Chapter 38

I’m startled awake by a loud bang, and Carter tightens his arms around me. He clutches his bed covers and throws them over us. My head is banging and the whole world is spinning. I’m still drunk or hungover like crazy. What am I even doing in Carter’s bed? In his arms?

I stiffen when I realize we’re all tangled together. His arms are around me, while my arm is wrapped around his waist and my leg is hooked over his hip.

“Carter Christopher Clarke. You’d better not have a girl in that bed or so help me God! You know the rules,” Helen shouts. I stiffen in Carter’s arms. It’s one thing to fall asleep in his bed, and it’s something else altogether to get caught like this. I’ve never heard her sound so angry.

“She said Christopher,” I whisper. “We’re in so much trouble.”

Carter chuckles and buries his hand in my hair to pull me closer.

“Mom, I’m tired as hell. There’s no girl here. Of course there isn’t. If I was gonna do something like that, don’t you think I would’ve already done it by now?”

I can’t help but hope that his words are true and that he truly hasn’t had anyone other than me in his bed. With the distance he created between us in the last couple of weeks, I wasn’t sure. It seemed like he was moving on, and part of me is terrified he might have done something with someone else. Even if he did, I can’t be mad about it. It’s me who said that we shouldn’t be together, after all.

“Then explain to me why the hell there are heels and a dress on your floor?” Helen bites out. I freeze and look down at my clothes. I’m wearing one of Carter’s t-shirts. Shit. I try my best to remember where I threw my clothes, but I’m drawing a blank. I can only remember flashes, almost like scenes popping into my head randomly. Carter and I kissing in the downstairs bathroom. Me walking into his bedroom. My fingers unbuttoning his shirt. The way he sank into me and the way I begged him to do me harder. I blush in shame, the night coming back to me slowly but surely.

Carter strokes my arm and pulls the sheets down to reveal his face while still keeping me covered. “Mom, please. Fine, I’ve got a girl here. I’m sorry. It’s not what you think though. I didn’t sleep with her or anything. I mean… We literally just fell asleep. That’s all.”

I can imagine the way Helen must be staring him down. She always knows when Carter is lying, though I still haven’t figured out how. “Oh, you just fell asleep and did nothing else, but you got her naked first?”

Carter groans and hugs me tightly. “Mom, can you please just go? This is so embarrassing. It won’t happen again, fuck. I’m literally moving out today. What does it matter?”

My heart sinks at the reminder, and I subconsciously clutch his t-shirt in my hands. Helen clears her throat.

“Of course it matters. Until this day is over, you still live under my roof, so you better damn well follow my rules. If she had the guts to sleep in my house without my permission, then she’d better have the guts to face me the morning after.”

I poke his chest and he lifts the sheets just slightly to look at me. I try my best to look at him reassuringly, but he shakes his head and covers me up again.

“Mom, please,” he says, throwing all his charm at her, but she won’t relent, like I knew she wouldn’t. I sigh and push against him before sitting up. The sheets fall away and I blink a few times to get used to the light.

Helen looks beyond shocked to see me in Carter’s bed. “I’m sorry,” I stammer, my face burning. “I didn’t mean to intrude, Helen. I told my dad I’d sleep over at Kate’s, but she was already asleep when I walked in and you know how she sleeps, all sprawled out… I was so tired last night and I fell asleep here. My dress was uncomfortable so Carter gave me one of his tees,” I explain, pointing towards the t-shirt I’m wearing. I feel horrible for lying and I’m sure my rambling isn’t helping my case, but I don’t know what else to say. Helen blinks at me, her eyes moving from me to Carter. “I should’ve just gone home, I know. I’m so sorry.”

She stares us both down and my heart races. I’m not sure we’ll get away with this. She seems mad as hell, and I’m not sure she’ll actually believe our excuses. Her eyes roam over our clothes on the floor and she chuckles humorlessly, as though she knows we’re lying. “So, nothing happened, huh?” she asks me. I shake my head at the same time as Carter. “Hmm,” she says, thoughtfully.

She crosses her arms and stares at us through narrowed eyes. “I’m going to let it go this time, and I’m choosing to trust you. You two better not betray that trust.”

Carter and I both nod. Helen is intimidating as hell, and there’s no way I’ll voluntarily find myself in another situation like this.

“So, what do you wanna have for breakfast?” she asks, relaxing slightly. “Seems like you two got drunk, huh? I’d better get some carbs into you. Come down in a couple of minutes.” We both nod, and she walks out of the room, closing the door behind her.

I fall back onto the pillow and Carter looks at me. We both stare at each other and then burst out laughing.

“Shit. I thought your mom was going to throw me out,” I say, exhaling in relief.

Carter laughs. “Nah, she adores the hell out of you. Any other girl, though… Yeah. She probably would’ve thrown out anyone other than you.”

He turns onto his side and looks down at me.

“Is it true?” I ask. “What you said?”

Carter frowns, clearly not following.

“That you haven’t had a girl in this bed? You were being so distant with me… I wasn’t really sure. I mean, if you did, I can’t even be mad at you. So, yeah.”

Carter looks away and smiles to himself. “No one but you, Minx. I can’t even imagine wanting someone else, even when you drive me insane. Besides, my mom’s always home during the day anyway, so it’s not like I could ever get away with it. I’ve never had a girl in this bed. Other than you, that is. Forget the bed, there’s only you, Emilia. I haven’t touched anyone else.”

I smile up at him and poke his chest. “You’d better not have,” I say. Carter laughs and hugs me tightly, neither one of us wanting to get up. He lowers his lips to mine and I promise myself that this will be the last time I’ll kiss him, but my heart knows that I’m lying to myself.