Page 56

CARSON

Andi has been in my bed every night for the past week and the only thing we’ve been doing is sleeping.

And I’m not complaining one bit.

Okay, that’s partially a lie. We’ve been doing more than sleeping, however, we have yet to have sex. I’ve been enjoying the steady build up and the anticipation has me feeling like I’m going to come apart at the seams, but I know it will be worth it when we both finally give in.

This isn’t a random hookup in a bar in the middle of the night with no promises of ever seeing each other again. This is completely different. It’s so much more and I don’t want her to feel like it’s anything less than it actually is.

I want to take my time with her. I want to memorize her body and the way she moves. The way she smells, the way she looks, and the way she sounds.

Andi rolls out of bed, grabs my T-shirt from the floor and pulls it over her head. She turns to face me, dragging her long braid out from under the cotton material, her bright hazel eyes finding mine. “Are you sure Matteo is okay with you today?”

I nod, slowly sitting up in bed as I watch her move around the room. “I have to go to the doctor to see about this cast, but he’sfine with me.” I pause, tilting my head to the side. “Do you need any help with the contractors?”

She shakes her head as she pulls her braid over her shoulder and undoes it. “I’m just meeting with them to see the progress on the mold remediation and what comes next.” She flips her long, dark hair back over her shoulder.

“Okay. I was going to go to my appointment and then possibly swing by Cale’s house if he’s not doing anything.”

Andi walks around the end of the bed and bends over to retrieve her sweatpants. I watch her, my cock twitching as she lifts her legs and pulls them on.

“You know, you could come back to bed if you’d like.” I pause. A slow smile lifts my lips as I remember her taste on my tongue last night. “I can think of a few different ways to have my way with you before breakfast.”

She raises an eyebrow at me. “That depends. Are you going to find another way to give me a mind-blowing orgasm that doesn’t involve actually having sex with me?”

“Mind-blowing, eh?”

She huffs, a frustrated breath deflating her lungs. “Can I ask you something?”

“Always.”

“Why don’t you want to have sex with me?”

Her question renders me speechless for a beat. “Who said I don’t want to have sex with you?”

She stares at me, her gaze frosty. “I’ve been in your bed every night for the past week. We’ve messed around, but it just always ends with that.”

I immediately climb out of bed, my cock hard as I close the distance between us. My hands find the sides of her face, tipping her head back to look up at me. “You have no idea how badly I want to sink my cock deep inside of you, Trouble,” my voice lowand hoarse. “It’s been taking every ounce of self control that I have to not do that every goddamn night.”

“Why the self control, though? It’s not like we haven’t had sex before.”

I shake my head at her. “That was different.” My tongue darts out to wet my lips and her gaze drops to my mouth before moving back to my eyes. “This is different.” I pause, a shallow breath escaping me. “I don’t want to fuck this up, Andi.”

“And you think having sex with me will?” Her eyebrows pull together.

“I don’t know what I’m doing, ” I murmur, the honesty deflating my lungs. I don’t fully know what I want, but I do know that I want her, and the last thing I’m going to do is ruin this before we even have a chance. “I’ve never done this before.”

“You need to be a little more specific than that.”

I close my eyes, inhale deeply and exhale slowly while I figure out what I want to say. When I look back at her, her mouth is set in a straight line, one brow arched. “I’ve only ever been casual with other women and that’s not what I want with you. I don’t know what I want exactly, but I know it’s not that.”

“Are we dating and I didn’t know about it?”

My eyes widen. “No, no, I don’t date.”

“I’m kidding,” she says around a soft chuckle. “You know this doesn’t have to have a label, Carson.” A tender smile lifts her lips. “There’s no pressure for you to decide what you want. I told you, I’m a big girl and can protect myself. I know what I’m getting into here. I know you’re emotionally unavailable and I’m okay with that.”

My forehead creases. “But what if this doesn’t go any further than this?”