by Becca Siller
“You look beautiful as ever,” I tell her when she opens the door with a genuine smile on my lips and wonder when was the last time I actually felt like smiling a real smile.
“Thank you, you look handsome. Did you like them?” she asks, pointing to the gifts I’m wearing.
I have to swallow hard to keep from tearing up again. “They’re amazing. I can’t believe you did something like this for me. Even before…well before.”
She purses her lips, looking at me for a long moment. “So where are we going?”
I’m shocked she just changed the subject like that. “Uh…” I sputter, trying to regain control of my thoughts. “There’s a really cool pub nearby that I’d like to take you to.” I bite down on my tongue when I almost mention taking Gillian there.
“Good,” she sags with relief. “I’m really not in the mood for a fancy place. I hope they have good food because I’m starving.”
I chuckle softly and again bite back the words that want to burst from my mouth like this is why I fell in love with you, I need you, I miss you or just simply I love you. She’s never been afraid to be herself around me or anyone else for that matter. “They did the last time I was there. I’ll drive if you don’t mind,” I say, helping her with her coat.
“No drivers?” She looks at me with her head tilted slightly.
I shake my head. Her room is on the bottom floor so we’re out and in the parking lot quickly. “Where are Darius and Scott? I thought they wouldn’t let you out of their sight. Riley and Skylar came by the set earlier today but I haven’t seen the other two.”
Charlie gets into the car with ease. I rush around to get the engine started before she freezes to death. “I sent them on a vacation together. They took Darius’s daughter Natalie to Southern California for a few days. I thought they deserved a vacation. I’ve really put them through hell these last few months. This was my atonement.” She continues to look out the window, not turning to me once.
“That was really nice of you. I doubt you were that much trouble though,” I tell her, nudging her knee playfully.
She sighs heavily. “I doubt you really want to hear about it, Wyatt.”
“Why wouldn’t I?” I ask, feeling slightly annoyed. I know I was kind of a jerk when I left a month ago. I was hurt. But you’d think the way everyone acts that I never loved the girl, when the opposite is true. Charlie was and still is the love of my life.
“I was practically catatonic after you left, Wyatt. They had to force-feed me. Scott and Gina showered me. Darius would hold me during my most violent nightmares because no one else could. I was a real mess. Finally Scott overheard Riley mention you were dating someone. So he dragged me out of bed and slapped some sense into me. I owe those two everything.” I can hear the hurt in her voice.
I sit silently stunned for a long time, not knowing what to say. I know Miles mentioned she wasn’t doing very well but I honestly thought he said it to make it seem worse than it was. Clearly I had it wrong on that one. I feel like a total deadbeat. “I don’t understand…you were the one who ended things.”
“Did I?” she asks with a sharp laugh.
“Hell, yes, you did. I would’ve never left you, Charlie.”
“I said I needed space, Wyatt, not that I wanted to break up. You took it there.”
I stare at her with open mouth. “Are you fucking kidding me right now?”
“Take me back to the hotel, Wyatt. This isn’t how I expected the night to go. I think it’s better if we just leave things the way they are. I don’t want to fight,” she says, her voice thick with emotion.
“You’re right, I don’t want to fight either but I want to take you to this pub. I thought of you when I found it and really want to share it with you. I’m sorry. I really thought I was mostly over this but clearly I’m still really angry.”
She shifts back to look out the window. We ride in silence until her phone rings. “Hello,” she answers cheerfully. She smiles when the other person answers. “Are you up for work? Are they? Good, thank you for looking in on them for me; I really appreciate it.” She pauses for a long time then laughs. “Yeah he’s a moose. I’m with him right now. No, I’m fine…I’m sure. I’ll be home in four days. I think Darius and Scott should be home in time to pick us up.” She doesn’t look at me through her whole conversation, and instead she picks at little fuzz balls on her sweater. “Yeah I know, thanks, Ian. I’ll call you when I get back to the hotel.” Then after a quick goodbye she hangs up.
The mention of his name has me holding the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles are white. That pompous pretty boy is not only moving in on Charlie but my damn dog, too. What the fuck! “Ian’s watching Deputy?” I ask through clenched teeth.
“He’s looking in on him and Sebella for us. Julian was busy and I didn’t know who else to ask,” she answers flatly, then looks back out the window.
I quickly pull into the pub’s parking lot and whirl around in my seat to face her. “How serious are you with that douche?” I practically shout at her.
“I told you it’s none of your business.” Her voice is completely calm. “Is this the place? It’s so charming,” she says as she clasps her hands together, beaming at the pub.
I can’t see anything through the red haze of anger. Ian McShane moved in on Charlie the second I was out of the picture. “Please, Charlie, answer my question. Are you serious about him?”
“I’m not sleeping with him if that’s what you’re asking. I’m pretty sure I told you that last night. We’ve hung out, he’s really nice to me, Wyatt,” she says, looking sad and forlorn.
I try to relax by taking deep breaths in and out through my nose. Finally I’m able to get out and escort Charlie into the pub.
Charlie
I can’t believe Ian called while I was with Wyatt, and how badly Wyatt handled it. When he badgered me about how serious we were I felt relieved to see when I said I wasn’t sleeping with him, he was happy about that. That must mean when I asked him yesterday if he was seeing anyone seriously and he said no, that he hasn’t been sleeping with anyone either. My relief at this revelation is palpable.
He leads me into the dark and dingy pub with his hand at the small of my back. The slight contact makes my skin tingle. The bartender eyes him for a long moment, then motions for us to take a seat at the back of the bar. A waitress with springy red curls bounces up and asks with her thick accent what we want to drink. We both order a beer but say to surprise us on the label. The place is so authentic and local I can’t stop smiling. I close my eyes to inhale the unfamiliar scents. When I open them I see Wyatt staring at me with an amused smile.
“You found this place?” I ask, astonished.
“Yup, do you like it?”
“Like it? I love it! Oh no…is that a karaoke machine?” I question excitedly.
Wyatt laughs a real Wyatt laugh then. “I knew you’d dig this place. When I found it I’d hoped one day I could bring you here. I didn’t actually expect it to happen.” He looks at me for a moment, almost seeming uncomfortable. “What is that?” he asks, pointing to the key chain Riley gave me right before we left for Scotland. She was so excited to give it to me that morning.
“It’s a picture key chain. Riley gave it to me right before we came here.” I pick up the purple square and press the button to start the slide show.
“Are there any pictures of my boy on there?” he asks excitedly. I can’t keep from laughing at his goofy smile.
“Yeah, here.” I hand him the chain. He watches the screen intently. A few times he scowls. I’m sure it’s because he saw a few pictures of Ian and me that Riley took at the barbecue with Natalie.
The bartender came over to put two pints of dark ale on our table. “These are on the house. I’m glad you brought one in that can appreciate the appeal of my establishment.” He looks at me with amusement sparkling in his eyes but backs away at Wyatt’s scowl.
At first I frown, then giggle and eventually laugh hard.
“Please tell me you didn’t bring one of your movie star girls to a place like this? Come on, Wyatt, Riley and I are diamonds in the rough. Not everyone is as easily pleased as we are,” I tell him, wiping the tears from my eyes.
He looks at me for a long time, then snorts and laughs. “I’m glad you think it’s funny. Gillian was pissed when I brought her here. I thought she was going to douse the table with Purell before she touched it.”
At the mention of her name I cringe inwardly. I try to maintain my smile but struggle. The thought of Wyatt here with her makes it hard to swallow. I’ll admit when I found out her name, I may have Googled her. I’m not as confident in my appearance now as I used to be before the attack. But knowing Wyatt’s been dating a woman who looks like Gillian Montgomery hurts me in a way I can’t explain. How can I ever dream of him wanting me again when he could have her? I slam the door on my self-deprecating thoughts. Not tonight, Charlie. Tonight he’s with you.
We spend the rest of the evening trying to keep the conversation light and away from any serious or tender topics. I sing a little, making the bar patrons hoot with laughter. It’s nice to have a good time with Wyatt again. He checks his phone a few times throughout the night. I can’t help but feel like he needed to be somewhere else. I decide to deploy my I was up really early and am tired excuse to leave. “This was really fun, Wyatt, but I should be getting back. I’m really tired from getting up early and wandering around Northern Ireland all day.”
He watches me for a while, then nods. “Let me pay, then we can go.”
“I’ll pay my half.” I pull my wallet out of my purse but Wyatt places his big hand over mine.
“I got this, Charlie, it’s the least I can do. Besides I have to make up for bringing you to a place I’ve already brought a date. That has to be a big date foul,” he says, looking chagrined.
“Good thing this isn’t a date then.” He looks at me for a moment before I continue quickly. “Ian took me to an Italian restaurant where everyone knew him and then the Zoo. I think it’s his standard first date. Don’t feel too bad, you don’t have to impress me, remember.” I‘m trying to make him feel better but I think I just made it worse. I sigh and follow him out of the pub, waving to the cheery bartender and waitress.
Wyatt
We drive back to her hotel in silence. I was hurt by her good thing this isn’t a date comment and when she told me about her date with Ian. I was upset Ian would do something like that for her. Not so much what he did for her but that I never did. When I think back, other than loving Charlie with my whole heart, I didn’t do much else to impress her. I never took her out on dates. Most of the time I just wanted to stay in bed with her the whole day.
I walk her to her door, my thoughts still running a mile a minute. She pauses after opening the door. “Thank you for a great time, Wyatt.” The formality in her voice makes me wince.
“Answer me one question?” I step a little closer to her. Her sweet coconut vanilla scent invades my senses, making my body go rigid and throb with the need for her.
“Wyatt, I thought we weren’t going to…”
I cut her off by blurting out the question that’s been eating at me since yesterday. “Why do you still wear the ring I gave you?”
She worries her bottom lip with her perfect white teeth. I lick mine, remembering the taste of that lip. “I guess because…” she pauses, then takes a deep breath closing her eyes, “if I took it off then it would mean it was real. You really weren’t coming back.”
“Charlie,” I groan, grabbing her around the waist.
“Wyatt, I can’t do this with you. Last night was hard enough. I need you too much to be this close to you.” Her words are almost a sob.
“I need you, too. God, Charlie, I can’t breathe around you but I can’t breathe without you. Please, I just want to kiss you.” At first I think she isn’t going to let me but then she tilts her head back. She gazes at me through hooded eyes, then runs her pink tongue over her bottom lip, pressing into me slightly, giving me a clear invitation.
My cell phone vibrates in my pocket, making me clench my teeth. Miles has texted me a few times warning me not to hurt Charlie again and then there were what seemed like ten messages from Gillian. Without overthinking it, I pick Charlie up and stride into her room, kicking the door shut. A few more steps and we land on the bed with her underneath me. She gasps, then kisses me hard and long. My body rockets to attention for her and only her. This woman is my other half. I start frantically pulling at her clothes, needing to feel her skin. She shifts, kicking her boots off, and pulls my shirt up over my head, tossing it across the room.
“Wyatt, are you sure we should be doing this?” she asks between licks and sucks of my lips and neck.
“No, but I can’t stop. I need you, Charlie.” I manage to pull her leggings off, then straddle her to pull her sweater dress over her head. As her dress goes flying, I’m arrested by her beauty. Despite her prior injuries her skin looks flawless to me. I start cataloging her body: her perfect breasts, the way her waist curves into her hip and the contrast of her sun-kissed skin against the vivid color of her tattoos. I force myself to slow and savor every moment with her.
“Wyatt, please…” she begs.
“I want to go slow, baby,” I tell her as I run my fingertips along the swell of her breast. She closes her eyes, surrendering to my touch. “I plan to spend the next hour tasting every part of you again.” She moans, thrusting her hips up seeking my cock. I chuckle and slide off to the side of her, making her squeak with frustration.
She leans up, then runs her tongue along my chest and collarbone. Charlie pushes up slightly, making me roll to my back.
“What are you doing?” I ask her with a grin.
She doesn’t answer, and instead she slides down my body, straddles my legs and quickly unfastens my belt. With a swift yank my pants and boxers are pulled free. I’m lying on her bed completely nude. She smiles wickedly, running her gaze all over my body. I feel the warmth of her touch without her hands on me.
“Touch me baby, please.” Now I’m the one begging.
Finally we lose all sense of control and launch at each other. Her mouth and hands are all over my body and my cock. I rip her bra and panties off her, tossing her back against the head of the bed, burying my face in her cleft. She screams, pulling at my hair, as I suck her clit into my mouth. My tongue delves deep into her wetness, bathing my tongue with her sweet honey.
“Now, please, I need you now!” She yanks on my hair, pulling my head up. She crawls back over me, sliding her mouth over my cock. I clench my jaw, fighting back the urge to come in her mouth. She sucks me long and hard, making my muscles shake with need. Finally I sit up and pull her down on top of me. I vow to have her every way I can before the night is over. I quickly pull a condom from my pants pocket. Despite my urgency, I need to protect her at least until we’re both tested again.
She lifts her hips, fitting the head of my cock at her slick entrance. She eases down, making me curse. She’s so much tighter than I’d remembered. “Home,” I rasp as she settles all the way down. She doesn’t move for a long time. We sit holding each other tightly, trying to ease our breathing.
Charlie
I thought I would never feel pleasure like this again. I’m not scared that Wyatt will hurt me. I just want to be with him. Having our bodies pressed close together, panting and feeling his straining erection pulse inside me, I’ve never felt so whole. “Babe, I need to start moving or I’m going to come from just this,” Wyatt rasps in my ear. I lean back slightly, making his eyes flutter closed briefly.
I gaze into his gorgeous brown eyes, hoping and praying I can see the love he had for me still shining in their caramel depths. I can feel tears threating to choke me. He grasps my hips, lifting me, then pushes me back down as he thrusts inside me. I bite my lip at the exquisite fullness. He feels deliciously big. He continues lifting and thrusting. As his thrusts pull me closer to the edge, he kisses me tenderly,
making love to my mouth with his tongue. I whimper against him as my climax rises. He knows I’m close so he slides his hand down to stroke his thumb over my clit, making my insides ripple.
“Damn it, that’s good,” he growls, thrusting a little harder. With another hard circling of his thumb I explode in a hard, burning orgasm. I slam my body down on him, making him shudder. “Fuck,” he bites out, then pulls out to pinch the head of his dick hard, stopping his impending release. I collapse on my back panting as the last of my orgasm fades. “Sorry about that,” Wyatt says looking slightly mortified. I giggle, pulling him in for a kiss.
“I got mine,” I say cheekily.
“Oh well then,” he retorts, laughing into my neck as he climbs back on top of me. He slides his finger across my brow, pushing my hair behind my ear. “You are the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, Charlie. I don’t think I’ll ever get over you.”
He kisses me before I can say anything. Pressing my legs apart he settles in-between them. I slide my mouth from his to kiss his neck and shoulder, sucking slightly but not enough to bruise. I won’t mark him like that. I can’t guarantee a tomorrow with him and it kills me. I know in my heart I won’t ever stop loving him.
He presses into me urgently, filling me deep. I rock my hips up into his thrusts, rotating them slightly to put the perfect amount of pressure on the tender ball of nerves deep inside me. Wyatt catches on and mimics my movement, hurdling me into another earth-shattering orgasm. He pumps his hips harder and harder, racing to his release. Sweat slicks our skin, making his pelvis slide against me. “Wyatt!” I scream, throwing my head back, riding the waves. This one throbs deep, clenching Wyatt’s thick shaft tightly, making him lose his hold on his release. He pounds hard into me several times then shouts loud. I’m boneless as my consciousness floats back to me and tears flow from my eyes into my hair.
Wyatt is shaking on top of me. He’s whispering words but I can’t make them out. He kisses my neck and face, wiping the tears from my eyes. “Did I hurt you?” he asks warily. I shake my head but can’t speak through my tears. “What’s wrong, baby?”