I smiled through his whole speech.
“What?” he asked.
“I love how passionate you are. You’ve got this energy that makes me certain everything you plan will come true.”
“Do I?” He dropped down next to me and draped an arm around my waist. I laughed as he flipped me on top of him. “It’s more accurate to say I’m vindictive.
“I’m out to get every last cent I can from my father because he’s going to pay for it. For dismissing me. Calling me an unrealistic idealist. Telling me to grow up and accept my duty to my family name while he cheated on my mother and dumped her like hot trash. It won’t mean nearly as much—at least not to me—unless my father pays.”
“I know.” I tangled in his silky strands, winding them around my fingers. “I wouldn’t call it vindictive as I would righteous retribution. And who knows, maybe one day your dad will call on your firm. I heard the pride in his voice when I told him you wanted to be your own man. Show him who that man is.”
Carter kissed the tip of my nose. “I like the way you talk too. It’s always been four against one. When I’m with you, it’s two.”
“It’s four,” I whispered. “You, me, Preston, and Nathan. Connected.”
“By you.”
I groaned, plopping my head on his. “I really hope your grumpy alter ego is taking a permanent holiday. Because you can’t be this sweet to me and go back to calling me a crusty ass barnacle.”
His laugh shook both of us. “You are my crusty ass barnacle. You want to hang on, baby, you have to take all sides of me. Our love story is going to be one bumpy hell of a ride. Filled with screaming matches, misunderstandings, wrong turns, hot make-up sex, building our dreams, and weaving those futures together. What do you have to say about that?”
“I say... do you want another grape?” I asked softly.
He scrunched up his face, then he nodded.
I plucked one from the stem, but didn’t hold it out. Eyes on him, I placed it between my teeth. He looked faintly surprised and then another emotion crossed his face.
Carter closed the distance and soft lips touched mine. The grape disappeared and tart sweetness filled my mouth, shared between us as the treat burst on his tongue.
Plates and glasses clinked as they were knocked aside. Carter flipped us, pressing me onto my blanket, linking our hands and holding them over my head. The kiss was a million first kisses in one. All the excitement, anticipation, nervous energy, and attraction bottled, and exploding between us.
His tongue teased mine, inviting me to play, and I was too happy to join in.
It wasn’t a sweet peck of two fumbling preteens figuring out where to put their hands. It was hot, messy, and hungry. Our tongues dueled in a ferocious battle, drawing moans as their captives. We tore at each other. I raked my fingers down his chest and he gripped my ass, grinding me on his hardening ridge.
Carter trapped my puffy lip and pulled it agonizingly slow between his teeth, relishing the fevered cries of my pain-laced pleasure.
Scrambling up, I straddled him as I hurried to undo my buttons. “Tell me you have a condom.”
“I do,” he said, grinning. “A guy has to be prepared. But we won’t need it.”
“Carter, I’m more tempted than I want to admit about riding you bare, but I feel Knight babies should come a little later in our story.”
“Whoa, Belle.” He closed his hands over mine. “Slow down. What I meant was, we’re not having sex tonight.”
“Why not?”
“Because of what you have going on with Preston and Nathan. I can’t do it.”
My heart sank. Throat tight, I rasped, “You can’t share me.”
“No,” he said. “I can share the crap out of you. Those guys see you as beautiful and amazing as I do. They’d do absolutely anything to protect you, and I want your life filled with people like them and only them.
“What I can’t do is this ‘one last summer’ thing,” he said. “I warned you, Belle, that if we started this, I wasn’t walking away. We’re not going to be together till the end of the summer. We’ll make us real after the summer. We’ll figure out school, where we’ll live, and when exactly my fake proposal becomes not so fake. September first in the damp coastal city of Bracknell—that is when and where our love story starts.”
My eyes swam with tears. It was the sweetest, most impossible thing he ever said.
“But Mal—”
“Fuck Mal,” he spat. “Fuck him up the ass with a fist covered with spiked rings. He’s not in our story anymore. He doesn’t factor into this decision. Tell me you want after the summer with me, and I’ll drop my pants right now.”
“I...” My lips trembled, carrying a tear on its ridge. “I can’t. He can’t hurt you again, Carter. Not you.”
He cupped my cheek. “But he can keep hurting you? Controlling your life?”
“He’s not controlling this. Us. Right now,” I said. “And right now I just want to be on a date with you.”
Taking a deep breath, I wiped my face. “You will be taking your pants off, Knight. After dinner and more than intense making out, you and I are going skinny-dipping.” I popped the final button, letting my romper fall around my waist. My bra went with it. “Do you have objections?”
His tongue darted out, licking his lips like they should be doing to me. I didn’t bother to hide my pleased smirk as he feasted.
“My self-restraint doesn’t cross to masochism. I do not have objections.”
“I thought you’d say that.”
“You mentioned intense making out.” He crooked a finger. “Come back here.”
“Catch me.”
I raced down the beach, shedding my clothes as I went. Carter was on me as the surf swallowed our ankles. Shrieks, laughs, and moans filled the night.
We may not agree on if this was our first date, but I desperately hoped it wouldn’t be our last one.
The stars shrank our world. Sealing us in a place where nothing existed but the sky above and Carter’s hands keeping me from the depths. I closed my eyes as his tales of Greek tragedies washed over me.
There is no after the summer for us. Don’t let this be our last. I’m not ready to walk away from you again.
“YOU LOOK GREAT, BELLE. Vintage was the way to go.”
I did a little twirl, basking in the admiration. “Thanks, Z. And may I say, you look hot in that white tux.”
“You may not,” Owen said. “You’ve got three of your own. Hands off mine.”
“Oh yeah?” I ran my hands all over Zion, making his ticklish self squirm. “Do something about it.”
“Okay.” Owen snapped Zion to him and planted an ear-smoking kiss on his mouth.
Mila, Hazel, Nathan, Preston, Carter, and I hooted and wolf-whistled. One night at our favorite local dive, we stumbled outside and caught Owen and Zion going at it behind a stack of crates. Wasn’t much point hiding it from us after that.
Our group was hanging out in my room as I finished getting ready. They weren’t being patient about it.
“Belle, you look amazing,” Mila said. “At this point, you cannot improve upon perfection.”