AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Life is about choices, Kenni. Sometimes the choices you make carry consequences you don’t like but you have to make one, regardless. When you do, you can’t consider all the things you lost. The consequences are the consequences.”
They sat in the thickness of their silence, gazes locked, warring in a heaviness of understanding.
“The consequence is you not finding out what happened to your parents and I’m the choice.” She exhaled a slow breath on the last word but Carter didn’t respond. He kept staring but his hand moved to her neck, the warmth of his palm settling at the nape and the presence of his fingers felt weighted against her skin. Her heart thumped erratically while blood rushed through her body, producing labored breaths. His stare was icy, filled with something she couldn’t decipher but then she blinked and the warmth she’d grown used to was back.
Carter guided her close, bringing her mouth to his. “I’ll always choose you.”
Instead of the kiss she expected, he allowed his forehead to rest against hers for a brief moment then let her go, lifted from the sofa, and left the room. A few minutes later she heard a door close with a hint of force. She swung her head toward the sound and stared blankly at nothing but empty space for a minute before her attention shifted to the coin.
After a stilled moment she exhaled a slow breath, reached for the bottle, and turned it up, cringing from the warmth and burn while his words twisted through her mind.
“I’ll always choose you.”
Her heart ached for Carter as her mind shifted to her own parents. She loved them, they loved her. There would be a world one day where she existed without them. No one lived forever but she never allowed her thoughts to go there. It hurt and she refused to inflict that type of pain before it was unavoidable.
Sitting, silently processing Carter’s choice, she realized one very important thing. He didn’t have anyone, at least no one she knew of. During those three days, he talked about how lonely his life was but it didn’t register until this very moment. His parents were gone. In such a tragic way that left him with a void that would never be filled. Not even would answers provide some sort of closure. They were gone. He was alone.
Carter was darkness and bad decisions but he was still a man. He lost the unconditional love that only parents could offer and that made McKenna hurt for him. The realization also brought on a different type of awareness she felt more profoundly. He chose her and she was choosing him, no matter the consequences.
While McKenna sat alone in the den, Carter stood beneath the weighted, steamy spray of his shower head down, eyes closed, one palm pressed into the slick marble tile. His mind raced with all the irrational decisions he’d made over the past couple of months.
The first, taking refuge in a stranger's home, which led to falling for a woman he had no business harboring feelings for. Today was proof that she didn’t belong in his world, proof that he would continue to make irrational decisions about his life and hers as long as the end result led to McKenna being in his life.
“Fuck,” he mumbled lowly before he pulled his palm away from the wall. Robotically, he moved through the motions of cleaning his body, allowing himself time to work through the issues he was harboring. He made decisions about his life, choices that McKenna didn’t have a say in. There was no point in placing any of what happened on her shoulders.
Once he was done and dressed in nothing but briefs, Carter found McKenna where he’d left her in the den. Without speaking, he extended a hand, which she accepted. As soon as she was on her feet, he took it a step further and lifted her around his waist, moving them both to the bedroom. Settled in his bed, Carter with one arm tucked beneath a stack of pillows, and the other draped over McKenna’s waist with her back to his chest, he buried his chin in the soft clouds of her mussed curls. Their existence in the moment was enough and eventually Carter’s voice lifted around them.
“I don’t regret my choice, Kenni. You shouldn’t either.”
He pulled her in closer and relaxed into the comfort that she was and would always be his priority. The rest was just details.
Chapter
Seven
The next night, McKenna was standing in front of a full length mirror staring back at her image. The wine-colored, strapless, mermaid dress with a sweetheart neckline made of stretch crepe hugging her body to perfection brought a smile to her face.
The cinch at her waist provided enough contrast to the expanse of her hips to show definition in her physique. The material was a lace-covered spandex that fit snugly until just below her knees where it pooled into a sea of tulle that would drag the floor even with the six-inch heels she planned to wear.
She decided on light makeup since they were required to wear masks. Her wine-colored mask covered both eyes and curved down her right cheek, completely hiding the right side of her face, only exposing her mouth. Carter’s was similar but black to match his tux.
McKenna’s hair was slicked back in a neat bun at the nape of her neck, providing a classically natural yet elegant look. She smiled at her final visual even though nerves were swarming in the pit of her stomach. Tonight was a private party with a guest list of attendees who were associates of Carter’s. He hadn’t provided details and wouldn’t. She tried to pry information but he shut her down, only assuring her safety and demanding that she remain close to him for the evening.
She brushed her hands down the front of her dress and exhaled a soft breath only to feel her lungs heave with a need to inhale once again when she felt Carter’s energy enter the room.
He’d dressed in his black on black slim fit tuxedo before she did and left her to get ready while he made calls. She kept her eyes on the mirror, listening as his shoes created a cadence, moving across the hardwood floor of the bedroom until he was visible.
She watched him at her back, his hungry gaze took her in, making contact when he was close enough. Carter’s hand rested at her hip while his eyes scanned every inch of McKenna through the mirror. After he had his fill, a kiss met her shoulder, then a second grazed her neck.
“You look good.”
She blushed and traced the length of his body, taking in how the fabric of his tux’s jacket molded to his solid arms and chest. “So do you.”
“Ready?” His eyes bored into hers.
“Nope.”
Carter leaned over her back, the warmth of his breath fanning over her skin before he kissed her cheek. “You’re always good with me, Kenni.”
