Chapter Seven
Charlotte
T he first two weeks I was here, I barely saw Nick.
Now he seemed to be around more and more.
Honestly? I was here for it. Would have been nice if he’d joined me in the shower when I’d offered the other day, but hey, he wouldn’t be the first oblivious man I’d come into contact with.
Being with him saved me from agonizing over spreadsheets, and it was nice to get to know him again.
The business would do great. I just needed to be patient for a while and figure out what worked and what didn’t.
Being patient would be one hell of a lot easier with a distraction.
Not just a dinner conversation distraction, but a naked distraction.
As if my thoughts summoned him, Nick walked through the door all dirty and tall.
Fuck. Why, oh why does him being covered in sawdust turn me on?
He looked exhausted but still when his eyes landed on me standing in front of the stove a slow smile spread across his face. I was hit again by how domestic and normal the whole thing felt.
“I stopped at the grocery store and grabbed everything on your list,” he said, putting a bag on the counter and unloading it into the fridge.
“Thanks. Dinner’s going to be a half hour or so if you want to shower.”
He grabbed a toolbox I hadn’t noticed by the door. “Actually, I have some investigating to do.”
“Really?” I raised an eyebrow and turned to lean against the stove.
“Yeah, there’s this strange buzzing sound coming from the main bathroom. A vibration maybe.” He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and moved closer. “Have you heard it?” He pinned me with his stare and heat flooded my core.
“Hmm, you know I think I may have,” I said, trying and failing to suppress a smile. “Is vibration bad?”
He planted one hand on either side of my hip and leaned over me, his face just inches from mine.
“Could be. I’d need some time to tease out the cause.
In the short term, a little vibration might seem like no big deal, but sooner or later.
” He shook his head. “I’ll need to take a hands-on approach to fix the problem. ”
My breath was coming faster as his hand inched close enough for his thumb to swipe my hip.
“How do you know it isn’t serving some really important purpose? The vibration, I mean?”
One side of his mouth ticked up. “I’m sure it is. I have a better tool for the job, though. Let me know next time the vibration hits, I can show you.”
I’d be blushing like a virgin if all my blood wasn’t busy making my clit pulse like the bass at a nightclub.
He stepped away to go shower, I assumed, and I finished making dinner on auto pilot. We had gotten into a routine where I cooked dinner since I was home first, and he cleaned up after. Apparently, he also bought groceries and tortured me about using his hands and his tool to replace my vibrator.
Unless that isn’t what he meant?
No. It had to be.
No one talked that seductively about home repair, right?
I debated texting Kim to ask her thoughts, but knew I didn’t have time.
Just as I was loading our plates with food, Nick reappeared from his room.
Shirtless.
His hair was wet and sending the odd drop of water sliding down into the valley between his pecs. Jesus Christ and Julia Child, he was fucking mouthwatering.
Note to self: if I ever want to get in shape, drop the spatula and pick up a hammer.
A body builder he was not, but he was thick and muscular with a dusting of dark chest hair that created an enticing arrow pointing to the aforementioned tool.
He ran a hand through his hair, shaking off the excess water before grabbing napkins and cutlery.
He proceeded to set the table as if he wasn’t violating every law against torture by displaying all that bare skin. I guessed this was what I got for draping my panties around the house like party decorations.
“Ready to eat?” he asked, blinking innocently at me as I wiped the drool from my chin.
Now there was a loaded question if I ever heard one. He knew exactly what he was doing.
“Yep.” I plunked down into my chair. “Better eat quickly, though. I need a shower before bed. If you want to put a stop to the vibration, we might need some extra time.”
He froze with his fork halfway to his mouth.
Did he really think we were just teasing? That I wasn’t planning to put all my middle aged hormones to good use and wear his dick out?
He ate his meal as if there was a large animal chasing him, then moved to the kitchen and started cleaning up.
I was done with the verbal foreplay. “Well, I am going to go take that shower. I’ll leave the door open in case you hear that buzzing sound again. Might have to put that tool of yours to good use.”
I didn’t turn back to see if he was watching me.
I was on a mission. I grabbed my toothbrush and gave my teeth a quick once over before turning the shower on.
Luckily, twenty-something Charlotte was irresponsible with money, so I’d had laser hair removal.
I still had to shave sometimes, but I could skip it now and not have my legs feel like velcro.
I yanked my hair out of its messy bun and dragged a brush through it. Again, not going for perfection, just hoping to tamper down the swamp-witch look I was rocking after a day in a hot kitchen.
I started stripping as fast as I could without tripping and breaking something.
I tossed my tank and leggings into the hamper then paused over my bra and undies.
They were a matching set in a gorgeous bright blue.
I’d been teasing Nick with my lingerie since I’d moved in…
should I drape these over the edge of the hamper?
Or toss them on the counter? It is one thing to do that with clean undies but dirty ones?
Do guys like that? Or is that just a thing from romance novels and porn?
I heard the beep of the dishwasher turning on and tossed everything in the hamper before scampering under the warm spray.
I had just enough time to wash my face before I heard his steps enter the bathroom.
I pushed the curtain back enough to peak out.
His bare chest was flushed a little red and his eyes were dark and hooded.
His breath was coming fast like he’d sprinted in here and the front of his jeans showed an impressive bulge.
“Are you coming in?” I asked, hoping my voice didn’t reflect the nerves that were starting to set in.
I closed the curtain again and hid – er, waited.
I’d been teasing him with lace and silk but all I had now was me.
Thirty-eight years old, thicker than I was in high school and desperate for him to see me independent of my idiot brother.
The scratch of a lowering zipper pulled me out of my head and I strained to hear.
The swish of denim, the light thump of fabric hitting the floor then the curtain was moving, and I didn’t think I could breathe.
He stepped one leg into the shower. Any doubt I had about whether he wanted me evaporated when I saw how hard he was.
I turned to face him, the water pelting down on my back.
There was a moment of hesitation. On my part or his or both, I wasn’t sure but then we were both moving. His callused hands landed on my hips, slipping around to my ass and my mouth was on his.
He was all soft lips and rough stubble. His velvety tongue massaged mine while his strong hands dug into my curves.
His body radiated heat as mine shivered under his touch.
He turned us so my back was to the cold tile.
The smooth skin of his cock was resting against my stomach while my breasts pillowed against his chest. I was all hands and lips, touching every part of him I could reach.
His hands slid up until he was holding my face, then he pulled back. “Fuck. I thought this would be weird. But it’s not,” he said, his breath coming in rapid pants.
I took the opportunity to catch my breath too, my hand sliding through his chest hair and stopping at his pecs.
“Why would it?” I was crossing my fingers that what he said next didn’t make me hate him.
I really wanted to get laid.
“Well, it’s you. It’s me. It’s us. I’ve always thought of you as Derek’s sister.” He rested his forehead against mine as he spoke.
I frowned. “Yet here you are with your dick pressed against my stomach, so what changed?”
He smirked. “Maybe it changed because we’ve spent so much time together lately. Or maybe because you’ve been moaning over a sex toy in my shower. Or could be the lacy panties all over my house.”
“Yeah, that was totally intentional,” I said, with a laugh.
“Oh, so you’ve thought about this before? This was a setup, huh?” His lips went to my neck and it was hard to think as he sucked the water off my skin.
“Uh huh,” was my brilliant reply.
“Yeah? What did you think about?” His hands slid down to tease my nipples as his mouth continued to work its way down my neck.
“As a teenager, nothing specific.”
“And since you moved in?” He pulled away from my neck, his eyes dancing as he waited for my reply.
“Hmm. I wondered what sound you’d make if I ran my tongue over you right here.” I swiped my thumb over the divot under his cockhead.
He let out a strangled sound, so I continued to tease the sensitive spot.
“What else?” He breathed out the words.
“I pictured your bicep flexing when you hovered over me. I wondered if your nipples were sensitive.” I leaned down and swiped my tongue over one hardened bud. “What your skin tasted like and whether that tongue of yours was good for anything besides arguing.”
He had been lazily moving his lips over my collar bone but he pulled back and caught my eye. “Charlotte, was that a challenge?”