Page 61 of Pink and Country

Saunders’s words replayed in my head. If you two wanted to hide your little country fling, you failed. Carter and I were just friends, right? My head said yes, but my heart refused to veto, ignoring the big flashing, warning NO neon sign. I’m fucked.

June refilled my champagne glass for the fourth time, the bubbly alcohol dissipating part of my discomfort, with a warm smile my way. I forced a smile back to my lips as my heart continued to thunder inside my ribcage.

It took June some time to warm up to the idea of me attending Carter’s concert tonight. That was clear enough earlier today when we went shopping. June didn’t offer to take me as an act of grace but only to assess me and my intentions toward Carter. She didn’t trust me. It was written all over her face, from her tight-pinched lips to her defiant glare. June acted all friendly and shit in front of Carter, but once we sat side-by-side on the backseat of the SUV, she went straight for the jugular without flinching, her mama tiger suit on.

June had studied me with a frown, her arms crossed over her chest. “What do you want with Carter?” The words sliced the already thick air in the car as one of Carter’s security guys drove us around. “And don’t fuck with me. I won’t let another crazy bitch profit from him. Not happening again. Not under my watch.” Disdain dripped from her mouth. June never broke eye contact. Though she was smaller than me, I didn’t doubt she’d kick my ass if she ever had to.

“Okay, I think you sized me up wrong. I’m no crazy bitch.” I raised my hands in surrender. “I’m here because Carter invited me, nothing more, nothing less.” My cheeks warmed.

“I’m sure you’re after something he has. They all are.”

I harrumphed, balling my hands under my thighs. “I really do not care about anything else but him. None of this matters,” I explained, motioning my hand around us. “Carter and I are friends, and none of it is your business. Maybe I should go back to the hotel since you clearly don’t want me around. I didn’t even want to come, but Carter insisted. It was his idea. But now that I’m here, you have to deal with it.” I folded my arms over my chest, mimicking her pose.

June opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She clamped it back shut. Her gaze never left mine. “I think you and I will get along just fine. Welcome to Nashville, April.” And just like that, we reached a truce, and her guard dog attitude vanished. The wrinkles around June’s mouth softened. “Let’s find something incredible for you to wear tonight.” She snaked her arm through mine like we’d been best friends for years, and I blew out a cleansing breath, shifting in my seat, the weight on my shoulders fifty pounds lighter.

My skin itched at the idea of spending Carter’s money, but when I turned down the sixth dress after a quick glance at the price tag, June took the matter into her own hands. She grasped my hands in hers. “April, pick anything you like, it’s Carter’s treat. Ignore the price tag. Just this once, okay?” I nodded, my head hanging low. “I stopped arguing with most of Carter’s orders long ago. Don’t worry, I have your back. And he gave me specific instructions, so you don’t really have a choice.” June shrugged—no doubt used to this.

And now, here we were—half a day later—in Carter’s suite after his concert, everything great between us.

The chatter in the suite grew louder—as did my heartbeat—as more alcohol was consumed, and the hours ticked by.

Carter’s hand ventured on my thigh, and I gasped, sucking in a breath. Dizziness blurred my senses, and flutters danced in my belly. I squeezed my legs together, trying to ease the ache building inside me.

Deep in a conversation with Tim, his tour manager, about a show scheduled in Berlin next summer, Carter looked handsome with his shaved jaw—he only had a short scrub left—and shorter hair, a look I only got to see on him for the first time this afternoon, and relaxed stance. He turned and flashed me a grin. A panties-melting grin. One no girl in her right mind could ever resist. His eyes burned holes in my skin. His fingers dug deeper in my flesh.

I grinned back, and some of the tension in my back left me.

Carter’s thumb traced circles on my bare flesh, just above my knee, and I scooted closer, his touch intoxicating.

My insides turned into jelly. I silenced the soft moan bubbling in my throat.

Carter’s pulse in his neck throbbed. He tried to act nonchalant, but his body’s responses gave him away. His palm, the one still attached to my thigh, got clammy. He scraped the other through his hair every few minutes, and a tightness appeared around his eyes. The air in the room warmed up another few degrees. I wasn’t sure how to act with all these people around. Carter’s hand moved higher. I chewed on my lower lips, to distract myself from writhing under his hold. Whatever game he played, Carter made me feel like the ultimate goal, the endgame, the coveted prize. I struggled to stay put, wanting more. More of this, more of him.

June sat beside me, and I welcomed the distraction. We chatted about her last trip to Europe and exchanged numbers. Around midnight, she rose to her feet and picked up her things.

“I need to go, y’all. My little princess won’t care tomorrow morning if her mama got less than five hours of sleep.” June hugged everyone in the room. When she passed Carter, she whispered something to him that painted an upward curve to his lips. She draped her arms around my shoulders next and hugged me. “I hope I’ll see more of you soon, April. I don’t know what you’ve done to this grumpy fellow,” she pointed her thumb at Carter, “but I haven’t seen him smile like this in a very long time. Whatever your secret is, please don’t stop. He’s usually much more withdrawn after a show. I’m glad we’re good.” June winked, and a wave of warmth washed over me.

First Dahlia. Now her.

I ignored what they meant. Carter and I weren’t even dating. For all I knew, I left him with a serious case of blue balls after our make-out session that morning in my cabin when I locked myself outside after the hot tub incident.

Around two in the morning, everybody left Carter’s suite, and we ended up being just the two of us in the dimly lit room.

Carter’s face turned serious after his last guests walked out. The lightness in his features disappeared. He pinched his lips into a thin line.

Did I piss him off somehow? Was I clingy or awkward tonight? No. I chased the crippling thought away. Carter took me hostage with his heated gaze. His melted-steel irises darkened, and a chill ran through me under the intensity of his stare. The air crackled with sexual tension.

With a few strides, Carter closed the distance between us and crashed his mouth on mine. I startled. No matter how much I wanted to resist him, I failed. Instead, I indulged in his kiss, forgetting where I stood. What day we were in. What decade we lived in. I burned inside out, dissolving under his touch. His hands cupped my breasts over my dress, and I almost lost it. Could I combust from a kiss? The whimper that left my mouth sounded foreign. This time I didn’t silence it.

Carter ran his tongue along my collarbone and bit the skin of my neck softly.

My panties, already soaked, stuck to my flesh. I shivered under the pad of his fingers, arching my back to allow him more space to devour my skin.

Desire throbbed deep down in my core, and a throaty moan escaped my mouth. My dress slid down my arm and exposed my bare chest. Carter’s tongue licked one of my hardened nipples, rolling and sucking the dark pink tip with tenderness and hunger. Carter’s mouth assaulted the second nipple to give it the same delicate yet greedy attention. He grabbed my ass cheeks and lifted me until I could wrap my legs around his waist, my dress bulking up around my hips. Carter ground against me, leaving me panting and aching, needy and lusty, the outline of his manhood sending thunderbolts throughout me. My fingernails raked his muscular back over his shirt.

Breathless, Carter backed into the room until he landed on the loveseat with my legs still wound around him. We kissed, our tongues restless and our lips starving.

Carter’s short stubble ignited my skin.