Chapter 10
Charlie picks up on the second ring. “Hello, Diana.”
I wander over to the sink and gaze out at the ocean without seeing anything. “Hi. I’m calling to apologize. I threw myself at you tonight, and I’m sorry for being so forward.”
“That’s not what upset me.” His tone is even, and I gain courage from the fact he’s no longer angry.
“I know. You thought I wanted nothing more than a fling, but that’s not what I’m after.” I take a deep breath to prepare to lay my heart out for him.
“Diana.” He sighs.
I jump in before he can say more. “I like you because you don’t bore me with the same old conversations. You’re funny and adventurous. You’ve worked hard for what you have, and I admire that you found something you love and made it a successful business. But what I like most of all, is that you are kind and thoughtful. I trust you, and that’s why I was ready to sleep with you tonight.” I pause for a second as I wonder if I’ve said too much, and then I decide I might as well tell him everything. “Because I want us to be more.”
He takes a moment to answer me. “I see.”
I hate that response, because it usually means the person doesn’t know how to answer and they’re buying time. Maybe he’s trying to find a way to let me down gently. My stomach knots up with my embarrassment, and I turn away from the window. “No need to say more. I un--”
“Diana. Stop. I need to apologize too.”
“Oh.”
“I’m sorry I overreacted. I was taking past experiences and putting them on you, and it wasn’t fair.”
Chef P. was right. I smile. “Women throw themselves at you often?”
Charlie chuckles. “Not the ones I want. Diana?”
“Yes?”
“Make no mistake. I do want to sleep with you, but I need you to be sure you’re ready for us to take that step. There are things we need to talk about before we do.”
“What kinds of thi-- Oh.” I think he’s talking about our sexual past, and I feel like a fool for being so reckless earlier. “I get tested every year at my physical whether I need it or not, and I haven’t been with anyone since my last exam.” Or in the last decade.
“I’m clean too.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. “So we’re good?”
He doesn’t answer right away, and for a second, I wonder if he meant we needed to talk about something else. “We are,” he says. “Are you free tomorrow night?”
“I believe I am.”
“I’d like to cook for you. How does dinner at my house sound?”
“Wonderful.”
“I’ll be by at six.”
I think about how he told me what to wear for our date tonight and ask, “Any wardrobe requests?”
“No. But you should bring a toothbrush.” My jaw drops, and I’m glad he can’t see my shocked look as I gather my wits to craft a clever response. He doesn’t let me. “Good night, Diana.”
“Good night, Charlie.”
I got another ride on Charlie’s bike, and I’ve determined I’ll forever associate motorcycles with sex. The combination of the vibration of the engine beneath me and the freedom of wind blowing in my face while I’m wrapped around a hot guy has my entire body humming with desire. This time, I keep my libido at bay when we get to his house.
In daylight, I notice more details about Charlie’s home. The landscaping is done in a style that I associate with New England coastal towns. Wild sea roses line a rock wall, and his gardens contain Echinacea, bee balm, and black-eyed Susans. His house is sided with cedar shingles that have grayed with age, and irregular-shaped slate slabs are set in the grass to create a walkway.
As our feet tap on the stone toward the front door I say, “You’ve made this yours.”
“One summer I worked on the Cape and dreamed of owning my own beach home some day.”
When we get inside, we enter the main living space. On the right, I notice leather couches that look soft and inviting in front of a gas fireplace that’s lit. Straight ahead are sliding glass doors that lead out to a deck, and I walk toward them to take in the view. The kitchen is off to the left, and I turn to look at it when I hear glasses clink on the countertop. Charlie is opening a bottle of wine, and the cork pops when he pulls it.
I admire his setup. He’s got stainless steel appliances that gleam with importance, and the sink is white porcelain with a backsplash of shimmery gray tiles. “Wow. You don’t joke around.” He hands me my glass, and I say, “Your kitchen is so beautiful it makes even me want to cook.”
“You’re going to.” My heart stops as he pulls open a drawer. Charlie chuckles as he gives me a knife. “Don’t worry. I’m told I’m a great teacher.”
I twist the instrument in my hand. “So is Chef P. You should probably give that man a raise after the hand-holding he had to do for me.” I reach for the edge of the knife with my finger to see how sharp it is.
“About him--”
“Ouch!” I stare down at the blood oozing out of my finger. “That’s one sharp blade.”
Charlie grabs my hand and walks me over to the sink. “Why did you touch it?”
Water rushes when he turns it on, and he sticks my finger under the stream. “To see how sharp it was.”
He shakes his head. “When the waitress sets down a plate and you know it’s likely hot, do you touch that too?”
I shrug. “Guilty. I tend to learn my lessons the hard way.”
Charlie wraps a white towel around my finger and squeezes it tight. “You don’t trust easily, do you?”
“Not usually.” I gaze up at him and notice how blue his eyes are as he continues to hold my hand. “But I trust you.” And it doesn’t make sense. The man tricked me into a sail on his boat for our first date.
I can’t read his expression, but the odd look disappears quickly, and he says, “Good. Now promise me you’ll do as I say in my kitchen. Do I dare let you have the knife again?”
“You can. I learned my lesson.”
He unwraps the towel slowly from my finger to inspect it. “It’s stopped bleeding. I’ll go get you a bandage.”
When Charlie leaves, I reach for my wine and take a sip. The tart flavor tantalizes my tongue before I swallow, and I think about how he’s right about me not trusting easily. But from the first time we spoke, I was drawn to Charlie, and I’m not sure if it’s our similar pasts or something more. Whatever it is, I believe he’s sincere, and I’m happy I can allow myself to open my heart to a man again.
“Here you go,” says Charlie as he approaches me. After I’m wrapped up in a bandage and a finger cot to keep out contaminants, I’m put to work chopping onion for the seafood paella he’s making.
The aroma of garlic fills the air as I say, “Tell me what you were like as a little boy.”
“I was a handful.” He grins at me as a pan clatters on the stove. “I learned my lessons the hard way too. I was the kid who when the teacher called me up to the front of the room for punishment, I’d pull a girl’s hair on the way.”
I chuckle. “You were trouble.”
“How do you think I knew you’d touch a hot plate? I was never willing to believe what I was told either.”
“I bet that’s also why you’re so successful.”
He forks a cooked shrimp out of the pan and hands it to me. “You too. What were you like as a little girl?”
I blow on the seafood. “I was a good girl, but I was also never satisfied with doing what was required of me and would go a step further. I’m your typical driven overachiever.” I pop the shrimp in my mouth and chew on the savory flavor of butter and spice.
Charlie shakes his head as he steps closer to me. “There’s nothing typical about you.” He leans down and kisses me lightly before he glances at my cutting board. He scowls. “It might be time for you to sit at the counter and look pretty.”
I look down at my irregular-sized pieces of onion. “What? It just gets tos
sed in the pan.”
“And the thickness affects the rate it-- Never mind.” He gives me another quick kiss. “Sit and entertain me with the story of how you got Bellae to be a household name. I have a feeling you could teach me a thing or two about marketing.”
I let out a small huff, but I’m not annoyed when I move to the other side of the counter. “Fine.” I tell him about how I started my business, and he asks questions along the way. Our conversation flows easily, as if we’ve known each other for a while.
When we sit down to dinner, I say, “You are so easy to be with. I could get used to this.”
“If I have my way, you will.” He nods toward my plate. “Now eat and stroke my ego with compliments.”
I smile as I lift up a bite, and the rich flavor of his food fills my mouth. I let out a small moan of pleasure. While it’s definitely about the meal, it’s also because I’m happy. I think I’ve finally found the man who I wished for.
Chapter 11
I insisted on cleaning up after dinner, but Charlie wouldn’t let me do it alone. We worked smoothly in his kitchen and found ourselves curled up on his couch in front of the fire with coffee afterward.
Charlie’s arm is around my shoulders, and he squeezes lightly as he says, “This is what I miss most when I’m alone. Would you take my man card away if I admit I like to cuddle?”
I twist so I can face him. “No way.” I place my hand on his bicep. “I like these arms wrapped around me.”
“Good. I’d like to do a lot more of this with you, Diana.” He leans down to kiss me, and I open up easily to him. My passion surges, as it’s been unleashed, and I climb up to my knees in an attempt to devour him.
I break away to say, “I want all of you, Charlie.”
“I want you too.” He stands up and leads us down a hall to his bedroom.
The walls are a pale blue, the plush carpet matches, and the bedding is brown and slate blue. I reach for my shirt to remove it, when Charlie grabs my hands and says, “Slow down, babe.” He pulls me into an embrace. “I want all of you, Diana. Be present.”
“I--” I snap my mouth shut, because he’s right. I was about to make this all about sex. Mostly because I’m afraid I’ll let my insecurities get in the way, but I know Charlie cares about me enough to look past my imperfections. I smile as I slide my hands under his shirt and up his chest. His muscles are firm on my palms as I say, “Sorry. I’m present now.”
“I find you very sexy, Diana, and I don’t want to rush a thing.” He leans down to kiss me and walks me back until the edge of the bed presses against my legs. I sit to crawl back on it as Charlie comes with me. I tug on his shirt to lift it up before he sits to remove it. The mattress is firm beneath me as I gaze up at him. “You are one attractive man.”
He grins down at me as he flexes in a he-man pose. “My woman likes what she sees?”
I notice that while he’s fit, his skin is looser than a twenty-year-old’s, and as he grins, the lines on his face deepen. Yet I find him incredibly sexy too. This is how he sees me. “She certainly does.” My gaze darts down to his crotch. “And I’m hoping for more.”
The belt on his jeans rattles as he works on unfastening it, and I sit up. I’m no longer afraid to have Charlie see my body, and I ask, “Am I allowed to take anything off now?”
He gets off the bed to lower his pants. “No. Let me.”
The mattress sinks as he crawls toward me again, and I raise my arms over my head to let him remove my top. His fingers are warm on my skin as he undoes the hooks of my bra and drags it off me slowly. He leans in to kiss me as he rubs a thumb over one of my nipples. “You’re incredible,” he says. I let out a small noise of appreciation, and he pushes me back on the bed to hover over my body. I take in his male form as he works on my pants. His cock juts upward, and I want to reach out and touch it.
As Charlie tugs on my jeans and panties, he lets out a sigh. “I can’t wait to taste you, Diana.”
Cool air makes goose bumps rise on my skin, and my insides quiver in anticipation of his touch. I let my thighs fall open as he moves between my legs. At the first lap of his tongue, I arch up with a reaction I didn’t expect to be so intense. A cry comes from me, and I glance down to see Charlie smirk at me before he continues. He’s clearly a man who enjoys pleasuring a woman, and I’m happy to be the one. My orgasm comes quickly, and I quake beneath him as he lifts up over me. “I think you liked that.”
“How male of you to be so proud.”
He waggles his eyebrows at me. “Play your cards right, and I’ll make you scream again.”
I reach down to grip his dick, and he takes a deep breath in response as I say, “Not until I have my turn.” Pressing on his chest, I push him to his back and crawl between his legs. While I haven’t done this in years, I have no trouble remembering how to wrap my mouth around Charlie and make him cry out with ecstasy. He stops me before he comes and pulls me up to kiss me as he flips me onto my back.
A drawer scrapes open in his nightstand as Charlie reaches over and gets a condom. When he’s done applying it, I guide him toward my entrance, and I wrap around him like a glove as he slides in. The fullness, the warmth of his skin on mine, and the sound of Charlie’s moans flood my senses with feelings I’ve missed for so long. And they make way to the pleasurable sensations that can only come from human contact.
Sweat slicks our skin from exertion as our guttural sounds fill the room. When Charlie gets closer to his release, he begins to drive himself in and out of me with frantic strokes, and my climax rushes to the surface as if it wants to dance with his. He holds back and says, “Come for me, babe.”
I can’t speak to reply and let my orgasm crash over me like a tidal wave before Charlie joins me. I’m completely bare to him now, and a sense of freedom throbs in my veins at the realization. When we’re done, we hold each other tight as our heart rates slow and return to normal. But as I comb the damp hair back from his forehead and gaze into his eyes, I realize that’s not true. My heart just took a leap, and I think I’m falling for Charlie Pierce.
I lean up on my elbow. “I should have known that would go well. Where have you been all these years?”
“Getting to a place where I’d be ready for you. Besides, I’m not sure you were ready for me either.”
He’s got a point. Even a year ago, I wouldn’t have let myself spend time with Charlie because it would have gotten in the way of my career. “True. Before you went to cooking school, you probably wouldn’t have been able to feed me properly.”
Charlie chuckles. “Is that your way of saying you’re hungry again?”
My stomach growls in betrayal. “I wouldn’t turn down dessert.”
He gets out of the bed and tosses me his tee before pulling on jeans. I hold the garment to my nose to inhale his scent. Charlie watches me as I put it on. He says, “I know it’s terribly caveman of me, but I wanted to see you in my shirt.”
I smile at his admission. The truth is, I like the possessive gesture, and the cotton is smooth under my palms as I slide my hands down over my belly and hips. “Then I must be a cavewoman, because I like wearing this.”
Charlie steps close to me and reaches around with both of his hands to squeeze my bare bottom. “I especially like knowing what’s under it.” He lets go and grabs my hand. “C’mon. I’ve got fresh berries and cream.”
I’m as giddy as a teenager when we walk to the kitchen, and it occurs to me I’m not falling for him any longer. I already did.
Chapter 12
I blink my eyes open to realize I’m in Charlie’s bed and have the most incredible view of the morning sun over a deep-blue ocean. He’s not here, and I reach over to his side to slide my hand under the covers. I discover the sheets are still warm as if they remember the feel of his skin too.
“How do you like your coffee?”
I sit up to gaze at the naked man in the doorway, and the bedding is soft on my lap as I bare my chest without shame. “If you’re going
to serve it like that, any way you bring it to me.”
“Splash of cream?”
“Perfect.”
Charlie glances down at my breasts and smiles. “Yes. They are.”
My cheeks heat up as I roll my eyes, but once he leaves, I hug myself with the urge to let out a squeal. The pillow sinks under me as I fall back and grin at the ceiling. It’s as if I wished Charlie into my life when I shared my hopes with Chef P. months ago, and I can’t believe my good fortune.
My need for the bathroom makes me get up, and I take a moment to check out my appearance in the mirror. I cringe at the vision and comb my fingers through my messy hair. The cabinet under the sink clicks open when I pull it, and I search for lotion to remove the mascara smudged under my eyes. I wish I had makeup with me, but I shake my head at myself. Being intimate with a man doesn’t let me hide much anyway.
I splay my hands out over my soft stomach as I remember the way Charlie’s lips felt on it as he kissed his way down to between my legs. A tingle of desire flows through my veins, because he found me very attractive, even with faded stretch marks and loose skin. Get over yourself, Diana.
Moments after I return to the bed, Charlie comes in with a tray. He has croissants, butter, and leftover fruit from last night along with our coffee. I say, “Breakfast in bed. What a treat.”
“The fact you’re in my bed is a treat, and I’m happy to show my appreciation.”
I bite into the croissant, and the buttery goodness practically melts in my mouth. “This is amazing. You made them, didn’t you?”
“I did.” He sips on his coffee before he says, “I’m going to let you in on a secret. I adore breads and pastries and almost became a pastry chef.”
“What stopped you?” I pop a raspberry into my mouth, and juice explodes on my tongue when I bite down.
Hot Silver Nights: Silver Fox Romance Collection Page 6