Page 40 of Until the End (The Lost Letters #3)

Carson

“ H ey, Carson, can you come help me with something?” Ginny calls down from her bedroom. She’s been up there for the last thirty minutes, and when I asked what she was doing, she was super cagey about the details.

I set my sketch pad on the side table and rise from the couch. With the extra time on my hands, I’ve started to draw more often. I’ve been tempted to dabble in other mediums besides pencil, but I haven’t done it yet.

I’m up the stairs in a matter of seconds, only to find Ginny’s bedroom empty. “Goose?”

“Don’t come in the closet; just sit on the bed and give me a second.”

Oookay.

I follow orders, leaning back on my hands while I wait for Ginny to come out.

Ever since Lottie and Teddy’s wedding last week, something has settled between me and Ginny.

There was an undercurrent of tension between us that I hadn’t noticed until it was gone.

It’s not a surprise that marriage would be a trigger for her.

Everything about the wedding she almost had was traumatic.

Why would she want to go through that again ?

What I hadn’t put together was her worry that the baby would make me want to get married immediately. I should’ve known. Most people get married when they realize they’re having a baby together.

I truly couldn’t care less if we ever get married. No piece of paper is going to tell me Ginny is mine. I’m the one who has to prove it, and there isn’t a single thing I wouldn’t do to remind her.

“I believe a fashion show was promised,” Ginny says as she saunters out of her closet.

I nearly choke on my spit as I take her in. “Holy shit.”

The navy blue swimsuit is mere scraps of fabric, showcasing almost every inch of her creamy skin.

And then she turns around. The thong-style bikini bottoms show off her perfect ass, and I’m pretty sure my heart stops when all the blood in my body rushes straight to my cock.

Groaning, I flop backward on the bed. “I’m dead. You’ve officially killed me.” I sit back up just as quickly because I haven’t gotten my fill yet.

A flush has spread across her chest up to her face. “You like it?”

“Like it? No, I fucking love it. Jesus Christ, Goose. You’re gorgeous. And you’re never allowed to wear that swimsuit anywhere but here at home.”

Ginny laughs. “In any other circumstance, I’d be pissed at you for dictating what I can and can’t do. We’re in agreement on this one, though. I’d never be confident enough to wear this anywhere else.”

I hold my hands out, silently asking her to stand in front of me.

“You know you could if you wanted to. I’d have to punch every asshole who ogled your perfect ass, but I wouldn’t actually stop you from wearing it.

” I cup said ass in my hands, reveling in the feeling of her soft skin against my rough palms.

“Is it bad that I like how protective you are of me?”

“Not in the slightest.” I pull her closer, encouraging her to straddle my lap.

I have to bite back a growl when her pussy settles over my cock.

Wrapping my fist in her hair, I erase the distance between us to pull her into a heated kiss.

She lets me lead, twisting her tongue with mine as I show her exactly how I feel about her tiny swimsuit.

“I have more suits to show you,” she says between kisses.

“And I want to see them. Later. When I’m done worshipping every inch of your gorgeous skin.”

“Okay.”

I’d laugh at the way she sinks into me with her acceptance, but I’m too overwhelmed to bother. With one hand still in her hair, I wrap the other around her waist and flip her onto the bed so she’s spread out beneath me.

It takes mere seconds for me to untie the strings on her suit, then it’s on the floor in the next heartbeat.

I don’t hesitate to suck the stiff peak of her nipple into my mouth. I revel in the sounds she makes as I use my tongue and teeth against her skin. Her taste is an aphrodisiac I’ll never tire of.

“Carson. Please.”

Switching to her other breast, I make eye contact with Ginny. “Please what, my love?”

“I need you. I need more.” Ginny grips my hair and pulls me into a filthy kiss. Leaning on one elbow, I reach down to tear her bikini bottoms off and then quickly shuck my own clothes. Any other time, I’d make Ginny come at least once on my tongue, but we’re both too overcome with desire to wait.

I grip the back of her knee and push it up to her chest until she’s at my mercy. The way Ginny gives her control over to me every time will never cease to amaze me. After everything she’s been through, she’s still willing to put her trust in me. I will never take that trust for granted.

I adjust my hips until the head of my cock can slide through her wet slit.

I coat myself in her desire, pressing against her clit with every pass.

When Ginny starts to rotate her hips, I position myself at her entrance.

There’s no resistance when I thrust into her body.

Her tight walls threaten to undo me within seconds.

Every. Single. Time. Nothing compares to the way Ginny’s body gives in to mine.

“You feel so fucking good,” I groan.

I snap my hips forward, pushing as deep into her as I can. Ginny wraps the leg not pressed to her chest around my waist. There’s not a single inch of space between us, yet I want to be closer. Ginny seems to agree because she pulls my head down to kiss me hard.

I end up letting go of her leg in order to kiss her better. Her lips are soft and plump from our earlier kisses, and I can’t get enough of them. I slide my fingers under her head while I roll my hips to grind against her pussy.

I live for every whimper that escapes her lips. “Are you going to come for me like the good girl you are?”

“Mm-hmm,” she moans.

“Then come.” I kiss her as her body tightens around mine until she’s shaking with the force of her orgasm.

I can’t help but follow her into the abyss.

I come—hard.

It slides down my spine in an overwhelming wave of heat that I have no choice but to succumb to. It leaves me wrecked and unmoored in a sea of ecstasy. Ginny’s fingers sliding through my hair is the only thing that keeps me grounded and in the moment.

She’s an anchor in the storm of my emotions. All I have to do is hold on to her until they pass.

When I can feel my legs again, I flip us over so Ginny is lying on my chest. We both need time to find our breath, and in the silence, our future is finally laid out before me.

I see Ginny dancing on a stage, performing one of her albums while I stand in the wings, holding our baby against my chest. They’re sacked out cold with those giant headphones over their ears, and an insurmountable amount of pride fills my chest knowing that’s what I was always meant to do.

I can make both of our dreams come true without having to sacrifice my needs in the process. It’s the solution we’ve been moving toward without even realizing it.

I hold Ginny a little tighter, and when she presses kisses to my chest, happiness threatens to overwhelm me.

I move around the kitchen with ease. Ginny sits at the island, her eyes following my every move.

She’s become obsessed with watching me cook.

I’d be lying if I said I hated the heated look she gets in her eyes.

She helps as much as she can, chopping and prepping the ingredients I need for a recipe, but once that’s done, she loves sitting back and—as she puts it—enjoying the show.

The pregnancy symptoms have been mild so far. Neither of us believes it’ll stay that way, but for now, we’re basking in the little peanut growing inside her. I can’t seem to stop doting on her since we found out. It’s been almost two weeks, and I’ve loved every second of catering to her whims.

We shared the news with her parents and sister before telling the rest of the family.

They were all overjoyed with the announcement.

She has an appointment with an OB/GYN in Greensboro to check on things soon.

It probably would’ve been smarter to wait to tell everyone, but I’m glad things turned out the way they did.

She’s already asked Lilly a million questions about pregnancy, and I’ve also secretly been texting with Noah about how to best take care of Ginny.

Ginny grabs the stack of mail Daren brought in earlier this week and slides it closer. She sorts through each piece, ending on a manila envelope.

A stack of photos spills out onto the counter, and the silence that ensues makes me glance up.

“Carson.” My name is barely audible on Ginny’s lips.

My stomach drops when the pictures finally register. “Fuck.” I quickly text Daren to come to the kitchen and then start flipping through the photos. Each one is of either Ginny or me and her.

“These are all recent,” I say. There are images of us coming out of Jones’s Diner and walking around Main Street. Whoever took them had to be close to get these shots. How could we not have noticed them?

Ginny’s been silent, her face devoid of any color. It hits me how much she must be freaking out right now. I rub my hand up and down her back to try to reassure her.

Daren comes in, full of authority and taking control of the situation. It allows me to exhale a relieved breath. “Which pieces have you touched?”

“Ginny opened the envelope, but neither of us has touched the images themselves,” I answer.

“Good. I can get some gloves and send this to the lab for fingerprints. They haven’t been stupid enough to leave anything yet, but we could always get lucky.”

“I don’t understand what they want,” Ginny murmurs.

Daren gives her a soft look. “You, Miss Ginny. They want you. In every photo of you and Carson together, they’ve scratched out his face. He’s sending a message that he won’t accept that Carson is a part of your life. He wants you for himself. ”

“Why hasn’t he made a move yet? Ginny and I have been together for months.”

“We haven’t given him the opportunity. We’ve taken every step possible to ensure your safety.” Daren makes direct eye contact with Ginny. “And we’ll continue to do so even after this lunatic has been caught.”

“Thank you, Daren. I just wish this nightmare would end.”

“We’ll find the bastard. One way or another, I swear.”

With that declaration, Daren heads back to the security house with the envelope of photos.

I’d hoped that being in Sonoma would provide a measure of security, given how small a town it is, but it seems that was misguided.

I have no idea how we’ll ever catch this guy, but my gut is telling me he’ll make his move sooner rather than later.

He’s just gotten entirely too bold to hold back anymore.