“What did you expect?” No surprise that Carson would take that statement as some sort of challenge.
Her body wiggles against me as she giggles. “I don’t know. I guess I didn’t expect to do it on the kitchen counter.”
That makes two of us.
“Can I ask you something?” She’s timid again.
“Anything,” Carson is quick to respond.
I’ve never seen him like this, in any relationship, with his intensity and eagerness to please. He wasn’t kidding about his feelings. Feelings and casual sex don’t mix. I’m proof of that.
Every bit of the possessive intensity I see in his expression and the way he treats Zoe is paralleled in me. I don’t want this to end.
“In the interest of re-evaluating, would it be okay if we did it again?”
“We’re going to do this again.” Carson looks at me. We’re not going to stop.
The moment is perfect as the wind rustles through the treetops. Our relationship is a minuscule existence against the majesty of the mountain. But the social repercussions are much bigger.
Before Carson gets too far down a rabbit hole of feelings, I say, “How did you decide to switch from college to bartending?”
“I’m not going to let you be a bartender.” Carson’s comment makes her shrink.
“Hear her out, Carson. You don’t have any say in what she does.”
He grumbles but kisses the side of her head.
“My parents were only willing to help me pay for college if I studied what they wanted. I didn’t get much say in my life growing up.”
“Sorry, beautiful.” Carson realizes his mistake.
“Now, I have to save up money. Plus, bartending seemed like a fast way to meet people. I don’t have many friends and the people I clean for try to ignore me or boss me around.”
“I’ll talk to them.” Carson’s on edge.
“No need. It’s part of the job.”
I’m confused. “You grew up here. Surely you have friends from school.”
“Not with parents like mine.”
Carson growls and shifts so he can drape his arm over her lap.
“They weren’t mean or abusive, they just didn’t let me do fun stuff. They controlled everything.”
“Then I say we do fun stuff. Lady’s choice,” Carson says into her lips.
I’m about to clarify that we can’t do stuff in town until we agree to take our relationship public, but Goldie climbs onto his lap and we segue into another round of love-making, only all Zoe’s agreed to is sex.
The only way to avoid fighting this losing battle is to deny what I feel for Zoe. I don’t think I’m physically capable of doing that.
Fifteen
Zoe
I’dthoughtCarsonandNathan had literally rocked my world, but it turns out the big rumble we felt the first evening we had sex was actually a mudslide. It covered the road, trapping us in Eggplant Canyon.
If only they hadn’t had to work so hard to meet their client’s request. I made good on deep dive cleaning for them, which is hardly a thing since they’re pretty tidy.