“I’m sure,” Kat shot back and giggled when she heard him groan. “First, tell me more about the house and your time with your grandma.” He handed her another beer. She was on her fourth now, and she needed to slow down. If Carter’s aim was to get her drunk and have his way with her, then he wasn’t far from achieving it. “Tell me about your friends, girlfriends … tell me everything.”

Carter laughed. They continued to watch the flames lick and dance in the moonlight. The wind had died down now and the sky had cleared, dropping the temperature so that their breath was visible. Kat couldn’t feel the cold, though, wrapped in her blissful bubble.

“Okay.” Carter rubbed his hands across her stomach. “Well, my main group of friends work with me at the shop.”

“Max’s shop? Tell me about Max. How long have you known each other?”

Carter smiled. “Nearly twenty years.”

“Is he a good friend to you?”

“Yeah, he is. He laughed his ass off when I told him I was bringing you here.” He looked troubled, almost sad.

With a friendship of two decades, it was obvious there was more to their story, but Kat decided not to push. Like peeling the layers of an onion, he revealed himself to her a little bit at a time. He couldn’t be rushed. He would tell her when he was ready. She had to trust that.

“I’ve never had a girlfriend,” he continued. “I was never with girls long enough to warrant a label like that. This may be hard to believe, but I was a complete asshole with girls when I was a kid.” His self-ridicule was adorable.

“No way.”

“Way.” The playfulness ebbed from his face as he held her close. His words were low and serious in her ear. “I want you to know something.” He took a deep breath. “I won’t ever be that way with you. I promise. You deserve more than that. I’m far from perfect, but I swear I’ll do my best.”

Kat relaxed into his chest. “Do you know what a good person you are, Carter?”

Carter let his nose touch the tip of hers. “I’m not a good person, Kat—”

“Bullshit.” She turned in his arms.

Before he could argue, Kat pressed on. “You saved my life.” She traced his lips with the tips of her fingers. “Don’t ever tell me you’re not good.”

* * *

Carter’s grip tightened. She was so warm and soft. “You feel incredible.” He kissed down her neck to her collarbone, licking at her delicate skin. “You taste so good. You smell so good.” Kat gasped his name. “Tell me I can be inside of you tonight.”

Wordlessly, she moved her hand and grabbed him through his jeans. He groaned and bit down on her earlobe. She rubbed him firmly, drawing gasps of want from his chest, damn near making him come in six perfect strokes. Abruptly, Kat moved until she was on her knees between Carter’s legs, leaving him hard and achy with the small distance between them. Carter pouted at the same time she scrambled to her feet. She grabbed their trash and blanket and, with the sound of her laughter bounding across the sand dunes, ran ahead of him into the house.

She wanted him to chase her? Game. On.

Leaving the fire in the pit to die down itself, Carter grabbed what trash and beer was left and, as best as he could with a hard-on, sprinted after her, making it to the back door as the wind slammed it shut. Opening it with a grumble and dropping everything to the floor, he motored through the house, grinning at every piece of Kat’s crumpled clothing he passed.

Her hat, her boots, her socks, her scarf, her sweater … her bra.

She squealed when his heavy feet thundered up the stairs at the back of her, but all Carter could see was a flash of chestnut-red hair as she flew to the bedroom.

Dammit, she was quick.

Kicking open the bedroom door and making Kat scream in excited panic, he managed to grab hold of her arm, pulling her bare back against his chest. She gasped for air, but the moans came thick and fast when Carter’s mouth latched hungrily on to her shoulder. She reached up and pulled at his neck, grabbing for him and begging for any part of him to be in her.

“You’re gonna pay for that, my Peaches.”

Carter twirled her and knotted his fingers into her hair, smothering her mouth with his, and, in three large strides, he backed her into the bedroom wall. The air left them both when they came to a dead stop. Her hands were everywhere. She grappled with his button fly and wrapped her perfect, warm hand around his cock as soon as it was free. He released her mouth and let his head loll back. He cried out when her thumb ran over the wet tip, sucking in a long breath through his teeth.

“Not if I make you pay first,” she purred, licking her lips and dropping slowly to her knees.

Carter swallowed as her tongue flicked against him. “Oh fuck.”

That’s my girl.

25

The wind was fresh and the sky was blue the following afternoon as Carter and Kat rode Kala through Westhampton. Once again, he’d kept her in the dark about where he was taking her, loving the way she grumbled about not knowing every detail. Apparently, Kat Lane didn’t like surprises. She’d changed her outfit three times just to prove a point, slowly driving him mad. It was a good thing she was cute as hell, or he’d have had to spank the sass right out of her. He’d told her as much, causing her to laugh beautifully and kiss him so hard he was rendered mute.

They rode for nearly an hour before Carter began to see other bikes ahead of them, heading in the same direction.

Slowing down so he could turn onto a large stone road, Carter smiled when the thick scent of diesel hit his nose and the sound of heavy rock music echoed around them. Amid large marquees and smaller stalls lay row upon row of muscle cars as far as the eye could see and, next to those, were the Harleys, Triumphs, Yamahas, Ducatis, and any other erection-causing piece of two-wheeled metal Carter could think of.

He pulled to a stop next to a glorious yellow ’69 Corvette and switched off the engine. He unfastened his helmet and pulled it off. Kat shifted at the back of him. He turned to look at her. She was adorable, with pink cheeks and sleepy eyes.

He caressed the apple of her cheek with his thumb. “You fall asleep on me again?”

She hummed and removed her helmet. “It’s so relaxing, just holding you while we ride. It’s great.”

Her words melted into secret, silent parts of him.

Kat glanced around. “What is this place?”

Carter stood from the bike, pulling his leg over carefully, and stretched. “This is heaven.” He held out his hand to help Kat up, and placed both of their helmets in the detachable holder on the back of Kala’s seat. “A gear head’s mecca.”

“Those cars are beautiful,” Kat murmured, gazing down the line of Mustangs and GTs.

Carter pushed his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels. “Max and I used to come here when we were kids with his dad. I wanted to show you where my love for all this grew.”

Kat took a small step toward him. “Then show me.”

They walked and talked, and explored the cars and the crazy people around them. Carter pointed out his favorite cars and bikes, explaining their model, torque, and horsepower like a kid in a candy store, drooling over a rare Vincent Black Knight.

“What are the stalls and marquees for?” Kat asked as they meandered past a hot Ford Torino.

“The bigger ones belong to the car dealers and specialists: GT, Harley, and GMC. They sell parts cheaper than in the stores. They use it for promotion and to hire mechanics, things like that.” He gave her a smug sideways glance. “Riley used to have his own marquee here, you know.”

“Really?”

Carter answered with a squeeze of her hand. “He’s a crazy motherfucker, but he’s a shrewd businessman. He’d never gloat about it, either. He got me some amazing deals on parts and helped me with my other bikes and stuff.”