“Aw, did you miss me?” she asked in a syrupy sweet voice.
“No, I’m mad at you,” he said with a sniffle.
“Would it make you feel better if I said that I was sorry again?”
“No.”
“What if I told you that I missed you?” she said, which had him turning his head so that he could glare at her.
“Don’t lie to me, woman,” he bit out with a glare that told her how he felt about her trying to patronize him.
“Or that I thought about you all day?” Charlie offered with the sweetest fucking smile.
“I don’t need your pity,” Devin said, once again turning his head away from the cruel woman that was playing with his emotions.
There was a pause and then a long-drawn-out sigh that had him turning his head and…
“What are you doing?” he found himself asking as he watched her slowly unsnap her pants as she toed off her shoes.
“Relaxing after a long day,” Charlie said, wiggling out of her jeans as he laid there, forced to bite back a groan as he watched her slowly reveal a pair of soft white cotton panties and short golden legs.
He watched as she grabbed the large blanket that she liked to keep on the couch for snuggling, pulled it around her shoulders seconds before she fucking destroyed him by climbing onto the couch and laying on top of him with a satisfied sigh as she grabbed the television remote off the coffee table and-
Promptly ignored him.
Chapter 27
“Do you not care that I’m no longer speaking to you?” the man that she was using as a mattress demanded as he wrapped his arms around her and pressed a kiss against the top of her head as she debated between starting another Harry Potter marathon or watching something that would probably give her nightmares.
“I do. I really do, but watching movies helps dull the pain,” she murmured absently as she scrolled through the horror movie options on Amazon only to end up turning her head so that she could glare at the man that had plucked the remote out of her hand.
“I demand a do-over,” Devin said, making her frown as he tossed the remote aside.
“What are you talking about?” Charlie asked, unable to help but notice just how good he felt as she shifted to get more comfortable.
“I want another chance to make this right,” he said, pushing a loose strand of her hair back behind her ear.
“You’ve lost me,” she said, frowning at the incredibly handsome man that she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about all day.
“Our first date,” he said softly as he wrapped his arm back around her.
“What about it?”
“I want a do-over.”
“But we’ve already moved onto the second date?” Charlie pointed out.
“We have?” he asked, looking adorably confused.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Five minutes ago,” Charlie said with a sad shake of her head and a mumbled, “I’m really going to need you to keep up here.”
“Isn’t it a little too soon for a second date?”
“It’s never too soon for a second date,” she said, only to ask, “How long has it been since you went on a date?”
“A little over seven years,” Devin admitted with a rueful smile.
“That explains it,” she said with a sympathetic wince.
“That explains what?”
Sighing sadly, she said, “Things have changed.”
“Have they?” he murmured as he ran his hands over her back.
“They really have,” she promised him.
“Then I guess you’re going to have to catch me up,” Devin said as one his hands snaked beneath her shirt and ran over her back.
“I suppose I could do that,” Charlie said, placing her hands on the armrest so that she was leaning over him.
“What am I supposed to do now?” he asked, looking up at her as his other hand found its way beneath her shirt.
“You’re supposed to kiss me.”
“Is that what I’m supposed to do?” he murmured as his gaze moved to her mouth.
“According to the new guidelines,” she said, leaning down closer as the blanket slid down her back to pool around her waist.
“And we don’t want to ignore the new guidelines,” Devin said as he ran his hands higher so that he could pull her closer.
“We really don’t,” she whispered as her lips brushed against his.
He took his time kissing her, brushing his lips against hers as his hands continued to run over her back, encouraging her to move even closer. This was what she’d thought about all day. It was the way that he made her feel when she was in his arms that had her struggling to focus. When she should have been paying attention and trying to figure out how she was going to get Dabbi up and running within the year, she’d been thinking about Devin. She thought about how much she missed him, how much she liked the way that he touched her, the way that he kissed her, and just how badly she wanted to be back in his arms.
That was the problem.
She loved her job and could happily work for Bradford Creations for the rest of her life, but she wanted more. She wanted another challenge. When Devin hired her, Bradford Creations had been gaining attention through his Uncle’s website, but that was it. The Facebook page had been created a year earlier and abandoned almost immediately. The website had been nothing more than a notice that the site was under construction and that had been pretty much it.
At that point Bradford Creations had relied heavily on word of mouth around town and with Bradford Furniture customers. He’d been able to sell enough furniture to pay the bills and hire a few part-time employees, but that had been it. The night before her interview, she’d done her research, scoped out the competition, checked out Bradford Creations’ reviews online, and made a plan. She’d stayed up all night creating a marketing plan, excited to see if she could pull it off and when he told her the job was hers, she’d set to work.
It had taken her a year to really get Bradford Creations established, but it had been worth it and now…
Now she wanted to do it again.
She loved the excitement that came from building something out of nothing and the challenge of making another company go viral. She wanted to do more and the problem was that there really wasn’t a lot more that she could do for Bradford Creations. All it required now was to stay relevant, post eye catching pictures, create irresistible products, provide fresh blog content, and continue interacting with Bradford Creations followers.
She needed more, but…
She also needed this, Charlie thought, realizing that she was going to have to figure out a way to make this work. Definitely going to have to figure out a way to make this work, she decided as she settled more comfortably on top of him only to moan when the move caused the large bulge between his legs to rub against her.
“How slow do you want to go?” Devin whispered against her lips as his hands slowly slid down her back and over her bottom.
“Did I not mention that I like to be worshipped?” she whispered back as she slid back, rubbing against the bulge that felt so damn good.
“I believe that was mentioned,” Devin murmured as his hands gently grabbed hold of her bottom and encouraged her to keep moving. “Is this okay?”
“More than okay,” Charlie said, moaning softly as she took her time moving on him, savoring every hard inch pressed against her.
“Why don’t we take this to your bedroom?” Devin asked, already moving to sit up.
“Will you carry me?” she asked, loving the way that his lips twitched against hers as he wrapped his arms around her.
“Do I have a choice?” he asked as he stood up slowly, giving her a chance to wrap her legs around him.
“Do you ever?” she asked as she found her eyes closing as her head dropped back on a moan when he pressed a kiss against her throat.
“No,” Devin groaned, not really sounding all that upset about it as one of his
hands found her bottom again and gave it another squeeze as he pulled her tightly against him so that she could feel just how badly he wanted her.
When he carried her into her bedroom, she expected him to lay her down on her bed. Instead, he tightened his hold around her as he took his time kissing his way back up to her mouth as the hand on her bottom slid down between her legs and-
“Oh, god,” Charlie whimpered on a moan when she felt his fingers move over her.
“You have no idea how many times I’ve imagined touching you,” Devin said on a groan before he took her mouth in a kiss that turned hungry as soon as their lips touched.
This kiss was different. It had her shifting in his arms, struggling to get closer to him, needing to get closer to him. His name was ripped from her lips in a desperate plea as he pressed harder until his fingers were sliding between her slit, pressing the soft cotton against her clit as she felt herself getting wet.
“That’s it,” Devin said approvingly, groaning against her mouth as his fingers moved over the thin, damp material, forcing her to break off the kiss so that she could bury her face against his neck, gasping as he worked his fingers over her, making her squirm as her fingers dug into his shoulders until she couldn’t fight it any longer.
“Devin, please,” Charlie moaned against his neck as she felt him move, carrying her further into the room as tension slowly began building deep inside her.
Before she could wonder what he was doing, she found herself straddling his lap in the oversized chair that he kept in here. As soon as her knees touched the soft leather seat, she was moving on him. She wasn’t sure if it was because he’d grabbed hold of her bottom and was encouraging her to move and she didn’t care, not when it felt this good.
God, she’d never been this turned on before, Charlie thought as she pressed a kiss against his neck before she leaned back only to moan when Devin took her mouth in a hard kiss that had her wrapping her arms around him. Using her hold on him, she continued moving, rolling her hips back and forth, sliding over the hard ridge of his erection as it pressed tightly against his fly.
She hadn’t realized just how much she’d missed sex until that moment. Had it really been since college? Charlie absently wondered on a moan when she felt Devin’s hands slide down the back of her panties and gave her bottom a squeeze. Probably, she thought as Devin used his hold on her to move her against him. She’d dated over the years, but she’d never been tempted for more.
With Devin…
Charlie had a bad feeling that she was never going to be able to get enough of him. She wanted him. God, did she want him. He was incredibly sexy, kind, sweet, and so much fun to torment, she thought, only to whimper when he suckled on her tongue in a move that had her pressing down harder against him, desperate for more.
They had to take this slowly, Charlie reminded herself, repeating it over and over again in her head to stop herself from begging him for more, but god, she was tempted. More than tempted to beg him to bend her over and-
Found herself moaning his name when the next roll of her hips caused the hard ridge of his erection to push between her lips, causing her clit to rub against him with every roll of her hips only to gasp with every roll back when the move teased her, leaving her feeling empty and desperate for more. The incredibly sexy groans that he was making when she did it wasn’t helping.
It was making her desperate for more, made her roll her hips harder, faster until-
“Oh, god!” she moaned as her head dropped back when Devin tightened his hold on her as he spread his legs further apart and-
“Fuck!” Devin groaned, burying his face against her neck as he brought his hips up, grinding against her as the tension finally exploded, sending wave after wave of pleasure throughout her body, forcing her to bite her lip to stop herself from screaming his name as Devin moaned hers.
Chapter 28
He should probably be embarrassed that she’d had him coming in his pants like a kid, but god, the way she’d moved on him…
He wanted more.
His cock jerked in anticipation as he thought about the way it felt to have her rubbing against him, grinding on him as she released the sexiest little moans that he’d ever heard. When she’d gasped his name, Devin had fucking lost it. He’d come harder than he had in years and it was all because of the adorable woman curled up, fast asleep in her bed.
She was so fucking beautiful, Devin thought as he sat down on the bed next to her. He’d meant to come down earlier, but after last night and spending all day with the kids, he really needed to get some work done. He’d been contracted to design a large-scale bookshelf meant for an architect in Germany that he needed to finish. He’d barely had a chance to tell the kids that he couldn’t watch a movie with them this afternoon when Charlie was telling him not to worry about it.
Deciding that he’d make it up to her later, Devin headed upstairs to his office and spent the next eight hours trying to figure out the best way to create a secret passageway that would lead to a reading nook in an eighteenth century manor that blended in with the architecture without giving anything away. It wasn’t the first design that he’d been commissioned to create over the years, but it was definitely one of the most challenging.
Before he knew it, it was after midnight and he’d realized that he’d worked through dinner and the kids’ bedtime. He’d finished saving his work and went to check on the kids to find them tucked in bed, fast asleep. A quick stop in the kitchen let him know that Charlie had saved him dinner before he headed to her apartment, hoping that she was still awake only find her curled up with her iPad, fast asleep.
As much as he wanted her, and god, did he fucking want her, he should let her sleep, Devin decided as he leaned over and kissed her cheek. Definitely let her sleep, he thought, resigning himself to a cold shower as he moved to stand up only to feel his lips twitch as he watched her small hand grab hold of his shirt.
“Are you here to worship me?” came the sleepily mumbled question that had him smiling as she used her hold on his shirt to pull him closer.
“Do you want me to be?” Devin asked, obediently leaning down to brush his lips against hers.
“Always,” Charlie murmured, reaching up to cup his jaw as she brushed her lips teasingly against his.
“I want to do this right this time,” he said, brushing his lips against hers one last time before pulling away.
“What did you have in mind?” she asked as she released the hold on his shirt to reach up and run her fingertips over his jaw.
“I thought we’d grab that bottle of wine that I still have chilling in the fridge, grab a blanket and go outside, and put the firepit to good use. What do you think?” Devin asked, turning his head so that he could press a kiss against her palm.
“I suppose we could do that,” Charlie said, smiling as she sat up so that she could kiss him.
“I just have to go check on the twins first to make sure that they’re still sleeping, but I’ll be right back in a few minutes,” Devin said, kissing her one last time as he moved to stand up only to pause to add, “Don’t go anywhere.”
“I think I can handle that,” she said, nodding solemnly.
“Give me five minutes,” Devin said, giving her one last kiss before heading for the door and quickly made his way upstairs.
As he walked into Abbi’s room, he tried to remember if he had any wine glasses only to wonder if Charlie had any when he realized that the closest thing that he had to wine glasses was Abbi’s Disney princess cups. He should pick some up, Devin decided as he made his way into his son’s room. Once he made sure that his children were asleep, he quietly stepped into the hallway and found himself wondering why his bedroom door was open.
Curious, Devin walked into his bedroom. When he spotted his bathroom light on, he carefully closed his bedroom door and walked into his bathroom just as Charlie finished wrapping one of his towels around herself.
“I thought you were going to wait for me,”
Devin said as he closed the bathroom door behind him.
“I was, but then, I thought that I would make this easier for you,” Charlie said, shooting him a smile as she reached inside the shower and turned it on.
“That’s very considerate of you,” he murmured, slowly exhaling as he took in the beautiful woman standing before him.
“I try my best,” Charlie murmured as she adjusted the temperature while he stood there, watching her even as he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d ever been this fucking nervous before.
“So, I was thinking,” she said as she dried her hands on the towel hanging by the shower.
“What about?” he asked absently as he watched her.
“I want to try something different with the website and Facebook. I was thinking of adding some pictures of you with the kids to give it a more personal touch,” she explained as she returned her attention to the shower.
“Do whatever you want,” he said, slowly exhaling as he watched her pick up his bottle of body wash and examined it.
“Are you sure?” Charlie asked, sending him a questioning look over her shoulder.
“Yes,” he said, admittedly distracted at the moment as he ran his eyes over her, taking in every detail from her curly dark brown hair pulled into a messy bun, down to her slender neck, her shoulders, and-
“Are you going to join me?” Charlie asked as she reached up and pulled her towel off, dropping it to the floor as he stood there trying to make sense out of what she’d said and once he did…
“Shit!” he bit out, struggling to pull his belt loose but his hands wouldn’t fucking cooperate.
“Here,” Charlie said softly, gently pushing his hands away so that she could pull his belt loose for him.
When he went to take over, she shook her head as she unsnapped his pants. She slowly worked his zipper down as he watched her. She was so fucking beautiful, Devin thought as she reached for his shirt. Keeping her eyes locked with his, she took her time unbuttoning his shirt until the last button was released.
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