I wasn’t so sure. “Charlotte, it’s okay.”
She grumbled at me.
“No really, it’ll be fine. Nothing but a bruised backside. There’s nothing Cherry can do about it. It’ll just take a day or so, and I’ll be right as rain.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “And what if you broke your tailbone?”
I pinned her with a look. “And if I did? Cherry coming over wouldn’t be able to fix it. Besides, there isn’t anything you can do for a broken tailbone. That I know of anyway. All I need is some ice and really stout glass of whiskey. If you’d be so kind as to pour me a glass, I’ll get my own ice.”
She didn’t move out of my way. “You can’t have whiskey until Cherry gets here.”
She was firm on her refusal. “And for your information, Cherry is the team medic. That means she’ll be able to look you over and tell me if I need to take you to the hospital. It also means she’s able to give you pretty strong pain medication if you need it. So, no whiskey.”
I bit my tongue, which was a big mistake, considering it was still tender from my coffee debacle. Was there no spot on me safe so long as I was in Charlotte’s presence?
And worse… could I have made a bigger ass of myself in front of her in the first forty-eight hours we’d spent together? What happened to cool, calm, and collected Charlie? The guy who had all the moves and knew how to use them? The same guy who had a trail of panties left in his wake when he chose to turn on the charm? Had I left that version of myself in England? Did it detach itself from me as I boarded the plane with a crisp salute of farewell?
Charlotte watched me like a hawk. Watched me like I’d pull a fast one on her and make a run for the liquor cabinet if she took her eyes off me. It was a little uncomfortable being so closely scrutinized.
I had to break the uncomfortable silence that settled over me. Had to crack a joke or hurl an innuendo to get her to walk away before I did the unforgivable and closed the distance to do what I’d wanted to do since I’d clapped eyes on her in the airport.
It wouldn’t be a simple kiss either. No, we’d gone too far the first time for anything to be simple. Yet, we hadn’t gone far enough. There were nights I’d wake in a cold sweat, panting for her touch. Waking to find it was only a dream. A dream that had haunted me ever since the night we’d almost had sex.
Could one kiss bring it all back for her like it would for me? Would she throw herself into my arms like she’d done before I put the brakes on what was sure to be a night to remember? And why had I? She’d been willing… more than willing. She’d clung to me. Held me against the warmth of her body. Kissed me as if I were the only man in the world. I had no explanation as to why I rolled away from the heat she offered. Why I’d moved, dreamlike, to the door of her hotel room, pausing briefly to tell her I was sorry and I really didn’t think it was a good idea for us to be alone.
But what stopped us then might not stop us now. There was no flight coming in the morning. There were no teammates who might hear us. There was no nagging voice in my head telling me to walk away. In fact, that same voice was roaring in my head, telling me to get on with it. To stop torturing myself and take what I’d wanted for so damn long.
I took one step forward, reached to cup the back of her neck, and then pulled her toward me. She came willingly. Lips parted. Eyes dreamy.
When our lips touched, she met my kiss with equal hunger. All my pain vanished, turning into a need I’d never felt before. I would die from the inside out if she walked away from me before I could know how her body fit with mine. I would perish without her lips bringing life I’d never experienced before her.
We staggered sideways. Her arms wrapped around my back as my hand let go of her neck and slid up, fisting in her hair. She made a mewling sort of noise that vibrated against my tongue. It lit me on fire.
She arched against me, trying to get closer. My other hand moved from her hip over her backside. I lifted her against me, urging her to get as close as she could. I wasn’t going to stop her from taking whatever she wanted from me.
Her arms went around my neck, weight settling against my hips. Her lips never left mine as she pressed the very center of herself against the very part of me that wanted to be inside of her.
“I can come back later…”
Neither of us had heard her come in. But there she was, standing not five feet away, smiling a bit cheekily.
“Cherry!” Charlotte’s weight was gone instantly.
Seconds later, pain exploded down the crack of my ass. I caught myself on the arm of the chair before I hit the floor and clamped down on my fist with my teeth to keep another very long burst of bad words from escaping.
Black spots danced in front of my eyes, threatening to burst if I even thought of moving. Maybe I had broken my tailbone. I really hoped that wasn’t the case. I needed the shortest recovery time possible if I was going to be around Charlotte. And I was going to be around Charlotte for every damn minute of every damn day I was in The Hamptons. My body just needed to get over being injured. I didn’t have time to be broken.
“…think it’s just bruised really bad,” Cherry said from somewhere above my head.
I hadn’t straightened up since she’d broken up what seemed like a very promising round of—
“This will sting a little,” she said with a slight chuckle as she reached under me. With a flick of her fingers, she had my pants unbuttoned. Before I knew it, they were down around my ankles as she then proceeded to jab me with what felt like a knitting needle.
“Bloody fuckin’ hell!” I bellowed, teetering forward.
One of the two of them caught me up before I face-planted. I couldn’t have saved myself from the fall if I’d wanted to. Not with trying to suck in enough oxygen to keep myself from fainting. I couldn’t stand the sight of needles. And knowing Cherry just shoved one right into the meatiest part of my ass cheek didn’t bode well for me. The ground blurred slightly as a blanket of warmth swept over me. It was as if I instantly felt better. I could probably fly if I really thought hard enough about it. I’d take Charlotte with me, and we could make love on a big, fluffy cloud.
A goofy grin spread on my face. I felt it stretching my lips.
“Charlie?” Charlotte said my name, snapping her fingers really close to my nose.
“Yes, luv?” I said, reaching out and tugging her into my arms. She resisted, but I wasn’t letting her go. Not again.
“Cherry, what the hell did you give him?” she asked, prying my eye open far enough for it to fall out.
Cherry moved to stand behind Charlotte, peering over her shoulder at me, and said, “I just gave him something for the pain. Who knew he’d be such a lightweight?”
“You didn’t give him too much, did you?” Charlotte sounded like she was worried about me. That was cute. No one had ever seemed to worry over me, not like that.
Violet, maybe. But Violet was like a sister, so it was a different kind of concern.
What I saw in Charlotte’s eyes sort of resembled fear. And there was no reason for her to be afraid because I wouldn’t let anything happen to her.
“I’m fine, luv. Better than fine. Bye, Cherry,” I said, waving to her as I wrapped my hand around Charlotte’s arm and tugged her toward the bedroom.
“No strenuous activities for at least three days,” Cherry shouted as I slammed the bedroom door, shutting her out.
I made it to the bed and lowered myself. Pulling Charlotte with me, I said, “Put the unicorn mask back on and I’ll ride you into the sunset.”
She snorted against my neck. “Maybe next time.”
“Promise?”
“Sure, why not.”
“I think you’d make a fine mount.”
She snuggled a little closer. “Just what every girl wants to hear.”
“Luv?”
She sighed, but not with annoyance. It sounded as if she liked when I called her luv. “Yes, Charlie?”
“On the off chance you try to wake
me up wearing the unicorn head again…”
“And if I did? What are you gonna do about it?” she hummed, enjoying our banter it seemed.
“If you wake me up with that unicorn mask again, luv, I’ll stab you with my pointy thing.”
I fell asleep to the sound of her laughter. Her warm body was snug against mine. Happiness surged through me as whatever it was Cherry gave me pulled me into a painless oblivion.
MY EYES WERE WIDE OPEN.
How could they not be with the snores bellowing out of Charlie like an elephant had replaced his insides? But even with the noise, that wasn’t the real reason I lay awake staring at the shadows created from the bathroom light I accidently left on.
No.
It was his arm wrapped around my waist, pinning me against him as if it had always belonged there.
What are you doing, Charlotte? You know this isn’t a good idea.
I couldn’t let myself get attached to Charlie. He had this energy about him that screamed heartbreaker better than Mariah Carey’s hit.
Why?
Because, in London, I had been willing to give myself to him, something I didn’t normally do with guys I had only known for a few days, but he turned me away. And then he didn’t even call, leaving me with a journal of feelings I didn’t know how to decipher. It wasn’t because I had never been turned away before when inside the arms of man. I could handle rejection.
It was because everything had felt so right. We had a deep connection. One I’d never felt before. I saw it reflected in his gaze the night before I left to return home almost two years ago.
For the first few days, when I didn’t hear from him, I told myself he was just being chivalrous. He lived in England. He had to be a gentleman. At least, that was what my romantic side wanted to believe. But as the days slipped on and my phone never rang, I figured it was something else. Maybe he thought I’d get too attached. Violet did tell Cherry that Charlie wasn’t the settling down type.
That was the thing about having too much time to dwell—it became the author to all your deepest insecurities. Concocting stories and reasons why things went wrong. Things you’d never even dream of on your worst day.
Maybe it all worked out for the best, because I had my business that meant the world to me, and dating someone who lived an ocean away wasn’t exactly the happily ever after I had envisioned for myself.
I had to be smart. I couldn’t let myself fly by the seat of my pants like I had last time, because it left me confused and hurt, and that was a combination I’d like to stay away from.
My game plan was simple—try everything I could to tame the heat he held in his eyes when he looked at me. Dissuade the intensity of the questions he kept throwing at me with idle banter and childish fun.
I freaking dragged him to the roller rink knowing he didn’t want to go, in hopes he would just get sick of me and realize we were better off as friends. That he was on a vacation intended for Hannah and not for rekindling whatever it was that never happened between us in London.
I thought I had succeeded. Between the accidental burn to the roof of his mouth and the fall that landed him knocked out on pain meds, I was sure it had worked. Positive that the rest of his trip wouldn’t consist of him watching me as if I were a piece of candy he wanted to gobble up.
But then he kissed me.
And it was ten times better than I remembered. It made me feel the whole pop-your-leg-up-while-standing-on-tiptoes thing. It was dreamy and hot, and everything I didn’t want to happen.
What if Cherry hadn’t shown up when she did? Would it have ended the same? Would we have gotten down to our unmentionables, only for him to push me off and tell me he had to go without an explanation? Even if it hadn’t… even if we had gone all the way… I couldn’t… I couldn’t have a fling with him. Not Charlie. Not the man who I had crushed on harder on than anyone before.
I knew my limits and he was mine.
I slowly pulled his arm from around my stomach and quickly realized being delicate wasn’t necessary with the state of sleep he was in. His arm was like a noose around my stomach. It took the majority of my strength and a good grunt just to release myself.
Once I stood, I turned to see if that had woken him. He hadn’t moved an inch. I left him to his dreams and went to the kitchen for a glass of water. I should go home so he wouldn’t get the wrong idea, because if I stayed, he might read into it. And I just might be sucker enough to curl back up in his arms and enjoy the feel of him beside me. Pretend something I shouldn’t. If I didn’t leave, I’d make reckless decisions that would only hurt me more than walking away would.
I nodded to myself and reached for a pen instead. I held it up to the notebook stuck on the fridge and wrote:
I ripped the page off and rewrote it without the heart, put a fresh glass of water on the nightstand next to his bed with the note and two aspirins, and then headed out the front door, locking it behind me.
“UMM, JUST WHAT THE HELL are you doing here?” Cherry asked after she nudged me with her knee.
I rubbed at my gritty eyes, and then pushed up from the couch in my office. “Good morning to you too,” I grumbled.
“Why are you sleeping here? Things not going well with lover boy?”
“Things are fine, and he isn’t my lover,” I said as I stretched and then stood. Bones cracked one by one up my spine. I felt like a corpse coming to life from the grave after a short, uncomfortable sleep.
She gave me a minute before saying, “That’s not what it looked like last night.” I didn’t have to see her to know she was smirking. It was her signature look.
“Last night was a mental lapse in judgment,” I admitted, moving behind my desk to search for the toothbrush I kept stashed within the drawer. My files were still open on my computer from the night before, so I quickly saved everything and then shut it down.
“Right,” she drawled out, standing in front of my desk, arms crossed. “So, how do you think it’s going to work? You and him, I mean.”
A quick glance at my watch told me it was too early to be having this conversation. “Cherry, why are you here this early? The store doesn’t open for another two hours.”
She stiffened, eyes mirroring the hurt in her tone. “Last I checked, it was my job to be here making sure things go smoothly. You, on the other hand, are supposed to be on vacation.”
I bit my lip and looked down. “I’m sorry,” I said, pinching the bridge of my nose. “I couldn’t sleep last night, so I just came here and decided to work on inventory. There were a few newly released collectibles I wanted to order.”
She reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone. “Hey. You ever see one of these before? They have this neat way of typing words that can be sent out into the atmosphere by pressing a send button. I know it’s like super advanced and all, but it works wonders with communicating your wants and needs to your employees who are supposed to be covering your vacation!”
Her scowl, I thought, was real. Like she was actually offended I came in when I said I wouldn’t. I didn’t know if I should feel proud she was so dedicated to the shop, or upset with myself for making her feel like I didn’t trust her.
“Cherry,” I said, standing up to move around the desk toward her. “You are covering, and you’re doing amazing at it. I didn’t come here to check up on you or make you feel like you couldn’t handle this. Promise.”
Her hands were on her hips. “Then why are you here when you should be vacationing?”
It was one of those moments where I wished I had a fairy godmother, a time turner, or something that could get me out of having to explain my feelings. I wasn’t ready to greet them head on.
I shrugged my shoulders and walked past her, opting not to answer. It was my safest bet. My feet carried me straight to the coffee maker in a knowing trance, and then I reached for the bucket of coffee from overhead.
Coffee was medicine for the soul.
“Oh, dear Lord,” Cherry said fro
m behind me. “I know what that means.”
I didn’t turn. “What what means?”
“You always brew blends based on shit happening in your life. Whether it’s inspired by a TV show you love, or some guy who just broke your heart… what you put in your cup is a clear indicator of how you’re feeling.”
I turned the machine on, scooped a heap of coffee in the filter, and then faced her. “And just how am I feeling since you think I’m so predictable and easy to read?”
She peeked over my shoulder at the label on the bucket I chose, and then released her notorious smirk. “Mr. Darcy’s Pride. Hmm… I wonder what that could mean.”
“That I’m feeling a little Victorian today?” I pointed to my knee-high socks that had quotes from Jane Eyre on them and gave her a winning grin that fell a little short.
She pursed her lips, not buying it. “Right. You wear geek-ass clothing every day. Mere coincidence.”
I sighed.
“Even with sucking in literature, I still know who Mr. Darcy is. Swoon-worthy. Arrogant. And somewhat… how should I say…” She tapped her chin, wearing a smile, clearly enjoying breaking me down. “Somewhat unattainable to the chick in the story?”
“Elizabeth Bennet,” I told her.
“Right. Whatever. Point is, who does this blend remind you of?”
“A haughty romantic hero?” I posed.
Her gaze fell short. “No, Charlotte. Charlie. As in, the man I walked in on you sucking face with. As in, the man currently sleeping at your beach house even though he unattainably lives hella far away from here and reeks of arrogance in the lady department.”
“You forgot swoon-worthy,” I added with a pitiful sigh.
She scowled. “Maybe, if he had boobs and less facial hair.” She paused. “Actually, not even then. But, I could see you thinking he was. Because you totally think he is, and that’s what this is all about.”
“Thanks, Sherlock.” I let out another sigh, going into full Disney-princess-meltdown mode. “So what if it has to do with him? Maybe I want a cup of repressed love to wake me up. Maybe it will help me suddenly realize I’m being too analytical about it all and should just let things organically happen. Or maybe it will make me feel like I’m making the right choice by putting the brakes on and not allowing anything to happen between Charlie and me. I don’t know,” I said as I threw my hands into the air. “I don’t know and that irritates me because men are not this difficult!”
When Two Hearts Collide (Game of Hearts Novels Book 3) Page 6