Her Last Love (Small Town Hearts Trilogy #1) (21 page)

"You're terribly out of fashion, sir. I think those jeans need to match your shirt." 

"You wouldn't." 

"Oh, I would." She nodded and grinned. 

"But you love me." 

"I do love you, but this is war." And with that, she let the icing cannons loose, watching the sticky white substance puddle and ooze from his thighs down to the cuff of his pant legs. He looked down at his jeans, his jaw dropped, and Lynn couldn't help but laugh. 

"Surrender?" She mocked. 

"A Navy man, surrender to an Army woman? Please." He looked down once more to study his now sticky clothing. "I wouldn't object to a truce, though." 

"Good enough for me." She set the bottles aside and walked over to him, holding out her hand to shake on it. As he took her hand, she saw the mischief gleam in his eyes. 

"Don't you --" 

Before she could finish, Carter had yanked her to him, and made sure they touched everywhere from chest to knees, so that all the icing on him would transfer, in part, to her. 

"Okay, now we can call a truce." He grinned. 

"You better be glad I like you." She wrapped her arms around him, laughing. "But now, we seriously need to go clean ourselves up some." She scanned the kitchen which now looked like the war zone it had become. "I'm afraid the kitchen's hopeless though." 

"Nah." Carter shook his head. "I'll help you with it." 

"Aw, so sweet for the guy who started the food fight to say." 

"Shut up." He laughed, stepping back to take her hand. "Let's go take care of getting rid of all this mess." 

"Yes, please. It'll take me forever to get this stuff out of my hair as it is." 

Lynn led him to her room where he gingerly sat on the edge of her bed while she went into her bathroom to grab a towel for him. She swung the door to close it while she grabbed a towel off the rack behind it, but it stopped a couple inches short. Carter could see the mirror through the wide crack, and watched as she removed the apron, followed by her shirt, both of which she tossed in the hamper.  

"One sec, and I'll find a towel for you," she called through the door. 

"No hurry." He watched her as she stood at the mirror, surveying the mess on her face and in her hair. As she reached up to take her hair down, she caught his gaze in the reflection. Her eyes on his, she lowered her arms, reaching out to open the door wider. 

Carter had been on his feet the moment their eyes had locked in the mirror and was now making his way across the plush carpet to the bathroom. He shoved the door open completely, crossed the threshold, causing Lynn to take a step backwards. Carter reached up, took her hair down himself, tossing the hair band on the counter. As he spread her hair out around her shoulders, he looked into her eyes again, and saw the same emotions swirling there that he himself was feeling.  

Now desperate, he fisted a hand in her hair, brought her to him as he kicked the door closed behind him. Carter could feel her respond as he kissed her without restraint. Her hands clutched at the sides of his sweatshirt, clenching fistfuls of fabric as her body swayed towards his. His hands, keeping it light to the touch, slid up her back where he reached for the clasp of her bra. He snapped it open, slowly peeled it off her narrow shoulders and down her slender arms. He pressed feather soft kisses down her jaw, cruising steadily along the nape of her neck and over the curve of her shoulder. Crouching now, Carter held both of her breasts in his hands, cupping them as if they were precious treasures. She buried her fingers in his hair as he lapped his tongue over each of them, squeezing with his strong hands. Lynn moaned as he brushed his lips down her abdomen, taking a moment to dip his tongue in and around her belly button. His hands slid down her rib cage, coming to a stop on her hips, where he dug his long fingers into the waist of her jeans. He traced his fingers along where rough denim met silky skin, found his way to the button. Lynn could feel the button release, hear the grating of the zipper.  

Lynn decided to even things up before they went much further and reached down to tug Carter back to his feet. As she pushed him against the back of the bathroom door, she slid her hands under the hem of his shirt, using her nails to scrape along the ridges of his abs. Lynn heard his hissing intake of breath as she worked her way up to his ribs, her nails digging in a little more before making their way back down again. She was empowered, and grabbed the bottom of his shirt to tug it upwards, until she could whip it off and onto the floor. 

"God, you have all these muscles," she breathed. "I want to taste them all." 

"Well, if you must. Be my guest." Carter's reply was husky, which urged Lynn on even more.  

She took a step back, and checked out the handsome male canvas before her. Muscles were tight and rippled, forming a hard six pack under tan skin. Lynn ran her hands up and over smooth strong pecs, stood on her toes so that she could kiss his neck, much as he had tasted hers. She made her way over the ridges of muscles, alternating between kissing and running her tongue along his skin, causing him to groan. When she reached his abs once more, she ran her nails over them again, making him squirm as he reached out to touch her head. Lynn unsnapped his jeans and reached for the zipper which caused his grip to tighten in her hair.  

Carter used his grip to bring her back to her feet again. He reversed their positions, pressed her into the door with his body as he kissed her again, taking the kiss deeper. They were both reaching for the other's remaining clothing, desperate to rid themselves of the barriers between them. Once they had kicked jeans and underwear off and into the corner, they came together again. Skin to skin, hands everywhere.  

"I think." Lynn gasped, as Carter kissed the curve of her shoulder. "I think that unless we want to go at it on a cold bathroom floor, we'd better hit the shower." 

"Sure thing, Coach." Carter grinned, opening the frosted shower door and following her inside. Lynn reached over and turned on the water, adjusting the temperature before turning on the spray. Hot water slid over the two of them from the rain-style shower head, and they both sighed in appreciation. Carter reached around Lynn to grab her bottle of shampoo and motioned for her turn around. 

"I'll wash your hair." He squirted a dollop of the liquid into his palm. "Not only because I put the icing there, but because I seem to remember that you love to have your hair washed." 

"Mmmm. That I do." She sighed as his strong fingers massaged her scalp and distribute the shampoo through her long hair. Her head dropped forward as he worked fingers along her head, caressing the base of her skull. His fingers became slicked with the foam that was now working its way down her back and over the curve of her buttocks.  

"Time to rinse." He watched as she stood under the rainfall of water, rinsing her hair and looking like a shampoo commercial. His muscles tightened again in desire. 

Once she was sure all the soap was out of her hair, Lynn stepped out from under the water. With the shower gel and loofah in hand, she repaid the favor. She gave the meshy material a good squirt of soap and moved it around in her hand until the thick suds formed. Using both her hands and the loofah, she began to rub him with it, first along his chest, then around to his back. He moaned in appreciation. She moved down over his buttocks to caress his thighs and calves. He groaned as the desire he felt intensified. By now, he was bracing himself against the shower wall, trying to control himself. But when she ran the loofah up the inside of his leg, he snapped. 

Turning to her, he snatched the loofah from her hands and tossed it into the far reaches of the shower stall. With soap gliding off of his gleaming muscles, Carter pulled her with him under the shower spray once more and dived in. Tongues met and twined. Slick, wet bodies slid over each other. Hands caressed, held, caressed again. Breathing grew heavy, hearts raced. Time stood still, until Carter reached out, put his hands under her butt and picked her up. She went willingly, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He pressed her back against the shower wall, kissing her again with an intensity that took her breath away. 

"God, Carter." She panted, then moaned as he slid his lips down her neck, his tongue along her collarbone. He pulled back to look into her face again, saw how close she was. He slid against her, center to center, causing another moan to escape and her eyes to flutter closed. 

"No, I want to see your eyes. Keep them open," he commanded as he slid into her heat. He watched her eyes blur, their green depths darken as she trembled. Her eyes slid closed once again as she tightened around him, both of them gasping and moaning as they each gave themselves over to the other.  

Later, after the water had gone cold, they found themselves tangled together in the center of the bed, breathing evened out. Sated, Lynn propped herself up on Carter's chest so she could look him in the eye. 

"God, Carter. You know, we haven't done that in the bathroom since..." 

"Since before you left for basic training. Except back then, I think you seduced me in a bubble bath." 

"I remember." She began absently running a foot up and down his leg. "We had the house to ourselves, and you walked in on me while I was soaking in the tub. Your eyes got all dark and dangerous looking. I could see your body tense up and before I knew it, you climbed into the tub with me. Boxers and all. It got pretty steamy in there, and not just because of the hot water. That night ranks in my personal top five erotic moments." 

"Top five, huh?" He asked as he flipped her over, pinning her to the bed as she laughed. "Well that just won’t cut it. Let's see if I can improve my ranking." 

14

Sleep did not come easy for Lynn the night before Carter and the boys had to go to court. She had tossed and turned, alternating between worrying over the verdict and praying for it to go in Carter's favor. Part of the night had been spent punching her pillow, counting sheep. Because of this, she woke with a raging headache and a stomach aching from lack of rest. Lynn refused to give in to aches and pains. She had promised Carter she would be there for him, and it would take more than being under the weather to keep her from going. 

The sun was barely shining over the horizon when Lynn gave up on sleep and crawled out of bed. The aroma alone from the cup of coffee, poured from the pot she had set to brew automatically, was enough to make her whimper. She made it through the cup, savoring each slow, awakening sip before she decided to try to shower away the dregs of a restless night. Lynn stood under the steaming hot water, feeling the shower and the caffeine that was finally kicking in at full throttle, making her somewhat human again. She climbed out of the shower, coated her skin with lotion before cinching her body in her fluffy robe. With her wet hair wrapped in a thick towel, Lynn padded her way barefoot back to the kitchen for more coffee and some breakfast. A glance at the clock on the oven as she made her way into the room told her she had taken longer in the shower than she had thought. She would have to get moving if she was to meet Carter and the boys at the courthouse on time. 

Thirty minutes later, after having done her make-up while having breakfast and dressing in the smart suit she'd picked out the night before, Lynn was on the road. Rather than pour the rest of her coffee down the drain, she'd dumped it into a travel mug just before snatching up her purse and heading out the door. All the way to the courthouse, she had to remind herself to be calm, that she was there to support Carter, and that she was not responsible for any of Hillary's behavior. The pep talk didn’t help much; in fact, by the time she had pulled into one of the few available parking spaces left in the lot, she was a touch nauseous from nerves and too much caffeine. 

Lynn cut the engine, closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then another. A glance into the rearview mirror, she noticed that her lipstick had disappeared. Probably from chewing her lip in nervousness and rubbing off on her cup. She dug through her purse, and found the tube of color she wanted, slid it onto her lips with a practiced hand before she dropped it back into the bag. Lynn stepped from the vehicle, just in time to see Logan and Nathan, each holding one of Carter's hands, as they mounted the steps to the courthouse doors. She did a quick jog to catch up with them before they got too far ahead of her. 

"Those are good looking suits you guys are wearing." She stood on the steps behind them. Three sets of blue eyes turned her way, joined by three sets of matching grins. 

"Ms. Lynn! You came!" Logan removed his grip on his father's hand to turn and jump at Lynn, who had leaned down to catch the hug. 

"I told your daddy I would be here, and I try very hard not to break a promise." She smiled at him, adjusting his crooked tie before looking over to his brother. "Hi, Nathan. How are you holding up this morning?" 

"I'm okay, I guess." He gave a slight shrug. "Dad says we have to be on our best behavior in there, because it's a very important place." 

"Yeah, and that we hafta talk to the judge." Logan was solemn, speaking in a reverent whisper. "He's the guy in charge in there. I think he's kinda scary." His eyes were wide at the thought of talking to the guy in charge. 

"I'll tell you something." She reached for each of their hands. "All you have to remember is that he's a person, just like everyone else. You should use your manners, and tell the truth when you talk to him, but there's nothing you should be scared about." She gave their hands a quick squeeze before standing up again and climbing a couple of steps to come eye level with Carter.  

"And how is Dad doing?"

"Dad's terrified. I know there's no reason I should be, because I haven't done anything wrong, but there is so much at stake here." He took a ragged breath and ran his fingers through his hair. 

"You will be fine. You're 
all 
going to be fine.” She straightened his tie, too, and smoothed out hair that looked like fingers had combed through a hundred times or more already this morning. When she finished, she held Carter's head in her hands and looked him in the eye. 

"I know there's a lot at stake." She spoke so only she and Carter could hear. "Which is all the more reason to pull yourself up by the boot laces, find the strength to go in there, and do what needs to be done. Your sons will take their lead from you, so show them how to walk in there with their heads held high. You can do this." 

"Thank you. For being here, and for knowing what to say." He smiled at her before taking a deep breath, straightening his shoulders and turning towards his kids. "Alright, guys. Let's go."  

The inside of the courthouse was just as overwhelming as the exterior. Lynn and Carter walked the boys through the metal detectors. The guards smiled when Logan informed them they were there to talk to the guy in charge. The adults gathered their belongings from the trays and continued on their way. 

Footsteps clicked and echoed off of gray marble floors. The walls had been painted a muted blue, accented by photographs and paintings by local artists. Doors, banisters and moldings were fashioned from dark, heavy woods. Each office had been marked by a gold plate on the door, or a gold sign hanging above it. People in suits milled about, with the lawyers identified by the briefcases they held. 

The foursome made their way up the stairs to the appropriate courtroom and walked in as a group. Each child held the hand of an adult, and the adults held hands with each other. This is what Hillary saw as they walked through the courtroom doors. In her mind, she saw a family -- her family -- except she was on the outside looking in and she despised Lynn for it. She seethed as the group took their seats at the table with Carter's lawyer and watched as Logan climbed into Lynn's lap. She fumed when the bailiff sent out the call for everyone to rise as the judge entered the room. She smoldered through the opening remarks from the bench, catching just a word or two of what the judge was saying. The judge called for a bailiff and the child advocate to escort the boys to the judge's chambers. No sooner than the boys were out of the room, she lost it. 

"You bitch!" The scream she let loose echoed off the wooden benches and high ceilings of the courtroom. "Who the 
hell 
do you think you are waltzing in here with 
my 
family?" She lunged past her lawyer and almost made it across the space between the opposing counsel's tables before a bailiff snatched her up by the waist. She swung out her arms, kicked her legs, and twisted her body to try to escape. Carter and Lynn, along with Carter's lawyer, had shot to their feet at the first sound of her tirade and now stood watching in dismayed silence. 

"This is none of your business, you stupid whore." Hillary’s voice screeched as she continued to struggle. "Those are 
my 
boys, and they will 
never 
be yours. Never!" Over Hillary's yelling came the distinct sound of a gavel being pounded on its block, and the judge raising his voice to call the room to order. Hillary still struggled against the strong arms of the bailiff and looked to be preparing to shriek again when the judge spoke to her. 

"Ms. Mathis, I will say this once. I will have the bailiff remove you for a few minutes so you can pull yourself together. Should you come back into my courtroom and act like a spoiled child again, I will hold you in contempt and you'll find yourself in a cell." He shook his finger at her, then looked to the bailiff and nodded, at which point the bailiff escorted her to the hallway.  

"My apologies, Your Honor," Hillary's attorney addressed the bench.  

"I think your time would be better spent advising your client on how to act in a courtroom, rather than apologizing." As the man scurried out of the room to find his client, the judge turned to Carter's table. "Mr. Mathis, I'm going to go back into chambers and speak with the children now. While I do so, this court will be in recess. I highly suggest staying away from your former wife during that time. Maybe it will give her a chance to calm down." 

"Yes, Your Honor."  

"This court is in recess for one hour." The gavel clanked once again, the bailiff called for everyone to rise, and the judge retreated to his chambers in a swirl of black robes. 

"Holy hell." Carter turned to Lynn. 

"We knew there was a chance that she'd flip out. In fact, we were expecting it." 

"I know. I'm just glad the boys were gone when she did." Carter turned to his attorney. "Listen, I know this isn't part of your job, but I'd like to avoid a repeat of what just happened here. Is there any way you can find out where she is, so we can slip out of here during the recess?" 

"Absolutely." The man in the expensive designer suit, tie, and wing-tip shoes nodded. "Just give me a minute and I'll see what I can find out for you." 

"Thank you."  

Moments later, the lawyer came back to give the all-clear. So Lynn and Carter made their way out of the courtroom to find a place to sit, drink bad coffee, and wait out the longest hour of their lives. 

When court resumed, Lynn and Carter both found that the nerves were back with a vengeance. The boys, seated next to Lynn in the gallery behind Carter and his attorney, had no clue about their mother's outburst earlier. Hillary was once again seated beside her attorney, her face set in mutinous lines, darting malicious looks out of the corner of her eye at Lynn. So far she was behaving herself. 

The bailiff announced the return of the judge who came in with robes flapping. He took his seat, arranged the sheaf of papers containing his notes, and then folded his hands over the stack as he considered the people sitting before him 

"As you know," he began in his gravelly voice, "I sat down and talked with the children involved in this case. They are bright children, and considering the last few months of their young lives, well-adjusted. They were also enlightening to certain aspects of this case during our conversation. Which brings me to the results of the court ordered drugs tests for Ms. Mathis." He slid on a pair of reading glasses and consulted his notes before he addressed Hillary and her lawyer. 

"Ms. Mathis, given the results of these tests, your behavior before the recess is not surprising. These tests showed that not only are you abusing Vicodin, but that there are also heavy amounts of marijuana and traces of methamphetamine."  

Lynn couldn’t contain her gasp at the results. A look at Carter, and she saw the stricken look on his face at the thought of his children being exposed to this lifestyle. He turned his head to look at her, then the boys, before turning back to the judge. He never once looked in Hillary's direction. 

"Your children tell me that episodes such as the one you displayed earlier are not uncommon in your household. There is also the matter of the company you keep, who seem to be a negative influence. These matters are also documented with the child psychologist that has been seeing Nathan and Logan for the last several weeks." The judge removed his glasses to set them on the papers before continuing. "I know you would like to keep your children with you, Ms. Mathis. I have no doubt that you love them. But your home is not a suitable environment for them. Therefore, it is the ruling of this court that full custody of said children shall be given to Mr. Mathis, effective immediately." 

Lynn watched as Carter let out a relieved breath and turned again to give the three behind him a smile. She returned the smile, but it faded as she glanced to where Hillary still sat. Tears were streaming down her face, and she was whispering with her attorney.  

"Ms. Lynn?" Nathan whispered as he gave a small tug on her sleeve. 

"Yeah, sweetheart?" 

"Does that judge guy mean we get to go live with Dad?" 

"Yeah, honey, it does." She whispered in return as she patted his knee and felt her other sleeve being tugged. 

"Mommy's crying." Logan turned his big blue eyes up to hers. 

"I know, honey. But we'll talk about it in a little while, okay? The judge is talking now." 

"Mr. Mathis, you will be escorted by a deputy to Ms. Mathis's residence, and you will retrieve the belongings of your children. When will you be available to do this?" 

"I can go right after court, Your Honor." 

"Good. Now, Ms. Mathis." He made some notes before turning back to Hillary. "You will have the opportunity to receive visitation with your children. Should you complete a court approved rehabilitation program, and can provide documentation stating that fact, you will be granted supervised visits until such time you can prove that you are clean, sober, and can provide a suitable environment for the children."  

"Thank you, Your Honor." Hillary's attorney replied for her. 

"We will revisit this case again in one year. Best of luck to you all. And Ms. Mathis? I hope that next time I see you in my courtroom, you'll be in a better frame of mind." With that, the judge banged his gavel, and the bailiff once again called for everyone to rise.