Текст книги "Bastard"

Автор книги: J. L. Perry

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Текущая страница: 16 (всего у книги 30 страниц)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Carter

Five long days pass before I return. I’ve worked my arse off to get back to Indiana as quick as I could. I can only stay for a few days, but it’s better than nothing. I’m still not sure how this back and forth thing is going to work, but I’m not giving up yet. Truth is, I’d travel to the ends of the earth for her if I had to.

Jax and I changed our usual Friday night card game to last night. We’ve been doing this for years now. I love catching up with him and having a few drinks. It’s our way of unwinding after a busy week. We used to alternate between my place and his, but lately he seems to be coming up my way. He likes it up here. We have the best pubs and nightlife.

He cheats his arse off at cards, but I don’t care. I’m just grateful for the company. After I left mum and Indi behind, he was all I really had. I’m not sure where I would’ve ended up if it weren’t for him.

He knows all about my predicament with Indiana. Only because one night I had too much to drink and blurted it all out. Confessing my love for the girl I left behind. He’d only seen the other side of me before then. The fuck ‘em and chuck ‘em side. He thought I was a legend until he found out I was secretly hung up on a chick from my past.

He gave me shit about it for weeks. One night he went too far and we nearly came to blows over it. It wasn’t mentioned again until last night. I was the one who brought it up. I needed his advice. We discussed opening up another parlour close to where Indi lives, but there’s already five existing tattoo shops within a twenty-kilometre radius. It just isn’t viable at the moment. I’ll work something out, or die trying.

My stomach is in knots as I drive into my old street. I have no idea what to expect. I’ve had no contact with her since I visited her at work five days ago. I pray she’s given what I said some serious thought. I pray that fucker hasn’t proposed to her yet. Fuck. What if he has? What if she said yes? I suddenly feel like I’m going to be sick.

Pulling into my mum’s driveway, I look over towards Indi’s house. Her car and Ross’ are both parked under the carport. It makes me wonder why she’s not at work today. Unless she got a lift with that wanker.

As I turn off the ignition and go to exit the car, Ross comes out of my mum’s house. I smile as he walks towards me. I’m grateful to know he’s been here comforting her. My mum told me when we spoke on the phone that Ross had been calling in every day to check on her. He’d been bringing over food and running errands. He’s such a great guy.

I’ve called her every day since I left, sometimes more than once. She cried every time we spoke. I still find it hard to comprehend her devastation. Especially for Fuckwit. But, I guess I didn’t love him like she did. If only she knew what a cocksucker he really was, but who am I to burst her bubble? I’m pretty sure she wouldn’t think he was so wonderful if she knew how he treated me when she wasn’t around, or what he did to Larry.

“Hey, son,” Ross says smiling. I love how he always seems happy to see me. “I wasn’t expecting to see you back so soon.”

“I tried to get back here as soon as I could,” I reply, reaching for his outstretched hand. “How’s my mum doing today?” He shrugs.

“As well as can be expected.” From our phone calls I was kind of expecting him to say that.

“I appreciate you keeping an eye out for her. Is Indi home from work today?” I ask, flicking my head in the direction of her car.

“She’s been home all week.”

“What? Why? Is she sick?” I feel panicky when I ask that.

“Heartbroken more like it,” Ross replies, making my mind race. What does he mean by heartbroken? What the fuck has happened?

“Why?” Ross shakes his head in disgust. The anger rolling off him is as clear as day. What the fuck is going on?

“Thinking about it still makes my blood boil,” he confesses.

“Don’t leave me hanging. Tell me what the hell you’re talking about.” I can already tell I’m not going to like what he has to say.

“That lowlife, Mark,” he sneers. I don’t even know what he’s done, but I already want to kill him. “He took Indi to a fucking restaurant on the North Shore. He got upset because she didn’t accept his proposal, so the mongrel abandoned her. Left her all alone in a strange place late at night. She was an absolute mess when she called me to go and get her. He’s lucky I didn’t damn well kill him for treating her like that.”

“He fucking what?” I scoff. I can clearly hear the venom in my voice. Utter rage consumes me. My hands are trembling as I turn and walk back towards my car.

“Where are you going?” Ross asks reaching for my arm.

“To pay that prick a visit.”

“There’s no need. I’ve already done that.” I thrust my arm out of his grip.

“I don’t care. He’s getting one from me, too.”

“Hold on there, son. Don’t go off all half-cocked,” he pleads, coming around to block me from getting into the car. My brow furrows. “If you really want to help, go see Indi. She’s been locked in her room for days.”

I have to give him credit. He has a way about him. A way of calming me with a look or a few words. I guess he’s trained in this type of thing. I let out a frustrated sigh. I’d love to go see her, but if she’s broken-hearted over that putz, would she really want to see me? Fuck it. Seeing her is all I’ve thought about all week.

“Okay. I have something for her anyway.” Opening the back door, I pull out the envelope that contains the old drawings of Larry. I went searching for them before I returned. It’s not much, but it’s something. Shoving the envelope under my arm, I reach for the box that’s also sitting on my back seat.

“What’s in the box?” he asks smirking. I open one of the flaps and show him what’s inside. He chuckles and slaps me on the back. “She’ll love it. You’re a good guy, Carter. Don’t ever doubt that.” I felt compelled to get it for her. Fuck I hope she likes it.

••••

“Indi. It’s Carter,” I call out knocking on her bedroom door. “Can I come in?” I’m really apprehensive about seeing her. I have no idea what kind of welcome I’m going to get. The nerves kick in as I stand and wait for a reply. I’m relieved a few seconds later when she opens the door.

Her eyes are all red and swollen. She looks so broken. The sight makes my heart hurt. I’ve never seen her like this before. I don’t like it. Where’s my fiery girl gone? It makes me hate that fucker even more. I place the box and the drawings on the ground and pull her into my arms. “I’m sorry,” is all I say. I’m not sorry that they broke up, but I am sorry about the way he treated her. I’m sorry that she’s so hurt by it.

She cries softly into my chest as I hold her. I’m still going to pay that prick a visit, whether Ross likes it or not. “I’m glad you came back,” she whispers. Relief floods through me when she says that. I was kind of expecting her to go all ninja on me again. I feel partly responsible for the predicament she’s in.

Was it my plea that stopped her from saying yes? 

“I told you I’d be back,” I reply looking down at her. “Your dad told me what happened.” She bows her head, taking a step back and wiping her eyes.

“It was for the best, I suppose. Can we not talk about it? I’d rather forget it ever happened.”

“Sure.” My eyes drink her in. Her hair is piled up on the top of her head in a messy bun. She’s wearing a cute pink onesie that, believe it or not, looks incredibly sexy on her. She looks just like the kid I fell in love with. There’s something so sweet about her. She’s like nothing I’ve ever known. Perfect is the word that springs to mind. “Can I come in?” I ask.

“Of course.” She moves to the side so I can pass. I hear a whimpering sound coming from behind me. I stop, remembering the gift. “What was that noise?”

“I bought you something.” Christ I hope I did the right thing.

“You did?” A brief smile crosses her face. Bending down, I pick up the envelope that contains the drawings.

“I found these. Don’t look at them now. They’re some drawings I did years ago of Larry. I thought you might like to have them.” Tears pool in her eyes and now I feel like a dick. It probably wasn’t a good time to give them to her. She takes the envelope out of my hand, hugging it to her chest. I resist the urge to console her.

“Thank you. I’ll treasure them.”

“I got you something else,” I say hesitantly. I’m now rethinking my decision. Bending down again, I retrieve the box. Jesus. I hope this doesn’t backfire in my face. Seeing how down she is right now, this could go either way. Extending my arms, I hold it out to her. “Open the flaps.” Another brief smile appears on her face as she places the envelope on her bedside table before her hands move towards the box. I lower my arms. After all she is a shrimp. She can reach the top, but won’t be able to see what’s inside if I don’t.

I hold my breath when she looks inside. “Oh. My. God. Carter. You didn’t …” When she looks up from the box, her beautiful green eyes are brimming with tears. Fuck. I’m not sure if that’s a good sign or not. “Oh. My. God,” she repeats.

“I hope you don’t mind. I know he’ll never replace …” I can’t bring myself to finish that sentence. “It was my way of trying to … you know … right the wrong.” I’m fumbling with my words like a damn fool. I’m not good at shit like this. I don’t know what to say to her. The way I see it, she tried to right the wrong that was committed against me all those years ago, and now I’m trying to return the favour. I also feel partly responsible for what happened to Larry.

Tears are streaming down her cheeks as she reaches into the box and lifts the little puppy out. I find I’m holding my breath again as I watch her. She clutches him to her chest and sobs. It warms and breaks my heart all at once. The puppy extends his neck and starts to lick her chin. Even through her tears, she giggles. “I love him,” she sniffles as her eyes meet mine. “I don’t know what to say, Carter. Thank you.” I place the box on the ground and pull her into my arms.

“You don’t have to say anything,” I tell her. “I’m just happy you like him. I have all his things in the car. Food, bed, toys, leash, stuff like that. He’s only six weeks old, so this is the first time he’s been away from his mum.”

I searched online for days until I found him. He’s a cute little guy. I bought the same breed as Larry, a long-haired German Shepherd.

“Thank you. You have no idea how much I needed this. How much I needed you back here.” I’m pretty sure I’m fucking beaming when she says that. She gets up on the tips of her toes and plants a small kiss on my cheek. My heart is singing. “I need to give him a name,” she says making me chuckle nervously.

“No need. Going on past experience, I took the liberty of already naming him.” She looks up at me again, slightly narrowing her eyes. It makes me laugh. “No offence, but you kind of suck at that.”

“I do not,” she replies, playfully nudging me with her shoulder.

“His name is engraved on his tag.” Looking down, she grasps for the heart-shaped medal attached to the pup’s collar. She starts to laugh. I feel my smile grow when she reads it out loud. I couldn’t help myself. The name I chose is brilliant.

“Larry Junior,” she laughs. “I love it, Carter. It’s perfect.”

••••

It took a bit of convincing, but I manage to talk Indi into having a shower and getting dressed. She needs to get out of the house. While she’s getting ready, I head over to see Mum. I take Larry Junior with me. He’s an awesome little guy. If she didn’t want him, I definitely would’ve kept him for myself.

Indi and I end up going out for lunch. Nothing fancy. We go to our usual burger joint, but get the food to takeaway. Indi couldn’t bear to leave the puppy at home so we brought him with us. We take Larry Junior, or LJ as he’s now affectionately known, to the park for a picnic. First picnic I’ve ever been on, but fuck me if I didn’t enjoy it. I’m realising that it doesn’t matter where I am. As long as I have Indiana by my side, I’m happy.

As the day goes by, Indi becomes more like her old self. We both laugh as LJ bounces around and barks at everyone and everything. It’s nice to see her happy again. She’s even opened up a bit about what happened with that dick, Mark. I struggled to keep my temper at bay as she explained everything.

Not only did he leave her stranded so far from home, but he left her with the four hundred dollar restaurant bill, and basically fired her from her job. One thing is for sure, I need to get my hands on that fucker and teach him some damn manners.

She confessed he’d left a few messages on her phone the next day, but she ignored them. I’m happy about that because he showed his true colours in the end. No amount of grovelling can make up for that.

I get the impression she’s upset about the breakup, but more so by the way it came about. I don’t blame her. What he did was a low act. He never should’ve left her like that. I’m pretty confident she’ll get over him quick. I’ll make sure of it. If I have my way, she’ll forget he even exists. For the first time in my life, I truly want this. I want her for myself. I want to own her, possess her, and be able to call her mine.

There’s no talk of us over the course of the day, but I’m cool with that. We need to rebuild our friendship first, and she needs to get over that wanker. I don’t want to be her rebound. If we do end up getting together, I want the timing to be right. I certainly don’t want it to be when she’s still hung up on someone else. It’s going to be all or nothing.

After dropping her and LJ off at home later that afternoon, I head back out. I want to spend some time with my mum tonight, but there’s one stop I need to make first. I’ll never be able to sleep if I don’t get this off my chest.

Pulling up outside the building, I take a deep breath to try and calm myself down before going inside. To be honest I’m anything but calm when I push through the door. I’ve been stewing on this all day.

The reception area is empty, so I make my way towards the room where I presume he’ll be. I don’t even bother knocking. “Oh God,” he mumbles when he looks up and sees me standing in the doorway.

“Sorry, but not even God can help you now,” I say stepping into the room and locking the door behind me. He swallows nervously, taking a step backwards. As much as I’d like to kick his arse right now, that’s not why I came. Messing with him is much more fun.

“You … you can’t just barge in here,” he stammers.

“I can do whatever the hell I like,” I retort taking another step forward. He raises his hands in front of him as he retreats another step. I follow suit and take two more steps. He’s cornered. The first thing I notice when I get closer is his black eye. It brings a smile to my face. The swelling’s gone down, but it’s a beauty. Compliments of Ross I presume. Maybe I should give him a matching one. Fucker. He deserves it after what he did. Anything could’ve happened to Indiana after he left her stranded like that.

When he realises I’m not going away, he squares his shoulders and stands tall. It doesn’t intimidate me in the slightest. He can act like he’s not affected by my presence, but he is. His trembling hands and the uncertainty on his face says it all. It wouldn’t surprise me if he pisses his pants. Fucking coward. 

“You owe Indiana four hundred dollars,” I state in the calmest voice I can muster.

“Excuse me? I don’t owe her a damn thing.” I beg to differ, arsehole.

“Are you going to hand it over, or am I going to have to come and get it myself?” I take another step towards him, letting him know I mean business. He owes her a hell of a lot more than money, but it’s a start. Knowing Indi like I do, she probably doesn’t even want the money back, but I’m going to get it for her. After everything he’s done, she should at least get reimbursed for that.

“Fine,” he says as he reaches for his wallet in his back pocket. “I’ll give you the money and then you can leave. If you don’t, I’ll call the police.” I chuckle at his reply.

“You really think they’re going to show up after the way you treated Indiana?” He inhales a sharp breath as the colour drains from his face. He knows I’m right. There’s no way they’ll be rushing over here after the way he treated Ross’ little girl.

He pulls the money from his wallet and throws it on the examination table in front of him. “There, now go.” I extend my hand, staring him down; I don’t need to speak the words, my look says it all. His shoulders slump and his hands shake as he reaches out and picks up the money off the table. The uncertainty in his eyes as he slowly approaches me has me smirking. Pussy.

When he’s close enough to put the money in my hand, he slaps it in my palm before taking a step backwards. I’m too quick for him though. Using my free arm, I reach out and fist my hand in his white coat, dragging him towards me.

“What were you thinking leaving her stranded at night on her own?” I seethe. “Anything could’ve happened to her.”

“I was hurt … angry. I didn’t really think.” Is that all he’s got? His piss poor excuse makes my fucking blood boil. Reefing him closer, I growl in his face. “Please don’t hurt me,” he begs like the motherfucking sissy he is. Shoving the money in the pocket of my jeans, I hold him in place with my other hand.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t?”

“Because I’m sorry I left her there. I’ve sent her a few messages, but she didn’t reply.”

“You think a message is enough after what you did?”

“I’d go around and tell her to her face, but her dad said he wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet in me if I went anywhere near her.” That statement has me smiling. “If I could make it up to her, I would.” Like fucking hell.

“Wrong fucking answer, arsehole.” Without hesitation, I raise my fist and pound it into his face. “Now you have a matching pair,” I say. Fuck that felt good. He deserves a hell of a lot more after what he did to her, but I decide to give him a break. He’s just lost the best thing that’s ever happened to him. I’ve been exactly where he is right now, so I know firsthand that he’s gonna regret it for the rest of his life. Letting him go, he stumbles backwards.

“My eye,” he cries.

“You’re lucky that’s all you got. Stay the fuck away from Indiana. If you don’t, next time I won’t be so forgiving.” My tone is full of warning as I turn and unlock the door and head back to my car.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Indiana

I let LJ sleep in his doggy bed in my bedroom last night. He’s too little to sleep outside. Plus it’s coming into winter, so the nights can get pretty cold. I love this little guy already. He brings back so many memories of Lassie when he was a pup, all the good ones that have been clouded by his death. I want to embrace all those wonderful memories and try and forget the horrible ones I have of that day.

For years I’ve wanted another dog, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. I didn’t want to feel like I was replacing Lassie. I could never do that. I’m grateful that Carter took that choice away from me. He has no idea how much his beautiful, thoughtful gesture means. He can be the sweetest, gentlest, most caring man when he’s not being an overbearing, infuriating arse. I can’t bring myself to look at his sketches of Lassie yet, but I will in time.

I didn’t see Carter again after he dropped me off yesterday afternoon, but when I was going to bed last night, he was in his bedroom. When I waved to him, he blew me a kiss. It sent my heart into a flutter. It beats the finger he used to give me.

I laid in bed for hours thinking about him being only a few metres away—just two walls and a small distance separating us. It’s too soon after Mark to go there with him. I want to take it slow. I need to know he’s going to stick around this time. I can’t give him my heart again until I’m sure. If I did and he left me again, I know it would break me.

I’m awoken early Sunday morning by LJ’s little cries. A smile graces my face as soon as I look over the side of the bed and find him sitting there looking up at me. He has the sweetest face. After taking him out back to do his business, I feed him before carrying him back into my room and climbing into bed. My headaches are still playing havoc. Some days the pain is bearable, other days not so much. I know it’s all the stress I’m under. The sooner I can get my life back to normal, the better.

Surprisingly, I’m not missing Mark as much as I thought I would. I think I miss my job and the animals I cared for more. I loved working there. The hardest part for me is the way things ended between us. I gave him a year of my life and I hate that it ended so abruptly. I guess he wasn’t the good guy I thought he was. That’s the part I’m still trying to wrap my head around. As it turns out, the only two men I’ve cared about did the same thing; walked away from me, and everything we shared, without a backwards glance. I can tell you that’s a huge knock to the ego. You think you know someone, then boom, you realise you don’t know them at all.

A little later, I’m pulled from my sleep by the sound of a lawnmower. Looking over at the clock on my bedside table, I notice it’s 10:30am. It’s not like me to sleep in this late. Rising, I rub my eyes as I make my way towards the window. That’s when I see him. Holy hell. Swoon. I say a silent prayer to the sun gods for blessing us with a reasonably warm day for this time of year. Carter is in the back yard mowing his mum’s lawn, shirtless. I swear I lick my lips as my eyes take him in. What a sight to behold.

His body is even more muscular and defined then I remember. He’s wearing a pair of faded denim jeans that are ripped at the knees. So sexy. They hang low on his waist, revealing his delicious V and the band of his boxer briefs. Don’t even get me started on those tattoos of his. What I wouldn’t give to run my hands over every inch of his body again. I remember all too well what his hard, toned muscles felt like against my fingertips.

I stand there staring for the longest time. I can’t seem to drag my eyes away from him. I’m pulled from my thoughts when LJ whimpers at my feet. Picking him up, I run my hand over his fur. “I’m just checking out your daddy,” I whisper. “Shhh. Don’t tell him.” He cocks his head to the side, staring up at me with his big brown eyes. It brings a smile to my face. “He looks mighty fine without a shirt. Mighty fine,” I murmur. I turn LJ’s face in the direction of Carter, and he lets out a cute little bark when he sees him.

After peeling myself away from the window, I take LJ out back again before jumping in the shower. Having Carter home makes me feel invigorated. I no longer want to be locked away in my room. I want to be outside, or wherever he is.

••••

I may have made a little effort in my appearance this morning, but after the hot mess Carter found me in yesterday, I find myself wanting to look nice for him. I’m only wearing a white top with a pair of black tight jeans and my black long boots. But I took extra time with my hair and even added a touch of makeup to my face.

When I’m done, I head into the kitchen to get a cold drink for Carter out of the fridge. I can still hear the mower, so I know he’s still out there. “You look pretty today, Pumpkin,” my dad says looking up from the paper he’s reading at the kitchen table.

“Thanks, Daddy. I thought I’d take a cold drink over to Carter.”

“That’s nice,” he says smiling at me. “Oh here. This is for you.” He picks up an envelope off the table and passes it to me.

“What is it?” I ask.

“I believe it’s the money that dick owes you from the restaurant.”

“What? How did you get it?” I ask, annoyance lining my voice.

“Does it really matter how? Just be thankful you got it back,” he says angrily. I can tell by his tone he’s far from over what happened. I thought he was going to burst an artery when he picked me up from the restaurant after Mark left me behind. I’ve never seen him so mad. He wanted to head straight over to his place, but I begged him not to. Beating him up wasn’t going to solve anything.

“Did you go and see him?” I ask frowning. I specifically asked him not to. He ignores my question. “Daddy, what did you do?”

“I didn’t do anything,” he says looking back down at his paper. Did nothing my arse. I know Mark. He wouldn’t just hand it over. His family is very well off, but as tight as you can get. They don’t part with money easily. I open my mouth to say something, but my father raises his hand to stop me. “Just drop it, Indiana. Why don’t you go and give Carter that drink. I’m sure he’d be grateful for it.” I know, when my father says that, the conversation is over. Ugh! Men.

After putting LJ on his leash, I walk down the side of the house and out the front. That’s where Carter’s moved to. LJ pulls back on his leash as we approach. I guess the loud noise of the mower is frightening for him. Bending down I pick him up, cuddling him into my side so he feels safe.

When Carter looks up and notices me approaching, he smiles. Reaching for the lever, he shuts down the mower. “Hey,” he says as I walk toward him.

“Hey. I heard the mower. I thought you might like a cold drink.” I hold up the can of Coke in my hand.

“Thanks,” he says, taking it with one hand and wiping the sweat off his brow with the other. The shimmer of perspiration covering his delicious body only seems to enhance his muscle tone. My eyes travel down to his chest. That’s when I notice one of his nipples is pierced. Holy cow. I find myself wanting to lean forward and swirl my tongue around it. “Hey, my eyes are up here,” he says with a chuckle. I feel my face flush when I make eye contact with him again. They’re the same words I used on him when he was checking out my tits that day.

“Sorry,” I say as embarrassment consumes me.

“Don’t be. I like that you find me irresistible.”

“I do not,” I scoff, screwing up my face.

“Deny it all you want, beautiful, but you and I both know the truth.” I don’t bother responding because he’ll only have another smart comeback. Besides, he’s right. Plus he called me beautiful. It’s been a long time since I’ve heard him say that to me. “You’re looking rather fine today. Did you go to all that effort just for me?” He smirks and then winks. “I’m touched.” God he’s a cocky arse.

“No,” I screech. Even though the answer is yes. LJ barks in my arms, and it’s only then that Carter realises that I’m holding him.

“How’s our little boy today?” he asks, reaching out and ruffling the fur on the top of his head. The fact he referred to him as ours makes me smile. “Did he sleep okay?”

“He did. I put him in my room last night.” His eyes look up from the dog and lock with mine.

“He got to sleep in your room? Lucky bugger. Maybe I should’ve climbed in the box yesterday, then I could’ve slept in your room, too.”

“Ha ha. Nice try,” I laugh.

“Well you’ve got to give me ten points for trying,” he chuckles. “So, what are your plans today? Do you have any?” I shrug.

“Not really.”

“Wanna do something with me? I’m nearly done here.”

“Like what?” I ask sceptically. I can never tell with Carter.

“We could go for a drive, or to the movies.”

“The movies? Have you ever been to the movies?” I ask surprised. It doesn’t seem like his thing.

“No, but there’s always a first.” I smile. I love that he wants to spend time with me and is willing to suggest anything so he can.

“Can I pick what we watch?”

“As long as it’s not some sissy-arse movie, then yes,” he replies.

“Okay.” He smiles at my response. It makes my heart race. I have no idea where this thing with us is going, but God I hope it goes somewhere.

“Give me an hour. I need to finish up here and then have a shower.”

“Alright. I’m gonna take LJ for a walk. Come get me when you’re ready.” After placing LJ down, I walk across the lawn towards the sidewalk. Turning my head, I take one last glance at Carter over my shoulder. He’s standing there watching me. I give him a smile and he winks at me. It sends my stomach into a flutter. God, he’s sex on legs.

••••

“How’s your mum going?” I ask him on the drive into town. He shrugs. I need the distraction because all I can think of is all the bad things I’d like to do to him. Like run my tongue over every inch of him. For some reason he’s always brought out my wild side. He’s freshly showered and smells divine which doesn’t help matters. I could seriously drown in his scent.

“Okay, I guess. Your dad’s been great. I’m thankful for everything he’s been doing.”

“I like that they’re becoming friends,” I tell him as I turn my head in his direction. He has such a beautiful profile. While his eyes are firmly planted on the road ahead, I use this time to look over his handsome face. “They both have the loss of a spouse in common. Hopefully having each other will do them some good,” I add. Well that’s my hope. His eyes briefly leave the road and look my way. Why does a simple look from him turn me on?

Elizabeth will be good for him. It’s been sixteen years since my mum died. My dad still locks himself away on her anniversary and birthday. He’s never dated anyone since her death. I know he loved her, but he needs to move on. Live again. I’m sure my mum would’ve wanted that for him.

Carter opens my door and helps me out of the car when we arrive at the movies. We originally planned to have lunch beforehand, but as it turns out we don’t have time. “We can go eat afterwards,” Carter says as we line up for tickets.

“Okay.” I smile up at him when he places his hand on the small of my back as the line moves forward. I still can’t believe we’re here together. “Are you gonna get some popcorn?” I ask.

“Do you want popcorn?”

“Hell yeah. You can’t watch a movie without popcorn. It’s unethical.” He throws back his head and laughs.

“If you say so. You’ll need to get me up to speed on the ethics of movie watching then. This is my first time remember.” After we grab the tickets, popcorn, and a large Coke, we head towards the cinemas.

“I can’t believe I’m popping your movie cherry,” I tell him as we walk along. He looks down at me and grins.

“Well I popped your cherry, so I guess it’s only fair you get to pop one of mine.” I swear my eyes must be bugging out of my head when what he says registers. He did not just say that! I feel my face flush. Leaning towards me, he whispers in a husky voice, “I love it when you blush like that. It turns me on like you wouldn’t believe.” Oh God. I’m positive my face is as red as the cup he’s holding in his hand. He flicks out his elbow and nudges me. “Don’t go all shy on me now, beautiful. I’m just messing with you.” Some things never change. I see exactly how much enjoyment he gets out of messing with me.