Thirteen (Love by Numbers Book 4)

by E. S. Carter

  “What’s that? Book a hotel room and leave Nic home alone?”

  He smirks, “Better than that. Ask her to house sit for me.”

  I gape at him before finding my voice, “Why do you need a house sitter? I thought Em’s Dad watched your place while you guys are away.”

  He smiles deviously, “He does, but what Nic doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Sell it to her, H. It’s closer to the hospital, has an indoor pool and would be doing us a huge favour while we are away for the next six weeks.”

  “Damn, J. Would it be too much if I told you I fucking love you?”

  He laughs, throws his arms open wide and says, “Nah, c’mere and give me some good loving. Just don’t go selling your story to the papers.”

  The whole room breaks into laughter again and with another salute, he’s gone, shouting out, “Call me if you manage to convince her. I’ll leave keys at Mum’s house, just in case.”

  Everyone else leaves soon after, Josh helping me carry the salvaged boxes to the banana mobile.

  “So now you’ve got a new job are you going to get a new car?” He looks at my borrowed wheels not concealing his mirth.

  “Yeah. I might get one of these in pink. They’re good on fuel, nippy in the city and make quite a statement, don’t you think?” I deadpan.

  He looks from the car to me and back again, squinting his eyes as if he’s trying to picture it in pink. “I think…” He doesn’t know if I’m serious or not. Josh is always so careful of other people’s feelings.

  “Don’t panic, I’m pulling your plonker. I do need a new car, though, but for now, Lils can chauffeur me around in her beast.”

  “Clarabelle. Now that’s what you call a car. If we didn’t have another kiddo on the way, I’d have a go at convincing Lau to let me get one but a Mustang and baby car seats do not make a good combination.”

  Huh. You learn something new every day. I didn’t have Josh pegged as a petrol-head.

  “I never knew you were into muscle cars. I thought you only got stiffies over books and shit.”

  He doesn’t take offence at my ignorance or my comment. “Yeah. I know what you guys all think about me. Bookish Josh, Laura has him right under her thumb.”

  “We don’t think that at all, well, okay, the bookish thing, but not the rest.”

  He places the last box in the boot and slams the lid. “It’s okay if you do, I love my family, and I love my life. Some people might think that makes me boring, but they haven’t got what I have. My girls are my entire world, I don’t need, nor do I want, anything more.” He looks at me, and I see the contentment on his face. “I’m a husband and father, I’m a truly rich man, and I don’t ever take it for granted.”

  His words hit me deep. Not just because of what he says, or because he’s mentioned kids when I’ll likely never be a father, but because I see it in his eyes. He’s a man who cherishes everything he has. A man who lives for those he loves but doesn’t take them for granted. He’s grateful.

  Rich in love but not in money.

  “You must have mind-control powers. I don’t know how else I can explain you managing to get Nic to house sit for Jake and Emma.”

  Two days after Harry and his friends cleared our old apartment, Nic moved into Jake’s mansion eagerly. She’s already sent me dozens of Snapchat pictures of her lounging by the pool, working out in the gym and relaxing in their home cinema. The last one I received, early this morning, was of her Mini parked next to Jake’s Aston Martin. As long as she doesn’t try and drive his car, or knowing Nic, mate it with her Mini, I think we’re safe.

  “No mind-control necessary. Once I showed her pics of the place and said she’d get to meet Jake when he returns, she all but ran out of here.” He laughs and continues to style his hair. When I say ‘style’ I mean towel-dry. It’s unfair how good his hair looks with so little effort, unlike my wild tresses, which need teasing and primping into submission. Short hair does not equal less time spent fussing over it.

  “Do I get to meet everyone tonight?”

  He slathers shaving foam across his jaw, the sight incredibly erotic for some reason, or maybe I’m especially horny, and answers, “Everyone except Jake, Em, Nate and Liv, but you’ve already met Jake and Em. Why? Are you nervous about meeting my friends?”

  He slowly drags the razor across his skin, exposing smooth, kissable flesh. I step forward slowly and his eyes meet mine in the mirror.

  “Not nervous, eager. I can’t wait to find out all the juicy gossip about you.” I drop my eyes to watch the foam swirl around the sink before disappearing down the plughole. “I can only imagine what they all think of me, though. I mean, we’ve barely had a proper date and here I am currently living with you. I bet I look like a real bunny boiler.” I laugh lightly but it’s fake. My heart knows Harry’s friends are good people, I mean, look what they’ve already done for my family, but my brain is in overdrive and I’ve never wanted a group of individuals to like me more than I do these.

  He sets his razor down on the counter and gently turns me, his hands finding my face and raising it to look at him.

  “Lils, they will love you. Hell, they already love you because you put up with me. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Half his face is shaved smooth; the other side is still covered in shaving cream. He still looks handsome, though, and if that were whipped cream, I’d lick it straight off with my tongue.

  “I can see what you’re thinking.” He speaks softly, worry evident from the crease in his brow.

  Uh, I bet you can’t.

  I hook my fingers into his belt loops and pull him closer to me until his bare chest is pressed up against my fully clothed form, and his thighs are flush with mine. “I’m thinking, we could stay home and make the most of some alone time.”

  He drops his head back and groans, I can tell he likes the idea from the way his erection presses against my belly. “You’re killing me, Lils.”

  He kisses me swiftly, somehow managing not to coat my face in foam and then abruptly pulls away. “I’ve got your number, Delilah. You can’t coax me into staying home. I want you to meet the guys and they really want to meet you, so stop molesting me and go and do whatever girls do before they go out.”

  I pout and he shakes his head and laughs, turning back to the sink to finish his shave. I walk towards the bathroom door, stop on the threshold and in the sexiest voice I can muster, because I’m so not a sexy voice kind of girl, say, “FYI, I had plans that involved whipped cream.”

  He looks like an owl when his head swivels towards me and stares at me in disbelief. “Do you want me to walk around all night with a permanent stiffy? Because you are going the right way about it.”

  I chuckle because I can, and flounce from the doorway with a spring in my step. Teasing Harry is my second favourite thing. First, will always be adoring him.

  “What about the time he thought that dude wasn’t a dude? You know, at the drag queen bar. I still laugh when he asked the guy to show him how he ‘tucked and taped’.” Liam chokes the words out through his laughter and everyone around the table joins in.

  “Or the time when he was fifteen and he brought a pack of Shandy Bass to a party because he thought it was alcoholic,” Josh adds helpfully.

  “I can remember going to his house with Jake to see if he wanted to come to the park for a game of footy, and when we got there, he said he couldn’t come out until he’d cleaned his muddy bike. His Dad had told him to use some elbow grease and H had spent over an hour going through the cleaning cupboard looking for it.” Iz joins in.

  Everyone giggles and Harry lets them have their fun. He even joins in with some tales of his own and I now have plenty of fascinating information on everyone around this table. For instance, Liam and Cari met and started an affair when she was his teacher. Yes, you heard that right! They are completely perfect for each other and obviously in love by the amount of stolen glances and soft touches they share. Then there’s Josh and Laura, who I sort
of know already, as they both work in a school where I have some physio patients and lastly, there’s Isaac, who is a bit of an enigma.

  He’s hot as hell, with perfectly scruffy hair down to his shoulders, deep, soulful eyes that seem to look right into you and a laid back vibe that just screams, ‘I’m too cool to be here’. Yet, he’s the funniest and most insightful bloke you could ever meet. He doesn’t have a partner and from what I can tell, he likes to play on both sides of the fence. When I finally put two and two together regarding his sexual preferences, I blushed like a schoolgirl. Not because I’ve never met a bisexual person before, but because it elevated an extremely smokin’ guy into the volcanically hot department. What can I say? I find the idea of two sizzlingly delicious guys together a massive turn on and immediately have naughty thoughts about being a fly on that wall.

  “Earth to Lilah,” Harry nudges me out of my smutty thoughts. “You want to share a dessert?”

  I clear my dirty mind and turn to face the man I should be focussing on. When my eyes meet his beautiful grey ones, all thoughts of Isaac in a sausage fest disappear. This man, he’s more. More handsome, more thoughtful, more special, more… extra-ordinary and he’s mine.

  “I can think of many things I’d share with you, Harry Brown, but dessert is not one of them.”

  Cari, who is sat directly opposite me, laughs and tells Liam, “Lilah has that right. Don’t even think about offering to share pudding with me. I want the triple chocolate deluxe with extras.”

  “Where on earth do you put it all?” a very pregnant Laura asks while rubbing her swollen belly.

  “She’s got hollow legs,” Liam answers, earning him a smack across the chest from Cari.

  Laura turns to Josh and with an entirely straight face says, “Baby really wants what Cari is having.”

  Josh, evidentially a sucker and utterly besotted with his wife, answers, “Baby and Laura can have whatever they want and I’m not crazy enough to suggest sharing.” Their exchange draws chuckles from everyone around the table and I sit and bask in the amazing relationships these people share with each other and as a group. It’s while I’m busy people watching that I spot Isaac’s sudden change in mood. I follow his eyes to the restaurant entrance and watch as a man, who must be a model because he is just that bloody beautiful, is about to be seated at a booth across the room.

  The two men share a clash of stares and Mr Model averts his gaze to graciously pull out a chair for his female companion. Interesting.

  From that point forward, Isaac might be sitting with us, but he isn’t here. His eyes stray across the room often. His stare flicking from harsh, to lustful and watching it play out is fascinating. There’s obviously a story there, one that I’m likely never to know.

  “You gonna finish that or can I finally have a bite?” Harry asks bending his head towards my spoon which is hovering in mid-air due to my enthrallment with the scenes playing out all around me.

  “Huh?” I watch as he closes his mouth over the dollop of cream cake and wickedly licks his lips after swallowing his ill-gotten gains.

  “Hey, I was going to eat that!”

  He smirks at me, “Yeah, right. You were too busy sticky beaking. Don’t think I didn’t notice.”

  “I..” I’m about to protest when he leans in and kisses me. It’s not a peck either, it’s a full blown snog, tongue and all, and he tastes like chocolate and cream. Heaven.

  “Time to go home?” He murmurs against my lips.

  “Yes,” I reply quickly, feeling him smile at my eager response.

  He breaks our kiss and stands abruptly, knocking the table with his thighs and grabbing my hand to pull me to my feet. “Well, it was nice catching up with you all but we really have to go.”

  He throws some cash on the table to cover our share of the bill and allows me to give a rushed goodbye before proceeding to all but drag me out of the restaurant and into a waiting taxi.

  Before he’s even closed the car door, he’s rattled off our address to the driver and leant across to buckle me in. He then moves over to the other side of the backseat and buckles his.

  I look at the space between us, totally at odds with the man who, moments before, couldn’t wait to drag me away from our company.

  “What are you doing all the way over there?” I hold out my hand, and he warily looks at it like it’s about to sprout teeth and bite him.

  His eyes hesitantly meet mine and I see the desire in his stare. He trails his gaze over my face, down over the swell of my breasts, which are barely concealed in a low cut top that Nicola loaned me, and then back up to my eyes.

  “I’m just about holding it together here, Lils. If you don’t want to make the man in the front seat a spectator to a live sex show, then I suggest you don’t touch me until we get home.”

  Wow. I can’t help but clench my thighs at the raw lust of his words. I stare at him for a beat, then blink, “As quick as you can, please, Drive.” I instruct the cabby with a swift few taps to the back of his seat. “Take us home.”

  The taxi ride is excruciating.

  My Davidson presses up against the front of my trousers, and every pothole the car hits sends a jolt of pain to my swollen member. If I don’t get to sink into Lilah’s sweet body soon, I swear I’m going to fucking combust. I’ll end up a pile of ash like one of those unexplained mysteries in an Arthur C. Clarke book.

  ‘Man spontaneously combusts from sexual deprivation in the backseat of a cab.’

  I really do not want that in my obituary.

  When the car pulls up outside our building, I all but throw the fare at the driver and jump out, jogging as quickly as I can with a hard-on, around to Lilah’s door to speed up her exit. If I thought she’d let me without causing my crown jewels serious pain, I’d swing her over my shoulder, the way firemen do when saving someone from a burning building and I’d get her naked and in my bed before she knew what hit her.

  As it is, I have to remind myself not to drag her too quickly because she’s still getting to grips with her new prosthetic. Then, I have to endure an endless ride in the elevator, where we are not alone. As soon as we get off on our floor, I scoop her up in my arms and carry her to our front door.

  “Harry, put me down you big buffoon.” She shrieks when I sweep her off her feet.

  “I will,” I fumble with the keys while holding her in my arms but manage to open the front door less than gracefully. “Once we reach our bed.”

  I slam the door closed behind us with my foot, grab her handbag and toss it onto the sofa as we pass. Then I push open the bedroom door and throw Lilah down on the bed where she bounces a few times before coming to a stop and breathlessly giggles her head off. The sound is like music to my cock. Her giggles are churning the lust that’s been simmering under my skin into something deeper. Something like… love.

  She shut me down when I almost let slip my feelings before, but there’s no stopping them now, and I open my mouth to speak as soon as her eyes meet mine.

  She senses the shift in the air and her giggles peter out. Her eyes are searching mine, and I see the instant that she understands what I’m feeling, because instead of shutting me down, she slowly sits up and shuffles on her bottom towards the end of the bed.

  When she’s close enough to touch me, she hooks her fingers in my belt and pulls me towards her so I’m standing between her thighs, never once taking her eyes from mine.

  “I…”

  “Shh, don’t tell me yet, Harry. Show me.”

  So I do just that.

  Without breaking eye contact, I slowly lower my body to kneel on the floor between her spread legs. Her hands trail up my sides before resting on my shoulders and I lean forward to taste her mouth. She opens for me immediately, and my tongue leads the way, tasting, licking and devouring.

  She threads her fingers into the hair at my nape and scratches her nails against my skin causing a ripple of desire to skate down my spine. I’m torn between kissing her for hours and needing to
be skin on skin. Need trumps all and I pull away from her mouth to trail kisses down her neck.

  “Lie down,” I whisper into her ear. “Lie back and let me undress you with my hands while my mouth tastes every inch of skin I expose.”

  She shivers and lies straight down, her arse on the edge of the bed and her feet still touch the floor. I kneel back to see her spread out before me and give myself a mental pat on the back for being the luckiest fucking man on the earth.

  I allow my hand to skate quickly down her body, all the way to her feet, where I slowly take off her shoes. Then I run one palm up her left leg, pushing up the swaths of fabric from the long maxi skirt she has on. She always wears skirts or dresses, and they are always ankle length. I’d asked her the reason why and she told me that just because she wore a prosthetic she still liked to feel girly and skirts did that for her. She told me the only time she wears trousers is at work as she needs the flexibility for her physio exercises.

  He skin is smooth and warm against my hand, and I can’t help but squeeze her toned thigh, kneading her flesh and gaining another full body shiver.

  With my other hand I lift her skirt and gather it up to the edge of ‘Ally-tastic’, she stills and leans up on her forearms to catch my gaze, but she doesn’t stop me. Having watched Lilah remove her leg dozens of times, I don’t feel nervous about hurting her; I just want her to feel comfortable. So I study her face in-between watching my fingers as they unfasten all the straps at the top of her limb. Once Ally-tastic is safely undone, I pull it away and place it at the side of the bed. Then with gentle hands, I slowly pull off the sock that she wears over her nub to stop her artificial limb from chaffing. Lilah laughed when she told me that she doesn’t like the word stump, that it sounds too harsh, so she prefers the term nub. She said it sounds cuter and less scary when she’s talking to the kids she works with who have lost limbs. I get that. I understand that many people would feel uncomfortable looking at another’s loss or ‘deformity’. After all, we are a species that struggles with accepting differences of any kind, and as I look down at Lilah, so beautiful, so perfect and all mine, I think that those people are missing out. Missing out on knowing, making friends with and loving, others who aren’t the cookie cutter version of what makes someone worthy or what makes someone desirable.