“Ohhhh, yes,” I moan as he fills me completely.
“Sweet Jesus,” he groans as his eyes roll back in his head. “You feel like fucking heaven.”
Ditto Mr. Reynolds. Ditto.
Carter ordered some takeout Chinese food when we got out of the bath. After we eat, we end up snuggling on the sofa; me between his legs, my back to his front with my head lying on his chest. His fingers make lazy circles against my temples. It feels amazing. I love how he cares for me.
“How are your headaches going today?” he asks.
“They’re okay,” I lie. “Manageable.”
“Do you want me to get you some headache pills?”
“No. What you’re doing with your fingers is fine. The pills don’t really help anyway.” My confession makes him exhale a loud breath.
“I know you’ve been putting it off, but we really need to go over that information the doctor gave you. We might have some questions for him tomorrow.”
“I guess,” I sigh. He’s right. I have been avoiding it. I didn’t want it to spoil my time here with him.
“Where is it?” he asks lifting me off his chest so he can stand.
“Bottom of my suitcase.”
When he sits back beside me he opens the envelope, pulling out all the paperwork. He passes me half, keeping the rest for himself. I look over at him and smile. “What?” he asks shrugging. “I’m not letting you read them all on your own. I’ll read these, and then we’ll swap notes.” God I love how invested he is in this.
“I just love you. That’s all,” I say leaning over and brushing my lips with his. “You’re amazing.”
“I love you too, Indi. So much.”
An hour later, I place my pile on the coffee table. All this reading is making my headache intensify. It’s very daunting and way too much information to take in. “You okay?” he asks. His brow furrows as he studies me.
“Yeah. I just need to take a break. The reading is hurting my head.”
“Come here,” he says pulling my head down on his lap. “Close your eyes. I’ll keep going.” I sigh when he uses his free hand to massage my scalp.
“Mmmm. That feels nice.”
I wake bathed in darkness. I’m in bed. Rolling over I reach out for Carter, but he isn’t beside me. Looking at the bedside clock, I see it’s 1:30am. Throwing back the covers, I go in search of him. When I enter the main room I smile. He’s still sprawled out on the sofa reading. Papers strewed all around him, a pen between his teeth and a notepad on his lap. Guilt consumes me. I feel bad that he’s still up doing this while I’ve been asleep.
“Hey,” I say walking towards him. “Come to bed.”
“I’m nearly done,” he replies, looking up at me and smiling. He picks up the notepad off his lap and jots something down before placing it beside him. He opens his arms when I reach him, pulling me down onto his lap.
“How are you feeling now?”
“Better,” I say snuggling into him. I look down at the notepad and see it’s filled with writing. “What’s all this?” I ask.
“Just some questions for the doctor and things I need to buy once the treatment starts.”
“What things?”
“Just some special food you’ll need … stuff like that. You have to be careful what you eat during the treatment. They advise to eat healthy foods and stay away from sweet things, but not me, of course.” I laugh at his comment.
“Just let them try and keep me away from you.”
“I’d never let that happen, babe,” he chuckles, placing his lips on my cheek. “Since the radiation will be going straight to your head, you’ll have to been extra careful with your oral hygiene. It can affect your teeth and gums, so you can’t eat anything too hot or too cold. I’ve made a list of all their suggestions for you to go through. We have an amazing Growers Market up here every Sunday. They sell all fresh produce. When the treatment starts we can go there and stock up on all your favourites.” Tears rise to my eyes. What did I do to deserve someone so wonderful?
“Thank you,” I sniffle as I wrap my arms around his waist. I can’t even put into words how amazing he is. “Leave the rest, I’ll go over them in the morning before we leave. I need you in bed with me.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” he says, standing with me still in his arms. “There’s no place I’d rather be, than beside you.” Flicking off the light switch with his elbow as he passes, his lips capture mine as he carries me back to bed.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE