All Worked Up (Purely Pleasure Book 1) Read online

  Feeling relieved that the Dillon problem was solved, Carter was getting ready for dinner when he got another call, this time from his mom, with good news: the doctors had given them the go-ahead to tell Olivia about the transplant.

  With a tight, nervous feeling in his stomach, he’d agreed to do a Skype call to tell her the next day in between the day’s activities with the team.

  “This is so good, sweetheart,” his mom told him, and he could tell from her choked words that she’d been crying. “You’re such a good brother.”

  “It’s gonna all be okay,” he assured her, sending a mental plea to the heavens that it would be. “Go celebrate with Dad. I’ll be here tomorrow, and we’ll tell her together over skype.”

  “I love you.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  He lay on his bed, unable to summon the energy to get up and go in to dinner. His introverted side was kicking in, and now, with the big news that tomorrow, he’d be telling Olivia sinking in, he ended up ordering a burger from the kitchen and having it sent over. He knew Zoe had the whole retreat well in hand, and he’d find Rhett tomorrow to say hi and catch up.

  He dozed off after eating his burger, and when he jerked awake, it was dark outside. Disoriented, he blinked in the darkness, trying to place what had woken him. And then he heard it: feminine laughter, floating through the French doors that opened up onto the north barn’s upper deck. He’d left them cracked open so he could smell the rain before he fell asleep.

  More laughter. And splashing. Where was it coming from?

  He got to his feet, moving toward the balcony and the sound. The night sky was a murky gray, lit by glimpses of the full moon persistently trying to shine through the coming storm.

  “… I think I need more vodka if we’re gonna talk about that!”

  His head whipped to the side. That was Maddy’s voice. He went over to the far end of the balcony, and as the clouds shifted, the moonlight fell against the ground, lighting the way. There was a little stone path behind the barn, with a sign that said:

  HOT TUB THIS WAY—>

  The ladies had to be in one of the outdoor hot tubs that were fed by River Run’s underground hot springs. He couldn’t see it in the darkness, but it must be close enough he could hear their whole conversation now that he was outside.

  He really should go back in.

  “Maddy, after your last breakup, you get all the vodka,” he heard Nat say.

  Or maybe he should stay and listen a little.

  “Oh, no, was it bad?” That was Liberty’s voice.

  “Oh, God, don’t even get me started,” Maddy groaned.

  “Tell them what he said!” Nat was giggling a little. “He’s such a horrible ass, you guys. You should give me his address, Maddy. I’ll go kick his ass.”

  “What did he say?” Liberty asked.

  “You’re going to laugh, ladies,” Maddy said. “After over six months of barely any sex, putting me down in that really subtle way where you’re constantly wondering if he actually means it or if he’s joking.”

  “I’ve been there,” Nat said.

  “So on top of that and basically rejecting me all over the place? He broke up with me because, and I quote, ‘Your libido is out of control for a girl.’”

  “No!”

  “Yup!”

  “Oh. My. God.”

  “Nat, I will absolutely join you in kicking this asshat’s… ass!’ More laughter and clinking of glasses.

  “I will be succinct in my response,” said a voice that was unmistakably the cultured tones of Dr. Renee Kemp. “Fuck that guy.”

  “You’re way better off without him,” Nat added. “Just because you had mismatched libidos didn’t mean he had any right shaming you.”

  “Look, there’s nothing wrong with having a low libido. But there’s also nothing wrong with being horny, am I right?” Liberty asked archly, and the women dissolved into laughter again.

  “It wouldn’t have been so bad if he hadn’t kept implying I was a slut for, like, six months,” Maddy said. “And then, when we finally broke up, he actually called me that. But joke’s on him! Because now I have a job at a sex toy company.” The women exploded in laughter.

  “Oh my God, I bet his head would combust if he knew that,” Nat said.

  “Forget kicking his ass,” Liberty said. “I will send him a box of our finest cock sleeves, with a note stuffed with glitter: Maddy sends her best. She’s enjoying her new job as orgasm peddler extraordinaire. Hugs and kisses, asshole!”

  The ladies howled with laughter.

  Carter realized his fingers were curled around the balcony rail and he was breathing hard.

  He shouldn’t be eavesdropping like this—he’d already heard way too much. He pushed away from the balcony railing, going back inside and closing the French doors firmly.

  But while he could shut out the huskiness of Maddy’s laugh floating through the air, he couldn’t shut out what he’d overheard.

  Your libido is out of control for a girl.

  Who the hell even said that? Or thought that? What did it even mean?

  What the hell was wrong with Maddy’s ex, that he wouldn’t want that? That he wouldn’t want her? That he’d slut-shame her like that? Carter felt like tracking the guy down and punching him.

  God, this was not going to help his whole avoid Maddy plan. Now all he could think about was satisfying that high libido of hers.

  His mind went wild with the possibilities. Of Maddy, panting, damp with sweat and desire, twisting underneath him, begging him, please, baby, make me come once more.

  Carter’s head thunked against the headboard, his hand already resting against the waistband of his boxers, his dick lifting against the material at the thought. How many times could he make her come in one night? How many times before she was too sensitive? Until she was fully sated? How many hours could she go, shivering and pulsing on his cock, his fingers digging into her delectably thick hips, guiding her as she rode him until she’d finally come enough?

  How long had it been since a man had really, truly satisfied her?

  He had been telling himself that he could ignore it. That it was just attraction. That it was just because she ticked off all his boxes physically. He’d always had a thing for Xena Warrior Princess types.

  But then they kept having conversations. And those conversations kept telling him the thing he was trying to ignore: that they had a lot in common, that they liked the same things, that she was kind of a huge dork when she let her guard down, and that she was sweet and kind and giving and willing to do anything for the people she loved.

  She was the type of woman a man should worship.

  She was the type of woman a man should commit to.

  She was the type of woman he’d love beyond reason.

  Fuck.

  How was he supposed to resist?

  Chapter Fourteen

  Maddy

  The next morning, Maddy woke early. Her head was pounding from all the drinks she had last night, but she managed to drag herself into the shower and after a good twenty minutes of standing under the hot spray—and an extra-large cup of coffee after she got out—she started to feel slightly human again.

  She was up before everyone else, she realized when she got downstairs and found the great room of the lodge empty. Deciding to pass the time by the lake she’d spotted on the drive in, she grabbed a few of the scones that were set out on a table before venturing outside.

  The air was cool and pleasant, but she could see dark clouds in the distance—a storm was coming. But it wasn’t here yet, and she was going to enjoy her time outside. She loved being in nature—hiking, camping, backpacking, she’d even done a little rock climbing, but ditched it after a scary incident with tangled ropes. She wasn’t much of a daredevil. But there were so many beautiful places around Portland, there was always a new trail to explore.

  River Run was set in a stunning part of the Cascade Mountain Range, right in the
shadow of Mt. Hood. For miles, forest stretched out in front of her and as she stepped off the deck and the crunch of her feet against a trail filled her ears, it felt like coming home.

  This had been another thing she’d been neglecting when she was with David—he hated nature, and he didn’t like the idea of her hiking alone or with any of her girlfriends,—or, God forbid, any of her guy friends, who seemed to threaten him. So little by little, she had phased out something that she loved to please him.

  God, Maddy, how did you let it get so far? she thought as she walked briskly down the path, heading away from the lodge and along the forest’s edge. There was a little wooden sign that said: This way to the lake with a line of little fish carved all over it, all swimming to the right.

  She’d been stupid, giving up so much of herself for a guy who wasn’t even remotely worthy of her. Denying herself things—important things—because of his insecurities and jealousies. She was determined to learn from it, and not make the same mistake again.

  From now on, you’re going to look for a good guy, she told herself. One who’s secure in himself. And secure in his feelings for you.

  The cynical part of her wondered if she’d ever find that.

  And the hopeful part of her wondered if maybe she had. It was hard not to think about Carter, about his devotion to his family and the easy camaraderie he had with his employees, the passion he had for his work and the way he looked at her, like he had things he wanted to say, but couldn’t.

  She was being silly.

  Maddy sped up on the trail like she could speed-walk away from the thoughts. She tried to focus on the wildflowers along the way, thinking about how her Dad used to make a game of identifying them with her and her brother when they were little. The pink and white wild sweet peas that grew along the edge of the forest here had always been her favorite as a child—and now, still. She bent down, plucking a few of the bright, scented blooms, gathering them in a little bouquet as she made her way down the sloping path toward the lake.

  The air cooled as she neared the water. She was so focused on adding to her bouquet—there were Shasta daisies and lupine dotting the hill down to the lake—that she didn’t hear the splashing until it was too late.

  Something crunched beneath her foot as she reached the edge of the lakeshore and she looked down, frowning when she realized it was glass.

  Glasses.

  Specifically, Carter’s glasses.

  It hit her exactly three seconds too late, the splashing, the glasses she’d just broke, the stack of clothes folded on that tree trunk to her right…

  Oh, God. He was skinny-dipping. He was buck naked. In the water. Right over there. Au Naturel. Showing the Full Monty. Starkers. In his birthday suit.

  This is not the time for fun with naked synonyms, Maddy! Okay. Do not look. Do not look. Do not look.

  Oh, who was she kidding? She was so going to look.

  His back was to her—thank God—and she was going to back away, quickly and quietly, she swore she was…

  But then he did this rolling thing with his shoulders and his muscles rippled and he kind of tossed his head back, and really, his hair was just the right amount of shaggy, and she could swear she could see the droplets of water flying off him….

  And then he was turning around before she could even move or hide or bolt like a deer and he caught her, standing there, gaping at him like she’d never seen a naked man before.

  Frankly, she felt like she’d never seen one before. At least not one who could compare to him.

  What was it about Carter? It wasn’t just that he pushed all her sexy geek-loving buttons. Yes, he was the hottest man she’d ever seen and she wanted to climb him like a very muscled, very sexy brick wall. But it was something more.

  It was in the way he was smiling at her right now. It wasn’t cocky. It was joyful. A little mischievous.

  And there was just the barest touch of bashfulness that was just so incredibly sexy it had her pressing her thighs together tight, thinking bad, bad thoughts about him shooting her that kind of smile right before he disappeared between her legs.

  He was standing up in the water, but mercifully—or maybe not—he was waist deep. So all she got to behold was his glistening-in-the-morning-light pecs, the thick muscles of his arms, the broadness of his chest, and the hint of ink on his hip she glimpsed, disappearing into the water.

  Hot, geeky, and tattooed. Holy crap, I need an intervention. Stat. Or I’m going to do something stupid. Like tear my shirt off and jump in there with him.

  The idea was more than appealing, it was downright sizzling.

  “Hi,” he said, that on-the-edge of bashful smile on his face as he stood very still in the water.

  “Hi,” she said, tearing her eyes away from him, directing them to the sky. It was one of the harder things she’d had to do in her life. “You’re up early.”

  “I’m a morning person,” he said.

  “Oh? Yeah. Me too.” Oh, God. She was doing that short-sentences thing she did when she was nervous. It made her sound all breathy. Or maybe she was breathy from being incredibly turned on at the sight of Carter skinny-dipping at dawn like some sort of earthy mountain man. She wondered if he was the type to jump in and get that first shocking plunge of cold water done in one swoop, or if he inched his way in. She was a total incher. She hated cold water. But loved bubble baths.

  And she was getting distracted.

  “I’m so sorry, I… I stepped on your glasses,” she said, latching onto the first thing she could think of. She bent down, grabbing the mangled frames and holding them up, trying not to stare at the neatly folded pair of Underarmor boxer briefs. She felt a little hysterical as she remembered a friend once telling her that kind of underwear were made for the really well-endowed guys.

  “It’s okay, I’ve got a couple extra pair in my room,” he said. “I’m always losing them,” he added, a little sheepishly. “Nat’s always telling me I should get Lasik.”

  “Oh, but you look so good—” she started, unthinking, and then she stopped, flushing, biting her lip. Don’t look at him! “I like the glasses,” she said, finally. “They suit your face.”

  “I’ll tell you a secret, I’d feel naked without them,” he confessed, and this time, his smile was cocky. And her cheeks were even pinker as her flush went full-body at his joke.

  “I should go. I’m going to go. Right now. This second.”

  Move, feet!

  “Okay,” Carter said, and when her eyes dropped from the sky to him again, he was still smiling, like he knew exactly why she was so flustered.

  “This is me. Going,” Maddy said. “Bye!”

  Oh my God, you are the most awkward person to ever awkward, she thought as she whirled around and marched away as if the hounds of hell were on her heels.

  She was so intent on getting away before she did something stupid like shout Take me, here and now! that it was a good ten minutes before she realized she had chosen the path not back to the Lodge, but deeper into the forest.

  You could use a walk, she thought as she moved briskly through the woods. You need to cool off.

  So she kept going, trying to think about everything but the man she’d just left behind, glistening like some sort of nature God emerging from the water.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Carter

  Carter watched Maddy go, fighting every instinct inside him that screamed to charge out of the water and chase after her like a fucking caveman. Fuck, his cock was hard as a rock, which he thought was impossible considering the temperature of the lake water in the morning.

  But anything was possible when Maddy was around.

  Carter groaned, waiting another five minutes before getting out of the water and toweling off. He had really thought it would be safe to take a quick swim if he got up early enough. There was something about an isolated lake surrounded by the forest that made him feel a little like a kid again. He’d paddled around on his back, listening to the sou
nds of the forest, watching as a family of deer drank from the distant shore. The animals were familiar enough with the Lodge’s guests that they didn’t seem bothered by Carter’s presence at all.

  It’d been like a dream: He’d turned around and she was there, standing at the edge of the water with her little bouquet of wildflowers, looking torn between running and staying put.

  She was so damn cute. He wanted her in the water with him. He wanted lazy days when they floated around, splashing each other, play-fighting under the water until they came up kissing and breathless.

  He wanted more than he should, for so many reasons, but he was starting to realize that wanting her this much—in this consuming way—was unlike anything he’d ever experienced in his life.

  Wanting Maddy felt like being on the edge of a discovery in the lab, and getting her—all of her, her sweetness, her hopes, her dreams, and her curves—would be like finding the last element that made everything click.

  By the time he got back to the lodge, the sun was higher in the sky and he spent a good hour and a half in the lodge’s little gym, trying to get rid of the restless energy that seemed to fill him every time Maddy was around. When he got to the gym, Nat was on one of the treadmills with headphones in her ears She gave him a nod, but was clearly in the zone so he didn’t want to bother her. She’d just tease him more about Maddy, anyway. Nat was in full match-making mode, and he knew it. He’d seen it before in New York—she’d actually had a part to play in several of their New York friends’ love stories, now that he thought of it. And all those people were married and wildly happy now.

  Maybe there’s something to her instinct, he thought as he got back to his room. He was sweaty and a little sore, so he took a long shower, trying very hard not to think about Maddy the entire time. When he got out and dressed, it was almost time for his video call, so he flipped open his laptop and set it on the bed. He slicked his wet hair off his forehead and grabbed his extra pair of glasses, his fingers lingering over the smashed pair that he’d scooped up from the lakeshore.