What happens when you drag a reluctant man, kicking and screaming, into love? Carter has been burned so many times and he’s just not ready to be hurt again. Fortunately, Reid knows what he wants and he doesn’t give up.
What happens when your crush has a crush on you?
“I’m not sure what you’re up to, but I feel like I should probably follow you.” The words wrapped around Carter’s neck like warm velvet and he trembled slightly. Carter turned and his eyes widened as he stepped back, bumping up against the shelves at his back. There were gentle clinks as the glass bottles rattled behind him and he took the tiniest step forward. The Hot Doctor was grinning cockily and close enough for Carter feel the heat that radiated from his body. Holy shit, he smelled amazing. There was the ubiquitous hint of hand sanitizer and betadine soap but also a warm sandalwood based cologne.
“Excuse me?” Carter’s voice broke and he swallowed as he tried to breathe. The Hot Doctor laughed softly as his eyes flicked to Carter’s basket.
“French bread, goat cheese, apples and good gin. Whatever you have planned has to be interesting,” he said as he set his basket between his feet. Carter shrugged as he stared into his basket.
“I found this recipe for baked apples. You stuff them with goat cheese and top them with a brandy sauce. I’ve never had them but it’s got really positive reviews so I thought I’d give it a try. The bread’s to go with my salad. I’m grilling chicken and just making a raspberry vinaigrette. And gin and tonics, obviously…” Jesus! Stop talking! Carter squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled loudly. He always rambled when he was nervous. And blushed. He could feel it happening. The Hot Doctor looked amused when Carter opened his eyes.
“I was hoping you’d say hello but I got tired of waiting and decided to make the first move,” he said as he watched Carter. Carter shook his head and frowned.
“No. I don’t do that,” he said softly and The Hot Doctor’s brows pulled together as his head tilted.
“You don’t say hello?” He asked with a barely contained grin and Carter nodded.
“No. I kind of gave up on dating. Actually, I gave up on just about everything but staying at home and working four years ago. The last guy I dated dumped me on my birthday and sadly, he wasn’t the worst. I have terrible luck with men, so I don’t say hello or flirt or go on dates. I just buy groceries once a day and cook dinner so I don’t turn into Gollum.” Carter sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “And I can’t stop talking when I’m nervous,” he admitted. The Hot Doctor nodded and his smile felt like a basket of kittens.
“So, you’re not going to invite me for dinner?” He teased and a squeak burst from Carter’s throat.
“I… maybe…” He exhaled loudly and knew he must have been as red as a beet. The Hot Doctor shook his head and his eyes sparkled as his lips curved.
“Give me your phone,” he commanded gently. Carter’s eyes became wide but he didn’t hesitate to pull it from his pocket. The Hot Doctor’s fingers closed around Carter’s before they slid and pulled the phone from his grasp. The breath locked in Carter’s throat as heat surged up his arm. The Hot Doctor bit his lip and chuckled softly as he began to swipe and tap at Carter’s phone. He passed it back. “My name’s Reid. You have my number. I’d love to get together for a few drinks, if you’re comfortable with that. I’m not on call this weekend but there’s no pressure. You don’t have to invite me over tonight, you can just hang onto my number until you’re ready.” He offered Carter one last wink before he picked up his basket with its six pack of beer and pre made deli sandwich and left.
It could have been two minutes or twenty. Carter stared at the space in front of him, barely breathing or blinking. Oddly, he kept seeing the sandwich. Reid always bought a sandwich and a bottle of water. Sometimes, there was a carton of strawberries or bananas. And the beer when Reid was off. But the idea of Reid eating that sandwich, alone, gnawed at Carter. He tried to push the image away and reminded himself of how miserable he was the night Ben broke up with him. Getting dumped on your thirtieth birthday was a cosmic kick in the teeth. Did Carter really want to tempt the universe again?
Almost as if life was warning him, Carter ended up in line behind the last woman in the world that thought it was ok to write a check. Do they even make checkbooks anymore? Carter wondered as impatience and frustration boiled within him. Part of him really wanted to throw caution to the wind and invite Reid over. Carter never expected that his secret crush/obsession would be interested. Gorgeous, intelligent, super fit men with legit careers did not go for Carter. Narcissistic department store associates, bartenders and bank tellers with mommy issues were usually his target audience. If he was going to invite Reid over, he didn’t want to wait too long. Reid would eat that stupid sandwich and change his mind.
Carter ground his teeth as he waited. The woman ahead of him made some sort of mistake and had to start over. He felt sweat prickling the back of his neck. Not just because he wanted evil, terrible things to happen to the human rain delay but because he was also replaying every word he’d said to Reid. Why do I always say the wrong thing? Why can’t I be as good in person as my characters? Carter lamented. Because life isn’t a young adult dystopian sci-fi novel and I’m not a fourteen year old girl with telekinesis, he argued as he glared at the woman ahead of him. I’d slap her in the face with that checkbook, if I was, Carter decided.
When Carter finally cleared the check-out line and made it to his car, he groaned as he beat his head against the steering wheel. He knew he was setting himself up for serious disappointment but he also knew he’d regret it if he didn’t act. Carter cursed under his breath as he pulled out his phone.
Reid can be very convincing.
Carter’s eyes widened as he stared at Reid’s car.
“Is that an RS 7?” He asked. Reid nodded as he opened the door and Sadie jumped in.
“Back seat.” He commanded and she jumped over the console. Carter shook his head as he followed.
“What?” Reid asked as he stared over the roof of the car. Carter shrugged.
“You drive a hundred thousand dollar Audi and I have a Volkswagen GTI,” Carter mumbled as he ducked and sat in the passenger seat. Reid dropped into the driver’s seat and his brows pulled together.
“So?” He started the car and waited as Carter shut the door and buckled his seat belt. Carter shrugged as he stared at the sleek dash and all the red lights.
“It’s kind of like the metaphor, don’t you think?” Carter asked as Reid backed out of the garage. Reid stopped the car and frowned at Carter.
“What do you mean?” He looked confused. “You could pay cash for just about any car you want,” Reid said and Carter shook his head and laughed.
“That’s not it at all.” He waved between them. “Look at us. I’m barely an adult. I write books for teenagers, I dress like a teenager and I drive a teenager’s car. You have a real job and you drive a man’s car. Actually, this car is for a legit Sir.” He scrubbed his face with his hands and laughed again. “I still play World of Warcraft. You’re going to realize we have nothing in common and I’ll have to sell my house.” He jumped when Reid punched him in the arm. “What was that for?” Carter scowled as he rubbed his arm. Reid narrowed his eyes and pointed at Carter.
“Don’t do that,” he warned and Carter’s head pulled back.
“Do what?” Carter asked.
“Don’t belittle yourself. I’m not better than you because I drive a more expensive car or because I’m a doctor.” Reid finished reversing out of the driveway and put the car in Drive. Carter rolled his eyes.
“You’re so out of my league that it’s ridiculous,” he insisted. Reid snorted and shook his head.
“Really? I think you’ve got it backwards,” Reid argued and Carter looked at him like he just admitted he ate his own hair. Reid nodded. “You’re brilliant, Carter. How many people can say they’ve done what you’ve done? It’s a very small handful. Do you know how many doctors there are? I partner with six other neurologists.” He dared Carter to argue.
“I still dress the way I did in high school,” he pointed out and Reid smiled.
“I like the way you dress. And you don’t look like a teenager. I love the way some of your t-shirts cling to you and your ass looks amazing in jeans.” A slight blush tinted his cheeks and Carter blinked in confusion. This is not right… Has he seen himself?
“I’m kind of lanky and average looking,” Carter said and it was Reid’s turn to look shocked.
“Are you kidding?” He asked incredulously. “You’re not lanky or average looking. You look like a model,” Reid said as he pulled up to a light. Carter chuckled as he turned to face Reid.
“You can’t be serious. Look at you, Reid. You’re barely real. Normal guys don’t have perfect cheekbones and jawbones, perfect teeth, perfect hair and a stupidly perfect body. Not all at once. And they certainly aren’t romantic, intelligent and super decent if they do. I’m a normal guy. Guys like you don’t go for guys like me,” he explained and Reid parked the car and turned to face him.
“You’re wrong. I’m not perfect and you aren’t normal. If you want, we can go back to my place and I’ll show you just how much a guy like me can go for a guy like you.” Reid winked and Carter’s heart was out of control as Reid grabbed the front of his t-shirt. “I am romantic, intelligent and decent but sometimes, I look at you and all of that goes out the window. I’m trying really hard to be those things because that’s what you deserve.” His lips hovered against Carter’s and the taste of hot mint teased Carter’s tongue. “Right now, I’m feeling pretty indecent and what I want to do to you has very little to do with romance,” Reid murmured and Carter swallowed as need slammed into him, his skin tingled and itched as the desire to feel every part of his body pressed against Reid’s overwhelmed him. He tilted his head forward so that his lips brushed against Reid’s.
“Why are you telling me this now, while we’re parked in front of a handful of people eating breakfast?” His voice was gravelly as his hand wrapped around Reid’s thigh. He felt Reid’s smile against his lips.
“Because I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense about me being out of your league or you being average or normal. Because the way I want you isn’t average or normal.” Reid angled his head and his tongue slipped between Carter’s lips and teased Carter’s for a moment before he raised his head. “Got it?” He waited until Carter nodded. “Great. Let’s go, I want waffles,” Reid announced as he released Carter’s shirt and got out of the car. Sadie followed, leaving Carter to stare, stunned and blinking until Reid tapped on the window.
The waffles were good. Probably. Carter was so rattled by Reid’s declaration that he could have eaten a bowl of dryer lint and he wouldn’t have noticed. He kept staring at Reid’s lips and his mind was stuck on the whole ‘…what I want to do to you has very little to do with romance.’ thing. Carter was so tempted to ask what Reid had in mind and see if they could go back to his place. Carter was a lot of things but stupid wasn’t one of them. When a man like Reid told you he wanted to do indecent things with you, by God, you did them.
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What happens when your crush has a crush on you?
“I’m not sure what you’re up to, but I feel like I should probably follow you.” The words wrapped around Carter’s neck like warm velvet and he trembled slightly. Carter turned and his eyes widened as he stepped back, bumping up against the shelves at his back. There were gentle clinks as the glass bottles rattled behind him and he took the tiniest step forward. The Hot Doctor was grinning cockily and close enough for Carter feel the heat that radiated from his body. Holy shit, he smelled amazing. There was the ubiquitous hint of hand sanitizer and betadine soap but also a warm sandalwood based cologne.
“Excuse me?” Carter’s voice broke and he swallowed as he tried to breathe. The Hot Doctor laughed softly as his eyes flicked to Carter’s basket.
“French bread, goat cheese, apples and good gin. Whatever you have planned has to be interesting,” he said as he set his basket between his feet. Carter shrugged as he stared into his basket.
“I found this recipe for baked apples. You stuff them with goat cheese and top them with a brandy sauce. I’ve never had them but it’s got really positive reviews so I thought I’d give it a try. The bread’s to go with my salad. I’m grilling chicken and just making a raspberry vinaigrette. And gin and tonics, obviously…” Jesus! Stop talking! Carter squeezed his eyes shut and exhaled loudly. He always rambled when he was nervous. And blushed. He could feel it happening. The Hot Doctor looked amused when Carter opened his eyes.
“I was hoping you’d say hello but I got tired of waiting and decided to make the first move,” he said as he watched Carter. Carter shook his head and frowned.
“No. I don’t do that,” he said softly and The Hot Doctor’s brows pulled together as his head tilted.
“You don’t say hello?” He asked with a barely contained grin and Carter nodded.
“No. I kind of gave up on dating. Actually, I gave up on just about everything but staying at home and working four years ago. The last guy I dated dumped me on my birthday and sadly, he wasn’t the worst. I have terrible luck with men, so I don’t say hello or flirt or go on dates. I just buy groceries once a day and cook dinner so I don’t turn into Gollum.” Carter sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “And I can’t stop talking when I’m nervous,” he admitted. The Hot Doctor nodded and his smile felt like a basket of kittens.
“So, you’re not going to invite me for dinner?” He teased and a squeak burst from Carter’s throat.
“I… maybe…” He exhaled loudly and knew he must have been as red as a beet. The Hot Doctor shook his head and his eyes sparkled as his lips curved.
“Give me your phone,” he commanded gently. Carter’s eyes became wide but he didn’t hesitate to pull it from his pocket. The Hot Doctor’s fingers closed around Carter’s before they slid and pulled the phone from his grasp. The breath locked in Carter’s throat as heat surged up his arm. The Hot Doctor bit his lip and chuckled softly as he began to swipe and tap at Carter’s phone. He passed it back. “My name’s Reid. You have my number. I’d love to get together for a few drinks, if you’re comfortable with that. I’m not on call this weekend but there’s no pressure. You don’t have to invite me over tonight, you can just hang onto my number until you’re ready.” He offered Carter one last wink before he picked up his basket with its six pack of beer and pre made deli sandwich and left.
It could have been two minutes or twenty. Carter stared at the space in front of him, barely breathing or blinking. Oddly, he kept seeing the sandwich. Reid always bought a sandwich and a bottle of water. Sometimes, there was a carton of strawberries or bananas. And the beer when Reid was off. But the idea of Reid eating that sandwich, alone, gnawed at Carter. He tried to push the image away and reminded himself of how miserable he was the night Ben broke up with him. Getting dumped on your thirtieth birthday was a cosmic kick in the teeth. Did Carter really want to tempt the universe again?
Almost as if life was warning him, Carter ended up in line behind the last woman in the world that thought it was ok to write a check. Do they even make checkbooks anymore? Carter wondered as impatience and frustration boiled within him. Part of him really wanted to throw caution to the wind and invite Reid over. Carter never expected that his secret crush/obsession would be interested. Gorgeous, intelligent, super fit men with legit careers did not go for Carter. Narcissistic department store associates, bartenders and bank tellers with mommy issues were usually his target audience. If he was going to invite Reid over, he didn’t want to wait too long. Reid would eat that stupid sandwich and change his mind.
Carter ground his teeth as he waited. The woman ahead of him made some sort of mistake and had to start over. He felt sweat prickling the back of his neck. Not just because he wanted evil, terrible things to happen to the human rain delay but because he was also replaying every word he’d said to Reid. Why do I always say the wrong thing? Why can’t I be as good in person as my characters? Carter lamented. Because life isn’t a young adult dystopian sci-fi novel and I’m not a fourteen year old girl with telekinesis, he argued as he glared at the woman ahead of him. I’d slap her in the face with that checkbook, if I was, Carter decided.
When Carter finally cleared the check-out line and made it to his car, he groaned as he beat his head against the steering wheel. He knew he was setting himself up for serious disappointment but he also knew he’d regret it if he didn’t act. Carter cursed under his breath as he pulled out his phone.
Reid can be very convincing.
Carter’s eyes widened as he stared at Reid’s car.
“Is that an RS 7?” He asked. Reid nodded as he opened the door and Sadie jumped in.
“Back seat.” He commanded and she jumped over the console. Carter shook his head as he followed.
“What?” Reid asked as he stared over the roof of the car. Carter shrugged.
“You drive a hundred thousand dollar Audi and I have a Volkswagen GTI,” Carter mumbled as he ducked and sat in the passenger seat. Reid dropped into the driver’s seat and his brows pulled together.
“So?” He started the car and waited as Carter shut the door and buckled his seat belt. Carter shrugged as he stared at the sleek dash and all the red lights.
“It’s kind of like the metaphor, don’t you think?” Carter asked as Reid backed out of the garage. Reid stopped the car and frowned at Carter.
“What do you mean?” He looked confused. “You could pay cash for just about any car you want,” Reid said and Carter shook his head and laughed.
“That’s not it at all.” He waved between them. “Look at us. I’m barely an adult. I write books for teenagers, I dress like a teenager and I drive a teenager’s car. You have a real job and you drive a man’s car. Actually, this car is for a legit Sir.” He scrubbed his face with his hands and laughed again. “I still play World of Warcraft. You’re going to realize we have nothing in common and I’ll have to sell my house.” He jumped when Reid punched him in the arm. “What was that for?” Carter scowled as he rubbed his arm. Reid narrowed his eyes and pointed at Carter.
“Don’t do that,” he warned and Carter’s head pulled back.
“Do what?” Carter asked.
“Don’t belittle yourself. I’m not better than you because I drive a more expensive car or because I’m a doctor.” Reid finished reversing out of the driveway and put the car in Drive. Carter rolled his eyes.
“You’re so out of my league that it’s ridiculous,” he insisted. Reid snorted and shook his head.
“Really? I think you’ve got it backwards,” Reid argued and Carter looked at him like he just admitted he ate his own hair. Reid nodded. “You’re brilliant, Carter. How many people can say they’ve done what you’ve done? It’s a very small handful. Do you know how many doctors there are? I partner with six other neurologists.” He dared Carter to argue.
“I still dress the way I did in high school,” he pointed out and Reid smiled.
“I like the way you dress. And you don’t look like a teenager. I love the way some of your t-shirts cling to you and your ass looks amazing in jeans.” A slight blush tinted his cheeks and Carter blinked in confusion. This is not right… Has he seen himself?
“I’m kind of lanky and average looking,” Carter said and it was Reid’s turn to look shocked.
“Are you kidding?” He asked incredulously. “You’re not lanky or average looking. You look like a model,” Reid said as he pulled up to a light. Carter chuckled as he turned to face Reid.
“You can’t be serious. Look at you, Reid. You’re barely real. Normal guys don’t have perfect cheekbones and jawbones, perfect teeth, perfect hair and a stupidly perfect body. Not all at once. And they certainly aren’t romantic, intelligent and super decent if they do. I’m a normal guy. Guys like you don’t go for guys like me,” he explained and Reid parked the car and turned to face him.
“You’re wrong. I’m not perfect and you aren’t normal. If you want, we can go back to my place and I’ll show you just how much a guy like me can go for a guy like you.” Reid winked and Carter’s heart was out of control as Reid grabbed the front of his t-shirt. “I am romantic, intelligent and decent but sometimes, I look at you and all of that goes out the window. I’m trying really hard to be those things because that’s what you deserve.” His lips hovered against Carter’s and the taste of hot mint teased Carter’s tongue. “Right now, I’m feeling pretty indecent and what I want to do to you has very little to do with romance,” Reid murmured and Carter swallowed as need slammed into him, his skin tingled and itched as the desire to feel every part of his body pressed against Reid’s overwhelmed him. He tilted his head forward so that his lips brushed against Reid’s.
“Why are you telling me this now, while we’re parked in front of a handful of people eating breakfast?” His voice was gravelly as his hand wrapped around Reid’s thigh. He felt Reid’s smile against his lips.
“Because I don’t want to hear any more of this nonsense about me being out of your league or you being average or normal. Because the way I want you isn’t average or normal.” Reid angled his head and his tongue slipped between Carter’s lips and teased Carter’s for a moment before he raised his head. “Got it?” He waited until Carter nodded. “Great. Let’s go, I want waffles,” Reid announced as he released Carter’s shirt and got out of the car. Sadie followed, leaving Carter to stare, stunned and blinking until Reid tapped on the window.
The waffles were good. Probably. Carter was so rattled by Reid’s declaration that he could have eaten a bowl of dryer lint and he wouldn’t have noticed. He kept staring at Reid’s lips and his mind was stuck on the whole ‘…what I want to do to you has very little to do with romance.’ thing. Carter was so tempted to ask what Reid had in mind and see if they could go back to his place. Carter was a lot of things but stupid wasn’t one of them. When a man like Reid told you he wanted to do indecent things with you, by God, you did them.
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