BoldLust (7 page)

The end of the night came, and Kate was getting rid of the
last man when Opal came down the stairs. She didn’t walk with her normal
swagger but looked worn out, and a little sad. She seemed that way at the end
of the night a lot of the time lately.

“What are you going to do tonight…about Sean?” Opal
questioned. “I couldn’t help but overhear part of your conversation earlier.”

“Will you show him to my room when he comes?” Kate felt a
little guilty sticking Opal with the duty, but she didn’t want to face him
again. Sean didn’t need her, didn’t deserve her courtesy. What he needed was a
place to stay, and he could have that since he was the one who paid the rent
for the room here. She would not be staying with him.

“I’m going to pay Carter a visit. If it goes well, I won’t
be back tonight. If things don’t go well with Carter you’ll find me sleeping on
the davenport in the morning.”

Kate needed to go back and talk to him, explain why she ran
from him, ran from the things he did to her, why they scared her. He deserved
an explanation, but there was more than just that. Kate had fallen in love with
Carter. No matter how many ways she tried to deny it, no matter how many good
reasons there were to stay away, she couldn’t.

Being honest with him was the only way she would ever have
another chance at that love.

“Good luck,” Opal called as Kate walked out the door.

“Thanks.” Kate took a deep breath, stepped onto the
boardwalk and let the door slam shut behind her.

She felt queasy, on the edge of losing her supper as she
walked down the dark path toward Carter’s house. People still wandered all
around the town so she didn’t feel unsafe.

This was something she had to take care of. There was no
reason to put the conversation off any longer, and Sean’s presence forced her
to see that it needed to happen now. The sick feeling in the pit of her stomach
was not going to stop her.

Now was the time to either fix things between Carter and
herself or end them for good. She had enough money to go home, and a boat was
scheduled to arrive in a day and then another one the week after. She didn’t
know which one she would take, but Kate did know she couldn’t leave without at
least talking to him one last time.

The scared feeling she had last week wasn’t because anything
he did to her was actually frightening. It was the opposite. Everything he did
made her feel good. The only bad part was her emotional reaction to it, her
thinking she needed to be like Opal and Emma. She wasn’t either one of them,
she needed different things than they did.

Kate stood in front of Carter’s door, hesitating. And then
finally got the nerve up to raise her hand to the wood and knock quietly, half
of her hoping he wouldn’t answer and the other half desperately hoping he
would.

The sound of footsteps approaching the door was an obvious
signal he was coming and her heart pounded. Kate took a deep breath and kept
her feet planted on the wooden walkway, working to resist the urge to run away.

“Kate.” He spoke the one word without emotion. No smile but
no grimace either, nothing to give away what he felt about her sudden presence
on his doorstep.

“I was hoping you would have time to talk.” Kate grabbed at
her skirt nervously and then forced her hands to be still. Being nervous wasn’t
going to do her any good, and there was no real reason to be nervous around
Carter.

“Sure. Come on in.” He held the door open and moved sideways
to let her through, shutting the door solidly behind.

This was it. This was her one opportunity to win Carter back
or say goodbye for good.

“What would you like to talk about?” Carter had been hoping
this day would come. Hoping Kate would come back to him. He missed her and
wanted her back, but he couldn’t go running after the girl. He had already been
too forceful with his pursuit. Hell, that was his nature. He couldn’t pretend
to be something he wasn’t. He just hoped she could accept him, all of him.

Carter knew the only way was to wait, give Kate time to
decide on her own that his strange desires in the bedroom were ones she shared.
Hopefully that was the reason she was here tonight.

“Us.” Kate’s lower lip trembled when she said the word, but he
didn’t know if it was sadness or fear or what causing the action.

They were both holding out on any emotional reactions
tonight, but God he hoped there could be a way for them to be together again.
He wanted Kate back more than anything, the way his heart warmed seeing her
here tonight proved it.

“I didn’t think you wanted there to be an ‘us’?” It wasn’t
likely.

“I’ve always wanted there to be an ‘us’, even when I shouldn’t
have. I’m very attracted to you. Have been from the start.” She looked down at her
hands.

“But?” he prompted, not getting his hopes up yet. There was
obviously a “but”.

“It’s not that at all. I just want to be needed, I don’t
want to always let a man take care of me. I want to be important for more than
just looking pretty.”

“You’re much more than that to me. I consider you my equal,
probably better than equal. You’re smart and beautiful and I
do
want to
take care of you. Not because I think you need taken care of, I
want
to
give you everything in life.”

This was all about some sort of independence, about being
needed? She didn’t know she didn’t have to do a damn thing to be valuable to
him. He needed her smile, her beautiful voice soothing him, needed every part
of her body pressing against him.

This was going to be a lot easier than he expected. “If I
get rid of Betsy would you start with taking your old job back? She’s going to
drive me nuts.” If all it took to make her feel valuable was to give her work,
he surely could do that. Hell, he’d let her do all the work if that was what she
wanted.

The future of his business might be difficult now, not as
sure a thing, but life was never sure.

Some of the people in town might not patronize him if he
took Kate back as an employee or wife, but that wasn’t everything. It wasn’t
even important. Not right now, not with her standing there, looking at him with
those big eyes.

The past week had been hell without Kate in his life. Carter
would take her back and if the people in this town didn’t want to buy his
things because of it, he would move to another town, start all over again. She
was that important. Firing Betsy and taking Kate back was the right move.

“Is that the only reason you want me back?” Kate teased.

He liked seeing her smile again. It made his heart warm.

“Absolutely not. I miss seeing you every day, I miss your
company.”

“What about Betsy?”

“Betsy is a good worker, but I’m miserable having to be
around her. I’d rather shoot myself in the foot than spend much more time in
her presence.”

Kate snorted. “I guess I better come back to save you.” She
moved closer, grabbing both of Carter’s hands in hers and grinning up at him.

“I do need to be saved.” He pulled her tight, hugging her
body against his, afraid to let go. He never wanted to lose Kate again. “And
you’re the only woman for the job.”

Carter moved his mouth down to hers, his kiss soft, letting
her know just how much he appreciated her. He would give her anything she
needed to be happy, to feel secure, anything she wanted in life.

Carter pulled Kate against the entire length of his body,
his mouth moving to hers again. He waited, gave her the chance to move away,
but when she moved forward, leaned into him, he couldn’t help but kiss her,
hard, tongue demanding, leaving no question about how badly he wanted to make
her his again.

Blood rushed to his cock as she kissed him back, her tongue
invading his mouth with a passion that mirrored his. His hard-on pressed
against her belly, he knew she felt it. Just as he knew she wanted him. It was
in her eyes, in the way she inhaled when he touched her.

“I think we should move to the bedroom,” he said and then
clamped his lips shut. It was definitely what he wanted, but he might be
nearing dangerous territory. He needed to be cautious, but he also needed her
sweet body. Now. Forever.

“Okay.” Kate didn’t hesitate, she took Carter’s hand and led
the way up to his room. She could lead him up to the bedroom anytime, and he
could let her take the lead, at least for a little while. Damn, he’d do
anything to keep Kate.

She stopped at the foot of the bed and turned to face
Carter. He didn’t move, barely breathed.

“Unbutton my shirt.” He kept his voice calm, even, and
watched for her reaction.

Her hands moved to his shirt. Delicate fingers released each
button slowly, carefully. She slipped her soft hands beneath the material and
pushed it off his shoulders. Kate let her hands drift softly down his chest.

Beautiful green eyes looked up at Carter, searching for
reassurance as she moved her hands to his pants but hesitated.

“Unfasten my pants.” His words were a little bit strained,
just like the material at the front of his pants.

Kate quickly undid his pants and let them drop to the floor.

Her soft fingertips touched the glimmer of wetness at tip of
his cock and then moved in a circle around the head.

Blood rushed to the tip of him, throbbing until he thought
he was going to explode. Carter wanted to let her explore, but damn it, he
wanted his cock inside her even more. He needed to give her pleasure until she
couldn’t take any more. And he needed her to stop touching him so he would
retain the ability to accomplish that.

“Turn around for me.” She did as he asked without hesitation
and Carter took his turn undressing Kate, unbuttoning her dress as he kissed
the soft skin of her back.

He let her dress fall to the floor and turned her around. He
kissed her lips, moved his hands to her breasts and touched the soft, round
mounds. His thumbs moved to her nipples, bringing each one to a stiff peak.

Her moans of pleasure filled the little room, showing him
just how strong her need for him really was. No matter how much she tried to
deny it, tried to deny him, Carter knew she couldn’t. Hopefully she would be
willing to face that fact and he wouldn’t scare her again.

“I know you want independence, but don’t you see that when
we’re together, even when I have you tied up, you still have all the power?” He
sucked one of her nipples solidly into his mouth and she inhaled sharply.

“What do you mean?” She looked down at him with those big
eyes, so innocent and so tempting at the same time.

“I would never do anything you don’t want. If you ever want
me to stop doing anything, I will. You have all the control. I can’t take
anything unless you give it to me. That’s how this relationship works.”

He might be in control, holding her down and tying her up,
but she was the one with all the power. Kate had the power to say no, the power
to break his heart.

“Really?” She looked hesitant.

“Yes really,” he assured her, but the talking had to stop.
His cock pulsed with need. He had to have Kate, had to make her his.

“Turn around, bend over and rest your hands on the bed.”

She did as he said, pointed the smooth skin of her bare ass
toward him and he slapped one of the cheeks lightly.

She clenched and then relaxed and turned her head over her
shoulder. “What was that for?”

“Did you like it?”

She hesitated for a second and he held his breath. If she
said no it would kill him.

“Yes, I did,” she said shyly, her top cheeks turning almost
as pink as the one he spanked.

“That spanking was your punishment for running away from me,
but you don’t have to be embarrassed, don’t have to be shy about admitting the
things you enjoy to me. I want you to tell me what you like, tell me what you
want. No one else will ever have to know.”

“Really?” she asked softly.

“Yes, really.” A relationship like theirs needed to be
filled with open communication. Always. “No hiding anything from me.”

“Okay, I won’t.” She looked nervous.

Carter moved his lips down to her ass, kissing and biting the
soft skin until she moaned. Kate’s moan told him it was having the desired
effect, taking her mind off the serious stuff and letting pleasure overtake
her.

“Exactly what kind of relationship do we have?” Her words
were breathy.

“A damn good one.” Carter rubbed his cock between her legs,
across her sensitive nub.

“Aren’t you going to tie me up again?” Kate asked.

“Would you like me to?” He could tell from the thickness in
her voice when she asked that she was hoping for it. Good.

“Yes.”

“Not this time, but there will be plenty of that in your
future.” Carter rubbed his cock between her legs again, so damn happy that she
liked being restrained. She was truly his perfect match.

Kate moaned and he could feel the wetness that dripped
between her legs. She was definitely ready for him.

“Could you do something about this desperate throbbing
between my legs?” Kate begged.

“Yes, I can.”

Carter thrust into her slowly, letting her cunt stretch
around him, and she clung to him so damn tight he almost lost it right there.

When the entire length of his cock was deep inside her,
surrounded by her heat and wetness, he stopped moving.

“Thank you,” she whispered and he wished he could see her
eyes, see what she was thinking.

“For what?” He should be the one thanking her.

“For being so understanding. For taking me back.”

“I’m in love with you, Kate Baker. There’s no way I could
let you go ever again, so don’t even try.” He swatted her ass gently and hoped
she saw it as the gesture of love that it was. She was his soul mate. He needed
her to know that.