it happen.
Life is weird.
“I totally disagree. They have the possibility to turn into something real,” I tell him as I grab the empty beer bottles and cans, then take them to the recycle bin I keep in the kitchen. “When you spend that much time with someone, pretending to be something you’re not, you can start to have feelings for each other, don’t you think?”
“I guess. But how can a relationship work when it’s built on a lie?” Carter dumps the trash and then goes to the sink, where he washes his hands. “That is one thing I try my best to never do.”
“What’s that?”
He shuts off the water and grabs a towel before he turns to face me. “Lie.”
That’s an excellent quality to have. I’ve met plenty of men who’ve lied to me, the jerks. “So if I ask you right now why you bailed on me the day after our—moment together, you’ll tell me the truth?”
Carter virtually squirms under my scrutiny, and I can’t help but find it amusing. “I already told you why I left.”
“Remind me again? I seem to have forgot.”
He tosses the towel in the dish drain. “I was scared, okay? Scared of the fact that I boned my sister’s best friend yet I’m still connected to her.”
How lovely, his use of the term boned. “So you couldn’t get away from me because I’m friends with your sister? Is that what scared you?”
“I knew I’d have to face you eventually. And I figured once that happened, maybe you’d turn my sister against me, if I’m being honest.” He sighs, resting his hands on his hips. He does that a lot, and it’s a good look for him. Even clad in a T-shirt and sweats, he exudes confidence, and I can’t help but find it sexy. “Caroline and I are closer now, but we haven’t always been. I know you’re her best friend, and I was afraid if you told her everything, she’d take your side and not mine.”
“She’s your sister. It’s not like she’d completely cut you off because we had sex. I’m an adult. You’re an adult. She might not like it, but she wouldn’t stop talking to you.” Caroline loves her brother, and even when they weren’t close, she wished they were.
“When you said you’re not good at the relationship thing, I could relate. I’m terrible at it. We’re like kindred spirits. Women just always have these—expectations. Expectations I can’t live up to.”
“And what are those expectations?”
“They want me to get serious and settle down. Some have even talked about marriage or babies, and this is when we’ve been together for only a month. Or less than that.” He shakes his head. “Every woman I’ve been with over the years, I couldn’t imagine settling down with. Most of them were nice. I’m sure they would’ve been great girlfriends, but it was me who had the problem. Not them.” His lips thin and he glances down at the floor. I wonder if he’s contemplating all the many women he’s been with over the years.
I wonder what his number is.
No, I take it back. I don’t want to know his number. I don’t want him knowing my number either. I’m not a ho, but I’ve been with more men than average, when I compare it to my girlfriends and their sexual partners.
Funny, how I stopped fucking around after I had sex with the very man who’s standing in front of me right this minute.
“I think it’s perfectly normal to feel that way,” I say with a shrug. “Every man I’ve been with over the years, I definitely can’t imagine wanting to settle down with any of them either. I mean, some were worthy of more exploration, if you will, but the spark always seemed to fizzle out and I’d lose interest quick.”
“Same,” he says quietly, lifting his head so his gaze meets mine.
My heart drops.
Oh. No.
He’s smoldering.
Seventeen
Carter
This woman is speaking my language.
“I wondered recently if it’s something that’s…wrong with me,” she admits, her expression uneasy. Did I mention how beautiful she looks right now? Her face is pretty much makeup free, with the exception of some smudged mascara beneath her eyes, and she’s wearing a forest-green sweatshirt that would probably look frumpy on anyone else, but somehow she is…
Gorgeous.
Sexy.
Her hair is in a cute topknot that’s really just a mess, and she’s had two cherry seltzer White Claws so she’s feeling herself, or at least that’s how she referred to it, right before the movie