A/N: Thank you for the kind reviews.
Carla peeked her head around the doorframe leading from the bedrooms to the main area of the flat.
"Morning," she said sheepishly
Peter turned his head towards her voice, his eyes raking up and down her body as she came to stand at the counter wearing his robe that he had laid on the bed for her, a smile spreading across his face. "Morning. Coffee, sleeping beauty?"
Carla dropped her head into her hands, her elbows on the counter, "ohhh I'm so mortified," she groaned, before peeking up at him through her fingers, "yes, to the coffee, please."
Peter laughed at her obvious embarrassment, before placing a mug of coffee before her, and gently poking her with his finger, "no need to be mortified, love. After all, I kept my promise didn't I?"
"Your promise?" she asked curiously, sitting on the stool at the counter, and reaching for the milk,
"Yeah, that I would tire you out enough to get you some decent kip," Peter took a sip of his coffee, his eyes taking in her disheveled bedhead, and he couldn't quite believe how naturally gorgeous she looked first thing in the morning. "I must congratulate myself really, you were spark out to the world."
"Hmm, it felt like it," Carla agreed, taking a sip of her coffee, "I don't remember the last time I slept that deeply. I'm usually quite a light sleeper."
"Well, you're certainly not a quiet sleeper..." Peter said mischievously, bringing the mug back up to his lips as Carla looked at him in trepidation
"Oh God, don't tell me I snore?" she put her hand over her mouth
Peter laughed, "no, no," he shook his head, "well, okay! You do have this cute little baby snore thing that you do,"
"A baby snore?" she asked incredulously
"Yeah it's this soft kind of snore. Not really loud or anything, but quite adorable actually," He winked at her
"Okay so if I don't snore, what do I do?" she asked, more worried now
"You talk."
"I talk!" she stated in horror
"Yep, talk," he sipped his coffee, a large grin on his face, "and boy are you ever an open book..."
She dropped her head into her hands again, "oh God," she groaned, "Paul had told me I did that sometimes. He used to tell Liam about it, and they'd have a right go at teasing me about it for weeks." She ran her hands through her hair, feeling utterly embarrassed and refusing to look Peter in the eye, "what did I say?"
Peter watched her for a long moment. He hadn't realized it was something that would strike a such a sensitive nerve with her, and he started to feel a bit bad about bringing it up, "oh, just random things, really. Stuff about the factory, and wine..." he lied. He didn't have the heart to tell her what she actually said, worried she would be so mortified she may never speak to him again.
"The factory? Really?" she asked, not entirely believing him
"Yep. I mean I knew you said you could run that place in your sleep, but I didn't think you were serious until last night," he snickered
She giggled a bit, and drank a bit more of her coffee, "didn't know I were quite that literal either..."
Peter leaned on the counter, happier that she was visibly more relaxed, "So, what are your plans for today?"
Carla licked her lips, and lowered her mug to the counter, "well, ummm nothing really," she responded, "Sundays are usually my day to do some washing, and get ready for the week ahead," she scratched her head, "Sometimes I meet Maria for a drink in the Rovers, if I'm going stir crazy in the flat."
"Well, what do you say we spend the day together?" He asked, "Grab some breakfast, go for a walk...?"
"Really?" she asked, "isn't that all the kind of stuff we should be avoiding if we want to just have a friends with benefits type of relationship?"
"Well, happens that you haven't agreed to the arrangement yet, remember?" he smirked at her, "and besides, since when did I ever follow the rules?"
At her hesitancy, he continued, "Carla, look, I like you. I like hanging out with you. I like the banter, and the fun...and the sex..." He grinned with a wink, and she smiled crookedly at him, "Plus, Simon hasn't stopped talking about you since our dinner and movie night."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I mean he always liked you when you and Leanne were mates, but I never clocked just how much until recently. So, is it a non-date, date?"
"I don't know..." she responded apprehensively, her eyes narrowing as she stared into her mug
"Are you seriously saying you would rather spend a day with your washing, than me?"
"Hmmm and Maria," she quipped back with a smirk, her eyes playful as they locked on his again.
He reached out and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, "come on. At least let me take you to Roy's for some breakfast and we can decide from there."
She leaned forward on the counter towards him, "On one condition..."
"What's that then?" he whispered back, pushing himself closer to her
"You let me use your shower? For some reason, I'm a right chocolatey, sticky mess..." she responded seductively, and he laughed and nodded
"Be my guest," he stated, throwing his arm out towards the bathroom in a grand gesture
"oh no, no you don't Barlow," Carla pushed herself up from her chair, downing the remainder of her coffee in one swoop, pushing the mug towards him, "don't you start playing the gentleman now; I reckon it'll turn me right off ya," she playfully slapped his cheek twice and sauntered off to the bathroom
"Scrub your back?" He called after her
"Ha! You wish!"
'That I do, Connor. That I do...' He thought greedily to himself as he went to fetch her some towels.
Peter continued to busy himself in the kitchen, trying to ignore the fact that Carla was naked and sudsy in his shower, but failing miserably. As he wiped the countertop with a dishcloth, his thoughts kept floating back to the times they had sex in the past few days, relieving each exquisite minute, and he couldn't help the grin that pulled at his lips.
Suddenly he froze, his mind going into overdrive. There was something similar in the two, almost three, times they had sex that had him instantly perplexed.
At first he thought it was sexy as hell, the way she pushed him off of her right before she climaxed and climbed on top of him their first night, riding him until her orgasm took over her body.
Then, surprisingly, she did the same thing that night in the Rovers backyard; he had her bent over the small table, his hands roaming her mostly fully clothed body and feeling her just about to orgasm when she suddenly pushed him away from her, forcing him to sit on the bench beside the table and straddling him, her skirt covering her modesty as she sat on his cock and rode him almost viciously, moaning his name in his ear as she reached her peak, with him following shortly afterwards.
Peter's eyes glanced towards the bathroom and he pursed his lips. Even when he was pleasuring her orally, she seemed to suddenly take the lead: using her hands to guide him, almost controlling his movements until she came.
It was almost as though she didn't want to surrender fully to him between the sheets. Did she not trust him enough to lose herself completely in their trysts? Was she holding back?
What was that about?
Peter inched towards the bathroom, anxiety beginning to set in and he was suddenly very self-conscious. Was he not good enough to satisfy her on his own...?
He stripped off his clothes and quietly entered the bathroom. The steam from the shower not disguising the shadowy outline of her body beyond the curtain.
He pulled back the material and she spun to face him in surprise. He gave her a small smile and stepped into the shower with her, pulling the curtain back into place behind him.
This was it. He needed to find out if this was simply a power struggle between them, or if it was something more...
He simply watched her for a few moments. Her eyes were locked on his, the water gently falling down her head and face, her black hair now wet and clinging to her skin and her arms were gently wrapped around her chest, hugging herself protectively. His eyes traveled the length of her body, really taking in her nakedness, without the cover of darkness, for the first time in complete awe. His eyes traveled the length of her body; loving the way the water lapped around her curves.
He stepped forward and grasped her face between his hands, forcing her to look up at him, "I want you," he pleaded with her quietly, and she bit her lip in hesitation, "do you not want me, Carla?"
"Of course I do," she whispered, "you know I do..."
He nodded with a grin, leaning forward and gently kissing her, one hand caressing her hair from the top of her head until it came to rest on the side of her cheek and he pulled back ever so slightly until his lips hovered over hers, "show me," he whispered seductively, "show me how much you want me…"
Her eyes searched his briefly before he captured her lips in another fevered kiss, one which she returned with equal passion, a small whimper escaping her as she did so. His hands began to roam her naked and wet body and he pushed her against the wall of the shower. His fingers skillfully trailing along her skin, and he broke their kiss to gaze into her eyes, now wide with desire before he lay kisses along her neck and chest. Her hips bucked against his as he swirled his tongue around her nipples, gently nipping at them, and she moaned in response, her fingers gripping onto his wet biceps.
His fingers inched ever lower and he nudged her thighs apart, slipping two of his fingers into her silken folds. She leaned her head back against the wall, the water from the shower that lapped onto Peter's back, trailing down her hips and thighs, further sensitizing her skin. He pressed his forehead against hers, as she tried catch his lips between gasps. He leaned down, nipping and biting the skin of her neck and collarbone as his fingers pleasured her, his thumb applying pressure to her bud.
He could feel her beginning to reach her peak and pulled his fingers out of her. Her eyes opened half-lidded and she grasped the hair on the back of his head, urging him to continue. He grabbed one of her hands in his and pressed it to the wall beside her face; his fingers interlacing with hers as her eyes searched his inquisitively.
"You're not taking control in here, love," he said evenly, "I'm the one who is going to control when you cum this time..." He saw the flash of concern in her eyes, and pressed a soft kiss to her lips, his fingers slipping inside her achingly slow, and he reluctantly broke their kiss, "don't you feel safe with me, Carla?" he whispered, his forehead pressing into hers again, his eyes fixed on hers, "don't you trust me?"
He was driving her close to the edge again with his fingers, and she gasped as she felt her body begin to quake only to have him remove his fingers abruptly again, "ughh," she cried out; her head falling back into the wall, her heart racing in her chest, and feeling tears prick the corners of her eyes in frustration
"Do you trust me...?" he asked again, his fingers teasing the skin of her inner thigh and loving the control he had over her as she cried out his name in sheer exasperation, "answer me, Carla and I'll give you what you want..." he teased, his lips pressing to the corner of her mouth
"Yes," she gasped out, "yes, I trust you!"
He plunged his fingers back into her, thrusting in and out, while his thumb circled her clit steadily. Her legs began to tremble, and she could feel the delicious pull stemming from her pelvis only to have Peter pull his fingers out of her once again,
"no!" she cried out, tears well and truly stinging her eyes in sheer frustration as he lifted her leg and placed it on the edge of the tub,
"Beg me…" he ordered her in a hushed tone, "Beg me for your release."
Her thighs continued trembling and he pushed his arousal teasingly between her legs, allowing her to grind along its length for a moment before pulling away again. She was ready to tug at her hair in annoyance and desperation, but he gripped her hand a little tighter and pushed against her harder, "beg me Carla," he ordered her more forcefully and she became more aroused with his dominance over her.
"Please," she breathed out, "Please Peter," she pleaded with him.
"Louder," he teased her, loving how this strong, confident woman became putty in his hands as he teased her earlobe with soft nips, and he easily hoisted her leg from the edge of the tub to around him, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her backside, his cock poised at her centre.
"Peter please!" she begged louder and let out a cry as he plunged into her, her face turned to the back of the shower as he thrust into her, in and out in a slow and deliberate rhythm, his thumb applying circles to her clit and pushing her over the edge. He released her hand and her nails gripped into his back and neck, as his lips continued to lay multiple kisses along her shoulder. Carla cried out Peter's name in between moans, and he smiled against her as he continued to thrust into her; her eyes were closed as she continued to come down from her orgasm, wrapping her leg tighter around Peter's hip and intensifying his arousal. As he felt himself nearing his own orgasm, he pressed his lips up along Carla's throat and captured her lips as he thrust more rapidly, grunting her name as he released inside her.
He watched as she ate her full English across from him just over an hour later, his eyes taking in her barely-there makeup and her dried, but un-straightened hair. "I like your hair like that," he said, drawing her eyes up to his and a smile tugged at her lips.
"Like what?" she asked, "like I haven't run a brush through it?"
He chuckled, "no, natural. a bit wavy and unkempt. Reminds me of the bedhead you had earlier this morning." He whispered wolfishly, winking at her as he bit into his toast
She smirked at him, shaking her head slightly, "you are so raunchy, Barlow."
"And I'm hoping to be more so, later today..." he growled in a low voice.
"That's mighty presumptuous of you. I haven't decided if I even want to spend any more time with you today," she quipped, taking a bite of her toast and pinning him with a raised eyebrow.
"Is that right?" he asked and she nodded,
"Yeah, you're boring me now," she playfully chided him
"Is that a fact? So what do I need to do to persuade you to hang out with boring ol' me, then?" He asked teasingly, before noticing that the smile on Carla's face had dropped, her face paling as her eyes fixated on something behind him,
"Car? What is it?" He asked, turning in his seat and feeling his heart drop to the pit of his stomach
"Well, well, well," Leanne's voice boomed as she came to stand next to their table, "isn't this cozy..."