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“What are you doing?” I ask, tears stinging the back of my eyes from my mind-altering climax.
“Baby, I want you. I don’t care about any of this, I’ve got to feel you,” he climbs on top of me, spreading my legs as he positions himself above me.
“You can’t,” I remind him, but he doesn’t seem the least bit interested in hearing what I’ve got to say.
“Ashley, I have to feel you grip around my cock when you cum like that. It’s driving me crazy,” he adds, leaning down, but I won’t let him. I can’t, especially not under these pretenses.
“No, Carter, we can’t,” I push back, sliding from beneath him as he looks on with shock and hurt in his eyes. There’s nothing I can say or do to explain, but I know I can’t have him pass up all of that money for me. I’ll wait for him until the end of the world, so he can definitely hold out for a few more weeks.
Ashley
He’s put everything out there, come clean about things that nobody knows. Now I see why the man I’ve gotten to know and his public persona on Head Hunter don’t really mesh. He isn’t some super player. He’s been holding out for the money. And maybe, just maybe, for the right person.
God, I hope I’m that person. But I must be, because Carter fucking Blaine just declared that he loves me!
“Oh my God, Carter, I do love you. So much.” I pull back from him, my expression growing serious. And I realize immediately what I have to do. “Because of that, I can’t do this.”
Confusion crosses his face. “What do you mean? I don’t get it.”
I press my lips together, my heart aching. I can’t lie to him. Not after he just came clean. But I also can’t tell him the truth. What would he say? It would ruin everything that just happened between us. He wouldn’t understand.
He has no idea that I was hired for the sum of two hundred million dollars. That’s insane. That’s huge. I don’t want him giving in because he wants me to win the money. Just like I don’t want him to give in because I want him to get his money. And that’s not all. If he knew the real reason I was hired…well, I can’t even think about that.
I’ve ignored that little detail myself for weeks now, trying to keep myself focused on the moment and the fact that I really do love Carter Blaine. I can’t tell him everything because then he might not believe anything I have to say.
And that would truly break my heart.
“Ashley? What is it? What can’t you do?”
I blow out a heavy breath. “I just can’t let you lose that kind of money, Carter. As much as I love you, and as much as I want nothing more than for you to take me back to your bedroom right this minute and give us both the best night of our lives, I just can’t. I'd never forgive myself if we gave in now and you lost all that money. Two billion dollars?” My eyes practically bulge out of my head, because that’s fucking an insane amount of money. “No way.”
He laughs. “I appreciate that, but you know it doesn’t mean anything, right? Not compared to spending my life making you happy.”
God. Let me just melt into the ground right now. Could he be any more perfect? I don’t think so. It makes me feel even worse for not coming clean. But what can I do?
“No.” I shake my head. “And it’s not because I don’t want to. Believe me I want you so badly I can hardly stand it. But we can do this. We can be strong. I’ll help you and you help me, and we’ll get through the next eight weeks together. And when it’s all over? We’ll have forever to do anything and everything we want.”
&nbs
p; Carter leans over me, almost pinning me down, and kisses my neck, sending euphoric shudders down my spine. His strong hands grip me, touch me, explore me. I let out a slight moan as he begins to undress me slowly.
“Carter…” It comes out like a warning. He can’t do this. Even though we both desperately want to.
“I know, baby. I’ll be good. But I just want to be close to you.”
Heart. Melted.
He strips down next, then crawls into the bed beside me, wrapping me in his arms and tucking me against him. I can feel his rock-hard cock cradled against my ass, and my hips wiggle a little involuntarily, but we can't do this. We can be strong. We have to be strong. Too much is riding on this.
Rolling over in his arms, I run my fingers over his chiseled chest, loving the way his skin feels pressed against mine. We’re totally bare lying here together. It would be so easy to have sex right now. But we don’t. We just kiss. A slow, sweet kiss full of love and emotion.
“I love you, Ashley,” he murmurs against my mouth.
I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing it.
“I love you,” I reply, and then we fall asleep in each other’s arms, totally content.
Carter
