The Score (Charleston Condors Book 3) by Beth Bolden

Author:Beth Bolden [Bolden, Beth]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: anonymous
Published: 2023-10-24T16:00:00+00:00

Ian was slogging through a particularly thick and incomprehensible section of a contract—stopping every other sentence to look up a word or reference—when Carter came downstairs.

He’d known Carter had a therapy appointment this morning, and hadn’t exactly been down here, on the couch, lying in wait for him, but after the last few sessions, they’d started discussing how Carter felt at the end of them.

But looking at Carter now, he didn’t need to ask, because the blindsided look in his eyes told the whole story. Moira had obviously decided it was time to play hardball, and Carter had clearly not been expecting it.

“Hey, you alright?” Ian asked as he straightened. He’d been laid out on the couch, but any horizontal positioning near Carter was probably a mistake.

Okay. More of a mistake.

“I…I’m…” Carter flopped down next to him. Scrubbed a hand across his face. Looked sad and miserable and lost.

Ian didn’t think, he just reacted.

Dropped his tablet to the cushion, and wrapped Carter up as best he could in his arms. Holding him tight. Not speaking. Not moving. Just reminding him in the best way he could that he was there for him.

“Wouldn’t it just have been fucking easier for them to just…be human? Act like they were happy to be my parents?” Carter’s voice was muffled in his shoulder, but Ian could still hear the pain in it.

“You’d think,” Ian said quietly. “I know this sounds like a cliche, but it is their loss.”

When Carter pulled back, there were tears glimmering in his eyes. “You really think so?”

Ian couldn’t even believe Carter was questioning this. Did he not see the magic he brought to everyone around him: the humor and the lightness and the kindness and the plain fucking sparkle?

But words felt inadequate. Not nearly enough.

So Ian did the only thing that felt right. The only thing that had ever felt right.

He cupped Carter’s scruff-covered cheek with one hand and leaned in, brushing a soft, gentle kiss across his mouth.

Carter jolted like he’d been shocked, his eyes widening like Ian had just grown a second head.

“I could tell you that you’re an amazing friend. Or surprisingly sweet. Or that I wanted to be your friend—and more—since the first time you opened your mouth and promised you’d be hitting on me sooner or later. But—”

But I could only show you. The only way I knew how. By throwing away my professional parachute and proceeding to fling myself off a cliff.

But Ian didn’t get the rest of that sentence out.

Instead, Carter kissed him back.

It wasn’t as passionate as he’d expected. It was sweet like his. Careful. Gentle. Carter’s mouth moving over his like he was precious and perfect. But that didn’t make it any less consuming.

Of course they were always going to end up here. On Carter’s couch. Kissing tentatively like they were both afraid they’d scare the other one away by how much they desperately wanted.

With how much they felt.

Because Ian knew now he hadn’t thrown that parachute away, possibly rejecting Alec’s career assistance, for nothing.

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