25. CHARLOTTE
25
CHARLOTTE
I spent the day working on a campaign report for Victoria Morgan. So far, it was going well.
Better than expected, in fact. But that wasn’t due to my campaign per se—the biggest feat so far was that Alex Blackwood wanted to take his company in a different direction and develop a line of eco-friendly yachts.
I could never take credit for that choice, but the fact that he was willing to open his mind to new ways of doing business was flattering. He’d taken what I’d said to heart, and he was so amazing, seeing my side of things.
It just made me so much more in love with him.
As if that was possible. I was as head-over-heels as I could be about the guy right now.
Pull yourself together, it’s early days.
We hadn’t even had a chance to talk to Gabe, either. He was still out of town. He should have been back by now.
I picked up my phone and dialed his number. The phone rang for such a long time I thought I would get his voicemail, but then he answered at the last moment.
“Hey, sis,” he said. He was out of breath. “Sorry. I lost my damn phone in the hotel room and if it wasn’t for you calling, I wouldn’t have found it so easily.”
I chuckled. “Gotta love how organized you are.”
“This place is hell, you can’t blame me.”
My heart went out to him. “At least you’re in Houston, far away from home.”
He groaned. “It’s still too close for my liking.”
I hated Texas as much as he did, although he was in Houston, and that was far from where we’d grown up. Still, it was the principle of the thing.
“Weren’t you supposed to be back by now?” I asked. “I thought it was just a couple of days.”
“Yeah, that was the plan. But we had an issue with implementation and one of the rookies did something with his coding that none of us pros can actually find. Now we’re stuck combing through lines and lines of code to figure out where the hell he went wrong.”
“That sounds dramatic.”
“You have no idea. He’s too new to know what he did wrong, and he’s got even the experts stumped. I’m telling you, at this point we just look bad.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re a superhero.”
Gabe snorted when I called him that. It used to be a thing while we were growing up. I always called him a superhero because nothing ever seemed to get to him. He was emotion-proof, the way Superman was bulletproof.
“Well, this superhero is going to be stuck here for a while longer.”
My brother was always so happy-go-lucky, it was hard to know that he had so much resentment beneath the surface about what happened with my mom and my dad. But it was there, and when he had to do something like go back to his home state, he lost his shit in a big way.
“How are things over there?” Gabe asked.
“Good. Pretty much the same thing every day, but it’s positive.”
“Anything fun happen that I missed out on?”
I thought about the storm, the boat ride, the lighthouse, and me and Alex being stranded together. I wanted to tell my brother all about it—we usually shared all our stories—but I couldn’t tell him I’d been out with Alex. He would ask questions I wasn’t ready to answer over the phone.
“Not really,” I said. “It’s really boring back here without you, you know.”
Gabe chuckled. “Stroking my ego is just what I need right now. You’re a saint.”
“You’ll figure it out soon enough and then you can come home.”
“I will,” Gabe said. “And then we can hang out. It feels like forever since we had a chance. I’ve had to keep canceling.”
“Sometimes, work is a bitch.”
“You can say that again—shit. I have to go, sorry. They’re calling me again.”
“Good luck,” I said, and Gabe ended the call.
I dropped the phone and felt guilty for not telling him about the storm, but that would come as soon as he knew about me and Alex. I just had to approach it right. It wasn’t like I was going to keep it a secret from him forever, just for a short while longer.
I hoped he could come back soon. Both for my sake and for mine and Alex’s sake.
I felt bad creeping around with Alex behind my brother’s back. Even though I wasn’t technically doing anything wrong. Talking to him about it was the way to move forward. It was the decent thing to do.
I hoped to God that he would be okay with us dating, but he couldn’t tell me that he found fault in Alex.
When I lowered my phone, I had two texts from Alex.
Are you home? Can I come over? I had a rough day at the office and your face is just what I need right now.
I smiled and opened the second.
I’m going to take your silence as tacit agreement because I’m losing my mind on my own, letting my thoughts take over. Overthinking is no fun.
Before I could even reply, someone knocked on my door. I stood, and when I opened up it was Alex.
He wore jeans and a faded gray T-shirt that turned his eyes from the color of the sky to slate.
Or maybe it was his mood—he was clearly not in a good space. His jaw was set, lips pursed into a thin line.
“Yes,” I said.
“What?”
“You can come over.”
A small smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, and he slid his hand under my hair, pulling me closer for a kiss. I breathed his cologne, and my mind went blank when he held me like this, his body almost right against mine.
He broke the kiss and walked into the apartment past me, leaving me feeling dizzy.
“What happened?” I asked, shutting the door.
“I had a meeting with my investors and they’re just…” He grunted. “They’re difficult people. And I get it. I mean, they’re all worried about where their money is going and what the returns will be, but I feel like the more money they have, the more tight-fisted they become, not willing to take any chances.”
He turned to face me, and in his eyes I could see the storm that went on inside him.
“I’m trying here, you know? I have so many people to please, and I don’t know how to do it. I’m just one person.”
“It sounds like you need ice cream.”
Alex frowned, and the look of pure confusion was the perfect combination of drop-dead gorgeous and completely adorable.
“Ice cream?”
I nodded and walked to my freezer. I took out two tubs.
“We have Rocky Road and Choc Mint. Which do you prefer?”
“Which do you want?”
I smiled at him. “Well, right now I have both.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Choc Mint.”
“Good choice.” I handed him the tub and a spoon from my drawer.
“What’s this supposed to do?”
I blinked at him. “Don’t tell me you’ve never eaten your emotions.”
Alex shook his head slowly, looking at the ice cream tub as if it were from another world. “I usually drink them, if you must know.”
With his perfectly sculpted body, I was willing to believe that.
“Well, today you’re changing things up. They do say change is as good as a holiday. It’s you and Choc Mint all the way, handsome.”
Alex cocked a grin at me when I called him handsome, and I blushed. The word had just slipped out.
“Teach me your ways,” he said.
I giggled and led the way to the living room.
“Thank you for the phone, by the way. I love it.”
“Good. By the looks of things you needed an upgrade, anyway. And that one will last. Mine was still fine, just dead.”
“Really?”
He nodded and peeled open his ice cream, dropping himself onto my couch. He sat with his legs wide, his colossal body sinking into the cushions, and I swear my couch had never looked this inviting.
I sat down next to him.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Alex sighed and scooped some ice cream into his mouth, thinking.
“I’m torn,” he said. “I can’t keep everyone happy, and I don’t know who to choose.”
“What are the pros and cons? Have you made a list?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Well…” I hesitated. “What I’m about to tell you is a secret, okay? You can’t tell anyone, not even my brother.”
Alex raised his eyebrows. “Okay?”
“So, this is how I make all my big life decisions. I take a piece of paper and create two columns—pros and cons.”
“With you so far,” Alex said.
“Right. Then I’ll write all the pros in one column. Let’s say, Is this relationship working for me ? So on the pros side, I’ll be like, remembers my birthday, or really good in bed. ”
Alex chuckled at that. “I don’t even know when your birthday is.”
“That’s fine, this list isn’t about you.”
“Good to know.” Alex put another spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. I had to focus hard on what I was saying and not on the way the T-shirt stretched around his bulging arms when he scooped ice cream and sucked on the spoon.
“Then, on the other side, I’ll write the bad stuff. Like snores too loudly or spends all my hard-earned cash. ”
“That’s a big one,” Alex said.
I nodded. “Exactly. So when I do that, I add a value out of ten for each thing. Snoring might only get a three out of ten for a con, but the cash thing would get me a ten. I do that on both sides, calculate the total, and divide it by the number of pros on the one side and cons on the other… and the final number on each column is the one that wins out. Do you get it?”
Alex just stared at me. “You’ve made big life decisions that way?”
“Every breakup,” I admitted.
He burst out laughing. “That’s the most analytical, emotionless way I’ve ever heard. You literally calculate a breakup.”
I shrugged, feeling silly that I’d told him. “It’s not just breakups I do it with, you know. Moving to a new city, leaving an old job, buying a new car… it really works for everything, and the part where you’re not emotional about it is the point. I happen to overthink everything. I won’t break up with a guy, even if there are only cons on that list because I’ll keep thinking how it will make him feel, and I feel so bad that I don’t do it.” I held up my hand. “Hypothetically, of course.”
“Of course,” Alex said gravely, but I wasn’t sure if he was mocking me.
“So when I do it that way, I can’t overthink. I just look at the numbers. Numbers don’t lie, you know.” I ate some of my ice cream that had started to melt around the edges while I’d been talking.
Alex laughed, shaking his head.
“I’m going to have to try that.”
“Let me know if it works for you,” I said with a grin.
Alex put his ice cream down on the coffee table and leaned closer to me. He leaned his forehead against my shoulder.
“I don’t like being the bad guy.”
“Who said you’re the bad guy?”
“It feels like I am. No matter which way I turn, someone thinks I’m the bad guy.”
“You can’t keep everyone happy,” I said softly.
He nodded against me, and I put my ice cream down, too. I leaned back, and Alex shifted so that our bodies fit better together. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. I could see the lines of stress etched on his face.
I lifted my hand and slowly traced his features.
He opened his eyes, and they locked on mine. They were the color of winter, a bright blue, icy and guarded. But underneath his cold facade I knew he had so much warmth, too.
Work made him shut down, it seemed. Or the people he had to please.
Or… something.
I ran my fingers through his thick black hair.
“It’s going to be okay in the end, you know,” I said.
“How do you know?”
I traced a finger over the stubble on his pronounced jaw.
“Because if it’s not okay, it’s not the end.”
Alex scoffed softly. “That’s a cliché internet phrase.”
“Maybe,” I said. “Gabe used to tell me that when we were little, and even if it’s cliché… it makes you not give up but hold out for better days. And they do come, you know. Every time.”
Alex lifted his hand and took my hair between his fingers, rolling it, twisting it around his finger, tugging gently.
“Yeah, I guess that’s true. It’s all about the bigger picture. That’s what my dad told us for as long as I can remember.”
“He’s a smart man. Must run in the family.”
Alex smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes, and it faded again.
My heart ached for him. I wished I could make whatever was bothering him better.
“How can I help?”
“You’re doing plenty.”
“I’m not doing anything at all.”
Alex wrapped a strong arm around my waist and pulled me closer so that my body was halfway underneath his.
“You’re doing plenty,” he said again in a husky voice and kissed me. We didn’t speak, but we didn’t have to. Alex was saying it all.
My skin was on fire under his hand that slid to the back of my neck. He tangled my hair in his fingers and slid his tongue into my mouth. I moaned.
Alex’s lips were urgent, pressing against mine, his tongue hot and probing. I moaned at the back of my throat. Alex moved so that he was on top of me on the couch, his body hard and ready. I felt a rush of arousal as his hard cock pushed against me, the evidence of how much he wanted me.
He growled, and my desire pooled between my legs. While he kissed me, he gyrated his hips against me, slowly, sensually, working me into a frenzy of need.
“Alex,” I whispered.
“I need you,” he said in a gruff voice and covered my mouth with his again. His stubble scraped against my chin. He stroked his thumb over my cheek again and again, the motion almost hypnotic as we made out, and I lost myself in him completely.
When he moved away from my mouth, he kissed his way down my neck, over my collarbone. He tugged my T-shirt up, exposing my stomach, my ribs, my bra. I pulled the shirt off over my head and threw it aside. He groaned when he saw my bare skin, his fingers tracing a line of fire along the lacy cup of my bra. Goosebumps stretched over the skin on my breasts.
Alex pulled the cup down, and I moaned as he licked a circle around one nipple and then sucked on it. I arched my back.
“I loved it at the lighthouse when you weren’t wearing anything,” he murmured against my breast. His hand found my other breast, kneading, massaging as he licked and sucked on my nipple, scraping his teeth over it. I moaned, the sensation going straight to my center, where the need for him was building.
“Oh God, Alex,” I breathed. “That feels so good.”
“You feel so good,” he murmured and moved his head to kiss me. I opened my mouth for him, and his tongue swept inside, exploring, tangling, dancing with mine.
“God, you’re fucking delicious,” he murmured and nipped my lip. “I can’t get enough.”
“Don’t stop, then,” I gasped.
“Oh, I’m not stopping,” he said.
His hands moved over my breasts and stomach, caressing, stroking, touching every inch of skin he could find. His fingers found the waistband of my shorts, and he pulled them down, pushing his hand into my panties. I gasped when he found my pussy, and moaned, writhing as his fingers worked magic on me. He traced circles around my clit, slid his fingers toward my entrance, dipping them into my wetness.
He growled when he felt how wet I was and pushed a finger into me so that I whimpered with need, but then he moved back to my clit and continued his onslaught.
I arched my back and moaned, my breath coming faster and faster.
Alex broke the kiss and watched my face as he fingered me, relishing in my expression. I reached up, running my hand over his muscular shoulder, the ink etched into his throat, his thick hair. My hand tangled in his hair, keeping his head close to mine. Our breath mingled as my gasps became shallower and more erratic.
Alex worked his fingers faster, his eyes locked on mine, his face riddled with pure pleasure.
“Come for me, Charlotte,” he commanded. “Let go.”
I gasped and moaned, his fingers expertly driving me to the edge. I could feel the orgasm building, starting in my toes, spreading up my legs. The feeling of release and tension all at once, the build-up to the moment when the dam would burst and I would be left shaking in his arms, overwhelmed with ecstasy.
“Come,” he whispered and flicked his tongue over my nipple again, sucking on it as he pushed a finger into me, his thumb on my clit.
“Alex,” I gasped, and the orgasm slammed into me, knocking the breath from my lungs and making my body shake. My toes curled, and the sensation started in the soles of my feet and washed through me.
He continued working his hand and kissing my breast, sucking my nipple, and flicking his tongue over it as I came, sending waves of pleasure through me, over and over again.
Finally, I lay spent, my body limp and satiated, and Alex pulled his fingers from me and pulled me against him. I rested my head against his chest, and he stroked my back.
“You’re still dressed,” I murmured.
“Yeah.”
“For the record, I liked you at the lighthouse when you were naked, too.”
He chuckled and reached behind his neck, pulling his shirt over his head in one quick move. He lifted one arm, and I helped him pull it off before he balanced on the other.
When he lay down on me again, his bare chest pressed against my body.
I pushed up a little, and he let me move under him. I undid my bra and tossed it to the side so it joined the other clothes on the floor. Now, with Alex’s bare chest against my breasts, I felt the movement of his muscles as he stroked his hand up and down my arm, and his heart beat against mine.
“I want you,” he said in a hoarse voice.
I nodded and pushed gently against his chest so that he sat back. I stood before him and wriggled out of my shorts and panties so that I was naked.
I felt strangely exposed, standing naked in my living room, but the way he looked at me, his gaze taking in every inch of my body, his expression filled with a kind of awe and wonder, made me feel beautiful and sexy. It made me forget about the rest of the world.
He got up from the couch and walked over to me, standing in front of me. His fingers trailed down my chest, between my breasts, and over my stomach.
“You’re perfect,” he whispered, his eyes fixed on mine.
“Not even close.”
He shook his head. “Perfect.”
Alex dipped his head and kissed me again, his arms around my waist. My hands roamed over his muscled back and shoulders. I marveled at his strength and at the fact that he was holding me, touching me, kissing me.
He reached between us and unbuttoned his pants, letting them fall to the ground. His hard cock strained against the fabric of his briefs. Alex growled and reached between us again, pushing his briefs down.
My hand slipped between our bodies, and I took his cock in my hand, running my fingers along the length. He hissed.
I pushed him back with my free hand on his chest, and he collapsed back on the couch. His legs were wide, his cock standing straight up and waiting for me.
I dropped to my knees between his thighs and kissed the tip.
“Fuck,” he gasped, and I wrapped my hand around the base of his cock. I squeezed him and felt his muscles tense.
I lowered my head and opened my mouth, sliding his cock into it. Alex gasped, and his hand shot up, his fingers tangling in my hair. He pulled me forward, and I took his cock deeper, feeling it slide toward the back of my throat.
I hummed and swirled my tongue around him, sucking, tasting him. He smelled of soap and salt water, and the smell filled my nose.
Alex groaned.
I continued working my mouth and tongue around him, licking, sucking, teasing. He gasped and moaned, his body tensing and relaxing again, the pleasure I gave him coursing through his veins.
He pulled me closer, urging me to take more, and I did, sucking him and running my hand up and down the base.
He shuddered and pushed me away, panting.
“You keep going like that and this will be over before we get started.” He pulled me closer and kissed me. “I need to be inside you.”
I nodded. Alex reached for his pants and fished a condom out of his wallet.
He rolled it onto his cock, and then lifted me. I straddled him, knees on either side of him on the couch, my body hovering over his. He ran his hands down my body, cupping my breasts, encircling my waist, squeezing my ass. I leaned forward and kissed him again, my breasts against his chest, and he squeezed and massaged my ass.
Slowly, I sank down onto his cock. We groaned in unison as my body took him in, letting him fill me completely.
“Fuck, Charlotte,” he moaned, his eyes closed, his face riddled with bliss.
I sat on him like that for a moment, relishing the feel of him inside me. I traced my thumb along his lower lip, put my hands on his shoulders and started moving, slowly, up and down .
Alex’s hands roamed over my back, my sides, down my stomach, my hips. He kneaded my ass and pulled me closer, guiding my rhythm as I rode him.
I gasped and rocked faster. Alex’s cock felt amazing inside me, stroking in and out. I shivered at the feel of him, and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. He rocked his hips, pumping into me, working with me.
“That’s right, baby,” he growled, and his fingers dug into my hips, pulling me closer. He buried his face against my neck and inhaled, his breath tickling. He pressed kisses along my jaw and down to my collarbone, and his teeth grazed my skin.
“You feel so good,” he growled. He lifted his hips, and we rocked together, our rhythm syncing. His hand slid between us, his thumb finding my clit, and he started working his fingers.
I moaned loudly and moved faster. Alex’s free hand grabbed my hip, guiding my movement, while his other worked my clit, circling, flicking, pressing. The pleasure built in me again, and I cried out. I crept closer and closer to the edge of another orgasm, Alex working magic with his cock and his hands, balancing me on his lap and leading me toward complete sexual bliss.
His hand slid to the small of my back, and he pulled me against him. His face was buried against my neck, his body flush against mine, and we moved together.
Alex grunted as he fucked me harder, and my nails dug into his back.
The orgasm slammed into me, and I cried out his name, my body shaking.
He groaned when my body tightened around him and continued pumping into me.
When my orgasm faded, I breathed hard, collapsing against his chest.
Alex wrapped his arms around me and stood. He held me with ease, his cock slipping out of me, and he carried me to the bedroom with my legs wrapped around his waist. He dropped me on the mattress and got on it with me, plunging his cock into me again. He kissed me, his face close to mine, and the scent of our sex filled the room. He bucked his hips, fucking me hard, and I wrapped my legs around his waist.
Alex was an animal, pounding into me, his jaw tight and his face riddled with concentration. He held me close, and my arms were around his neck, my legs wrapped around his hips.
“You’re mine,” he growled in a deep, low voice and thrust his hips forward. I gripped him, and the next orgasm crashed into me, overwhelming and unexpected.
Alex slowed his rhythm, and his hand cupped the back of my head. He pressed his forehead against mine, and his blue eyes were open and searching, looking into mine.
I ran my hands through his thick black hair. He looked so raw and so vulnerable.
Slowly, he stroked in and out of me, his eyes locked on mine, and the atmosphere in the room changed from the frantic lust of a moment ago to a sensual connection. He cupped my cheek, ran his fingers through my hair, planted kisses on my face while he worshipped my body.
I let go, drowning in the affection that poured out of him. I’d never felt like this about anyone. Alex wasn’t like the guys I’d known in my life. He was hard as nails on the outside, but he was a pure heart.
He rolled over so that he lay on the bed, and I clambered onto him. I kissed him and rocked my hips, his cock still buried deep inside me.
“Charlotte,” he murmured, his voice hoarse and strained.
“Hmm,” I hummed.
He groaned, his face tight and his jaw clenched. “What are you doing to me?”
I smiled and kissed him again, running my hands over his muscled shoulders, my fingers gliding over the ink that stretched across his skin. I was so overwhelmed by him. His strong, powerful presence. His chiseled, handsome features.
He sat up and kissed me, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me against him. His chest was against my breasts, and he ran his hands over my back.
“Why is it so easy to be with you?” he asked.
I didn’t know how to answer him, but it wasn’t necessary. He kissed me, and I rocked my hips faster and faster. Alex groaned as I rode him, and he gripped my hips. He pulled me forward, pushing me back, letting me take him deeper and deeper so that all that existed was me and him in this bubble where reality fell away.
Alex pulled away and kissed me hard, his teeth scraping over my lips.
“Charlotte,” he gasped, and his hands moved to my face, cupping my cheeks, pulling me close, our foreheads pressed together. “God, Charlotte,” he groaned, and his whole body tensed.
He came hard and fast, his cock twitching inside me. I held onto him as he found his release, riding out the wave of pure pleasure with him. It rolled through his body, his muscles tightening beneath me.
Finally, his breathing slowed, and his body relaxed, and he lay gasping on the bed.
His cock slipped out of me, but I didn’t get off him. I lay on top of him, our bodies melded together, so close that I didn’t know where I ended and Alex began.