But not this man. He hadn’t come right out and said it, but Katie now understood how Carson’s recalcitrance had been as much about protecting her as himself. Maybe he was playing the martyr just a little too much, but his intentions were honorable, and that said a lot about him – things that Katie wanted to hear.
Taking a deep breath, she opened her eyes and saw daylight streaming through the partially-closed blinds. They’d both slept hard. Their little beach-nap had not been nearly enough to counter the strenuous physical activity of the previous night, and a quick glance at her night stand showed her it was a few minutes shy of 10 a.m. She never slept so late.
With great care, Katie managed to disengage herself from her bedmate without waking him. Grabbing a short kimono from a hook on her closet door, she padded down the hall to put on some coffee. Katie was starving and hoped she wouldn’t be eating alone this morning.
Ten minutes later, Katie returned to the bedroom, armed with two oversized mugs filled three-quarters full in one hand, and a tiny cream-and-sugar service in the other. Finding Carson still fully asleep, she set them down on the nightstand so she could climb back in bed and rub her hand over his chest and shoulder.
He snapped his eyes open, looking about with expected confusion and concern until he saw Katie out of the corner of his eye. He turned towards her.
“Good morning,” she said, an almost-musical lilt in her voice.
“Hey,” he responded, blinking his eyes several times in response to the light. “What time is it?”
“About 10 after 10.”
“Wow. Guess I was tired.”
“We both were,” she told him. “That’s why I brought some coffee.” She handed him one of the mugs.
“Coffee in bed?” he asked, sitting up. “I must rate or something.”
“I run a very friendly bed and breakfast.” She scooched him over and grabbed her own mug, adding a little cream and a bit of sugar. Carson waved off both and complimented her on her coffee. Conversation ceased as they drank, but Katie maintained a steady dialogue in her head as she pondered the best way to ask the 64-million-dollar question. Carson either wasn’t as worried or was a great actor. He sat there seemingly without a care in the world, and Katie recognized the irony of the situation as they seemed to have reversed roles at the worst possible time.
“So,” she said, making such an effort to sound casual she feared coming across as contrived, “what are your thoughts for the rest of the day?”
He looked at her with lazily-pursed lips and a raised eyebrow. “Wow. That question was loaded like a cannon. I just need to figure out what you’re aiming for. Is it a, ‘get out of my house’ shot, or a, ‘I hope you’ll stick around for at least part of the day’ shot?”
Well, I screwed that up. “Since you’re so good at interpreting my intentions, why don’t you tell me what I’m shooting at?” She realized she was complicating the situation unnecessarily, setting up a game of him responding to what he hoped she meant, but she wanted a good read on his intentions before polluting them with her thoughts.
He looked down for a second, and when he met her eyes once again any suggestion of sarcasm was gone. His gaze commanded her attention, and she gave it to him, fully. “Considering how compassionate you were last night, especially after what I told you, and how you phrased that question, I’m pretty sure you are hoping we can spend a little more time together.” Katie held her breath, trying very hard not to give any clues as to how accurate he was. “Which means you were right on target.”
A smile spread slowly across her cheeks despite her best efforts at controlling it, and Carson’s look went from sincere to arrogant as he realized he was totally right. It irritated Katie in a good way. She didn’t want to just admit he’d read her like a book and given the answer she’d desired, but he seemed to enjoy his tiny moment of victory. Finally, in exasperation, she crinkled her nose. “Wrong.”
“My ass!” They laughed together, clinking their coffee mugs together like Champagne flutes. “I’m glad you asked first,” Carson told her through a laugh, “because I didn’t have the foggiest idea about how to bring it up myself. Clearly, I’m a little out of practice with relationships.” The good humor left his face quickly. “But last night – actually, all the time we’ve spent together – reminded me I still have a life to live and that it should be shared with someone. And I think a lot of that is because of who you are and the way you’ve treated me. You won’t baby me, but you understand where I’m coming from. I appreciate that. I know I need a lot of work, but I’m not a basket case.”
She smiled in understanding. “Well, you are going to require my best efforts, but I’m up to the task. And my first effort is to tell you to get your hot little ass out of bed and into the shower!”
“I took a shower just before bed last night!” he objected.
“Yeah, but that made you anything but… clean.”
“Can’t disagree there.”
“So, move it!” She tossed the covers back. “Our only problem is you don’t have anything clean to wear.”
“You underestimate me. I always carry a go-bag in my car. In my trunk you’ll find a canvas bag
