The Heart Series: Complete Boxed Set (15 page)

Wandering back through an hour later, I found Joel dozing on the sofa. “So there’s nothing much in to eat. How about takeaway tonight? I can go food shopping tomorrow,” I asked, sitting down beside him as I studied his tired, bruised face.

“There never is anything in, why do you think I’m always round at yours?” He was trying to make light of it, though he couldn’t disguise the sadness he held in his eyes. But I wanted to lighten the mood, I didn’t want this house to always be associated with bad times.

“So you only come round for the food? I think I should be rather offended by that,” I teased, pretending to look shocked. I climbed onto the sofa, fully straddling him.

His arms encircled me, and he pulled me close. “You know you’re the number one reason why I come round.” He grinned, leaning in for a kiss but I moved back much to Joel’s annoyance.

“I’m not convinced, I think you’d put food before me.” I raised my eyebrows waiting for a reply, pursing my lips.

He twisted his mouth into a wry smile. “Depends what kind,” he said chuckling, his eyes shining with delight.

“Joel,” I huffed pouting, lightly slapping his arm playfully.

He smiled wickedly enjoying my reaction, leaning forward gently biting my lower lip. I gasped with pleasure, enjoying the sensation as he teased me, and then moaned with delight when his tongue sought out mine.

I pulled away panting when Joel’s stomach rumbled loudly. We both laughed together, it was kind of a passion killer. “I think we really should order some pizza now.”

He frowned as I pushed myself off him, grabbing the phone and takeaway menu. Thankfully it was the weekend, I’d only missed one day of college and as luck would have it, we were now on a two-week break for Easter.

I ordered the pizza, and much to Joel’s annoyance made him take his painkillers. The doorbell rang just as I’d got the plates ready. I was relieved, Joel looked like he would practically eat his own arm.

Opening the door I came face to face with a sexy blonde haired girl standing there smiling. My eyes automatically zoomed in on her overly large bust, the fact her top was two sizes too small only aided in accentuating it even further.

In her arms she held our pizza order. I ignored the rest of her, which were all skinny jeans and legs that went on for miles. I was now feeling bedraggled after spending hours non-stop cleaning. I fidgeted with my hair, but I didn’t need a mirror to know I looked a mess.

An obvious look of disappointment crossed her made up face. She pouted her ruby red lips in annoyance, she had no doubt been expecting Joel.

“Joel not in?” she asked, not even hiding her disappointment. Her eyes slowly looked me up and down. When they did eventually return to my face, I ignored the sneer, handing over the money quickly taking the food.

“He’s inside, he’s not well.” I could see the cogs turning in her small brain as I stood impatiently waiting for my change. She obviously wasn’t buying my excuse when she rudely stuck her head past me trying to peer indoors.

Looking at her I inwardly rolled my eyes, she truly was a walking, talking Barbie girl. Obviously the tight top brought in great tips, using her womanly charms in her favour. I was guessing she’d be a hit particularly amongst all the male customers.

“Aww, what’s up with him? I’m sure I can nurse him better,” she purred, smoothing down her top as she pushed her breasts forward.

My fists curled at her comments. The only thing she’d be nursing was her face after my fist rammed into it.

She cracked her chewing gum bringing my attention to the fixed smug grin she was wearing. I could only imagine the thoughts going on in her head.

Bitch.

She needed to be knocked down a peg or two.

“Don’t worry I’m taking good care of him.” I gave her an equally smug smile back. Barbie bitch was not getting one over me.

“That’s nice he has a sister to look after him, but if he needs someone to tend to his needs, tell him Claudia is always here for him.” She gave me a wink in a ‘know what I mean way.’

Sister?

Oh Barbie was going down.

I let out a huff of disgust. “Sorry to disappoint you, but I’m not his sister and I can’t stand here all day. We need to eat and get our energy up for later, know what I mean?” I gave her a wink and the smug smile instantly dropped from her face. “Oh by the way, keep the change.” I slammed the door in her face, walking off laughing.

“What are you laughing at?” Joel asked when I stormed through banging the box down hard on the table.

My eyes snapped to his. “Oh just Claudia, she sends her regards, said if you need a nurse she’ll only be too happy to help.” I grimaced at my own words, trying and failing to keep a lid on my anger.

Joel pulled a face, the guilt already present in his eyes. Claudia had already insinuated they’d hooked up, and from the look on his face I knew for definite.

I served the food, keeping my back to Joel. He sat in silence. I knew he was working his way up to confess, but I didn’t need to hear the words confirmed out loud.

“Iz, I need to tell you something.” He exhaled loudly like he was preparing himself for the worst. I closed my eyes for a moment, taking in a deep breath.

I turned around to see a pained expression on his face, the guilt was radiating off him. His eyes were closed, obviously too scared to look at me. He was preparing himself to deliver the news. He knew was going to hurt me.

My eyes softened at the look of panic on his face. We’d been through so much already to let Barbie come between us. I couldn’t bear to let him torture himself a moment longer.

“Joel, I don’t want to know, that’s your past and I’m your future, end of.”

His eyes slowly opened in surprise, he looked slightly bewildered at my words. He was obviously expecting me to totally lose it.

I sat down beside him, hugging him. He sighed with relief, and I kissed him softly on the lips, stroking his hair. I watched the tension slowly leaving his face.

He kissed my cheek tenderly, bringing his mouth to my ear. “It will only ever be you, Iz. No other woman will ever come close to what we have.”

I kissed him once again, overwhelmed by the sincerity shining in his eyes. I felt tears begin to form, so I jumped off the couch and distracted myself dishing out the pizza.

His eyes lit up, when I handed him the plate loaded with food. He was almost drooling, looking like a starving man that hadn’t eaten for weeks.

“I’m ready for this.” He grinned, taking a large bite and judging by the hunger present in his eyes, he wasn’t lying.

* * *

After a few days Joel returned to the hospital to find his ribs were bruised not cracked, so would heal faster. The stitches had been removed from his face, but the bruises and cuts would take longer to heal. My mother had called several times to check up on us, but she knew to keep her distance. I was enjoying our time together, we felt like a regular couple but we both knew it would eventually have to come to an end, much to our dismay.

When I returned home from the shops, I was greeted with a grinning Joel. Who was sat reclining on the sofa, looking overly excited with my laptop open. I groaned inwardly. I could only imagine the kind of pornographic sites he might have accessed while I’d been out.

I narrowed my eyes, bending down to kiss him. His lip was starting to heal, so we’d more than made up for the kisses we’d missed out on.

“What are you looking at?” I asked peering at the laptop screen. Hoping nothing nude was about to pop up and scar me for life.

He turned to look at me with an anxious look on his face. “Don’t get mad, but I’ve booked us a week away in Cornwall for next week.” His eyes searched mine for a response, and he didn’t have to wait long.

“Cornwall? It’s bloody March, we’ll freeze.”

He laughed at my reply. “Well it’s paid for now, so we’re going. I have another week off sick, and you’re on your Easter break, so we might as well use that to our advantage. I’ve booked us into a nice cottage, we can stay holed up in there if the weather is too cold.” He grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

I pursed my lips in that ‘oh we will, will we’ way but who was I kidding? Being alone with Joel was my dream scenario. “So you think you’ll get lucky, huh?” I teased grabbing his hair so his face was looking into mine.

“Yeah, I have good odds, let’s just say they are in my favour.” He winked and pulled me onto his knee, wrapping his arms around me.

“I can’t wait to get away from here, even it’s just a week, you and me and some alone time. We can hit the beach, the shops, do all the touristy things and finally get to act like a couple. I can show you off in public.”

His smile made me melt. I pulled him into a kiss to show him how much I loved, cared and appreciated his kind gesture. “Sounds perfect, when do we leave?” I asked, resting my forehead against his. Enjoying his warm breath tickling against my face.

“Sunday.” He grinned, squeezing me tight.

I kissed him again, enjoying the connection our mouths and tongues made.

Would I ever get enough of these lips? I knew my answer before even asking.

The cool, gentle breeze swept through Joel’s hair, and I smiled as he rhythmically drummed his fingers against the steering wheel in time to the beat of the song. It was a gruelling three and a half hour drive to Cornwall, but the hours only seem to melt away sitting next to Joel. I was mesmerised by him as he sang away. The soft, silky tones of his voice hypnotising me with every note. The aviator sunglasses he was wearing only helped in winning him extra points in the sexy department. Every time he glanced over he flashed a smile, and it made my heart beat that little bit faster.

We held hands throughout. It was like we didn’t want to break the connection of skin on skin. I chuckled each time he placed my hand on his thigh in between gear changes. I was almost certain by the end of this holiday we’d become so attached, we’d need to be surgically removed from each other.

I switched between different radio stations attempting to find a decent song. I burst out laughing the moment the music filled the car.

“What?” Joel asked, looking at me quizzically. His intrigue only made my laughter worse.

“Nothing.” I snorted, still laughing. I pretended to look out the window as a distraction, watching row upon row of sheep flash by.

“Izzy.” He squeezed my knee bringing my attention back to him. I knew he was waiting for me to look back around.

My eyes flashed to his, before quickly looking away. “No, you’ll get even more big headed,” I said, trying to conceal the humongous grin behind the cuff of my sleeve.

God, I had the worst poker face ever.

“Tell me,” he pleaded and squeezed my knee harder. But his insistence only made my laughter worse.

“You just remind me of someone,” I said eventually when my giggles subsided.

“Who? Someone cute?” he asked smiling, sliding his glasses down his nose. Our eyes locked together, and I could see the interest they held.

I rolled my eyes with the absurdity of his question. “Well duh!”

“Who?” The intrigue was building in his eyes as he patiently waited for my reply.

I bit my lip, deciding to wind him up a little. “Danny DeVito.” I threw my head back and my whole body shook with laughter. That was brought to a halt when he hit the brakes, pulling over sharp into the layby.

Oh God.

The smile soon slipped from my face.

He spun around to look at me. “Tell me who, or I’ll tickle it out of you.” I could see he wasn’t kidding. My eyes widened in horror when he unbuckled his seatbelt. He moved towards me with an amused glint in his eye.

I held my hands out as a protective shield. “Don’t you dare,” I yelled, releasing my own belt, pushing myself away from him. My fingers desperately clawed open the car door, but I barely had it open a few inches before he dragged me back inside. He pulled me tight up against him, and his breath tickled my face.

“Okay, okay, I’ll tell you—the clue is in the song,” I said smiling, stroking his face. I was hoping it was enough to appease him to keep those fingers at bay.

He scrunched his eyebrows in confusion. “Take my breath away? What Top Gun, Tom Cruise?” His face looked slightly bewildered.

“Yeah, Tom was hot in Top Gun. It’s the aviator glasses and the smile that’s killing me.” I pretended to fan myself, but I actually did feel hot being close to Joel.

“So I’m turning you on?” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively and flashed a smile again making me melt further into the seat.

“Do you really need to ask?” I slowly slipped off his sunglasses to stare into those baby blue eyes of his.

I was losing it already.

They always had a way of hypnotising me so I had no control.

He pulled me in closer. “So do I take your breath away?” he asked, stroking his nose against mine, and I gasped lightly.

I grabbed his face with both hands. “Enough of the stupid questions and kiss me already.” I pulled his lips down onto mine and moaned softly when our tongues caressed together, losing ourselves in the rest of the song.

After a few minutes he pulled away panting. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”

* * *

It was already dark when we pulled up outside. The soft glow of the streetlight gently highlighted the quaint features of the cottage. It was everything I imagined it to be, and it seemed unreal that this would to be our home for the next week.

I smiled at Joel, who was looking over seeking my approval. He needn’t have worried, it was perfect. I leaned over kissing him, to show him my appreciation for his arranging such an amazing holiday.

After unloading the car, we quickly acquainted ourselves with the cottage. After a quick meal we headed to bed, the exhaustion of all the travelling finally taking over.

The next morning I woke to an empty bed. My hand skimmed over the bunched up cold sheet beside me. I sat up quickly, momentarily confused by my surroundings, until it hit me we were in fact on holiday. I yawned loudly, stretching out my limbs. I breathed in the delicious aroma that was beginning to filter through. My stomach growled loudly, I was more than ready for Joel’s surprise. I heard his cursing getting louder, and I chuckled listening to him banging around in the kitchen at his attempt to make me breakfast in bed.

Joel walked through grinning moments later carrying a tray filled with scrambled eggs on toast and coffee. I smiled feeling overwhelmed by his kindness. Breakfast in bed was a rarity in my house, with my mother hating any form of mess.

“Hey, great timing, I thought I was going to have to wake you.” He grinned at his words. I knew what kind of wake up call he had in mind. He placed the tray down onto the bed and handed me my coffee. “For madam,” he said bowing.

I giggled at his act of chivalry. “Why thank you, kind sir. You are too generous.” I took in a deep breath, and my head filled with the rich aroma. I took a sip, and it was heaven to my taste buds.

Joel climbed back into the bed, lifting the tray over. He placed the delicious feast down in front of us, but I couldn’t help but notice the red mark on his hand.

“Hey, what happened to your hand?” I asked frowning, lifting his hand up gently examining it.

He tensed, pulling away slightly. “Ugh, burnt it on the hob.” He pulled a face and tried to shrug it off but it looked nasty.

I jumped out of bed grabbing some antiseptic cream from my toiletry bag. “Here this should help it.” I unscrewed the cap and watched in amusement when Joel’s face turned to horror.

“No it’s fine, I ran it under the cold tap.” He took a mouthful of egg, concentrating on his breakfast. I knew he was trying to ignore me approaching with the cream.

“Joel, you need to put this on to stop it from getting infected.”

His eyebrows pulled together in frustration. “But that stuff stings like hell.” He scowled when I squirted some onto my finger and closed his eyes.

“I promise I’ll be gentle.” I spread the cream gently over the burn, feeling him tense slightly while he held my hand tightly. “There that wasn’t too bad,” I said, pressing my lips against his.

He frowned when I pulled away. “I think I need another kiss after that.” He pouted and grinned when our lips once again became reacquainted, this time enjoying more of a deeper sensual kiss. “Now I feel better,” he breathed, before snatching up his plate, quickly devouring the rest of his breakfast.

* * *

“So what do you fancy doing today?” Joel asked. He wrapped his arms around me, drawing me back into his chest. I let out a soft sigh when he began placing sweet, soft kisses down the side of my neck. While I tried to maintain some concentration, finishing off washing the last of the breakfast dishes.

The sun was shining brightly as I looked up into a perfect blue cloudless sky. I instantly knew where I wanted to go. “We could go have a wander. I want to go to the beach and find a shop to pick up some more supplies,” I replied, turning around to face him.

He let out a huff of disappointment. “I knew you were going to say that.” He turned his head to look out the window scowling almost like he was cursing the sun.

I pulled his face around so he was facing me. “Well, what do you want to do?”

“You know what I want to do.” He began nuzzling my neck, his lips making me whimper with his touch. If he carried on like this we’d never leave the cottage. Ever.

“But I want to see the beach though, and it’s such a nice day. It’d be a shame to waste it.” I pouted, trying my hardest to change his mind.

He lifted his head to look at me, chuckling at my pouty lips. “Okay, you win this time.” He kissed my nose gently. “You’ll just have to make it up to me later.” He grinned, and I rolled my eyes even though I secretly enjoyed that very idea.

* * *

“Look at you getting crazy over a little sand.” Joel laughed, pulling me into a hug. He kissed my cheek, and I smiled as we headed towards the beach.

I hadn’t been to the beach in years, I was not going to lie, I couldn’t wait. I nuzzled into his neck. “Thank you for bringing me here. There’s no one else I’d rather share this with.”

“My pleasure, baby.” He grinned, kissing my hair. “Now let’s hit the beach, got to keep my girl happy.” He slung his arm over my shoulder drawing me in tight against his side as we made our way down.

The moment my Converse hit the sand I pushed my feet in farther imagining how it would feel between my toes. It was one of those cool, crisp days. The waves lapped gently against the sand as the salty fresh air filled our lungs. The beach stretched on for miles, the golden sand twinkled against the sun’s strong rays. There was quite a few people milling around on the beach, mainly dog walkers watching their dogs bound around enjoying their freedom, eagerly chasing and retrieving balls and Frisbees.

We both stood wrapped around each other, staring out into the sea. Both admiring the beautiful view of the sun glistening like diamonds on the waves.

Halfway along a beautiful golden Labrador puppy bounded towards us. The stick it was dragging along was almost as big as it.

I giggled bending down to say hello. The puppy automatically dropped the stick at my feet, she yapped and leapt up, resting her front paws on my knees. I saw by the dog tag she was called Rosie. She licked my face excitedly, and I smiled stroking her soft, little, furry head.

Joel bent down chuckling, watching her in amusement. She immediately left me to check him out. I huffed in jealousy, watching her wag her tail in excitement.

“Aren’t you a gorgeous girl,” he said, tickling her ears. She yapped some more, loving the attention before leaping into his arms. She licked his face excitedly, nuzzling into his chest.

So it was true, he could charm all the ladies.

“Aww, she’s so cute, I want to take her home.” I sighed, petting her some more. My mother never let us have a pet growing up, so I always felt like I’d missed out. I blamed my lack of animals on my overzealous behaviour whenever I was around anything puppy like.

He grinned in agreement. “I know she’s so adorable.” He nuzzled her face, and laughed when Rosie began licking him again. Joel scrunched his face trying to avoid being relentlessly slobbered to death, which only encouraged her to do so even more.

“She likes you,” I remarked, chuckling at his face. I was slightly envious she was enjoying all the attention Joel was paying her.

His delighted eyes returned to mine. “She has good taste,” he answered smugly, winking at me, trying to wind me up.

“Can we not steal her? Just make a run for it, hide her in your coat.” My eyes flashed around for any obvious owners to make a quick getaway.

Joel laughed at the idea, shaking his head bemusedly at me. Part of me really wasn’t joking, I wanted to keep this bundle of cuteness forever.

“I’m sorry, hope she’s not bothering you, she gets a little excited around new people,” the owner shouted, smiling walking towards us.

My face instantly fell.

Well, stealing her was no longer an option now.

“No, she’s such a gorgeous friendly dog. We were going to snatch her if no one turned up in the next few minutes,” Joel replied. We all laughed together, and I slightly blushed at my less than honest thoughts earlier.

Rosie was curled up inside Joel’s jacket, she seemed to be enjoying herself nuzzled up against his chest. I was not surprised at all. They both looked so adorable together. It did strange things to my hormones.

“Yeah, she does have an adorable quality that all the ladies love.” He winked at Joel, as in man code for ‘good for pulling the ladies.’

I rolled my eyes. Men were so predictable in their attempts to pull women, but to be fair he was on to something. Women generally did go gaga over puppies, we couldn’t help it. I think it had something to do with our hormones. Anything cute and we were goners.

“Oh, I’ll have to remember that.” Joel chuckled, and I instantly glared at him. “Joke,” he said, holding his hands up trying to appease me.

“Any more of those, and you will be in the doghouse,” I snapped back. Not appreciating his style of joke at all.