every obstacle life constructs to verify my worth in his life? That is something I needed after my parents. My guy goes above and beyond.
"Are you even listening to me?" Carter asks, his eyes narrowing as he stares at me through my laptop's screen while we video chat.
I blink. I wasn't listening. "I love you," I say without cause. I'm scanning his beloved face and ogling the sweat dripping down his bare chest. I love it when I catch him while he’s working out.
He leans closer to his phone, his face filling the screen—sad face for the loss of his chest—his lips curving into a sexy smile. "I love you, too, my Little Aggie. I can't wait to fucking hold you. It's been a lifetime."
I chuckle. "It's been two weeks."
"Yeah, two weeks too long. You're never persuading me to stay away for this long again."
"Well, my grades thank you, Mr. Cooper."
Knowing my finals would be a bitch, I convinced Carter to give us the weeks between Thanksgiving break and the end of the first semester off from each other. Since school started on August twenty-first, we've spent every weekend together. The drive between Rossview and A&M runs two hours; not a big deal. He drives here after work on Friday's and returns Sunday nights. I imagine Owen and the twins would bitch about him taking weekends off, but Carter puts in every waking hour of the week at the garage to make up for it, and half the time they tagalong. A detail Carter despises since our reunion sex takes a hit when his best friends are sleeping in the living room of my shared apartment.
"Don't worry; I have hours upon hours of creative ways you can thank me when you come home." Heat colors my cheeks, and Carter murmurs low. "Babe, you keep biting your lip like that, and I'm gonna give the neighbors a show."
His phone bounces around as he picks it up and aims it at the tent forming below his belt. I giggle and pinch my lip, biting my thumbnail, because it drives him crazy when I'm coy. He falls to his back on the dirty floor of his gym and holds the phone over his head.
"We're halfway there," he says with a sigh of relief.
"Yeah, we are."
Halfway through my senior year of college, halfway through the nine months keeping us apart. After graduation, we're free to make decisions about the future, and Carter has made it clear that his future won’t be right unless I’m living permanently in his bed. I'm not inclined to disagree.
Moving back to Rossview for an extended length of time isn't something I’m overly fond of doing, but I'm willing to sacrifice for Carter and the business. The success of Gridiron Garage: Custom Cars and Restorations is currently our primary goal. The web show picks up more steam with every project. Owen, Finn, Frey, and Carter aren't only easy on the eyes, but they're likable and marketable. Advertisers flock to us asking for mentions. I'm officially on the payroll, though, with my class schedule, I don't do more than assist in business planning. The guys teased in July that they'd afford me, and with the way things have gone they can.
A laugh rumbles deep in Carter's throat. "You're daydreaming."
I slide my laptop over and roll to my side on the bed. "Just thinking about the future."
"The future? As in all the dirty things I'm gonna do to you when you pull into the driveway tomorrow afternoon, or further?"
"Further, but now I'm curious, tell me about all those dirty things." I wag my brows and flash him a hint of cleavage.
He growls, his hungry eyes flashing, and I'm legitimately worried about having the stamina to keep up with my guy tomorrow night. I'll drink a double shot coffee on the way home.
"Why don't you tell me what you're thinking instead?" he asks, and my face scrunches with apprehension. I hate starting a disagreement before our break together. "Babe, I can see your face, you know."
I school my features and grin.
"That's better." He sweeps his palm over his forehead and into his hair. "Whatever has you worried, we'll get through it. One week at a time, right?"
Inhaling his confidence and exhaling my insecurities, I nod. "Right."
"You and I, gorgeous, we're making this work. Whatever I have to do."
The pitter-patter of my heartbeats kicks up. I love this man. "You keep making me promises like that, Coop, and you'll never get rid of me."
"That's