Chapter 38 Charlotte
Charlotte
I walk into the bedroom after checking on Preston, who’s now out like a light, tucked into bed in the room next door.
“Is he alright?” Sutton walks out from the adjoining bathroom with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. The vision of him never gets old, and I smile as I think about the first time I saw his naked torso, wet at my cottage after we got stuck in the rain. That feels like a lifetime ago.
“My eyes are up here, Tinker Bell,” he murmurs as his fingers touch my chin and he lifts my gaze to his.
“I just like looking at all of you.” I grin as he leans down and kisses me.
“I want to do wicked, wicked things to you when you look at me like that.” His voice sounds like he’s parched, husky as he speaks against my lips.
“Like what?” I tease as I place my hand on his naked chest, running it down his body slowly, until I reach the roll of towel at his waist.
“Things that I can’t say or do because the room is probably bugged.” My smile disappears, and my hands still. “What?” I clearly don’t live in the real world. That thought didn’t even enter my mind.
“We’re at one of the Dragonfly compounds. They aren't going to just let a global movie star stay here without ensuring they have some type of collateral on me that they can use if I see or hear something I shouldn’t.”
I gulp, my heart now racing. It all sounds like one of his movies, but this is actually my life right now.
Stepping out of his hold, I start looking around, my eyes taking in every inch of the room.
“What are you doing?”
“Nothing.” I wave him off.
He laughs, clearly aware of exactly what I’m up to, but indulging me.
I spot a piece of artwork on one side of the room. Looking at it, the frame is a little thicker than what I would ordinarily see at any of the museums or art galleries I’ve visited, and I know I’ve found a camera. I spot Sutton’s jacket on the nearby chair and grab it.
“I’m just going to hang your jacket so it doesn’t crumple,” I say loudly, lifting the jacket and placing it over the frame. As I get close, spotting the camera lens, my assumption is proven correct. It’s barely visible, but on the angle, it’s obvious.
“You’re a freak of nature…” Sutton murmurs through a chuckle, grinning brightly at me.
Giving him a wink, my eyes go to the lamp near the bed next, and I walk over to it.
I look inside, and sure enough, I find a small mic, the size of my pinky nail.
Grabbing it out, I look at him and place my finger against my lips, asking him to be quiet before I take it to the bathroom and flush it down the toilet.
He raises his eyebrow at me. “They probably aren’t going to be happy about any of that.”
“Probably not. I assume Brigitte will replace it all tomorrow anyway, but at least we have tonight?” I move back toward him, resuming my adoration of his body.
“Really, where the hell did you come from?” He looks at me in awe, head shaking.
I shrug innocently. “I told you. Manhattan.”
He barks a laugh before he grabs my waist, pulling me to him. Trailing his fingers down my torso, he teases at the hem of my shirt. Slow, deliberate, like he’s savoring every second.
“I’m going to take my time with you tonight.” His voice is low, rich with promise, and my breath hitches as he lifts my shirt, slipping it up and over my head. My hair tumbles around my bare shoulders, and I feel the warmth of his gaze fixed on me.
With my stomach fluttering, his fingers brush over the satin of my bra, just barely, and the sensation sends a shiver racing down my spine. I watch his throat work on a swallow, his mouth parting slightly, like he’s trying to resist the urge to taste every inch of me.
“That’s the one thing we both don’t have…” My voice is quieter now. We both know this stolen time won’t last.
The moment that whiskey commercial goes live, Whispers will be swarmed with media.
He’ll have to step into the light, and I’ll have to disappear into the shadows.
He’s the man the world needs to see, and I’m the woman who wants to hide from it all.
Like Romeo and Juliet, we’re destined to fall, yet unable to stay away from each other.
“But we do have tonight,” he says tenderly.
As he unbuttons my jeans, I grip his shoulders, steadying myself, and he slides them down, his knuckles grazing my skin, leaving fire in their wake.
I step out of them, standing before him in my matching set, relishing how his gaze darkens, devouring me.
I swear it feels like every inch of my body is burning under the weight of it.
He exhales sharply. “We better make it count.”
I rise onto my tiptoes, cupping his face, pulling him to me, no hesitation, no doubt.
I feel the second his restraint shatters.
His mouth crashes onto mine, and his hands grip under my thighs, lifting me effortlessly.
I gasp against his lips as my arms wrap around his neck as he steps us over to the bed.
“Sutton!” I squeal as he throws me onto the mattress, quickly chasing me.
“Yes, Charlotte?” I feel his smile on my neck as he kisses across my shoulders. His hands are already on my waist, pulling at my underwear, and he sits up, sliding them down my legs in one swoop.
“I love you,” I whisper.
He stalls, his face in complete shock. My heart is thudding, loud in the silence of the room as I wait. He declared his love for me publicly at the diner just yesterday and has reiterated it since. Now, as my words sit between us, I’m not sure what he thinks.
“Say that again.” He looks almost unsure, like perhaps he didn't hear me right.
I smile. “I love you, Sutton.” I’m cautious, saying them slowly, ensuring he understands. His hand drops to my bare leg, and he smooths it up to my thigh.
“Again,” he says huskily.
I giggle, then I snort, and his smile widens.
“I love you.”
“Mmm. Again.”
“Sutton!” I laugh, and he playfully pinches my side.
Holding his face in my hands, I look at him seriously as I say, “I love you. You came barreling into my life when I wasn’t looking, completely taking me by surprise.
But I can’t imagine it any other way now.
You’re so good to not only me, but my brother, too.
I love how you sit at the diner and wait for me, making me smile all day, you spend time with Preston and have helped him more than you know, you embrace my weird and wonderful sustainability projects.
You’re kind and thoughtful and protective, and being around you makes me happier than I’ve ever been. ”
Swallowing roughly, his hand glides up my torso, eyes burning into mine. Placing his hands on the bed, planted on either side of my head, our noses almost touching, he says once more, “Again…” Almost like he’s in disbelief.
“I lov—” I don’t get to finish. His lips collide with mine, and he kisses away my words.
So slowly, so seductively, I almost melt straight into the mattress.
With every movement of his lips, I feel the ferocity of his feelings, and as he lowers his body onto mine, his heart thumps against my chest, just as powerfully as my own.
Breathless, he lifts to lean on his elbow, and his fingers trail down the side of my cheek before he gently grabs my neck, lifting my chin to look him in the eye.
“You are the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
I want you to know that every day.” His voice is a mere whisper.
It wouldn’t matter if there were more bugs in the room; the chances of them hearing that sentence would be nil.
I feel every word he says like he’s branding it into my flesh with a hot poker.
Lifting my legs, I curl them around his naked hips, pulling him to me.
“And you me.” I barely get the words out before he slides into me, and I gasp, the intrusion both delicious and breathtaking in the same moment. He doesn’t give me time to settle before he pulls back and thrusts in again.
“Sutton,” I choke out as his hips move at the perfect pace, his hand remaining around my jaw, the two of us barely even blinking as we stare into each other’s eyes.
Sex with Sutton is like nothing I’ve experienced before. It’s sultry, it’s fire, it’s addictive. But right now, he holds my gaze on his, telling me he loves me again, like he’s giving me every emotion along with his desire, ensuring I feel deep within my bones just how strongly he feels about me.
“I love your pussy too.” His jaw tics like he’s holding back, our breathing becoming labored with the intensity of this connection.
I moan, “You do?”
“I love everything about you…” He’s thrusting harder now, my body jolting with every motion as he grits his teeth.
“Lift your hands above your head,” he demands, and I move immediately. My arms lift above my head, where he grabs my wrists with his hands, his face still hovering above mine, his hips working overtime. My legs widen a little more, our skin slapping, and my body starts to tingle.
“Oh yes,” I warn through a whimper. My orgasm is coming fast, and I arch my back, wanting to be closer to him.
“Like that… Good girl,” he murmurs.
I’m a panting mess, our movements in sync, and I push my head back, my eyes closing.
But he’s not having that. “Look at me…”
My eyes ping open, landing right on his.
“Now give me your pretty pussy, Charlotte, and come for me.”
I hitch a breath, and with my eyes glued to his, I let go. My body shudders all the way to my toes, and I release a guttural moan as stars fill my vision, the orgasm like nothing I’ve experienced before.
“Roll over,” he says sharply as he lifts off me, and I turn on the mattress, my limbs wobbly. As I do, he grabs my hips, pulling them up before he slides back into me.
“Oh my…” I pant, feeling sensitive as he manhandles me in a way that makes me feel even more wanted.
“That’s it, Tinker… Fuck, I love your body. You get so wet for me, baby,” he grits out as he thrusts in deeper, sending a shiver through me.
“Sutton…” I hiccup, the feeling too much, my toes curling in the sheets as my hands grip the headboard, white-knuckled.
He moans, low and gruff, as he grabs my shoulders, pulling me up so I’m sitting on him, my back to his chest. His hand runs over my breasts, grabbing my jaw, and turning me to face him as I start to bounce.
“That’s it,” he says before his lips hit mine. His other hand grips my hips, helping me move up and down, my body slapping onto his. We’re both wanton, messy, and sweaty, and I’m so glad I hid that camera.
“Oh God, Sutton,” I whimper, feeling another orgasm building, this one from deep within.
His hand moves from my hip to my clit, where he circles over and over in time with our thrusts.
I’ve never done this position before. I feel completely open, exposed almost, but with his hands holding me tight, I know I’m safe.
“Yes… Yes…” I pant as I roll my hips on his.
“I love you… I love you so goddamn much…” He pushes his words into my neck, nipping the skin there.
“I love you,” I whisper as I take in a deep breath before a silent scream of pleasure rips from my chest. My entire body convulses onto his as he comes with a muffled growl into my neck, slamming into me quickly a few more times before he lets go.
Our movements slow, his hands roaming my body as I slump back against him, completely spent.
Gently, he lifts me off him, laying me down and positioning himself beside me, keeping me close as we just look at each other. Our breathing calms back to normal, sweat still on my brow, and he grins as his forehead rests against mine.
It’s perfect. Everything about it.
And in this moment, I hope more than anything that love is going to be enough.