He nodded in agreement. “Hell can freeze over.”
They both turned in the direction of the doorbell when it rang. Carter said as he got up. “I better get that.”
Harlem grabbed the afghan on the back of the sofa and threw it over her. She could hear Carter’s voice. “You can take them in there.” She turned around to see a man walk into the room with a dozen roses. Only he wasn’t alone. Several other men followed, each carrying a huge vase of flowers. “What in the world?” Harlem brought her hands up and covered her mouth in surprise.
Carter’s theater room was huge, so the roses didn’t completely fill up the room, but he had them arranged in such a way that they almost surrounded her. Carter walked the men out, and Harlem used that time to get herself together. She got up and walked over and touched the flowers.
“You like them?” He said.
She turned. “I love them, but you didn’t have to go through all of this trouble. This child shares your DNA. It wasn’t necessary.”
Carter quickly realized that Harlem thought he’d bought them as a thank you for agreeing to allow him to be a father to his child. He wasn’t exactly sure what propelled him to buy them–at least nothing he was ready to admit. It was much safer to let Harlem’s train of thought go there than to tell her the truth, which was complicated, to say the least. “C’mon. Don’t go getting all sappy. Let’s watch this movie.”
Harlem came over and sat down next to Carter. “I knew this was going to be a good day, but I had no idea it would turn into this.”
“Yeah, yeah. We’re too serious up in here. That’s why I put in a comedy.”
*****
Two movies later, and Harlem was knocked out cold. She was curled up onto the sofa, and her head had fallen over onto Carter’s shoulder.
He took a minute to study her. A long piece of hair had fallen over into her face, and he gently moved it back behind her ear.
“What am I going to do with you?” He said to himself. He felt as if he were watching a train wreck about to happen in slow-motion. Unlike any other woman Carter had ever known, Harlem got under his skin.
Her eyes fluttered open to stare into his baby blue eyes. Carter’s face was so close to hers. He whispered. “I shouldn’t do this.” Then, he placed his hand on the back of her head and pulled her forward, covering her lips with his.
No matter how hard he fought it, kissing her felt inevitable. Everything that happened over the past few months seemed to lead up to this moment.
He held her gaze, both seemingly unable to look away. Harlem’s eyes were free from guilt and pain. He could only see desire. He was sure her eyes mirrored his own.
Carter should run. He shouldn’t allow things to go any further. But, Harlem wanted him, and that knowledge overruled any other rational thought. Her heated gaze fed his overwhelming desire to make her his. The moment to do the right thing passed. If Carter were honest, the moment he knew she wanted him, there had never been any other decision to make. Slowly, he dipped his head low and capture her mouth in another searing kiss.
Harlem didn’t fight it. She couldn’t. Instead, she allowed herself to be swept up into whatever was happening between them. She lifted her hand to cup the side of Carter’s face and gave herself over completely. The second his lips touched hers, something finally clicked, and it was magical. Her inner self found that thing that she had been searching for. That thing she hadn’t been able to name. So this is what it was supposed to feel like. Harlem exhaled during their kiss. And, skillfully, Carter slid his tongue inside her mouth, tasting her sweetness.
It was soft and moist and hot. It was perfect.
Carter was experiencing a closeness he’d never shared before–not from a kiss. It was like they were one in a timeless and passionate moment.
Harlem moaned.
The need in her voice was like a drug. It wreaked all kinds of havoc on Carter’s senses; it fueled him on. Their kiss, which was initially soft and tender, quickly morphed into a more determined and heated exercise.
The more Harlem gave, the more Carter needed. Gently, he pushed her back onto the sofa. Her legs parted so that Carter could move in-between them. Their bodies had their own conversation without having to utter a single word. As Carter moved into position, he continued to greedily thrust his tongue inside Harlem’s mouth in the same manner he planned to do to her body.
Carter found the strength to tear his mouth away from hers. He spoke in-between kisses. “I’ve done everything in my power to resist you. I can’t do it anymore.”
Harlem felt the same way. “I don’t want you to.” His touch felt so good that her body pleaded for more contact. Harlem began to squirm and roll her hips underneath him. Her body made silent pleas on its own accord.
“You have on way too many clothes,” Carter said.
In the state they were in, a t-shirt would have been too much. “Help me take them off.” Harlem said as she raised her arms in the air.
Carter had no problem with her request. He quickly and expertly removed her shirt leaving behind a lacy red bra.
