Page 99 of From London, With Love

Me

Lucky for you, dear sister, I am too delighted about said news to hold back because of Big Ted the Party Pooper.

Big Ted

Oh goody

Me

We’ll need to prepare another place setting for dinner next week.

Big Ted

Back up, does this mean you actually succeeded in locking her down? Or have you lost your mind and married some Parisian woman in a drunken haze?

Emmy

Teddy, you are so troublesome sometimes.

If by ‘her’ you mean Lara, is she aware she’s coming? Because this is news to me. BIG news.

Me

Well no.

But she’s about to, as soon as I get home.

Chapter 43

Lara

“Hand on my heart, those were the best potatoes I think I’ve ever eaten,” Carter says with far too much enthusiasm.?

I awkwardly swivel my upper body in his direction, elbows deep in the sink full of dishes from tonight's dinner. He’s giving me that goofy smile where his one dimple pops and the golden flecks within his green irises reflect off the kitchen light. I have to turn away after a few seconds, finding it a little hard to breathe.

“I don’t understand how you can say that so sincerely; they’re just potatoes with a bit of seasoning.”

“‘Just potatoes’she says,” he mutters with an almost imperceptible shake of his bowed head, I think more to himself than anything. He finishes off with a tut. “Are you sure I can’t help you with something? As much as I’m enjoying the view of your arse in those jeans, I’d much rather be put to work than stand here watching you do it all.”

The second Carter had gone to collect our plates after dinner, I stopped him. It’s one thing for him to clear up afterme at his house but in my own? Absolutely not. That’s not his job. Plus, I’d already cooked us a late dinner after having worked up a serious appetite in my bedroom—I think we’ve reached our quota of couple-y business for one Saturday night. Thankfully the girls are out with some friends from school tonight, so we’re awarded some privacy.

Over dinner, Carter told me all about Paris. I’m still yet to visit myself, but the way he described it so vividly made it feel as though I was right there with him in the memories—a place I had no right to be.

“I’m sure; I’m done.” The water drains from the sink with an awful sucking noise as I dry my hands and turn to face Carter with a smile. “Could you refill our glasses? I’ll be right back.”

“With pleasure.” The way he prolongs the vowels in his glorious accent sends a fresh wave of heat right through me. Not to mention the way his lip quirks at the corner, tempting me the way a siren’s voice would a lonely fisherman in the deep sea.

I turn on my heel and race down the hallway at breakneck speed. I had two glasses of wine over dinner with no bathroom break, and it wouldn’t be wise to jump a man with a full bladder.?

After the fastest pee of my life, and more than ready for round two, I return to the kitchen to find Carter muttering to himself, wine glasses in hand. It gives me a rare glimpse into Carter beneath the suit. Those moments might not come around often, but they strike me in the chest every time. He may be painfully good-looking, with forearm veins for days and an arse that won’t quit, but he’s also human, just like me. Although they manifest in different ways and for different reasons, we’ve both had feelings of uncertainty, self-doubt, inadequacy, and apprehension.

Leaning against the doorframe, I clear my throat. “You good?”?

“Shit Lara, you can’t sneak up on a man like that. Especially when he’s holding wine.” He lets out a breath.?

I can’t help but smirk, entirely amused by him.

“Wow, you’re jumpy. Are you alright?” Strolling toward him, I reach for my glass still clutched in his grasp. The movement, or my proximity, seems to shake him from the strange stupor. He shakes his head faintly once before wandering past me and into the lounge room. Carter takes a seat, and I plant myself beside him.

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