Chapter 18 #2
I stroll into the small entryway that opens into a large living room filled with original wooden molding, a stone fireplace with a TV above it, and walnut-colored built-in bookshelves lining one wall.
The furniture is a rich, cognac leather that looks buttery soft, like it wants to be sat on. “This isn’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” He slides his fingers against mine.
When our hands entwine, it shivers over me. “I don’t know. I guess I expected it to be like a dude place.”
He tugs me toward the kitchen. “What’s a dude place?”
“You know, big black overstuffed furniture, one of those TVs that take up an entire wall, and a PlayStation.”
“I’m thirty-six, not twenty-six,” he says, tone amused.
I glance around the large room. “Is this the original woodwork?”
“It is. I had it restored when I bought the place.” He releases my hand and points to the refrigerator. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I’m good.” I lean against the large butcher-block island. “Do you cook?”
He comes to rest on the counter across from me. “I can make sure you don’t starve.”
I nibble my lower lip as a subtle tension thickens the air in the room.
I want everything all at once.
I want him to lay me down on the island. I want to know everything about him. I want to snuggle up on his couch. I want to eat dinner with him.
I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’m not sure what comes next.”
He studies me, casually reclined against the counter like he is completely relaxed. “It’s been a stressful couple of weeks for you.”
Unsure where he’s going with this, I furrow my brow. “It’s over and done with.”
“Yet you’re still jumpy.”
I shrug.
“You’re not relaxed.”
Another shrug. I’m all for being honest, but I’m not about to tell him I’ve obsessed about this for weeks, and now that it’s here, I’m at a loss.
He straightens, closing the distance between us, before caging me between his body and the island. “I want you to let me take care of it.”
I’ve coveted being alone with him, and now that I am, nerves dance in my stomach. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
His eyes grow dark. “I’ve let you be in charge since you bulldozed your way into town, and all you managed to do is fuck it up.”
“Hey!” I push at his chest.
Not budging an inch, he’s a brick wall. “Now you’re going to do something different.”
“I’m not going to let you be in charge all the time.” No matter how desperate I am, it’s hard for me to give up the struggle.
“Not all the time. But now until I think you’ve had enough.” He crowds me further, the heat of his body warming my skin. “We’ve fought the battle, and we’re still standing. Negotiations are over. Now you’re going to give me what I want.”
Something that sounds suspiciously like a whimper escapes my throat.
He nuzzles my neck as his fingers climb up my spine. “Say Yes, Charlie.”
I grip his T-shirt, holding on for dear life as his lips skim the lines of my throat. “Yes, Charlie.”
He flattens his palm against my back as he slides his tongue over my skin. “I love the way you say my name.”
I rise to my tiptoes, arching into his hard body. “I’m going to whisper it in your ear when you’re inside me.”
He tangles his fingers in my hair before fisting them hard enough at the base of my neck to send a rush of lust crashing through me. He forces my gaze to his. “I won’t be satisfied until you’re mine.”
My lips part on a gasp. “I am.”
“Almost.” He rubs his chest against my aching breasts. “But not yet.”
I’m locked in some sort of hypnotic haze where my mind is empty and I’m ready to do whatever he wants.
I part my legs.
He fills the space between them. “Are you attached to this dress?”
“My clothes haven’t survived you yet, so I came prepared.”
“Aren’t you a good girl?”
My knees actually go weak.
He releases his grip before moving to my waist, where he lifts me up and puts me on the counter. “Do you want to please me?”
Eagerly, I nod. It’s like he’s crawled into my head and understands every secret twist I have. I kick the nude slides off my feet, and they fall to the floor with a clatter.
He puts his hands on either side of my thighs. “I want to hear you say it.”
I lick my lips, sucking in my breath. “I want to please you.”
His large palm rests between the swell of my breasts. He presses me down, spreading me out over the wooden surface before running his hands along the stretch of my body. “You want me to rip your clothes? Or cut them off with a knife?”
I jerk as his words set off a fire inside me.
“The blade it is.” He opens a drawer and pulls out a Swiss Army Knife, resting it in the dip of my ribs.
A pulse takes up residence between my legs. I bow my back, the roll of the heavy weight a prelude of what’s to come.
When we fucked in the car, it had been about need and desperation, but this is going to be different.
He plants a hand on one side of my head. His midnight stare is so intimate, I fight the urge to look away. He must sense the tension in my body because he grips my chin and holds me in place. “You don’t get to hide.”
I’m quivering, almost shaking with desire. “Okay.”
The breadth of his shoulders increases the sensation of him looming over me, and when his mouth comes down hard on mine, it hits me like I’m a battery he’s just jumped.
The air practically crackles between us. All the chemistry we’ve been repressing bursts free.
I pull him close and surrender to his onslaught.
His tongue dips between my lips, before tangling with mine.
There’s no restraint.
It’s a passion-soaked, out-of-control ravishing.
We kiss.
And kiss.
And kiss.
Our mouths grow frantic, fighting to get closer.
I thread my fingers through his hair, press my body close, rubbing against him like I’m a cat in heat. I’m shameless. Revealing every single ounce of my hunger.
He might be claiming me, but I’m claiming him back. And in the fierce press of our mouths, we’re finally coming to an agreement.
He groans, breaking free to trail a path down my throat. He flattens his tongue against my pounding pulse before reaching the curve of my neck, where he bites so hard it brings the sting of tears to my eyes.
I cry out, holding him to me as he sucks my skin, marking me. “Please, Charlie.”
He lifts his mouth. “I’ve had nothing but time to plot my revenge.”
His delicious words roll through me, lighting me up. “From now on, I’ll be good, I promise.”
He grips my hip, grinding into me.
We rock together.
He hits just the right spot.
Everything tightens as I moan into him.
All of a sudden, he rips away, his breath ragged. “You’re always distracting me.” He picks up the knife and flicks open the blade. “I’m supposed to be slicing your clothes off.”
My entire body buzzes in anticipation, even as my eyes go wide at the sight of the blade glinting in the late evening sun. My chest heaves as he hovers over me, making me feel small and trapped. “Can I trust you not to move?”
“Yes.”
“Even though I’m planning on edging you until you’ve lost all reason?”
“No, please, not that.”