Hampton? Perdie hadn’t even considered the fact that Hampton could show up at any second. What would she do if he did? She’d signed up for self-defense classes once but then no-showed because of late nights at the office.
Perdie froze on the couch, her heart thumping erratically in her chest. Twilight Zone. Everything glared eerily. Nothing was safe. Dammit, why couldn’t she sober up?
She picked up her phone again, squeezing hard. Was she really going to do this?
Carter arrived in ten minutes flat. At his quiet knock, she shuffled over, still in her dress and coat, Bananas nestled in her arms, blanket tossed over her head like Darth Maul. She yanked the door open.
Carter paused in the entryway. “Ah...what happened to you in the span of ten minutes?”
“Lucille’s out of town, and I freaked myself out.”
She moved aside. He padded through the door, inclining his head. “Makes perfect sense.”
“Here, this way to the living room. You want anything to drink?” she asked over her shoulder. Carter shook his head, and they settled into the couch, his long legs outstretched on the worn leather. Perdie curled up on a cushion, still cocooned in her blanket. She let go of Bananas, whose grunty nose began working overtime to suss out the new person in the house. The instant calm of Carter’s presence almost alarmed her.
“So, we’re not going to mention the elephant in the room?” Carter gestured towards the fireplace. With his arm raised, the space on his lap was open for Bananas to crawl in and snuggle up.
“Oh, hello.” Carter stroked the dog’s round head, as Bananas let out a loud snoring-sigh.
A warm feeling washed over Perdie, but she shook her head, clearing her thoughts. “Sometimes I get anxious when I’m drunk. I know I ran out of your car but—”
A rumble of a laugh came from Carter’s chest. “No, not that. That.” He gestured towards the fireplace again, and Perdie squinted.
“Oh. Yeah, that’s a painting we commissioned. It’s not that uncommon in Charleston to hang family portraits.”
The oil painting featuring Lucille, Perdie, and Bananas posed Renaissance style above the fireplace mantel had been there for so many years that Perdie didn’t even think twice about it anymore. It was simply a fixture of their lives.
Carter ran his hands through his hair, shaking his head. “Now I know you’re definitely the weird one of the two of us. Although, it’s nice to see the face of the woman I’m so indebted to.”
Perdie let the blanket fall from her head to her shoulders. “I have another favor to ask you.”
“Go on.”
She stood, shedding her blanket and coat to the ground, and Bananas shuffled away, disgruntled by the disruption. “Unzip my dress?” She reached behind herself to show him the zipper. “The zipper’s hidden. Always sticks right by my hips.”
With her body wedged between his legs, Carter’s eyes darkened.
He brought his hands to either side of her hips, squeezing the soft flesh, firm but restrained. “Trying to kill me?” he asked, his voice weary.
“Hurrryyy, get me out of this thing.”
The blunt tips of his fingers brushed against the bare skin between her shoulder blades, pinching the small zipper. Visceral relief pummeled down her body as he pulled the zipper, the material slackening at her breasts and waist. He gave one quick yank when the zipper snagged at the flare of her hips, and then she was free to strip off the rest of her dress.
Before she could step away, Carter’s fingertips caressed the vulnerable skin of her back, gliding up and down. A small moan escaped her lips as he curled his fingers, the callused tips lightly scratching. She swayed on her feet.
“No bra either, huh?”
She grabbed his wrists and spun around, his mouth so close to her breasts he could almost be touching. His gaze roved over her.
Slowly she reached up to the left strap of her dress, letting it slip from her arm. She did the same with the right. The material dropped, exposing her breasts. Her hand clasped the dress below her bust line. His eyes closed briefly, like the vision caused him a moment of excruciating pain.
Her chest fell and rose harshly as she waited for him to touch her. Her eyelids shuttered. Her nipples beaded to aching points.
“Why aren’t you doing anything?” she whispered.
Hot breath fanned over her skin at the press of his forehead against her sternum.
“Carter...”
Hands came to grip her waist and he craned his neck, chin resting against her. “You’re drunk.”
“I’m fine.” She grasped his hand, using it to palm her breast. She bit her bottom lip at the tough flesh finally pressed against her own naked skin. With her hand covering his, she squeezed, his fingers retracting against her flesh. Torment flooded his eyes. The need for more. Her unruly body swayed from side to side.
Another strangled groan from Carter. His hand slipped away. “Later,” he said. “Plenty of time later. Please, I’m begging you. Go put some clothes on before you kill me dead.”
Perdie took an unsteady step back as she lifted the dress to her sternum. “Ugh, why do you have to be so...” Her hazy mind searched for the word. “Good. Damn you.” And she stomped off to her bedroom to change.
When she returned, after donning her velvet-trimmed silk robe, she tossed a shirt and pair of pajama pants at Carter.
“Here. The T-shirt’s mine, but the pants belong to some guy Lucille used to hook up with. They should fit.”
Carter undid the cuffs of his shirt, his bow tie hanging loose around his neck in a short bumpy strip. She loved him undone like that.
He held up the T-shirt. “Earth Girls Are Easy?”
She shrugged. “If you don’t know that movie, I can’t help you, bucko.”
He flipped the garment over his shoulder and pointed to the snoring dog, who’d returned to his lap. “Thanks. Although I don’t think I’ll be moving anytime soon.”
