26. Charlie
TWENTY-SIX
CHARLIE
Nerves fluttered in my stomach as we parked the car under Sebastian’s apartment building tower. He led me to the elevator bank and shot me a glance as we waited for it to show up, his hand sliding to my lower back. I loved the way he’d touched me all day, like he couldn’t bear to be apart for even a second. It made me feel like this growing thread of attraction and admiration and whatever else it was I was feeling was reciprocated. It made me feel special.
“Feels weird being here,” he admitted.
“Really?”
“Yeah. I guess I’ve gotten used to that creaky old house.”
I rapped my knuckles on the concrete wall. “No chance of your upstairs neighbor falling through this baby.”
“Unfortunately.”
I laughed just as the doors slid open, and Sebastian gestured for me to precede him. He pressed the button for the twenty-first floor, the elevator smooth as it started moving. I swallowed thickly, wondering what I’d see on the other side.
Sleek modernism? A minimalist bachelor pad? A mattress on the floor?
Please, let him have a bedframe, at least , I thought. I was too old to get involved with a man who didn’t believe in basic furniture items. And after a day like today, there was no doubt in my mind that we were involved. How could we come together on the boutique hotel idea, do what we did in the Monticello last week, and then spend a perfect day in DC without admitting that what was between us was real?
“What’s that smile about?”
I slid my gaze over to meet his. “Do you own a bedframe?”
He gave me a look like he was Casanova and he knew it, which made me roll my eyes. Undeterred, Sebastian said, “That’s an interesting question.”
“It has nothing to do with sex.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I’m just trying to figure out if seeing your apartment is going to kill my attraction for you.”
“All it would take to do that is a bedframe?”
“Or lack thereof.”
He laughed, and the doors opened. His hand slid down my spine as we stepped out, sending little sparks of heat traveling through my middle.
I’d had such a perfect day. I’d been to DC once for a field trip, but it was different being here with Sebastian. He wasn’t impatient or bored when I nerded out about history. A few times, I’d stolen glances at him and seen him admiring some detailed cornice or marble step, and I wondered if he was seeing the place with new eyes. If the idea of saving part of the Monticello might have changed something more significant with him. With us.
It was unexpected. I’d spent the past month villainizing him, thinking he cared little for the past. But as we spent more time together, I realized he had layers. He’d been deeply affected by the house fire he’d endured and had little patience for unsafe, unrestored buildings. But that didn’t mean he didn’t care. When I’d proposed the boutique hotel idea, it was like a lightbulb went off above his head.
He wanted to save the Monticello.
Maybe… Maybe he’d change his mind about the house? Maybe when I made an offer, he’d be willing to sell it to me because he’d know that I would do all I could to restore it to its Second Empire glory.
His keys rattled as he took them out and slid one into his front door. Then the door opened, and I entered Sebastian Anderson’s domain.
My jaw dropped.
This was not the hard, masculine space I’d expected. The big open-plan room had a ton of natural wood accents, plants, and woven rugs. He didn’t have clutter, and his furniture was solid and weighty, but it was softened by a natural edge. His couch even had a throw blanket with little tassels on it. The artwork was contemporary and abstract, and it fit the space perfectly.
The kitchen was white with stone countertops, and the floor-to-ceiling windows were framed with sheer white curtains.
And the view. The view .
“Sebastian,” I breathed, wide-eyed as I looked back at him.
“Does it meet your expectations?”
“And then some.” I kicked my shoes off as he did, then crossed the space to look out the windows. The Potomac River cut across the landscape below us, with the Washington Monument lit up against the night sky in the distance. Breathtaking. Literally. I could barely breathe.
His hands slid over my hips, and I leaned back against his chest. He rested his chin on top of my head and wrapped his arms around my stomach. “I bought the place for this view.”
“It’s beautiful.”
He bent down to kiss my shoulder. “Glad you think so. I have to be honest, I was a little nervous about bringing you here.”
I turned in his arms, my hands sliding over his chest, his broad shoulders. Maybe I’d become addicted to touching him too. “Why?”
“We’ve been in a little bubble in New Elwood. I thought you might judge me for living here instead of some old, historic house. Thought it might change the way you look at me when you’ve only just started to like me.”
Leaning my forearms on his shoulders, I smiled at him. “Jury’s still out about liking you, I’m afraid.”
One dark eyebrow arched. “I think that might be a lie, Ms. Reeves.”
Laughing, I tilted my head and accepted his kiss. His lips were soft against mine, and the gentleness of his touch made my heart beat harder. It felt like we were on the cusp of something, like whatever happened here tonight would change the course of our story.
“I enjoyed today,” I murmured against his lips.
He squeezed me a little closer. “Good.”
Pulling away, I met his gaze. “You’re not the man I thought you were when we first met.”
Eyes half-lidded, he watched me with a secret smile playing over his lips. “Not an evil overlord come to ruin your life?”
“To be fair, you did barge into town like you owned the place.”
He arched his brows, and I scowled at him. He did own a large chunk of the place.
“Why…” I ran my fingers through his hair and tried to find the right words for a question I hadn’t quite formed in my mind. “Why were you so intent on demolishing the theater when you first arrived? Seems like the partial restoration and boutique hotel interests you. You didn’t think of it before I brought it up?”
He held my gaze for a long moment and seemed to come to a decision. “I had a lot of bitterness toward New Elwood.”
“Because of the fire?”
“Because of what happened after. My grandmother owned the house we lived in, and it wasn’t until after the disaster that we found out her insurance didn’t cover fire damage. When my parents went to her for help, Lydia refused. I overheard my mom and her arguing, and Lydia ended up calling us leeches who deserved everything we got. She said until we took accountability and paid for the damage, she wanted nothing to do with us.”
“Jesus. Even though she was the one who didn’t have insurance?”
He nodded. “I haven’t forgiven her for it.”
“So you wanted to get rid of everything she gave you.”
“None of those properties should be mine. They belong to my mother.” The bitterness in his tone made my heart clench, and I understood. The town—the theater, the house—represented so much more than real estate or history. They were a legacy that had been tainted for him all those years ago.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something else, but nothing came out. Conflict swirled in his eyes as he studied my face, like he wasn’t sure if he should tell me the whole truth.
“What is it?” I asked softly, my fingernails running over his scalp.
He closed his eyes and groaned, leaning into my touch. After a long moment, he admitted, “I’m worried you think differently about me now. I never cared about New Elwood. I only cared about myself.”
“And your mother.”
He huffed, nodding.
“I think…” I paused, trying to find the right words. “I think it makes sense. You lost everything, and then your grandmother kicked you when you were down. Getting the inheritance must have felt like she was trying to buy your forgiveness from beyond the grave.”
“It felt like a slap in the face,” he said, voice edged with venom. “It felt like she’d only willed it to me to send a message to my mother, to punish her for never coming back to New Elwood.”
My heart was heavy with the old, layered pain Sebastian had shared. I’d judged him so harshly for being money-hungry, for wanting to tear my town apart. But inside, he was a hurt little boy who felt the sting of rejection and the fear of losing everything.
I knew what that was like. I’d lost everything over and over again when I went through the foster system. I lost my parents months apart from each other. I lived with the fear that I’d be found out, that one day my friends and community would decide that actually, I didn’t belong. One day they’d turn their backs on me just like my biological parents did, just like all those foster families and earlier guardians. It was the kind of fear that burrowed deep in your heart, that made you lash out just to protect yourself.
Sebastian had lived that loss, just like I had. And then he’d been kicked when he and his family were at their lowest.
“I’m so sorry, Sebastian,” I said.
His arms tightened around me. “It was a long time ago. I’m sorry I barged in and threatened everything you love.”
I searched his eyes. “Does that mean you’ll reconsider demolishing the house?”
“I…” He sighed. “I don’t know, Charlie. It’s falling apart. Besides…”
“Besides?” I prompted.
He shook his head, his jaw growing tight for a moment. “Never mind.”
I frowned. It sounded like he was holding something back, but I didn’t feel like it was my place to push, after everything he’d shared.
So I went for some light humor. “Well I’m not moving out a day early,” I told him, painting a stern expression on my face. “I have six months to change your mind.”
And if I couldn’t change his mind, I could still block him when the demolition permit application finally came across my desk. There were some perks to being the chief historical preservation officer in this town.
Softness entered his expression, and he leaned forward to press a kiss to my forehead. “Okay, sweetheart,” he said. This time, the pet name didn’t sound teasing or mocking. It sounded tender.
When he kissed me, I felt the trembling in his fingers as he slid them across my cheek. I sensed the pounding of his heart as he pulled me closer. I knew that in this beautiful apartment so far from home, we’d both decided to take a giant step toward each other.
And as the kiss deepened, it felt like the absolute right decision to make. Sebastian’s hands clung to me, touching me like he needed to feel my body to live. He slid one hand down to palm my ass, and I rolled my hips into him.
He was hard. His erection pressed against my stomach as I plastered myself against him, and I loved that he wanted me this much. I loved that he’d told me the truth about his past, that I understood him that much better now. I loved that he’d taken me here, to this city, to this apartment, and that now we were alone.
“Charlie,” he said, moving to kiss my jaw, my neck. “I can’t get enough of you.”
“That makes two of us,” I replied, laughing, breathless.
He kissed me again, harder, his hand tunneling into my hair and causing my bun to fall apart. I reached between us and undid his belt and zipper as Sebastian groaned, his tongue sliding over mine.
And when I pushed his pants and underwear down to the ground, we both paused, panting, to look down at his already weeping cock.
My fingers curled around it of their own accord. The sound that tore through Sebastian’s throat at the first touch of my skin against his made my heart jump. I wanted him to make it again. I wanted to make him fall apart.
Sliding my fist up and down his cock, I glanced up at his half-lidded eyes and let the corner of my lips kick.
“You’ll be the death of me, Charlie.”
“That would be unfortunate. I’m just starting to actually like you.”
He huffed a laugh, then sucked in a hard breath when I dropped to my knees in front of him. I took him in both hands, studying the little bead of moisture at the tip of his cock. When my tongue darted out to lick it, Sebastian’s hand shot out to grip the back of my head.
“I wasn’t serious, before,” he said, voice strained. “You don’t have to…”
I slid my hands up and down his shaft a few times and looked up at him. “I think you were very serious before, Mr. Anderson. I think you have been dying to have my mouth on your cock.”
His breathing was labored, and the hand fisted in my hair twitched. His eyes were dark as they stared down at me, wildness painted over his features. “Suck my cock, Reeves. Wrap those pretty lips around my dick and let me see how good your mouth really feels.”
A surge of lust went through me, and I did as I was told. I took him in my mouth as deep as I could, loving the way he gasped and groaned above me. I hollowed my cheeks and hummed at the feel of him, using my hand to wrap where my lips couldn’t reach. My free hand moved to his thigh, the coarse hair there teasing against my palm.
He swore as he pulled out and let my tongue work around his tip. The hand at the back of my head twitched and tensed, like all he wanted to do was push my head forward to take him deeper.
I smiled against his cock and gave him what he wanted.
“Fuck, you feel good,” he gasped. “Charlie. Charlie .”
It made me wet to do this for him. I loved the desperation in his voice, the way he held himself back from being too rough with me, the way I could feel him unravel with every touch of my lips on his shaft.
He was always in control, but I was the woman who could make him come apart. In the end, he’d been right about me when he said as much in the theater. I was just as much of a deviant as he was.
When I felt him tense again, he let out a moan and pulled away. “Stop,” he panted. “Stop. I don’t want to come yet.”
I wiped my lip with my thumb and sat back on my heels. “I wouldn’t mind.”
He closed his eyes, one hand wrapped around his cock as he took in deep, shuddering breaths. When he met my gaze again, there was resolve in his eyes. He extended his hand toward me and as soon as my palm was in his, he pulled me up to my feet, stepped out of his pants and underwear, and led me across the apartment.
His bedroom was large, with a beautiful king-sized bed piled with lush bedding and, yes, a bedframe. I smiled at him when I saw it, but Sebastian looked like he was too far gone to smile back.
“Take off your clothes, Charlie,” he said, reaching for his own shirt. “Take off your clothes and get on the bed. I need to fuck you now.”
“So demanding,” I teased, but I reached for the fly of my jeans. That’s when I realized I was trembling too. My breaths were jagged, and I couldn’t think of much except how badly I wanted him inside me.
Evidently, I took too long to disrobe. Sebastian closed the distance between us and knocked my hands away before shoving my pants to the ground. He pulled my shirt off in one hard tug and didn’t waste any time unhooking the clasp of my bra and letting it fall away.
Naked before each other, we stood silent for a beat. My heart hammered in its cage. My thoughts splintered. Wetness slicked between my legs, and the only thing I knew for sure was that I was desperate for this man to have his way with me.
He wrapped one arm around my back and let the other slide over my hip and across to my core. When he felt the wetness there, his lids dropped. “Did sucking my cock make you wet, Charlie?”
I bit my lip, clinging to his shoulders as he worked his fingers over my clit. “I plead the fifth.”
He huffed a laugh and slid a finger inside me. Then another. I was so far gone, so close to climaxing already, that I could only whimper when he pulled his fingers out.
Then, without warning, Sebastian grabbed me around the waist and tossed me onto the bed. I landed with a gasp, laughing breathlessly, then spread my knees when Sebastian joined me on the mattress with a foil packet held between the fingers of his right hand.
Energy crackled between us. This was it. Whether I’d admitted it to myself or not, I’d been desperate for this. I wanted this man inside me. I wanted to feel him stretch me, wanted to rake my nails down his back. I wanted to come on his cock and have him whisper filth in my ear.
And as his gaze settled between my legs, I knew all my wishes were about to come true.