BoldLust (5 page)

“I never thought you were this type of girl.” His face
showed obvious disgust at her new career choice and she began to doubt it
herself. “I guess I completely misjudged you.” Carter snarled out the words.

Kate’s heart pounded. She desperately wanted him to
understand she was only doing what she had to do.

“What exactly is ‘this type of girl’?” She didn’t back down
from him, wanted to make sure things were clear between them even though what
she really wanted to do was run into the corner and cry. “I’m not doing
anything wrong. I’m not taking anyone upstairs, and there are plenty of
bartenders at the saloons who do exactly the same thing as me. I bet you don’t
judge them harshly.” She expected the town folk to judge her, but not Carter. He
knew her, loved her. At least she thought he did.

Carter’s venomous words were like a knife stabbing straight
into her heart. She didn’t want him to be angry with her, didn’t want him to
look at her like that. Just wanted him to show her his love again, but it was
obvious that had disappeared as suddenly as it appeared.

“No. But they’re also men.” Carter took a deep breath,
worked at relaxing his shoulders, rolling them backward and calming himself.
His words were soft when he spoke again. “You’re just selling booze?”

“Yes. I’m just selling booze. Nothing else.” Kate blew out a
long breath, trying to calm her own nerves.

He’d given her job away, what did he expect? Someday he
would see why she couldn’t just sit around and let him take care of her. She couldn’t
be that kind of woman anymore.

Carter stared at her for a minute, not saying anything but obviously
contemplating something. Deep lines set across his forehead and his jaw
twitched.

“Well, I’ll let you get back to your
work
then.” He
quickly made his way past the crowd of men in the house and disappeared through
the front door.

Kate stared at the door even after he was clearly gone. What
had she done? She wanted to be independent, do something on her own, but she
didn’t want to run Carter off.

This was supposed to be the perfect solution. She could have
her independence and a man that made her core throb, but if Carter thought she
was selling herself, he wouldn’t want anything to do with her. Tears threatened
but she held them back, plastered on a fake smile and went back to serving
booze to the crowd of men that filled the little house.

She would give Carter a little time to cool off, time to
think, and then go and talk to the man. Kate wasn’t giving him up without a
fight, but she also needed some time to think, some time to figure out what it
was she really wanted in life and then time to find the words to communicate
all of it.

Betsy was at work bright and early again the next morning,
and Carter couldn’t stop the disappointment that lodged in his gut because it
wasn’t Kate. He didn’t understand women. Why would Kate choose selling booze to
men over being with him? All he wanted was to take care of her, provide for
her, and now she was ruining any chance of that being able to happen.

A respectable business owner could not date a prostitute and
definitely couldn’t marry one. He believed Kate when she said she wasn’t
selling herself to the men, but not many others probably would. Not that he
really gave a damn about what the people in this town thought. Even when it
should change the fact that he wanted her, it didn’t. Not even a little bit.

“Good morning, Carter.” Betsy greeted him in the grating
voice that was already starting to drive him crazy. She was a good worker and
he needed someone, but everything about the woman was annoying. It could have
something to do with the fact that he wanted it to be Kate’s sweet smile and
soft voice greeting him every morning.

He would preferably take that greeting from Kate in his bed
after he had spent the night ravishing her beautiful body, but that wasn’t
looking very likely.

He moved too fast, too hard, and scared her away. That much
was obvious. It was the only reason he could think of that would make her turn
to selling booze in a house of prostitution. She had to earn money as fast as
she could to get the hell out of here. Away from him. Away from Alaska. Hell,
he couldn’t blame her.

“So,” Betsy paused, “I heard your little girlfriend found a
new job as a…well, a prostitute.” She looked way too happy to be providing this
bit of gossip to him.

“She’s not a prostitute,” he grumbled, knowing his words
were going to be lost on deaf ears.

“Well, that’s not what I heard. The gossip mill was humming
this morning about another girl taken to the dark life, and it was your girl
Kate that they were talking about.” Betsy straightened the counter as she
spoke. “I should probably go over there and try to save her.”

Carter snorted but didn’t comment. Betsy held real tight to
all
of her opinions. It wasn’t worth his breath to argue with the woman.

Betsy continued talking. “You should probably stay away from
her…that is, if you want to keep the business of the civilized people of this
town.”

Betsy was just telling him what he already knew. He couldn’t
see Kate without the harassment of his friends, without the stigma of taking a
prostitute. Even if it wasn’t the truth.

“It’s really none of your business, Betsy,” he said and then
went upstairs to start working.

Carter had no interest in discussing his personal life or
Kate’s with Betsy. He had to figure things out for himself.

He loved the girl but he knew she wasn’t going to stay in
Alaska. This was where his life was. He was in the middle of a major project
that he couldn’t afford to drop. He wouldn’t fail in business. Couldn’t. It was
the only thing he had left.

Kate started to walk down toward the docks without thinking
about what she was doing, but she stopped herself. It had been seven miserable
days since she had seen Carter, but it seemed like an eternity.

She couldn’t stop thinking about the man. She wanted to see
him again, wanted to touch him, but she couldn’t. Not after the way he looked
at her, the way he let her know he didn’t approve of the work she was doing
with Opal. He wouldn’t take her back. The sooner she accepted that fact, the
better.

Kate needed to focus on making enough money to get home. She
shouldn’t be thinking about Carter at all, let alone letting thoughts of him
torment her the way they were. She hadn’t known him that long, but her heart
didn’t seem to care about that. Her heart had attached itself to the idea of
keeping him. It was silly.

“Is everything okay?” Opal’s voice behind her startled Kate.

“Yes. Everything is fine,” she lied.

“You are thinking about him again, aren’t you?” Opal jutted
her chin in the direction of Carter’s store.

Was it that obvious?

“Yes.” She might as well admit it to the one person who knew
her entire pathetic story. Not that she could hide anything from Opal anyway.
She could read people, knew what they were thinking, what they wanted. It was
uncanny.

“You might as well go down and talk to him. What would it
hurt?” Opal said simply.

But there was nothing simple about Kate’s situation, nothing
simple about the emotions that engulfed her every time she saw him and nothing
simple about how another rejection from him might just kill her.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Kate said the words Opal
probably expected.

Talking to Carter was the sensible thing to do. Kate should
go and talk to him, should see if he shared any of the feelings that grasped at
her heart. Knowing wouldn’t really kill her, and not knowing felt pretty
horrible. It really couldn’t get much worse than this torment. And it could
make things better.

“Thanks, Opal, for the good advice as always.” Kate took a
deep breath and set down the boardwalk. She could do this, could face up to the
mess she’d made with Carter.

The closer she got to his store, the harder her heart
pounded. He shouldn’t have this much of an impact on her. Just going to talk to
Carter shouldn’t be this scary.

But it was.

She walked slowly, barely resisting the urge to turn around
and run back up the boardwalk and jump under the covers of her bed and never
come out again.

Kate couldn’t do that. No matter how tempting it was to play
it safe, she had to take the chance, had to know what he thought about her, had
to talk to Carter one more time before she left Alaska.

She had enough money to leave now, but there was something
holding her back. Maybe clearing things up with Carter would stop that feeling.
Or make it worse.

She paused in front of his door, leaning her back against
it, mustering up the will to raise her hand and knock, but the door opened
before she had the chance and Kate fell right into solid arms.

“Sorry. I was upstairs looking out the window when I saw you
coming down the hill.” His words were hot, tickling the hairs at the top of her
head.

He didn’t release her even when it was obvious she had
regained her footing, but Kate didn’t want him to either. It felt too good, too
right to be in Carter’s arms again. Made her want to stay there forever.

But she didn’t know if he had any interest in her. Not after
what she had done, not after she had ruined her reputation by selling booze to
Opal’s customers.

“No, I shouldn’t have…” Hesitated? Come down here at all?
There were a lot of things she shouldn’t have done lately. Would coming here
tonight be another thing to add to that list?

Probably.

The way her body was warming under his touch, becoming so
wanton so fast made her definitely rethink the decision.

“You should have come a lot sooner.” Carter shut the door
and turned Kate to face him.

He kept his hands firmly on her arms, her body pressed
against the door so there was no chance of retreating. Not that her body wanted
to retreat, but her mind said she should escape before she did something else
stupid. Like kiss Carter.

“I should have?” Kate wondered why he would say that after
the obvious disgust he’d showed for her the last time she saw him. Why in the
world should she have even considered coming to see him sooner? She barely had
the courage to do it now.

“Yes, you definitely should have.” Carter moved his mouth
down to hers, not touching, but so close. “I’ve missed you, Kate.”

“Why didn’t you come to see me?” She didn’t think he was the
type to hold anything back, to shy away from taking what he wanted.

“I already scared you off once with my aggressiveness. I
knew I had to wait for you to be ready to come here. I couldn’t risk scaring
you away again. You mean too much to me.”

“I do?” The words almost didn’t come out of her tightly
clenched throat. He was saying the things she didn’t dare hope for, the things
she so desperately needed to hear.

She couldn’t breathe, couldn’t focus on anything but the
sweet words coming out of his mouth and the even sweeter sensations of his
touch as his hand ran down the bare skin of her arm, sending a warming
sensation straight to her core.

“You mean everything to me, Kate. I want you to be mine.” He
held intense eye contact with her.

“Even after…” She looked down at the floor and couldn’t
bring herself to say the words, to admit to the thing that would probably stop
them from having any chance at forever together.

“I don’t care if you sell drinks to men or have the need to
run around the town naked in the middle of the night or sit at the docks and
yell at the workers or…just as long as you never touch another man, you never
love anyone but me. You can do just about anything else and it won’t stop the
love I have for you. You are mine. Only mine, Kate.”

“I like the sound of that.” And she did. She liked being
claimed by Carter, liked knowing that no matter what mistakes she made in life,
he would always want her. She’d sure as hell tested that one out well.

“Good.” Carter pulled Kate tight against him and kissed her.
Hard. His mouth possessed hers, tongue invading, her tongue tangling with his.
Her core warmed and started to tingle.

There was something animalistic about the way Carter kissed
her. It brought out an uncontrollable desire for more. More of his touch, more
of his love, more of everything.

His tongue continued to invade her mouth and she let it
happen, gave in to the pleasure.

“Mmmmm.” Her own growl surprised Kate. It did convey the
feelings that threatened to erupt inside her, but she hadn’t meant for it to
slip out, hadn’t meant to encourage him so boldly.

Not that Carter needed any encouragement. He was a man who
took what he wanted, and that fact scared and exhilarated her at the same time.

“That’s right, Kate, you will be mine.” His words came out
with a deep growl that sent heat to her core.

She wanted exactly that. She shouldn’t, should take things
slowly, talk everything out and… Oh Lord, she couldn’t even talk herself into
believing it when his lips pressed against hers again and his hand moved under
her skirt, up to the sensitive skin of her inner thigh. She sure didn’t want
him to stop.

“Can I make you mine, Kate?” He moved his kiss to her neck,
to the place that took her breath away.

“Yes.” The one word was breathy, but she meant it. She
wanted nothing more right now than to be Carter’s woman.

“Good.”

He moved his fingers up higher, so that they pressed against
her sensitive folds, and even through the thin layers of fabric it was almost
more than she could take. Her body shuddered.

“If I make you mine, you will be forever. There won’t be any
going back.”

His words scared her a little bit and the hair on her neck
stood on end. His voice was daunting, commanding, and she wondered how true the
words really were. But she couldn’t stop the feelings, couldn’t stop the
wanting. Every inch of her skin tingled in anticipation. Kate needed him,
needed more of his touch, more of his love.

“I want to tie you to my bed and show you all the pleasures
of being a woman.”

A jolt of lust shot through her at his words. She didn’t
know exactly what he meant, but that didn’t seem to matter to her body.

“Umm-hmm.” Her words were too easy. She agreed to let him do
whatever he wanted with her body when she was trying to gain freedom.

Her body, however, didn’t give a damn about independence
right now. All her body cared about was Carter’s touch and getting more of it.

“Let’s go upstairs, then.” He took her hand and she followed
without hesitation.

She probably should have hesitated, but there was a big part
of her that wanted everything he offered. Even being tied to his bed sounded
good, if he was serious about that part. Did people really do things like that?
It definitely intrigued her.

He didn’t grab any of the rope from downstairs, and a little
surge of disappointment hit her. There was something about the way her body
reacted when he said he was going to tie her up, said he was going to take
control, that made her want to let him.

When they got up to his bedroom Carter took a step back from
her. It wasn’t what she expected. Kate expected him hold her tight in his arms
and then to rip her clothes off and quench the need between her legs.

“Undress,” he commanded very calmly, and the slightest hint
of a grin spread across his lips.

She hesitated for a second, wondering if he really expected
her to take off her clothes and stand in front of him. But the way his eyes
focused on hers, unwavering, let her know he was serious. A little nod from him
was all the encouragement she needed. Kate wanted to do everything he asked of
her. She didn’t know why, but it just felt right even though all common sense
said otherwise.

Kate quickly worked to unbutton her dress and let the layers
of material fall to the floor. Her undergarments came next and within a minute
she was standing completely naked in the center of Carter’s room. The air was
cool, but that wasn’t what made her nipples pucker. It was the way he stood
there, letting his eyes roam her naked skin, not saying anything. But the way
his eyes narrowed and seemed to turn a darker shade of ocean blue let her know
that he liked what he saw.

He stepped toward her, laced his hand in her hair and tugged
it as his lips moved down to claim hers. The hair pulling hurt a little but she
was easily distracted by the intense rush of pleasure that surged in her core.
His fingers held tight in her hair, tugging, keeping her face turned up to his
with no chance of movement. Not that she wanted to go anywhere. The mixture of
pleasure and pain as his lips claimed hers made a shock of lust shoot straight
to her core.

His lips pressed hard to hers, over and over, and she parted
hers, letting his tongue invade her mouth, taste her, tease her, slow and hard,
and her entire body tensed with need.

His cock pressed against her belly, long and solid, and
another shock went through her system. She wanted Carter. That had become very
obvious. And all the reasons to resist it suddenly disappeared. Who needed
independence when she could have this instead?

Carter reached over to a drawer and pulled out a bundle of
rope. It was much thinner than the ropes he sold downstairs.

“Will you let me tie you up, Kate?” he asked and looked
nervous for the first time since she’d met him. Carter held both of her hands
in his and looked down into her eyes as he waited for her answer. The rope
rubbed softly against the outside of her hand.

“Yes.” There was a part of her that knew she should fight
it, fight the downward spiral into oblivion her body was leading her into. But
she couldn’t say no. Not when she wanted to have Carter inside her so badly it
hurt.

The fact that he didn’t judge her, didn’t condemn her for
working with Opal, just made her want to trust him more. Not many men could
handle the rumors that were no doubt running rampant through the town.

“Good.” Carter grinned and then turned her around. He
grabbed her hands and held them tight in one of his.

“If you change your mind, if you want me to stop, just say
so.” He said the words as he wrapped the soft rope snugly around one wrist and
then the other and then wrapped the rope up to her elbows.

“Okay.” Nervousness hit her. He could do anything he wanted,
she was now powerless to fight him. Not that she had much of a chance even
unbound. His towering six-plus feet of man and muscle could do what he wanted
with her, anytime he wanted it.

But he didn’t try to take anything from her. He waited for
her okay, checked to see that she was all right with it before he kissed her,
before he touched her. And that made her feel like she was the one with the
power. At least for right now.

He held her bound hands, lifting them up a little way. It
was slightly uncomfortable and made her bend forward.

Carter moved his free hand around her, to her breasts,
tweaking and teasing the nipples. Then he moved down her stomach and to the
heat of her need.

She already knew what pleasure his hands could bring and
hoped like crazy that he would give her release. Soon.

Carter circled her nub again and again until her entire body
began to tremble. So close to finding the pleasure she needed. But then he
stopped.

“Please, don’t stop,” she begged. Kate needed him to take
her over the edge, to give her the one thing she’d come here hoping for
tonight.

He chuckled. “I have no intention of stopping, but you will
not find release until I want you to.”