Heartless (An Enemies To Lovers Novel Book 1)

by Michelle Horst

  When he pulls back, he smiles down at her, “I’m really sorry I wasn’t here yesterday.”

  “Morning, Jaxson. It really was nothing. Carter’s blowing it out of proportion.”

  “The fucker had her make copies,” I say to Jaxson, wanting to deal with this so I can get back to my own work.

  “I know,” Jaxson says. “He told me everything the second I got off the elevator.” Jaxson looks to Della. “Stew says he was just trying to make you feel welcome.”

  “He’s not the fucking welcoming committee,” I bite out.

  “I’m well aware of that,” Jaxson says. “I watched the security footage for yesterday.”

  Della’s hand tenses in mine. My eyes dart from her pale face back to Jaxson’s. “What did you see?”

  He looks to Della. “If you don’t tell him, he’ll just watch it.”

  My eyes burn a path from Jaxson to Della. “Tell me what?”

  “It really was nothing. He was just a little too friendly.”

  My eyes flick back to Jaxson. “Show me.”

  “Can’t we just fire him and get on with our day?” Jaxson asks but he’s already walking to his desk.

  I let go of Della’s hand and follow him. “If it was up to me, I’d fire him. Della made me promise not to.”

  Jaxson looks between us and a huge smile crosses his face. The smile vanishes the second he presses play on his laptop.

  He proceeds to forward through a few hours of footage before he presses play.

  I watch the fucker get up from behind his desk. When he shoves his hands in his pockets, Jaxson pauses the screen.

  “Fuck,” I growl. The fucker actually had a hard on and he was practically shoving it in her face. He’s dead.

  I turn around and stalk out of the office. When I slam his door open, he darts up from the chair. He’s pale and sweat is running down the sides of his face, even though the AC is set on cool.

  “S-S-Sir,” he starts to stammer.

  “Carter.” Della grabs my arm and I glare down at her. “You promised.”

  Fuck.

  Looking at her pleading face, I know there is no way I can go back on my word. I won’t win her trust if I lose my temper now.

  I don’t even look in the direction of the fucker. I glare at Jaxson who is right behind us. “He packs all his shit now. I want this office cleaned out today. He can either report to Mr. Meyers, or he can hand in his resignation.”

  “You’re demoting him to the mail room?” Jaxson asks.

  “He either sorts mail or he leaves. He has a choice. He can be glad Della isn’t filing a sexual harassment suit against him.”

  I stalk out the office and pull Della after me. “Which office is hers?”

  “The empty one next to mine,” Jaxson says and then he closes the door behind him so he can deal with the fucker.

  I walk into Della’s office and close the door behind us.

  “I just need a second to calm down before I go upstairs,” I grind out as I take a seat in front of her desk.

  I watch her as she places her bag on the table. She opens the blinds and looks out the window. A smile forms around her lips as she takes in the view.

  “I can ask Charlotte to come see you about anything else you might need for your office,” I offer. I just want to make her comfortable now that the mess has been dealt with.

  She shakes her head. “Thank you, but I want to decorate it. I’ve never had an office before. It will be fun.”

  Feeling a little more in control of my emotions, I get up. Della walks over to me and standing on her toes, she presses a soft kiss to my mouth.

  “Thank you, Carter,” she whispers.

  “I made you a promise -”

  “Not about him,” she says. She drops her eyes to my chest and starts to straighten my tie. “Thank you for everything. You’re going to be an amazing dad and … and friend.”

  I lean down so I can catch her eyes again. “Just a friend?”

  A shy smile forms around her mouth and it makes me want to kiss her until her lips are swollen.

  “Fine, I’ll promote you to boyfriend status for now,” she says, but quickly adds, “Just remember, I won’t hesitate to demote you.”

  I press a kiss to her lips and smile. “I’ll see you at five, babe.”

  CHAPTER 17

  DELLA

  I wake up with a smile. Today is Danny’s birthday. It’s also the first birthday where I don’t have to work seeing as it’s on a Saturday and I’m off on weekends.

  I throw the blankets back and quickly get dressed in a pair of shorts and t-shirt. I run to Danny’s room, excited to wake her up.

  Carter is only accepting fifty dollars a month from me for the clothes we bought. I’ll pay him fifty dollars for the rest of my life. At least it left me with plenty to buy Danny a pink princess outfit for today, and to save so I can take Jamie shopping before she goes back to school.

  When I get to Danny’s room, I find Carter leaning against the door where he’s watching our sleeping daughter.

  He’s wearing a pair of jeans with a black t-shirt, but he’s still as handsome as when he’s dressed in one of his suits. I know I asked him to take it slow, but I didn’t think he would take it this slow. It’s been five weeks since we moved in and all he’s done is hold my hand and kiss me.

  “You wake her,” I whisper.

  He gives me a kiss on the forehead before he walks over to her bed.

  “It’s time for Daddy’s princess to wake up,” he whispers as he presses a kiss to her forehead.

  Her tiny body stretches and her sleepy eyes open. She smiles at him. “It’s my birthday.”

  He picks her up and kisses one of her chubby cheeks. “Yeah, you’re a big girl now. Happy birthday, my princess.”

  “I’m four,” Danny says, holding up three fingers.

  He helps her hold up four, then presses a kiss to her tiny palm. “Daddy got you a present.”

  “Yay!” She bounces up and down in his arms.

  I can already feel the prick of tears, but when he places her on the bed and kneels on the floor before her, emotion overwhelms me.

  He takes something from his pocket and when he holds it up, I see that it’s a chain with a heart locket. He opens it up. “It says Daddy’s Princess.”

  “I’m your princess,” she yells excitedly.

  “You’re more than that.” He clips the chain around her neck. “You’re my world. There’s nothing I won’t do for you.” He holds the tiny heart between his fingers. “This is my heart, Daniele, and it’s all yours.”

  A tear sneaks down my cheek, and I quickly brush it away.

  Daniele sees me and quickly climbs off the bed. “Look, Mommy. Daddy gave me his heart.”

  I crouch down. ”I see. It’s beautiful, baby. You need to look after it, okay. It’s special.”

  “I’m not taking it off.”

  Her little face beams with happiness and I have Carter to thank for it.

  ***

  CARTER

  When Rhett walks through the door I start to laugh until tears are running down my face.

  He’s dressed as a jester, bells and all.

  “Someone needs to take a photo,” I manage to get out between gasping for air.

  “Yeah, I’m rocking this shit,” he says.

  “That will be five dollars,” Jamie says as she goes to the counter to grab the swear jar.

  I start to laugh again until I fall back on the couch. I’m going to die of laughing today.

  “What the fuck is that,” Rhett asks.

  “That is another ten dollars,” Jamie says with a huge smile.

  I can’t handle the laughing anymore.

  “You’re shitting me,” Rhett says, but he starts to laugh as he takes out his wallet. He shoves a couple of hundreds in the jar. “That should cover me for the night.”

  Jamie just shakes her head and places the jar on the counter again.

  She’s dressed in a ba
by blue gown.

  “You look really beautiful, Jamie,” I say.

  Her smile widens and she looks down at the dress. “You think so?”

  “I know so.”

  “Did you get a shotgun?” Rhett asks as he sits down across from me.

  “For what?”

  “All the horny dicks that are going to be trying their luck with Jamie. Once you’re done scaring them off you’ll have to start all over again with Danny.”

  “Fuck, Rhett. My kid is four.” I take my wallet out and hand Jamie the ten dollars. “I don’t want to think about stuff like that.”

  When Marcus arrives, I’m surprised to see Leigh and Willow. I know that he and Willow have an on and off thing going. I wonder how Jaxson is going to feel when he sees Leigh here.”

  “Welcome to my princesses party,” I say as I get up.

  I kiss Leigh and Willow on the cheeks, then shake Marcus’ hand.

  “Does Jaxson know?”

  Marcus shrugs. “Not my problem. It’s time they sort out their shit anyway.”

  “And you thought my daughter’s birthday party was a good place for that to happen?”

  “Shit, sorry man. I’ll phone Jaxson and give him a heads up.”

  “You do that, and you owe Jamie five dollars.”

  “Why?”

  She comes to stand in front of him with the swear jar.

  He just shakes his head and pays the fine.

  “Daddy,” Daniele yells as she comes running into the living room. She looks beautiful in her princess dress. I catch her and swing her into the air which makes her giggle out loud.

  I point to Rhett. “Look, Uncle Rhett is a jester.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He’s a clown, baby.”

  “Yay!” She claps her hands and I set her down so she can go climb all over Rhett.

  Jaxson walks in and I start to laugh again. He looks like a knight, wearing armor and shit. The man can hardly walk straight.

  “What were you thinking?” I laugh.

  “Do you know how hard it is to drive with this on?”

  I just shake my head.

  “I can’t even scratch my balls,” he mumbles which has me laughing again.

  When Logan comes in with Mia, my eyes instantly dart to Rhett. He gets up while still holding Danny and walks over to us. He presses a kiss to his sister’s forehead and shakes Logan’s hand.

  I have to admit I’m a little surprised. I didn’t think a day would come where he would give his blessing to any man.

  A flash of pink catches my eye and my mouth drops open. Della looks breathtaking as she walks into the living room. I watch as she greets the guys. She looks happy seeing her old roommates.

  “Where’s Evie?” I hear her ask.

  “I haven’t heard from her in a while,” Leigh answers.

  My eyes dart back to Rhett and I don’t miss the look of concern.

  “When last did you talk to Evie?” I ask him.

  He shakes his head and puts a wiggling Danny down so she can run around.

  “It’s been almost four months. Her phone has been disconnected. I’m going to need some time off so can go look for her.”

  “Sure. Whatever you need.”

  CHAPTER 18

  DELLA

  We both stand for a while, watching our little girl sleep.

  The party was a huge success. She had so much fun. The guys went out of their way to make her feel special.

  Carter takes my hand and pulls me from the room. I’m surprised when he leads me to my room. He closes the door behind us and locks it which makes my stomach flutter with nerves.

  “I’ve been thinking,” he whispers. He places a kiss to my forehead and I close my eyes, just breathing him in.

  “Yeah? What have you been thinking?”

  His eyes caress my face in a way that makes my heart expand.

  “We should go look for a house. I want a garden Danny can play in. “

  I smile at him, liking that idea very much. “She would love that.”

  “Four years ago you gave birth to our daughter,” he whispers while looking at me with such wonder it makes me feel emotional. “The first time I saw you, you took my breath away. I knew you were strong but I had no idea just how strong. All I know of my mother is that she walked away from me.”

  I place my hand against his cheek wishing I could erase that memory from him.

  He kisses my palm and takes a chain from his pocket. My mouth drops open at the sight of the broken heart hanging from it.

  My eyes dart up to his and when I see all the emotion on his face it makes tears well in my eyes.

  “I swore I would never trust a woman after my mother broke my heart.” I can’t keep the tears from rolling over my cheeks and I don’t even bother wiping them again. “I’m giving you my broken heart, Della. I can only trust you with it.”

  I wait for him to clip it around my neck before I throw my arms around him. I press a kiss to his lips and whisper, “I’ll keep it safe. I promise.”

  He crushes my mouth under his and the kiss quickly turns heated.

  He reaches behind him, and breaks the kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head. I catch sight of his muscled chest and I struggle to keep my mouth from dropping open.

  He’s always been the most beautiful man I’ve ever seen, but now he’s pure perfection. He’s all hard muscle, not an ounce of fat on him. I have a sudden urge to lick his golden skin.

  "Carter, you're…" I whisper, unable to tear my eyes from his perfect chest.

  He leans down, and, placing a hand on either side of my head, he kisses me, a warm and tender kiss that turns my bones to rubber.

  He reaches behind me and unzips the dress. It falls to the floor, pooling around my feet.

  This moment is perfect. We can finally be together with nothing between us.

  My eyes dart up to his and I feel the spark of heat between us.

  I feel a little self-conscious about standing in front of him in only my bra and panties. Just like any other woman that’s given birth, I have stretch marks. I definitely don’t have the same body I did when he last saw me naked.

  My first instinct is to cover myself, but the scorching look in his eyes makes me stand still.

  “You’re even more beautiful than I remember.” There’s so much lust in his voice, it settles like a bolt of fire between my legs.

  Heat spreads through my body and tiny tongues of desire lick at my skin.

  He quickly strips out of the rest of his clothes. I take in his naked perfection, so exquisitely male in every way.

  I reach behind me and unhook my bra, never taking my eyes from his. I let the material fall to the floor and immediately Carter's eyes drop down to my breasts. He makes a sound of pure pleasure which gives me the guts to step out of my panties.

  “Fuck, babe. The sight of you leaves me breathless.”

  I can’t remember a time when I wanted something as much as I want his hands on me right this second.

  Carter is mine.

  I’m his.

  Shivers rush over my skin at the thought that we’re finally together.

  He reaches for my face and brushes his fingers down my cheek.

  I let my eyes drink in his features, his dark lashes and those deep brown eyes that never miss a thing. My eyes keep trailing down his face to his straight nose and then they land on his full lips.

  I lift my hand to his face and brush the tips of my fingers over his skin, just enjoying the feel of him.

  I stand on my toes at the same moment that he leans down, and our mouths find each other’s. At first, the kiss is slow, but then our tongues meet, and I can’t help but moan in delight.

  Carter thrusts his tongue deeper and he takes a step closer, crushing our bodies together.

  Sparks shoot through me and go straight to my abdomen. Damn, he tastes so good. How have I lived without him the past four years?

  He makes me burn up until
all that remains of me are smoldering ashes. I press my breasts harder against his chest wanting to feel more of him.

  I feel his erection pressing into my lower belly and the thought of him being so close to me is a heady one.

  He devours me with wild and hungry kisses until our breaths are racing into each other.

  I love the look on his face. It’s one of pure adoration and lust. I could get addicted to it.

  ***

  CARTER

  I pull her right against me and soak in the pure pleasure of feeling her naked body pressing against mine before I push her back to where the bed is.

  I follow her onto the bed kissing her hungrily, like the starving man I am. I want to lose myself in her. I kiss her with every ounce of love I have in my heart.

  Finally, Della’s naked under me again. It’s nothing short of a miracle that’s kept me from fucking her sooner. I needed to win her trust first before taking our relationship to the next level. It’s been the longest month of my life.

  I pull slightly away from her and look down at her lust filled eyes. I need to drink in every inch of her.

  My heart feels light for the first time. I feel relieved and at peace. I have my daughter and the woman I love. Damn, I’m a lucky man.

  Right now, I just want to lose myself in Della. Her long, silky brown hair is spread over the cover. Her cheeks are flushed with desire.

  Once again, a fierce protectiveness fills my chest to the point where it feels like I might explode. We belong together. I knew it the first time I laid eyes on her. She was mine that day. She’ll be mine for all eternity.

  I close the distance between us and trail gentle kisses over her skin.

  “Carter,” she sighs blissfully.

  Fuck, I can listen to her saying my name all night long. She makes it sound like a prayer.

  I’m so hard for her. My cock throbs against her stomach. Once I’m inside of her, it will only take a matter of seconds for me. It’s been too long.

  I’ll make it up to her right through the night, but right now I have no control. I can’t hold myself back anymore.