Chapter Nineteen
Ben smiled when he opened his eyes and saw the time.
Eight o’clock on a Saturday morning and he was still in bed.
In some respects, it shouldn’t be a surprise.
He’d slept late every morning this week.
He’d stayed here at Charlotte’s every night.
After they’d made love that first time, he hadn’t been able to make himself go home.
Well, that wasn’t true, it was just that his apartment didn’t feel like home anymore.
Home was here with Charlotte or anywhere that Charlotte might be.
He heard her moving around in the kitchen downstairs and he sat up.
When he came down the stairs she turned and smiled at him. “Hey, sleepyhead. I wasn’t sure if I should wake you.” She poured him a cup of coffee and handed it to him. “You usually like to get an early start on changeover day.”
He took the coffee with a smile. “I think that’s more a case of used to like to get an early start. I’m not sure I even want to go in this morning. I’d much rather stay here with you.”
She shook her head at him. “People are going to think I’m a bad influence on you.”
He went to her and slid his arms around her waist, dropping a kiss on her lips.
“No, they’re not. You’re a good influence—the best. People have gone on at me my whole life for working too much and working too hard.
Now I want to take it a bit easier and spend more time with you.
Who could think that’s bad? And who cares what anyone thinks anyway? All that matters is you and me.”
She smiled up at him and kissed the tip of his nose. “You say that now, but I know you’ll start getting twitchy at about ten o’clock when the calls and the problems start coming in. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love you to stay home and hang out with me, but I have work to do too.”
“Yeah, you’re really busy getting most of Summer Lake online. When are you going to sit down and talk to me about what we can do for the resort.”
“You’ll have to book an appointment, mister. Just like everyone else,” she said with a laugh. “And if you’re serious you’d better hurry up about it, my schedule’s getting pretty packed already.”
“Okay, if I go into work this morning and sort out the problems will that give you enough time to do whatever you need to? Will you be free this afternoon?”
“To talk about marketing the resort or to …”
Ben hugged her to his chest and rubbed his hips against hers. “I was thinking more of the or option myself.”
“Ooh, I could be persuaded.”
“Good, I have a few persuasion tactics in mind.”
She slapped his arm. “I’m sure you do, but we can’t get too carried away, you’ve got Gabe’s stag party tonight.”
“And you’ve got Renée’s bachelorette party.” The way she frowned and shook her head had him concerned. “No? You’re not going?”
“I haven’t actually been invited.”
Ben raised an eyebrow. “I can’t believe that, I’m sure she just forgot to mention it. I know she’d be upset if you didn’t go because of an oversight like that.”
Charlotte sighed. “That’s what I’ve been wrestling with. You see, Lily mentioned it earlier in the week, and she said that Angel was invited. I feel a little uncomfortable that maybe Renée wanted to include her and now she doesn’t want to make things awkward by having us both there.”
Ben shook his head. “I’m sure Renée wouldn’t deliberately leave either of you out.”
“Maybe, but you can see how it could be a little awkward?”
“I can see it,” he admitted grudgingly. “But I wish it wasn’t that way. Honestly, I’m a little tired of explaining myself about something that never happened and was never going to.”
Charlotte stepped back looking a little shocked. “I’m sorry. All I ever did was try to make sure that you weren’t making a mistake. All I wanted was for you to be happy no matter what.”
Ben closed his arms around her again. “No, I’m sorry, that came out wrong. I didn’t mean I’m tired of explaining myself to you. I understand what you were trying to do, and I appreciate it. It’s just that you and everyone else saw something between Angel and me that I never saw.”
Charlotte pursed her lips. “Maybe I was just brave enough to admit what I saw, and you weren’t.”
“Whatever it was, it’s behind us. I think we’ve well and truly established that nothing is ever going to happen between Angel and me.” He smiled, hoping to make her relax again. “And that everything is going to happen between you and me.”
He felt her relax in his arms as she smiled. “Everything?” She raised an eyebrow and sunk her fingers into his hair sending shivers running down his spine. “What kind of everything do you mean?”
He dropped a kiss on her lips. “All kinds of everything.”
She rubbed her hips against his. “This kind of everything?”
He nodded and took hold of her hand leading her back upstairs. “Definitely this kind of everything,” he said with a smile as he lay her down on the bed.
She pushed at his shoulder, making him lie on his back, and she straddled him with a smile.
He reached up and closed his hands around her hips as she pulled her nightshirt up and off.
He smiled at the sight of her gorgeous, naked body and then sucked in a deep breath as she pushed his boxers down and her long, cool fingers closed around him.
“I like this kind of everything. Is this going to happen between us often?”
He nodded, unable to speak for a moment as she worked her hand up and down the length of him. She lifted her hips and stroked herself with him. His fingers tightened around her hips at the sound of her moan. “You feel so good, Ben.”
He nodded. It did feel good, but he needed to be inside her.
She was tormenting him, lowering herself onto him the slightest little bit, letting his head push inside her wetness and then lifting her hips again, leaving him out in the cold.
He closed his hands around her hips and pulled her down hard as he thrust deep.
He moaned as she closed around him and began to move with him.
“I can promise you, this is going to happen very often,” he breathed.
She smiled down at him, and the sight of her smile and her breasts moving above his face almost took him over the edge. “Every day?” she asked.
He nodded. He couldn’t focus on forming words, only on the feel of her velvety wetness closing around him with each thrust. She was riding him hard, grinding her hips against his. He was at her mercy and he was loving it.
“Every day for the rest of our lives?” Her eyes were serious now.
He was right at the point of no return and she slowed her movements, forcing him to do the same, and keeping him at the point of exquisite torture.
He was going to come at any moment, but he wanted to hang here, right on the edge with her. “Forever and always?”
“Yes!” Forever and always was their promise, their motto, their theme for a lifetime and hearing her say it now took him crashing over the edge. He came hard, his release sending shockwaves from his scalp to his toes.
“Forever and always, Charlie,” he gasped as he felt her tighten around him. She came with him, their bodies moving frantically together, carrying each other away, and finally making the commitment they’d waited a lifetime for.
When they were both showered and dressed, he made a fresh pot of coffee and poured them each a cup. “Do you have time to come sit outside and drink this with me?” he asked.
“I do,” she said with a smile. “I can get on with my work at any point. Are you sure you can spare the time?”
He nodded and led her out onto the deck.
“I am sure. You don’t need to check with me all the time, seriously, Charlie.
It’s okay. I was a workaholic when we were kids because I had big dreams. I’ve been a workaholic all these years because I was achieving my dreams for the resort and because I thought all my dreams had died.
” He smiled at her. “Now my dreams are coming true and I’m not going to screw that up by spending all my time at work. ”
She smiled and took a sip of her coffee then stared out at the lake, seemingly lost in thought. “I’d like to be a part of your dream, you know.”
Ben stared at her. “You are my dream, Charlie. You’ve always been my dream, you must know this. What do you think I meant when I said my dreams are coming true? I meant that you’re here and we’re back together.”
She put a hand on his arm and smiled. “Sorry, that came out wrong. You and me, us being together, that is the dream, our dream. It always has been. What I meant was about the resort. That’s always been your dream too.
I know that. I’d like to be a part of it, I’d like to help you build it.
That was why I decided to do marketing in the first place.
And all the years we were apart, all the things I learned, it was always in my mind that one day, maybe, I’d be able to use it here, to help you grow the place like we talked about. ”
“I’d love that, Charlie. I really would.
I didn’t want to ask, or at least not to push you too hard.
I know you’re building up a clientele, and by the looks of it you’re going to get very busy very quickly.
I didn’t want you to feel that I wanted all your focus to be on me and the resort.
I know you, you need to be your own person.
You need to be independent and have something all yours.
I get that. But, if you want to help build the resort, if you want to devise a marketing strategy that will help us grow, then I’m all for it. ”
She smiled. “I think we should do what we said and set up an appointment. I’m not sure how we’ll separate our business relationship from our relationship, but I do think we should try. I want to come in on my own merit, not as your girlfriend.”
Ben nodded. “That sounds good to me. I’ll check the schedule when I get to the office and see if we can set up a time.”