Carter Reed(54)

I chuckled and swatted her on the booty. “Go for it, Theresa. Show him who’s the man.”

“I’m the man.”

“Go tell him that.”

Her smile was dazzling and she embraced me, holding me tight for a second. “Thank you, Emma. I’m so glad that I’ve gotten to know you. You have no idea. I don’t make friends that easily and we clicked so well right off the bat.”

I hugged her back, patting her at the same time. “Me too.” But as she pulled away with an excited bounce in her step and joined Noah on the private dance floor, I lost the slight enjoyment I had for the evening. I had other friends. Two of them were very near and dear to my heart and I had abandoned them.

“What’s wrong?”

I whirled around, and there was Carter. He was dressed in a black sweatshirt with a black shirt underneath. His pants were black as well. I had never been one to critique his wardrobe, but I knew enough to know that he hadn’t come from the office. My throat had gone dry. “Where were you?”

His eyes switched from concern to an intense perusal.

I flinched underneath his scrutiny now, knowing he was doing what he always did. He was searching inside of me, trying to read what was wrong with me. His head tilted to the side, his wolf eyes narrowed with thoughtfulness, and his lips thinned. “You’re mad I didn’t come to you?”

His hand reached for my arm, but I flicked it away. “I’m disappointed you didn’t come to me. I’m mad because there are some things we need to discuss, things you’ve been keeping from me.”

He stepped close to me, enough so he brushed against me and didn’t move back. His hand circled to rest on my back, urging me even closer to him. A dizzying wave swept over me. It was always like this, the second he came into contact with me. Lust, pleasure, and so many other emotions blinded me until I only felt one emotion. Need. It was overtaking me again and my eyes closed when I felt his head bend towards mine. His lips brushed over mine, so softly, as he murmured, “I’m sure there are, but right now,” his hand cupped the back of my neck, “we’re here to celebrate you and your promotion.”

My body melted into his. “I haven’t been told the official news.”

His lips pressed against my mouth, taking my breath away. His hand found mine. He interlaced our fingers before he whispered against my lips, “Then let’s make it official.” He turned to the dance floor and called, “Noah.”

“Yeah?” He was leading Theresa inside by her hand. Both looked as if they’d thoroughly been kissed. When my eyes caught hers, she gave me a sloppy smile that told me two things. One, she was happy and two, she was indeed drunk.

Carter curved an arm around my back and pulled me close. He held a hand out—a drink immediately appeared in it thanks to an efficient employee—and he handed it to me before a second one appeared. He held that one in the air. “To a great new product for The Richmond Hotel and to Emma, who received news today…” He lingered as he gave Noah a pointed look.

“Oh, yeah.” Noah lifted his drink higher. “You’ve been promoted, Emma, but these two already broke the news. Congratulations! You’re now the Head of Project Promotions and you’re partnering with the Head of Innovative Projects right here.” His arm squeezed around Theresa. “Congratulations to you both.”

Theresa giggled as she raised her drink. “Congratulations to both of us!”

“Thanks, guys.” I watched as Theresa and Noah clinked their glasses together before taking a sip. She reached up for a kiss, but he batted her away. When her lips formed into a pout, he frowned, but yanked her back out onto the dance floor for privacy.

Carter and I watched through the glass walls as they kissed in celebration.

I chuckled, “Do they know we can see them?”

Carter pulled me to face him and bent his head down. His lips lingered on the base of my neck as he murmured, “I don’t care. As long as we have some privacy.” His hands gripped my hips, and he held me against him, anchored in place as his lips started to explore my neck.

I closed my eyes as a feeling settled in my gut. It wasn’t one that I was used to, but it wasn’t one that I would reject. It was peace. In his arms, surrounded by two new friends, I was happy.

Carter stayed by my side most of the time. He left for phone calls or when an employee would poke their head inside the office, but for the most part it was just the four of us. Noah’s sister came a few hours later. She was a slim girl with platinum hair and twinkling blue eyes. There was a kinship between her and Theresa. As I watched them laugh together, their years of history were obvious and a small prick of envy came to me. When I watched the younger girl interact with her brother, that envy grew into jealousy.

I missed AJ. I missed the hugs. I missed the hair tussles. I missed how he told me what to do and I would ignore him. And I missed the time we never got. AJ died so long ago that I rarely thought of him, but I did that evening. When a few tears came to me, I let them fall freely. They were healing tears, ones that I wasn’t embarrassed to show.

Theresa mouthed to me across the room, “Are you okay?”

I nodded. I was. I really was.

Carter returned from another call and saw everything. He took my hand, pulling me into one of the back bedrooms. When he flipped a switch, the lighting was soft and low, but I saw that it wasn’t a bedroom. Two large couches were set up along with a sectional in the other corner. The wall was covered with a large flat-screen television. He turned it on, but muted the sound. It was of the club downstairs. Every minute the screen would change to another room in Octave.