Page 10 of Carter

“Oh, I fucked up,” Isabella's voice goes quiet. I look at her with anticipation as to what the hell she means she fucked up. “I might have told Leandra to be careful and not to fall in love with you. I’m sorry, Carter. I know it wasn’t my place. I’m sorry,” she says. “I know this is bad timing, but I have a meeting to get to, but we can talk later, and again I’m sorry for saying something to Leandra. She’s my friend too, and I care about you both, but we can speak more about this later.” She says as she leaves my office in a hurry after what she confessed to doing.

After Isabella left my office, I got a call from Leandra, letting it go to voicemail. I was confused, hurt, and angry, and I didn’t know how to deal with my emotions or what I felt for Leandra. I texted her later that evening, telling her to meet me in my penthouse. I had much to compensate for, especially the lack of communication these past four days. The lack of communication was due to our work schedule. I didn’t want her to get annoyed by me since we met for lunch and dinner every day.

My chest was hurting thinking about what could have been going through Leandra’s mind. I know she overthinks everything, and from what I learned these past four months is that. As I get dinner ready, I can’t help the smile that forms on my face when I think about this being our second date. I have red roses and sunflowers for her because I know she likes that combination. I also have white, red, and burgundy roses for her waiting in my bedroom. White roses signify her innocence, red roses signify our love and admiration for her, and burgundy roses signify my devotion to her.

I have never been in love in my 32 years, but what I feel for her is more than a simple crush. My feelings for her run deeper than anything I have ever felt or known. Getting the table set with flowers and candles, I make my way to the door as I get the notification that the elevator to the penthouse has arrived. Not having time to change into something more appropriate for our romantic date, I open the front door before Leandra can even knock wearing just my trousers. I pull her into a tight hug whispering to her as I begin to read her thoughts.

Fuck!

I knew she would have been overthinking our lack of communication these past few days. I take her hand and intertwine our fingers, making our way to our private balcony, reassuring her that I wasn’t ignoring her. The look on her face is worth all the trouble and hard work that went into this surprise. “Oh my God, Carter.” She looks at me with her brown eyes, and I can see she loves what she sees. “What is this?” Leandra questions looking at my bare chest as her eyes roam my body up and down.

“This is our second date, Peach. That is if you accept my invitation to our second date?” I question her with a smirk, pulling her in for another hug. “Yes, I would love to go on another date with you,” Leandra smiles, looking at me as I lean down to kiss her. Handing her the sunflower and rose bouquet, her thoughts came to me, and I could hear them all.

This is beautiful! Oh my God, he got me flowers. It's the first time I have ever received flowers.

God, does he look delicious in just those trousers, and he isn’t wearing a shirt. Fuck!

I smirk hearing her thoughts filter through my mind. I excuse myself really quickly putting on a dress shirt.

I pull her chair out for her as she goes to sit. I can’t help but kiss the top of her head. Dinner was perfect, and the view in front of me was exquisite. We talk about the past few days as well as the progress in the construction. Leandra lets me know when she’ll be back from her trip to New York, and honestly, this conversation makes me feel unhappy and broken-hearted that she’s leaving. But she won’t be leaving Australia as a single woman. She will be leaving Australia with a boyfriend and an official relationship.

The night isn’t over, and I can’t wait to see Leandra’s reaction to her next surprise. I want this relationship to move forward and make it official with her before she leaves. Having her laying on my chest, listening to her talk about her family, friends, and passions, I fall deeper for her. I chuckle, watching her try to hide her yawn as we watch TV on the living room sofa. “Baby, are you ready for bed?” She nods her head while her hand goes to cover another yawn.

Grabbing her hand as we walk towards my bedroom, I can’t help but feel nervous about what is waiting for us behind that door. Not only will it be our first time sleeping in the same bed, but I wish upon my lucky stars that she says yes. As Leandra goes to open the door, she gasps, looking at my bed where there is a huge bouquet of white, red, and burgundy roses. Her eyes follow the rose-petal pathway from the door to the bed, where there is a black rectangular box with a bow and her name inscribed on top of the box.

HOLY SHIT! This is beautiful.

Leandra looks back at me with so much affection and love I can see it in her eyes. “Carter, this is beautiful, and it’s the most romantic gesture you could have done. My books aren’t even like this and trust me, I have read over 500 books,” she says, smiling from ear to ear. I chuckle at her comment. I make a silent vow to be better than any book boyfriend or husband she has ever come to know. I encourage her to make her way toward the bed, where the box awaits her.

“Open it, baby,” I say with a smirk on my face as I stare at her from the door. I can tell Leandra is nervous as her hands shake a little trying to open the box. I included her favorite chocolate, wine, and a candle with my scent inside the box so she would remember who she belonged to. The box also contains a body wash and soap with my scent so she can smell like me even when I’m not there. I want everyone to know whose scent is on her skin... She’s mine.

Lastly, there's a jewelry box. She takes out the box and turns around to face me. I make my way toward her, but not all the way. I leave a few feet between us. “Open the box Love,” I say, trying out a new term of endearment as she looks at me confused. She gasps when she realizes that there is a very important question inside the jewelry box.

I’m his!

Chapter ten

Leandra

Holy shit, I cannot believe what my eyes are seeing a huge bouquet of white, red, and burgundy roses laying in the middle of his bed. The room gives me romantic vibes as the lights are dim, with a rose petal walkway that starts from the door to the bed. Candles run along the walkway giving the room enough light. Turning around to face Carter, I can see his eyes are full of emotion.

“Carter, this is beautiful and the most romantic gesture you could have made. My books aren’t even like this and trust me, I have read over 500 books.” He chuckles at my comment, but all I can do is smile up at him wanting to portray everything I am feeling with my eyes. My breathing is heavy. I feel like I’m going to pass out any second now. Carter encourages me to make my way through the walkway toward the bed.

As I get closer, I see that the box has my name inscribed on the top. “Open it, baby,” he says with a smirk as he looks from his place by the door. So many thoughts are running through my head right now. I’m nervous, and my hands shake as I open the box. My eyes widen as I come face to face with the contents inside. I immediately recognize the scent coming from the candle and bar soap. It’s his scent. Carter made me a candle and bar soap that smelled just like him.

He’s mine!

The box has the same color roses as the bouquet, but what catches my eye and makes my heart jump and stop simultaneously is the medium size jewelry box. I take the box out, holding it with both hands, afraid to drop it as I turn to face Carter. He makes his way over to me, leaving a few feet between us. “Open the box, Love,” he says with so much emotion in his voice. I look at him, confused at the new term of endearment, but I love how he says it with so much passion and fire.

As I open the box, I see my name is at the top, and in the center, there is a Peach necklace. I gasp, reading what was at the bottom.

I THINK YOU’VE STOLEN MY HEART, BUT I'M GONNA LET YOU KEEP IT, MY SWEET LITTLE PEACH. WILL YOU BE MY GIRLFRIEND?

I’m speechless, and the “yes” is stuck in my throat with no words coming out. He steps towards me, and I tremble with his closeness. His eyes caress my lips, boldly staking their claim, unwavering. He covers any distance left between us as his large hand wraps around my neck. His thumb runs along my jaw, making my eyelids feel heavy as a tear escapes my eye. My breaths come out in soft pants as his other hand wraps around the other side of my neck, and I whimper, leaning into his touch.

“So,” he whispers, his lips a mere inch from mine, “meeting you was fate; becoming your friend was a choice. But falling for you was out of my control. If you could see yourself through my eyes, you would see how exceptional you are to me. I can’t fucking breathe without you. I can’t fucking breathe, Peach.”

My hands wrap around his shoulders. “Then just breathe.”

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