Chapter 17
seventeen
Charlie
Until you. Talk about a surprise revelation.
My eyes shoot to his, and the guilty, yet heated look on his face sends a warm sensation down my spine that settles low in my belly.
Somewhere over the past couple of weeks, my irritation with the brooding, yet caring man across from me turned into more than just a mild interest.
I knew it with absolute certainty when the mere thought of having slept with me made him tear out of my apartment, like a sexual encounter with me was the most horrifying event imaginable.
If I’m being honest with myself, I think his reaction hurt so much because, in my mind, I’d already convinced myself that my growing attraction toward him wasn’t one-sided.
Subconsciously, I’d already started to believe that whatever this pull was between us had the potential to turn into something more.
Not that we’d ever fall madly in love, and he’d end up staying in Moose Harbor forever.
I’m enough of a realist to know a man like Cole doesn’t belong here, and I’m very aware that our time together comes with an expiration date.
But he’s not the only one who hasn’t been touched in far too long, and we’re both only human.
I may have talked a big game about my vibrating buddy and how he gets me there faster than a man ever could, but the truth is, it doesn’t replace a warm body.
It can’t give me that soul-deep connection only a partner who genuinely cares about you and your pleasure can provide, and I have a feeling Cole would be far from selfish.
He’s too proud. Too perceptive. Too alpha, and I know he loves a challenge.
I can’t even remember the last time I had sex and enjoyed it.
Jason certainly hadn’t cared enough to make me feel good over the last decade, only concerned with his own pleasure.
I was nothing but a convenient hole to stick his less than average cock into.
He didn’t give a shit about consent, and half the time, he was too rough for me to feel anything but discomfort during our lackluster exchanges.
I quickly learned that it was easier and a lot less painful if I didn’t put up a fight and simply endured the five minutes it took for him to get himself off.
Which is how I ended up getting pregnant in the first place.
Whenever Jason came home drunk, which happened more often than not, he couldn’t be bothered with a condom.
I’d suffered from debilitating migraines for years before my doctor eventually advised me to get off birth control altogether to see whether it made a difference.
It did, and Jason was well aware that the only thing standing between him and the children he never wanted was a thin layer of latex.
But whenever he had a few too many, the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy didn’t seem to matter.
And why would it, if all you had to do to take care of the problem was shove the mother of your unborn child down two flights of stairs?
I can’t even imagine the utter agony Cole must’ve experienced upon finding not only his wife, but his little girl that day.
A little girl he had three years to form a bond with.
I lost my baby when she wasn’t yet fully grown.
I hadn’t even gotten a chance to meet her.
To watch her develop a personality. To build years of memories and nurture that special kind of love between a child and a parent.
And yet, I’d grieved the loss of her with every fiber of my being.
Yearned for the idea of what could’ve been had she only lived.
For weeks following my accident, I was unable to drag myself out of bed.
Stuck in a place so dark, my heart still aches thinking about that time.
And for someone like Cole, who’s made it his sole mission in life to serve and protect, it must’ve been a special kind of hell, not being able to save the ones he held most dear.
I understand him a little better now. I get why he keeps people at arm’s length and rarely smiles with his whole face.
It only makes me want him more. My battered soul calls out to him, and the fixer in me simply wants to give him comfort.
When his hungry eyes don’t shift away from mine, and he runs the tip of his tongue over that full bottom lip, I act on impulse.
Pushing the throw blanket off my legs, I move toward him, lifting a tentative hand and gently palming his stubbled cheek.
His lids flutter shut at the contact, like the simple act of physical touch has become so foreign to him, he wants to savor the feeling before it disappears again.
When his eyes finally open, his golden irises shimmer with an unknown emotion, and the air begins to crackle between us.
We stare into each other’s souls, each of us trying to decide if the risk is worth the potential heartbreak.
Then his hand finds the nape of my neck, and he applies pressure, propelling me forward and causing me to crash into him.
The second our lips touch, my shoulders sag with relief, and my whole body melts into him, a display of fireworks exploding in my head.
Holy Mother of God, the man can kiss. Once his mind is made up, he doesn’t hold back, licking into my mouth and exploring every inch with his talented tongue.
A needy moan climbs my throat, and he greedily drinks it down.
His large hands encircle my hips, and he drags me onto his lap like I weigh nothing.
I answer in kind, not skipping a beat as I brazenly grind myself down on his sizable bulge.
A sharp hiss escapes him, and we break apart, panting.
“Better slow it down a bit, Tink. As I’ve said, it’s been a while, and if you keep doing that, there’s a good chance I’ll come in my pants before we get to the good part.”
“I have a feeling you have a short recovery time, so I’m not too worried about it.”
I feel his deep chuckle in my chest, we’re that close, and I dip my head for another soul-destroying kiss.
His hands begin to roam my body before coming to rest on the underside of my heavy breasts.
He glances up at me, silently asking permission to take things further, and I almost give myself whiplash, I’m nodding so hard.
Amusement curls his lips, and he grabs the hem of my shirt, peeling it off me before tossing it aside, where it lands on Scooby’s head.
Startled, my dog jumps up and starts shaking his entire body in an effort to dislodge it.
When he manages to free himself of the offending item, he gives us a scathing look, releases an audible huff, and trots off to the master bedroom. It’s the lighthearted moment we both desperately need, and we take a few seconds to grin at each other before Cole’s expression turns predatory.
He drags the tip of his finger over the swell of my breast, pulling down the cups of my lace bra, and blows out an awed breath.
His pupils darken, and he licks his lips like he’s starving for a taste before dipping his head to close his mouth around a hardened nipple.
He takes his time switching back and forth, nibbling and sucking with long, insistent pulls that send a series of flutters through my throbbing clit.
Groaning his appreciation, he peers up at me through thick lashes, and I tangle my fingers in his unruly hair to hold him close.
“Fuck, Charlie. I knew you were hiding a spectacular pair of tits under all those form-fitting shirts, but I gotta tell you. The reality is so much better.”
“I’m glad my boobs live up to your expectations,” I say on a breathless laugh, throwing my head back when he doubles his efforts.
I’ve never come from nipple play before, but I’m already so close to the edge, the slightest bit of pressure to my needy clit and I’d be sure to go off like the Fourth of July.
The way my body reacts to his ministrations is surprising, because I’m not someone who climaxes easily.
It takes serious effort to get me there, and even back when Jason still cared about my pleasure, he didn’t always succeed.
Cole trails open-mouthed kisses over my collarbone and up the side of my throat before sucking my lobe into the heat of his mouth.
I give a pathetic whimper, and he squeezes my hips, stopping the undulating motion on his dick before he leans back to look at me.
“I’d love to draw this out for hours, but I’m not going to last. Hard and fast now, slow and easy later?
” he asks with an apologetic expression I find so endearing, I can’t help but smile.
Sliding off his lap, I don’t waste time ridding myself of my clothes before I stand back, watching with rapt attention as Cole does the same.
He pulls his shirt over his head, revealing that sculpted torso that looks unreal in the dim lighting.
He makes quick work of his button and zipper before he flexes his hips and pulls his jeans down his powerful thighs, taking his boxer briefs with them.
“Ungh,” I say, almost swallowing my tongue as I take in the sheer size of him. That is going to hurt.
He must see my doubtful expression, for he calmly produces a condom from his wallet and gives me a sympathetic look.