“Sunflower, I’m enjoying having you in my arms. You’re here with me, we’re with family, some of them dance like monkeys with a wild bout of fleas, but do you see anyone caring?”
She glanced around in time to see one of Mikki’s sisters prance past with her partner, the sister completely out of step with the beat but having such a wow of a time that she was waving her arms around in the air.
Cole was doing some sort of wild man dance with Mikki’s youngest sister who was thrusting her hips around and doing her best to impress him.
Charley smiled slightly. “Okay, I get your point.”
“Let go, Charley. I’ve got you.”
It didn’t happen immediately, but over the course of several songs she loosened, losing her self-consciousness, giving herself up to the music and trusting Blue to help her.
By the time Luke cut in, all she threw at him was, “I can’t dance!”
“I know!” Luke yelled back above the music. “I saw! I don’t care!”
Blue didn’t have time to watch because Mikki grabbed his hand. “Luke stole your plus one, so I’m stealing you.”
“Honoured, Mrs Wells, ma’am.” Blue snapped a salute, grabbed her in a bear hug, and then boogied with her to the music.
Mikki was a way better dancer, as were several other girls who took their turns, but Blue much preferred dancing with Charley, especially when he spotted her on the other side of the dance floor dancing with Cole, both of them hopeless, both laughing so hard.
Charley was enjoying herself with no idea that her infectious laugh, her happiness, was drawing people to her. In fact, she had no idea that people liked her.
She certainly had no idea that she fit right into the Wells and Horton mob perfectly.
And as Blue watched her, she slipped right into a special corner of his heart.
By the time she was back in his arms, she was having so much fun she didn’t care that she stepped right onto his foot and almost unmanned him with a wayward knee.
Laughing, shaking his head, Blue just gathered her close and enjoyed being with her.
As the evening went into night and grew late, the music toned down until the last dance was called by Mikki’s brother.
Resting his cheek on top of Charley's head, liking the way she leaned into him, Blue swayed gently, knowing he’d take this memory back to the Army base when he left. But he refused to dwell on the separation, living for the moment, knowing the time to part would come but living in the present, knowing he had a few weeks left to spend with her.
For the first time in his life he realised he had one regret about going back to his military life, and that was leaving Charley behind. He hadn’t worried too much with his other girlfriends, had kissed them goodbye and flown out, but Charley was different.
Different because she was just…Charley. His little Sunflower.
Closing his eyes, he continued to sway, holding her close, inhaling deeply of her light, floral scent. Her soft curves fit so perfectly against his harder, bigger body.
Never going to let you go, Sunflower.
~*~
Kicking off her shoes as she walked into the house, Charley stooped to pick them up before continuing to pad through the hall in bare feet.
Kitty appeared around the corner of the kitchen, tail up, eyes wide as she gave a beseeching meow.
“Okay, baby.” Charley stooped to pat her. “I’ll come and give you something to eat.”
Behind her, Blue shut and locked the door. “Yes, starving because she hasn’t been fed since before we left and I only left one big bowl of biscuits for her.”
Charley flashed him a grin over her shoulder. “Maybe she just fancies some fish.”
“That cat has a fish fetish.” He rubbed the tabby and white behind her ears, rewarded by her purr. “I can feed Kitty if you want to go to bed.”
“No, it’s fine. You gave her brekkie, I’ll do tea.”
“In that case, I did a morning snack as well.”
She sent him a mock frown. “Does that mean I have to give Kitty a midnight snack?”
“Very possibly.” Blue stroked down the cat’s back, feeling her arch in enjoyment.
“I’ll just make sure to fill the biccie bowl to the brim.” Charley disappeared into the kitchen.
Pushing upright, he worked the knot on his tie loose, wandering into his bedroom to pull it off. Folding the tie, he neatly put it away in the drawer before removing shoes and socks, wiggling his bare toes in the carpet. Nothing like being free after being dressed in Sunday best. Or wedding best. Whichever.
As he unbuttoned his shirt, he could hear Charley talking to Kitty, the muted sound of the pantry door closing.
Having Charley in his home made it more, well, homey. Coming home was different now. Two weeks and already she was as much a part of his life as Kitty.
Kitty lay on his bed. Kitty shed cat hair on his clothes. Kitty had more fancy food in the pantry than any cat Blue had ever known - except for Izzy’s Arnie and Mikki’s Duchess, and oh yeah, Shea’s three ginger miscreants. And Luke’s dog, Dog.
Okay, so Kitty was in good company. The various pets were all a little spoilt. But they deserved it, in his opinion.
“Are you coming back into the kitchen?” Charley called.
“Nope.” He peeled off his shirt.
“I’m closing up, then.”
“No worries.” He angled the door a little so she wouldn’t see him undress, more for her modesty than his.
The hallway went dark, her shadow passing his door as she entered her room.
Hands on the waistband of his pants, Blue listened. A soft sound, a swish of possibly material, the wardrobe door. Her shadow passed by the crack of his door again, the light from the bathroom flicking on, the door clicking shut behind her.
Geez. Here he was standing in his bedroom eavesdropping. He shook his head. Opening the window, he welcomed the breeze, the cool gust shifting the curtains.
Outside all was quiet. The street light shone just outside his yard. The house across the street had the lights on, the house beside it in darkness. It was late, no doubt most people were tucked up watching TV, reading, sleeping.
Making love.
Unlike him, even though Charley was in the house and - not going there.
Straightening, he let the curtain fall back into place, flicking on the bedside lamp before turning off the main light.
When she left the bathroom, he took his turn to clean his teeth, noting the scent of toothpaste and her lavender soap filling the air after a quick shower. Returning to his room, he noticed Charley’s light showing through the small crack of the door which she left partially open for Kitty.
“’Night, Sunflower.”
“’Night, Blue.”
For several seconds he hovered in the hall wishing they’d been together longer, were a little closer, close enough that he could push the door completely open and walk in, slide into that bed beside her, reach for her and - not going there, either.
Entering his bedroom, he got out of his pants and draped them atop the shirt to be cleaned. Replacing the jocks with a cotton pair of boxers, he folded back the quilt and sheet before dropping onto the mattress. Propping several fat pillows behind him, he took the book from his bedside drawer and settled to read.
So very conscious of the woman across the hallway - so near and yet so far - it was hard to concentrate at first, but gradually he relaxed as the enthralling thriller unfolded.
An hour passed before he closed the book. About to turn off the lamp, he was distracted by Kitty running in, stopping to stare at him and running back out. Seconds later, she peered around the door at him and meowed.
“Come on.” He patted the mattress.
Wondering what she wanted when she simply sat and kept meowing, he got up and padded to the door, opening it fully to step out.
Leaving her room at the same instant, Charley whispered, “Goodness, Kitty, what is wrong?”
Kitty da
rted past her into the bedroom.
Shaking her head, Charley glanced up and spotted him. “Sorry, did I wake you?”
“I was reading.”
And now he was drinking in his fill of her. Jesus, did she have any idea how she looked right now? The lamplight from behind her outlined her curves beneath the thin nightie. Little glints flecked in her hair, the thickness bundled into a ponytail at the nape of her neck. The nightie skimmed her body down to her knees, the thin straps over her shoulders, the soft swell of her breasts pressing against the material when she moved.
Need hit hard, the warmth that had been inside him at the sensation of her in his arms for all those hours, hearing her laugh, watching her eyes sparkle, heated to a hot core.
Desire, hot and urgent.
Instinctively, Blue took a step forward, his eyes locked onto her.
Charley moistened her lips, the simple gesture hitting him low in his belly, bringing a misting of heat dancing along his skin.
He hadn’t even touched her yet.
He half expected her to retreat, to mumble an excuse and retire behind the safety of her door, but instead she watched him. Yes, she was nervous, it was evident in the way she linked her fingers together, twisted them, but when he took another step forward, bringing them almost toe to toe, she suddenly reached out to lay her hand in his.
Wrapping his big hand around her much smaller one, Blue looked down at her steadily, letting her see the desire he felt, the need. The want. Giving her a chance to change her mind, though he’d probably fall to his knees if she did, his shaft already hardening, his blood thickening at just the sight and scent of her.
“Charley?” The question was almost a deep growl in the hallway.
“Yes.” Her hand trembled for a fraction, but her eyes didn’t waver.
He saw the answering desire in the soft depths of her irises, didn’t miss the deep breath she took that lifted her breasts to reveal the tight buds of her nipples pressing against the thin material.
Lowering his head, Blue captured the plump lips offered up so decadently.
If his need had been hot before, the touch of those silken lips, the warmth of them, the way she opened to him so readily, eagerly, ramped the heat up hotter, fiercer.
He meant to kiss her slow, gentle, draw her passion out.
He kissed her hard, deep, claiming her without hesitation.
Charley swayed against him, his arms closing around her waist to press every lush curve to his hard frame while his tongue danced along her lips before sliding deep to taste her, shifting through her honeyed mouth, drinking her in, taking everything her mouth could give and demanding more.
A lighter kiss, a stroke of his tongue, shifting the angle of his head to taste her again while one hand pressed flat on her derriere, fingers spreading over the lush dome before biting in firmly to yank her hard against him, his thigh sliding between hers, tipping her back against the wall to capture her wrists and draw them up above her head, holding her prisoner as he left her mouth to trail his lips down the silk of her cheek to the satin of her throat, tonguing the pulse that beat with erotic erraticness in testimony of her responding passion.
Placing his nose against her throat, he inhaled her scent - freshness, lavender soap, warmth and woman. Nuzzling her, his tongue flicking out to dance along her skin in hot, wet probes.
“Blue…” Her voice was ragged.
Without releasing her, he pulled her from the wall, turned, crowded her backwards by the simple process of walking forward, backing her through the door into his bedroom and towards the bed, stopping only when her knees hit the mattress.
In the revealing lamplight, satisfaction filled him at the sight of the ripe plumpness of her lips, the swollen redness from his kiss. Her eyes were dark with desire, shimmering with passion.
Her thumbs hooked into the waistband of his boxers, drew them down to drop around his ankles, and he stepped out of them without breaking their gazes, his own fingers sliding beneath the straps of her nightie to draw them down her softly rounded arms.
When the bodice of the nightie slipped down to tremble on the peaks of her breasts, she swallowed, a flicker in the passion of her eyes, a pink flush filling her cheeks.
No idiot, Blue knew exactly what troubled her. “Don’t,” he said, darkly tender. “Don’t hide yourself from me, Sunflower. You’re beautiful. I love every curve, every dip and valley of your body. You’re a woman, Charley. You’re unique. And you’re my woman.” Keeping their gazes locked, he slowly drew the nightie free from the hard peaks, letting the delicate material drop to her waist before it skimmed down curvy hips to pool at her feet. “Trust me.”
She nodded, a touch of shyness in the movement, a hesitancy in the way she allowed him to catch her wrists and hold her arms wide to the sides.
Stepping back, he looked at her. Admired her. The curves, the softness, the hidden valley between her thighs, the roundness of her thighs, the dip of her waist, the generous breasts tipped with pink nipples that made his mouth water.
That made his shaft harden, lengthen, curving up to rest unashamedly against his hard abdomen.
He didn’t hide the reaction of his body from her, pleased when her eyes widened slightly at the burgeoning evidence of his arousal, the proof of her affect on him. It was what she needed to see, to know, and when she lifted her gaze to meet his it contained no shyness, only a heat that sparked his own so very hotly.
He didn’t expect her to step forward, to pull her hand from his, but when her fingers wrapped around his shaft, tightened and then pulled just every so slightly, fire roared through him, heat scorching along the base of his spine as she pressed her thumb to the slit at the end of his shaft.
Bracing his stance, thigh muscles locking, he spread his legs and released her other hand, watching her.
Feeling her exploring him, studying him in turn.
The palm of her other hand rested on the middle of his chest, traced over his pecs as she moved forward to place her lips against his skin, her tongue flicking out to trace along the rock-hard swell of muscle.
Teeth clenched, he watched through half closed eyes the silky hair that glinted in the lamplight as Charley’s mouth moved to the left, his muscles bunching as that hot little mouth closed over one male nipple, small teeth clamping on it erotically but without pain before she pressed the flat of her tongue against the small male bud and massaged it.
“Jesus!” His head fell back when her hand, which had vanished from his chest, slid between his thighs.
Cool fingers traced across the tight sac, sending a tumult of tingling heat needling through his balls, up higher to tickle along his spine in dragging, erotic pricks.
Eyes clenched tightly shut, he gritted his teeth when her palm cupped his sac, a growl escaping his lips when she rolled the delicate balls along her palm while sliding her other hand down his shaft and back up, lightly dragging the skin covering his shaft.
Need boiled up, hot and hard, fierce, his hips thrusting his shaft into her hand in a helpless jerk.
If she touched him much longer, he’d blow his load right then and there.
Not. Going. To. Happen.
Teeth gritted in an effort to maintain control, he tipped his head forward to look at her out of eyes he knew must be practically burning with lust. He felt like every part of him was on fire, his libido almost ready to rage out of control at the continued touch of her hands.
Catching her wrists, he pulled her hands from him and slid them behind the small of her back, making her arch against him, bowing her back so that she was forced to meet his gaze.
He’d expected her to protest, maybe whimper a little.
What he didn’t expect was her sudden smile, the gleam in her eyes, the pleased knowledge that she’d almost pushed him beyond his normal control.
“Witch,” he accused raggedly.
Satisfaction flashed in her eyes.
Low and dark, his laugh wrapped around them both.
&nbs
p; He kissed her hard, yanking the tie from her hair so he could fist the silken tresses, angling her head so she could only accept his invasion of her mouth. He held her firmly, fingers ungiving, but not once did he hurt her, aware all the time of the treasure he held in his arms.
His lover.
But nor did he give her freedom.
If she wanted to tease him, test him, then she’d find out that he could give as good as she gave - and she’d take it. Every hot, wet bit.
He shoved, tipping her back onto the bed, dropping to his knees and grasping her thighs in hard hands, dragging her, gasping, across the mattress towards him, her thighs forced to spread to accommodate the width of his wide shoulders.
“What are you- Blue! No, I don’t think- ahhhh!”
Her shocked protest was lost in a cry of startled pleasure when, without any forewarning or play, Blue’s tongue swept ruthlessly along her perineum.
A cry that escalated as his tongue seared through the tender flesh once protected by her labia but now bared to his mercy by her decadent position.
A cry that turned to a moan when his lips fastened on her clitoris and he sucked gently but without pause, making the bud firm beneath his ministrations.
She arched, twisted, but couldn’t get away from his hold, especially when he held her prisoner by the strength in his arms pressing down across her thighs and his hands clamped on her hips.
Over top of her mound, he watched with hedonistic satisfaction as she writhed beneath his onslaught, helpless, forced to take the heat, the sweet, erotic torture of his mouth and tongue, to have that flame of ardour curl strongly inside and lash out in a hot, silky, fiery rope as he pushed her up and over that cliff of eroticism.
Her back bowed as the climax shook her.
Blue feasted on her cream, taking her desire before lifting his head to watch those full breasts shaking and trembling, the heaving breaths that tore through her, the raggedness stoking his own flames at the pleasure he knew she felt.
His turn.
Pushing to his feet, he practically ripped open the bedside drawer, delved under the book, found the strip of condoms. Moving fast, determined, need pumping through his shaft, the head weeping in angry anticipation of taking that lush, sweet, hot, needy body, he tore the packet open, rolled the condom on, then slid his arm beneath her knees to swing her around onto the bed properly.
The Wells Brothers: Blue Page 21