Carter Reed

They can control him better that way, if they still need him.”
    A savage curse came out, but Carter couldn’t do anything about that. He repeated instead, “We go to Chicago tomorrow.”
    Gene never questioned him again.
    “And call Noah. I don’t want her going to New York. It’s not safe.”
    Two of his other men had pulled up on motorcycles. He gestured for one to step off, and he climbed on. He turned the bike around and went home.

The car sped into the basement, and Mike carried me through a door. It opened to the gym, and we kept going until we were in the kitchen. After he sat me down in the middle of the room, he swept it. Four more men followed and they went in opposite directions. They were checking the perimeter.
    I couldn’t form a thought, much less a decision, so I stayed and swayed on my feet.
    “Clear.”
    “Clear.”
    “Clear.”
    “Clear.”
    “Clear.”
    I glanced around the kitchen and croaked out, “Clear in here.”
    Someone laughed somewhere in the building, but all seemed quiet as they filtered down to the kitchen area. Nope, only three of them did. Two were missing.
    Mike said, “They took point outside your elevator.”
    Oh. Of course. The elevator. Couldn’t forget the elevator.
    “Emma.”
    I turned. It was Mike speaking to me. Why was he the only one that ever spoke to me?
    He gestured towards a stool that one of the other guys pulled out. “You look like you’re going to fall down.”
    Oh. Then I swayed a bit more until the guy behind the chair took my arm and guided me into it. He pushed me up to the counter and I lifted my hands to rest on it.
    “She has a gun?!”
    The men whirled around, but it was Carter. He stood in the open door from the gym, and he was pissed. He rounded on Mike and pointed to the counter. “She has a gun?!”
    He looked at a loss.
    I sighed in relief. He was here. He was alive. He was furious, but damn he was hot. I couldn’t stop a blush from forming at my thoughts. Images flashed in my mind of us on the bed, in the car, on this counter. Yep. I bobbed my head in a nod to myself. I was in shock. I must’ve been because all I wanted to do was jump Carter. I didn’t want to think about those gun shots or the bodies we left behind, nope. Sex seemed like a better distraction to me.
    “Emma?” Carter had come closer. He tipped my head up to his. “Where did you get the gun from?”
    “The guy you shot.”
    He frowned.
    “His gun slid under the car and I reached to get it. I wanted to help.”
    He softened and placed a tender kiss to my lips. He murmured against them, “Leave the gun. Go take a shower.”
    I stayed. It wasn’t to make a statement, I just didn’t think my legs could work.
    “Please, Emma.”
    I nodded. “I can’t walk.”
    One of the men snickered again.
    Carter shot him a dark look but slid his hands underneath my legs. He lifted me from the chair and my legs wrapped around his waist. Apparently, they worked enough to do that. When he turned and left the kitchen, I laid my head on his shoulder. This felt good. This felt like home. As he took us both to his bathroom, he set me back down on the ground. I stood there, motionless, as he opened the glass door to his shower. He padded inside what was more an entire shower room and tested the water until it was warm enough. Steam started to fill the room as he came back to me.
    His eyes never left me. There was so much sadness in them. I touched his lips and sighed.
    “What is it?” His voice had grown hoarse.
    I shook my head. “All that bad stuff happened, but all I care about is being with you.”
    “Emma,” he groaned.
    “You killed more men tonight.”
    He dropped his forehead so it rested on mine. His breath caressed my skin. “I did.”
    My hand went to his chest where I felt his heart. It was strong, beating fast. “You were protecting me.”
    “Emma, if you don’t want this to go any further, you have to stop now.”
    I looked up. I didn’t say a word. He was giving me an out, but I didn’t want it. I couldn’t, not anymore. All I wanted was to be with him.
    He saw my answer and his eyes darkened.
    I held my breath as he stepped back and slid his hands underneath my dress. As his hands slid up, against my skin, he lifted it over my head. I raised my arms so it cleared my head and then he tossed it aside. My bra went next. With my breasts freed, he cupped one in his hand, his thumb rubbing over the tip. My heart was beating so fast. The ache for him