Lone Ranger Read online

  Emma pulled the notepad out of her bag and clicked her pen. “Deal.”

  *

  The cool autumn air nipped at Emma’s cheeks with a hint of coming winter as she strode down Main Street toward her car. She checked her voice mail and saved the numerous calls from publications offering her up-front money for her story. She’d have time to call them back tomorrow. Her priority now was getting to the park, to Carter. She hadn’t realized how much time she’d spent with Fannie sipping coffee and gathering background.

  Her thoughts turned to her conversation with Carter. What did she need or want to say? She’d already said the three most important words—I love you. Everything else was filler. Maybe it was time to just listen, with her heart.

  When she pulled up to the office, the closed sign was already out. She felt a knot of disappointment in the pit of her stomach. Why hadn’t she called to let them know she was on her way? She pulled down to her cabin and dialed Carter’s cell. Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, she listened to Carter’s cell phone ring, willing her to answer. She couldn’t spend another night without knowing where they stood.

  “Hello?” Carter’s professional voice answered.

  “Carter, it’s Emma. I’m sorry I’m so late. Have I missed the celebration?”

  “You should go home, Emma. Ann sends her best and her thanks.”

  The knots in Emma’s stomach migrated upward and constricted her airway. She swallowed repeatedly and tried to speak while holding back tears. She’d been certain Carter would wait for her, no matter how late. She couldn’t possibly have imagined the chemistry between them at the warehouse, the fire in Carter’s eyes this morning, or her own feelings.

  “Emma…are you there?”

  “Yeah. Okay. I’ll see you.”

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Emma’s heart was breaking, and she couldn’t see through her tears to get the key in the cabin door. When the lock finally clicked, she stumbled through the entry and almost landed on the floor, but strong arms caught her.

  “Welcome home.” Carter brought her upright against her. “Are you surprised?”

  Emma wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Uh-huh.”

  A fire shimmered and crackled in the fireplace, and candles cast a romantic glow throughout the small space. Two champagne flutes and a chilling bottle rested on the coffee table. And Carter’s eyes were almost as hot as the heat radiating from the fire.

  “Emma? Was this a bad idea? I shouldn’t have teased you, but I wanted to surprise you. Forgive me?”

  The tears Emma tried so hard to control broke free again and slid down her cheeks. She grabbed Carter and pulled her close. “This was an excellent idea. I couldn’t be happier.”

  Carter breathed a huge sigh. “Good. Ann helped but wouldn’t wait around. She said we needed time alone.” She poured the champagne and handed Emma a glass. “I’d like to make a toast to great reporters with integrity and humanity, like you, Emma Ferguson, and to all the wonderful stories you have yet to tell.” They clinked glasses.

  Emma sipped the bubbly liquid, and it exploded into fizzing foam in her mouth and tickled all the way down. She attributed the immediate euphoria to a big dose of Carter West and her amazing surprise. She really does care. For a moment, neither spoke as their eyes connected with a soul-piercing stare only lovers know.

  Carter placed their glasses on the coffee table, took Emma’s hand, and led her to the sofa.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “Absolutely. You?”

  “Really nervous, because I have things to say, but I’m good with it.”

  “Take your time. We have plenty.” Emma stroked the side of Carter’s face and watched her eyes darken with desire.

  “You’ll need to hold off on that for a few minutes, or I won’t be able to concentrate.”

  Emma took Carter’s hand where it rested on her lap and laced their fingers together. “Better?”

  “Much.” Carter straightened and pulled a huge breath from down deep. “Here goes. Since what happened at the factory all those years ago, I’ve had trouble expressing my feelings. But I’ve never wanted anything to be as perfect as what I’m about to say. Every time I’ve rehearsed this, I never make it to the end without breaking down. Please don’t let go of my hand.”

  “I’ve got you, Carter.”

  “I’ve made a lot of mistakes with you, the first being treating you like all the other women I’ve known. I’m not sure how to make it right, but I want to. I’m so sorry.”

  “You’ve made a great start. Keep talking.” A light film of perspiration covered Carter’s forehead as she fingered her necklace. Emma wanted to rescue her, to tell her the words weren’t necessary, but Emma needed to know certain things, and she sensed Carter needed to say them.

  “I was wrong about you, and I should’ve been more trusting. You opened up the first time we slept together, sexually and emotionally.” Carter swallowed hard. “That took a lot of courage and, frankly, scared me a little, but you touched my heart. You took a big leap of faith. I’m not sure what I did to deserve you, but I’m thankful you took that chance.

  “Then you risked your job and your life to clear Ann, which took another kind of courage. I’m sorry for not trusting you, and I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me and Ann.”

  “You’re welcome.” When Carter took a gulp of champagne and licked her lips, Emma almost came apart. She looked so vulnerable and afraid, but Emma had to be patient. “You’re doing great.”

  “Since the day you got here you’ve been doing your job. I, on the other hand, tried to stonewall you at every turn.”

  “You thought I was a threat to Ann.” Carter’s eyes held a softness Emma had never seen, and she adored the protectiveness Carter felt for her aunt. It was one of the many things she loved about this woman.

  “I should’ve been trying to help you clear Ann instead of throwing up roadblocks, but I was feeling things for you I didn’t understand. I was too busy protecting myself to be myself. So, when Billie told me about you and Sheri…”

  “What about me and Sheri?” Donovan didn’t know anything about them. She’d only seen them together once—the pieces fell into place.

  “The night I saw you kissing her, Billie told me Sheri was your girlfriend and the two of you were getting back together. That hurt so much I could barely breathe.”

  “She told you what?” Emma felt her face flush as she tried to contain her anger. “But I’d already told you it was over and that I didn’t love Sheri.”

  “I know, but seeing the two of you kissing sent me over the edge. I played right into Billie’s hands. I’m not making excuses, just trying to explain.”

  “Just so we’re clear, Sheri is my ex-girlfriend, and we definitely are not getting back together. That kiss was her last desperate effort to change my mind. And Donovan knew damn well what was going on.”

  “She lied.”

  Emma nodded. “Duh.”

  Carter’s face registered only mild surprise. “But why?”

  “She did it for you.”

  “For me. How do you figure?” Carter’s face paled as the truth finally dawned. “You mean…”

  “Yes, darling, to have you. I was an obstacle, and she needed to get me out of the picture. She applied the same twisted logic to get rid of Ann, as you heard her admit at the warehouse. It was all about having you to herself. She’d become obsessed with you.” Emma stared into the fire, unsure she wanted to ask the next question, certain she had to.

  “What is it, Emma? Don’t hold back now.”

  “Did you have sex with her that night?”

  Carter looked at the floor and her shoulders dropped. “Billie promised to tell me how she got the information on Ann. I wanted to know for sure if you’d lied to us. That’s why I went with her. And…” She couldn’t meet Emma’s eyes.

  “And what, darling? Tell me.” Emma’s heart was pounding.

  “And p
art of me wanted to have sex with her—at first, but I changed my mind.”

  Emma couldn’t afford to guess about something so important. “Why? I’m dying here.”

  “Because of how I feel about you. I could never be satisfied with just sex again, not after what we shared.”

  Emma finally exhaled the tension locked in her body as she watched Carter twist her necklace. She hadn’t had sex with Donovan. Emma felt vindicated and extremely happy. But Carter obviously had more to say. She looked tense and was fidgeting. Carter’s gaze returned to Emma, and its intensity made her body burn.

  “There’s one more thing.” Carter scooted nearer on the sofa and brought her face so close that Emma could feel the heat of her breath. “The thing is…I’ve become…I mean…I’m in love with you, Emma Ferguson. I think I have been since the moment we met.” She searched Emma’s face and swallowed hard. “I’ve never said that to another woman.”

  Emma had waited to hear Carter say those words, knew they’d come, and even imagined how she’d feel hearing them for the first time, but she failed to anticipate their impact. She was speechless. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Her mouth was dry, and the light musk of Carter’s perfume made her dizzy. Carter’s breath across her face made her shiver and ache to be touched.

  “Emma, say something, please. You’re killing me.”

  “I…I’m so happy. I love you so much.” She hugged Carter and felt the hot press of their bodies. “Thank you. I love you. I love you so much,” she whispered over and over.

  Carter made a strangled noise, and Emma pulled back, then kissed the tears from Carter’s face. “What’s wrong, darling? You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

  “I’ll never get tired of listening to you say you love me. I’ve heard the words before but never trusted they were intended for me, never trusted they were real. But now, deep down where the truth registers, I know they are. These are tears of joy.”

  Carter ran her fingers through Emma’s hair, brought a handful to her nose, and inhaled deeply. “You smell so delicious.”

  Emma’s mouth watered as she watched Carter’s lips, wet and open, move gradually toward her own. Her body tingled. Unable to bear the slow torture, she entwined her fingers in Carter’s curly brown hair and pulled her in.

  Carter’s tongue teased across Emma’s lips like a soft breeze, stirring up thirst. An involuntary moan sounded deep in her throat but was muffled as Carter’s mouth found hers again and again.

  “I love you so much.” Carter pulled Emma tighter and moved against her. “I’ve waited all my life for you.”

  Pleasure-pain shot from Emma’s breasts through her body in one swift electric charge. Her nipples hardened and throbbed with the tenderness of wanting. “And I’ve waited all my life to feel like this. I never knew how powerful sex could be with someone you love. Take me, Carter.”

  Carter rose from the sofa and led Emma through the candlelit path to the bedroom. Their shadows flickered and danced along the walls as they moved, leaving a trail of clothing behind. When they reached the bed, Emma appreciated the full beauty of Carter’s nude body.

  “You are so gorgeous.”

  Emma stared at Carter’s tanned skin, feasted her eyes on the slight swell of her breasts and their deep mocha centers. She followed Carter’s waist to the curve of her hips and down her long muscular legs. Emma stepped closer and lightly brushed her fingers through the neatly trimmed tuft of hair between Carter’s legs. “Mine.”

  Carter cried out and grabbed Emma’s hand to stop her. “If you do that again, I’ll—”

  “You’ll what?”

  “I’ll come in your hand like a teenaged-boy on his first date. And that would not be okay. She guided Emma down onto the bed and joined her. “I want this night to last a very long time.”

  Emma remembered the texture of Carter’s hands before they touched her—the softness of her fingertips that produced ripples of pleasure and the small callused pads near her palm that reached into Emma’s depths. “Touch me.”

  Carter’s long, skillful fingers danced up and down Emma’s body, barely contacting the surface, but her skin tingled uncontrollably. Carter’s actions, like her words, were slow and methodical with nothing wasted. She flicked Emma’s nipples with her tongue, using the lightest pressure, and heat rose between her legs. Carter sucked a nipple just into her mouth and teased it with her teeth.

  “You are so good at that, but I need to feel you, everywhere.”

  Emma shivered and pulled Carter down on top of her. She craved full-body contact, but even their skin would be too much of a barrier. As they merged, Emma felt her softer, fuller figure accommodate Carter’s firmer body, and she moaned with the perfection of their joining. They rolled against each other, heat and moisture increasing with every movement.

  Carter moved with long, deliberate strokes while she kissed and tormented Emma’s breasts and neck.

  “Oh, yes,” Emma cried as she clawed Carter’s back. She arched and thrust her pelvis upward but met air. “Please don’t stop. I love feeling you against me.” She grabbed Carter’s butt and tried to reconnect, but Carter grinned and held back.

  “You’ll like what I do next too. Relax.” Carter was already too aroused to last long, but she needed to be touching Emma intimately when she came. She pressed Emma’s legs farther apart, lowered herself on her thigh, and rubbed her stiff clit while she massaged Emma’s with her fingers.

  “Oh, Carter.”

  “You are so unbelievably sexy. I’ve never been this turned on.” The truth of her statement made Carter’s clit twitch with anticipation. She slid along Emma’s knee to her thigh before she felt a mini-spasm of warning. Carter raised her butt in the air to break contact and moaned like a wounded animal. She didn’t recognize the sound as any she’d ever made before.

  “You don’t have to stop, Carter.” Emma breathed into her neck.

  “I do.” She clutched between her legs and pinched her clit to stave off the pending orgasm. She wanted to take Emma with her when she came, and she hadn’t had nearly enough of her yet.

  Emma captured Carter’s hand and guided it to her center. “I want your fingers inside me.” She opened her thighs wider. “Please, Carter.”

  Emma’s direct expression of her need seared through Carter, and a trickle of arousal slid down the inside of her leg. She rose on all fours and kissed Emma so deeply when they parted, they both gasped for air. Then she lowered herself between Emma’s legs, rubbed her pubic mound against the cool sheets, and scooted her shoulders under Emma’s thighs.

  “Would it be cruel if I just looked at you for a while. You are so beautiful, and I’ve waited so long to be here. I don’t want to rush.”

  “Carter…”

  “Just for a second then.” Carter loved Emma’s vulnerability, how open she was to anything Carter wanted and how needy of her touch. She enjoyed watching Emma squirm, knowing she’d caused her discomfort and only she could ease it. She breathed deeply and inhaled the mixture her musky fragrance mingled with Emma’s lighter, flowery scent.

  Emma writhed under her. “Carter, please touch me. This is torture.”

  But Carter could tell it was torture Emma craved. Her pleading face smiled down at her. Carter’s soul already held the imprint of this woman’s love. Now she wanted her body to be branded as well.

  While maintaining eye contact with Emma, Carter stuck her index finger into her mouth, wrapped her lips around it, and slowly withdrew it, making sure it was wet. “Are you ready?” she asked, teasing, and Emma raised her hips.

  “So very ready.”

  Carter captured Emma’s taut clit between her fingers. The pulsing flesh and Emma’s deep-throated moan almost made Carter come. “Do you like this, baby?”

  “Uh-huh.” Emma breathed and matched Carter’s rhythm.

  Carter felt her own control slipping and caught her lip between her teeth. She slid her fingers down Emma’s pulsating shaft and stroked the base with the rhythm of love
making. She was ready to see Emma come undone under her.

  “I need to come, Carter. A little harder…right there!”

  Carter manipulated Emma’s body like they’d been lovers for years. And for the first time, she wasn’t afraid to show her own physical and emotional needs. Her body and soul hungered for love, and Emma knew how to feed her.

  “That’s so good…now go inside me. I’m ready.” Emma guided Carter’s hand.

  Emma’s instructions excited Carter as much as the responses they produced. Her nipples brushed the covers, and she grew wetter. She couldn’t allow even the slightest contact with the wet sheet beneath her, not yet. She looked up into Emma’s blue eyes, hooded with need, and brought her own fingers again to her mouth. “You taste so good.”

  Emma buried her fingers in Carter’s hair and forced her head down.

  When Carter brushed the outside of Emma’s opening, she lunged forward. Carter sucked Emma’s clit and simultaneously slid two fingers inside of her. Emma tightened around her immediately. Carter established a rhythm, and Emma clung to her, begging for more. Carter wanted to crawl inside and fill Emma physically the way Emma had filled her emotionally. She pumped harder, and Emma met her stroke for stroke. Emma’s legs stiffened over Carter’s shoulders. She was so close.

  “Another finger.” Emma panted. “Fill me.”

  Carter purposely withdrew completely before complying.

  “No!” Emma pressed her legs tighter around Carter’s shoulders to hold her in place.

  When Carter entered her again, she wasn’t so gentle, but Emma met her insistent strokes, her ass never touching the bed.

  “Faster…that’s so good.”

  Carter’s rhythm increased, and her tongue matched the tempo on Emma’s clit. “Ohhhhh, yes, Carter.”

  Carter watched as Emma’s climax built. Her skin flushed and her body stiffened. She sat almost completely up, trembling, then collapsed. She gasped for air and clenched her fists in Carter’s hair, released and then clutched the sheets convulsively. “Come for me now, Emma.”