“You’ve got a little…frosting…” He chuckled as he brought his hand up to my cheek and ran the gentle pad of his thumb over my now parted lips. He inspected his work and frowned. “I don’t think I got it all…” His voice was a low growl as he leaned in and kissed the corner of my lips; trailing feathery kisses at a teasingly slow place down to the center of my bottom lip, before sucking it all the way into his mouth. He nibbled on it softly while he tangled his hand into my hair and deepened the kiss. I was leaning into him, craving more of his touch with each second that passed.
Jhett brought his other hand up to my cheek, cupped my face with both hands, and broke the kiss. I let out an unexpected whimper as he drew my forehead in to his. “Any more of that, and we won’t make it to the rest of your birthday presents,” he said between breaths.
I sat back and folded my hands into my lap. “Well, if we get to do that again as one of them, I’m all about it,” I smirked at him.
“Close your eyes,” Jhett commanded. I groaned next to him, but followed his direction anyway. He shuffled around in the same basket that held the apple cider loudly. “Okay, open them.”
Eagerly I opened my eyes and focused on Jhett sitting across from me, a tiny, opened grey jewelry box in his hand. Silence fell between us. The only noticeable noise was the sharp intake of our breath. My hand was drawn to the box like a magnet. Lifting the gold chain from its resting place on the velvet pillow, I held the necklace up to the light in front of me. A delicate gold seashell with a miniature pearl that hung in the center of it was attached to the chain.
I let out the air that was stuck in my lungs. “Jhett…” I finally formed the words that lingered on my tongue. “This is gorgeous. I’m just…speechless…” I tore my eyes from the necklace and back to him. “Thank you. Will you put it on me?” I asked, transferring the necklace into his hands and turning my back to him. I gathered the curls that lay down my back to easily expose the rest of my neck. He reached around me with both arms and draped the necklace so that it lay perfectly in the center of my chest.
Jhett didn’t speak as he clasped the necklace together and let it drop on to my skin. My hair stayed gathered to the side and down the front of my chest as I let go to finger the seashell lying delicately on my neck. I never was particularly fond of jewelry, but there was something about this necklace that made me never want to take it off. Maybe it was the fact that it came from Jhett, or that it reminded me of so many things I had grown to love. Whatever it was, I wanted to stare at it for hours.
A soft pair of lips pressed to my neck, which caused my eyes to close in pure pleasure while I soaked up the entire moment. Jhett continued to trail down to my shoulder while he let his fingertips rake up and down my arms. My body shivered in response to his touch, lighting all of my nerve endings on fire. I leaned back into the arms I never wanted to leave, and felt his solid form press against me. My eyes met his. “Jhett…I….” I stumbled on my words. Why was this so hard? I knew what I felt in my heart, but I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
I held Charlie in my arms, the glow from the candlelight reflected off her necklace that draped around her neck. I wasn’t one for romance, but I was willing to try and do anything for Charlie. That was the funny thing; the whole night was about her, but somehow, I felt like I was the lucky one. I knew it as soon as she stepped out of the bedroom in her dress. I was done for when it came to her. She could have asked me to give her the world, and I would’ve died trying.
She finally looked up at me through eyes that reflected the soft warmth of the candles that surrounded us. “Jhett…I….” She paused, obviously waiting for the right words to come to her. She was the picture of perfection, but the pause in between her words told me one thing – she wasn’t ready to say those three words that I was dying to tell her all night. As much as I would have loved to hear them, I wanted her to be completely comfortable telling me on her own. Not because she felt like she should.
I put my finger up to her lips to stop the rest of her words from escaping. Her body relaxed in my arms and I knew that I made the right decision. Love was a funny thing, especially when it came too fast. There was no doubt in my mind of my feelings for her, but I never wanted her to think that I took advantage of hers.
She placed my hand in hers and brought it up to her mouth, leaving a quick kiss on the inside of my palm. “Does tonight really have to end? It’s been absolutely perfect.”
A grin crept over my lips. “Well, don’t write it off as done just yet. We’ve still got one more place to be.” I ignored the stunned expression on Charlie’s face as she sat up and watched my every move as I grabbed my backpack from one of the tables and slung it over my shoulder. With quick steps I walked around the restaurant, stopping at each candle to blow them out.
When I was done, only the glow from the moon as it shone through the glass front of the restaurant illuminated the room. Charlie stayed still on the blanket, looking lost in her own mind. Her hand hadn’t left the necklace since I put it on her. Just watching her made my heart race. “Time to go.” I held my hand out to help her to her feet. She steadied herself and followed me out the doors and onto the sidewalk of the busy streets.
We waited at the corner of the busy intersection that the restaurant sat on for the light to change and we could cross the street. She slipped her hand in mine, and once again I was struck with awe that she was all mine. The night was cooler than usual, but still warm enough for us to make the trip down to the beach comfortably.
When we reached the concrete barrier, we both took off our shoes. There were only a few people that littered the end of the beach, mostly people walking back from dinner or walking to the bars for the night. I stepped out onto the gritty sand, looking back only to make sure that Charlie followed.
“The beach?” she asked, gingerly placing her feet onto the sand. “What are we going to do here? The sun already went down, so we can’t possibly be watching the sunset…” She continued to rattle off ideas as to why we were there, but my mind was lost on what was coming up next. The plan sounded great in my head, but it all depended on her reaction. The end result could go either way – good or bad.
We walked until we were just a few feet above where the tide stopped in the sand. I knelt down and unzipped my backpack while Charlie stood in front of me, curiosity getting the best of her as she tried to peek down and investigate what I was doing. I pulled out another fresh blanket and laid it smoothly on the sand behind us. I shuffled through my bag once more, and produced out two white paper packages and a lighter that I stuffed into my back pocket.
Charlie watched me with growing suspense. “So I don’t have to close my eyes for this surprise?” She bounced on her toes as she teased me.
“Only because for this one, you’ll need to keep them open for the magic to work.” I took one of her hands into mine and ran my fingers over her knuckles. “You haven’t mentioned anything about it yet, but I want you to know, I didn’t forget it’s Cameron’s birthday, too. He would be so proud of you. He’s probably looking down and having a drink just for us. I didn’t want you to think that you couldn’t remember him tonight. He’ll always be your twin brother.” I watched Charlie’s face for the slightest reaction. Her stare was intense, and she bit her lip, looking down when a timid smile teased the sides of her mouth.
I dropped her hand and expanded the two white paper lanterns, which resulted in a gasp from Charlie. I ignited them both with a flash from the lighter. “I don’t know about you, but I never really got the chance to remember him the way I wanted to. And what better time to do it than on his birthday?” Charlie managed a short nod while she reached out and held onto one of the lanterns with a death grip. Turning my attention back to the one that remained in my hand, I slowly raised it into the air, letting it hover above us for a few seconds before releasing it onto its own path in the salty sea air.
“Happy Birthday Cam. I hope you’re somewhere surfing the killer waves in Heaven. Just don’t be waiting to ki
ck my ass for dating your sister. You were right – she’s beyond amazing. I miss you, buddy.” I watched as the white light slowly disappeared into the night and Charlie wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand beside me.
“My turn?” she asked with a strain in her voice that made my heart ache. She was hurting. I tried to be the strong person she needed, and nodded at her to go on. Her shoulders rose with her chest and she took a deep breath in; closing her eyes as if she was having a silent conversation with herself. Eventually, she exhaled and let the lantern go. We both watched together while it drifted up into the sky. “Happy Birthday, big brother….I miss you so much. I swear not a day goes by that I don’t think of you, wondering if I’m making you proud, if you’d be happy with the person I’m becoming. I wish you were here with me right now. There are so many things we didn’t get to do. But I promise, I won’t let you down. I hope you know that I’m finally happy with the way things are going. It kills me that you can’t be here to be a part of that, but I finally have someone by my side that pushes me, just like you did. It’s weird how alike you guys are sometimes, but you already knew that. Anyway…I love you, Cameron. I’m so sorry…” Tears rolled down her face when she finished.
It only took me to turn my body toward her before she buried herself in my arms, tucking her cheeks against my chest. I said a silent prayer that this wouldn’t end in the way I dreaded. I pulled her closer to me as she sobbed, her whole body convulsing with each breath. The guilt that lingered inside me tried to push its way to the surface as she clung to my shirt. There was always the thought that somehow, this was all my fault. I caused all of her pain. I wanted to tell her that I should be the one who was sorry, but there are just some things that words can’t explain.
I ran my hand into her hair, and tipped her head up towards mine. Leaning down, I kissed the spots of flesh where her tears remained. “You’re too beautiful tonight to cry.”
Pink rose to the surface of Charlie’s cheeks and she looked away from me; a slight smile tracing her flushed lips. “I’m not upset, I promise. Overwhelmed, but not upset. I’m just beyond thrilled that you remembered Cameron. I’ve been trying to pretend like I could be strong and not let it ruin this beautiful night you made for me, but he’s always there in my head.” She finally looked up and pressed her lips to mine, leaving a tinge of salty tears when she pulled back. “I can’t thank you enough for everything, Jhett. This has honestly been the best birthday ever.” Her hands moved to her necklace once more, contentment rising inside me that she was happy.
“You don’t have to thank me. I only wanted you to feel special. But I am glad that you liked your gifts. I noticed you couldn’t keep your hands off of this one.” I took the golden shell in my palm while Charlie beamed up at me.
Grasping my hand, she pulled me to the blanket, waiting for me to sit before climbing onto my lap and straddling her legs around my waist; her face just inches from mine. “It’s just that no one has ever gave me a gift like that before. It’s so…personal. But you didn’t tell me why the seashell and pearl?” Her hands absentmindedly played with the collar and buttons of my shirt.
“You’re going to make me tell you the whole sappy meaning behind it, aren’t you?” I asked her. Her breath was warm on my neck.
“Uh huh. Down to every…last…detail.” Charlie ran her fingers up my chest and down my back, essentially making me putty in her hands.
I sighed as I thought about the true meaning behind the necklace. “You’ve got a beach lover’s soul, Charlie. You may not be from here, and you might not even stay here, but it’s in you, just like it was in Cameron. I don’t want you to forget that piece of you. So now you can always have a little bit of it with you, no matter where your heart takes you.” I held in my breath while I waited for her reaction. We never brought up what would happen in the future – if she would stay here or go back home.
Charlie leaned back as she adjusted herself in my lap, gripping my shoulders with her hands. “You mean when I have to go back home?” she asked, her eyebrows knit together with questions.
“We don’t have to talk about it tonight. There’s still time to figure things out. I just wanted you to have this.” I picked the necklace up off of her chest one more time in an attempt to distract myself. All I really wanted to do was scream at her not to ever go back to Tennessee. This was her home now. But it was selfish to think that she would stay for me, because truthfully, I was scared as hell as to what I would do when she was gone.
“I’m sorry, Jhett. I don’t want you to think I’m leading you on.” I could feel Charlie’s heartbeat speed up underneath my hands on her chest.
“Let’s just save this conversation for another time. No more apologies tonight. There are only a few hours left until it’s not your birthday anymore. We’ve got to make them count, right?” I lifted my hand under Charlie’s chin. A coy smile danced across her face and put my worry at ease, at least temporarily.
“Are you trying to seduce me, Mr. Hudson? And right here on the beach in public?” She straightened her body up against mine, pushing her chest into me. I had been good all night, and now was not the time to play games with me.
“Don’t act like you aren’t enjoying this, Miss Jennings…” I let my hands roam down to the smooth curves of her ass, eliciting a high-pitched yelp of pleasure from her. The layers of clothing between us were enough to drive me insane. I needed to feel the warmth of her milky white body on mine. Brushing her hair away from her neck, I found the fabric that held the top part of her dress in place. All it took was one swift tug and the soft fabric fell down, exposing the tiniest piece of skintight fabric that kept her chest one step closer from being exposed.
She frantically covered the top half of her body with her hands. “Jhett! We can’t do this here. There are people around,” she exclaimed, fidgeting with the tie of her dress.
I looked around dramatically before tearing her hands away from the red fabric. “I don’t see anyone….And right now, there’s only a few more layers of clothes between me and what you’ve had me thinking about since the night began, and I fully intend to make that screaming happen.” I could sense the urgency coming through my voice as I spoke, but the burning in her eyes told me that she felt the same way.
Without any more hesitation on Charlie’s part, her hands went to work on my belt, letting it out just enough so that she could undo the button and zipper of my pants with ease. I loved when she was like this. She was no longer the nervous girl I met a few months ago. She was the woman who wanted me just as much as I wanted her.
I laid back against the blanket in the sand, lifting my hips with little prompting from Charlie as she wiggled my pants off my hips and down my legs. I couldn’t stand one more second of her being so far away from me. Sitting up, I grabbed her by the hips and pulled her back on top of me, the ends of her dress flowing around us. She snatched my wrists and brought them up above my head like I often did to her, and laid her body on top of mine.
Her mouth crashed down on my own; the hunger we had for each other was never more intense. I wanted to taste every inch of her mouth as her tongue slid in and out of mine. I couldn’t get enough of her sweet flavor. She pulled back just long enough to flash me one of her enticing lip-biting smiles, before she dipped back down and found the spot right under my ear; biting it softly.
This time it was my turn to let out a moan of pleasure. I fought my hands loose from her grip and reached under her dress to the soft flesh of her thighs, digging my nails into the curves I wanted so badly to be exposed. My hand ran around the side of her hip and up the inside of her leg, seeking out the last piece of fabric that stopped me from being inside her…but found only the soft folds of her skin.
“No panties?” I asked her, as she sat up and let out a soft giggle. She didn’t need words to respond. Instead, she lifted herself up slightly before easing herself down onto me. I pushed the stray curls of hair behind her ear. “God, you’re beautiful,” I whispered to her
, as the moonlight shone down and illuminated her body in all the right places.
She rocked her hips against mine, our eyes locked together as we moved in sync with one another. She let out a raspy moan and fell against my chest, while her hands held on to the back of my neck. The entire time, I felt like I was watching it happen to someone else. I was never more in awe, or in love, with Charlie.
Her breath was hot and sticky against my cheek as she rocked faster against me. In between her moans she left damp, sweaty kisses along my jawline. “I love you,” she finally whispered into my ear, and I felt her body give way as she entered into her own world of passion.
Her words were all I needed to send me over the edge. “I love you, too, Charlie,” was all I could manage between my ragged breaths as I turned myself over to the ecstasy she brought me.
I wasn’t sure how long we laid like that, Charlie on top of me; neither of us wanted the moment to end. When her breathing eventually mellow out, she let herself fall against my side and rested her head on my chest. I managed to slip my pants back on quickly enough to still enjoy the feeling of passion that lingered in the air from the words that we exchanged.
“Did you really mean it?” Charlie finally broke the silence, her voice quiet and shaky.
I pulled her closer to me, still craving as much contact with her as possible. “I’ve never meant anything more in my life. Those aren’t words I just throw around loosely,” I told her.
“Good. Because you’re the first guy to ever hear them from me.” She gave my hand a gentle squeeze.
“I wouldn’t change that for the world, Charlie.” A smile she would never see spread across my face. I looked out into the sky, thanking all my lucky stars for bringing her to me.
The faint sound of laughter drifted over me and I stretched my leg up and over Jhett’s. Reflexively, he wrapped me tighter in his arms, tucking me closer into him. I wasn’t ready to get up and have last night officially come to an end.
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