Seasons of Sorrow

by C. C. Wood

“Go on in without me,” she said to Charlotte. “I have to take this. A case I’m working on has the potential to blow up in my face and I need to stay on top of it.”

  Charlotte shook her head, not understanding how her friend could sound as though she enjoyed the stress. She went inside and glanced around. Though it was early, the bar was already packed. She didn’t see Greg immediately, so she went to the bar to order a drink before she walked to the back of the space where the pool tables were.

  As soon as Charlotte perched herself on one of the few empty barstools, the man next to her swiveled so that he was angled toward her.

  “Hi, my name is John,” he said, holding out a hand to shake.

  Charlotte took his hand briefly. “Charlotte.”

  He smiled. He wasn’t bad looking, but he didn’t make her skin tingle just by looking at her.

  “I have to say, you’re the prettiest thing I’ve seen in here all night. Let me buy you a drink.”

  Though he seemed nice, Charlotte was uncomfortable with letting a complete stranger buy her a drink in the bar two seconds after she sat down.

  “Thanks, but I’m meeting someone,” she replied.

  “I’m sure he won’t mind if I buy you a…” He paused. “What do you drink? Rum and coke, right?”

  Charlotte raised her eyebrows at the man. How he guessed her favorite drink, she didn’t know, but she still wasn’t going to let him buy one for her.

  “I appreciate it, but no thanks.”

  The bartender came up and asked what she would like. Charlotte ordered a gin and tonic just because she didn’t like the idea that someone could tell what she liked to drink just by looking at her. It might have been petty, but she did it anyway. She was beginning to hate doing what was expected of her.

  “Put her drink on my tab,” John told the bartender.

  Charlotte almost choked on the sip she was taking. She was coughing like crazy and couldn’t speak. She shook her head vehemently at the bartender, but he just winked at her and started to walk away.

  “The lady’s drinks go on my bill,” Greg’s voice said firmly behind her.

  Still coughing, Charlotte turned her stool to face Greg. She held up one finger to him to indicate that she needed a minute. Finally, after a few more coughs and a couple of sips of her drink, she was able to speak again.

  “Thanks.” She glanced at John. “I appreciate it, but I’m here with him tonight.”

  The man looked disappointed but nodded. The bartender took one look at the expression on Greg’s face and smirked. He gave him a chin lift and headed over to a terminal, presumably to enter in the drink to Greg’s tab.

  Greg helped Charlotte off the stool and handed her the gin and tonic. Then he glanced at John and said, “Nice to meet you. Have a good night.”

  Charlotte stifled a giggle. Greg obviously didn’t mean a word of it. She said good-bye and followed Greg to the back of the bar where the pool tables were located. Amazingly, there was a free table. It seemed the large crowd in the bar was more concerned with drinking and talking than playing pool. Greg started racking up the balls.

  “Go ahead and pick out a cue.” He glanced around. “Where’s Brandy?”

  Charlotte sighed. “On the phone. Some work thing.”

  Greg just shook his head and finished getting all the balls set up. Charlotte went to the cues hanging on the wall next to the pool table. She took her time selecting one that was the right height and weight for her. She was definitely not as skilled as Greg, but she did want to give him a run for his money.

  She sipped her drink while Greg chose his own cue. Brandy came up to the table, breathless and annoyed.

  “I’m sorry, guys. I have to leave. My client was arrested again and I have to get down to the police station. This is going to totally fuck up my case and I need to get a handle on it before Monday or my boss is going to have my ass.”

  Disappointed, Charlotte gave her a quick hug and said, “Be careful. And be ready to come back here and have your ass handed to you in a couple of weeks.”

  Brandy hugged Greg and gave him a kiss on the cheek before she quickly made her way through the rapidly growing throng at the bar.

  “I guess it’s just you and me,” Greg said.

  Trying not to feel nervous, Charlotte leaned against the pool table. “Yep. You ready to get your ass kicked?” she asked jokingly.

  Greg smiled, but it wasn’t his normal grin. It looked vaguely predatory and made chill bumps break out on her arms.

  “We’ll see.” He took a sip of his beer, his molten grey eyes never leaving her. “Care to make it interesting?”

  Charlotte frowned at him. “What do you mean?”

  “A friendly bet,” he answered.

  Immediately, she was both suspicious and excited. She had a feeling this would be a very friendly bet.

  “What did you have in mind?” she asked.

  “If I win, we go to your house and make out on the couch.”

  Charlotte felt her tummy flip over. “And if I win?” she asked.

  “Whatever you want.”

  Those words gave her several ideas, one of them straight out of the erotic novel that got her so hot and bothered the first night she fantasized about Greg.

  She tilted her head to one side. “You take me home,” she paused and leaned forward, “and clean my kitchen, including the oven and fridge. Followed by a foot massage. For me.”

  Greg threw his head back and laughed. “You’re on. And just to be a good sport, I’ll let you break.”

  Charlotte jerked her chin up and walked around to the end of the table. She lined up the cue ball where she wanted it and was about to lean over the table when Greg’s body surrounded hers from behind.

  “Try not to make it too easy for me, okay?” he said, his lips touching the shell of her ear.

  Even though the nearness of his mouth to her skin made goose bumps break out on her skin for the second time that night, she straightened her shoulders and firmed her spine. There was nothing she could do about the weakness in her knees.

  “You are so going to eat those words,” she promised as he moved away.

  Greg came around the other end of the table so he was facing her. The look in his eyes made her want to tell him to forget about the pool game and take her home so he could kiss her.

  With a sexy smirk on his face, Greg said, “We’ll see.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Thirty minutes later, Charlotte watched as the eight ball rolled toward the side pocket. If she sank this shot, she would win the game. The ball slowed and she held her breath. It appeared it was going to hit the pocket just right.

  At the last second, the ball glanced off the edge of the pocket and rolled a few inches away. Charlotte blew out the breath she had been holding. She wasn’t sure if she was glad she didn’t win or pissed off. Though kissing Greg made her anxious, it also made her feel things she’d never felt before. Half of her wanted to run away as fast as her feet would carry her. The other half of her wanted to drag him into the dark hallway that led to the restroom and beg him to kiss her again.

  The lust-fueled images in her mind left her feeling hot and utterly confused. She wasn’t the kind of woman who liked the idea of getting caught. Was she? Charlotte lifted her eyes to look at Greg. He watched her, looking both dangerous and sensual.

  The light over the table hit his face, casting shadows beneath his brow bone and cheekbones. His gorgeous grey eyes glittered. The black t-shirt he wore clung to the breadth of his shoulders and chest. To Charlotte, he looked like a fallen angel, beautiful and dark.

  She had always known he was a handsome man, but Charlotte realized that he had a charisma that drew women’s eyes. Including her own. Now that her eyes had been opened, she understood exactly how magnetic he could be.

  Greg smiled at her as he walked around the pool table. He leaned over to line up his shot and Charlotte found herself holding her breath again. She watched as he moved the cue back and for
th several times, trying to get the right angle. Then she blinked and the ball rolled across the table and into the pocket so quickly that she almost missed it.

  Charlotte stared at the now empty pool table, threw back the rest of her third gin and tonic, then looked at Greg. He was watching her, but the sexy look had left his face. Instead, he appeared hesitant.

  “Charlotte, about that bet…”

  She shook her head, placed her cue on the table, and walked over to him. She took his cue and set it next to hers. Her hand slid down his arm until her palm met his and their fingers laced together.

  “Pay the tab,” she said quietly, “and take me home.”

  He squeezed her hand and led her to the bar. She waited as he flagged down the bartender and paid the bill. Then he led her out to his truck and helped her inside. As he drove to her house, Charlotte was aware of everything. The warm leather seat beneath her hands, the dark shadows in the truck’s interior, the scent of Greg’s skin.

  They didn’t speak the entire ride to her house. Greg parked in front and came around the truck to help her down. Charlotte felt the anticipation buzz along her body, making her shiver even though the night was warm. Greg walked with her to the front door, his hand resting on the small of her back.

  Charlotte pulled her key out of her pocket, not having bothered with a purse since they were going to a bar. After she fumbled with the lock, Greg gently took the key from her and unlocked the door. She went inside, Greg following closely behind her. Charlotte turned on a couple of lamps while he shut and locked the door. When he turned to face her, she was standing in the middle of the living room, her hands clasped together in front of her.

  He stood perfectly still for a moment, his expression unreadable. With a sigh, he moved to the couch and sat down, still watching her.

  “Charlie, I can tell that you’re uncomfortable. That bet was stupid and there’s no way in hell I would hold you to it.”

  She moved to the couch, never taking her eyes from his. “I’m not uncomfortable.” Charlotte sat next to him and took his hand. “I want you to kiss me,” she said softly.

  It was incredibly hard to speak those words. Charlotte wasn’t used to asking for what she wanted.

  Greg stared at her for a moment. She could tell he was trying to decide how sincere she was being. Charlotte deliberately lowered her eyes to his mouth. She was too nervous to ask again for him to kiss her, so she hoped he would get the hint.

  Her heart leapt when his face lowered towards hers. Apparently, her nonverbal request worked. Greg’s hand slid over her cheek until is cupped the back of her head. The drag of his fingertips across her skin made her shiver. Without thinking, she mirrored his action, curving her fingers around the back of his neck.

  As he had done the last time he kissed her, Greg stopped with his lips just a few millimeters from her.

  “Are you sure?” he whispered.

  His mouth was so close to hers that Charlotte felt the air puffs of his words. She licked her bottom lip, her tongue touching his mouth because it was so close. He stiffened at the accidental caress.

  “Yes,” she answered.

  Greg’s mouth slanted across hers, but this kiss wasn’t as hesitant as his question had been. He immediately took control. He tasted like the beer he had drunk at the bar and his mouth was hot as it opened over her lips.

  The slight buzz from the alcohol she drank combined with the heady sensation of his tongue sliding into her mouth and Charlotte felt as though her head was spinning. Carefully, he placed his hands at her waist and pulled her closer.

  Without second thought, Charlotte did something she normally wouldn’t have the courage to do. She turned and threw her leg over his thighs so that she was sitting on his lap, facing him. Greg pulled away slightly as she rested her weight against his legs. He drew in a ragged breath and buried his face against her neck.

  Charlotte gasped as his teeth nipped the skin at the base of her throat, but her head fell back as his lips and tongue soothed the sting. Greg cupped the back of her head again and pulled her face down to his so that he could put his lips to hers once again.

  Charlotte moved her hand from Greg’s hair down his neck to his chest. She pressed her palm to his pectoral, feeling the muscles tense beneath the soft material of his tee. Then she felt his heart. It was pounding just as hard and fast as hers.

  Knowing that she affected him as much as he affected her gave her courage. Charlotte tangled her tongue with his as she moved both hands down his chest. When she reached his waist, she slid her hands beneath the hem of his shirt, feeling his smooth, hot skin beneath her fingers.

  Greg groaned into her mouth as she gently raked her nails across his abdomen and chest. His arms were wrapped around her, both of his hands buried in the short hair at her nape. As she moved against him, lifting his shirt higher as her hands moved up his torso, Greg cupped her bottom in his big hands and pulled her hips tighter to his.

  Charlotte gasped the juncture of her thighs met the hard length of his erection. A wave of heat broke over her skin, running down from her scalp to the soles of her feet. She squirmed at the sensation.

  She yanked at his shirt and until he lifted his arms so she could pull it over his head. With his upper body exposed, Charlotte’s hands wandered over his skin. One of his hands snaked into the draped neckline of her shirt and palmed her breast over the camisole she wore. When his thumb brushed over her nipple, she dug her nails into his shoulders because she felt each motion of his thumb on her breast all the way to her clitoris.

  Charlotte whimpered into Greg’s mouth. When the sound left her throat, Greg stiffened, his thumb stopping its hypnotic movement on her nipple. She mewled again, wanting him to keep going, to strip her bare, and make the ache between her thighs stop. He grasped her wrists, keeping her hands at his shoulders.

  Slowly, Greg pushed her back so that she was no longer writhing against him but sitting on his knees. Charlotte’s eyes opened, her chest heaving. He was staring at her, his eyes the color of mercury and his jaw tight.

  “God, Charlotte. You look incredible,” he said hoarsely.

  “Why did you stop?” she asked. The ache between her thighs became a deep throb. She needed something to assuage it.

  “I didn’t mean things to go so far. I just wanted to kiss you and hold you for a while.”

  She stared at him for a moment. “Seriously?” she asked incredulously.

  He gave a short laugh. “Okay, so I would like to do a lot more, but I don’t want you to do something in the heat of the moment that you’d regret later.”

  Charlotte couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Okay, Gregory Swift, I know you’re a good guy, but you’re verging on creepy.”

  Greg smiled slightly, then his expression grew serious. “I’ve been waiting a long time for my shot, Char. I’m not going to fuck it up. I don’t ever want you to regret a single thing between us.”

  Tears filled Charlotte’s eyes. He kissed her lips lightly and cradled her against his chest. She rested her head on his shoulder, pushing her face into the crook of his neck. When the urge to cry passed, she lifted her head and met his eyes.

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “For what?”

  “For knowing what I need before I do,” she answered.

  He grinned. “Glad to be of service.”

  She sat up and then climbed off his lap. “Now, please put your shirt back on. It’s kind of hard for me to control myself around you when you’re half naked.”

  Greg chuckled, but did as she asked.

  “Do you want another beer or a glass of wine?”

  He rose from the couch. “I’ll take a beer.”

  Charlotte walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer for Greg. After she popped the top and handed it to him, she poured a glass of water for herself and drained it. Then she dug a bottle of white wine out of the fridge and filled the same glass half full.

  Still feeling slightly tipsy from the t
hree gin and tonics she drank earlier, Charlotte sipped her wine and went back into the living room so she could stretch out on the couch. Greg came over and lifted her feet. After he sat down, he placed them in his lap and started to unzip her boots.

  Struggling to ignore the flare of heat she felt at the idea of him removing any item of her clothing, Charlotte drank more of her wine before she sat the glass on her coffee table.

  “Can I ask you something?”

  Greg removed her first boot and dropped it on the floor by the sofa. “Sure.” His hand cupped her foot, his thumb digging into the arch and running up to the ball of her foot.

  Charlotte swallowed a moan and tried to focus on her question.

  “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt back in college?” she asked.

  “Didn’t we discuss this before?” he asked.

  Charlotte just stared at him with level eyes. “You never answered me then, not really.”

  Greg didn’t answer right away, only unzipped her other boot, pulled it off, and gave her left foot the same treatment as the right. This time he cupped both hands around her foot and began massaging.

  Sensing that he was trying to choose his words carefully, Charlotte lay on the couch silently, allowing him to massage her feet. It wasn’t lost on her that, even though he won, Greg was giving her the foot massage she wanted if she had been the winner of their bet.

  “It’s difficult to explain,” he began. “I had never met anyone like you before, Charlotte. You were sweet, sincere, quiet, and you had no idea how beautiful you were.” He drank from his bottle. “At first I thought it was all an act, which is why I took Brandy out first. I figured she was the honest one. It wasn’t long until I realized that you weren’t putting on a show, trying to snag a rich husband. Brandy saw that I was attracted to you and encouraged me to ask you out. Unfortunately, every time I did, you blew me off or thought I was asking if you and Brandy wanted to go out.”

  Charlotte blinked at him. “No, I didn’t,” she argued.

  He merely raised an eyebrow at her.

  She sighed and tried to pull her foot out of his hands, but he held fast and kept using his thumbs on the ball of her foot. It felt heavenly, so she settled down and settled for crossing her arms over her chest.