the entire two weeks?”
The corner of his mouth lifts slightly. “Unless I was following you, yes.”
I slap his chest and push myself up so I can look at him. “You almost gave me a nervous breakdown. Was that you in Bern?” He nods, and it has me narrowing my eyes at him. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“I won’t.”
I lean down again and press a kiss against his mouth, and then I admit, “It’s kinda hot knowing I have such an attractive stalker.”
My words draw a chuckle from him. Bringing my finger to his mouth, I brush the pad over his lips. “You should really smile more.”
“You’re the one with the beautiful smile,” he says, his eyes never leaving my face. “It’s what got my attention.”
My lips curve up at his words. “Yeah?”
Carson nods.
I relax back against him. “Want to know what caught my attention?”
“What?”
“I get this intense vibe from you. At first, I thought you might be trouble, but it turned out you’re just the strong, silent type.” I grin up at him again. “Which is a total turn-on, by the way.”
“What kind of trouble?” he asks.
I shrug. “Probably the bad boy kind. I didn’t actually think about it.” There’s a comfortable pause in the conversation for a minute or so, then I ask, “Did you build your house, or was it there when you moved to Saint Luc?”
“I had it built.”
I glance up at him again. “How old are you?”
“Twenty-five.”
My lips curve up. “You’re three years older than me.” After another pause, I ask, “Was it hard moving from Russia to Switzerland?”
Carson shakes his head. “No, I had my brother.”
“What’s his name?”
“Alexei.” Carson’s features soften, then he adds, “Even though he’s five years older than me, we look like twins.”
“Did he take over raising you after your father passed away?” I ask.
“Yes. He’s very protective of me.”
“Do you think he’ll like me?” I ask, a little worried about what it would mean for us if Alexei didn’t approve of a relationship between us.
When Carson thinks too long about an answer, I push myself up again. “You think he’ll hate me?”
“No. Alexei’s just different. He’s… intimidating.”
“More than you?” I tease.
“Much more, but if you give him time, he’ll warm up to you, and then you’ll be stuck with a big brother for life.”
A grin spreads over my face. “I like the sound of that. I’m an only child. I always wanted an older brother.”
“He’s at my house,” Carson suddenly says.
“Here? Up the road?” I ask to make sure.
He nods at me. “He’s visiting for a while, so you might meet him soon.” Carson sits up and reaching for my hair, he tucks a couple of strands behind my ear. “Demitri’s also visiting. He’s my brother’s best friend.”
“Do you have a best friend?” I ask.
Slowly, Carson nods. “Damien. He’s Demitri’s younger brother. I haven’t seen him in a while, though.”
They sound like a tight group, and it makes me feel better knowing Carson isn’t as alone as I first thought. It has me admitting, “I’m glad you have Alexei visiting. I was worried you were all alone up on the mountain.”
“Is that why you brought the flowers?” he asks, his eyes drifting affectionately over my face.
“Yeah, I just wanted you to know I was thinking of you.”
Carson takes hold of my chin, and leaning forward, he presses a kiss to my mouth. When he pulls back an inch, his eyes lock on mine. His voice is low as he asks, “How often did you think of me?”
“Way more than I should’ve.” I scrunch my nose, then tell him the truth, “All the time.”
He searches my eyes, and not finding the answer, he asks, “How do you feel about me?”
I stare at him for a moment, then go with the truth again. “I think I fell for you somewhere between your second visit to the bar and the night you said goodbye.” I don’t want him to feel bad, but I need to talk about it. “It hurt when you just left like that. I don’t feel it was fair. We could’ve talked things out.”
Carson pulls me against this chest and tucks my head beneath his chin. Wrapping his arms tightly around me, he says, “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
I wrap my arms around his waist and savor being so close to him. “You won’t just up and leave me when we have a fight?”
He presses a kiss on my hair. “I won’t.”
“You’re forgiven.” I snuggle against his chest. “And I can get used to this.”
“Me holding you?” When I nod, he murmurs, “Good.”
