Gage, Ronna - Send Her To Me (Siren Publishing Classic) Read Free Page A

concerned face and he became silent. Averting his eyes from her, he looked down at his injured hand. His left palm had a small gash that oozed blood.
    “I don’t think you’ll need stitches,” her voice, soft and low, said to him, and his heart fluttered wildly. Carter almost didn’t hear her. She skimmed the top of the wound with her index finger.
    Carter stood dumbstruck by her tenderness. He barely felt her touch on his hand.
    She looked at him. “I hope you don’t have some wicked blood disease like AIDS or hepatitis.”
    Silent for a second, he answered. “No, none I’m aware of.” He looked into her eyes, and for the moment nothing existed while his mind focused on her. Close up, he noticed the auburn color of her hair—his favorite color. Her hair was longer than he first suspected. It lay in a thick ponytail down her back to about the midpoint where the strings of her top tied together.
    “God, I would give my right nut to put my fingers in that hair,” he murmured to himself.
    Her cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry, did you say something?”
    Embarrassed that she heard him, he gently took his hand from hers. “It’s nothing worth repeating.” He reached into his cooler and picked up the hand towel he laid in there earlier. Tearing the towel, he wrapped his hand, and then used his teeth to tie off the two ends. It wasn’t the best bandage, but it would do. “Dry mouth! The unwanted effects to drinking beer in the hot sun.” He tried to convince himself, not daring to admit the slip-of-the-tongue comment he spoke in front of a complete stranger. He reached into the cooler again, this time with his right hand. “Here’s the beer you asked for. I hope you like Budweiser.”
    She reached for the unopened container. “Thank you.” She snapped off the cap. Immediately, foam oozed from the top, and she hurried to lick the falling liquid dripping down the bottle’s longneck.
    Carter watched her tongue and lips work the bottle, his lips parted slightly. The cool, calm, collected façade he adopted disappeared. She glided her tongue up the longneck to the bottle’s opening and licked the drop of fluid. He could imagine her doing the same thing to his cock. It twitched in response. He glanced up and realized that she watched him with as much intensity as he did. She tilted the bottle and took a long drink until half remained.
    “That hit the spot.”
    Her lips fit over the bottle’s top, and then tilted it back for another drink. When she removed the bottle from her lips, they were wet with the foam of the beer.
    So focused on her movements, Carter barely swallowed the drink he poured down his throat. His senses took the day off, leaving him to his own vices. “No.” He leaned in and gently licked the beer from her lips. “Now, that hit the spot.” Her lips tasted sweet. A mixture of sweet cherries and cold beer stirred his taste buds. Desiring another part of her, his eyes drifted down her body. How would she taste in other places? His gaze lighted on the juncture between her legs. Even in the relaxed environment of the pool party, he didn’t dare push his luck and act on the impulse to find out. He much preferred to sample her in private. Taking a sip of beer in hopes to quench his thirst, he took a second and let the swallow linger in his cheeks. When he swallowed his drink, he extended his left hand to her, only to bring it back due to his bandage. Changing to his right hand, he replied, “I’m Carter Banks, by the way.”
    It took a few seconds for her to speak. The stunned expression on her face showed her surprise, and then it cleared. She tried to act unaffected by the brush of his tongue on her lips. She shot out her hand and grabbed his.
    “Yes, I know.”
    The hoarseness in her voice confirmed his presumption was right. The kiss did something for her.
    Suddenly, her words sunk into his mind. Yes, I know! “You know?”
    “Yes, I heard of you before today.”
    “I hope it was good.”