Charlotte (Marked Heart #2)

by M. Sembera

  "Kiss me," she breathed.

  There was no thought, he simply acted.

  Moving under him as she unbuttoned his shirt, Charlotte's sighs of anticipation made it hard for him to concentrate. Auggie kept trying to remember not to touch her shirt. The last thing he wanted was for her to stop him but at the same time he wanted to feel her everywhere.

  Breaking their kiss for a moment, he whispered, "I know under is off limits. What about over?" sliding his hand across the front of her shirt.

  Nodding, she breathed out, "Over's fine...over's good," before pulling him back to her lips.

  Pleased with her answer, at least it was something and since he didn't plan on their first time being there only time, he could talk her out of her shirt another day. For the moment, those little red shorts were his goal.

  Bracing himself with one hand on the arm of the couch, he hovered over her smoothing his other hand down her side to her hip, urging, "I wanna hear you say it, Lotte."

  Running her fingers into his hair while sliding his new beanie off, she swore, "Want... I want you," as she pulled him back to her.

  With tunnel vision and only one thing on his mind, Auggie knew he needed to slow things down for a minute. The last thing he wanted was to shoot first and have her disappointed later. Pulling away from Charlotte, he went back on his knees.

  "You're prepared, right?" she questioned as he took his shirt the rest of the way off.

  Her face was flush and she was all kinds of beautiful as he looked down at her.

  "There in my room," he informed, letting her know he was, just as she'd asked him to be.

  A sly smile formed on her face as she reached behind herself under the couch cushion and pulled out a little square wrapper.

  "I gotcha covered," Charlotte shared, waving it in front of him between her first two fingers.

  He almost questioned how it got there or why she asked if she had one, then quickly decided it wasn't important as he grabbed the bottoms of her shorts and pulled them off and her legs against his chest in one fluid movement. Charlotte slid her legs down his sides before wrapping them around his waist. Tucking the wrapper against her palm, she grabbed the front of his pants. Popping the button from its hole as she unfastened his pants, Auggie couldn't believe the feeling it created. It felt like a pulse or even maybe a spasm.

  It wasn't until Charlotte gave him a strange look, asking, "Are you vibrating?" that he realized his phone was still in his pocket.

  She gave a slight laugh as he pulled his cellphone out and tossed it on the coffee table.

  Auggie's cellphone continued to vibrate loud against the coffee table with each incoming text message. Reaching over, he picked it up and tossed it on the floor next to the couch where the only sound was a light hum.

  "Do you need to get that?" she asked, sounding disappointed.

  Laying over her, he kissed her before saying, "It's just Kieran."

  "What if something's wrong? It's really late. There could be an emergency."

  "It can't be that serious if he's sending a text."

  Charlotte nodded before running her lips from the side of his neck to the top of his shoulder. She glided her hands down his back until her fingers met the waistband of his boxers. Sliding her hands under, she stopped when his phone started to ring. 'Somebody's gonna die' Auggie thought as he reached for his phone on the floor.

  "What?" he growled into the phone as Charlotte slid her arms to the center of his back.

  Kieran's voice was stressed as he demanded, "You need to get out here."

  "I'm with my girl," Auggie snapped into the phone as Charlotte gave him a soft smile.

  A bit more hostile now Kieran shared, "Braden's here with a damn heart."

  Auggie scowled, glancing at Charlotte before scooting back and sitting up.

  "Tell him no!" Auggie griped into the phone.

  Charlotte sat up next to him as Kieran reminded, "You know I can't. It's not up to me to decide who gets what."

  Frustrated and torn, Auggie looked at Charlotte as she whispered, "You need to go."

  Auggie placed his hand over his mouth before running it down the front of his beard saying, "I'm coming."

  Ending the call, Auggie leaned to Charlotte and softly kissed her.

  "It's okay, take care of your family," she assured.

  Pulling her closer he shook his head onto her shoulder, "Braden's..." before she stopped him, saying, "I heard Kieran. You need to stop him."

  The drastic change, from we're doing this to my dumbass brother is ruining his life, made Auggie feel slightly woozy and if he was honest, sad.

  "Don't go until I get back," he requested before giving her another soft kiss.

  Charlotte reached down and grabbed the beanie she had bought him.

  Pulling it over his head, she gave him a kiss before replying, "I should go."

  Reaching down, Auggie picked her shorts up off of the floor, saying "I'll walk you to your car," as he handed them to her.

  Taking her shorts from him, Charlotte shared, "I'm punching Braden right in the eye the next time I see him."

  With a heavy sigh Auggie stood up, buttoned his pants and pulled his shirt back on thinking, 'I'm kickin' everyone's ass when I get out there."

  ~

  It took around twenty minutes for Auggie to make it out to Kieran's place. When he arrived Kieran's wife, Liv, was standing on their porch waiting for him. He'd known Liv for about seven years. In fact, Auggie was there when Kieran first met her. She wasn't really Auggie's style of woman although he always thought she was pretty. Liv had long black hair, blue eyes and both her arms were completely covered with brightly colored tattoos. Kieran was smitten the moment he saw her. All in all, she was fun to be around because she always felt like the girl version of Kieran to Auggie.

  Stepping onto the raised porch, all he had to do was look at the expression on Liv's face to know he was too late.

  "What's goin' on Auggs?" she greeted with an irritated tone.

  Shaking his head at her, Auggie griped, "Where are they?"

  "You know where they are," she snapped back at him.

  Auggie started to walk past her when she jumped in front of him, warning, "You can't go in there."

  "The hell I can't," he argued.

  Pushing him back a little, Liv fussed, "What are you gonna do? He already started."

  Narrowing his eyes at her, he answered, "I'm gonna knock him out and have Kieran cover what he's already done with a pink unicorn or maybe a princess."

  "Ha!" Liv blurted before sharing, "That'd be funny but you know you can't."

  Taking a step back, Auggie snapped, "He should of told him no."

  Nodding, she agreed, "I told him the same thing but you know he takes this serious. His legacy and all."

  Auggie paced back and forth for a few minutes before saying, "Kieran should have called me as soon as he showed up."

  "He did, the second Braden handed him the heart, he walked out of the house and called you."

  "Y'all couldn't have stalled him 'til I got here?"

  Giving Auggie a dirty look, Liv fussed, "You think we didn't try? We don't want him to do this anymore than you do. Braden made Kieran feel bad, like he wasn't following behind his dad right."

  "It's just a damn tattoo!"

  Pointing her finger at him, Liv snapped, "You and I both know that's not true. If it were, you wouldn't be here right now."

  Stepping away so her finger was no longer in his face, Auggie shook his head.

  Auggie was at a loss. Furious and disappointed in his brother all he could think about was Charlotte lying under him. He could have been wrapped up in Charlotte, all of her, instead of standing outside his cousin's house arguing with Liv if Braden wasn't such a dumbass.

  "I'm gonna go."

  Liv appeared confused, asking, "You don't want to wait for him to come out?"

  "I don't want to see him at all right now," he replied, stepping off of the porch.

&nb
sp; Walking back to his truck, he turned to see Liv wave at him before stepping back into her house.

  Hopping into his truck, Auggie noticed his phone flashing from the dashboard. Swiping the lock screen picture of Charlotte kissing his cheek, he smiled at the picture, then the text message from her that said 'Nite' with a little heart beside it. Instead of texting her back, he called.

  "Hi there," Charlotte answered in a hushed tone.

  "Did you make it home okay?" he asked, adoring the sound of her voice, low and sleepy.

  "Yea, did you stop him?"

  With a heavy sigh, he replied, "Kieran had already started it by the time I got there."

  There was a long pause before she consoled, "Sorry."

  "Yea," he muttered before saying, "I'm on my way home now."

  "Okay. Oh, I almost forgot, I made plans with Penny tomorrow so I'll see you Friday."

  Disappointed, he said, "Alright, see you Friday."

  He could hear the smile in her voice as she whispered, "Goodnight Augustus."

  "Goodnight Charlotte."

  Setting his cellphone in the dash compartment, Auggie drove home, wishing she would have stayed. There wasn't a whole lot of things he could think of that were better than knowing she was there waiting for him.

  30

  Plans

  Charlotte's bed shook, startling her awake. Rolling over she saw Silvia lying next to her. Even though they had sort of buried the hatchet, Charlotte didn't find her intrusion pleasant in anyway.

  "Do you not understand the concept of knocking," Charlotte griped.

  Silvia rolled her eyes in a 'whatever' fashion as she asked, "What are we doing today?"

  "No idea what you're doing, I have plans with Penny," she replied, dragging herself out of bed.

  Making her way to the bathroom, Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks when she heard Silvia taunt, "And where did you sneak off to last night, Mrs. Caffrey."

  Looking over, Charlotte caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She was still wearing Auggie's dog house shirt.

  After mumbling a curse word under her breath, Charlotte reminded, "Guess it's good we're friends now, right."

  Silvia started to say something when Lola pranced in the room with Jenna right behind her.

  Thinking 'When did my room become so popular', Charlotte hurried into the bathroom. Sitting down on the edge of the bathtub, she had to laugh at the situation. In what world is a grown woman afraid of children tattling on her. She had been dead set against anyone knowing she had anything to do with Auggie even when it was nothing more than fulfilling a promise. Although she still liked the idea of having him as her little secret, she was never big on sharing her personal life. The fact that she was thinking about staying, made her wonder if it would always be this way or if there was a chance of them going out together in public without all hell breaking loose.

  As Charlotte started to brush her teeth, the bathroom door swung open and Silvia popped her head in.

  "Seriously?" Charlotte tried to blurt with a mouth full of toothpaste.

  Silvia gave her a stupid look, handing her a t-shirt.

  "By the way, we're not friends. We're sisters. I kinda think that's better."

  Charlotte nodded at her sister and gave her an appreciative glance as Silvia left the bathroom.

  As the door closed, she heard Silvia shout, "You're welcome."

  After brushing her teeth, Charlotte leaned against the counter staring at herself in the mirror. She wasn't just Charlotte anymore. She was Emerson and Amila's daughter, a sister, a friend and Auggie's girl.

  ~

  Laughing so hard, Charlotte didn't know whether she was going to pee her pants or spit her drink all over the table she and Penny were sitting at. The stories of her growing up were hysterical.

  Like the time Auggie and Braden wouldn't stop arguing so Sarah decided she would force them to get along by duct taping their hands together. After only an hour, Auggie had two broken fingers and Braden's shoulder was dislocated. Sarah gave up and cut them apart.

  Then there was the time they glued Ailin's hand to the side of his head. Sarah shaved his head but couldn't get all the hair off his hand and he spent two days walking around with a hairy palm. And of course, the first and only boy Penny ever brought home, Auggie and Braden took him out back and showed him a few crosses in the backyard, where various childhood pets were buried. They told him that's what happened to the other boys that took their sister out. He was so terrified he sat a seat apart from her at the movies and brought her home two hours early.

  When the waiter brought their food, he gave them both a polite smile before winking at Penny. Pursing her lips into a smile, Penny gave him a little wave as he turned and walked away. Charlotte turned and looked back at him, noticing how he kept looking back at Penny.

  "I think he likes you," Charlotte shared.

  Penny let out a deep sigh, informing, "I liked him too, a year ago, when he took me out. That was before he asked me to call him Ramone and spank him." Charlotte's eyes were wide and she didn't know if she should laugh of feel bad for Penny as she continued, "Which I guess would have been fine to try if it wasn't our first date or if his is name wasn't Danny."

  "How do you do that?" she asked.

  "What?"

  Smiling, Charlotte replied, "You make everything sound good. Even when it's not."

  "I like to be happy. Things happen or they don't and there's no good reason not to look for the best in every situation. I get upset like everybody else, but I never dwell on anything negative because I'm alive and I have a family that loves me."

  "I'm glad we're friends," Charlotte assured.

  Penny gave a laugh, saying, "Told ya, I'm a lot of fun to be around."

  Charlotte swore, "You are but you're also a really good friend."

  Giving her a suspicious look, Penny questioned, "Are you buttering me up for something."

  Charlotte frowned, assuring, "No, I really mean it," then smiled, "Well, there is something."

  Giggling at being semi right, Penny said, "Let's hear it."

  "I was thinking about staying," Charlotte shared in a quiet voice.

  Penny's eyes and flew open wide as she clapped her hands and bounced in her seat.

  "I knew it! Y'all are in love and y'all are going to get married and have lots of babies and..."

  "Whoa!" Charlotte blurted at her before fussing, "First of all, shush. None of that is going on."

  With a pouty expression, Penny complained, "Awe, you got me all excited for nothing."

  Charlotte couldn't help laughing a little at Penny's reaction.

  "Second, I'm still not completely sure, so don't say anything to anyone. But I thought if I did... Would you want to get an apartment with me?"

  Penny looked like she was about to cry as she replied, "Really?"

  "Yea," Charlotte stressed, not fully understanding why Penny was so emotional.

  A happy sigh, preceded Penny saying, "That sounds great."

  It was strange to Charlotte how making other people happy could bring her so much joy. First with Amila and her sisters and now with Penny.

  She was almost one hundred percent sure about staying. The only question left was how would Auggie feel about it. He kept telling her to stay but would that change if she wasn't going to leave. It's easy to say you want something when there's no real commitment involved.

  ~

  After finishing the day off by having dinner with the family and family movie night, Charlotte sat on her bed. Working on Sophia's baby shower present, she decided she just wanted to sit and think. Her visit home had gone nothing like she thought it would. In fact it was turning out not to be a visit at all.

  Deciding she should get some sleep, Charlotte slid under her covers. Grabbing her phone off of her dresser, she was about to send Auggie a goodnight text when his picture flashed across the screen.

  "Hey," she answered with a smile on her face.

  "Did I wake you up?" />
  "No, I was just about to text you goodnight."

  There was a hint of amusement in his voice as he asked, "Yea, are you already in bed?"

  "Yes."

  "So, any chance you sleep naked?"

  Laughing, Charlotte answered, "No, I don't."

  "Whatcha wearin'?"

  "My awesome dog house t-shirt and panties but not the grandma kind you like."

  Auggie laughed before saying, "I like that."

  "That I'm not wearing granny panties?"

  "Yea, that too," he replied, laughing again.

  Charlotte liked the fact that he liked her sleeping in his shirt.

  "Just so you know, I am naked underneath."

  His tone lowered as he said, "Is that right."

  Curling up in her sheets, Charlotte offered, "Would you like to come over here and check?"

  There was a long pause before he questioned, "If I did would you let me?"

  Realizing, she suggested he would get under the shirt privileges, she corrected herself, saying, "Hmmm... No but you can touch me here."

  "Where is here?"

  "Right there."

  "Where is right there?"

  "If you were here, I could show you," she teased in a soft tone.

  "Woman, you're lucky I know your messin' with me. Otherwise I'd be under the sheets with you right now."

  Charlotte gave a slight laugh as she said, "Sweet dreams Augustus."

  "Yea, like I'm gonna be able to sleep now," he griped with a hint of humor in his tone.

  "Goodnight Charlotte."

  Ending the call, Charlotte tucked her phone under the covers with her.

  31

  Marked

  Somewhere between sleep and reality, Auggie felt at ease. The last two nights he'd dreamed about Charlotte but not the usual, he had his way with her kind. Twice she'd disappeared while he was holding her and once his door actually ate her. They weren't nightmares, more like bad dreams that made him feel uncomfortable when he woke. Keeping his eyes closed, he took a deep breath, swearing he could smell her. It was relaxing and soothing until he heard the alarm on his phone go off.