A/N: Thank you all for the amazing reviews on this fanfic. I very much appreciate it.
I was having a bit of writer's block with this fic, so I do apologize for the delay in uploading this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait.
I'm hoping to have a chapter of My Heart Bleeds and Going For The Hat Trick uploaded during the weekend.
Thank you all again, for all your support
"Well, would you look at this: if it isn't the 'happy couple'," Peter said snidely as Nick came to stand behind Leanne, "So, to what do we owe this pleasure?"
Leanne pursed her lips, her arms folding across her chest, "We came in to get some breakfast seeing as how you weren't at the flat when I called. Didn't realize you'd be out this early with the ice queen," she gestured toward Carla who rolled her eyes and dropped her head into her hand, "You know," Leanne continued, looking towards Nick, "I thought it felt a bit frosty in here,"
"Lea," Nick warned her gently, his eyes casting down to where Carla was now rubbing her forehead in sheer agitation and for a minute they both locked sympathetic eyes on the other. The last thing either one wanted, was for a brawl to break out in Roy's Rolls.
"I want to get the rest of my things from the flat, and I want to see our Si," Leanne stated, sticking her chin out defiantly, as she stared down at her estranged husband
Peter chuckled, taking a sip of his coffee, "well that's a no to both of those for today, I'm afraid."
"You can't do that!" she protested
"Oh, I can assure you that I can," Peter said evenly, "All of your things were packed up and given to Janice, weeks ago. So there is no need for you to go into my flat anymore."
"And what if you forgot something?" She challenged him
Peter shrugged, "well, once you check your stuff, you can call into the Bookies tomorrow. And if Dierdre is able to mind the shop, then I'll make time for you to go up to the flat."
"Why not today?"
"Because today is not convenient for me. I have plans." Peter responded evenly, his eyes glinting at Carla, who sat across form him apprehensively biting her lip
"With her?"
"With Carla, yes." He replied and Carla exhaled, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Leanne got her defences up, jealousy rising through her as she saw the way Peter looked to the woman behind her, "fine," she answered in a low voice, trying to hold in the tears she felt building up, "then I at least want to see Si."
"Simon is out for the day with Ken and Dierdre, and he won't be back until late. And I won't have him spoiling his good day by then laying eyes on you. You can see him tomorrow after school," he smirked at her, and cocked his head to the side, "if he wants to see you, that is."
"Peter..." Carla admonished him quietly
"Oh pipe down, you!" Leanne snapped, throwing a look over her shoulder to Carla, "don't act like you give a toss about that kid!"
"Uhh I do as it so happens!" Carla responded, her face furrowing in offence, "And the last thing that poor lad needs is you both using him as an emotional battering ram!"
Leanne scoffed angrily and she turned to face Carla, "Yeah, right! You've not got a maternal bone in your body," she gritted out at her, "you're just fluttering your eyelashes and acting like you're not a cold-hearted bitch, just so you can pull the wool over his eyes!" she gestured to Peter, "Can't say I'm all that shocked to be honest. You've been trying to get your claws into him for months now-,"
"Leanne, drop it.' Peter gritted out as Carla shook her head at Leanne in disgust
But Leanne instead bent down, pressing her palms into the table and leaned in close to Carla's face, "but he didn't want you then, and the only reason he wants you now is because he can't have me-"
"That's enough!" Peter rose angrily from his chair, and Leanne stood back up, crossing her arms in front of her chest again and keeping her back to him,
"I'll decide when it's enough!" She spat over her shoulder, turning her glare back on Carla,
"Perhaps, you should take this elsewhere-" Roy interjected from behind the counter
"You're pathetic, Carla. You know that? How long have you been lying to my face, eh? How long has he?" she threw a look at Peter over her shoulder before turning back to the woman who remained seated, "Tell me sommit, were you sleeping together from the start?"
"No," Carla answered truthfully, her eyes downcast
"Before we were even married?" Leanne continued
Carla raised her head her brows furrowing, "What like when you were sleeping with him, you mean?" she nodded towards Nick
"Ugghh," Leanne scoffed, rolling her eyes "I was wondering when you were going to stick that one in-"
"Well, it's true!" Carla shot back
"No, you know what, this is my moral high ground Carla, not yours!" Leanne shook her finger close to Carla's face accusingly, "so come on, when did it start?"
"We don't have to answer to you," Peter stated angrily,
"Leanne," Carla rose from her seat, attempting to placate the situation, "this isn't the time or the place. Peter and I were not the ones having an affair-"
"Don't you even try with that! You chased him!" Leanne shouted, stepping right up into Carla's face, "and when he said 'no', you kept throwing yourself at him until he couldn't fight you off anymore!" she snorted disgustedly at her, "you're like a cat on E..."
"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I really must ask you to leave now," Roy stated, coming up and standing next to Nick,
"I'm sorry, Roy, I'll take her out," Nick apologized,
"Don't bother, I'll go." Carla stated, grabbing her coat and and purse and darting around Roy to the exit,
"Car, wait!" Peter called after her, grabbing his coat and following her out onto Victoria Street, "Carla!" he called again, as he caught up to her,
"Peter, just don't okay" she sighed, turning around to face him as she pulled her coat on over her shoulders, "Look, I had a really great time yesterday. All of it: cooking with Si, and you know, even having eating dinner with Ken and Dierdre. And I mean, last night and this morning," a slight blush coloured her cheeks and she smiled briefly at him, "but I think it's best we just leave it for today-"
"No. Carla, we were having such a good weekend," he cupped her face, "don't let her spoil this," he brushed his thumb across the skin of her cheek, "please?"
"Oi!" Leanne's voice shrilled from behind Peter, "You home-wrecking bitch, I'm not finished with you yet!" her red coat swishing as she stomped towards them
"Oh you know what Leanne, get off your sanctimonious high 'orse will ya?" Carla shouted, her temper finally getting the better of her as she pushed past Peter, and squared up to the blonde, "you've made your choice, alright? Now live with it!"
Leanne smirked at the opportunity Carla unknowingly presented her with, "You know you're right, Carla: Nick and I, we can live with our choices," She turned her gaze to Peter, "It's you I'm worried about, Peter."
Carla felt the colour drain from her, having a sinking feeling she knew the words that were about to leave the blonde's lips
"Oh for crying out loud Leanne!" Peter exhaustedly asked, thoroughly annoyed that what started off as a perfect Sunday was being ruined by his soon to be ex-wife, and he turned his anger on the man next to her, "Are you going to step in, or has she got you well and truly whipped?"
"Leanne," Nick stated, grabbing her by the elbow, "they're not worth it..."
"Look at you," But Leanne had turned her glare back to the woman before her, "causing chaos and misery wherever you go; and not a single strand of hair out of place, nothing sticks to you, does it? Nothing, and no one..."
"That's enough," Peter growled, placing a hand protectively on Carla's back
Leanne continued, her eyes only on Carla, "I'd be worried Peter, because you see, I were wrong: She's not like a cat on E," Leanne continued, "She's a flamin' black widow," she spat viciously, "Paul, Tony," she leaned forward a bit, "Liam..." she snarled, smiling when she saw the pain flash across Carla's face; the tears visibly pooling in her eyes, "Yeah, there you are: all shiny and glossy and luring men into your web, where you slowly suck the life out of them. You know what Carla," Leanne lowered her voice maliciously, "if you actually care about Peter, like you claim you do, you'll walk away before you do the same thing to him that you did to the others. Because every man that you ever love, ends up dead!"
"I said that's enough, Leanne!" Peter shouted, moving to step in front of Carla
"Come on, let's go," Nick tugged Leanne toward him, "you've said enough."
With a final sneer to Carla and Peter, Leanne allowed Nick to pull her away. Once they were out of earshot, Peter turned to Carla who was fiddling with her bag.
"Hey-" he began softly, raising a hand to cup her cheek, but she pulled away from him.
"Don't be nice to me," she warned him, keeping her eyes downcast towards her bag
"Carla," he whispered, "don't push me away. Talk to me..."
She raised her eyes to him, and he was almost taken aback by the sadness that absorbed them, "there's nothing to say, Peter. I just want to go home."
"Let me come with you -"
"No, Peter," she sighed, closing her eyes, "I just need to be on my own right now, okay?"
"Okay." Before she could turn to walk away, he pulled her toward him,
"What are you doing?" she asked, her eyes darting around apprehensively at his very public display
"This," he whispered, his hand grasping the back of her head and capturing her mouth with his own. His lips danced gently with hers; a soft, tender kiss that he hoped spoke volumes. As he pulled back from her, he ran his hand down her hair, "I'll text you later, okay?" At her nod, he placed a final peck on her lips, reluctantly releasing her and letting her walk off towards her flat. He watched her for a time, before turning around and heading back to his flat. All his covert plans to woo her under the guise of keeping things casual, had been ruined by his soon to be ex-wife. He had never been more agitated with Leanne then he was right now...
Later that evening, Carla found herself relaxed in her trackpants and an oversized off the shoulder jumper. She had her hands slipped into her yellow rubber gloves as she dug into cleaning the stuck on mess in her oven: all that remained of her baking disaster the previous evening with Simon and Peter. She paused for a few minutes, leaning her body into the counter, as she went over the day's events for the tenth time or so. She tried to ignore what Leanne had said, but she couldn't deny how much it hurt that she had thrown Liam in her face. Leanne knew how much Carla suffered after Liam was killed. She knew how hard it was for her to make the decision she did to not be with him, and how she blamed herself for his death: had she just run off with him he would be alive. If she hadn't engaged in the affair, Tony wouldn't have killed him...
It was just 2.5 years later, and she still blamed herself...
She shook her head as if to clear the memories that flooded her mind, and took a sip of the wine she had poured for herself. Within seconds she was back in Peter's flat, in his shower...she smiled to herself as she remembered how dominant he was. It both aroused and terrified the hell out of her. Ultimately, she hated that she gave up her control to him. Every time she did, she felt herself falling for him faster and harder. She took another sip of wine; she knew she couldn't just surrender to him, or she would lose control not just in the bedroom, but outside of it as well.
And yet, she couldn't deny that the tug of war for control they had was hot as hell...
She jumped as the buzzer went off, and she placed a hand over her heart briefly before placing her glass down on the counter, and heading over to the intercom.
"Hello?" she said into the receiver
"Carla Connor?" Peter's smooth voice came through,
"Hmmm the very same..." she responded, an involuntary smile tugging at her lips
"I hear you're having some problems with your oven..."
"Hmmm that I am,"
"Perhaps it's because its owner is too hot to handle..."
"So cheesy..." she scoffed playfully
"Need me to jiggle a few of your dials for you..."
"Oh come up you raunchy begger!" She laughed as she buzzed him up, cracking her door open for him, and she went back to the kitchenette to toss the rest of her wine down the sink, filling her glass with some water and downing it, before rinsing her glass out as Peter entered the flat. She raised her head up to look at him as he closed the door behind him, her eyes dropping to the large bouquet of flowers he held in his hand.
"Those for anyone I know?" She asked with a smirk as she pulled off her gloves and tossed them on the counter
"They're for your oven," he teased, coming to stand in front of her, "you know, in memoriam..."
She playfully hit him on his chest, "cheeky!"
He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her towards him, "They're for you, muggins. I know you wanted to be on your own tonight, but I couldn't get that sad look on your face when you left this morning off my mind, and I just wanted to bring you something that would make you smile again," he whispered, his nose rubbing along hers before pecking her lips with a kiss, "do they make you smile? Hmm?" he kissed her again
"You make me smile," she answered huskily, her lips capturing his passionately and wrapping her arms around his neck. She pulled back and pressed her forehead against his, "they do help though. They're gorgeous."
"So are you." He placed the flowers on the counter, and pulled her against him, their lips crashing together until Carla pulled away, her eyes dancing passionately as she walked backwards towards the bedroom,
"I suppose it's only right that I say thank you properly then, isn't it?" she asked, biting her lip and gazing at him beneath her lashes
Peter growled as he reached for her, pulling her flush against him as he kissed her again, walking her backwards into her bedroom and kicking the door shut behind him.
They continued to kiss feverishly, discarding their clothes quickly and collapsing onto the bed. Both of their pent up frustrations at their ruined day together rising to the surface and culminating in a heated tumble on her duvet, each planting kisses along the other's jawline and neck as their hands gripped onto the other; their bodies twisting and rolling. Peter pinned her beneath him, burying his hands in her hair as he rubbed his length teasingly between her legs. Carla moaned against his lips, her hips grinding down in desperation for friction. They continued to tumble, each one vying for control, but Peter ultimately allowing Carla to win out. He rolled onto his back and pulled her on top of him, grinning as he anticipated the ride she was about to give him.
She continued to press kisses to his jaw, his neck and chest, her tongue trailing down his stomach to his penis. Grasping the base, she swirled her tongue around the head, before taking as much of him in her mouth as she could. He groaned in response, his fingers digging into her hair, as she slowly licked her way up and down his length, her hand moving in tandem with her lips. Minutes later she moved back up his body, straddling his pelvis and gripping him beneath her.
She lowered herself onto him, taking an inch of him at a time and basking in the feel of him as he filled her. Together they moaned as she settled down on his pelvis. Carla smiled down at him, biting her lip as she rose up until only the tip of him remained inside her, then agonizingly slowly, she slid back down. She repeated this motion again and again, gradually building to a steady rhythm.
As she rode him, Peter gazed at her face and its changing expressions as her pleasure grew. She was stunningly beautiful, and he reached up to cup her cheek, his thumb brushing against her plump lips.
She looked down at him, biting her lip playfully and she squeezed her inner muscles around him, causing his eyes to close in sheer pleasure as a moan escaped him. His hands roamed her body, his thumbs lightly brushing across her breasts as he continued to pull her closer to him.
"Ah,ah,ah," she groaned out, "I'm in charge this time, Barlow" she whispered huskily, grabbing his hands in hers and bringing them to rest above his head on the plush pillow as she leaned down, her torso now covering his.
"Oh God," she moaned, when this shift in position changed her angle and she shuddered. Her hips never strayed from their set rhythm as she hungrily claimed his mouth with hers. He smiled against her, and as his tongue filled her mouth passionately and her clit was continuously stimulated as she rode him, he knew Carla was close to reaching her breaking point. His suspicions were confirmed as the pleasure she felt was so overwhelming, that she softly whimpered against his lips.
But she was in no hurry for this to end just yet. Breaking their kiss she sat up above him again. She shook her hair out of her face causing it to fall about her shoulders as she slowed her rhythm in an attempt to put off her release longer for minutes more. Peter's hands now gripped her hips and continued pushing himself deeper into her, moaning along with her with each thrust.
As the soft moonlight cascaded in through her bedroom window, casting a pale light upon their bodies, Carla pulled Peter hands, encouraging him to sit up with her, and he responded enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around her as she increased the tempo and now savagely rode him relentlessly. Faster and faster she moved, feeling her own orgasm growing closer and closer with each stroke she made, each time she moved forward her clit rubbed along base of his penis, causing her to whimper as a sheen of sweat overtook her body. Peter moved in tandem with her, his one arm circling her hips and his other gripping the back of her neck, and he continued to thrust upward as she moved back and forth, inching them both closer to breaking point. Just as she thought she would burst, her body reaching a level she could no longer control, she cried out as her orgasm overtook her. Wave after wave flushed over her but she continued to move above him, her arms gripping his body to hers, as she cried out his name. Peter, feeling Carla's muscles contracting around him tightly encouraged one last upward thrust, bringing about his own satisfied groan of release as he came deep inside of her. Gasping, he held her tightly to him, before collapsing backwards, pulling her gently down on his heaving chest, his strong arms holding her tightly against him as he felt her breathing slow down to normal, and they lay in each other's arms for some time afterwards, each feeling a sense of contentment after the day's events.