After we returned to the room and made love, I rested my head on his chest, listening to his rapidly beating heart. A shiver ran through my sweat-covered body. “You cold?” he asked, pulling the blanket up over my bare shoulder and pulling me tighter against him.
“A little,” I said quietly.
He placed a kiss on my forehead and then lay back against the pillows. “You were pretty quiet tonight after we got back from the beach. Everything okay?”
Of course I had been quiet. After Felice had spoken to me on the beach, I didn’t really have much to say. “Yep, I’m good.” I placed a soft kiss on his cheek, taking in the scent of his skin.
I rested my head back on his shoulder and thought about the words she had said. I knew no matter what that Carter was going to find everything out. It was no secret that when I went back for the anniversary dinner, Daddy would be announcing the engagement, pushing me to get back with Trent anyway.
“Can I ask you something?” I knew that after having sex with him, it probably wasn’t the best time to be discussing Felice, but my curiosity was getting the best of me.
“Anything,” he murmured.
“Felice? She is just your friend and neighbor, right?”
“Friend and neighbor, that is all.” He took a deep breath. “But there was a time a while ago that I was involved with her, but it was over before it started for me. Why do you ask?”
“No reason, just wondering.”
“Did she say something to you, Hope?”
“Nope. Nothing, I was just wondering.” I leaned up on one elbow and looked at the clock. It was almost midnight and we had to be ready to leave the resort at five. “We should get some sleep.”
I turned my body away from Carter and felt him wrap his arms around me from behind. We had fallen asleep this way every night since we had been here. Only tonight, with the words of Felice looming in my mind and the upcoming anniversary dinner only a few days away, I had a hard time letting the ease of his breathing and the comfort of his arms lull me to sleep.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Hope
We had been home alittle over five hours when Carter was called into the law firm where he had been interning. I still had tonight off, so I ordered in takeout from a restaurant that Carter recommended and had just finished eating in front of the TV.
When my show was over, I got up and threw out the empty container in the garbage. I quickly washed the plate and glass I had used and set it in the drain pan. Locking the apartment door, I grabbed my mug of hot tea and headed to the bathroom. I needed to unwind. I had been feeling super stressed since Felice had confronted me, and a hot bath was the perfect solution. I squirted a generous amount of my favorite body wash into the tub and started the water, making sure it was the right temperature. As soon as the tub had filled, I stepped in and slowly sunk into the hot water. I leaned back and rested my head against the back of the tub. As my body started to relax, I realized just how much tension I had been holding onto.
As the heat sunk into my body, comforting me, my mind drifted straight to Carter. The last night in the Dominican Republic—how he stood talking with the guys, watching me across the way, that sexy smile on his face. The way he put his arm around me while we were walking back to the room, the way he had kissed me, his large hand on my cheek, pulling me toward him and devouring my mouth. How he had slowly undressed me, his eyes following his hands as they trailed over my body. I remembered how his hands felt as he gently touched me, dancing over my skin. Just thinking about it had my center start throbbing. Suddenly my phone pinged with a message, interrupting and pulling me away from my solitude and my dream state. I picked up the phone, hoping it was Carter, but as soon as I saw the message, my stomach sank.
MOM: WHERE ARE YOU STAYING, SWEETIE?
ME: DOES IT REALLY MATTER, MOM?
MOM: YES, IT MATTERS. I WANT TO KNOW YOU ARE SAFE. DAD TOLD ME WHAT HAPPENED.
ME: I’M FINE, MOM.
MOM: PLEASE TELL ME YOU’VE COME TO YOUR SENSES AND ARE AT TRENT’S.
ME: YOU MEAN HE HASN’T SPOKEN TO YOU?
I held my breath, waiting for her response.
MOM: NO, HE HASN’T RETURNED OUR CALLS.
ME: I’M IN THE CITY, MOM. I’M NOT WITH TRENT.
I had figured that her reply would be instant, but instead the phone was quiet. I waited and waited to hear what she had to say. Finally her message came through.
MOM: IN THE CITY? WHERE? WHERE ARE YOU STAYING?
ME: IT DOESN’T MATTER. I AM SAFE.