“You good?”
I smirked. “Perfect.”
He searched my eyes momentarily before releasing his grip, and I sank lower before easing myself up and lowering once more. When I finally pressed against him as far as I could go, deep and resting against my skin, he took my hands in his. Our fingers laced together, and I used his strength, his toned arms as support and leverage. Tentative at first, not knowing if he would support my weight and movement, I grinned, realizing there was never a need to have doubted him.
From everything that I had discovered about Tanner over the past two months, I was certain of many things. Not only was he steadfast and kind, but I knew without hesitation, he would not let me fall.
Chapter Eleven
TANNER
After steppingout of the shower, I smiled at Carter, lightly snoring. I’d struggled to sleep so had already snuck away at the ass-crack of dawn and done some work in one of the bedrooms. It had been a particularly dirty couple of hours involving dust, drywall, and paint. Admittedly, I hadn’t been fully concentrating, still brooding and wanting to take action against Scott.
I looked at the time and knew Carter’s alarm would go off in ten minutes. He had been just as restless when we’d first headed to bed. While he’d appeared relieved to have finally shared the bullcrap he’d been through over the past few weeks, his anxiety had spiked, and unfortunately, I was the cause.
He was genuinely terrified I was going to kick Scott’s ass.
And fuck, did I want to.
The thought of anyone intimidating him, making him feel like crap, and hurting him in any way had my blood boiling. Hell, every time my thoughts drifted in that direction I wanted to go on a rampage. I didn’t think a simple ass-kicking would do it though. I wanted to rip the fucker’s head off.
Carter shifted in the bed, his light snore stopping, and I released my tight jaw and exhaled. How anyone could attack him was beyond me. Carter was one of the sweetest guys I knew. He was kind and thoughtful, and I was sure he didn’t have a mean bone in his body. The fact that Scott had gone after him by challenging his position at work and possibly destroying his career was all sorts of fucked-up. Carter loved his job, loved helping animals, and indirectly their owners. There was no chance ever I’d be allowing the godawful harassment to continue.
While I wanted to march into the clinic with guns blazing, I knew that would distress Carter even more. I needed to use my smarts to help and protect him. I just hadn’t quite figured out exactly what that would consist of yet.
“Hey.” Carter’s gruff voice drew my attention to him. With ruffled hair and eyes not yet fully open, he looked sexy as hell. My feet reacted immediately. I was beside the bed in a few strides and then leaning down and kissing him.
“Morning,” I said as I pulled away, brushing wayward hair out of his eyes.
He released a happy sigh and grinned up at me. “You been up long? You should have woken me for a shower.” His smile turned mischievous.
I laughed, ignoring my hard-on jerking in agreement. “You need to get up and prepare for work. No way would we have long enough if we’d showered together, not when I’m considering all the things I want to do with you in the shower.” I lifted my brows a few times and beamed even harder at the flush that rose in his cheeks. I would never get tired of seeing the pink spreading across his skin.
“I suppose you’re right.” He reached to the bedside table and took hold of his phone, pressing a few digits.
“You get ready, and I’ll start breakfast.” I still wanted to talk to him before he went to work. I suspected it was the last thing he wanted to do, but I couldn’t sit by while he suffered. I reached down, took hold of his hands, and tugged him up and out of bed. He ended up flush with my body, and it was impossible to not admit just how perfectly he fit.
Placing a chaste kiss on his lips as opposed to pressing hard and taking control of the kiss like my body demanded, I squeezed his ass and gave a gentle slap.
A squeak-groan escaped his parted lips. Fuck, this guy was dangerous. Dipping toward the crease of his neck, I placed a light kiss there and then inhaled. The scent of sex and Creed, the aftershave I’d quickly become addicted to over the past month, filled me. He smelled delicious. “Shower,” I murmured before turning and heading to the safety of the kitchen.
Ten minutes later, we sat down to coffee and toast. I was nothing if not a food connoisseur. I allowed him a bite and a sip before I just plowed straight in. “I’ll drop you off at work today.” Carter paused midchew, his eyes narrowing slightly before his shoulders dropped. “I’m not going to say or do anything, but the BS needs to stop.” It was a half-assed attempt to reassure him.
Swallowing hard, he took a gulp of coffee, wincing at the heat. “I know you mean well, and don’t get me wrong, you sounding macho and going all gung-ho is making me hard”—it was my turn to narrow my eyes at him. I wasn’t fucking about with this—“but I’ve tried. I made it clear that I knew what he was up to, which resulted in nothing but contempt. And what else exactly am I supposed to do, short of either ignoring it or leaving? He’s the boss for at least another couple of months. There’s no one else to talk to. Heisthe management.”
I hated the defeat in his voice just as much as I understood his logic and position. “There has to be something. Are you in some kind of union or something? How about contacting his uncle—”
“Godfather.”
“—godfather then? No one has the right to say or to do the things he’s doing. It’s not right. You love your job. You can’t let this fucker drive you out. I won’t allow it.” My voice had gradually become louder as I spoke, anger and frustration fueling my words.
Carter reached out and placed his palm on my forearm. “Thank you.” I quirked my head in question. “For caring, for wanting to make things better and right for me.” His blush was back. “It actually really helps that you know. I don’t feel as, I don’t know, alone in the whole thing.” He cleared his throat as he flicked his gaze away briefly before settling back on me. “These past few weeks have been pretty dire, with last Friday being the worst of it.” My muscles flexed under his palm, causing him to grip me and then draw soothing circles on my skin with his thumb.
“You being here when I get home from work, us spending time with each other, being friends”—I made to speak, wanting to make it clear that after this weekend we were a lot more than that, but he stopped me with a grin—“and now becoming… us”—my cock twitched and stomach tensed at the word. I liked it a lot—“well, it makes everything that’s happening at work seem insignificant. Helped me get into work, do my job, and switch off from Scott.”
I loved giving that to him. Every word he spoke felt right, and I’d be lying if his belief in what we were just starting with each other didn’t make my chest puff out with pride. Yet, it was not okay for him to have to “put up” with the harassment. “But that’s the point.” I took his hands in mine. “It’s not insignificant, and he’s ruining something you love. You can’t let him get away with any of it. It needs to stop.” I meant every word. While I didn’t attend LGBT rallies or anything, I still fought for human rights and equality. That didn’t mean I waved a flag around—though if I did, I would rock that shit—but it did mean if I heard someone talking crap or behaving like an asshole, I had no hesitation in calling them out for it.
Carter dipped his head forward. I knew it was so easy for me to point out the rights and wrongs, the injustices in the world, and demand that it stop and he do something about it. It was a lot more complicated than that. But just because life could be harsh and difficult didn’t mean that anyone, especially Carter, should have to put up with harassment or being pushed out of his job. He had to fight for this.
