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  Our lips meet, and something in that kiss heightens every damn thing I am feeling with this woman — every touch, every movement more erotic than anything I have ever experienced. Her head falls back, her perfect fucking tits arched directly into my face. When I flick my tongue over her nipple, she stops.

  “You like that, Princess?” I ask.

  “Yes.” The breathy sound escapes her.

  I take her in my mouth again, her nipple between my teeth. She presses further onto my cock, the up and down motion she had perfected turning into a grinding motion. The harder she moves, the more pressure I apply.

  “Oh…Carter…I…” She can barely speak.

  “Come for me, Princess,” I tell her.

  She grinds against me, relentless in her pursuit. “Oh fuck, Lexie,” I cry out.

  Her nails dig into my back. Her breathing labored, the sexiest sounds I have heard in my life escape her. When I feel her pussy tighten around me, I can no longer control myself. I match her motion, moving my hips and thrusting into her. Her mewls and cries only egging me on further I keep working her until her orgasm hits her full force and milks mine right out of me.

  We stay like that for a moment, completely satisfied and entangled in each other. When Lexie's heartbeat slows to a steady beat, she begins to move off of me.

  “What are you doing?” I ask as I watch her gather her clothes.

  “Leaving?”

  “I have a better idea,” I reply.

  “Oh, what’s that?”

  “It’s a surprise,” I tell her. “Wait here,” I instruct her.

  I leave her in the living room and head directly for my master bathroom. The expansive tub that rarely gets used is going to see some action tonight if I have anything to say about it. I turn the water on, wait for the right temperature, and dim the lights before making my way back to her.

  “Ready?” I ask.

  “Lead the way, Handsome,” she answers.

  I hold out my hand, and with the most beautiful smile I have ever seen, she places hers in mine. I smile at her, the touch of her hand doing things to me that I sure as hell did not expect to feel tonight. I lead her to the bathroom and watch as her eyes widen at the sight of the jetted tub filled with bubbles.

  “You did this for me?” she asks. A look of complete shock covers her gorgeous face.

  “For us, if that’s okay?”

  She looks up at me, her hands resting on my waist, her mouth slightly agape. “It’s more than okay.”

  Sinking into the tub, I help take her hand and help her to join me. Leaning against me, her back to my chest, she rests her hands on my thighs. We sit like this for a while – silent and content with her fingers running up and down my legs until I hear her clear her throat.

  “You okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah. I just…” She pauses, and I can hear the hesitation in her voice.

  “Just what?”

  “I’ve never had a one-night stand run me a bath before,” she giggles.

  “Is that a good thing, or a bad thing?”

  "It's an unexpected thing, but an unexpected good thing."

  I nibble on her ear. “And, who said anything about this being a one-night stand? I have every intention of there being a repeat…or two.”

  “Carter…”

  “Starting now, Princess.”

  “I need to tell you something…”

  “We can do the whole getting to know each other next time. Right now…” My hand lowers between her thighs. She presses into my hand. A gasp escapes her as my finger slides inside her. Her body is writhing against my hand. Just as I think she’s reached her breaking point; she moves away from me.

  “What the…”

  She doesn’t let me finish that sentence. Her lips cover mine, her body positioning over me.

  "You're an amazing man, Carter Wallace," she says before she slides onto me. My head falls back onto the tub, and I'm in heaven.

  Chapter 2 – Lexie

  Good Lord, Lexie. What the hell were you thinking?

  Oh, that’s right, I wasn’t. At least not rationally.

  Okay, yes, my first thought was he is hot as hell. My second was that he would be epic in bed. For the record, I was right – on both counts. Is it my fault that he decided to run me a bubble bath and cuddle and talk and do every damn thing a woman wants a man to do? Be the exact man every woman wants to make her own?

  That I didn't ask for, that is his fault.

  I wanted one night with a hot ass Quarterback.

  I didn’t want to fall for him.

  Not when he’s the quarterback for the team my Dad coaches.

  But I did fall for him. As much as you can fall for having known a man twelve hours.

  He insisted on driving me home, holding my hand the entire way. Then, like a gentleman he walked me to my door and gave me the sweetest, most gentle kiss ever. So, in turn, I pulled him in for one that was a little more searing. One that had him pressing me against the door with his body and making me want to invite him in.

  Ugh. This isn’t good. This isn’t how tonight was supposed to go.

  It was so much better.

  I sneak into the apartment that I share with Abbie, my friend and roommate. I slowly close the door behind me and rest against it.

  “Well, I didn’t expect you home this late. Or, well, this early I guess,” my roommate Abbie says with a laugh. The sound of her voice startles me.

  “Jesus, Abs,” I say as I grab my chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  Rather than apologize, she laughs. “I’m assuming it went well.”

  I flop onto couch. “Well? Abbie, try out of this world. The man is…”

  I hesitate as I try to find the right word to describe him. He’s nothing short of perfection; smart, funny, gorgeous, and sweet. I mean really, who the hell draws a bubble bath for some random girl you just met? Bubble baths are not one-night stand things. They’re forever kind of things.

  My heart melted the moment I sank into the water and leaned back against him, his uninjured arm holding me to him. It felt like heaven. It felt right.

  “Earth to Lexie,” Abbie says as she waves her hand in my face.

  I bat her hand away. "Carter is perfect Abs, the exact kind of guy every girl dream of being her own. That's what makes this whole thing suck."

  “So, I take it you didn’t tell him?” she pries.

  Tell him? Is she crazy? Telling him would have ruined what has been the best night of my life since I can’t remember when.

  “He ran us a bubble bath, we talked, hell, we even cuddled. Of course, I didn’t tell him who I was.”

  As if on cue, my phone pings. I check the text; it's from Carter.

  My shoulders sag. I hadn't wanted to give my phone number to him, but he had insisted. I'm pretty sure that he wouldn't have let me out of the truck this morning if I didn't. The non-stop kisses made it hard enough to walk away.

  Abbie snatches the phone from my hand. “Give it back,” I demand.

  She gives me a look that screams, yeah, right. "I had a great time with you last night. Can't wait to see you again." She pauses. "Again?"

  “I’m not going to see him. I just…”

  “Lexie.” Her voice resembles that of a mother giving her daughter a warning.

  "I know, I know. You don't understand, though."

  “Help me then. Because all I see is you setting you both up for heartbreak.”

  “It’s not like that. It was one night. It’s not a big deal.”

  “You swear to me?” Abbie confirms.

  “I swear.”

  Chapter 3 – Carter

  Last night was just what I needed. Lexie was what I needed. My dick is still thanking me for this morning.

  “What the hell has gotten into you?” Chase asks as he follows me into the kitchen.

  “Not what – who,” I say grinning like a fucking idiot.

  “About damn time,” he teases. “You were turning into
a real asshole.”

  “You’re one to talk,” I reply.

  "I got my shit together. It's about time you did too," Chase replies. He's referring to finding the love of his life, Callie. After a rough year, he met her, and his whole world changed for the better.

  I'm not getting ahead of myself here. I've had one night with Lexie, but I have to admit, the woman has potential. A potential that is in the realm of the forever kind despite my inaccurate first impression of her. She couldn't be further from the stuck-up Princess that I first thought she was. Instead, she was funny and smart and a fucking Rockstar in the bedroom.

  “So what do I owe the honor of this visit?” I ask him. “You draw the short stick to check on me?”

  “As a matter of fact, I did, ya little shit. I just wanted to see how things were coming along with your arm.”

  “It’s getting there.”

  “Listen, I know the accident…”

  “Don’t,” I stop him.

  I don’t want to talk about the accident.

  “Carter…”

  "I said, don't. That doesn't mean I want you to keep going Chase," I bark out. "My arm is getting better; it's just taking longer than I would like. And, after last night, things are starting to look up. Satisfied?" The pissed off look on his face is a warning. "You know, you're starting to sound like Sutton."

  He rolls his eyes and grabs a bottle of water out of the fridge. “You better take that shit back before I fuck up your other shoulder.”

  Luckily the dig did precisely what I intended, eased the tension. We both laugh at the joke. Landon's a great guy. He's just beyond fatherly, especially when it comes to Chase and me.

  “So, tell me about her,” Chase says as he takes a seat on the couch.

  "I don't know, man. It's crazy. Did you ever meet someone and have this connection? Like she's the one? Because I've known this girl less than twelve hours and I can't help but think that."

  Chase has a knowing smile on his face. “That’s the same feeling I got the night I met Callie. Freaky as shit.”

  "No, kidding. When she left this morning, I found myself missing someone I barely even know. What the fuck is that?"

  We settle onto the couch with ESPN on. I haven't watched anything sports-related since the accident since they told me that I wasn't going to be able to play indefinitely.

  By the look on his face, I can tell Chase sees the hesitation on mine at his viewing selection. He takes a sip of his water, and the minute he opens his mouth, I know what's coming. As much as I don't want to hear it, I brace myself and let him talk. "Listen, I know you're in a shitty place right now. But, take it from me, stop pulling the stupid shit. Quit going out drinking every night, quit trying to start one-armed fights with everyone you come across. And for the love of God, if you think this girl is the one – don't do something stupid to fuck it up."

  I can’t argue with that. So, I don’t. “Noted.”

  ∆ ∆ ∆

  After Chase heads out to pick up his stepdaughter, I sit on the couch, lost in my thoughts. Lately, the only thoughts I have been having are ones about the accident, ones that piss me off and result in me drinking and doing stupid shit. Not this time, though. At the moment, Lexie is consuming all my thoughts – she's become my newest vice.

  I grab my phone and pull up her name.

  Me: Hey Princess.

  The thirty seconds I wait for a response feels like an eternity.

  Lexie: Well, hey there, handsome. What are you doing?

  Me: Sitting here, wishing you were with me.

  So, I realize that the last text has the potential of sounding a little pathetic but fuck if it isn’t true.

  Lexie: Awwwww.

  Me: What are you doing?

  Lexie: Just rented a terrible horror movie, about to snuggle up on the couch and watch it.

  Me: Want some company?

  Lexie: Didn’t you get enough of me last night?

  Enough of her? Is she crazy? Last night she helped me forget, made me feel like life was slightly back to normal. I crave the way she makes me feel, physically, and emotionally.

  Me: No such thing as enough of you. So? What do you say?

  I’m a little too insistent, and I realize this. When it comes to this woman, I can't seem to help myself, though. I want her, I need her, and I will do whatever it takes to get her.

  Lexie: I say my place is a little crowded with my roommate here. I can bring it to you.

  Me: I’ll be waiting.

  Thirty minutes later, she's on my doorstep, and I am so damn thankful to see her. I take the DVD from her hand and crash my lips onto hers. Without protest, she wraps her arms around my neck and deepens the kiss.

  We barely make it into the foyer before we are tearing at each other's clothes. There is nothing soft or gentle about this. It is pure, needy, greedy fucking, and Lexie seems to be enjoying it almost as much as I am.

  Once my uncontrollable desire for her is sated, at least for the moment, we settle onto the couch. My arm wraps around her, and her head rests on my shoulder. Damn this feels right.

  The movie plays and I do my best to hold in my laughter as she yells at the characters. “Why the hell would you go upstairs?” “Run, you idiot.” “Hit him again. Why? Why would you stop at only one hit? Kill him!”

  “You know they can’t hear you, right?” I laugh.

  “They might still be alive if they could,” she says with a smile. “You know Carter; it’s not nice to pick on the woman who controls your sex life at the moment.”

  “Meaning?”

  “If you’re not nice, there we won’t have round two today.”

  Well, hell. She has got me there.

  She crawls into my lap, her face inches from mine. “What do you say?”

  “I’m sorry, Princess. Sorrier than you know. Please, please forgive me.”

  “You should prove to me just how sorry you are,” she says with a wicked smile.

  That is one apology I am not going to argue about giving. And once I apologize, I can’t help but want to do it again and again.

  Lexie lies back on the bed, naked, hair fanned out. “Carter Wallace you are by far the most apologetic man I have ever met.”

  I smile as I take in the view set before me. Lexie is fantastic in every respect of the word.

  “Lexie…” I pause, realizing I don’t even know her last name. “Hey, what’s your last name?” I ask as I trail kisses down her stomach.

  "Are you hungry?" she asks, ignoring my question.

  I raise my head and look at her, confused by her abrupt topic change. I don’t know what it is she’s trying to hide, but right now I am enjoying her too damn much to care. “I can order us a pizza,” I tell her.

  She gives me a quick kiss and then hops off the bed. “That sounds amazing. I’m going to take a quick shower.”

  An hour later, we are on the back patio next to a fire, pizza in hand.

  The woman before me looks comfortable and happy in my little laid-back world. Not what I expected when I first laid eyes on her last night.

  "Tell me about you, Lexie," I say.

  There is something about her, something I can't quite put my finger on. And, it intrigues me all the more. I want to get to know this woman that infiltrated my bed and looks so right in my home. The moment the statement comes out of my mouth, her eyes widen. Either she is shocked by the fact that I want to get to know the woman I'm having sex with, or she's not sure how to respond, for reasons that are starting to concern me. Not enough to kick her out, or dwell on for that matter, but the concern is there, nonetheless.

  She taps her finger on her chin. “You mean aside from the whole I work for the CIA and am currently doing an undercover sting operation of you?”

  “Yeah, aside from that,” I laugh.

  She takes a deep breath before she divulges her darkest secrets to me. “I’m a physical therapist. I do sports medicine, mostly with high school athletes.”

  “That
explains the caution with my shoulder.”

  She nods. “Yeah. I’ve read about it in the paper. And while I don’t know how accurate what I’m reading is, the sling and the amount of pain you were in last night tell me it might be worse than I read.”

  “It’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sure it will, with the right therapy.”

  There it is. That’s what she’s hiding from me. And again, I’m left with two possibilities here. Either she’s looking to become my trainer so she can ride my coattails to success, or she’s just stating the obvious.

  “Are you offering?”

  “That’s not what this is if that’s what you’re thinking. I’m not trying to turn you into a client to make bank off of you.”

  “Okay, then what is this?”

  She shrugs. "Hell if I know. All I wanted was a one-night stand with a super-hot football God. Now, here I am, really liking said football God and not wanting it to be a one-night stand."

  “Well, Princess, that makes two of us then.”

  Her smile lights up the damn patio and stirs some feelings in my heart that haven't surfaced in quite some time.

  “Unfortunately, I don’t think that’s going to work.”

  “And why is that?”

  “You’re just going to have to trust me on that.”

  “Okay. Even if that’s true, I’m willing to give it a shot. Me and you? We can beat the odds.”

  “You’ve known me for a day, how can you be so sure?”

  "Sometimes, you just know. When it comes to you, Princess, I just know."

  She shakes her head. “What am I going to do with you?”

  I raise my eyebrows at her. “I have a couple of ideas.”

  Chapter 4 – Lexie

  “So much for swearing,” Abbie says when I walk into our apartment after another night spent at Carter’s. “How are things with mister All-Star Quarterback?” Abbie asks as she watches me straighten up our apartment.

  “They’re good, really, really good,” I tell her. My voice sounds way more dreamy than I would like it too. It’s been a long time since I have felt this way about someone. And even worse is that it’s only been a week since I met him.