Gage, Ronna - Send Her To Me (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  “I’m not satisfied. I want more.” His sight took in the many beautiful women around the pool. Hot bodies covered in oils that smelled of coconuts. Glossed lips that sparkled in the sun and, of course, their high-dollar faces covered in full makeup. He didn’t find the sight appealing. In fact, he developed an adversity to the very thing he seemed to come by so easily, pussy galore on a smorgasbord.

  “Don’t you want something more in a relationship?” he finally asked Vance.

  “Like what?”

  “For starters, how about some honesty? Or realistic values, and better yet, something solid enough to withstand the eccentricities of your personality?”

  “I’m no freak, Carter,” Vance shot back with amusement lacing his voice.

  “No.” He laughed at Vance’s semi-serious expression.

  “I want a woman with morals, with depth…” Carter elaborated, listing his choices in what he wanted in the ideal woman.

  “Carter, hold up. In order to find all that, where should you look?”

  “I would start by giving up the easy women in the bars and clubs. The real and lasting relationship I’m seeking isn’t going to be in this place.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t see myself falling for a woman who would easily fuck another man after me for something as little as free drinks.”

  “Sounds like you’ve thought about this long and hard.”

  “Yes. And you know what pisses me off even more?” Vance shook his head. “The time and money I wasted on women with the morals of nothing more than a hooker.” Vance laughed a boisterous laugh. “It doesn’t sit well with me at all.”

  “Carter, you are one unpredictable motherfucker. One minute you are looking for a good fuck, and then the next you are the conservative stockbroker again looking for true love. I get dizzy hanging out with you.” He laughed again. A second later he settled down again. A calm silence settled between them. “But I know what you mean about wasted money and energy.”

  “At least someone does. Dex is too busy having fun.”

  “That’s his choice. He can’t relate because he’s never really considered it.” Vance wiped the back of his arm onto his forehead. “Good lord, it’s hot. I’m going in for a dunk. I’ll be back soon.”

  “Take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

  Carter looked away from the bikinis in the pool and glanced at the different groups of people. Most talked, others laughed and flirted shamelessly with one another. His eyesight strolled past, and then skittered to a stop and locked on a woman sitting directly across from him. She tossed back her hair, and his heart skipped a small beat. His cock twitched in his swim trunks. Her dark red hair fell down her shoulders to rest against her breast. She laughed at something her friend said. Carter could almost hear it, even over the blaring music. Her eyes sparkled while she engaged into a conversation with one of the players and his girlfriend.

  God, what were their names? The names lay on the tip of his tongue, yet he didn’t remember them to save his life. The more he watched her, the more he wanted to see. She gave off an air of confidence. She didn’t flirt and act superficial like some of the women he knew. He longed for a woman with self-assurance, and it wasn’t until this moment that he made the connection.

  How do I get her attention? “I need a beer.”

  He reached into the cooler for something else to drink. His hands fished around for a bottle. He hoped to ease the loneliness that threatened to occupy his heart. The sting of ice-cold water attacked his hand. He looked down and moved around the chunks of ice until he found the beer on the opposite side of the cooler. He made a quick glance in the redhead’s direction. To his disappointment, she was gone. His stomach quivered with discontent. Where did she go? He scanned several locations around the pool but didn’t find her. For some reason, her absence saddened him. He pulled the beer from the cooler.

  “Can I have one of those?”

  He heard a soft-spoken woman’s voice from behind him. Like a magnet to metal, it pulled him. Turning toward the voice, he came in eye-level with a woman’s crotch and lost the reflex to breathe.

  He swallowed hard.

  The brown boy shorts of her suit were sexier than any string bikini around the pool. Slowly, his eyes followed a path up to her face. Her thin, tanned stomach enraptured him. He longed to touch her tight, flat abdomen. Traveling further up, they lingered at her full breasts barely hidden inside a halter swim top. Hungry eyes feasted on the milky mounds of her breasts until he felt his mouth water for a taste of her. Finally, the greenest eyes he had ever seen gazed back at him. It’s her! The redhead from across the pool stood before him. The surprise almost knocked him for a loop. She’s a vision I’d happily go blind watching. Her small, rounded face showed little blemish except for the little freckles that dotted her nose. The mere sight of her woke up the beastly member in his shorts.

  He pulled off his sunglasses to get a better view of her face. She gasped. Am I not what she expected? Is that good or bad? The shine in her eyes and the small smile on her lips said otherwise. He smirked inwardly. “Sure.” Without looking, he reached into the cooler and grabbed the first bottle he felt in his hands. So distracted by her appearance, he didn’t watch what he was doing and bumped the bottle against the metal frame of the chaise lounge, and it burst into two large pieces in his hand, piercing his palm.

  He screamed out in pain, felt the stinging numbness in his fingers, and immediately dropped the bottleneck back into the cooler. “Mother fu….Son of a bi…” Carter lifted his hand. He carefully censored the string of curses in front of her. You know better than to curse around a lady.

  “What happened? Did you cut yourself?” The woman reached out and took his fingers in her hands. “Are you all right?” he heard her ask. She turned his hand over in an obvious attempt to aid his injury.

  He wanted to protest her examination, but one look into her concerned face and he became silent. Averting his eyes from her, he looked down at his injured hand. His left palm had a small gash that oozed blood.

  “I don’t think you’ll need stitches,” her voice, soft and low, said to him, and his heart fluttered wildly. Carter almost didn’t hear her. She skimmed the top of the wound with her index finger.

  Carter stood dumbstruck by her tenderness. He barely felt her touch on his hand.

  She looked at him. “I hope you don’t have some wicked blood disease like AIDS or hepatitis.”

  Silent for a second, he answered. “No, none I’m aware of.” He looked into her eyes, and for the moment nothing existed while his mind focused on her. Close up, he noticed the auburn color of her hair—his favorite color. Her hair was longer than he first suspected. It lay in a thick ponytail down her back to about the midpoint where the strings of her top tied together.

  “God, I would give my right nut to put my fingers in that hair,” he murmured to himself.

  Her cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”

  Embarrassed that she heard him, he gently took his hand from hers. “It’s nothing worth repeating.” He reached into his cooler and picked up the hand towel he laid in there earlier. Tearing the towel, he wrapped his hand, and then used his teeth to tie off the two ends. It wasn’t the best bandage, but it would do. “Dry mouth! The unwanted effects to drinking beer in the hot sun.” He tried to convince himself, not daring to admit the slip-of-the-tongue comment he spoke in front of a complete stranger. He reached into the cooler again, this time with his right hand. “Here’s the beer you asked for. I hope you like Budweiser.”

  She reached for the unopened container. “Thank you.” She snapped off the cap. Immediately, foam oozed from the top, and she hurried to lick the falling liquid dripping down the bottle’s longneck.

  Carter watched her tongue and lips work the bottle, his lips parted slightly. The cool, calm, collected façade he adopted disappeared. She glided her tongue up the longneck to the bottle’s opening and licked the drop of fluid. He
could imagine her doing the same thing to his cock. It twitched in response. He glanced up and realized that she watched him with as much intensity as he did. She tilted the bottle and took a long drink until half remained.

  “That hit the spot.”

  Her lips fit over the bottle’s top, and then tilted it back for another drink. When she removed the bottle from her lips, they were wet with the foam of the beer.

  So focused on her movements, Carter barely swallowed the drink he poured down his throat. His senses took the day off, leaving him to his own vices. “No.” He leaned in and gently licked the beer from her lips. “Now, that hit the spot.” Her lips tasted sweet. A mixture of sweet cherries and cold beer stirred his taste buds. Desiring another part of her, his eyes drifted down her body. How would she taste in other places? His gaze lighted on the juncture between her legs. Even in the relaxed environment of the pool party, he didn’t dare push his luck and act on the impulse to find out. He much preferred to sample her in private. Taking a sip of beer in hopes to quench his thirst, he took a second and let the swallow linger in his cheeks. When he swallowed his drink, he extended his left hand to her, only to bring it back due to his bandage. Changing to his right hand, he replied, “I’m Carter Banks, by the way.”

  It took a few seconds for her to speak. The stunned expression on her face showed her surprise, and then it cleared. She tried to act unaffected by the brush of his tongue on her lips. She shot out her hand and grabbed his.

  “Yes, I know.”

  The hoarseness in her voice confirmed his presumption was right. The kiss did something for her.

  Suddenly, her words sunk into his mind. Yes, I know! “You know?”

  “Yes, I heard of you before today.”

  “I hope it was good.” No matter how hard he tried not to let it bother him, his apprehension mounted. Was she like the other women he’d met?

  Chapter Two

  Carter is, by far, the hottest man I’ve ever seen. Kelli’s eyes squinted to get a clear view of him. Tall in height, his dark brown sugar skin accentuated the color of his chestnut hair which lay on his shoulders. He looked at her with brown eyes that surely read her inner thoughts. A small gold hoop earring pierced his right ear. Kelli’s gaze roamed over his body, taking in the corded muscles, narrowed waist, and muscled thighs. Upon further inspection, she saw no body art, nor gaudy body piercings. One word came to mind in her appraisal of his good looks. Roguish. He mesmerized her. Her insides trembled with eagerness to know him. What fascinated her more about him wasn’t his looks but the fact that no other woman showed interest in him! Are they blind or stupid? Can’t they see his good looks? On the other hand, she didn’t care if they noticed him or not. All the more for me! At least with no competition, she didn’t have to fight for his attention. Unless he has a girlfriend. Stop it and focus, Kelli.

  The cut on his hand gave her the opportunity to examine it up close. Small calluses covered his fingertips. What does he do for a living?

  Guitar player?

  Piano player?

  She blushed at the thoughts that filled her mind. She inhaled deeply and filled her lungs with the smell of his expensive, woodsy cologne and sunblock. She licked her lips, and tasted beer, lip balm, and the last remnants of the kiss.

  “Yes, it was good.” Kelli sensed Carter’s famous suspicion. The telltale signs of his cocked head and narrowed eyes gave him away.

  “I’m glad to hear that. How do you know me?”

  “My cousin talks about Dex all the damn time.”

  Kelli looked in the direction of the celebrated athlete with the four women that gathered around him. She shook her head slightly at the public display of affection. “I sometimes feel I know more than I want to know about him.”

  “Your cousin?”

  “Yeah, Tonya Lambert.” Kelli pointed in the direction of the lounge chairs where her cousin sat watching Dex and the group of women surrounding him. “Tonya actually seems peeved that he actively engages in a conversation with his little group of women.”

  “Oh, well, Dex has so many women chasing him. I can’t keep the names straight,” Carter replied but continued to stare at her.

  She felt awkward and shy with his close observation. Like being under a microscope. He undressed her with his eyes again, and his gaze rested on her breasts for the second time. Unsure of what to say, she watched the activities in the water. What should I say next? Should I be coy? Be flirty? No, be yourself. She turned back to him. “Do you sometimes feel like a fly on the wall around here?” Kelli wished she could take back the question. Why would he wish or think such a thing? He and his friend had a ton of women sitting around and waiting to go out with them. Carter associated with these players on a daily basis and seemed comfortable doing it. She wouldn’t be surprised if Carter gave the team members some competition. He had a body that would put some of them to shame. He had more muscles than Dex. However, his face looked like a rock star god. And his long fingers. Calloused, long fingers that would be masterful. Her nipples hardened just thinking of his long fingers stroking her like a taut string on a guitar.

  His lips formed a smile. “Not really. I get a kick out of seeing Dex with his uh…fan club.”

  Kelli tried to hold back a laugh at the innuendo, but it came out in a snort. Carter gave her a sidelong glance for the unladylike sound. She couldn’t have been anymore embarrassed if she passed gas in front of him. “Do you have a…fan club?”

  “No, I don’t play with the team. I’m a businessman.”

  Kelli thought she saw a moment of uneasiness in his posture.

  “What business are you in?”

  “What do you do for a living?” He countered the question with one of his own.

  Okay, he changed the subject. He doesn’t want to talk about his job. Instead of pushing for information, she let it go. “I’m a teacher.”

  “Really, what grade?”

  “Junior high.”

  “Do you like being a teacher?”

  “This is my first year. I’ll let you know next summer.”

  Carter gave her a roguish grin. “I hope you will.”

  The conversation lulled again. Kelli looked around the pool area. “The quick organization of such an undertaking is completely amazing.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “One minute I’m in bed, the next I’m at a poolside free-for-all party talking with you.”

  “I hope that is a good thing.”

  “Just a bit of a change for a girl from a small town in west Texas.”

  Carter lifted his bottle and tapped it to hers. “Welcome to Fort Worth.”

  “Thank you!”

  “What brought you out here?”

  “I came out here to attend the university. When Tonya found out I was here, she called and asked me to move in with her. She and I have always been close ever since we were kids.”

  “So, how do you like the condo?”

  “I love it. It has all the amenities I hoped to have for my first apartment—security system, a doorman, manicured lawns, gym, and clubhouse. It’s like living in a hotel suite without room service. But there is no way I could afford it. Not at the price range they go for.”

  “Yeah, why not?” Carter asked.

  Kelli looked into his eyes and almost saw a softer gaze. She enjoyed the change—it made him look sexier. “I’m a teacher, remember?” She looked past his shoulder to see Tonya waving. Time to end the conversation. For now. “Well, thanks for the beer.” She took a step to leave.

  “Wait! You’re going to take my beer and leave just like that?”

  Kelli smiled. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I thought about doing.” She looked down at the bottle. “Why? You got something better to offer?”

  Carter looked at her with a strange leer on his face but said nothing.

  Although Kelli felt awkward again, she would be damned if she stayed around waiting for him to get rid of her. He obviously racked his brain coming up with an
excuse to let her down easy. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. Playmates surrounded him at any given time. She wouldn’t hang around and be today’s boy toy. She turned to leave again.

  “Kelli!”

  She stopped but didn’t turn around. Instead, she gave a quick look over her shoulder. “Yes?”

  Carter stepped in front of her, blocking the path. “What are you doing this evening?”

  Kelli saw his discomfort while he waited for her answer. He was definitely out of his element among these celebrities who had the world for the taking in the snap of their fingers. Kelli liked that he was unspoiled just like her.

  “Whatever you would like to do…within reason,” she revised.

  Carter chuckled. “Now, let’s not eliminate all of the possibilities.”

  The burning heat of the sun dried her lips slightly. They cracked under the sun’s blistering effects. She pulled a lip balm out of the pocket of her shorts and smoothed the emollient over her lips.

  Carter watched for a second, and then out of nowhere he stepped forward, closing the distance between them again. The touch of his lips on hers was gentle. He eased back, licking his lips. “Cherry, my favorite.”

  His teasing made her feel playful and giddy. She had to counter with a good comeback. Think! “Plenty more where that came from.” She angled her head to the side.

  His eyes blazed with mischief. “I look forward to the treat.”

  Kelli realized the double insinuation of the single phrase and knew he bested her with his husky reply. Damn! I walked right into that one. Figuring it best to leave the matter alone, she stood quiet. Why can’t people talk to one another without all the bullshit? Games people play.

  Carter licked his lips. “What time should I pick you up?”

  “I’m staying with my cousin. How about we meet in the lobby? Say, around seven?”

  Carter folded his arms over his chest. The bulged muscles strained against his muscular arms. “Make it five, and I’m there.”

  Suddenly, her suit got wet from the dewiness of her clit. She swallowed hard. “As you wish.”