One kind touch, p.14
One Kind Touch, page 14
Me? Never!
LOL. Glad you guys are having fun.
So much! And I’m told you’ll be having fun with Carter tonight. Happy for you.
Thanks. She wondered... Do you know where he’s taking me?
☺
Jerk! You do! TELL ME!
No can do, little sister. I was sworn to secrecy... but...
But WHAT???
You’ll love where he’s taking you. Later.
Dena chewed on her bottom lip as she shed her coat and headed upstairs to her bedroom. All she knew was a sexy black dress was required and that she’d love where Carter was taking her. That wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy her curiosity, but she was determined to have an awesome time tonight.
Which would be easy with Carter as her date.
****
Carter wanted to personally thank the designers of the dress Dena wore. It had looked pretty wonderful on the online model when she’d been ordering it, but Dena had a way of taking that simple black dress to a whole new level of sexy. The cut-out shoulders offered a peek at her smooth skin and the form-fitting material showcased every lovely curve Dena owned. Her legs were incredibly long and Carter wanted to kiss his way from her thigh down to the chunky-heeled ankle boots adorning her feet.
She was a vision. One Carter would burn into his memory bank so he could pull it out whenever he wanted. Which would be often. So often.
When she’d answered the door at her house, he’d nearly swallowed his tongue. “Oh, baby,” he’d whispered. “Beautiful isn’t a strong enough word for how amazing you look tonight.”
Her cheeks had flamed and he’d almost suggested they stay in. All he’d wanted to do was peel that dress from her body, leave it in a heap on the floor, and give her head-to-toe attention all night long.
Dena deserved a real date though. And there would be time for all-night-long activities later.
“You’re really not going to tell me where we’re going? Even now?” She leaned toward him in the car, her arm pressing against his on the console between them.
He kept his eyes on the road—no small feat considering the view beside him was breathtaking. “No, miss, I am not going to tell you. You’ve waited this long.”
“Exactly,” she said, huffing out a breath. “I’ve waited this long. C’mon.” The slight whining in her voice almost made him spill the beans, but he pretended to zip his lips closed instead.
“Don’t you like the mystery? The anticipation?” He took the exit ramp to Cheshire, a neighboring town to Maplehaven.
She clamped her hand onto his bicep. “No, I don’t. I want to know!”
“You’ll know in like ten minutes.”
“Really? We’re that close?”
“We are.”
“Hmm...” She peered out the windows, but at this hour it was dark. Nothing much to see.
“Don’t try to puzzle it out, Dena.” He made a left turn. “Just enjoy the adventure.”
“Oh, okay.” She folded her arms across her chest, her wool coat bunching up when she did so.
Carter couldn’t wait for that coat to come off so he could see more of that killer dress. A tiny part of his brain recognized that other people would see that killer dress too once they got to their destination and she removed her coat. He wasn’t wild about that because she would turn heads with her looks. Male heads. Carter didn’t feel jealous often, but he was fairly certain it was going to be the natural reaction to other males appreciating her beauty. If they were truly going to do this relationship thing, however, he’d have to get accustomed to his knockout girlfriend drawing attention with her loveliness. He didn’t have to like it, but he did have to manage it.
He’d never worried about men looking at his previous girlfriends. Probably because he’d always known those chicks weren’t long-term fixtures in his life. He’d had fun with them, maybe had genuine feelings for some of them, but no one had ever wormed her way into his heart quite like Dena had.
He liked having her there. In his heart.
Finally, he made the last turn into a busy parking lot and instantly Dena sat up straighter in her seat, her hands going to the dashboard.
“You did not.” She turned to look at him, the whites of her eyes nearly glowing in the dim interior of the car.
“I did.”
She let out a squeal. “I’ve wanted to come here since it opened! How did you know?”
Carter pulled into a parking spot and shut off the engine. “You mentioned it once.”
“And you remembered?” She squeezed his forearm, her excitement another entity in the car with them.
He put a finger under her chin, tipping her head up a bit. “I remember everything when it comes to you, beautiful.”
“And here I thought you just liked making out with me.”
“I’m hoping this entire evening will earn me more make out sessions.” He lowered his mouth to hers and took the taste he’d wanted on the entire drive to Cheshire. “Naked make out sessions.”
She slid her hand to the back of his neck and scratched her nails up into his hair, which he’d done his best to tame tonight. “Naked make out sessions are pretty much guaranteed when it comes to you, Carter.”
He leaned forward so his forehead touched hers. “Why did we wait so long to get to this point?”
“We weren’t ready for each other yet.”
He could agree with that. He’d needed to get his head clear, settle in Maplehaven after moving, and maybe grow up a bit. When you spent most of your days locked in the world of video games, adulting often took a back seat. He took care of himself and that was pretty much it. Dena made him want to change that though. He wanted to take care of her too.
“We’re ready now,” he said.
“We’ll be especially ready after going in there.” She pointed to the building in front of them. “C’mon.”
They exited the car and met at the front of the vehicle. Dena immediately looped her arm with his and he tucked her in close, which was where he planned to keep her for the duration of this date. Close.
When they reached the building, Carter opened the door and energetic dance music greeted them. Beyond was a restaurant and dance club... in a planetarium.
“Oh my God!” Dena did a little jump beside him. “This place is so cool!”
Carter couldn’t argue with her assessment. Just the line to get into the dance area was impressive. Gorgeous pictures of space on high definition screens made to look like portholes on a spacecraft adorned the walls. They were greeted with an array of nebula, planets, asteroids, and other space stuff as they walked deeper into the club. Each image was more stunning than the one before it.
The floor glittered like some foreign mineral mined from an unknown planet in a faraway galaxy. Carter had the urge to get down on his hands and knees to inspect the material, but he refrained, figuring Dena wouldn’t approve of her date crawling around on the ground.
“Clearly I need to redecorate my cottage,” he said as he stood behind Dena.
She leaned back and rested her head on his shoulder. “Clearly. I’ll be disappointed if it doesn’t look like this the next time I come over.”
He removed her coat to check along with his, unable to resist pressing a light kiss to her exposed shoulder. “This is a convenient dress.”
“Easy to rip off in a hurry also.”
“Good to know.”
He gave his name to the hostess and soon they were led to the dining area which was quieter. The dance music changed to light instrumentals with a space odyssey flavor conducive to conversation and... digestion? Carter wondered what kind of science had been consulted in designing this place.
And are they looking to hire? He would have loved being involved in the designing of such an out-of-the-box setting.
The floor in the restaurant was constructed to look like the surface of the moon, craters and all. High up on the domed, black ceiling, a blue-green-white Earth oversaw everything.
“Didn’t think I’d be dining on the moon tonight,” Dena said as another hostess seated them at a small table right under Earth.
Carter sat after she did. “Who knows how to do a real date?” He arrowed his thumbs at himself. “This guy. That’s who.”
“And you managed to keep it a secret too.” She applauded. “Most impressive, Mr. Bennett.”
“Wait until you see my dance moves.” He did a quick series of robot moves, making Dena laugh.
“If you dance like that out there, I’m wandering off.”
“I’ll find you.”
She stuck her tongue out at him and Carter wanted to vault over the table and put that tongue to use. The waitress approaching caused him to stop, but he kept thinking about kissing her. He did his best to focus on ordering drinks then perused the menu.
“I love the names of some of these entrées,” Dena said. “Valmucian veal, Sinselltia shrimp... I really feel as if we’re exploring the galaxy.”
“I took you to the stars, beautiful.”
“Noted and appreciated.” She peered at him over her menu. “I needed a night like this and I’m so happy it’s a night with you.”
“Aw, gosh.” He gave her a bashful expression, but in reality, he ate up her words. Knowing she was happy to be with him filled his heart to overflowing. When he’d watched Leah with Dakota, he’d wished he’d had a fraction of the magic that existed between the two of them.
He no longer had to wish nor did he have to settle for a fraction. He was getting the real deal here. He could feel it and he intended to keep it, grow it, enjoy it. Putting a smile on Dena’s face gave him real purpose. Sure, his fans loved his video games and he was making good money doing something he loved, but having Dena in his life—the way they’d had each other this week—added something that had been missing. Losing his parents then losing Chase had carved out a big piece of him. Finding Dena was spackling that hole and turning him into something new. Something better.
When their drinks came, Carter held up his wine glass. “To a real date.”
Dena raised her glass. “One with all the trimmings.” She gave him a wink then clinked her glass to his.
“Oh, I do love trimmings.”
“It’s possible I bought something sexy for the trimmings part of the evening.” Dena took a sip of her wine.
Carter coughed on his drink. “Something sexy? Details, please.”
Dena shook her head. “I seem to recall someone not telling me that we were coming here tonight. You had your surprises. I have mine.”
“I suppose that’s fair.” Carter set down his glass, intent on making it his only glass of wine tonight. “I don’t like it, but it’s fair.”
“You really are the most patient man I’ve ever met.”
He stretched his legs out and captured her ankles with his under the table. “Some things are worth waiting for.”
“Trust me. This something sexy is totally worth waiting for.”
Carter pumped his fist in the air a little. “Yes.”
They ordered their food and after totally stuffing themselves, Carter led her to the dance area, which was huge. An enormous domed ceiling hung over the dance floor, flashing images of the night sky. Every once and a while, shooting stars would zip across the blackness above. Music came at them from speakers around the perimeter of the dome, causing a total immersion in the vibrations, the pulsing, the heartbeat of the club. It’d be hard to dance anywhere else after experiencing Beyond.
Carter loved every minute of dancing with Dena while the stars looked on overhead. Though other dancers crowded around them, he was able to concentrate on the magnificent woman in his arms. The way she moved was hypnotic and having his hands on her hips as she swayed and wiggled to the beat made him happy to be alive. He’d often gone dancing in New York and many times it’d been on dates, but this... this was different.
He and Dena were in sync in their steps, as if their bodies had been made for this purpose. She fit against him perfectly and each time her body brushed against his, he became more connected to her. They moved as one entity and it didn’t matter if it was a fast song or a slow one. Every tune brought Carter to a new level of desiring Dena.
“Promise we’ll come here again,” Dena said over the music, her arms looping around Carter’s neck as she gyrated against him.
He leaned down, his mouth right at her ear. “You keep dancing like this against me and I’ll promise you absolutely anything you want.”
She lifted her right leg enough that her knee caressed his balls. “There’s only one thing I want.” Rising up on her toes, she squeezed him closer and pressed her lips to his.
Carter was rock hard from dancing with Dena, but that kiss made any remaining blood in his body shoot to one area. He actually felt a little lightheaded so when she broke the kiss and tugged him off the dance floor, he didn’t protest.
She led him to a quieter corner then turned to face him, her cheeks flushed from dancing. God, she was the most beautiful thing in the world right now with all those brown waves cascading about her shoulders and those hazel eyes gazing up at him.
“I love it here,” she said, “and taking me here was the best surprise, but I want the rest of the night to be just me and you. I want the rest of the night to begin now.”
“Don’t have to ask me twice, beautiful. Let’s get out of here.” He grabbed her hand and power-walked to the coat room, not wanting to waste a moment of the desire burning in her eyes.
They retrieved their coats, donning them as they walked toward the exit.
“Hope your time was out of this world,” an employee said as they passed.
“It was stellar,” Carter replied, giving the woman a smile. “Thank you.” Now get out of my way.
He was a man on a mission—a mission to get his lovely Dena home. And naked.
Chapter Ten
“Mind if I make a quick bathroom stop?” Dena pointed to the restroom sign down a hallway before the exit.
“Not at all.”
“Thanks. I’ll be quick.” She hustled down the hallway and pushed open the door to the women’s restroom. She darted into the first stall, not wanting to keep Carter waiting. Eagerness filled her as she thought about what they’d do once they got back to her house. She’d pretty much wanted to engage in some naked activities from the moment Carter had shown up at her door.
Carter. She sighed aloud as she used the toilet. When she’d opened her front door earlier this evening and found Carter there, dressed in black dress pants, a hunter green button-down shirt, and a black and gray sports coat, she’d instantly wanted all those pieces of clothing to vanish. She wanted the man standing before her in nothing but what his maker had given him.
That’s next on the night’s agenda. She just had to finish up in the bathroom and they’d be on their way to her house where they’d be shouting each other’s names in no time.
Dena washed her hands, did a quick finger-comb of her hair, and applied a fresh coat of lip gloss before coming back out to find Carter. The hallway was less crowded than when she’d first come into the restroom, but a few people still littered the area.
She glanced down the hallway to see Carter leaning against a column. He wasn’t aware she was watching him and it was a fun game to witness him pulling his glasses off, wiping the lenses on his shirt, and putting them back on the bridge of his nose. He did a breath check by puffing some air into his palm then smelling it and Dena had to contain her laughter. He had nothing to worry about. He had a taste to him that was all vintage Carter Bennett—a taste she’d committed to memory after their first kiss all those months ago.
A kiss she had definitely become addicted to, especially after this week. After making love with him.
She took a step, wanting to be by his side again more than anywhere else in the world. As she made her way down the hallway, however, a tall man coming out of the men’s restroom turned toward her instead of toward the exit. In a matter of a second, she found herself being pushed backward by the man.
“Excuse me,” she said, thinking the man had made a wrong turn and hadn’t seen her.
When he didn’t get out of her way but grabbed her wrist instead, real panic surged through her.
“Let go of me!” She pounded her fist against his arm, but his grip didn’t loosen. Her heartbeat boomed in her ears and her vision got spotty.
Not again. She had trouble swallowing. An all-over sweat coated her body.
“Tim!” A female’s voice cut through Dena’s terror. “Tim!”
Suddenly, Tim lurched forward, falling and pulling Dena to the ground. She ended up trapped beneath him and a scream tore out of her.
Tim was lifted off her and Dena’s eyes connected with Carter’s. He rolled Tim to the ground beside her and ripped open the guy’s coat. A woman about her age skidded to a stop beside Carter and fell to her knees.
“Oh, God... he’s not... tell me he’s not dead...” the woman croaked, tears streaming down her face.
“No,” Carter said after feeling Tim’s neck. “He’s got a pulse. I called 911. Does he have a medical condition?”
The woman nodded as Dena scooched out of the way and leaned against the wall opposite Tim’s prone body. She couldn’t catch her breath. All she could do was think about Tim’s hand gripping her wrist.
About Gary holding that knife to her. Cutting into her. Making her bleed.
Her logical mind registered that Tim had actually had some kind of episode. That he’d been clamping onto her to ask for help, not to harm her. Her emotions, however, were certain Tim had been attacking her, intending on finishing what Gary had started in that parking garage in Rhode Island.
Personnel from the club rushed into the hallway, clearing out onlookers and making way for EMTs that would be on the way, all while Dena sat with her knees up at her chest, her arms wrapped around her legs. She tried her best to stop trembling, but her body had taken over.
“Dena.” Carter’s voice was tinny, far away. When he put his hand on her knee, she let out a yell and skittered away from him. He held his hands up, a look of pure anguish on his handsome face. “Easy, beautiful. It’s just me. Tim wasn’t going to hurt you. Neither am I.”
