Love and Always (A Pound of Flesh #1.5) (9 page)

He sat back, allowing Kat to turn. Water splashed over the lip of the tub as she settled on her knees between his. “Was he happy to see you?”

Carter smiled sadly. “I think so. It was weird. We didn’t really know what to say to each other. And that’s not us, you know? We’ve always been able to shoot the shit, talk about anything. But it was . . . different.”

Kat cupped his cheek. “It will be for a long time, but it’ll pass. You just have to be there for him. He’ll come back to you.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I told him he can stay with us here when he’s released. That’s okay, right?”

Kat smiled. “As long as he needs.” She kissed him. “When will he be home?”

Carter shrugged. “Could be another month, could be two. His therapist will make the final decision and, from what I understand, it’s not going well.”

Kat could only imagine. If Max was anything like Carter, he’d have completely shut down to a stranger asking any personal questions or questions that conjured up bad memories. “He’ll get there, baby.”

“He’s started art therapy, if you can believe that.” Carter snorted. “Asshole hasn’t picked up a paintbrush in years.”

“He’s an artist?” Kat asked curiously.

“A damned good one, though he’d never brag about it. He painted when we were kids. His graffiti is notorious, especially with the NYPD.” He laughed then, a true laugh filled with good memories. “He did the paintwork on all the cars and bikes that came into his dad’s shop. He was really good.”

“Then I’m glad he’s found something he loves again,” Kat murmured, tracing the water resting on Carter’s chest with the pad of her thumb.

Carter’s gaze turned dark as he watched her, and he said, “He’ll never get better unless he stops loving Lizzie. But how can he get over her? She’s the one. His other half.” An agonized breath shuddered from him. “Come here.” She straddled his waist, wrapping her forearms around his neck. “If I lost you the way Max lost her,” he murmured, following the curves of her face with his blue eyes. “How could I breathe without you? Now understanding what he’s lost, I’m amazed he’s still alive.”

Kat hushed his scared, hurting words with her mouth, kissing him with every ounce of love she had. She lost herself to the kiss, seeking out his tongue and bringing it into her mouth so she could taste him, so he could taste her. He grunted and held her so tightly, pinching her wet skin. With his arms around her, he lifted her, pushing his hard body into hers, making her gasp against his lips. She settled on him, waiting for him to guide her, to feel his familiar, strong, urgent hands on her hips. But he didn’t move.

“I just need to feel you,” he explained, holding her, breathing into her. “Us.”

“We’re okay,” she told him simply. “I’m here.”

Kat’s heart broke for the helplessness he felt, and for Max and the excruciating struggle he was going through. Despite her initial anxieties regarding Max and the way he lived his life before he entered rehab, she could barely comprehend the strength it must have taken him to get up each and every day and face a world without his love, without the son Lizzie was carrying before his tragic loss. The mere thought of losing Carter sent a sharp pain lancing through her chest.

After kissing for what felt like hours, Carter eventually kneeled up in the tub, placing Kat on the edge of it, and made love to her slowly, tenderly, moving, not with purpose to come, but to immerse them both in the sensation of their lovemaking. Kat’s orgasm was gradual and warm and pulsed through her body for minutes afterward.

Wrapped in woolen blankets by the fire, Kat and Carter ate grilled cheese, feeding one another grapes, sipping wine, and enjoying the sound of the thunderous rain on the roof.

“Did you mean what you said to your mom on Christmas Eve, about having the wedding here at the house this summer?” Carter asked, his gaze fixed on the flickering fire.

“Sure. I don’t want to wait a long time, and I think a wedding here would be beautiful. Me barefoot in the sand. You sexy as hell in . . . well, anything.” She smiled when he snorted. “It is the place I told you I loved you for the first time.”

Carter nodded and leaned back, his head resting in Kat’s lap. “The thing is, you know I’d marry you anywhere, anytime,” he said, teasing the ends of her hair with his fingertips. “I mean, I’d marry you tomorrow, right here, your mother’s prenup and all”—Kat laughed—“But I . . .”

Kat cupped his cheek, knowing he was hesitating through his fear of disappointing her. Her heart bloomed with warmth. “But you don’t want to make any plans until Max is home.”

Carter sighed with clear relief. His voice was small, his face apologetic. “Yeah.”

Kat shook her head. “It’s all right. I figured that’s how you felt. I know you want him there. Why wouldn’t you?”

“You’re sure?”

Kat paused, biting her lip. “Will we still be engaged?”

Carter’s brow furrowed. “Damn right.”

“Do I still get to kiss you whenever I want?”

Catching on, he smirked. “
Anywhere
you want.”

“And we’ll still be waking up together every morning?”

“I’ll even let you be the big spoon.”

“Then I’m sure.”

Carter laughed and pulled her down to him, peppering her face with kisses. “I fucking love you,” he said ardently, rolling her onto her back and lying over her. “My Peaches.”

“It’ll all be okay, Carter,” she whispered. “I promise.
He’ll
be okay.”

He pulled her closer. “I hope so, baby. I truly hope so.”

Find out where it all began in

A Pound of Flesh
. . .

Wes Carter
: Dangerous, brooding and behind bars, Carter’s emotional scars are as permanent as the ink on his skin.

Kat Lane
: Vibrant and gutsy, Kat chooses to become a prison tutor in tribute to her father whose murder haunts her.

As teacher and student, any relationship is against every rule.

But although their love is forbidden, it won’t be denied . . .

Available now from

Sophie Jackson’s powerful and utterly addictive

A Pound of Flesh
series continues with
An Ounce of Hope . . .

You fell for Wes Carter. Now there’s a new bad boy in town. Just as sexy, just as edgy . . .

Meet Carter’s best friend Max . . . and the woman who offers him hope of a second chance at love.

Will Max be able to let go of his past and fully let Grace into his life, or will his heart remain closed forever?

Coming soon from