Chapter 22
Graham
Headlights shine through the window in the dining room as I’m wiping down the counter, and my stomach twists.
It’s Charley getting dropped off by my sister.
Their plane landed a little while ago. All day today, I’ve felt good about this conversation I want to have with her, but now I’m second guessing myself.
I toss the paper towel in the trash can before slipping on a pair of shoes and heading outside to see if she needs help.
She and Georgia are climbing out as I bound down the steps, Biggie Smalls right behind me. Both sets of eyes flick my way. “Hey.” I lift my arm in a quick wave. “Need a hand?”
“No, it’s okay,” Charley murmurs at the same time my sister says, “Yes, of course, she would like help.” Charley turns and scowls at her friend, and I can’t help but chuckle.
With the trunk open, I grab the yellow suitcase, scanning the other items shoved in here. “Which one of these bags belongs to you, Charley?” I ask.
“The black one.”
“Uh, there’s more than one black one.”
Georgia rounds the back of the car and points to one of them. “That one,” she says. “These are mine.”
“I don’t mind carrying my own bag, Graham.” Charley comes to a stop beside me, and I catch a whiff of her intoxicating scent.
“Don’t let her,” my sister murmurs in my ear. “Her feet and ankles are swollen, and I know she’s hurting.”
“Our first flight was late, and the gate for our connecting flight was all the way on the other side of the airport,” Charley says. “We had to hustle to not miss it.”
“Our girl was waddling,” Georgia adds. “It was cute, but I felt bad for her.”
“Why didn’t you get an employee to drive you guys?” I ask my sister. “I don’t like that she had to walk that far in a hurry.”
“Calm down, killer.” Charley giggles. “There was nobody around, and we didn’t have the time to waste waiting to find someone.”
“Okay, well, if you got that, I’m gonna head home,” Georgia says, patting me on the back. “Wanna get home to my man.” She waggles her brows, the insinuation loud and clear.
Holding up a hand, I say, “I don’t need to know.”
My sister laughs, then leans in and murmurs, “Yeah, whatever. I heard a lot about you that I didn’t need to know either.”
“Georgia!” Charley hisses.
I chuckle, my cheeks heating. “And that’s my cue to go inside. Bye, Georgie.”
My sister laughs. “See ya!”
Strolling in the house, Charley and Biggie aren’t far behind. “Want these in your room?” I ask.
“Sure.”
After I drop off her luggage, I pad out to the living room again, finding Charley sitting on the couch, scratching the dog’s back as he attempts to lick kisses all over her face. “Somebody’s happy to see you.”
She breathes out a laugh. “Well, I missed you too, big guy.”
“Oh, just him?” I ask teasingly as I walk into the kitchen.
“Of course not.” Charley glances over her shoulder, a playful smile curling her lips. “I missed Ellie Mae too.”
“Oh, yeah, of course.” I snort. “You hungry?”
“I’m starving. The last time we ate was this morning before checking out of the hotel.”
Lifting my gaze to meet hers, I suck on my teeth. “Charley, you need to be eating throughout the day. And drinking water.”
She grins and rolls her eyes. “Okay, Daddy, I’ll be better.”
As if realizing what she just said, Charley’s eyes widen, and she smashes her lips together.
The color staining her cheeks is visible from all the way over here, and it’s adorable.
Heat spreads through my veins, and even though I’m sure she meant it in an innocent, playful way, I can’t deny how sexy that five-letter word sounded rolling off her tongue.
Breathing out a small chuckle, it’s clear she doesn’t know what to say, so I let her off the hook when I ask, “How’s grilled cheese sound?”
She clears her throat and nods. “Um, yeah, that sounds good.”
“Want soup with it? Or chips?”
“What kind of soup do we have?”
Grabbing the sourdough loaf from the breadbox, I set it on the counter and say, “There’s leftover roasted red pepper soup from last night that I made, or chicken noodle.”
Charley scrunches her nose up as she ponders. “The roasted red pepper sounds amazing. I’ll do that.”
Opening the fridge, I ask, “Tomato or no tomato on the sandwich?”
“Tomato on grilled cheese is criminal, Graham,” she mutters.
My chest rumbles with a deep chuckle. “Okay, the best no-tomato grilled cheese you’ve ever had coming right up.”
By the time I finish cooking the sandwich and bring it over to her on the couch, Charley’s changed into a pair of pajama shorts and an oversized t-shirt, and she threw her hair up into a bun. She gives me a small smile as I hand the plate to her.
“Thank you,” she murmurs softly.
“You’re welcome.”
Her legs are stretched across the couch, crossed at the ankles, and they’re swollen, just like Georgia said. Lifting them, I sit down beside her, letting her feet lay across my lap. As I grab one of them, Charley’s gaze darts over to me.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna rub your feet,” I say plainly. “They’re sore, right?”
Her cheeks darken again, and I can’t get enough of it. She wears her emotions so clearly on her face, I don’t even think she realizes it. “Yeah, but you don’t have to do that. I’ve been wearing tennis shoes all day, so they’re probably sweaty.”
Huffing a laugh, I say, “I know I don’t have to, but I want to. There isn’t a whole lot I can do to take the aches and pains away, but doing this will hopefully give you at least a little relief, so I’m happy to do this, feet sweat or not.”
Charley chews on the inside of her cheek as she eyes me for a moment. Her foot is tense in my hand, but it relaxes when she seems to make up her mind. “Okay,” she says quietly. “If you really want to, that would be nice.”
Starting slowly, I gently press my thumbs into her arch, kneading the warm flesh and working out the tension.
She releases a contented sigh before dropping her gaze to the sandwich in her lap.
My fingers stroke the sole as she starts eating, and as I work my way up to her toes, a moan sounds from her as I roll each one between my fingers and apply the right amount of pressure before continuing on to the rest of her foot.
I glance over at her, my hands still working. “How was the trip?”
“It was a lot of fun,” she says with a smile. “A lot of work, though. I could probably sleep for days and still be tired.” Taking another bite, she groans. “This really is the best grilled cheese I’ve ever eaten.”
My chest swells with pride as I shrug. “Yeah, I kind of know my way around the kitchen.”
Breathing out a laugh, Charley rolls her eyes playfully. “How was your sleepover with Grace?”
“It was nice.” I nod, switching to her other foot. “Nothing special, but it’s been years since we’ve done something like that.”
“I’m guessing you two did a little gabbing.” The corner of her mouth twitches, and without saying it, I already know what she’s referring to.
“Yeah, I’m sorry.” Chuckling, I say, “You know how nosy she is. If there’s anything juicy, she can smell it from a mile away. She’s like a gossip bloodhound.”
Charley giggles. “You don’t have to apologize. She sent me a text this morning in all caps, telling me she expects to be the maid of honor at our wedding. So, I figured you had told her.”
Biting back a smirk, I raise my brow and say, “Sounds like I wasn’t the only one with loose lips this weekend, though.”
“Yeah, yeah.” She laughs before taking the last bite and setting the plate on the table in front of us.
Her hands come to her belly, circling the bump as she holds my gaze.
Charley is stunning. She’s always been attractive to me, probably the most attractive woman I’ve ever met.
But like this—relaxed, face free of any makeup, her skin soft and creamy, indents around her icy-blue eyes from years of smiling and laughing, and my baby growing inside of her—she’s never been more beautiful.
The sight of her, our closeness, the soft sounds she makes as my hands ease all the tension she’s holding on to… All of it takes my breath away.
Resting her head against the back of the couch, her eyes hold mine, like she’s studying me, or etching this moment to memory.
Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking. What I wouldn’t give to hear what’s going through her mind.
My heart beats heavily against my ribs, the blood swimming through my veins getting hotter by the second.
The longer she holds my gaze, the harder it becomes to think clearly.
Her full lips part as her tongue pokes out and sweeps across them, and it’s a miracle I’m able to hold back the groan clawing at my chest.
I clear my throat, remembering everything I wanted to say tonight. “We should probably talk about what happened between us,” I rasp.
Biting her bottom lip, Charley nods. “You’re right, we should,” she says.
Then she hooks her thumbs under the waistband of her shorts and shoves them down.
“We can talk later.” I forget how to breathe as Charley tosses the cotton material on the floor and opens her legs just enough to give me a front-row seat to her pretty, glistening pussy.
My heart slams into my ribs, heat racing down my spine and spreading through my groin. “But right now, I need you.”
My mouth waters as she uses two fingers to spread her lips apart. I can see how wet she is already from here, the sight making my dick hard in record time.
“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how good you felt inside me the other night,” she admits, voice seductive and throaty as she circles her clit with two fingers, the piercing right above it glinting under the dim lighting. “Have you thought about it?”
“All the goddamn time.”
Charley’s gaze drops to my lap, and she tips her chin. “Pull yourself out, then.”