Chapter 18 Charlie
CHARLIE
One Year later . . .
I hear dogs barking outside, signalling Pete’s return from their walk, and I go out to meet him and maybe hurry him up a little.
“We’re gonna be so late—oh wow.” I bite my lip to hold in laughter. “What happened to you?”
Pete raises an eyebrow, probably the only thing on him that’s not covered in muddy snow. “What does it look like?”
“Erm . . .” My gaze drops to the two equally filthy dogs sat obediently at his feet.
Like they aren’t the reason Pete is covered head to toe in what looks like half the field behind his house.
I look at Cooper. “Was it you?” He wags his tail, tongue lolling out, the picture of innocence.
I turn my attention to our latest addition, a black lab mix, and grin.
He’s looking anywhere but at me, tail not moving an inch.
“Was it you, Jax?” He finally turns those big brown eyes on me, and I’m putty in his filthy, mud-covered paws.
“Of course not. You’re such a good boy.” His tail starts going, gaining traction as I bend down to fuss them both.
Pete snorts. “Pushover.”
“Like you’re any better.” I poke at his filthy trousers. “Bet you didn’t even tell them off.”
He ignores me and bends down to fuss each dog in turn, spending a little more time on Jax. We’ve only had him for three months and he’d had a rough time before that. He and Cooper are inseparable though, which is the best thing ever.
“We’re gonna be late,” I tell him again.
We’re meeting the others for food first. For the first time in I’m not sure how long, Pete’s excited for New Year’s Eve at the pub.
That’s what Sadie told me last week when we met them for Christmas Eve drinks.
And Pete’s said much the same, just not in those exact words.
He might not blame me, but last year was my fault. If I’d got my arse in gear earlier, he could’ve had this then. But I’m here now, and we’re not missing it for anything.
“I need a shower.”
I laugh. “No shit.”
“Wanna join me?”
Never going to say no to that. But I might give him a head start. “Go get rid of some of that mud while I take care of these two hooligans.”
We both stand, and I’m not quick enough when Pete grabs me and pulls me in for a kiss.
I get lost in the warmth of his mouth until I remember the state of him and wrestle free.
Too late though; I’ve got muddy handprints on my arms and smears of it wherever we touched. “You arsehole,” I say laughing.
“Don’t be long, or we’ll be late.” He grins, dancing out of the way when I try and swat his arse, and disappears inside, leaving me to get the dogs sorted.
After hosing them both down and settling them in the kitchen, I make my way to the stairs and pause at the bottom to admire the decorations. We’ve gone a little overboard this year. I guess both of us wanted to make it that bit more special since it was our first Christmas living together.
I moved in four months ago. A little later than I’d hoped—the initial sale of my flat fell through—but I think those extra few months getting to know each other gave us the solid foundation we needed to take that next step.
And I’ve been looking forward to Christmas season ever since.
We picked the tree at the start of December. In what I’m hoping becomes a tradition, I held the top of the one we chose and watched Pete saw through the trunk. Never going to get tired of seeing him do that.
Or him carrying it around like it weighs nothing.
I sigh just thinking about all those rippling muscles.
Which are probably all soapy and wet right about now.
That thought alone has me taking the stairs two at a time, shedding clothes as I go. I’m down to my jeans and boxer briefs as I reach the bedroom, hopping on one foot to pull them off. I can hear the shower going and I fall onto the bed in my hurry to get naked.
I grin as I spot the book on Pete’s bedside table.
It’s the first book in my new series.
It’s a little darker and spookier than my others, and the romantic element between the two male main characters is a huge part of the story this time rather than a side note. I think it’s my best so far, Pete agrees, but then he’s biased.
He also refuses to read it on the nights I have to be in Bristol.
I give it one last pleased look, then shove my underwear off and get up.
Steam fills the bathroom, along with the scent of Pete’s citrus body wash. I can only make out his outline through the shower doors, but that’s enough to get my cock interested.
I slide open the door and step inside.
It’s a tight fit, but that just means I have to wrap my arms around him from behind and press up against his wet, soapy body.
What an inconvenience.
“Thought you’d got lost.” He tips his head back onto my shoulder, groaning as I lean in and kiss his neck.
“Thought you might’ve started without me.”
“I did.” He grabs one of my hands and moves it lower until my fingers find him hard and standing to attention.
I laugh. “So I see.” I don’t waste any time wrapping my hand around him and stroking him from root to tip.
He groans. “Got to be quick, though.”
Yeah, don’t think that’s going to be a problem. I press closer as I stroke him, my cock slips between his arsecheeks, and it feels so fucking good.
It’s almost a shame we’re going out because spending New Year’s Eve naked with Pete sounds like a fantastic idea. But I know how much this means to him.
So a quickie it is.
His hand slaps the tiles as I thrust against him. I rest my forehead between his shoulder blades, watching my cock slide along his crease. This close, I can feel the warmth from his skin, the play of muscles in his back as he arches into my touch.
Hard to believe this time last year I wasn’t sure I wanted this.
Wasn’t sure it was real.
Taking a chance on Pete, on us, was the best decision I’ve ever made.
He groans, low and rough, hips alternating between driving into my fist and pushing back against me. I recognise the signs. He’s close, thank fuck, because I’ve been on the edge since I got my hands on him.
I kiss his back, his neck, wherever I can reach, smiling into his skin as he cries out. His cock pulses in my hand, hot and heavy, and that’s all it takes to make me come. I grip his hip, fingers digging in as I make a mess of him for a few glorious seconds before its washed away.
We stay like that while we catch our breath, wasting precious seconds that we probably don’t have to spare.
Oh well.
I kiss him again, lips pressing onto shower-hot skin, and Pete’s sigh is satisfied and happy. Instead of rushing like we should, we wash each other with lingering touches, only getting out when the water starts to run cold.
We’re running late, of course, but I’ve already texted our friends to let them know. Shower sex with Pete is worth all the teasing we’re going to get later.
I pull my coat on, Christmas tree gloves tucked in my pocket, as Pete grabs his keys. “Ready?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I’m halfway out the door when Pete grabs my hand. “Wait.” He points up at the fake mistletoe stuck to the doorjamb. Another tradition I think will stick.
I can’t count the number of times we’ve kissed under mistletoe this Christmas. I swear, it’s like it’s multiplied around the house. I love it.
“Just so you know, you’re explaining to Sean why we’re so late.” I grin as I step into his space, fingers curling into his coat.
“Worth it.” He cradles my jaw, thumbs smoothing back and forth. “If I forget to tell you at midnight, this is the best New Year’s Eve I’ve had in a long, long time.”
My heart stutters. “It’s not even started yet.”
His gaze darkens. “Yeah, it has.”
Oh.
When he kisses me, it’s a far cry from the quick peck I’m expecting. It’s a slow, thorough exploration of my mouth, and I melt a little despite the bitter chill surrounding us.
It’s perfect.
He’s perfect.
For me, anyway.
His smile lights up his whole face and I recognise that look in his eyes, know what’s coming when he rests his forehead against mine and sighs happily. “I love you, Charlie Dunn.”
My heart skips another beat. It’s not the first time he’s told me that. Far from it. But I will never get tired of hearing him say it. “That’s good. Because I love you too.”
We share another kiss we really don’t have time for, then Pete steps back, tugging me with him. “Come on, we’ve got a New Year to see in.”
Yes, we do.
And this time we’re doing it together, from start to finish.
If you want to read how Sean and Vic found their HEA, or how Jerry met Reed, then you can find their books here.