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  “What’s your point, Zoey?”

  “By time we get to the Grand Canyon, it’ll be at least nine p.m. and we’ll both be exhausted, so we won’t have time to think about how crappy the hotel is because we’ll go right to bed.”

  “Crappy hotels equal crappy, uncomfortable beds. If I’m driving twelve hours, then I want to make sure the bed is comfortable.”

  “Okay. Then book a hotel in Sedona and stop complaining,” I spewed as I took a bite of my chicken.

  “Fine. I will.” He glared at me.

  “In fact, maybe we should just stay two nights.”

  “What? Why the hell would we do that?” His brow arched.

  “Because you’re already going to be tired from driving twelve hours, and then you’re going to drive another nineteen or even twenty the next day? I know that I’ll need a break from the car, at least for a day. I think if we’re stuck together in the car all that time, we’ll end up killing each other.” I smirked.

  “No. We’re only staying one night.” He took a bite of his filet. “And as for the possibility of killing each other, we’ll make some stops along the way and give each other a break.”

  “Okay. If you say so. But, it’s going to take us a lot longer to get to Seattle.”

  After calling a few hotels with no luck, Carter finally was able to book a two-bedroom suite at the Enchantment Resort in Sedona.

  “Thank God,” he sighed.

  “I like the name.” I smiled. “It sounds like a fairytale place.”

  “I’ll only consider it a fairytale place if the bed is comfortable. Which, for the price it’s costing me for one night, it better be.”

  I gave him a small smile and finished my dinner. Before paying the bill, Carter had one more scotch.

  “I think we should head back to the cottage,” he spoke. “Forget the casino.”

  “Good idea. I’m exhausted anyway.”

  When we got back to the cottage, Carter let me use the bathroom first to get ready for bed since the half bath light was burnt out. After changing into my nightshirt, I grabbed a blanket from the closet and a pillow and took it to the couch.

  “What are you doing?” he asked.

  “I’ve decided that I’m taking the couch and I don’t want to hear a word about it. You drove all day and we have a very long drive tomorrow. So I want you to get a good night’s sleep.”

  “I don’t give a damn what you want, Zoey. I’m taking the couch. I thought we had an understanding.”

  “You thought we had an understanding, Mr. Grayson. I’m taking the couch. End of discussion.”

  He took a few steps closer to me and grabbed hold of the blanket in my hand. I pulled back and before I knew it, we were playing tug of war.

  “I’m taking the couch, Zoey.” He pulled harder. “And don’t take that tone with me.”

  “No, you’re not, and I will take any tone I please. From now on, I will treat you with the same respect you treat me!”

  He stopped pulling the blanket and his eyes burned into mine. He reached over and softly brushed his thumb over my lips. Shivers ran down my spine and my lips started to tremble. I swallowed hard, for I knew what was to come next. He leaned in and lightly pressed his mouth to mine. Our lips intertwined, and suddenly, everything bad about him seemed to have disappeared. Our kiss deepened and our tongues danced in excitement. A subtle moan escaped him as his hands slightly pushed up my nightshirt and planted themselves firmly on my ass, giving it a gentle squeeze.

  “I need sex, Zoey,” he whispered as he broke our kiss. “I need it desperately.”

  “Okay,” I softly spoke.

  “It means absolutely nothing. I need you to understand that.”

  “I do.”

  His mouth smashed into mine as he picked me up, carried me to the bedroom, and then set me down in front of the bed.

  Chapter 22

  Carter

  Seeing her in that red nightshirt with her hard nipples poking through the fabric sent me over the edge of sexual frustration. I needed to bury my cock inside her because I knew she could give me the stress relief and pleasure I needed.

  I stood in front of her as my fingers gripped the bottom of her nightshirt and I slowly pulled it over her head. Instantly, my cock stood tall, rock hard in a matter of seconds. I didn’t even need to touch her. Her perfect petite body and beauty was all I needed. She stood in front of me, her hourglass figure, perfect perky breasts, toned abdomen, and satin pink panties. I wrapped one hand around the nape of her neck as I softly kissed her lips, while my other hand went straight to her perfect C-cup breasts. A soft moan escaped her as I fondled her and took her hardened peaks between my fingers. Moving my hand down and around her waist, I gently lay her on the bed and let my tongue explore her neck. She tasted sweet and I couldn’t wait to see what she had to offer down below.

  While my lips explored her neck, my hand traveled down her torso and down the front of her panties. She was unbelievably wet already and my cock was throbbing with anticipation. As soon as I dipped a finger inside her, her hands tangled through my hair as she moaned with pleasure. I explored her insides, finding her G-spot, which threw her into a rapid orgasm. I couldn’t wait any longer to taste what was waiting for me.

  My tongue circled her breasts, paying attention to her hardened nipples as I took each one in my mouth. I took her arms and placed them over her head as I interlaced our fingers tightly together while I made my way down the rest of her body, until I reached her pussy. Letting go of her hands, I placed mine firmly on her hips. With my head between her legs, my mouth explored her. She gasped and moaned while her hands tangled through my hair. I couldn’t wait any longer. I needed to bury myself deep inside her. Standing up, I stripped out of my clothes and rolled on a condom. Hovering over her, I slowly placed the head of my cock at her opening, and in one thrust, I was inside. Her pussy greeted me with pleasure and the warmth that enveloped me was incredible. I moved slowly at first with gentle strokes, just to make sure I didn’t hurt her. My mouth was clamped around hers and her legs were wrapped tightly around my waist. I picked up the pace and the sensual sounds coming from her heightened. Placing one hand on the headboard and gripping it tight, I thrust in and out of her as the intensity of both our orgasms grew.

  “Fuck, you feel so good,” I moaned.

  Her legs tightened around me as she came and a warmth washed over my cock. One more pump and I halted, straining and moaning as I released every last drop of come I had inside me. I let go of the headboard and collapsed on top of her. Our hearts were rapidly beating as our breath struggled to get back to normal. Her arms tightened around me as I lay there and panic began to set in.

  Climbing off her, I went into the bathroom and disposed of the condom. Pulling on my underwear, I went to the living area and sat down on the couch.

  “Are you okay?” Zoey asked as she stood in the doorway of the bedroom holding the white sheet up against her.

  “I’m fine.” I placed my elbows on my knees and rubbed the back of my head. “We better get some sleep. Good night, Zoey,” I spoke as I lay down on the couch.

  “Sure. Good night, Mr. Grayson.”

  “Stop with the ‘Mr. Grayson.’ Just call me Carter.”

  She gave me a nod, turned around, and climbed into bed.

  Zoey

  I felt it, and so did he. I knew he did. I could sense it while we made love. Our souls connected and I felt as if I’d known him my whole life. My body still trembled and he was by far the best sex I’d ever experienced. This wouldn’t change anything and he proved it by going on the couch. I was a fool to think that we’d share the same bed, at least for tonight. He was different when we made love. I felt a tenderness inside him, and the darkness that drowned him was washed away for a short period of time. I needed to get some sleep, because come tomorrow, I would have to deal with the aftermath of what had just happened between us.

  I lay in the hospital bed, waiting for Dr. Benson to come back, wh
en I heard a boy crying behind the next curtain.

  “His leg is broken in three places. We’re going to have to do surgery and put some pins in. Are his parents here yet?”

  “They’re on their way, doctor.”

  “Sit tight. We’re going to get you prepped for surgery as soon as your parents get here.”

  “But it hurts!” the boy wailed.

  “I know it does. We’ll get you something for the pain.”

  As I lay there, staring at the curtain that separated us, the only thing I could hear were the cries that came from him. Getting up out of bed, I walked over to the curtain and peeked around it before approaching his bedside. He was in so much pain and agony. I felt this overwhelming need to touch him, and when I placed my hand on his, an electrical sensation tore through me.

  “You’re going to be okay. I promise,” I spoke.

  His teary eyes stared into mine. “Where did you come from?”

  “From the other side of the curtain. I know it hurts, but it won’t hurt for much longer,” I softly spoke. “What happened to you?”

  “I was driving with my best friend Andy and his mom when a truck hit us. Can you try to find my friend Andy?” the boy asked me. “They brought him and his mom in by ambulance.”

  I looked over and saw a boy standing in the corner staring at us. When the boy saw that I could see him, he spoke to me.

  “Tell him to stay cool and not give Miss Harper a hard time anymore.” He smiled. “Tell him that he was the best friend I ever had and he’s going to be okay. I have to go now. Please tell him.”

  “Oh my god, Carter!” a woman cried as she and a man came running into the room.

  I gasped as I jolted up in bed, my heart rapidly beating. It was him. The boy behind the curtain next to me, on that day, was Carter Grayson. I was drenched in sweat as I tried to calm my racing heart.

  “Are you okay?” Carter spoke as he turned on the light in the bedroom.

  “I’m fine. I’m sorry if I woke you.”

  “I was just in the bathroom and I heard you. Did you have a nightmare?”

  I stared at him as my racing heart began to calm down.

  “Something like that. I’m fine. Go back to sleep,” I spoke.

  He turned and went back on the couch. The feeling that I had when he touched me in his kitchen that one night was the same feeling as when I touched him for the first time in the hospital as a child. The same feeling I had never felt with anyone else before.

  I was restless the rest of the night, so I got up at the crack of dawn, quietly got dressed, and walked down to the beach. I stood there as the sun started to rise over the lake and mountains, still thinking about the dream I had last night. Only it wasn’t a dream, it was a memory from that day. We met that day when he was in excruciating pain, and then again, all these years later. He was still in pain, but this time, it was a different kind of pain.

  Chapter 23

  Carter

  I got up from the couch and noticed the cottage was quiet. Glancing over to the bedroom, I saw that Zoey wasn’t there or in the bathroom. Walking over to the window that provided a spectacular view of the lake, I saw her standing by the water with her hands tucked into the pockets of a light jacket she was wearing. She was probably overthinking what happened between us last night, even though I made it very clear that it meant nothing. I put on a sweatshirt, made two cups of coffee, and walked down to where she was standing.

  “Morning,” I spoke as I handed her a coffee cup.

  “Morning. Thank you. You missed the sunrise.”

  “I bet it was nice,” I spoke as I sipped my coffee.

  “It was incredible. Look at this view. All this nature and the mountains.”

  “I will admit it’s pretty. Do you want to talk about your nightmare last night?” I asked as I stared out at the lake.

  “No. It wasn’t even a nightmare. It was more of a memory from my childhood.”

  “It must have been a bad memory to make you react the way you did.”

  “It wasn’t bad. It was just something I had forgotten about. We need to do that.” She pointed out to a couple who was kayaking in the lake.

  “Why?” I asked.

  “So we can scatter Nora’s ashes.”

  “Why can’t we scatter them right here?”

  “Really?” She glanced over at me. “Are you just going to stand here and dump them all in one spot and risk them getting blown on shore? If we take a kayak out far enough, we can scatter them where it’s nothing but water.”

  I sighed. “We really need to get on the road to Sedona. Have you forgotten how long of a drive it is?”

  “No, I haven’t. But do you really want to do this half-assed?” Her brow raised.

  “I’ll go shower and then we can head to the lobby to find out where we can rent one. But we’re going to need to hurry because it’s already seven thirty. I want to be on the road by nine.”

  After I quickly showered and got dressed, Zoey and I took our bags to the lobby and had the desk hold them for us until after our little kayaking adventure. We walked out to the back of the hotel and down the beach, where we found the rental place.

  “Do you want our all-day rental?” the guy behind the counter asked.

  “No. We’ll only be out there about a half hour.”

  “Oh.” He looked at me strangely.

  After I paid and signed the paperwork, I asked Zoey, “You do know how to kayak, right?”

  “How hard can it be?”

  “You’ve never done this before?” I asked with irritation.

  “No.”

  “For fuck sakes.” I shook my head and sighed. “You’ll sit in the front and I’ll sit in the back. All you have to do is paddle from side to side and we need to do it in unison. Understand?”

  “Okay. No problem.”

  We climbed into the kayak and began paddling out.

  “Like this?” Zoey asked from up front.

  “Yes. Just like that.”

  Before long, Zoey was out of unison and our paddles were clashing.

  “Zoey!” I shouted.

  “Sorry.”

  A small smile crossed my face as I watched her from behind.

  Once we were far enough out, we stopped paddling and I opened the backpack I had stored in the kayak. Taking out urn number one, I held it in my hands, finding it difficult to move.

  “It’s okay, Carter. This is what she wanted,” Zoey spoke.

  “I know. Just give me a second.”

  I took in a deep breath and tipped the urn so it was over the water.

  “Paddle, Zoey,” I spoke.

  She did as I asked, and as the kayak started to slowly move, a light wind swept over not only us, but also Nora’s ashes and spread them over parts of the lake.

  “Rest in peace, baby sister,” I whispered.

  Zoey

  I smiled as I looked a few feet in front of the kayak and saw Nora standing on the water. I turned and glanced at Carter as he sat there and held the urn.

  “Do you think she’s happy?” he asked.

  “Yes. I do,” I replied.

  He stared at me, and to my surprise, a small smile crossed his lips. It was in that moment that a tiny piece of the darkness that shrouded him began to fade. I turned and looked at Nora, who was still standing there.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  I smiled as she faded into the distance.

  “I think we should head back and get on the road,” Carter spoke.

  “Sounds like a plan.”

  We both picked up our paddles and began paddling back to shore. By time we returned the kayak, grabbed our bags from the hotel, and loaded the SUV, it was nine thirty. As soon as we both climbed in and shut the door, Carter sat there with his hands gripping the steering wheel.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  He slowly turned his head and looked at me.

  “I don’t know. I just have this weird feeling that maybe we should
go back inside the hotel and eat breakfast before we leave.”

  “We’re already a half hour behind,” I spoke.

  “I’m aware of that, Zoey.”

  “Then let’s go. I’m starving.”

  We climbed out of the SUV and went inside to the Sierra Café.

  “Table for two,” Carter spoke to the hostess.

  We followed her to our table, took our seats, and looked over the breakfast menu. After placing our order, I wrapped my hands around the white coffee cup and stared at Carter while he made a phone call to his office. He was so handsome and I couldn’t stop thinking about what happened last night. No one had ever made me feel the way he did in those moments and it scared me. It scared me because I knew, in some way, we belonged together and that was something he’d never see. Not until he put closure on Angelique and his baby’s death.

  Chapter 24

  Carter

  Shortly after I hung up with Ross, our food came and I told Zoey we needed to eat quickly so we could get on the road and head to Sedona. I was worried about the time, so I called the Enchantment Resort, explained our situation, and ended up booking another night just in case. Zoey sat across from me and her eyes burned brightly into mine.

  “What?” I asked.

  “I’m just wondering how you’re doing, that’s all. I know it’s hard to scatter Nora’s ashes.”

  “I’m doing fine. I really have no choice. Do I?”

  “If you want to talk about it—”

  “Dammit, Zoey. I don’t want to talk about it. Why the fuck are you always trying to get me to open up? It’s not who I am, so leave it alone,” I spoke a little too loud and the two old ladies at the next table looked over at us.

  “Okay,” she softly spoke and continued to eat her breakfast.

  The rest of the time spent at the café was quiet. I had pissed Zoey off. I could tell because she wouldn’t look at me. But she needed to understand that I wouldn’t or never would talk about anything. As soon as I paid the bill, we climbed into the SUV and headed to Sedona. We were about five miles in when suddenly we hit a traffic jam.