Love's Embers (Canon City Series)

by Marie, Lauren

  He looked up at her. “Tell me.”

  “I want to come over there and straddle your lap so bad.” She opened the front door and stepped into his yard. She bent over, picked up some snow and held it to her cheeks.

  Charlie put on his coat and came out the door with Breaker on his heels. “Lark, are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I think I just discovered the true meaning of hot flash.” She threw the snow down and wiped her face with her coat sleeve. “You’re scorching hot, babe.”

  He took her hand and they started to walk up the drive. “Lou, I was only putting on my boots. How is that hot?”

  “The way you manipulated the laces with your fingers, it reminded me of the way you touched me last night. Ducky, you have great fingers.” She smiled up at him.

  “Wait a minute. See, I’d understand hot dick or hot butt, but fingers? Hot fingers, really?”

  Lark turned around and walked backwards. She wanted to look at him. “Yeah, hot fingers. The way you slid them into me and how I got to suck on them, was so incredible. I love your fingers, babe.”

  Charlie looked at his hand, and then at her. “I’ll have to remember you like that.”

  “I’m going to have a terrible time trying to sit still during dinner. Maybe I should sit across the table from you. It might be too tempting if we sit side by side,” she said, softly.

  They reached the door of Gran’s house. Charlie put his hands around her waist and carried her away from the door to the side of the house where no one could see them. He set her down, took her hand in his and kissed and licked her palm and wrist. He then moved her hand down to the front of his pants and placed it over the zipper. “Talk about killing, you are doing crazy things to me, woman.”

  Lark could feel his erection twitch below the fabric. Then she pressed down a little and traced where she knew the tender spot would be, Charlie made a moaning sound and his eyes crossed. He opened his eyes; his hand shot out, grabbed her behind the neck and pulled her close.

  Lark felt his mouth cover hers and his tongue dove in and devoured her. It amazed her how quickly he caught on to the subtle movements that could make her heart melt and left her breathless. He put his hands on either side of her face and licked and nibbled her lips.

  “God, Charlie. I think you practiced on more women than you admitted. You’re so good at this.” She whispered.

  “I told you, babe. Playboy magazine was my sex manual for several years.” He covered her mouth again. “You’re going to make me come in my pants, Lark. We should probably stop, again.”

  She leaned back out of breath. “You’re right; Gran would kill us if we were late to dinner.”

  “We can’t rush the dinner either. I know we could both down our meals in under five minutes, but we can’t. We have to be tough. It will be hard, but,” he traced his thumb over her bottom lip. “God, I never want to let you go.” He pulled her off her feet into a hug.

  Lark wrapped her arms around his neck and held onto him. “Then don’t let go, Ducky.”

  He looked down at her. “Lou, move in with me. I don’t want to sleep another night alone and I want to wake up with you every day.” He tightened his hold.

  “Are you serious?” She slid down to her feet and looked up at him.

  “I’ve never been so serious in my life.”

  “You don’t think we’d be rushing things a little?”

  “I’ve been dreaming of this for thirteen years. So, no, I don’t think were moving too fast.” He frowned. “Am I pushing you too fast? I don’t want to do that.”

  She smiled up at him and touched his chin. “No, you’re not pushing. Gran is going to have a stroke.”

  “Does that mean yes?” he asked.

  “It means yes. I’ve been waiting thirteen years, too.” She grinned. “Let’s go tell Gran.”

  They moved arm in arm back to the door where Breaker sat with a smile on his muzzle. His tail started to wag as they approached. He followed them and shuffled up to Gran. He nudged her knee until she started to scratch his ears.

  She looked up at Lark and Charlie. “You two have the reddest cheeks I’ve ever seen. You’re either coming down with something, or it’s really cold outside.”

  They looked at each other and back at Gran. “It is really cold, Gran. It’s freezing, big snow storm moving in, burr...” Charlie said and rubbed his arms.

  Gran gave him the bent eye. “You’re over acting Charlie Stone. Sit down. Dinners ready to go.”

  While they served the meal and passed plates around, Lark looked at him and smiled. “Gran, Charlie and I have some news for you.” She looked at her grandmother.

  Gran set the bowl of potatoes down and waited patiently.

  “I’m going to move in with Charlie. We’re going to live together. I’ll be just next door. I don’t want to get too far away from you,” Lark said and waited for Gran’s reaction.

  “Sweetheart, really?”

  Lark nodded.

  “Well, that’s wonderful.” Gran smiled at them.

  “You don’t mind?” Lark asked, surprised.

  “Oh sure, I want you to hate me forever for holding you back. Lark, you’re twenty-eight years old and don’t need my permission. I’m very happy for both of you. I think you have needed each other for a very long time. I’m tickled pink.”

  Charlie smiled at Lark. “Your Gran is completely cool.”

  She nodded. “Don’t I know it?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  During dinner Lark told them about the goings-on at the warehouse and about the anonymous investor who, for some unknown reason, wanted to take over the business.

  Gran told Lark she was pretty calm about it. She thought she should be worried. Lark explained that there was no reason to get worked up just yet. Ryan Barton was doing a great job and she felt very confident that everything would turn out fine.

  After they finished dinner, she and Charlie helped Gran get the dishes done and everything put away. Lark went upstairs to pack a few things into a bag to take next door.

  Charlie grabbed her bag and said he wanted to take Breaker for a walk. He’d told Lark, he thought she and Gran should have a moment alone, which she appreciated. Gran got a little teary, but hugged her granddaughter and said she couldn’t be happier. She told Lark that Charlie was a good man and he would always protect her.

  ****

  When Charlie returned to the house, he got a bowl of food out for Breaker and set it on the floor. “All right, boy. You get to stay down here for a while and protect things. I’ll call you when you can come up, okay?” he said and looked down at the wolf.

  Breaker munched his food and Charlie felt the wolf ignored him. He did look up from his bowl and licked his wolf lips.

  Charlie shook his head and started up the stairs. He wanted to make sure the bed was made and he hadn’t left any clothes or socks lying around. He didn’t want Lark to think he was a messy kind of guy.

  He stopped half way up and leaned against the wall. He thought how his world completely changed in the last week. Before he came back to Canon City, he’d never thought it would be possible to find Lark again. He smiled and felt warmth spread in him from head to toe. He also thought it was funny he’d never wanted to live in this house again, but he and Lark were making new and better memories. It might not be so bad here.

  He laughed and continued up to the bedroom. When he turned on the light, his laughter stopped and he stood in the doorway, stunned. He’d never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

  Lark was on her side on the bed, naked from head to toe. She apparently took off her clothes the minute she got back. The top sheet just covered her breasts and her gorgeous legs were stretched out on top.

  His mouth snapped shut as he slowly enter
ed the room and closed the door behind him. Their eyes locked and he stopped at the foot of the bed. Lark rolled onto her back which pulled the sheet off her breasts. He could see her nipples were puckered and they rose and fell as she breathed. It was a heavenly sight.

  Charlie thought he may have broken the speed of sound when he pulled his clothes off fast. He crawled onto the bed and stopped at her knees. His eyes roamed down her body and he pulled the sheet the rest of the way off. His eyes moved back up to her chest and he lightly touched the bruise.

  “I didn’t ask this morning how your bruises felt. That was bad of me,” he said and picked up her hand, kissing the bruise around her wrist. He licked her palm and continued to nibble her fingers.

  Lark sat up and put her hand on his chest. “They’re fine, but I didn’t really think about them much. My brain was a little pre-occupied with how handsome you are.”

  Charlie ran his hand threw her hair. “Why don’t you lie down on your stomach? I want to get to know every part of your body and give you the pleasure you gave me in the shower. I want to start with your beautiful back and maybe give you a massage...” He saw Lark frown.

  ****

  Lark’s hand snapped back and she scooted away from Charlie. The fear crashed in on her so fast, she found it hard to breath. The past reared its ugly head and made her chest go tight and her stomach knotted.

  “Lou, what’s wrong?” He reached for her, but she pushed his hands away.

  “This is all...maybe we did rush,” she whispered. “I’m not sure I can...wrong, this isn’t right.”

  She moved her legs over the side of the bed and leaned over. She pulled a pair of sweats out of her bag and started to put them on.

  “I need to go home.” Lark knew exactly why she was suddenly so scared and angry. Memories of all those horrible nights with Thomas, and one night in particular, raced through her head and she felt she needed to get out of this room.

  Charlie’s hand touched her arm and her whole body tensed.

  “Lou, are you still going to move in here with me? What did I do?” he asked. She could hear tension in his voice and his hand moved up her back.

  She pulled her arm away from him and slid her sweatshirt over her head. She pulled the pants up and stood. She got a pair of socks out of her bag and put them on. “Nothing. You did nothing. I have to go.” She stood up straight and grabbed her bag. As she opened the door, Breaker barged into the room and she moved around him to get out. The voices and laughter in her head got louder and she found it hard to get any air into her lungs. She heard Charlie move in the bedroom and when she was halfway down the stairs, his voice pierced through the noise and made her stop.

  “Lou, wait a minute. What did I do? Tell me, please,” he begged.

  She turned on the riser and looked up at him. She wanted to explain to him what Thomas had done to her, but couldn’t open her mouth. “You didn’t do anything, Charlie.” She put her hand in her hair and thought she might scream. A couple of months ago she thought she’d gotten rid of this feeling, but it still haunted her and she didn’t want to think about it anymore. She didn’t want to keep having anxiety attacks. She didn’t want to live in fear anymore.

  Charlie took a step down and she turned and went down the steps and into the kitchen. She dropped her bag and bent over to put on her boots. When she stood up, she felt his hands on her shoulders. His nice warm hands should have made her feel better, but they caused her to jump. She tripped over her bag and started to go down, but Charlie wrapped his arm around her waist and held her up.

  “Sweetheart, please, God don’t run from me. Please, tell me what I did wrong,” he said very quietly.

  She looked at him over her shoulder and saw the man who said he loved her. He was so

  gentle with her and gave her the first ever orgasm of her life. She saw the man who’d trusted her enough to let her take his shaft into her mouth and suck him off. She saw the man she’d cared for and loved for thirteen or more years. The man she knew in her heart she trusted more than anyone else on the planet, but couldn’t get her head to remember that trust.

  She put her hand on his arm at her waist and felt her throat tighten. She looked away from him and tears ran down her cheeks.

  “Lark, babe, what did that fuckhead do to you?” She heard him ask. She put her hand over her mouth to keep from sobbing and squeezed her eyes shut.

  She felt him turn her around and put her arm around his neck. He lifted her legs and carried her to the couch in the living room and gently lowered her to the cushion. He went down on his knees and held her tight. Lark couldn’t get her emotions under control and the tears she’d held onto for six months continued to stream out of her eyes. She felt his arms loosen and he stood up. He went to the fire place and began to build a log pile. Lark watched him through the blur of tears as he crumbled papers into the logs.

  “You put your jeans on,” she said and wiped her eyes on the sleeve of her sweat shirt.

  He looked over at her and smiled. “I would have followed you out into the snow. You know that, right?”

  She nodded and leaned over to take her boots off. He struck a long match and got the paper lit under the logs. He closed the glass screen and stood up, looking at her. Lark saw a ton of confusion on his face and hated herself for hurting him.

  “Lark, I think we need to talk. I’m going to run up and get my shirt and socks. Please, don’t leave.”

  “You’re right, we do need to talk. I won’t leave,” she said and pulled her feet up onto the couch. She put her knees under her chin.

  When Charlie came back down he wore a flannel shirt. He brought a roll of toilet paper and a bottle of water to her. She thanked him and blew her nose. He sat at the other end of the couch and leaned his elbows on his knees. He tented his hands under his chin and looked at her.

  Lark opened the bottle of water and took a sip. She watched the flames build up in the fire place. The tears slowed a little, but still rolled down her cheeks.

  “Charlie, I want you to understand that you’ve done nothing wrong. I’m sorry I freaked, but...well, I have some memory baggage that woke up at the wrong time. I need to get rid of it...I’ve thought about maybe getting help after the New Year.” She let out a breath and put her feet on the floor and crossed her legs. She stared at the flames. “Thomas always had weird ideas in the bedroom. It seemed to make him feel in control and elevated his ego about himself if he could somehow degrade me. He loved it if I started to cry.” She unrolled a few sheets of TP and wiped her eyes, again.

  “About six months ago, I was up in Denver and Thomas asked if I’d be interested in going to a club. When I asked him what kind of music would be played, he laughed at me and decided it would be better to surprise me.” Lark stood up and walked to the fireplace. She couldn’t look at Charlie if she was going to get through this story. She didn’t want him to see how stupid she felt and she didn’t want to see his disappointment with her.

  “So, the next time I was in Denver, he said we were going out. We drove to this really weird mansion up in the hills outside of the city limits. I don’t even know who owned the place, but it became apparent Thomas spent some evenings there before. The valet and waiters all addressed him by his name and it was no music club.”

  She walked over to the window and looked out at the snow as it fell from the sky. “We went into this main room where a bar was set up and I knew right away I didn’t want to be there. There were several people attending this party and the women all wore some kind of slinky outfits, if they had on any clothes at all. I didn’t even really think the attire was wrong until I saw a couple of nude women down on their knees, sucking men’s dicks. There was a table by one of the windows with a woman tied to it and a man was taking her from the rear. There was a gag in her mouth and a terrified look on her face.” In the pane of glass she could s
ee the whole scene as it played out. She lost her voice for a moment and remembered that horrible night.

  She took in a breath and put her fist on the window. “I asked Thomas to take me home and he said just have one drink and then we’d leave.” She shook her head and put her hand flat on the glass. She felt the cold on her fingers and willed it to flow into her body, she was so embarrassed.

  “I know now I should have walked out, but it would have been a long walk home and I figured if I stayed away from these people, I’d be okay. The woman that lay tied to the table was dragged into another room. I started to hear screams and what sounded like a whip snapping. I made up my mind that I’d walk the twelve miles back to Denver and could maybe find a convenience store or gas station to call a cab. And then my knees started to feel like mush. I’d been drugged. Thomas arranged something to be put into my drink. I wasn’t completely knocked out, but loopy enough to be compliant. I don’t really remember everything that happened, but at one point I felt alert enough and...” her voice cracked. Just get it over with, she thought and squeezed her eyes shut again. “I was strapped to this table on my stomach and my hands were tied or handcuffed behind my back. People walked around the table and someone kept saying to be sure to draw a back door number. I had a vague notion what it meant, but was still groggy. I looked to my left and right and on either side were two other women. Both seemed dead to the world. I guess because I was semi-alert and started to scream, I became more interesting to the party goers. Hands started to touch me and...at one point, I was being...taken in the rear and I heard Thomas talking. When I looked up he stood by my head and wore a smirk on his face.”

  She pressed her lips together and tried not to cry, but tears rolled down her cheeks. “Strange hands touched me and...and...” She put her hands up on the window and leaned her head forward. “I don’t know how many men had me that night. I woke up at some time and Thomas was driving us back to the condo. When I demanded he tell me what happened, he said I’d had too much to drink. He never would tell me the truth and told me it must have been a dream. What a joke that was. I could barely walk. I managed to get home to Canon City the next day and saw my doctor that week. I told him pretty much everything I remembered from that night. He said there was so much bruising, he felt certain something happened. The doctor put me through a boatload of tests for STD’s and I finished them last month. The blood tests on that first visit showed traces of one of those date rape drugs. The other tests came out normal, so I was fortunate in that way. I haven’t let Thomas near me since it happened. Every time he’s tried to touch me, it’s made my skin crawl and I want to puke.”