Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

Carter

I wake up to the feeling of Lacey's soft body pressed against mine. The morning light streams through the window. It casts a warm light over her naked form. She's so perfect. I can't help but reach out and run my fingers through her hair as she stirs.

"Morning," she murmurs, her voice husky with sleep. She stretches, arching her back and pressing her breasts into my chest. I can't help but let out a low growl.

"Morning, baby."

She smiles. "Sometimes, I think that morning is your favorite time of day."

"You have no idea," I respond, my pleasure evident as I press hard against her and capture her lips with mine. Lacey moves closer, her long hair cascading over my chest. I move my hands slowly, inching down her back until they reach her slender waist. She shivers from my touch and presses closer into me, her softness a welcome feeling to start the day.

Heat flares between us as tension builds. She presses her smiling lips against my mouth. "I don't think you need coffee this morning to wake up."

"You should be scared," I counter. I roll over on my back, pulling Lacey with me. Her hips writhe against mine.

She takes my hands and places them on her breasts. I squeeze them gently and she moans.

Our lips meet, devouring each other as our bodies fuse together. I can feel every inch of her that's pressed against me. My senses rachet into overdrive. Lacey's breath hitches in my ear and I know that this isn't just about pleasure. We have something much deeper than that. Something we've been building toward for a long time.

A sudden movement catches my eye and I catch our reflection in the mirror across the room. The same mirror where I fixed my hair on hot summer nights hoping to catch the eye of a pretty girl to hang out with on the Boardwalk for a summer night. But the girl in my arms is all I've ever dreamed. All I've ever wanted.

Our bodies twist and turn in a passionate embrace and I press my throbbing heat into her warm softness. She cradles my aching erection. We grind together, building the anticipation of our release, and I watch with pleasure as Lacey loses herself in the heat of lust. Her eyes drift closed. Her cheeks flush.

With a growl, I push into her. A moan of excitement falls from her lips as my pace increases, my desire for her birthing an animalistic need to claim her. Mark her.

Her sex tightens as an orgasm ripples through her body accompanied by a cry. It's the catalyst needed for my release to rip free, reminding me that, though she hasn't yet said yes, she's mine.

As I inhale a deep breath, I set my half-empty Corona on the wooden porch railing. The sun is setting and, though I can't see it dipping below the horizon, the sky casts a warm glow over the beach.

"Marisol's been doing this longer than me."

I look over at my brother. "What brought this on?"

"Nothing but, it's obvious you don't like her. There are things about her I don't like but tolerate."

"I don't have to tolerate her. Therein lies the difference. It sounds like she matters to you. She doesn't to me."

"I work hard, Carter. I know you don't think so, but it's work. What I do, how I eat, sleep, workout ... all of it means dollars in my bank account. She took off with little effort."

I shrug. "Maybe she slept her way to where she is now."

"Part of me wonders if that's true but then, part of me wonders if it was her exotic looks. Whatever it is, I'm nice to her because I have to work with her."

I look over at my brother and see a hint of insecurity. As the baby in the family, he always got a hefty dose of attention. If his confidence takes a hit, it isn't because he lacked security and protection. "One of the things I've always admired about you is your tenacity. You tell yourself you can do something and, damn, if you don't do it and make it easy. You've always done that. Sports. Building stuff. Girls. I've never seen you fail."

His brow quirks. "I have. I guess I just don't focus on the failures. I have this need inside to reach higher and do better."

"Well, she ain't it." The statement falls like a brick.

Mom comes up onto the porch and Declan jumps up to grab her bags. "Did you have a good time?"

"It was ... interesting."

He follows her into the house just as Lacey returns. I look up at her. "What about you? Did you have a good time?"

"She was the epitome of a diva."

"Can't say I'm surprised." Lacey sits beside me, occupying the seat Declan vacated.

"Not much bothers me, Carter. I tried to give her the benefit of the doubt. Her manicured nails and designer bag didn't bother me one bit but, today ..."

She stops and I look over at her. Her expression causes me to frown, and I reach inside the little cooler beside me and fish out a beer. I place the wet bottle on the arm of the chair and twist the top off. Lacey takes a sip before continuing.

"She complained about the stores. The staff wasn't helpful enough. At the restaurant, the food wasn't up to her standards. Your mom and I wandered through the rest of the afternoon while Marisol grumbled about having to walk so much in her heels. That woman wore a pinched expression nearly all day."

"I can only guess who we are talking about," Declan interjects and takes a seat beside Lacey. "Give me one of those." He points at Lacey's bottle. I grab another from the cooler and pass it across Lacey, the icy water dripping onto her lap. She brushes it off.

"How you can like that woman is beyond me." She shifts her gaze forward. "Her ego ... Jesus. I've never met someone so full of herself."

"She's okay with me."

"Well, she wasn't okay today. She was rude to me. She was rude to your mother." She pauses for another sip, collecting her thoughts, and the three of us sit in silence for a moment. "Her clothes might be impeccable and her accessories on point, but that woman has a dark heart. You might want to keep your distance."

"I can't do that."

"Well, you should."

The tension between them is infectious and a defiant, irritable feeling seeps into my bones.

"Look, I don't know that side of Marisol. She doesn't act like that with me. We work together. Clients love the pair of us, and, because of that, I've made more money in the last couple of years than my mom made in, practically, all her life. I won't jeopardize that, but I also don't want her talking like that to Mom. I'll talk to her."

"She's a nightmare."

"I can see how she could make your day miserable, especially if she behaved the way you say."

I tense up. I don't like the idea of that woman ruining Lacey's—and my mother's—day. My teeth clench and my jaw tightens. "I don't want her around the rest of the week."

"Neither do I," Lacey agrees. "I don't like the way she acted today and, sorry, Dec, but I just can't see her walking up the boardwalk with us in those heels— or eating caramel popcorn or getting ice cream—any of the things that Carter tells me are his favorite things about vacation. I mean seriously ..." She turns to Declan. "Can you just imagine her reaction if a seagull shit on her? The woman would have a coronary."

I watch my brother, ready to pounce if he so much as raises his voice. Declan stares at me, then smiles.

"To tell you the truth, the visual of that just popped into my head."

My anger instantly abates as an image of the same scenario enters my thoughts as well. I savor the moment and my stiffened spine relaxes back into the chair. "I think I'd pay to see that."