Hate to Date You (Dating #4) - Monica Murphy Page 0,90

that he needs to take time for himself instead of throwing it all into his job.

I also remind him he needs to take time for me, for us, and he does. He’s generous with his time.

Very generous.

His big hands slide over my backside, coming into contact with bare skin. “There’s not much to these panties.”

“It’s more like a thong.” I finish undoing the last button of his shirt before I go to the cuffs. I undo the buttons there too. “Let’s take this off.”

He shrugs out of the shirt and I go to work on his pants next, inhaling his delicious scent, smiling when I see the bulge in the front of his boxer briefs when I slide down the zipper. “Someone’s happy to see me.” I cup him, glancing up with a smile, and he attacks me with his lips before I can say another word.

We kiss. Strip. Somehow fall onto the bed, our mouths still connected. I eventually end up on top of him, the bra off, my hands resting on his bare chest as I grind my lower body against his, making him groan with pleasure. It’s like this every time we’re together. Like we can’t get enough of each other. I was so worried the spark between us would disappear, like it did with every other guy I’ve been with over the years, but not with Carter.

The spark just burns hotter. Higher and higher. Now it’s like a full-blown flame.

Afterward, when we’re lying in bed next to each other, still on top of the duvet, our breathing accelerated and our naked skin damp with sweat, I reach out and toy with the ends of his hair. “That was nice.”

He chuckles. “More than nice.”

“We should do that more often.”

He turns to study me. “We do it pretty often enough, don’t you think?”

Now I’m laughing. “I mean the lingerie thing. It was fun.”

“I don’t need you to wear expensive lingerie to make me want you. You could be wearing that old Mystery Spot sweatshirt and a pair of torn leggings and I’d still jump you,” he says with the utmost sincerity.

“Aww.” I rest my other hand against my chest, feel my racing heart beneath my palm. “That is the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

He smiles. Leans over and kisses me. Then he gets off the bed, and I watch with hungry eyes as he walks over to his dresser and pulls out a pair of black joggers, slipping them on. “I’m starving.”

“Maybe we should order out.” I sit up with my knees bent, curling my arms around them. “What do you want?”

Carter doesn’t even hesitate when he answers, “Barbecue chicken pizza.”

I roll my eyes. “Of course.”

“You gonna get dressed or just sit there naked all night?”

“I think I’m going for the naked look.” I lean back against the pile of pillows, my feet on the mattress and my knees bent. I slowly spread my legs, giving him a look at everything I’ve got. “What do you think?”

His eyes go dark as he studies me, reaching blindly for his phone, which he left on top of his dresser. “I think I need to order our dinner first.”

I raise a brow. “And then?”

“And then I’ll have approximately twenty-eight minutes to go down on you,” he says with a smile, making me laugh.

“How’s the house coming along?” Carter asks.

We’re sitting on barstools at his kitchen counter, the open box of pizza between us. I’ll need to run a couple of extra miles tomorrow, I swear. Thank goodness there’s no Sunday brunch scheduled with the girls tomorrow morning. I need all the time to run along the beach as I can get.

“It’s good,” I tell him once I swallow what I was chewing. Construction has been coming along nicely on my nonna’s—now my—house. I’ll probably be moving in within the next six months. I’m hoping maybe Carter will move in with me, though we might want to run it by my father first. They’ve become very close since we’ve become a couple. My entire family loves Carter, and he attends every Sunday family dinner with me. “The staircase is almost finished.”

“I can’t wait to see it.” He grabs another slice and starts devouring it.

“Want to go check out the progress with me Monday afternoon after I get off work?”

“Definitely.” He nods. “I’ll meet you at the café.”

He’s wearing the black joggers and that’s it. I’m wearing an old T-shirt of his that I pilfered out of one of his