“I usually do, and I’m a bit jetlagged.” He reaches for the bag of food and sets out toasted bagels with cream cheese and fruit. “I hope this is okay.”
“It looks delicious.” My stomach growls and I immediately reach for a handful of grapes. “You didn’t have to go to all of this trouble.”
I take a sip of my coffee. My head whips up to stare at him in wonder.
“You remembered how I take my coffee. And you’re British.” And we only had breakfast together once in Montana.
“British people don’t remember things?”
“No, they don’t drink coffee.”
“Some do.” He sips his tea and smiles at me. That smile kills me. “I remember just about everything about you, Charly. In case you missed it, I’m quite taken with you.”
I haven’t missed it. But it surprises me, and I want to ask why.
But instead I smile and munch on my bagel.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll drive you to work since I left you stranded here last night.”
“Thank you again.” I could argue, but why? If he wants to give me a ride to work, who am I to complain? “How is your bagel?”
“Fair. Once you’ve had bagels in New York, you get a bit spoiled.”
“True. And we’re a beignet town.”
“I’ll remember that.”
“You seem to remember everything.”
He simply smiles and sips his tea, and we settle in to enjoy the sunny morning, our food, and each other’s company.
Chapter Ten
~Simon~
“We need confirmation that you can be in LA on the twelfth of next month to appear on Kimmel and Ellen, and then on the fourteenth, we have you scheduled with Hoda and Kathy Lee.”
“That’s fine,” I reply to Todd and mark it out on my calendar. I keep a real paper agenda, mostly because I’m on the phone when I get the information, making it difficult to add to a phone calendar, and I used to forget to mark things down. “I have a deadline of September first for the next book, and my editor already gave me a three month extension, so don’t schedule me anything else in July and August.”
“Nothing?” he asks, surprised.
“I’ll still do the weekly videos and the radio show. We’ll be present on social media. But I can’t travel, Todd. I have to write the book.”
“Understood,” he says. “I also want to roll out the new webinar programs next month.”
“That means extra video time,” I reply with a sigh and scratch my chin. “We’ll have to do that the week after I return to London.”
“That was my thought as well. Have you done any scouting for the retreat later this year?”
“I did yesterday,” I reply. “I’ll email you some information this afternoon. I think I found the perfect hotel, but they’re rather expensive. Let’s see if we can’t get them talked down. I don’t want to have to drive the price of the retreat up for the ladies coming. It’s already expensive for them.”
“I agree,” he says, and I can hear Kelly speaking in the background. “I’ll be right there, darling.”
“I can let you go. I think we’ve covered it all.”
“One last thing,” he says before I can hang up. “How are things going with Charly?”
I sigh and rub my eyes. I’m not ready to get into this with him yet.
“You don’t have to give me all the details, man, but I need to know something.”
“Things are good,” I reply. “We’re taking things slow.”
“Slow? For fucksake, mate, you’re only there for the week. Don’t take it too slow.”
“Thank you for that, relationship expert.”
“Hey, my best friend is a relationship expert. I’ve learned a few things over the years. Don’t take it too slow.”
“Have a good evening,” I reply, rather than entertain him further, and hang up the phone.
I actually haven’t seen as much of her as I was hoping since I’ve been here. Yesterday, after our breakfast together and I drove her to work, we went our separate ways. I did the retreat research, and by the time we were both finished last night, we simply spoke on the phone for an hour, then called it a night.
And again this morning, I had to take early calls from London because of the time difference and I wasn’t able to take her breakfast the way I did yesterday.
I miss her.
And Todd is right; I’m only here for a week. I need to make the most of it. Today is Charly’s Friday, as she takes Sunday and Mondays off, and I plan to take advantage of it. No more nights alone, no more only getting an hour here or there. I’m going to spend some true, quality time with her.
I knew I admired her, and was so fucking attracted to her I ached with it, but now that I’ve seen her at work and with her family, I’m just completely taken with her. I need to know more.
I’m quickly realizing that this isn’t just a job for me, or a casual relationship. I want it to be so much more. Where that might lead, I’m not sure, but it’s time I take the kid gloves off and begin actively pursuing this woman.
I set my tray from breakfast outside my door and gather my wallet, sunglasses, and keys and set off for Charly’s shop.
“Hey there, sugar,” she says with a big smile when she sees me walk through her door a short time later.
“Good morning.” Without skipping a beat, and not giving one fuck about the customers in the store, I walk to her and pull her in, kissing her firmly. My hands glide down her back to her ass and I grip her tightly for the brief embrace, and then I pull away. “I missed you yesterday.”
“I see that,” she says and covers her lips with her fingertips. “I might have missed you back.”
I cock a brow and feel my lips twitch.
“Such a sassy girl.”
“Do you sell those?” a young twenty-something asks, interrupting us.
“Do I sell what?” Charly asks.
“Hot men who kiss like that.”
The girls laugh and Charly looks up at me with happy hazel eyes. “No, sorry, this one is already claimed.”
Claimed.
I love the sound of that.
The customer shrugs and turns away. “A girl can try.”
“What can I do for you?” Charly asks me.
“I need your house key.”
She looks up at me in surprise. “What for?”
“Trust me.” I lean in and kiss her cheek, and then her ear. “Just trust me.”
“Okay.” She shrugs and pulls her keys out of her bag, twists her house key off the ring and hands it over. “You’re awfully mysterious today.”
“Not at all.” I kiss her once more and then pull away before I yank her into that stock room and strip her bare. “I’ll see you when you get home this evening.”
“It’s a date.” She winks and then returns to her customers. I walk outside and stand on the sidewalk, watching her for just a moment. She’s truly excellent at her job. It’s no wonder that her business is thriving.
Just before I turn to leave, she catches me staring and smiles, tossing me a wave, and then blows me a kiss.
I nod and leave, anxious to get my plan set in motion.
***
Candles lit? Check. Flowers? Check. Food on the way? Check.
I’m ready for her, and she is on her way home. For the first time since I was a boy, I’m nervous for a date with a woman.
I hear her car door slam, and a few moments later, she walks in and stops cold, staring around the room and then at me.
“Wow.”
I’ve turned the lights off, leaving the space cast in the glow from the two dozen candles scattered all over. Vases of roses in all different colors are also spread about, giving the room a rich flowery smell.
She walks over to me and hugs me around the waist, then looks up at me, leaning her chin on my chest.
I love how short she is.
“This is so beautiful.”
“No
t nearly as beautiful as you are.”
She smiles, but I can see the fatigue in her eyes. She works herself to the bone. Today was almost twelve hours long, just like the two before it.
“I have another surprise,” I inform her and take her hand, leading her upstairs. We walk through her bedroom to the master bath and she gasps. “Simon, this is just…indulgent.”
“You deserve it.” I’ve filled her tub with hot water and lavender oil with rose petals floating on top. “I’m going to help you in, but don’t fall asleep. Dinner will be arriving soon.”
“Oh God, I’m hungry,” she groans, and then sighs in delight when her body is enveloped in the hot water. All I can think about is how fucking amazing she looks, naked, soft, in the water. I want to join her and fuck her senseless in the water, but I hold myself back. This is all about her. “Goodness, a girl could get used to this.”
That’s my hope.
“Should I come check on you in a few?”
“No, I’ll be down in a bit,” she replies and smiles softly. “Simon?”
“Yes, love.”
“Thank you. This is amazing.”
“You’re welcome.” I kiss her forehead, trying to keep my eyes off her incredible body. I haven’t seen her naked in almost two months, and fucking hell, I crave her.
And I’ll have her before long.
The food arrives, and I arrange a delicious, casual picnic in the middle of the candles and flowers.
Just as I’m about to walk up to see if Charly did, indeed, fall asleep, she comes down the stairs wearing nothing but a robe. Her cheeks are flushed from the water, her eyes are heavy.
“You’re the sexiest woman I’ve ever seen.”
She tilts her head to the side. “Ever?”
“Ever.”
“Wow. I’ll take baths more often.”
“Come on, sassy, let’s eat.”
“Oh God, is that Italian?”
“The Americans’ version of it, yes.”
“Perfect.” But before she sits down, she leans into me, on her tiptoes, and presses her lips to mine. “This is perfect.”
“I’m glad you like it.”
She sits at a plate and waits patiently while I dish the food, giving her more than she thinks she wants.
“How was your day?” I ask and settle in to eat. The hot bread is delicious, as are the pasta and red sauce.
“It went well. We were busy, so that’s always good.” She spoons up some spaghetti and closes her eyes with a sigh of delight. “This is just so good.”
“Watching you eat is like watching someone have sex,” I reply and run through baseball stats in my head.
“It is not,” she says with a laugh. “I just like food.”
“Almost as much as sex,” I agree and offer her some bread. “So work went well. How is your family?”
“Curious.” She butters her bread and licks her finger. “I’ve now heard from all of the siblings. They’re curious to know more about you, and to hear how I’m doing.”
“That sounds normal enough.” I reach over and tuck a piece of her hair behind her ear. “They love you and I’m a stranger.”
“I get it,” she says with a shrug. “And I’ve never been one to bring men around.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think any of them have ever met anyone I’ve dated. Certainly not the boys. Actually, now that I think about it, Van and Gabby met Ryan once.”
The mention of another man’s name sets my teeth on edge, but I keep my cool as she continues talking. This is what I’ve been waiting for: Charly relaxed and telling me more about herself.
“But I just don’t date seriously. Ryan and I had a mutually satisfying arrangement for the better part of ten years, but it wasn’t serious.”
“You had a friends with benefits for ten years?” I ask, completely thrown. She’s amazing. Who would be satisfied with that?
“Yeah. Well, no. It’s complicated.”
“I have nothing but time,” I remind her.
“We met in college. The sex was always great, and I thought we were friends too. Not long ago, I discovered that he doesn’t even really like me all that much. It was just sex for him, and I’m done.” She shakes her head and takes another bite of food. “He’s called a few times, but not in a while now. I hope he finally believed me last time when I said don’t call me again. Being an adult and entering into a mutually respectful physical relationship is one thing, but when there’s no affection there at all, well, that’s a problem for me.”
“And other than Ryan, there haven’t been any serious relationships.”
“No.” She shakes her head again and shrugs. “I’m busy with the shop and my family.”
“So you’re saying you don’t have time for a relationship?”
“No, I’m saying that I don’t have time to go and seek one out. Dating isn’t easy. You know this; you deal with it every day.”
“I do. I get it.” I nod and can’t help but feel a bit sorry for her. She’s never been in love, or had her heart broken. She’s never had a relationship.
That’s about to change, and she doesn’t even know it yet.
“You know, I was mad at myself when I was in Montana.”
This brings me out of my reverie and catches my attention.
“How so?”
“I was just so pissed that I let Ryan use me for sex for all of those years. Granted, it was mutual, and it was exclusive. If either of us wanted to see other people, our physical relationship stopped. We were honest about that, and I believe he told me the truth.”
“Okay, that sounds reasonable.”
“But I was blind too, because I honestly believed he was my friend. And then we had the day in Montana when you drove home that we need to know our worth, and not settle for anything less than we deserve.”
“You deserve so much, Charly.”
“I know.” She nods and pushes her empty plate away. She ate every bite. “My dad reminded all of us frequently that we deserved a person who loved us the way he loved our mom.”
“You do.”
“And I just convinced myself that Ryan was good enough until something better came along. It wasn’t really fair to either of us.”
“And how do you feel now?”
“I’m not angry, and I’ve broken it off completely with him, so there are no more games.”
“So now that you know that you were participating in unhealthy behavior, you’ve taken steps to correct it, and you’ve purged the toxic relationship from your life.”
“God, you’re good at this,” she says with a laugh. “Yes, I would say all of that is true.”
“You did learn something from me.” I smile proudly at her and stand to gather what’s left of our meal. I stow it all away and come back to find Charly lying on the floor, half asleep.
“The candles are pretty.” Her voice is soft. “I like the way they cast shadows on the walls. And the flowers smell so good.”
“I’m glad you like them.” I gather her into my arms after I blow the candles out and carry her up the stairs.
“You’re strong.”
“You’re small.” I kiss her nose. “How about a massage?”
“My feet could use it,” she says with a yawn. “I’ve abused them this week.”
“I can arrange that.”
I place her on the bed and strip her out of the robe. Her skin is soft and still a bit dewy from the bath. She’s on her belly, and it takes everything in me to not strip down and sink inside her.
I want her.
Now.
But I’ve been patient so far, and I can wait a few more minutes. I retrieve some lotion from the bathroom and begin massaging her feet, her legs, and over her perfect arse. She arches a bit and moans when my thumbs find the small of her back.
“Mm, so good.”
“I love your skin.” I work my way up her back and shoulders, her neck, and then down again. The feel of her beneath
me, the small moans, is making me lose control faster than I wanted to.
I strip quickly out of my clothes and return to her. Kissing her now, where my hands have been. She grows quiet, and just when I drag my hand up between her legs, she snores.
Snores.
My poor girl is completely knackered.
Part of me is as frustrated as it gets. My cock is throbbing for her, and I want nothing more than to wake her and fuck her, but that would just be selfish.
Not that I can’t be a selfish bastard at times, but not now.
Not with Charly.
I arrange us under the blankets and pull her into me, holding her close. She wraps her arm around my chest and settles in, sighing deeply, and soon her breathing is slow and deep in sleep.
As much as I was dying to be inside her tonight, this is excellent as well. Nothing feels as good as Charly wrapped around me. I missed this with her.
I bury my nose in her hair and breathe her in. Her arms tighten around me, and soon I’m falling asleep myself.
Chapter Eleven
~Charly~
“Charly.”
Someone is whispering in my ear and dragging his hands down my naked body, deliciously following every curve, every dip.
“Charly, wake up darling.”
“If I wake up, will you stop doing that?” I whisper back, not opening my eyes. I arch my back as his hand covers my breast and gently grazes over my nipple, waking it up.
Waking all of me up.
“I want to see your beautiful eyes,” he replies and buries his face into my neck, biting the tender flesh there. “I want you to wake up.”
Rather than reply, my hands take a journey of their own, down his back, his chest, stomach, and finally his impressively stiff cock.
“Is this for me?” I ask, sleep still heavy in my voice.
“Mm,” he murmurs, his mouth wandering expertly over me. I blink my eyes open, and there he is, leaning above me, smiling down at me with lust-filled blue eyes. One hand trails down my stomach and between my legs and his thumb finds my nub, making me inhale sharply. “But this is for me.”
“I’m sorry I fell asleep last night.” He was incredibly sweet last night. I don’t think I’ve ever been pampered the way he pampers me.
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