The usual disclaimers apply—no ownership in anything psych, TPTB have everything, I have nothing except ideas for the unlikeliest of pairings and romantic schmoop that would have no place on the actual show. Which is why we have fanfic.
Okay, folks—final chapter. Sorry it took so long to get it up, but hopefully, worth the wait.
Warning—M-rated territory ahead folks. Figured if I made you wait, I'd at least make it worthwhile.
Chapter 12
Karen smiled to herself at the knowledge of which she was in sole possession.
Her.
No one else.
Because for damned sure Victoria Parker—and she would forever remain Parker in Karen's mind since, as far as she was concerned, the woman had abdicated any right to the Lassiter name—had never discovered this delicious fact about Carlton. For the simple fact she'd never taken the time to. Because if she had—how on earth could she have ever let him go?
So yeah, Karen was reasonably certain she was the only woman in the world who knew that Carlton Lassiter could be reduced to a puddle of near-incoherent goo from the simple act of stroking his back.
His long, leanly-muscled, lightly-freckled, amazingly sensitive, and altogether lovely back.
Not a massage or a rubdown, not that he was averse to either as she'd also discovered, but stroking. Short circular strokes with the pads of her fingers along the base of his neck and along his lower back, gentle walking strokes outlining each individual vertebra, and the real humdinger, the long, light strokes, from shoulder to hip, over and over, that made the sensitive skin of her palms tingle with warmth and reduced him to a near-incoherent puddle of goo.
Her, too, really, if only from the self-discipline it took to keep the stroking to his back and not allow her hands to wander further south. That had to be timed just right, because once she ventured into that territory, near-incomprehensible goo turned to ferocious intent in a hurry.
Not that that was a bad thing, mind.
"God, Karen, that feels so good."
His voice was a sleepy, sensuous rumble—enough to draw Karen from her thoughts and spark renewed heat. Maybe she would be venturing further south—sooner rather than later.
"You feel good," she murmured, bending down to ghost a kiss along the nape of his neck, relishing the feel of the soft cropped hair against her lips. His full-body shiver prompted her to do it once more before leaning back on her knees, the backs of her fingers trailing along either side of his spine to the small indentations at his waist. There, she stopped, turning her hands over and spanning as much of his lower back as she could on her way back up to his shoulders, resisting the lure of his firm buttocks and strong thighs. It was tough, because Lord, the man a wonder to touch, everywhere, but this was important—making Carlton feel good simply for the sake of feeling good.
Taking care of him.
So few people ever had.
Karen understood his prickly nature didn't tend to inspire cuddly thoughts or a desire to pamper, but she also understood, especially after four straight days spent together and mostly naked, how that prickly nature was more protective armor, developed over long years and too many disappointments. Behind that armor, though, was a man who craved physical contact and affection.
And love.
With a deep sigh she stretched her body over his, her curves fitting seamlessly to his harder lines. Her breasts pressed into his back, her hands found his, and her head nestled into the curve of his neck.
"I love you."
His sigh lifted his back, his skin rubbing sensuously against hers. "I seriously do not understand why or how, but for once in my suspicious, paranoid life, I'm not inclined to question my good fortune." His chuckle rumbled through his back and into her chest, making her shiver in response. "Or your possible insanity."
"We've gone over this, Carlton—I am not insane." She sank her teeth into the curve of his shoulder, sucking until she felt him tense beneath her. Easing off, she soothed the skin with her tongue, feeling a sense of pride as she surveyed the irregular red mark. Her mark. She'd left several of them on him over the course of the past four days, her favorite being the one in the sensitive hollow between hip and groin. He'd paid her back in kind, leaving a rather impressive mark in the same place on her body.
What had followed after…
It was the most use her formal dining room table had seen in years. Definitely the most enjoyable.
"I'm just very, very sure."
He turned his head, eyes open and so very blue. "Me, too," he murmured, lifting his head to capture her mouth with his. So amazing. Even after four—technically five—straight days and countless kisses, each one felt new. Made her breath catch at how hot and perfect his mouth felt against hers, his tongue devastating in its explorations. He'd mapped her entire body slowly and oh-so-thoroughly with that insistent mouth and tongue, gradually driving her insane, pleasuring her more completely than anyone ever had, bringing her to climax time and again, and yet…
And yet…
Somehow, every time he kissed her felt like the first time. Full of wonder and discovery and oh-my-God-do-I-finally-really-have-you-in-my-arms.
"I love you, Karen," he breathed, carefully rolling beneath her so she now lay flush over the front of his body.
Not a bad thing at all.
After several more leisurely kisses, she dropped her head to his shoulder, content, for the moment, to just rest there—breathing him in. Letting anticipation build as he took his turn stroking her back, long, slow caresses, although he exhibited no hesitation in taking his explorations further, venturing over her buttocks and down her thighs.
Yet another benefit to those long arms.
"Carlton?"
"Yeah?"
She squirmed, desperate for more… everything, yet wanting to ask him this… one… thing…
"Baby, please—"
"Yes?" Humor filled the single drawled syllable. The type of mocking humor she might be tempted to slap him for in a normal everyday interaction.
Of the clothed variety, that was.
Swallowing hard, she reached back and grasped his wrists, bringing them by his head and pinning them to the pillow.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked in a too-innocent voice, eyes glinting with a wicked glee that turned them the brilliant blue of a perfect, cloudless Santa Barbara day. God, she loved that she could do that to him.
"No, damn you," she growled, lowering her head for a hard kiss. That turned into two… and three… as her hold on his wrists turned into gripping his hands tightly, feeling as if she might float away.
The nature of the kisses changed, gentled, as if he sensed she needed to catch her breath, to draw back—but not too far, as his hold shifted, one arm wrapped loosely around her back. Holding her close.
Brushing her hair back with his free hand he asked, "What is it?"
She smiled, holding his face in her hands. Studied anew every feature she'd already committed to memory.
"You remember what I said about you carrying me into the house that first day?"
The familiar furrow appeared between his brows as he answered with a hesitant, "Yes."
Against her chest, she felt his heart racing—matching hers.
"You want to do it for real?"
The furrow disappeared as his brows rose, eyes widening. "You… want to get married?"
Slowly, she nodded.
"Like… now?"
"Now, tomorrow—whenever." She lifted a shoulder. "Sooner would be preferable to later, because what I want most in the world, Carlton Lassiter, is to be married to you."
He stared up at her, eyes huge and startlingly blue. Amidst the shock and confusion swirling through them, she saw the glimmers of that hope she'd spotted their first night together. That there might be something good out there for him, despite years of disappointment.
She couldn't promise there wouldn't be other disappointments in the future, but she could damn well promise they'd face them together. That she'd do her damnedest to never disappoint him again.
A long, heartfelt sigh lifted his chest, the coarse hair rubbing her breasts in an erotic caress she had just long enough to savor before he drew her head down for another kiss. Another first time, this one full of a new possessiveness and urgency. In a swift move, he flipped them over, kissing her, tongue insistent, hands roving everywhere. But when she would have arched up, tried to capture him and bring him into her, he stilled her, one hand on her abdomen as he trailed kisses down her neck, around each breast, his tongue leaving damp, fiery trails that cooled rapidly, drawing her nipples to hard points that he teased again and again.
His hands replaced his mouth as he continued to forge a trail south, across her abdomen, ranging from one hip to the other, teeth nipping at the bruise he'd left, the sensitive skin stinging in all the best ways.
Karen gasped and sighed, one hand buried in the thick waves of his hair as the other reached back to grab the headboard and hang on for the ride. Her calves rubbed restlessly at his shoulders as he shifted to work the insides of her thighs, his hands holding them open when the sensation almost got to be too much. And that was before he hit the ultimate target, making her cry out his name.
Along with, please and oh God and yes and don't stop, please… don't stop. Directions he enthusiastically followed that resulted in a back-arching, mind-bending climax that left her breathless and shaking and clawing at his shoulders, pleading "Carlton, please," with an entirely different, yet no-less desperate intent.
As he sank into her with a grateful sigh, she wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding tight, moving with him in a rhythm that was just right and yet not quite enough, prompting her to roll them over. Astride him, she moved in long, luxurious undulations, her breasts brushing his chest, leaving them feeling tingly and heavy. The heat built again, prompting her to move faster and him to grasp her hips and drive relentlessly into her until another ferocious orgasm overtook her, causing her to clench hard around him, holding him close and tight as he lost himself in her.
Gasping, she fell forward over him, her mouth latching onto his throat, tasting the salty sweat pooling at the base. At his shiver, she smiled. Poor man was going to have to be careful about leaving that top button unfastened for a few days. With a final kiss to his neck, she slid off him, immediately curling against his side.
"So…" she drawled. "Is that a yes?"
Breathless, still, he laughed. "You are insane."
Slowly, she shook her head, still lightheaded, but feeling so, so right.
"No, Carlton. Not insane." She rested her hand on his chest, just over his heart. "Just very, very sure."
Three months later…
"The neighbors are going to think I've eloped or something," she murmured against his throat, then laughed.
"Well, in this case, the neighbors would be right," he replied, shifting so she could insert the key into the lock.
"Yeah." She peered over his shoulder at her left hand and the new diamond band adorning the fourth finger. "Wonder what they're going to say in about six months or so?"
With a possessive grin, he kicked the door closed, turning again so she could lock it and set the security code. As soon as the telltale beeps sounded, he took up off the stairs, not pausing until he reached their bedroom. Gently setting her on the bed, he rested his hand over her abdomen. "Not that it's any of their damned business, but since they're probably going to talk anyway, they're going to say the only thing they possibly could say."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Oh?"
Shucking his suit jacket and shoes, he stretched out beside her, propped on an elbow, blue eyes mellow and full of love—and hope. "They're going to say what an adorable baby—" His grin broadened with the humor that was as much a part of their private life as his irascibility remained part of his public persona. "That is, of course, provided he or she gets your ears and not mine."
She huffed out an impatient sigh. Of all the things for the man to be paranoid about, this seemed to be the one thing he'd fixated on. Never mind it didn't matter and she knew deep down, it really didn't to him, either. "Now who's being insane?"
"Not insane, Karen—pragmatic."
At least she had six months to settle him down about this non-issue and the process would at least be enjoyable. Reaching up, she undid his tie, using the loose ends to pull him close. "Shut up and love me," she whispered against his mouth.
She felt his smile and sigh as he gathered her close.
"Always."
