The Middle Road by K.G. Reuss & C.M. Lally

Author:K.G. Reuss & C.M. Lally [Reuss, K.G.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-09-25T05:00:00+00:00

Twenty

Teddy

When we get back from our drive, we leave New Orleans. Carter kisses me gently and goes to take a nap. I help Derek navigate the next leg of our trip. We end up driving into Texas. When we’re on the outskirts of Houston, we finally stop for sleep.

I wake up feeling giddy. I can’t wait to see Carter. I don’t want to be that girl—the one who’s clingy and needy—but I seriously need this man. Like, he makes me feel…alive. It’s the only word I can think of to describe it.

I get out of bed, eager to see Carter, but he’s not in the living area.

“Derek, is Carter still sleeping?” I ask, sliding into the seat across from him at the table with a cup of coffee. He pushes a box of muffins at me.

“Yeah. He was up for a bit but went back to bed.”

I frown, a niggling feeling that something isn’t right with him.

“Is everything OK with him?” I press, worry settling in my guts.

Derek shrugs, his eyes focused on the muffin he’s picking apart. “He’s just stressed.”

“You guys keep talking about this stress, and I totally understand why he should be, but when we were out yesterday, I looked at his phone. He had over four hundred missed texts. Don’t get me started on the missed phone calls. Is he in trouble or something?” I lean forward and plead with my eyes for Derek to tell me anything.

“It’s stress. He’s not in any sort of trouble other than that. If he wants to tell you about it, he will,” Derek says gently, peering into his coffee mug. “Carter is a complicated man. Don’t push him on it. When he wants to talk to you about his troubles, he will.”

“You just said he’s not in trouble—”

“He’s not. It’s stress.”

I scoff, hating that word. Fine. Carter is stressed. Maybe he needs un-stressing. I don’t touch my coffee. Instead, I get to my feet and go to his room and tap on the door gently. He doesn’t answer, so I slide it open and peer at him. He has little dots of sweat on his forehead, and his t-shirt clad chest is heaving as he pulls in ragged breaths. His hand is clenched on his blanket. A whimper comes from his mouth. Molly lets out a whine as she curls against him, her nose nuzzling him, trying to wake him.

Immediately, I’m at his side. He’s dreaming something bad.

“Carter,” I murmur, cupping his damp cheek. “Carter. Hey. Wake up.”

His long lashes flutter, his eyes unfocused for a minute as he stares at me, confusion evident on his face. He looks lost and scared. Vulnerable. Nothing like the strong man I know he is. It’s a look that breaks my heart.

“Teddy Bear,” he murmurs, coming to. His lips brush against mine as he pulls me to him, his arms a vice around me. His kiss is fire on my lips. I moan against him as his hand finds my breast over my tank top, giving it a tender squeeze.

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