Authors: Karli Perrin
April
Fools (April, #2)
By
Karli Perrin
Copyright
© 2013 Karli Perrin
All
rights reserved
Thank
you for purchasing this eBook. Please keep this book in its complete original
form with the exception of quotes used in reviews. No alteration of content is
allowed. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded or distributed via the
Internet without the author's permission.
This
book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to any person, living or dead,
any place, events or occurrences, is purely coincidental. The characters and
storylines are created from the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.
New
Adult Contemporary Romance: This book is not recommended to anyone under the
age of sixteen due to strong language and sexual themes throughout.
Books
by Karli Perrin -
April
Showers (April, #1)
April
Fools (April, #2)
The
Gift
Find
Karli -
Twitter
- @karli_uk
Goodreads.com/karliperrin
karlijperrin.blogspot.co.uk
Dedication
To those who have a dream.
Never give up.
Acknowledgements
To April, my little guinea pig. What a
journey this has been! Thank you for not giving up on me. No rain, no rainbow.
To Ivan. I couldn't have done this
without you. Thank you for every single car journey where you have listened to
me talk endlessly about April and her story.
To my parents. Thank you for creating
me. Without you two, this book wouldn't exist! But seriously, thank you for
everything that you do. Your support means the world to me.
To my brother. I miss the real We Say
Summer. How about a reunion tour? All the cool kids are doing it these days.
To Emma. Thank you for designing my
awesome cover. One day, karaoke will happen. And yes, we will be wearing double
denim.
To all of my friends on twitter. Thank
you for making me smile on a daily basis. I am so lucky to have 'met' you all. A
special thank you to Zoe, Holly, Victoria, Courtney, Lisa, Yasemin, Natasha and
Ally. You are the best cheerleaders a girl could ask for.
To all of the wonderful bloggers out
there. Thank you so much, your support is invaluable to me. Sending high fives
to you all!
And last but not least, to my readers.
Thank you! I am so grateful for every single one of you. I hope you enjoy
reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Are you ready? Here we go...
MANCHESTER
EVENING NEWS
House
fire leaves man in critical condition
A
twenty year old man was left fighting for his life after a house fire in
Manchester on Wednesday evening.
Lukas
Roberts, a student at Manchester University, was found unconscious in the house
on Wilmslow Road shortly after 6pm.
He
was rescued by fire fighters and taken to Manchester Royal Infirmary where he
is currently being treated for severe smoke inhalation and minor burns.
Witnesses
claim to have heard Roberts shouting before using force to gain entry to the
house. It has been confirmed that no other people were in the house at the time
of the fire.
April
Adams, the current tenant of the property, is believed to be a close friend of
Roberts. She declined to comment at this time.
Police
are treating the fire as suspicious and would like anybody with information to
come forward immediately.
Prologue
I wiped away
my tears as I stared at all of the different tubes and wires attached to
Lukas's body. There were too many to count. The room was silent apart from the
continuous beeping of the machines.
I edged closer
to the bed and placed my hands on top of his, "I don't know if you can
hear me but I need you to know that I'm sorry and I forgive you. We all make
mistakes but that's human nature. Mistakes can be good for us, they teach us
where we've gone wrong so that we can come closer to finding out what's right. I've
learnt a lot these past few weeks and I know that you have too. What you did was
brave and selfless and I will never be able to thank you enough. You need to
hurry up and get better so I can at least try. I want my friend back."
I jumped when
the door opened. Isaac stayed quiet for a moment before placing his hand on my
shoulder, "Are you ready to go or do you need more time?"
I stood up, "I'm
ready." I took one last look at Lukas before leaving the room.
I knew that deep
down, he had heard every single word.
Chapter
One
It had been
two weeks since the fire.
Lukas was
getting better.
Which meant
that I was getting better.
Which meant
that Isaac was getting better.
Isaac was my
light in the darkness, the past two weeks would have been a total eclipse
without him. I was staying at his apartment but knew that I couldn't for much
longer. It was too risky in case anybody saw me going in or out. He still had over
a week left to work at the University before we could act like a normal couple.
Besides, I didn't know how much longer I could lie about staying at a hotel. Lucy,
Hollie and even Dan had offered me a place to stay and Lucy in particular
wouldn't let it drop. She had even brought a big bag of clothes to the hospital
for me. I was grateful as all of my own clothes had been destroyed in the fire,
along with everything else.
Lukas was
lucky to be alive. The fire fighters had reached him just in time, any later
and it could have been a completely different story. I shuddered at the
thought.
The Police interviewed
me several times after the fire. I told them that I had been out for a walk and
was on my way home when Isaac stopped to offer me a lift. Isaac confirmed my
story which eliminated us from being suspects. It felt wrong lying to them but
the fire had still happened regardless of where I was or who I was with. They
asked me a lot of questions about my relationship with Lukas and who might have
a motive to set my house on fire. I couldn't think of anybody warped enough to
do it but I did mention what had happened between Lukas and Madeline. I also told
them about my disagreement with Abbie outside the coffee shop but I couldn't
tell them the real reason why Abbie hated me.
I got chills
when I thought about somebody intentionally setting my house on fire. What if I
had been home at the time? Would it have been me lying in the hospital bed
instead of Lukas?
Isaac pulled
me into his arms, "Hey, where have you gone?"
I snuggled
into his side, "I'm right here."
"What's
on your mind?"
I linked my
hand with his, "I was just thinking about the past couple of weeks. I don't
know what I'd do without you."
"Well
you'll never have to find out." He kissed my forehead, "I'd do
anything for you."
I closed my
eyes and let his words sink in. I knew how true they were. We stayed like that
for a little while until my stomach rumbled.
Isaac
laughed, "Hungry?"
"Apparently
so." I looked at my watch and was shocked to see how late it was. I seemed
to have lost all concept of time since the fire, "I don't even know what
day it is."
He began to
draw little circles in the palm of my hand, "It's Saturday, which means
that we've got all day together tomorrow. No hospitals, no police stations, no
insurance companies. Just me and you. One whole day to forget about all of the
shitty things that have happened lately and just be happy."
I grinned, "That
sounds perfect. I'm sorry for being such a mess recently."
"April, you
don't need to apologise. You've had a lot to deal with. I'm so proud of how strong
you've been but now that Lukas is getting better, it's time for you to start
concentrating on yourself. Why don't I run you a bath and I'll order us a take-away?"
I nodded, "It's
like you can read my mind, that's just what I need."
"I
can
read your mind. Right now you're thinking that I'm the sexiest man alive."
"Then you
also know that I think you're the most arrogant too."
***
Fifteen
minutes later, I was relaxing in Isaac's huge bathtub when there was a knock on
the door. Instinctively, I looked down. Bubbles were covering most of my body.
"Come in" I shouted. I was in no way prepared for what I saw when the
door opened.
Isaac was
standing in front of me completely naked. I gasped at the sight of him. He was
absolute perfection. My eyes greedily roamed up and down his body, feasting on every
inch of him. They stopped on his insanely toned abs for a few seconds before
finally resting lower down on his erection. I was mesmerised. I wasn't
exaggerating when I said that he was absolute perfection.
Every.
Single. Part. Of. Him.
I instantly
became the horniest person alive. Who needs a bath when I can bathe in Isaac's
hotness? He slowly sauntered towards me wearing a cocky grin. He knew what he
was doing to me, I was practically drooling.
"I have
a problem" he growled. Whenever he's turned on, his voice drops an octave
or two and turns all growly and husky. It's sexy as hell. He could probably
make a ton of money working for some sex chat line. One word and ladies around
the world would be dropping their knickers for him. He should come with some
sort of Government health warning.
Highly
addictive.
Take in small
doses.
Causes high
blood pressure.
I raised my
eyebrow, "It doesn't look like you have a problem to me."
"Well I
do. I have a
big
problem."
"It must
be very hard for you" I joked, feeling like myself again.
"It is,
it's ever growing. That's why I need your help."
I shrugged
and tried to keep a straight face, "I'll try but I might
suck
."
He smirked
but his eyes turned fiery. I knew what was about to happen. "Okay, I'll
stop beating around the bush and just fill you in."
I nodded at
him impressively and he grinned back at me. I loved playful Isaac. I also loved
sexy Isaac. Combine the two and it drove me crazy.
"You
said that a bath and something to eat is just what you
need
. Where do I
feature in that equation?" He stepped into the bathtub at the opposite end
to me. "I'm not impressed that my girl is content with a bath and a take-away.
Actually, my ego's bruised."
My heart
began to pound. He grabbed hold of my legs and parted them before sitting down between
them. His eyes burned into mine, "I think you've forgotten what you
need
...what
your body
needs
, so I'm here to remind you."
This was
quite easily the most erotic moment of my life. His hands slowly trailed up my
legs, sending electric shocks throughout my entire body. He began to caress my
inner thighs before moving higher up to where I was aching for him.
He grinned,
"God baby, you're so wet."
I couldn't
help but laugh as I motioned to the water around us, "I'm completely drenched,
can you see what you do to me?"
"Oh I
can see it alright, I can feel it too."
I gasped as
his fingers slid deep inside of me. He started off slowly, watching my reaction
as he withdrew from me before entering again. My breathing hitched and my whole
body screamed out for him.
"Is this
what you need?" he asked.
I shook my
head and watched as he raised his eyebrow in question. "I need more."
I didn't think
that his eyes could get any more intense but I was proved wrong. "Tell me
what you need."
"I need
you inside me."
"But I'm
already inside you" he replied, feigning innocence.
"I need
your cock inside me right now."
"Well seeing
as though you asked so nicely..." He kept his eyes fixed on mine as he completely
filled me. "Fuck, you feel so good" he said before kissing me with
such ferocity that it made my head spin. I bit his bottom lip while fisting a
handful of his messy hair. "I've missed you" he said in between
kisses.
"I've
missed you too."
"I don't
want to miss you ever again."
I moaned in
delight when he took my nipple in his mouth and sucked hard. I could feel myself
tightening around him as we picked up the pace. The water from the bathtub began
splashing over the sides but we were too caught up in the moment to care. I
forgot about everything else other than him.
"Is this
what you need?" he asked.
"I need it
harder."
"My
pleasure" he said as he slammed into me. I was getting closer and closer
to finding my release and the bathtub was getting closer and closer to being
completely empty. He increased the pace and my whole body tensed up as I cried
out his name. He slowed down until my body stopped shuddering underneath him.
Taking my face in his hands, he pushed into me once more until he found his own
release. He growled but kept his eyes locked onto mine. He kissed my forehead
before pulling me into his arms. We stayed like that for a little while until
he stood up and I was once again mesmerised by his body. I would never get used
to seeing him in all of his glory.
"I think
we need more towels" he announced.
I laughed and
looked down at what little water remained in the tub, "I'm actually pretty
dry."
He raised his
eyebrow, "That's debatable. We'll try the shower tomorrow, I think it'll
make less mess." I grinned as he passed me a towel. I stepped out of the
tub and wrapped it around myself, pouting at him when he did the same. "Hey,
I don't want the pizza delivery woman getting the wrong idea when I open the
door."
"It's a
woman?" I asked.
"Yeah, don't
tell anyone but she throws in free potato wedges just for me."
I narrowed my
eyes, "In that case, go and put some clothes on. A baggy jumper will
do."
He winked at
me before leaving the room. I smiled as I turned around and gazed into the mirror.
It had been a rough couple of weeks but I was glad that I was still able to
smile after everything that had happened. I scraped my long brown hair into a
messy ponytail and wiped away my smudged mascara. I washed my face in the sink before
drying it off. My eyes looked tired and not as blue as usual.
"See how
beautiful you are?" Isaac asked as he came up behind me, wrapping his arms
around my waist. He was now wearing a plain white T-shirt and grey sweatpants which
were hanging dangerously low.
I blushed and
looked away, "Thank you."
"You're
even more beautiful when you blush."
I turned
around so that I was facing him, "Are you purposely trying to make me
swoon?"
"That
depends, is it working?"
I laughed,
"Yes."
"Then
no, I'm not trying at all. It's all natural charm."
"Well be
careful, you'll burn out at this rate."
"Baby, I
could keep going all night long."
I raised my
eyebrow, "I might have to test you on that one."
"We've
got all day together tomorrow, just saying."
Before I could
reply, there was a knock at the front door. Isaac licked his lips, "Mmmmm,
the pizza's here." He kissed me on the forehead and turned to walk out.
"Isaac?"
"Yeah?"
he asked, turning back around.
"Please
don't make that sound in front of the poor pizza woman."
He chuckled
before walking out.