“Make sure the door is locked when you leave, eh?”

Macie rolled up the picture and carefully inserted it in a cardboard paper towel tube so it wouldn’t get crushed in her backpack. She slammed the back door and rounded the side of the brick building, her guilty footsteps loud in the gravel and the muted night air.

She was so lost in thought that she didn’t notice him until she’d reached her vehicle.

Carter lounged against the passenger door, his cowboy hat pushed back off his forehead. His arms were folded over his broad chest; his legs were crossed at his ankles.

If she hadn’t focused on his eyes, she’d bristle at his defensive posture. But there wasn’t a defensive, macho, self-righteous glint there—just wariness.

Or was it hope?

What if was she projecting what was in her eyes into his?

Did it matter?

No.

“He came lookin’ for you tonight.”

She set her backpack on the ground and launched herself at him before she ruined the moment with what-ifs.

Chapter Eighteen

Carter caught her with a grunt that morphed into a laugh after she squeezed him tight and knocked his hat off.

“Hey, hey. What’s all this?”

She scattered kisses on his face. “My way of saying I missed you, dumbass.”

“Ah. By all means, darlin’, keep up with the sweet-talkin’. I’m hopin’ it’ll lead to dirty talk.”

“Thanks for drawing me that picture. Sorry I was a jerk.”

“Apology accepted. Just so you know…I have been workin’. Time got away from me and before I knew it, I realized I hadn’t seen the real you in a week.”

She pulled back to look at him. “The real me?”

“I’ve been paintin’ pictures of you. But retouching you on canvas ain’t nothin’ like touchin’ you in the flesh.” His frustrated growl was a balm to her pride. “Jesus, Macie, enough talkin’. Kiss me already.”

Her mouth trapped his. She forced her tongue between his warm lips and poured herself into him. A hot, drawn-out opened-mouthed kiss that left her wet with need, and had him grinding his hard cock into the soft notch between her thighs.

“The things you do to me make me think of all the nasty things I wanna do to you.”

Carter scraped his teeth down her throat. “I ain’t feelin’ very gentlemanly. I want to fuck you right fuckin’ now. I don’t think I can wait until we find the closest bed.” He growled,

“How daring are you feelin’?”

“Not very. But you make me want to be daring.”

“That’s music to my ears.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Ever done it on the hood of a car?”

She’d never done it in a car. She imagined hot metal on her back; hot man on her front. Whoo-ee. She could be down with that. “Do you have a condom?”

“Sweet darlin’, I’ve got a whole pocketful.”

Chills broke out across every inch of her flesh as he nibbled her neck. She moaned.

Loudly. “Like that, do you?”

“Yes. Your mouth feels like liquid fire.”

“Funny. That’s the way my cock feels too.”

Laughing, Macie pushed away. “You gonna take off your pants before the crotch catches fire? Before you get in my car?”

“Oh, so Miz Daring decides we’re doin’ this in the car, as opposed to against it?”

“Yep.”

“Works for me.” Carter kept his eyes on hers as he kicked off his boots and shucked off his Wranglers. His cock bobbed against his bellybutton and he grinned at her wide-eyed expression. “Commando all the way for you, darlin’. Your turn. Strip.”

Macie had changed out of her ugly polyester uniform before clocking out, but she hoped her skin didn’t reek like grease. In a flash her denim shorts and her panties were at her feet and her T-shirt dangled from the hood.

“Bra too.”

“Nope. You still have your shirt on.”

Carter tugged and the pearl snaps gave way, showing just a sliver of his golden flesh from his collar to where the hem brushed his balls.

“Enough.”

He lifted a brow. “Enough? I thought you wanted me to take it off?”

“Well, I don’t want to make it too easy for you.”

“Easy?”

“I think I wanna test you, see how good you are at removing my bra in the dark, in the car, while I’m bouncing on your lap. You might get a little flustered.”

“You issuin’ me a challenge?”

“Yep.”

“What do I get if I pass your challenge?”

Just say it. Be daring. But it sounded too crude, a little slutty, and a lot naughty in her head no matter how she phrased it.

“Macie? What do I get?”

“Whatever you want.”

Carter’s eyes narrowed. “We’re talkin’ whatever I want sexually, right?”

“Yep.”

“What if I want something you ain’t never given another man?”

“Then it would be yours to take.”

The air between them turned thick with need.

“Remember you said that. Get in the fuckin’ car, before I throw you on the goddamn ground and fuck you in the gravel and weeds.”

“We’ve already done that once.”

He growled.

“Slip on a condom, cowboy, slide your fine butt in the seat and wait for me. I need to get something out of the back.”

“What?”

“You’ll see.”

Crickets chirped in the darkness but she scarcely heard them over the blood rushing in her ears. The weight of the car shifted as Carter climbed inside. Macie grabbed the case from under the seat and skirted the front end. She hesitated when she saw the raw, hungry look on Carter’s face through the windshield.

“Don’t make me come out there and get you,” he warned.

Before she lost her nerve, she crawled on his lap. As she set the case on the driver’s seat, her knee smacked into his groin.

He sucked in a sharp breath. Then, “Jesus-Christ-Almighty-Oh-holy-mother-of-god-oh-fuck-oh-shit-oh- goddamn that hurts.”

“Oh, sorry sorry sorry. I’m didn’t mean to.”

“I know.”

“Sorry, Carter, oh, what can I do?”

“Give me a sec, okay?”

“Sorry.”

He expelled a slow breath.

“Are you okay?”

“Normally I’d say after rackin’ me you need to get on your knees and kiss my poor abused boys and make ’em all better, but there ain’t enough room in here for you to do

’em justice.”

“Will you take a rain check?”

“Hell yeah.” Carter nestled her soft thighs along the outside of his muscular legs.

“Gimme this mouth.” His talented lips toyed with hers as he danced his callused fingertips up and down her spine.

Then he really kissed her. A full body kiss. A carnal thrusting of his tongue, his mouth gliding back and forth to find the best angle to take the soul kiss even deeper.

Wetter. Hotter. His hips pressed up, his cock searching for her feminine heat. Nimble fingers unhooked her bra and tugged the satiny straps down her arms.

Hey. Wait a minute.

Macie eased back to look at him. Glare at him really.

An extremely cocky grin spread across his sexy face.

“Don’t challenge me, darlin’, you can’t win.” He fastened his teeth to the spot on her neck that made her melt. “I know what I want. I’ll let you think on when you’re prepared to give it up to me, ’cause I won it fair and square. But for now…tell me what’s in the box.”

Her hands were flat against his chest, her fingers flexing into the rippling muscles.

God. He was so strong. So smooth. So perfect. She leaned forward, buried her nose against his collarbone and inhaled. “You smell so damn good. All the time. Your scent drives me out of my freakin’ mind. I want to lick every bulge and vein and line from your neck on down to your hipbones. And then I want to do it all over again so I can double-check that I didn’t miss any good spots.”

“Macie—”

“Let me touch you, Carter, please.”

The heat in the car made his pecs slick with sweat. The constant stroking of her thumbs over his nipples made the tips rock hard. His belly muscles quivered beneath her fingertips.

But Carter wasn’t about to be distracted. He thrust a hand through her hair and tugged her head back so he could peer in her eyes. “You can suck and lick me to your heart’s content later. Right now I wanna know: What’s in the goddamn box?”

She nipped his chin. “You taste like whipped cream here.”

“Macie,” he warned.

“Fine. My vibrator.”

He froze. “You have a vibrator?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because I’ve never been able to count on a man for anything, so I take care of all matters myself.”

“You keep your vibrator in the car?”

“It’s safer than keeping it in my dad’s camper where he could find it. Plus, it’s portable. Which is handy for us right about now. So, do you want to use it on me? Or should I use it on you first?”

“Christ Almighty. I may not survive you.”

“Toughen up, tough guy. Or are you scared? I thought you were daring?”

“Hah. I ain’t skeered ’a nuthin’. Hand it over.”

Macie reached for it and slapped the soft purple plastic phallus in his palm. “Need instructions?”

“Nope.” Carter grinned and turned it to high. Over the constant buzzing noise, he said, “Spread your legs and hold on.”

“But—”

“You started it. Lean closer. I wanna suck your tits while I’m doing…this.”

He slid the vibrator right between her pussy lips and left it there.