My Broken Soldier (Love Conquers Life Book 2) (9 page)

“Me too,” she says, wrapping her arm around me.

“He’ll probably make bail on Monday. Will you still be in town?”

“No, sir, we’re leaving tomorrow morning.” I rub my hand up and down her arm.

“Okay, well, you take good care of her.”

“I plan on it.”

I frown when I realize I’d promised her father I would do just that.
Patty says good day to the sheriff and pulls me into the store.

“Are you okay?” she asks me.

“Yeah. I realized that I told your father the same thing. I kind of feel like I let him down.”

“But you didn’t. Not only did you save me last night, but you fixed his door. He will be quite pleased.”

“But I hurt you,” he says, voice brimming with concern.

“That wasn’t your fault, Carter. You can’t beat yourself up for that, and I won’t let you.”

He grins at me. “Thanks, sweetie. Let’s get what we need so we can get back and have dinner.”

I make a mental note to talk to the good doctor about that thought when I get back. Between Brody and now this situation, I clearly have issues with guilt, and I need to figure out how to get over my issues or control them.

We walk the aisles of the store, looking for something to have for dinner. Patty spots a steak that is big enough for the both of us. She shows it to me and says, “Steak and potatoes?”

I grin. “Sounds good to me.”

She puts the steak in her basket along with two potatoes. She walks to the little produce area and finds a small bag of salad that has carrots, red cabbage, and radishes already in it and then adds a few other things. Collecting what she needs, she goes straight to the counter to pay for the food.

“I got it, sweetie,” I say, pulling out my wallet and handing the man behind the counter some cash. He nods and hands me my change, bidding us good day.

I take the bag from the counter and slip her hand in mine. I scan the area as I load the bag into the car. We both climb in. I know all is fine with Ben in jail, but I can’t help but be on alert. I continue scanning the area the entire way back to the house, which isn’t far. When we get there, all appears as we left it, so we head inside and get to work on making dinner.

“Can you find a bowl from under that cabinet and start tossing the salad? This steak won’t take long in the broiler,” she says as she nods toward the cabinet that has the bowls in it.

I find the bowl and do as she asks while she does her thing with the steak and potatoes. A short time later, dinner is ready and we sit to eat. She managed to cook the steak to perfection. It’s tender and juicy and a little pink in the middle, the way we both like it.

“This is really good,” I say as I prepare to take another bite.

“Well, I’m glad you like it. You need the protein, and I know you like to eat healthy.”

I nod as I continue to eat. “I’m glad we like a lot of the same things. It makes it easy for us to make meals. Even if I could cook, I wouldn’t make this if I were alone because you can’t reheat it. The steak would be rubber.”

“Cooking steak right takes practice. Hardly anyone makes it once and becomes a steak expert.”

“I don’t need to be. I’m in love with one.”

I take the last bite of my dinner. Then I lean back in my chair and watch her finish up.

When she’s done, I take her plate and mine. I rinse them off and place them in the dishwasher. I poke at the fire and add some wood so it will kick up again because we’re going to pack it for the night soon. I lay a blanket down on the floor near the fireplace and turn on some soft music.

Patty comes over and says, “What are you doing?”

I grin at her and whisper, “I meant it when I said I was going to make love to you in front of the fire tonight.”

She smiles and then rises up on her tiptoes to kiss me. She squeals when I scoop her up and kneel down with her in my arms. I chuckle as she giggles. My girl is so light I could carry her for days.

I set her down on her ass and lift her shirt over her head. I unclip her bra and toss it aside with her shirt as I lay her down. After peeling my shirt off, I place it under her head to give her a makeshift pillow. I lower myself on top of her, pressing our bodies together. I love the way she feels beneath me.

As our skin touches and the heat from our bodies mixes together, I softly kiss her and then look into her eyes. “You’re so beautiful with your skin glowing from the light of the fire. You look like an angel. You’re my angel, and you light my life, Patty Ann. I love you and will spend the rest of my life showing you how thankful I am that you’re with me.”

“I look forward to it, and you look pretty sexy too.”

My smile grows, and I start kissing her again. This time I don’t stop until our tongues meet and she gives me that delicious little moan of hers. I make my way to her neck, kissing and sucking as I go.

I whisper in her ear, “Time for dessert.”

She smiles as I make my way down to her breasts. I take her nipple into my mouth and gently nibble on it. She starts moaning and grinding her hips against my cock. It drives me wild when she does that. I love the sounds she makes when we make love.

I stop sucking on her nipple and move right down to what I want, her pussy. Placing a hand on each breast, I slowly run my hand down her body, enjoying the feel of her smooth, soft skin. When I arrive at her waist, I slip my fingers into the top of her leggings and slowly peel them off, along with her panties, and deposit them on the floor.

I lower myself between her legs and dive right in. I want to taste her, and I want to taste her now. My tongue finds its way through her folds, and I start attacking her clit. I’m licking it and sucking it as she grinds her hips into my face. I stop to stick my tongue as deep inside her as I can, fucking her with it.

“My God, Carter, you’re going to make me explode.”

She moans and pants, and I fucking love it. I remove my tongue to start my assault on her clit again. When I do, I slip two fingers inside her so I can finger fuck her while I continue licking her delicious little clit. Within seconds, she’s screaming my name as her body convulses from her orgasm, but I don’t stop and I won’t. I want her to have another one, and this time she’s going to come on my tongue.

I continue licking and fingering her until I know she’s getting close. As she’s about to orgasm again, I shove my tongue back inside her and I rub her clit with my thumb. Her hips are going, and she whimpers. I can tell another orgasm is about to rip through her. I press my thumb down a bit harder and that does it.

“Fuck,” she moans out as I continue to fuck her with my tongue. Her legs are stiff and her body shakes as she rides it out.

“That’s next, my sweetie,” I say as I crawl back up her delicious body, stopping only to pay attention to her beautiful breasts.

“Please, Carter.”

“Please what, sweetie? What do you need?” I ask her as if I don’t already know, but I love when she talks dirty, so I want to hear it.

“I need to feel you inside me.”

I slip two fingers inside of her and curl them to tease her.

“Carter, you know what I mean.”

“Tell me, sweetie. I love hearing you talk dirty to me.”

“I want you to fuck me with your large, hard cock. Okay?”

I reward her with a huge smile. I give her a passionate kiss so she can taste her orgasm the way I did, and then I slam my cock balls deep inside of her.

“Yes! Give me more.”

I pump my full length in and out of her, giving her what she wants. I keep the pace going as I feel her building again.

“I’m going to come again!”

“Come on, sweetie,” I say as I continue thrusting in and out of her, nice and deep. “Give it to me.”

“Yes, Carter!” Another orgasm tears through her, and she milks my cock for all I’ve got.

I collapse on top of her, sweaty and tired. We’re both panting, trying to catch our breath. When we finally calm down, I pull out of her and scoop her up off the floor to carry her to bed for one more round, as promised.

Chapter 9

Patty

It’s Sunday, mid-morning. We’ve finished packing up, and now we’re going to Carter’s house for the day. I put my stuff in my car and he puts his stuff in his. I’m not sure if I’m staying there tonight or not, but since he hasn’t been to his house since he left for the hospital, I want to be there for him when he goes back. Plus, thanks to our friends and family, he has a surprise waiting for him. He gives me a kiss, and I tell him I’ll follow him home.

As soon as I’m in my car, I call Bella to let her know we’re on our way back to his house so she can be prepared. It’ll take us a couple of hours to get there, so she has plenty of time. He doesn’t know it, but we’re surprising him with some friends and family for dinner. Bella sent me a text yesterday asking if he was with me still and when I said yes, she asked when we were coming back. When I told her today, we came up with a plan. His parents called my father to invite him over and then went to his house to tidy up. Apparently, he left a bit of a mess. They’re going to meet us at the house with Bella and Derek to order some takeout so we can relax and enjoy our time with them when we get home.

Bella answers right away. “How is he?”

“He’s good,” I say with a huge smile as I pull out of the parking lot and follow Carter.

“I can hear how happy you are, and it makes me smile. It killed me to see you so upset.”

“We’ve had an amazing two nights together, and he told me he loves me.”

She squeals into the phone. “No way! He did? What did you say?”

“I told him I loved him too and that we had some things to figure out, but we’d work on it together.”

“That’s so great!”

“Yeah, he was pretty happy, and I’m really excited to have him back!”

“That is so great, Patty. Well, Derek is on his way to pick me up so I’ll see you back at Carter’s house. We’ll have the food waiting for you guys when you get here.”

“Okay, see you soon,” I say. I cut the call and continue my drive.

I can’t help but wonder what his house was like prior to his parents cleaning up. I wish we were in the same car together. This would be a great time for us to sit and talk. It’s about a two-hour ride home. Since that isn’t an option, I’ll try to use this time to think of a way to get my mother to come clean about what is going on with her and Ben.

What could he possibly have on her that she would be so worried about leaking out? With my mother, god only knows. Maybe she had an affair, and that’s why she’s worried about Richard finding out. He would definitely leave her for that. Or maybe she’s stealing from him, but he gives her everything she needs and more.

I really can’t understand what this could all be about. Maybe I should ask my father for details on why they really divorced. It could have something to do with that. My curiosity is going to get the best of me, but I will figure this out because it’s going to affect my life until I do. I decide to shake it off and turn up the music for the remainder of the ride home.

***

We pull up to his house a couple hours later, and we both park in his reserved spots. When I get out of the car, he seems off. I’m hoping the ride home alone didn’t put him in a bad mood because that could ruin the entire night.

I stand by my car as he’s grabbing stuff out of his trunk. He walks over to me. I ask him, “Do you want me to stay the night? O would you prefer to be alone tonight?”

“Are you kidding me? I don’t want to be alone. Please spend the night.” He almost sounds panicked.

I nod. “Okay, I’ll stay. I just didn’t want to assume.”

He takes my bag and says, “Come on, let’s get upstairs.”

We get to the front of the building and the doorman grins and says, “Good evening, Mr. Montgomery.”

Carter gives him a warm smile. “Good evening.”

We walk through the door, and now I’m getting nervous that he’s going to be mad that we did this. It isn’t like his house is packed with people, but still. I have no idea how he’ll react to this.

We’re approaching his apartment door when he slows way down. “What’s wrong, Carter?”

He pauses. “I don’t remember anything from the day I left here.”

“Okay, so what are you afraid of?” I ask him so I can hopefully calm him down. He looks like he’s going to have a panic attack.

“I don’t know. I guess I’m nervous about what I’m going to find on the other side of that door.” His voice is trembling.

“Carter, look at me, honey,” I say in a soft voice.
“Your parents were here when you left right?” He nods at me. “So, do you think that if there was a mess in there they would let you come home to it?” I can see he’s thinking about it.

“I guess not.” He takes a deep breath. “You’re probably right. Everything's probably fine.”

I grin at him. “I know I am. It’s okay, let’s go in.”

He narrows his eyes at me. “Are you up to no good?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I’m stifling my grin, and he’s reading me like an open book.

He chuckles and opens the door. Our family and friends shout, “Welcome home!”

They all hug him and tell them how happy they are he’s back. My poor man is blushing, and I think it’s so cute. After greeting everyone, he says, “Will you excuse us while we put our stuff away?”

Everyone says sure, and we walk out of the room with our bags in hand and deposit them in the bedroom. As soon as we get through the door, I drop my bag and start to make my way back out to our guests.

He snags my arm and says, “Where do you think you’re going?” He pulls me toward him so our bodies collide. The he presses his lips to mine and says, “Thank you. This was a sweet surprise.”

“It was Derek and Bella’s idea. I made their day by telling them that we were coming home today.”

“Well, thank you for helping them get it together. It’s nice to see everyone under better circumstances.”

I kiss him. “Come on, our guests are waiting.”

We walk back out into the living room. Thanks to his parents, a ton of food is set up buffet-style on the snack bar. They’ve gone way overboard. There’s a meat platter for sandwiches, chips, and a huge variety of hot appetizers.

My father says to me, “So, how was the lake house? Did you get some writing done?”

“I did,” I say, debating if I should tell him what happened this weekend. If I tell him, then he’ll definitely say that he knew it wasn’t safe for me to be out there alone and he’ll make sure I have some sort of security going forward. If I don’t tell him, then he’ll be mad.

“Patty, I can see you internally debating. What aren’t you telling me?” My father gives me a look that says,
spill it
.

I sigh. “I wish I didn’t read like an open book sometimes.”

“Well, you do, so what happened?”

“Nothing, thanks to Carter having perfect timing.” His brows shoot up. “Mom told Ben I was at the lake house. He came up and barged in to show me how much he loved me, or at least that’s what he told me.” I sigh. “Carter rushed in and stopped him from doing anything. He had already called the cops, so they arrived shortly after he took him down.”

“Why the hell would she tell him you were at the lake house?” My father says in total fury.

“Apparently he has something on her. He told me she owed him and her debt wouldn’t be paid until we were back together. I tried to get him to tell me what she owed him for, but he wouldn’t say.” I look at Carter, who walks over and places his arm around me. “I didn’t have a chance to ask him anything more because Carter came in and rescued me.” I look up at him and he lowers to kiss me on the forehead.

“Thank you for saving my girl,” my father says to Carter.

“After what I put her through, it’s the least I can do. Actually, I feel kind of bad because if I hadn’t gotten so messed up, she wouldn’t have run there,” he says, looking into my eyes.

“You can’t do that to yourself,” my father says. “It’s not your fault her mother told Ben where to find her or that her mother mixed herself up in something bad.” He puts a hand on Carter’s arm.

Carter nods, and his mother says, “Why don’t we make some plates, huh?”

We’re making our way into the kitchen when Derek approaches him and says, “Nice job. Way to earn brownie points with the dad.”

Carter laughs and shakes his head. He asks, “What’s up with you and Bella?”

I continue to listen so I can see what Derek has to say.

Derek shrugs. “I like her, but what’s not to like? She’s hot as hell and easy to get along with.”

The girls are all sitting on one end of the snack bar, eating, and the guys are on the other. While we talk about shopping and fashion, the guys talk sports. When I look over, I notice that Carter is back to his usual self. He’s having a great time. He’s even joking around with my father, and it makes me smile.

When everyone finishes with dinner, Bella and Mia help me clean up the kitchen and put food away so we can eat it another night this week. I realize, in that moment, that no one is drinking beer or wine. Only water and soda was out, and it makes me wonder if Carter noticed and how feels about that.

Now that everything is put away, the topic of Thanksgiving comes up. Carter’s parents are going to bring a pumpkin pie, and Derek and Bella are going to bring a blueberry pie for dessert. Carter and I have promised to take care of the rest. Everyone is going to get to Carter's at two and we’ll eat around four. That way we won’t be eating late. I know my father has to work black Friday because it is a huge car buying day, so he plans to keep an eye on how his employees are doing. He was telling us earlier that he offered them a huge bonus if they hit their goals for the weekend.

Carter lets a yawn escape him as we’re all talking, and his mother decides that means it’s time to break up the party. “Okay, everyone. Let’s leave these two to themselves. I’m sure after the time they’ve spent apart they would appreciate some time alone.”

She winks at me, and I can’t help but giggle. Everyone starts to hug and say their good-byes. We promise to do dinner with Derek and Bella on Friday night, and my father thanks Carter yet again for his impeccable timing.

Once everyone is gone and the door has been shut and locked, he lifts my chin and then places the sweetest kiss on my lips. I love how soft his lips are, and whenever he presses them against mine it ignites something in me. He slips his fingers into my hair and says, “You’re amazing. Thank you for planning this with Derek and Bella.”

“You’re very welcome! Everyone wanted you to know how much we care about you, and we wanted to be there for you on your first night back home.”

“I’m so glad you’ve agreed to stay with me tonight. I’m glad to be home, but I don’t want to be alone either.”

“I’m here as long as you need me to be, but I have a question for you.”

“What’s that?” he asks, taking a seat on the stool and grabbing some water.

“Well, I noticed tonight that nobody was drinking beer or wine and I’m fine with that, but I was wondering if you noticed and how you felt about it and how you want to handle Thanksgiving.”

He shrugs. “I didn’t notice. It doesn’t bother me if others drink. I have no desire to drink the way I did those couple of days, and I probably won’t drink again for a while, but that doesn’t mean that others can’t.”

“Okay. I want you to know that it’s totally up to you. If you’re not comfortable with liquor in the house, then no one will drink.” I step between his legs, looking into his eyes. “We’ll all support you.”

He gives me a small smile. “I promise you, sweetie, I’m okay with it. I know I need to work on earning some trust right now, but please know I’ll tell you if I need extra support or if I have a problem.”

I nod. “Okay, we’ll serve beer and wine. However, I would like for you to tell me how you felt about it afterwards. Is that fair?”

“You got it. Now, what do you want to do about your mother?”

“I’m going to ask her to lunch, and I’m going to force her to tell me what Ben has over her. Then I’m going to figure out how to resolve the issue so we can get on with our lives. She’ll still owe you an apology, but I don’t think that will happen until I figure out what Ben has on her.”

“Any ideas on what it is?”

“It either has to do with money or an affair. I can’t come up with anything else and to be honest, I don’t even know how it could have to do with money. My stepfather lets her want for nothing. I’m hoping she’ll talk to me. If she does, my stepfather and my mom get invited for Thanksgiving dinner. If she doesn’t talk, then they won’t.”

“That sounds fair to me. How are you feeling about it?”

“I’m nervous because I’m not sure if she will tell me. If she does, I hope it isn’t anything too bad.”

“Do you think your mom could really be involved in something bad?”

I stop to think for a minute and say, “No, I don’t. I guess that’s what I don’t understand. If she screwed up and had a one-night stand or something, why didn’t she come clean and end all of this?”