The Redemption (Charlotte Bloom Book 2)

by Richardson, Amanda

  “Alright. I could go for a drink.” Oh my god, did he not agree with me? Did I just completely embarrass myself? I felt my cheeks flush. Maybe I was overanalyzing this. Yes, that had to be it.

  “Charlotte, stop overthinking. I agree with you. I don’t really believe in the whole soulmates thing either, but if I do have one, it’s you.” He whispered the last part. It’s you. It’s you.

  My heart swelled. I couldn’t help but look over and smile at him.

  We drove down a twisted road for a while. I dozed in the passenger seat. Alec turned onto a highway and we drove silently for over an hour. I relished the comforting, just right feel of being with Alec. For some reason, Alec driving was extremely reassuring. I never let myself fall asleep in moving cars—I was always afraid of getting into an accident and dying without realizing it. I didn’t know when I’d leave this world, but I wanted to be aware of it— to think any last thoughts, to say any last words. But I found myself dozing in the car with Alec. I couldn’t explain the feeling. It was comfort… it was home.

  After a while, Alec pulled off the highway and drove up to a secluded pub in what looked to be the middle of nowhere. He parked around back underneath a giant tree and we got out.

  “Oldest pub in Northern Ireland,” Alec said.

  “Wow,” I replied, looking around. There was nothing around. Just the pub.

  “It was a coach stop on the old Belfast to Londonderry road.”

  “Ah, I see.”

  We walked up the icy path to the pub. A wooden sign hanging in front of the door identified it as The Crosskeys Inn. It was a small, quaint building with white, stone walls and a thatched roof—an actual thatched roof! A layer of snow lined the roof as well as the grounds around the pub. I looked up. Dark clouds had started to descend, and it was snowing harder now. Instead of the light flurries this morning and the whimsical snowfall at the cemetery, this was aggressive and looming. It couldn’t have been past two, and yet it looked like it was starting to get dark.

  Alec took my hand and it sent a jolt of electricity through my arm. He pushed a button on the electronic car key, locking the car, and smiled down at me. I’d been so concerned about his emotional well-being today that it had subdued my raging libido, but now it was back full force. I tipped my head and took in his appearance. Today he wore faded blue jeans, a black sweater, and brown boots. He was carrying his jacket in his other arm. He’d grown his beard out a bit, giving him a rougher, grungier look, which I preferred over the clean-shaven look he’d sported in L.A.

  He opened the door for me and I followed him into the dark, cavernous pub. Old, wooden tables and matching chairs dotted the interior, and the walls were made of grey stone. Lanterns hung on the walls, and I noticed that each one contained an actual candle. How charming!

  “Guinness?” Alec asked, setting his coat down at a table near the fireplace. The roaring fire felt so nice against my skin. It was freezing outside.

  “Please.”

  He went over to the bar as I settled in to the seat nearest the fire. I held my hands up, warming them on the open flame. Hmmm… open flames and thatched roofs didn’t exactly go hand in hand in my opinion, yet this place claimed they’d been here for five hundred years, so who was I to argue? Just as I’d gotten settled, taking my hat and jacket off, Alec returned with two Guinnesses.

  “M’lady,” he said, smiling wide as he set our glasses down next to each other.

  “If you say m’lady, does that mean I have to call you ‘my lord’ or ‘sir’?” I quipped.

  “If you want. I like 'sir',” he joked, coming around to sit next to me. “I could get real Irish on you in here, m’lady,” he replied, turning me into quivering pile of human flesh.

  “Please don’t,” I begged, grinning. “I wouldn’t be able to stop myself from—”

  “Aye, is that so?” He was purposefully making his accent stronger, and he sat up straighter. “Oh, yes, I could go all ‘Norn Iron’ on you, Charlotte.”

  “Norn Iron?”

  “Northern Ireland,” he explained. “Aye, we could have some fun with this.”

  “Alec,” I warned, shifting uncomfortably.

  “M’lady?”

  “This isn’t fair. You got mad at me for trying to seduce you in the library a couple of days ago. This is the equivalent of that.”

  “OK, fine, I’m just teasing you,” he said, laughing. He placed a hand on my thigh.

  I sucked in a breath of air at his touch, but he didn’t seem to notice. He just sipped his beer, and kept his hand on my thigh. What was wrong with me? I looked over at him. He was so goddamn sexy. I wanted to lick his chiseled jaw. I imagined the stubble would sting my lips as I grabbed his face and…

  “You OK?” Alec was looking at me now, and I realized I’d zoned out, thinking about how I wanted to violate him.

  “Never better,” I whispered, chugging my beer.

  “Good.” He looked at me defiantly, as if daring me to challenge him.

  “Actually, I’m not OK, Alec,” I said, smiling a small smile. “This is hard,” I whispered, gesturing to us. “Are we still playing this stupid game? I can’t take it. All I’ve wanted to do since I’ve seen you is… well, you know. When are you going to be done torturing me?”

  Alec tilted his head back and laughed. My face reddened. Fuck. I wanted to punch him.

  “Oh, Charlotte, what am I going to do with you?”

  “So… is that a yes? A no?”

  “You’ll see,” he answered, smiling as he looked away. He ran his hand up my thigh and I froze. It went up and up… I squeezed my legs together.

  “I need another beer,” I mumbled, handing him my empty glass. I needed him to stop touching me or I might explode.

  “No problem, m’lady,” he said, slinking out of his chair. He winked at me as he walked away. I let out a breathe of air. I hadn’t even realized that I was holding my breath.

  I ran my fingers through my hair as I thought of Alec in bed. It had been so good.

  My body was buzzing with too much alcohol and too little food. Alec sauntered back, carrying a couple of bags of crisps and some water.

  “Eat these,” he said, and then pointed to the water. “You’re drinking too fast, Charlotte.”

  I pouted my lips. He was treating me like a child, and right now I wanted him to treat me like a woman.

  “Fine,” I said, opening a bag of crisps. Alec came and sat down next to me, further away this time.

  “So, tell me about yourself, Charlotte.”

  “What do you want to know?”

  “What’s your biggest fear?”

  I looked down for a minute, thinking.

  “It used to be heights. Or losing someone close to me.”

  “Not anymore?”

  “Well, somehow when I met you, my fear of heights disappeared. Don’t ask me how. And of course I’m still scared of losing Amara, or my parents, but it’s not like it used to be.”

  “So, what’s your biggest fear now?”

  “I think it’s losing you,” I confided, locking my eyes on Alec’s as I said it.

  He scooted over and came in close to me.

  “I’m yours, Charlotte. You won’t lose me, not ever.”

  “I hope not.” I believed him. I put my hand on his thigh, and he put his hand on top of mine, holding it tight. “I’m sorry I wasted three months,” I said, exasperated. “I should’ve just stayed. We could’ve avoided… we could’ve avoided so much anguish.”

  “You’re here now,” he answered, running his hand down my cheek. “And I’m so glad.”

  “Me too,” I breathed. Oh boy. I leaned into him a bit more, hoping he would meet me halfway. Kiss me.

  He pulled back and I looked away, hurt and thwarted. Fuck. How much longer was he going to make me wait?

  “Favorite childhood memory?” His voice was confident again, playful even.

  “Hmm…” I pretended to be thinking, but in reality I was trying to hide my disapp
ointment at the moment lost a few seconds ago. “One summer, my parents took me to Montana, to this ranch in the middle of nowhere. It was gorgeous. We stayed in this small cabin on a lake, near Glacier National Park. It was beautiful of course, but my favorite part was at night, when my parents and I would take the car up to this overlook, set up a blanket, and lie on our backs, watching the Milky Way. You can’t really see the Milky Way in Portland, and definitely not in L.A.—too much light pollution. It was magical up there.”

  “That sounds amazing.” Now Alec was the one who looked bewitched. In fact, he was looking at me in downright adoration, and I felt my cheeks flush.

  “What about you?” I asked.

  “Well, there was this one time, when I was about twelve. My parents, Stephen, and I were driving back from… I don’t even remember now—some event that my parents were hosting. We were listening to the radio when the song “Hey, Jude” came on. My father started to sing, followed by my mother, then Stephen, then me. None of us can sing, mind you, but in that moment, I remember feeling like a family—an honest-to-god family. My parents were off doing their own thing a lot of the time. We had a nanny who watched us most days, and it was rare to have time alone with just my parents. I remember thinking, if I could remember just one moment from my childhood, please let it be this one. We sang the rest of the song in perfect harmony. It was wonderful.”

  “That’s lovely,” I said. I raised my glass up. Alec raised his. “To the Baxters. To Aedan. To life.”

  We clinked glasses softly, but neither of us took a sip. We just sat there, looking at each other. The energy was buzzing. I felt it everywhere. I wanted to look around to see if anyone else was noticing this insane plethora of vibrating energy here between us. Was it visible? It felt like it should’ve been visible. It wasn’t necessarily sexual, either. It was… soulful, emotional, profound… it was everything.

  Before either of us moved, I heard the thump thump of a microphone check. I glanced up at the small stage, breaking eye contact with Alec to see who’d so rudely interrupted our moment. A band was gearing up to play. At that moment, the waitress brought us more beer. Beer, music, sexual tension… this day had the makings of a soon-to-be drunken story. Could this be any more Irish?

  As if answering my question, the music started. It was a rock melody with a mandolin. Yes… now we were truly Irish. A brusque voice broke out in song, and I had an uncanny urge to dance. I finished my second beer and started in on my third. I could feel the hazy, tipsy feeling spreading like fire throughout my body, making my fingers and lips numb.

  I looked at Alec, who was smiling ruefully. He finished the rest of his second beer just as I held my hand out. Alec took it without saying anything. He led me to the dance floor and I saw other couples starting to do the same. The low light, the beer-fogged brain, and the loud music reminded me of college. I knew we’d be here for a while, and I knew we were both getting drunk. I didn’t care. I just wanted to dance.

  The song changed into a very upbeat rock song with a fast tempo and I felt myself start to dance maniacally. Alec started to dance, too. We’d never danced together. This was a first. Of course he danced like he knew how to dance. Amara always joked that you should always sleep with a good dancer because they knew how to use their bodies in other ways. I smiled as Alec danced next to me, arms crossed and kicking his feet up like a true Irishman. He even started to do the jig, which delighted me beyond belief. I was doubled over laughing for most of the song watching him. The songs kept changing, but all of them were upbeat, and in between songs Alec and I would gulp our beer and laugh like teenagers, falling over each other.

  We soon made friends with other bar patrons. We introduced ourselves as a couple, and soon a large group of people crowded around us, dancing merrily. I could tell my cheeks were pink from the dancing and my mouth hurt from smiling so much. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this happy. Alec and I linked arms and swung around in circles as the band crooned on about “Galway Girls”. We kissed occasionally, acting like a normal couple.

  The band started to wind down. I’d lost track of the amount of beer we’d consumed—at least five pints—maybe more. The waitress had kept them coming, one after the other, and I never even saw a transaction happen. It wasn’t until later that Alec said people there paid on the honor system. You didn’t have to pay until the end of the night, and even then it was up to you to remember how many drinks you’d had. I liked that. They trusted you enough to remember. Their livelihood depended on honesty.

  I stumbled over to our booth, giggling as Alec slid in next to me, smelling of beer and sweat. It was heavenly. I put my head on his shoulder, and he began to stroke my hair. After five beers, the fire was raging inside of me, clenching away at my core and spreading to my extremities. I had hoped that the alcohol would numb me but it only seemed to make the feeling stronger. I felt Alec’s breath on my neck and I closed my eyes.

  “Hello,” the waitress cooed, interrupting my lustful appreciation of my seat companion. “The storm is mighty bad out there. Just thought I’d let you know. Road’s closed. Ya’ far from here now?”

  “Nah, just up the road a ways,” Alec said casually. “We’ll wait it out in the car.”

  It was amazing how thick his accent got with the locals. It sounded like an entirely different language.

  She nodded and walked away, casting one small smile at Alec. The man certainly had a way with women. I looked around and realized we were some of the only patrons left. Alec stood and went to the bar, grabbing us more water and chips. The roof of my mouth was already raw from eating so many chips, but I had a feeling it would be our dinner, so I didn’t say anything.

  When he returned, he gestured to my jacket and purse. I grabbed them, slipping my jacket on and clumsily clutching my purse. I was pretty drunk. I felt my legs get all wobbly and my arms felt fluid and weak. I had a shit-eating grin plastered on my face, which tended to happen when I’d had too much to drink. I felt Alec pulling my hat and scarf on and I leaned into him.

  “On a scale of one to ten, how wasted are you?” he said, grinning and leading me out the front door. I called out to the rest of the bar.

  “Goodnight, you lovely, lovely people! ‘Twas fun,” I slurred. I smiled up at Alec as he led me out. “I’m like a five,” I lied. I was more like a seven or eight. “Will you fuck me now?”

  He laughed and shook his head. We walked into the night. When had it gotten dark? Sometime in the middle of a Dead Kennedy’s cover, probably. I felt my breath catch in my throat from the cold. I tensed, and the muscles in my back spasmed. Alec gripped me tightly as the strong wind snow swirled all around us. We walked quickly to the car, and the lilting beep beep of the electronic key signaled that the doors were unlocked. I threw myself forward and jumped in before Alec had a chance to open my door. I needed the butt-warmer, stat.

  “Here,” he said, turning the key and starting the engine. “We can stay in here for a while,” he breathed, rubbing his hands together.

  I felt the warm air from the fans start to get hot and I relaxed back into the seat. I was warm. I would not freeze to death. I was a California girl now, through and through. I couldn’t handle this type of weather. I felt my seat start to warm, too. The sensation was pleasant.

  “Won’t the battery die?” I asked, pointing to the warm heat. “Or something?”

  “Nope. Engine’s on. I’m not planning on staying here all night, so we’re good. We have a full tank of gas.”

  “How long are we stuck here?” I mused, crooking a smile.

  “A couple of hours, probably. Why?” he scowled, looking at me suspiciously.

  “I know what we can do for a couple of hours.”

  “I was thinking that,” he said seriously, looking out of his window.

  I gasped.

  “What?! Seriously?”

  “You’ll have to sober up first, of course. I am a gentleman.”

  “No, you’re not,” I giggled, an
d he continued to scowl at me. “One of the first conversations we had was about my nipples,” I laughed, remembering how he’d commented on my see-through shirt.

  “I was just pointing it out,” he said, grinning. “Glad you remember.”

  “Oh, I remember,” I whispered. “I’m sober now, Alec.”

  “Nice try. Eat these,” he countered, pushing a bag of chips and a bottle of water towards me.

  I sulked, but ate them quickly. My mouth was really raw now, and the heat was making me sleepy.

  “I’m tired,” I said, leaning back into the seat.

  “Why don’t you take a nap?”

  Before I could register his words, I was out.

  ***

  I awoke with a start and stared ahead into complete and total darkness. I couldn't remember where I was, but then Alec stirred next to me, and I realized we were still in the car, engine on, just loitering outside of the pub. The clock said eleven. I’d only been asleep for a couple of hours. I felt infinitely more sober, almost back to normal. I looked over at Alec, who was grinning at me.

  “Morning, sleepyhead,” he said, clearly amused. “You must’ve been having an awfully erotic dream about me. You kept moaning and calling out my name.”

  I sat up and glared at him, though I wasn’t sure if he could see me clearly enough to catch my expression.

  “Yeah, well, at least one version of Alec has to put out, I suppose,” I teased. I could vaguely remember my dream—Alec on top of me, kissing me, kissing my neck… it had been the best dream. “Did you sleep?”

  “No, just watched you.”

  “That’s slightly creepy. You’re lucky I think you’re handsome.”

  “Is that so?”

  “God, yes,” I breathed. “Alec… I’m sober. I promise I am this time. On a scale of one to ten, I’m like a one. Maybe a two.”

  “I know.”

  I felt him gaze at me through the darkness, and his breathing became heavier and slower, but louder. I realized that he was probably turned on—watching me squirm in my sleep, knowing my dream was about him… I sat up straighter, feeling the clenching inside of me grow stronger as I realized what I was about to say, what I was about to beg for.