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with them.”
    “You were the only girl I danced with at our prom,” he said pointedly.
    This made my stomach flip. “I hadn’t noticed. I was too busy trying to keep my date from wandering off. Though that turned out to be a wasted effort.”
    “He was a jerk.” Suddenly, Carter scooped me into his arms.
    “Hey,” I said, instantly alarmed. “Your shoulder.”
    He carried me over to the king-size bed and set me gently in the middle of it before he stretched out next to me, lying on his side. “You’re light as a feather, sweetheart.”
    “So charming,” I mused, not missing the dreaminess in my voice. “But don’t do that again. I told you I don’t want to be an impediment.”
    The look he gave me was a confusing one to decipher. He seemed to know his limitations, and they aggravated him. But I sensed it was more than his physical condition that upset him. I truly believed the fact he found me to be a distraction bothered him, because of the way he felt about me. Because he really didn’t want to put perimeters around our association.
    My heart melted at the same time my gut twisted into a pretzel. “I’m pushing this on you, aren’t I?” I asked in a quiet voice as my fingers skimmed over his warm skin. I couldn’t help touching him when he was this close to me, and I loved how his abs and pecs flexed beneath my fingertips.
    He said, “I never do anything I don’t want to, Cherish. I’m just not sure we’re being sensible. Tonight, I get to unleash everything I’m feeling toward you, but tomorrow… I have to bottle it all up.”
    I swallowed down a lump of emotion. “But one night is better than no night, right?”
    And what if one evening together turned into something more? What if there was a way for me to be in his life without hindering his healing progress or his career?
    Yes, of course, I hoped there was a chance for more with Carter. I wouldn’t hang my hat on the notion, though. That would only set me up for an even greater heartache. But I was too optimistic a person not to keep the door open.
    Carter said, “I don’t want you to feel used.”
    My unexpected laugh filled the silent room. “This was my idea, remember? Let’s think of it as an evening of mutual appreciation,” I suggested as my head dipped and I brushed my lips over his collarbone.
    He let out a low grunt. “Sure beats the hell out of the cold shower I’d previously resigned myself to.”
    “I can offer more relief than that.” I lightly pushed at his chest until he rolled onto his back.
    Where to start was the thought that flitted through my mind as I gazed down at his hunky body. I nibbled my lower lip while I absorbed the magnificent sight before me, and he still wasn’t naked yet.
    My first order of business, I decided, was to attempt to get him as hot and bothered as I felt. So I reached behind my back and unhooked my bra. I tossed the lingerie aside as he let out another lustful grunt.
    I unfastened his pants and slid the zipper down its track. Then I bent over him and kissed him aggressively. Our intense liplock was scorching hot, and he groaned when I finally pulled away.
    “You make me so damn hard,” he told me in a tight voice.
    I left him that way and shifted to the end of the bed. I quickly divested him of his Italian leather shoes and socks, then asked, “You have a condom, right?”
    “Somewhere.” He gave it some thought before saying, “Either the toiletry bag hanging on the back of the bathroom door, or the small duffle sitting on the vanity.”
    I slipped from the bed, surprised he felt so comfortable with me rummaging through his personal effects. I found two foil packets at the very bottom of the duffle, where he kept several books on Joe Montana and Dan Marino, plus a few magazines. I couldn’t help checking out the titles and smiled at his selection of reading material. Classic Cars , Newsweek and, of course, Sports Illustrated , though thankfully not the swimsuit