“You know how you asked me if I missed the city?” Charlie rests her head against the seat and looks out the car window, watching farmland pass us by.
“Yeah?”
“I miss one thing right now. Guess what it is.”
“Easily accessible strip clubs?”
She lets out a snort of laughter. “Oh, totally.” She’s drunk, and it’s fucking adorable. “Takeout.”
“Takeout strippers?”
“No,” she laughs and hits my arm. “Takeout food. I could really go for some fried rice right about now.”
“How are you possibly hungry?” I ask, chuckling. “You had two pieces of cake.”
“Are you judging me?” She straightens up and tries to look like she’s mad, or more like she thinks she should be mad.
“Not at all. I never judge you, Charlie.”
Her expression softens. “I know. You never have. Thank you.”
She turns back to look out the window and I take my eyes off the road for a second to admire her beauty. Her hair is down, blowing in the wind from the open window.
“You don’t happen to serve orange chicken and fried rice at Getaway, do you?”
“We just took that off the menu,” I joke.
“Why’d you do that?” She twists back around in the seat, eyes wide.
“I’m joking, Charlie. It’s a bar and grill. We’ve never served Chinese food there.”
“You should. Because it’s good.”
“Maybe I’ll bring it up with our head cook. Don’t hold your breath, though. And if you want fried rice that bad, I can make you some. I don’t know how to make orange chicken, but find me a recipe and I’ll try.”
“You’d do that for me?”
I’d do anything for her. Making her food is nothing, and I’d go to the ends of the earth to make Charlie happy. “Of course. Because now that you’re talking about it, fried rice does sound good.”
“It does. It so does.” She’s quiet the rest of the way home, making me think she fell asleep. She might have dozed off a bit but perks up when we pull into the garage.
“It’s so dark.”
“I closed the garage door,” I laugh. “It cut out most of the fading sunlight.”
“Oh, right.”
“Need help getting out, drunky?”
“I’m not drunk and no, I don’t.” She tries to open the truck door before it’s unlocked. “I knew that was locked.”
“Sure you did. Just don’t bang the door into the wall.”
“I’m not a child.”
“But you’re drunk.”
She glares at me. “Like you’re one to talk.”
“Oh, I’m not. Not at all. And I know I need to be reminded of simple shit when I’m drunk too.”
Carefully opening the door, she gets out with grace. It’s impressive really, since her heels are several inches tall and it’s a bit of a drop getting out of this big truck.
“Well, I don’t.” She leans in to talk to me and hits her head when she goes to close the door.
“Oh, shit.” I get out and rush around, finding her with her hands on her head. She’s laughing, but for a split second, I think she’s crying.
“Fine. Maybe I do need help.”
I take her hands in mine and push her hair back. “You might have a bruise in the morning.”
“Nah, I don’t bruise that easily.” She lets out a breath and rests one hand on my forearm. I’m still cradling her face in my hands, pretending like I’m looking for more damage.
She shuffles closer. “Everything look all right, doctor?”
“Yeah,” I say, breath hitching. “I should probably look you over in the light just to be sure.”
“And naked too, right?” She giggles and wiggles her eyebrows.
“That would be the responsible thing to do. Make sure you don’t have a serious head injury that requires immediate medical attention.”
She runs her hand down my arm and slips her fingers through mine. “I had fun tonight.”
“We literally just ate dinner.”
“I like to eat food.”
I reach past her and shut the passenger side door. “I noticed.”
“I feel like that could be an insult.”
“No.” I shake my head. I don’t even know what I’m saying. Because I don’t know what’s going on. Charlie is drunk and now I think she’s hitting on me. Maybe? Fuck. All I know is that I want her. Bad. We go into the house and Charlie still hasn’t let go of my hand. “You still want that fried rice?”
“Nah, I’m just thirsty now.”
I bet you are.
“What do you want? Plain old water would do you some good.”
“You know what else would do me some good?”
I take my hand from hers and turn on the light. “I can think of a lot of things.”
“I’m sure you can.” Her eyes meet mine and there’s no denying the lust in her eyes. She wobbles as she tries to undo the buckles on her shoes. Worried she’s going to tip right over, I take hold of her shoulders.
“Thanks.” She gets one shoe off and plants her foot on the ground. I keep a hold of her just in case. Back with two feet on the ground, she doesn’t need me to help her anymore. I slowly run my hands down her arms. Charlie inches closer, and her tongue darts out, wetting her lips. My cock jumps and my body reacts on its own accord. I bring one hand to her waist, feeling the curve of her hip, and pull her to me.
She doesn’t object. Doesn’t pull away. My heart lurches, and I bring my other hand to her, slipping it around to her back. I splay my fingers against her and step in. Charlie’s lips part and she tips her head up, looking me right in the eye. I move my gaze from her eyes to her lips, and then down to her breasts. Everything about her is beautiful, and everything about this is familiar.
She feels so fucking good in my arms. This is where she was meant to be, and where she should have been all along. I never should have let her go, and now that she’s back…something feels wrong.
Because she’s drunk.
Charlie wraps her arms around my shoulders, and my self-control goes out the window.
“Owen,” she whispers and stands on her toes.
“Charlie,” I whisper back and lower my head so that my forehead rests against hers. She tightens her hold on me, and I can feel her heart hammering away just as fast as mine is. Her breasts are crushed against my chest, so soft and so warm. She inhales and tips her head up.
I don’t think. Don’t give myself a moment to hesitate. I part my lips and kiss her. The world stops spinning the moment her lips press against mine. A soft moan escapes her lips and she kisses me back. Heat rushes through my body, and my cock jumps. She presses her hips against mine, wanting to feel me get hard against her. It always turned her on to know she was the one making my cock hard.
I slip my tongue into her mouth and bring one hand to her hair, tangling a handful around my fingers. Desperation erupts between us, and we stumble back into the kitchen, tripping over each other’s feet. I pick her up and set her on the kitchen counter. Charlie parts her legs and welcomes me between, bringing her hands up to my face as we kiss.
I move my mouth from her lips to her neck and she tosses her head back, dropping one hand to my pants. She fumbles with the button on my jeans but gets it undone. I reach around and find the zipper on her dress. I start to pull it down when she grips my shoulders with one hand, leaning back and bunching up her dress with her other.
Cock hard and aching to be inside of her, I pull away just to catch my breath. She tastes just as good as I remember, if not better. Licking my lips, I go back for another kiss, and Charlie hooks her leg around me. I wrap her in an embrace, pulling her as close as I can, needing to feel every inch of her against me.
She grabs the hem of my shirt and tugs it up. I step back and raise my arms over my head, letting her pull it off. She tosses it on the floor and runs her eyes over me, biting her lip. Fuck, she’s so hot. Eyes shimmering, she f
lattens a hand over my chest and puts the other on the back of my neck, bringing me back to her.
I put my lips on her, kissing the breath out of her before moving to her neck again. I trail kisses over her collarbone as I work on the zipper again. I pull it down in a swift movement, and the thin straps of the dress fall over her shoulders, revealing her perfect tits hidden behind thin, purple lace.
I cup one in my hand, feeling her pert nipple against my palm. She groans and pushes herself against me, widening her legs.
“I want you, Owen.”
Fuck. “I want you too, Charlie.” I caress her face with my hands, putting my lips to hers again. I step in, and she wraps her legs tightly around me. Still kissing her, I bring my hands down and pick her up. The house is dark and I’m more than a little distracted. I bump into the table on my way to the stairs, but none of that matters.
All that matters is Charlie, and she’s in my arms with her dress gathered around her waist. My shirt is off, my pants undone, and I’m so fucking turned on right now. My cock needs to be inside of her, and my heart…my heart is longing for something else.
I’m in love with Charlie and want her to love me again. I want us to be happy together, to be inseparable again. I don’t want her to wake up and regret this in the morning.
Charlie kisses my neck, lips going right to the spot that sends tingles through me. Her teeth nip at my skin, driving me absolutely crazy. She hasn’t forgotten a single thing when it comes to pleasing me.
Motherfucker. It’s already going to be hard to let her go. It is hard, trust me. Really fucking hard and begging to push inside her tight little pussy. I need it. She wants it. What’s the harm?
I stub my toes on the first stair. Charlie reaches out behind her, feeling for the wall to help guide us upstairs. We’re making out again as we fall onto my bed. Charlie shimmies out of her dress and I move back on top, fitting right between her legs. She rakes her nails up over my back, pressing in just enough to hurt so good.
“Charlie,” I start but can’t pull myself away. My lips are on her neck again, and this time I’m kissing a trail down her collarbone and over her breasts. My hands slip underneath her, and with deft fingers, I unhook her bra. She reaches up and slowly pulls the straps down, teasing me. Hungrily, I watch her pull her bra off. It’s dark in the room, only illuminated by the streetlight coming through the window.
I bury my face between her breasts, and she curls her legs up. Her hands land on top of my head and she starts to push me down, guiding me to her pussy. My heart speeds up even more, and pre-cum beads at the tip of my cock. I want more than anything to pull off her panties and lash my tongue against her clit, over and over again until she’s coming hard on my face.
But I shouldn’t.
Not like this.
Not when she’s drunk.
I want Charlie, my Charlie, and having her like this isn’t right.
“Charlie,” I pant, pushing myself away with more self-control than I knew I had. “You’re drunk.”
“And you’re not, loser.”
“No, I’m not.” I squeeze my eyes closed and flop over onto the mattress next to her. If I stay on top of her, I’m going to go right back to where I was before.
“What’s wrong?” She moves onto her side. “You…you don’t want me?”
“That’s just the thing, Charlie. I do want you. I want all of you. I’ve wanted you since the day we broke up, and I’ll never stop wanting you.”
“Then have me.”
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I want more than just sex. You’re drunk, and until tonight, you’ve made it very clear you didn’t want to hook up.” I sit up and open a drawer on my nightstand. I pull out a white t-shirt and hand it to her. “If you want to have sex when you’re sober, believe me, I will be all for it. I will fuck you in any and every position you can possibly think of and then at least a dozen new ones after that. I’ll go down on you until you’re so overcome with pleasure you’re squirming against my face and pushing me away. And then I’ll hold you until you fall asleep and we’ll fuck just the same again when you wake up.”
Her lips part and she pulls the shirt up to her chest.
“But only when you’re sober.” I turn back toward her and cup her face in my hands. “I care about you too much to let you do something stupid, even when that stupid thing is me. I’ve wanted to have sex with you since I saw you, but this isn’t how it was supposed to happen.”
My throat starts to feel tight, and I rest my forehead against hers again. She keeps my t-shirt over her breasts with one hand and brings the other to my face. Her mouth opens and a small breath comes out instead of words.
My resolve is weak right now, and I have to remind myself she’s drunk. She might tell me she cares too, and that she’s been resisting this whole time and it took until tonight to realize that she wants me too.
That she misses me just as much as I miss her and she couldn’t keep the truth from me after a few drinks, but she’s glad it’s out now. That she loves me and will still feel the same way in the morning so we might as well fuck now so we can do it again once the sun comes up.
But she doesn’t say anything at all.
Chapter 27
Owen
“You…you should get some rest,” I tell her, forcing myself to break away. I help her pull the t-shirt over her head and then untuck the sheets. She nestles down into the covers and reaches for me.
“Will you stay with me?” she asks, brows pinched together. “I’m not too drunk to know I like having you with me.”
“Of course.” I kiss her forehead and get up to get her water. My cock is still hard and throbbing against my jeans. Charlie is in my bed, wearing my t-shirt, and was all too willing to have sex.
I turned her down.
Hell has frozen over.
Pigs are flying.
I guess there’s a first for everything.
But I meant what I said. I care about Charlie too much to let her be a drunken hook-up. Burying my cock deep inside of her, feeling her pussy contract around it as she comes…fuck, I’m getting even harder just thinking about it.
I want to fuck her.
But I want to love her more.
I awkwardly go down the stairs and grab a water bottle from the kitchen. Charlie is almost asleep when I get back into the room. Setting the water on the nightstand next to the bed, I go into the bathroom, turn on the shower, and strip out of my clothes.
I grab my cock as soon as I step into the shower. All I have to do is think back to a few minutes ago, to the way Charlie felt up against me…the way she tasted, to get myself off. Coming brings me physical relief, but I’m still painfully unsatisfied.
Hot water streams down on me, and I stay in the shower for a few more minutes just to calm myself down. I almost had sex with Charlie, and I stopped it from happening.
Do I hate myself?
Are things going to be fucking awkward in the morning? She’ll leave, I’m sure.
“Fuck,” I mutter and turn off the water. Maybe I should have slept with her. At least I would have had one last time before she left for good. I dry off, brush my teeth, and then go back into the bedroom. I didn’t bring any clothes into the bathroom with me, so I wrap the towel around my waist again, shut off the bathroom light, and wait a beat before opening the door to let my eyes adjust to the dark.
Charlie is still in my bed and has rolled over onto her back. Her blonde hair is strewn about her face, and she has one hand up resting on the pillow above her head. She looks so peaceful and so innocent.
I did the right thing by not sleeping with her, even though it hurts. Letting out a sigh, I cross the room, put on a pair of boxers, and get into bed.
“Owen?” Charlie grumbles, not opening her eyes.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
She wiggles closer, feebly reaching for me. I move in next to her, taking her in my arms. Her head rests on my chest and she hooks one leg over mine.
“Thank you, Owen.”
* * *
For only the second time in my adult life, I wake up with a woman in my arms who I hadn’t had sex with the night before. And for the second time, the morning is nearly perfect.
“Careful,” I tell Charlie, who sits up fast. “You’re probably going to feel last night.”
Blinking, she looks at me and then down at herself.
“No, not that kind of feel,” I tell her.
“I know,” she grumbles and puts her head in her hands. “I remember everything.” She flops back down onto the pillow and turns to face me. Her cheeks redden. “Thank you, Owen.”
“For what? Taking care of your drunk ass?”
“For refusing to sleep with me.”
“That’s a first, isn’t it?” I smile.
Charlie reaches her hand out and takes mine. “It is.”
I suck in a breath and lace my fingers through Charlie’s. “I meant what I said last night.”
Charlie takes her other hand and runs it through my hair. “I know.” She pulls her lips over her teeth and snuggles a little closer. “And I did too.”
“You want to have sex?”
She laughs. “I do—”
I pull her onto me and put my lips to hers. Charlie laughs and moves so she’s on top of me, head resting on my chest.
“Not right now. I kind of feel like I might puke if I move too fast. Oh, shit!” She sits back up again. “What time is it?”
I look past her at the time on the cable box. “Seven-thirty.”
She lays back down and groans. “I have to be at work in less than an hour.”
“I don’t need that much time.”
“Owen,” she starts and sits up again, running her fingers down my chest. Her touch sends tingles through me, and my dick starts to rise. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
“If you’re taking back wanting to have sex, then you need to stop touching me. You have no idea how hard it is to resist you, Char.”
She smirks. “I do know how hard it is.”
“Ohhh, a dick joke. Nice.”
“I learned from the best.” She lies down next to me again and I take her in my arms.
Fight Dirty: A Dawson Family Novel Page 17