Strong (Kindred #1) (42 page)

“Going by Harry’s constant mauling, I’m going to guess as soon as Megan could have sex, they had sex, she cannot say no to him.”

“What about you?”

“Can I say no to Harry? Yes, he’s not my type.” she grins.

“Can you say no to me?” he teases, leaning over me.

“No…”

“Good. We’re going to bed then.”

“Are you awake?”

“Yes… Are you?” I whisper back, hardly containing my smile.

“Carter,” she laughs. “Who do you think you’re talking to?”

“The Ghost of Christmas Present?”

“Get up you big arse! It’s Christmas Day!” she sits up and bounces on the bed.

I pull her on top of me and kiss her, snaking my hands under her pyjamas where her skin is warm and soft and so damn delicious I’d be happy if my present is her this morning. We forget all about Christmas while we tease and caress each other. Carmen does eventually pull back, her heated skin a beautiful rose colour.

“We have presents to open.” she pants.

“I can just unwrap you if you like?”

“You can do that after, I want presents!”

“Come on then.” I chuckle at her excitement.

I climb out of bed and hold my hand out to her, when she takes it, I pull her up and into my arms and kiss her.

“Happy Christmas, Carmen.”

“Happy Christmas, Carter,” she smiles. “Thank you for being with me.”

We take the comforter with us until it heats up, Carmen switches on the tree lights while I make us coffee. She’s practically bouncing around when I sit down next to her. I hand her a present and she hands me one, both of us watching the other one. I nod my head and she grins, ripping open the paper.

“Carter…”

“Open it.”

She’s holding a box in her hand with a famous jewellers name emblazoned on the lid. Tucked inside is a heart locket, I spent hours finding the right one and getting the perfect inscription on it. She opens it and a little gasp escapes her lips, then she turns it over and I watch two perfect tears roll down her cheeks.

“Oh, Carter. Wow.”

“Do you like it? I spent ages choosing it.”

“It’s the most beautiful present, thank you so much. Will you help me put it on?”

She turns around and hands me the necklace and I fasten it in place. The inscription is to remind her that even when I didn’t tell her, I loved her.

I’ve loved you every step of the way

“Now open.” she nods to the present beside me.

I open the box and inside is a gift certificate for the hotel we stayed at for Jack and Josie’s wedding. I look at Carmen and she smiles.

“I want to take you back and retrace our steps, I want to remember all the moments that even then, made me fall in love with you. I want you to make hot chocolate and sit on the beach with me all night, I want it to be just like that, as it was to all intents and purposes, our first date. And when the sun comes up, we’ll climb the stairs together and we’ll go into our room together and end the night very differently to how it ended last time.”

“I went into my room and thought of you.” I tell her.

“I went into my room and thought of you too, this time, we won’t be thinking, we’ll be together.”

“I love it, thank you.” I kiss her and hand her another present.

“You’re really good at present buying.” she sobs as she unwraps it.

This one is special. It’s a Willow Tree figure of a couple together. The lady in the shop told me it’s based on a young couple finding love; the butterflies and uncertainty, the chemistry. All the things you find when you’re close to each other, all the things I feel when I’m with Carmen. It’s elegant and intimate. She told me the piece is derived from dance, so depending how you position it, and where you look at it from, it appears to have movement. I knew it was perfect when I saw it, then when I spoke to the lady in the shop, I just had to have it.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispers. “The way their fingers and the tops of their heads touch, I can remember how I felt when we touched from so early on with you… And now I remember how I feel when we touch like that, the butterflies I still feel in my stomach, the tingly excitement. It’s perfect.” she leans over and kisses me and soon I forget everything but her.

We open the rest of our presents, Carmen gets me a season ticket to the international NFL games that are in London and tells me Josie got Jack the same, that they both want us to have time together and get to see games, even if it isn’t the Bears. I also get a new jumper, Converse and a bottle of
Creed Royal Oud
. Carmen loves her other presents, a new scarf, a pair of boots, some lingerie and a bottle of
Chanel Chance
. I don’t tell her she has another present under the tree for our Christmas with everyone in England.

We have a breakfast of pancakes and coffee then head into the shower. It’s a slow and painfully pleasurable shower and when we eventually climb out, I’m ready to climb back into bed. We can’t though, we have to get to Mom and Dad’s. I leave Carmen in the bedroom to get dressed knowing, we’ll never get there if I don’t calm down.

Maybe some cold air will help.

I stay in the bathroom getting ready while Carter packs the car. I’ve made sure he doesn’t get a look at what I’m going to be wearing today, he loves me in red and after he told me, he couldn’t get the red dress out of his mind, I’ve picked another. Now, bearing in mind we’re spending the day with his parents and sister, I’ve gone for something a little more understated, a floor length dress is just not going to work today sadly, so instead I’ve treated myself to a new dress. It’s a peplum style, the top part ruffles out at my hip and there’s a bow to accentuate my waist.

It’s gorgeous.

I finish putting my make up on and head into the bedroom to get dressed. I decide to treat the man in my life and wear the new black lingerie he bought me for Christmas, teaming it with a pair of nude stockings with little red bows at back. Slipping my feet into my black heeled pumps I check myself out in the mirror and grin, Carter is going to love it. I make sure my heart locket is outside of the dress and grab my winter coat and hat. Just as I’m about to head into the lounge Carter comes in and stops dead just inside the door.

“Wow.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s red.”

“Yes.”

“And it shows off your figure.”

“It does.”

“And…” he steps forward and runs his hand along the back of my leg, then groans. “You’re wearing what I got you?”

“I might be…”

“And I have to sit at dinner knowing about it,” he steps back and shifts uncomfortably. “Are you trying to kill me?”

I laugh and step closer to him, resting my hands on his hips and leaning up to kiss him .

“Happy Christmas, Carter.” I grin.

“Happy Christmas!” Alexis yells when we walk into Hilary and Nick’s.

“Happy Christmas!” I chuckle as she jumps around in front of me.

“Lex, let us take our coats off.” Carter chuckles.

“Wow, Carter, your girlfriend is a babe in this dress!”

“She’s a babe out of it too.” he grins at her.

“Gross. I don’t need images thank you very much.”

We all laugh as we head into the kitchen, Hilary has her Christmas apron on and has Christmas songs playing while Nick sits at the table with a coffee. We all say hello and take a seat at the table with Nick. Alexis can’t contain herself and tells us all to get drinks then come into the lounge for presents. Carter helps Hilary with the glasses of fizz while I slip my shoes off and head into the lounge to sit down.

“Can I pleeeeeeease go first?” Alexis bounces.

“You’re a spoiled brat,” Carter laughs. “Here. Open this.”

He hands her one of the presents Carter told me she wanted and she takes it excitedly, pulling off the wrapper and squealing.

“You did not!” she bounces more in her seat. “You guys are the best!”

“It’s just a cup, Lex.” he laughs.

“Yes, but it goes in my collection! Thank you!”

“Mom, Dad, this is for you.”

Carter didn’t know what to get his parents, so we got them flights to England for around the time Josie is due. We spoke to Jack and Josie who thought the idea was a great one, so that’s what we went for.

“You’ve spent too much,” Hilary smiles. “Thank you so much, we’ll be able to meet our Grandchild now.”

“You can’t not be there, Mom.” Carter tells her.

“Thank you, both of you.” Nick smiles at us.

“You’re both so welcome.” I smile back.

Nick and Hilary are incredibly generous and I receive a weekend away at a spa for three. Carter receives the papers to a car in his name for when we get back to England. Alexis buys me a gorgeous handbag and a charm for my bracelet. I’ve never felt so loved and cherished in my life, it’s a wonderful feeling. Lunch is delicious and soon, Hilary and Nick are fast asleep on the sofa and Alexis is playing on her new iPad leaving Carter and I to snuggle on the sofa and watch Miracle on 34th Street again.

Later when it’s dark, everyone gets themselves something to eat and Nick puts on some Christmas songs and pulls Hilary in for a dance, Carter follows suit and we spend hours dancing. Alexis taking over and putting her music on when Hilary and Nick retire for the evening after hugs and insisting we stay up as long as we like.

“I’m totally coming over to England and we’re going out again!” she slurs.

“I think you’ve had enough to drink,” Carter laughs. “You can barely talk.”

“And what has it got to do with you?” she grumbles. “You get to go to bed with Carmen tonight, who do I have?”

“Hey, it’s okay.” I wrap my arms around her.

“It’s really not, I’m all alone at Christmas and it sucks, Carm.”

“Let’s get you to bed, I think we’ve all had enough to drink for one day.”

I help her upstairs and into bed and she looks up at me, she looks so small and sad, I wish I could help her.

“I spoke to him, I told him, he couldn’t pick and choose when he wanted me, I told him, I’ve moved on. I haven’t and now I think I’ve messed everything up.” she sobs.

“We’ll talk in the morning, okay? We’ll work it out.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.” I kiss her cheek and stand. When I look back she’s passed out already.

I head into the room Carter showed me earlier and he’s laying on the bed looking at his phone. He looks up when I walk in and frowns.

“Is she okay?”

“She’s sad, Tyler… Do you know him?”

“Yeah, he’s a good guy, or at least he was before he broke her heart and left.”

“She loves him, Carter.”

“I know she does, but I don’t know if he loves her.”

“Let’s not talk about that now, you have one last present to unwrap.”

“If you’re not talking about you, then I’m not interested.”

“I am absolutely talking about me.”

He comes to sit on the edge of the bed and pulls me between his legs. His hands roam over my hips and to the back of my dress where he follows the line of my zip until he reaches the top. Not wasting any time, he tugs the zipper down and pushes the dress off my shoulders, letting it pool at my feet. His eyes darken as he takes in my underwear and pure instinct takes over.