21. Charlie
Chapter 21
Charlie
My fingers hurt from how much painting I’d done today. With Deacon’s admission that he didn’t want things between us to end, even once the snow melted and we had to go back to the real world, I’d been inspired to create more than I ever had before.
“Let me help you with that,” Deacon offered, coming up behind me at the kitchen sink.
I was scrubbing the last bits of paint from my fingers when he took over. His large body engulfed mine from behind. I sank into him, loving how warm his body was. Any time he was near, the winter cold was warded off and I often found myself refusing to leave his side.
His rough hands moved over mine as I leaned my head into the crook of his shoulder and chest. Outside the kitchen window, the sun shone, and birds started coming back to life, landing in the trees surrounding his house. Soon I’d have to go back to the tiny cabin. Even though this was where I wanted to be. Barefoot and happy in Deacon’s kitchen with his arms wrapped firmly around me.
“Almost there.” His hot breath tickled the cuff of my ear as his fingers rubbed against mine where only a little bit of white, green and brown paint remained speckled over my skin.
“What’re the plans for tonight, Grumps?”
“Hmmm,” he hummed deeply. “I was thinking we could sip on some whiskey by the fire. What does my sunshine girl think about that?”
“Whiskey…I’ve never had it before.”
I could feel the surprise on his face even though my back was to him. “Is that right? Well, you’re in for a treat then.”
“Doesn’t it burn?”
His chest rumbled as he chuckled. “All good things burn a little bit. Whiskey’s one of them.”
“I guess I’ll try it.”
“You guess? I guarantee by the end of the night you’ll love it.” My toes curled at his innuendo, and I had a feeling he was right. Whatever Deacon wanted to introduce to me, I would end up loving. Because it was part of him—his enjoyment. And I loved seeing him happy.
“All done.” Soft lips met my cheek before he reached for a tea towel and handed it to me to dry off my hands. “I’ll meet you in the living room.”
“Okay.” Hanging the towel back on the oven door handle, I felt an unnerved feeling come over me. This space had become my home in just a week’s time. Somehow it felt like I’d been here forever and that made me weary of what it might be like to leave once the snow melted and we got the tiny cabin situated.
Would I still be happy? I thought so given that the few days I’d been in the tiny cabin had been wonderful and refreshing. But he wouldn’t be with me. We wouldn’t share in the little moments of waking up next to one another, the passing glances between us when he paced around while I worked on my pieces or seeing how sweet he was with Casper.
I was both excited that he was willing to give us a chance and sorrowful that this season of being with him was going to end. Things were going to look different when all I wanted was more of the same.
Grabbing a blanket from the couch, I wrapped it around myself before settling in front of the fireplace. Casper’s tail flicked back and forth as he slowly made his way over to me.
“I bet if I was Deacon, you’d be moving a lot faster.” He just lazily blinked at me like he had no regrets for how much he adored the big grumpy man. “Not that I blame you,” I said, picking him up and placing him in my lap. “I’m kind of obsessed with him too.”
Orange and blue flames put on a show in the fireplace. It amazed me how something so beautiful could cause so much damage in such a short amount of time. I rubbed at my scar, making a mental note to rub some more of Deacon’s salve on it before going to bed tonight. Whatever concoction was in that, I needed to figure it out because I’d never had the itching be relieved for so long after using it. Normally, I had to apply my petroleum-based lotion at least once a day, but his salve lasted for days at a time.
I heard more rustling in the kitchen before footsteps sounded toward Casper and me. I needed to pull myself out of this rut if I didn’t want to ruin the rest of our night together. Worry wasn’t normally something I battled with. Even when I first started going off on my own in life, without the support of my parents, I’d been nothing but excited. Completely invigorated by all the possibilities. Then, I’d felt the same again when I transitioned out of college and had no idea how I was going to support myself as a brand-new artist when the potential for failure was way higher than success.
I always saw the bright side of things.
There was just an unsettling feeling deep in my gut that I couldn’t turn off and I didn’t know why. All I’d wanted was to hear Deacon say that he was excited about a future with us. That what we shared wasn’t going to end once the snow melted. That he was willing to try for us.
And he’d given me that.
So, why the hell am I still up in arms about this?
As Deacon rounded the couch with two glass tumblers in his hands, I shook the question from my mind. I was being ridiculous .
He gave me one of the glasses then sat down in front of me, cross-legged. His large thighs strained against the fabric of his jeans. My mouth watered as I thought back to riding him last night. How powerful I’d felt with his huge body beneath me, getting off on how he looked at me.
I stirred in my seat, feeling my clit ache with the need to be touched by him and tried my best to focus on the cool sensation in my palm from the iced whiskey drink he’d made me.
“This is Four Roses, one of my favorites.” He brought the glass to his nose and sniffed lightly.
Following suit, I sniffed the amber liquid and caught floral, honey, and spice notes. It must have been expensive because there was no sting to my nose like there often was when I got a whiff of hard liquor.
“It smells nice.”
He smiled. “Now, here’s the trick. With a whiskey like this, you want to sip it. It’s not like one of your fruity cocktails where you can down it in one go.”
I frowned at him. “How did you know I like fruity cocktails?”
He leaned toward me and kissed the edge of my mouth. Chills ran down my arms and when he pulled back, I found myself leaning forward, chasing after his touch. “Because I know my woman.”
I blushed.
There it was again. My woman . If I was his, surely that meant—No. I needed to get out of my head and into the present moment. Guessing what was going to happen between us would only send me into another worry spiral and that wasn’t me.
“Maybe I like spicy margaritas.”
His green eyes flickered with amusement. “No way.”
I snorted.
“But you are going to enjoy this.” He nodded at the glass in my hand. “Take a small sip.”
“So bossy,” I teased.
“Do it,” he commanded, his voice lowering an octave.
Like he was in control of my every movement, I lifted the glass to my lips and felt the rush of the cold liquid hit. Taking some into my mouth, I let it sit on my tongue for a moment before I swallowed. It was smooth and crisp, like biting into a freshly picked apple at the beginning of fall.
There was no awful burn down my throat, but it did bite a little. Just enough to get my attention.
“Wow,” I breathed. “That is really good.”
“That’s my girl.” Deacon winked at me before taking a long swig from the tumbler. Thick black lashes fanned out as he kept his eyes trained on me. I licked my lips, watching his Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed. When he pulled the glass away, my mouth watered from the sight of his full wet lips.
My mind wandered to how those lips felt against my sex and how he looked when I rode his face.
Blinking away the debaucherous thoughts, I took another sip of the whiskey. Already starting to feel a little buzz latching onto the edges of my mind, I said, “We should play a game. ”
“What’re you thinking, Sunshine?”
I couldn’t help the smile tugging on the corners of my lips. “How about two truths and a lie, but the stripper version.”
“There’s a stripper version of that game?” he chuckled.
“Mmhmm.” I nodded slowly. “If you guess the lie incorrectly, you strip. If you guess the lie correctly, the other person strips.”
Mouth open wide, he downed the rest of his whiskey, the thick column of his throat working. I was mesmerized by him. Every little movement he made was so damn sexy. There was no mistaking the wetness between my legs that seemed to grow more and more every time Deacon spoke or even moved a muscle. Looking down at the glass of whiskey in my hand, I silently cursed it for making me extra horny. I was already wild for the guy; I didn’t need the help of alcohol to make that even worse.
“I’ll go first,” I offered. Deacon put the glass down and sat back on his hands, his large chest flexing against his T-shirt.
Focus, Charlie , I chastised myself. If I was going to win, I didn’t need any distractions from him.
“Okay. I’ve ridden a mechanical bull. I’ve always wanted to be kissed in the rain. I won a baking competition in high school.”
His eyes narrowed slightly like he was trying to read into my mind. I giggled, taking a sip of whiskey.
“I don’t think you won a baking competition. ”
I almost choked on the amber liquid. “Ugh! How did you know?”
He looked down at the floor between us and smiled to himself. “The other two just seem more like you.”
I groaned. “Well, that’s really annoying.”
“Annoying that I won, and you lost?” The right side of his mouth tilted upward in a roguish smirk.
“Yes!” I laughed.
“Well, go on then.” He nodded toward me. I set the glass down on the stone hearth and rolled my eyes.
Slowly rising to my feet, Casper scattered off, finding a new spot to lay on the couch. I locked my eyes on Deacon and played with the hem of my sweater, giving him a little show with my hips swinging back and forth. He sat back, leaning on his hands again with a heady neediness shadowing his eyes. He wanted me. And I fucking loved that he wanted me.
Slowly lifting my sweater, I felt the graze of my own knuckles moving smoothly over my stomach. I pretended they were his hands taking his time as he undressed me. The air was thick with heat between us, but I still had goosebumps rise from my navel to my chest when I made the final exposure of my white lace bra as I brought the sweater over my head and let it fall into a heap on the floor beside me.
Deacon’s gaze raked down my body. His tongue darted out between his lips as he took me in. With anyone else I still would have been self-conscious, covering my mid-section and scar with my arms. But for him I could be vulnerable. I could let myself be bare and know that he liked every imperfection. Deacon’s lust for me was a balm to any insecurity I’d ever had.
In a voice that didn’t seem wholly mine, I said, “Your turn.”
He shook his head slowly. “Fuck the game.” Then he patted his thigh. “Come here, Sunshine.”
Biting my lower lip, I took a few steps until my feet were planted firmly on both sides of his thighs. Still wearing my pants, I could feel the heat of my needy sex as I stopped right in front of his face.
“Undress me,” I commanded, sliding my hand over the top of his head, threading my fingers through his dark hair. A low growl emanated from his lips as he seized my pants’ button and hastily took them off me.
“Always wearing the prettiest things.” He flicked the edge of my sage green thong against my skin.
“Just for you,” I said in a hushed voice.
When his head dove forward to lick me, I stopped him. Those green eyes pierced through me, desperate wanting reflecting in them. “I just want you, Deacon.” Bending down, I brushed my lips against his. He shivered as we parted, and I watched as he lifted his hips from the floor and stripped himself bare.
Rough knuckles scraped against my skin as he rose to his knees and unclasped my bra before sliding my thong down my legs. When he sat back down and I settled into his lap, he took the blanket I’d been using from the floor and wrapped it around my shoulders.
Placing my arms over his shoulders, the blanket draped around us, creating the perfect cocoon of warmth. His hands moved to cup the sides of my face, stilling me against him. I could feel the hard ridge of his cock against my wet sex. But I didn’t want to rush this. And neither did he.
When his lips found mine, I melted against him, our chests touching and our breaths becoming one. Dizziness swirled my mind and tingles spread all over my body. It felt like kissing him for the very first time. It felt like he was mine all along and mine to keep forever.
Our tongues moved over one another. Slow, languid strokes that had my entire being whirling with electricity. He was the spark that lit my soul up with bright beautiful light and I never wanted to be without him. Deacon was showing me everything he was in this moment.
Sweet.
Tender.
Loving .
They were the parts he kept most hidden and yet, here they were. On full display. Just for me.
Large hands ran up and down my back as I opened for him, finding that need down deep in my core as I started to rock against him.
“I want you, Deacon. I need to feel you inside of me. Please.” My lips quivered on a shaking breath that matched his. Where I felt my entire soul call to him, I knew he was there waiting to answer. I could see it in his eyes. The readiness to open up to me. To fully let me in.
He pulled back only until there was enough room for him to slip his hand between us and guide the tip of his length to my entrance. Deacon groaned in pleasure as I slowly swirled my hips, his cock thickening even more as I slid myself down his shaft.
“You feel so good,” I moaned, collapsing forward as his arms snaked around my waist. It took a moment to adjust to the fullness of him. Grasping the base of my neck, he pulled down until he was buried so damn deep, I started to see stars.
“You’re mine,” he whispered against the cuff of my ear before he settled his face into the crook of my neck and started grazing his teeth and lips along every inch of my sensitive skin.
I leaned backward, feeling him tense inside of me. “Say that again.” Emotion lodged in my throat.
Taking his fingers to my forehead, he swept a long tendril of my hair to the side before lining my bottom lip with the edge of his thumb. When his pine green irises flicked back to meet mine, he brought our foreheads together, lips only a breath apart. “You’re mine, Charlie.”
Closing my eyes tightly, I let his words sink in deep, all the way to the depths of my soul. Then I kissed him so hard our teeth nearly clinked together. He buried his hands into my hair as I rolled myself against him. The feel of his thick cock inside of me while I ground my clit against his pelvic bone had me spiraling.
To be this connected to him, to feel this close… Heat started burning the back of my eyes as our movements became one. Where I rolled forward, he met me with the exact friction I needed.
“You’re so beautiful, baby girl. You take my breath away.” His lips moved against the crook of my neck as he sent a trail of kisses down the side of my arm.
I don’t want this to end. I don’t want things to go back to the way they were. I don’t want to ever be without you.
All the things I wanted to say to him died on the tip of my tongue. I felt too good in his embrace to let my fears take hold, even if they were making themselves known with great force.
I wanted this moment with him. Even if it was the very last one I ever got, it would be worth whatever pain came next.
I pressed a kiss to the side of his cheek and whispered, “Don’t ever stop showing this part of yourself, Deacon. Please, don’t ever stop.” His kindness, gentleness and openness. It blew me away and I only hoped more people could see what laid behind the walls he’d built so thick.
He stopped moving for a moment and looked at me. Really looked at me. I held his gaze, and I could see he knew exactly what I meant. That he was safe with me. He’d taken a chance, opened himself up and I was here. In complete awe of the man he kept so securely hidden.
“You’re amazing.” I brushed my fingertips along the side of his face.
Like a damn bursting free, Deacon unleashed himself on me and I finally felt the full force of what it was like to be in his presence.
Capturing my lips with his, he kissed me so deeply, so profoundly, I knew I’d never be the same. It felt like he was saving my life all over again. I was bound to him. Breathless and aching we moved together, tangled in one another’s embrace until there was no part of us that was separated. We’d become one and as we found the release our bodies needed; a single tear trekked down my face.
I’d given every single piece of myself to him and all I could do was hope he would want to keep them.