Carl： Caveman Instinct series 2.5(21)
What I loved the most though was when we left his office and his arm slipped around my waist and held me close. He even paused and kissed my forehead and both my cheeks before he lips brushed over my own.
I could feel gazes on us and in that moment I didn’t care. In that moment I fell a little more for Carl.
Carl
Shopping with Annabelle was an experience. I now understood those poor bastards that you saw standing out the front of stores looking like they wanted to be shot, or who would rather shovel shit instead of spending another hour walking around shops. I was now that idiot. Even our bodyguards looked miserable. I had no idea fucking cushions were so Goddamn important to décor.
“This goes with the brown lounge we chose. They add a little extra pop of color.” I dragged my gaze from looking around at the other miserable sods in the same situation as me back to my woman. She held four ‘throw’ pillows that all looked pretty much the same to me. They all had prints of the beach, sand and water on them. I couldn’t tell her that they all looked the same. If I’d learned nothing else, it was that you didn’t tell a woman that a pillow—Oh don’t call it a pillow either, it’s a ‘throw’ pillow—looks the same as the others she’s holding. Women are pack animals and if they sense one of them is having trouble with a male not understanding the art of décor they come and support their fellow pack mate, ganging up on that male enough that the said male’s bodyguards won’t even come to his aid. But as a doctor, my natural attention to details came in handy. I studied the pillows until I noticed differences. “I like the one on your left. The waves are bigger.”
“You’re right. The ones with the bigger waves do look better.”
When Annabelle beamed at me, I wished I could have high-fived the man who was in a similar situation to me behind Annabelle’s back. The guy must have heard because he mouthed, “You the man.”
Right then, I knew not only was I never agreeing to go furniture shopping again, I was never going to underestimate a woman’s eyes for detail. Next time I heard a nurse or female doctor talk about something they noticed with a patient I intended to listen.
Chapter Six
Carl
Annabelle squeezed my thigh. “We’re going to get out of the car. I have to man a stall after lunch.”
“I thought this was a parents and children’s fair to raise money for the year five camp.”
“It is, but I love the kids and I don’t mind helping.” She was always staying back and volunteering for events or school excursions. The almost two and half weeks we’d been together she’d gone on every excursion and volunteered for anything any of the teachers asked. Annabelle was the biggest pushover. Well, she was a pushover with everyone else, but me.
“Mum’s already here at the baker’s stall. She’s been baking all week. The children have two more weeks of school before they’re holidays. This fair burns off a bit of energy and has given them something besides their holidays.”
I already knew this. I had a surprise for Annabelle for her holidays. I’d been organizing it with help from Darla, Annabelle’s mother.
Rafe opened the car door and I got out holding my hand for Annabelle. She slid out and threaded her fingers through mine.
“Let’s do this.” She huffed out as she straightened and dragged me to the rainbow entrance.
As soon as we entered the fair Annabelle was swarmed by children. They all loved her and anyone could see she was amazing with them.
We played every game and went to all the stalls. She praised every child’s stall, finding a quality she liked about each. Annabelle was late for the stall she was to man but it was my fault. I’d dragged her to all the other stalls and distracted her.
A balding man in his late fifties or early sixties, stalked toward us, his gaze narrowed on Annabelle. I didn’t like the way he was looking at her and apparently neither did Rafe or Lurch.
“Miss Clarkson, I’m disappointed in you. You promised the Reynolds family you’d help man their stall.” The man’s eyes traveled up and down Annabelle and my anger rose. How dare he speak to Annabelle like this before all these people.
I gathered Annabelle to me, but she remained stiff in my embrace which was odd, as usually she melted into me. There was something about this guy that changed Annabelle from the feisty woman I knew.
“Watch how you speak to my woman,” I growled.
The man’s gaze snapped to me. “I beg your pardon, Sir?”
“Yes, you should beg. No one speaks to my fiancée like that.”