Page 23 of Unraveled

By the end of the day, she was exhausted. She stumbled through the front door of her condo and absently petted Peanut on the way to the bedroom. As she passed the kitchen, she checked to make sure that he had food and water, then proceeded on through to the bedroom.

Kicking off her shoes, she crawled into the middle of the bed and lay down. She’d just barely closed her eyes when the vibrating of her phone caught her attention. Digging it from her purse, she glanced at the screen. She didn’t recognize the number, and she hesitated for a moment before swiping her thumb across the screen.

“Hello?”

“Hey.” Her heart leapt at the sound of Carter’s deep voice. Though they had only shared one night together a week and a half ago, his presence seemed to permeate her bedroom. She could still feel him, smell him next to her, and she closed her eyes as his deep voice washed over her. “How’s the new job?”

He knew about that? She fought to modulate her voice as she spoke. “Good. How did you know about that?”

A low chuckle filtered over the line. “You underestimate me, red. I make it my business to know everything about you.”

“That’s not creepy or anything,” she quipped.

“I prefer to think of it as dedicated,” he corrected.

Despite herself, a smile tugged at her lips, and she forced her mind to get back on track, needing to take control of the situation. “I see. Whose number is this? I didn’t recognize it.”

“It’s my cell,” he responded.

That’s why it hadn’t looked familiar. When they had spoken previously, they had used the office phone number to communicate. They lapsed into silence for a moment before Carter picked up the thread of conversation.

“So what do you think? Do you like it?”

“I do,” she admitted. “I’m actually really excited.”

“Good,” he responded. “I’m happy for you. This was your first day, right?”

“Is that a question or a statement? I thought you knew all about me,” she teased.

“Never know,” he responded in that seductive drawl. “I’ve been known to be wrong once or twice.”

Her brows shot upward in disbelief. “Did you just admit that you were wrong?”

“Only once in a while,” he replied. “But don’t tell anyone.”

She laughed, and she had the sense that he was smiling on his end, too.

“So, did you get all settled in today?”

“A little bit,” she said as she lay back down and stared at the ceiling. “Most of it was training, getting used to the feel of the office. And the computer system—God, that’s a nightmare.”

His laugh washed over her like a warm caress. “That’s always the worst, isn’t it?”

“It is,” she agreed. She let out a long yawn, and she heard Carter take a deep breath on his end.

“Well, you sound exhausted. I should let you go relax.”

“Okay,” she whispered as a pang of disappointment pierced her heart. Silly as it was, she wasn’t quite ready to hang up yet. She wasn’t able or willing to offer more at the moment, so she kept her mouth shut. Carter seemed to understand, because he spoke just a moment later.

“I’m glad you’re doing well. I’ll talk to you soon.”

The phone clicked off, and she stared at it for a long moment, a mixture of anticipation and worry settling over her. He’d called… Why, exactly? To wish her luck with her new job? She bit her lip and replayed their conversation in her mind. It had been brief and friendly, but it lacked the overbearing confidence Carter normally threw her way. He’d said he would talk to her soon, but not when. Was this just a friendly conversation, or was it more?

She told herself it was stupid, that she was reading too much into things. She wasn’t looking for a relationship, but she couldn’t help the satisfaction she felt that he’d reached out to her. She truly enjoyed Carter; she just wasn’t sure that she was ready to offer him everything he deserved.

CHAPTER

TWELVE