Roll Against Regret (3d20) Read Online Free Page A

crept into Carter’s voice.
    The conversation shifted, and the miniature bump of tension vanished. As we wound things up for the evening, I felt better about the past than I had…ever. The coffee shop employees had to shoo us out at closing time. We laughed and joked on the way to our cars, and then said our good nights.
    Jackson hung over his car door. “Stop by my apartment tomorrow. I’ll text you the address. The three of us will play in the same room, no headsets. Zoe’s staying the night anyway.”
    “So, you’re not living together?” Carter’s expression became an emotionless mask.
    “We’ve only been together two months,” I said in lieu of an explanation. “Two good months, but still.”
    “Really.” Carter’s tone went flat. “Two months, and he’s changed you this much? Kind of wish I knew his secret.”
    My gut sank. So much for things going smoothly. I didn’t know how to respond.
    “Tomorrow night it is, then.” Carter slid into his car, started the engine, and pulled out without waiting for a response.

Chapter Five
    I didn’t want to part ways with Jackson after Carter left, but I needed sleep after the Sunday we’d had, and Jackson had an early meeting.
    Too bad sleep didn’t happen, once I got back to my apartment. I spent half the night tossing the coffee shop conversation over and over in my head, wondering if I could have handled things better, questioning how this would change the synchronicity we had with Dark. When I did manage to drift off, my imagination taunted me. Not with nightmares. With overlapping visions of Jackson—hands running over me, teasing, caressing, kissing—and Carter, who had been more aggressive in bed but just as incredible, pushing me back, ripping off my clothes, and leaving me breathless.
    The alarm tore the seductive dreams from me, but not the feeling they left behind. The combination of memories blended and danced in my still-drowsy mind, tingling over my skin and begging for attention between my legs. I shoved my T-shirt up, and kneaded one breast, pinching my nipple until it ached. I slid my other hand lower, under my panties, immediately zeroing in on my clit. I was already wet from the dreams. My fingers wrapped easily around my swollen button, gliding up and down and stroking with frantic need.
    I arched my back, gasping pants tearing from me when I came. I kept rubbing, even though I was tender and raw. I didn’t stop until I couldn’t take anymore, and then collapsed back onto the bed with a sigh.
    Please let me make it through this. I didn’t even know what this was, but I needed to survive it and come out the other side sane.
    Exhaustion loomed, as I got ready for work. By the time I dragged myself to my desk at the office, the coffee was kicking in but only enough I didn’t have to pry my eyes open with toothpicks. That the sensual dreams still danced on my skin didn’t help. My head was in the most pleasant cloud ever, and didn’t want to emerge for nasty realities like work.
    I checked my email to make sure nothing critical was happening, and then dove back into the paperwork Tasha handed me yesterday. I hadn’t been at it for long, when I was interrupted.
    “Sutton.” Mark Kitner’s voice sent daggers of irritation through me. Since I’d broken up with him almost six months ago, we’d managed to keep ninety-nine percent of our interactions over emails, or through third parties like Tasha. Why was he approaching me now?
    I spun in my chair, fake smile freezing in place when I saw who was with him. I searched for a polite way to ask Carter if he was following me, but for the second time in twenty-four hours, his wide-eyes said he was as surprised as me.
    “This is Carter Erikson.” If Kitner had any inking of our shared awkward stare, it didn’t show. “He’s our new data analyst. Contract to hire. I need you to show him the ropes.”
    What? I didn’t train new people. It wasn’t that I had a problem with the idea, but