Bastard (31 page)

“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.

Bastard.

Following him up the stairs towards the seats, I ask, “How far up are we going?”

“Back row.”

“I don’t think so,” I say as I tug on his arm to stop. “Just here is fine.”

“Why don’t you want to sit in the back row?” He’s kidding right? “Don’t you trust me to behave myself?” He gives me a look like butter wouldn’t melt in his mouth. Nice try. I know for a fact it would sizzle.

“I don’t think you know how to behave,” I laugh
.

“I resent that remark,” he says mocking fake hurt. He knows damn well I’m right. His next comment just confirms it. “Do you really think sitting here is going to stop me from misbehaving? Because you know as well as I do, it won’t.” Although his words make me want to clench my thighs together, I swallow nervously.

The predatory look in his eyes as I pass him to take my seat has my insides doing flip-flops. I know I’m not ready for anything like that yet, but in saying that, I know I wouldn’t be able to stop if he tried. I remember all too well just how good he made me feel all those years ago.

I can’t tell you how many times I’d wished Mark could make me feel even a fraction of what Carter used to, but sadly he never did. I shouldn’t even compare them, but after being with Carter it’s pretty hard not to.

Carter sits beside me, placing the popcorn on my lap. “Thank you,” I say looking straight ahead. The intense look on his face just now has made me nervous for some reason. I can’t bring myself to make eye contact with him. It has me feeling apprehensive about agreeing to come. For my heart’s sake, I need time. I need to be sure this is going to work before it goes any further.

“Relax,” he says nudging me with his elbow. “You’re lucky I’m in a behaving mood.” My eyes dart to him and I find him smiling. It’s sweet and reassuring, but I still have my doubts. I can’t help but roll my eyes. This is Carter Reynolds we’re talking about. I pick up a piece of popcorn and pop it into my mouth, relaxing back into my seat. We’ll just see about that.

The movie I chose to watch is Fast and Furious. It’s the seventh movie in the franchise. He gets to drool over the cars, and I get to check out the hot guys. Although I already know they won’t compare with the one sitting next to me. I haven’t seen the first six movies, but he was kind enough to bring me here, so the least I could do is pick something he might enjoy.

We sit in silence waiting for the movie to start. Sure enough, a few minutes in and his antics start.
Behaving mood my arse.
He’s trying to act inconspicuous, but I see straight through him. Every time I reach into grab some popcorn, he does as well. His fingers always brushing against mine. It sends tingles up my arm each and every time. When I look at him, his head is forward focussing on the movie, but the smirk on his face tells me it’s intentional.

I watch as he takes a sip of the soda before offering it to me. My eyes move from the cup back up to him. This salty popcorn is making me thirsty, but I’m not a fan of sharing drinks. Never have been.

“What? I don’t have cooties,” he says pushing the cup my way.

“That’s debatable,” I retort, raising an eyebrow.

“I don’t.” The tone of his voice makes me believe he’s offended. Of course I know better. Carter doesn’t offend easy. He leans forward into my space. “If I recall, you’ve had your tongue down my throat. Actually, now that I think about it, you’ve had my cock in your mouth. You didn’t keel over and die, so take a fucking sip,” he says shoving the drink towards my hand. My eyes widen. I can’t believe he just said that. My head turns towards the people sitting behind us. I hope they didn’t overhear.

“Fine,” I snap, snatching it out of his hand. He smiles when I wrap my mouth around the straw.

“See, no cooties,” he says when I pass it back to him. It makes me giggle.

“It’s early days,” I whisper, leaning towards him. “I’m sure cooties isn’t an instant death.” He playfully bumps me with his elbow.

“Again, I resent that remark.” His comment makes me laugh.

A few minutes later, his antics continue. Picking up a piece of popcorn, my hand moves towards my mouth when Carter’s fingers suddenly wrap around my wrist, stopping me midair. My eyes immediately move to his as he gives me a mischievous smile. Tugging on my arm, I watch on in horror as he pulls my hand towards his mouth. His eyes are locked with mine as his lips slowly close over my fingers and he sucks the popcorn out of my grip. When his tongue darts out and he seductively licks the salt off my skin, I inhale a sharp breath and clench my thighs together as desire sweeps through me. I recall with ease how magical that mouth of his feels. Releasing his grip on my wrist, he licks his lips.

“Delicious,” he breathes.
Far out.
He has me so turned on right now. Ugh! I’m sure that’s his plan.

I find myself stealing glances at him as we watch the movie. He’s so gorgeous. He seems to be enjoying it. I’ve caught him laughing a few times. It brought a smile to my face. Seeing him happy does something to me. I can’t explain it. He’s come so far in the last five years. He’s nothing like the troubled teen I knew all those years ago. He seems to show more of the real Carter these days. You have no idea how that makes me feel.

I’m surprised that apart from the popcorn incident, he now actually seems to be behaving. About halfway through the movie, that changes. I see him watching me out of the corner of my eye. Pretending I don’t notice, I keep my focus trained on the screen ahead. Then he goes and does one of those fake-arse yawns. You know, those lame ones you see in the movies. The ones that have the guy yawning with their arms stretched wide, before slyly wrapping it around the girl’s shoulder.

“You did not just try that lame move on me,” I laugh.

“What? I yawned,” he says giving me a sheepish grin. He doesn’t fool me for a minute. “Ain’t a guy allowed to yawn these days without the girl getting the wrong idea?”

“You’re such a nerd sometimes,” I say throwing a piece of popcorn at him. He picks it up off his shirt and pops it in his mouth.

“That may be true, but the nerd always gets the girl in the end.” He winks at me before looking back at the screen. Of course he doesn’t remove his arm. Giving up, I rest my head on his shoulder and he pulls me in closer. When my eyes look up at his face, he’s smiling. It has me doing the same. I love being in his arms. I’ve really missed it.

CHAPTER NINE

Carter

Today’s gone better than I expected. Going to the movies is not something I thought I’d ever do, well not as an adult anyway. When I was a kid, that’s a different story. Unfortunately, back then my mum could never afford to take me.

I offered to take Indi because I thought she’d like it. Girls like that shit don’t they? I’ve never dated before so this is all new to me. I just wanted us to be together. To spend time with her any way I could.

Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed the movie we watched. I was sure she was going to pick some sappy chick flick, but she did good. Real good. My highlight though, was
her
.

After we left the cinema, I casually slipped my hand into hers, lacing our fingers together. She didn’t seem to mind, which pleased me more than I care to admit. Whenever I’m near her, I have an overwhelming desire to have my hands on her. I know we’re taking it slow, but a touch here or there isn’t too much. I can tell by the way she reacts to my slightest touch that she can feel this thing, whatever the fuck it is. It’s still as strong as ever. Given half the chance, we could be explosive together. I know it.

We walked a few blocks until we found a nice restaurant, laughing and talking about the movie as we did. This is the closest I’ve ever come to being on a real date. But fuck me if I don’t want to experience all that with Indiana. I get a buzz whenever I’m with her. It’s electric. She makes me feel alive. When we were kids, the feelings she evoked within me freaked me the hell out, but now I embrace them. I need them. I crave them. Crave her. I’ve denied myself for too long.

Later that afternoon, Ross invited my mum and me over for a barbeque. Having the three most important people in my life together is a great feeling. Is it wrong that I wish we were a family, because I do? I wish Ross was my father, but more than anything, I wish Indiana was my girl. I guess if I eventually get her, I’ll get him by default.

I’m gonna try my damned hardest to make that happen.

••••

It was late by the time mum and I arrived back home last night. I’d planned to drive back to Newcastle, but decided to leave early this morning instead. I was enjoying my time with them too much. I didn’t want it to end. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like part of a family. My mum even seemed happier than she has since Fuckwit died. There were no tears, and even a few smiles.

Ross and Indi both walked us out, so I never got to say the proper goodbye I would’ve liked. She knows I’m going back home again, but I promised her I’d return at the end of the week.

It’s 5:00am when I throw my bag in the car. I need to get on the road before the traffic gets too bad. Peak hour is a real bitch. I’ll never get back in time to open the shop by 8:30am if I don’t leave soon.

I’ve looked over in the direction of Indiana’s bedroom a dozen times since waking, hoping to see her light on. I’m silently willing her to wake up. I need to see her one more time before I go. It’s going to be five long days before I’m back. I exhale when I open the driver’s side door. Her room is still bathed in darkness. I continue to stand there staring.
Fuck it.
I gotta see her.