Thank you for the lovely reviews - especially you Kat, that was so touching and I really really appreciated it! Another thank you to the ever so lovely Holly who proof read it for me :)
'Carla, Carla, stop!' Peter said as he watched her walk down the road, as far away from the Rovers as possible.
'I need to get away' she sniffed, her cheeks damp as several tears slid down the gentle curve of her skin.
'Don't listen to her Carla, you've done nothing wrong, and I'l keep telling you this until you believe me' Peter said as he watched her chest rise and fall.
'She's right in't she though, I've hurt Leanne, and if I hadn't lusted after you Frank wouldn't have done.. it' she muttered sadly.
Peter shook his head. How could she think this, how could she believe it was her fault? He hated Stella for speaking to Carla like this. They might be in the wrong when it came to Leanne, but Carla was not the one to blame, not at all.
'That man.. that monster is the one to blame Carla, you listen to me, you're innocent, you didn't ever ask for what he did to you, let me get you home' Peter said, his heart aching, all he wanted to do was help her and he didn't know how.
She lent some of of her weight against Peter as he slung his arm around her, she felt like a dead weight, so defeated, as though all her energy was going into just getting through each day.
Peter gave her a lopsided smile as she appeared from the bathroom, her bathrobe wrapped tightly round her. A momentary flashback of her answering the door in her towel, her hair damp, her skin dewy; god, she'd looked incredible.
'I'm sorry about earlier' she said softly as she approached him. She longed for the spark that had seemingly been buried deep inside her by Frank, that spark that'd made her so sexy, so irresistible to so many men before. She wanted to please Peter, to make love to him, and right now she couldn't fathom anything worse and she hated this.
'Don't you apologise, I understand' he said wrapping his arms around her.
'Yeah, but you've left your wife for me and all I am right now is a moody cow, you shouldn't have to deal with it' Carla said.
'But you're my moody cow and I love every single part of you, so dealing with you is a pleasure, not a chore' he said kissing her lips very gently.
'You do know how to compliment a girl, don't you' she said lovingly, savouring the taste of his lips, growing used to this tender intimacy.
'I try' Peter yawned.
'You tired?' she asked him.
'Mm, a bit' he said as she pulled away from the hug.
'Let's go to bed then' she said as her hand fell into his.
'I'll wash up first' Peter said but she shook her head.
'No, come on, let's go and lie down, I just fancy a cuddle' she said with a slight chuckle.
'I'll wait outside' Peter said as Carla looked at him awkwardly as she came to undress.
She paused for a moment before speaking. 'No, stay Peter, you can stay' she said.
He knew she was uncomfortable with her body these days, she no longer wanted to flaunt herself, show her beauty off, she wanted to hide it keep herself under wraps.
He sat on the edge of the bed, beckoning her towards him.
He took her hands as she stood in front of him, starting by bringing her fingers up to his mouth. Gently he pressed a light kiss to her finger tips, letting his kisses move slowly down her fingers, over her palms and wrists.
Carla let out a soft breath as he moved his hands to untie her dressing gown. She felt safe, for the first time however, as she knew his intentions were nothing but kind, there was nothing sexual about the way he pulled the cords loose and looked at her almost naked body.
He couldn't contemplate what Frank had done to her, the thought of Carla struggling, terrified and unable to stop that man forcing himself inside her broke his heart and made him feel murderous. She was so beautiful and despite what people thought he knew her, he knew she was so much more than the person she showed to the world.
'You're so beautiful, so beautiful' Peter said in a whisper as he kissed her stomach gently, just above the hemline of her knickers.
She looked down at him, feeling slight butterflies in her stomach, a warmth inside her, for the first time since her 'ordeal', though she knew he had no ulterior motive other than to make her feel comfortable and loved.
He kissed his way up her body, avoiding her breasts, he didn't want to rush anything, he didn't want her to feel he wasn't willing to wait. He just needed her to know he was by her side.
'I love you' he said, pushing her dressing gown off her shoulders and holding her against him. He felt her body melt into his, though her heart was beating a little too fast for his liking.
He reached for the flimsy cami and black satin bottoms she'd laid out on the bed, dressing her lovingly, attempting to get her used to physical contact, show her that she needn't fear being loved once more.
'I don't deserve you' se said quickly, her head bowed so he couldn't see her. He lifted her chin up with his forefinger, only to see tears in her eyes. This was harder for her than he'd ever imagined.
'You deserve the world Carla, you deserve the world' he said, his words dissipating into whispers as he nestled his head against hers.