Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
CHARLOTTE
“What’s for dinner?”
We were barely through the front door before Ky asked that question—the same one he posed every day upon arriving back at my house, at almost identical times.
Laughing at his predictability, I helped him out of his jacket, watching him hang it up himself before I knelt to get on his level and answer.
“Well, you really liked when I made that homemade chili last time, so…”
“ Yes .” He grinned, instantly lighting up at the suggestion. “Can we have fries too?”
I sucked my teeth. “What kind of monster do you think I am— of course we can have fries too.”
A burst of laughter erupted from me as he pumped a fist, clearly excited about his dinner choices. Straightening up, I ran a hand over his freshly cut hair. “Okay—go ahead and go wash up, then meet me in the kitchen in twenty minutes to help.”
“Okay!” he exclaimed, running to the smart home device I had installed to ask it to set a timer for him. He came back to the door to shed his shoes at his cubby, then raced off to what had previously been a guest bedroom, but was his now.
Which was…still wild as hell to think about.
While he was washing his hands and changing into play clothes, I went to my room to do the same—it had been a long-ass day. As much as I would’ve preferred that my winddown look more like a glass of wine, a good book, and my vibrator, I was well aware that…shit changed.
Now it was chili fries and lemonade.
Not bad at all, just so different than what I’d thought my life would look like. Before, I’d been adamant about not wanting kids—I was more than content to be godmother, or “auntie Char” to my friends’ babies. Now…I still didn’t want children of my own, honestly, but I was happy to step into the role as best as I could for Ky.
It was just sad, still, that it worked out this way.
There was only so much blame that could be laid at my parents’ feet for not doing what they could or should to ensure a relationship between me and my brother. Were they wrong for the way they handled things?
Absolutely.
But the fact of the matter was that once we became adults, we likely should’ve sought each other out, instead of letting the distance remain. There were so many important missed moments—graduations and promotions and new jobs and weddings and birthdays… so much that we’d missed out on.
And now the chance for all of it was just… gone .
And it wasn’t okay.
But there was also nothing to be done about it.
Before I let myself get carried away enough in my thoughts that it made me emotional, I made quick work of a shower, changing into comfy clothes and getting back to the kitchen. I had just enough time to wash my hands and get all our ingredients out before the timer went off, and Ky came rushing back into the kitchen to help with dinner.
Time spent together I never would’ve anticipated enjoying quite so much.
Ky was a busy- ass kid, and incredibly talkative, but he was fairly easy to direct. We had a great time making dinner and talking about our days—he was so interested in the cameras and filming process that eventually I was going to have to make a point of bringing him on set.
He’d love it.
After dinner, we went over his little homework, and then he had free time until it was time to prepare for bed. Apparently, his preschool day had been exhausting, because he didn’t give me any of the usual fuss about his shower or pajamas, and he was fast asleep practically as soon as his head hit the pillow.
Major win for me.
With him going down so easily, and so early because he was practically still a baby, there was actually time left for me to still have that glass of wine—just the one— entertain myself with my vibrator—with the door locked—and maybe watch a movie or some TV—with one earbud, so I could hear Ky if he needed me.
I was all settled in bed with all my uh… tools— wine, toy, naughty “movie” pulled up on my phone, ready to give myself the happy ending Logan and Elodie swore I needed, when my doorbell rang.
I glanced at the time on the digital clock—only a little after nine, which wasn’t crazy, but still.
What the fuck?
And more importantly… who the fuck?
An answer that really …I should’ve already known.
“What the hell are you doing here, Nolan?” I asked, frowning over his presence at my front door. He was dressed down, in a nice jogging set that draped his frame in a way that had no business looking as good as it did.
He had no business looking as good as he did, especially at my damn front door.
“I would’ve thought you’d catch on last time—I don’t do well with being ignored.” He sidled past me, using the few inches of space I’d left as his entry point, rubbing all over me in the process. “Where’s little man?”
“ Asleep, ” I hissed, gesturing for him to keep his voice down. “Which, you had kids, so you should know—they go to sleep early. It’s rude as hell to be risking waking them up with the doorbell.”
His eyes went wide, with what seemed to be genuine remorse. “Shit—my bad.”
“Yes, your bad,” I huffed. “Now, what is it that you want?”
His gaze skipped downward, reminding me that I was in lounge shorts and an oversized T-shirt—scratch that.
Just the T-shirt.
I’d gotten rid of the shorts because of my plans.
In my haste to keep the doorbell from getting pressed again, and potentially waking Ky up, I’d lost track of that little factoid. Thank goodness the tee was really oversized, so all the important things were covered, but I was still displaying more skin than intended.
Definitely more than should’ve been appropriate for opening the door for the subject of lusty thoughts I really probably should not be having.
“I need to know what’s going on with us,” he said, bringing his gaze back to my face. “Since you kissed me?—”
“Excuse me?” I interrupted, propping my hands at my waist. “Since I kissed you ?”
“Do you think that’s not how it happened?”
“ Clearly .”
“You put your arms around my neck, Ms. Fox. ”
“And you had two handfuls of my ass, Mr. Brinkley !” I whisper-yelled back. “Besides the fact that you initiated it!”
He shrugged. “Fine. Maybe…one of us had to!”
“ Had to ?!” I countered. “You didn’t have to put your tongue down my throat.”
At first, he didn’t say anything—he was trying hard not to, for some reason. But then he met my gaze, eyes full of something I couldn’t quite identify. “Believe me—that’s very subjective.”
“I’m sure you think so. Because you think everything that comes out of your head is just so important, so… imperative ,” I huffed. “But I’m telling you—it’s not.”
“What if it is?”
“It’s not .”
“You’re wrong.”
“No, you ? — ”
Whatever I was about to say…it got lost.
Between the shock of him so close, so suddenly, his hand tangled in my hair, his mouth on mine again, anything I may have wanted to articulate just vanished right out of my head. To replace my indignation, lust came rushing in, overriding everything.
Coherent thoughts included.
And it got worse, so much worse, when he pressed into me, giving me no choice other than feeling his hardness between us.
This was Logan and Elodie’s fault.
Before they got in my head, nothing more than an ill-conceived kiss had happened between me and Nolan, but now he was in my house, in my space, in my senses.
And I wanted him…in… me.
Shit.
It was hopeless.
Now that the thought had crossed my mind, it was never going away, and I was going to be forced to deal with an inappropriate attraction to a man that got on my fucking nerves at every turn, every time we worked together.
And we worked together well, so it wasn’t like, realistically, this would be the last time.
No matter what I tried to tell myself.
So…I may as well get it over with, right?
That was what I told myself when I pulled back from the kiss just long enough to declare, “ Not here. ”
Not in the damn entryway to my house, where Kyran might pop out of his room and easily see. When Nolan raised an eyebrow at me, wondering what my not here meant, I didn’t answer—not verbally. I grabbed him by the front of the shirt, practically dragging him down to my bedroom.
Where I locked the door behind us.
And…as best as I could, I turned off my brain.
If I didn’t think about the outcome, didn’t think about the potential for regret…this would be very, very easy.
I didn’t need logic or common sense, no qualms or misgivings—not with Nolan’s fingers between my legs, playing in my sudden wetness. He moved his mouth to my ear, and I could feel him about to say something that might bring me rocketing back to reality.
“ No talking ,” I declared before he could articulate anything.
His chuckle warmed my skin, and then his lips warmed my skin, and then his tongue warmed my skin.
But he didn’t say anything.
He just… did things.
Things he definitely, definitely shouldn’t, like pushing his fingers in me as far as they could go while his teeth sank into the soft flesh of my neck.
Like pushing me back onto my bed, noticing my vibrating dildo.
Grabbing it.
Turning it on.
Pushing the dildo into me as he covered my clit with his mouth, fucking me with it while I squirmed and moaned and dug my fingers into his soft curls. With my other hand, I snatched up a pillow, covering my face to muffle my cries as he sucked my clit into his mouth, clearly trying to kill me with pleasure.
He didn’t stop until I came, which I kinda expected to be…embarrassing.
Instead, when he snatched the pillow off my face so he could watch my expressions change, it felt… exhilarating. He pushed my oversized T-shirt up past my breasts, eyes greedily roving over me as he made me writhe and arch into a blissful state.
And then, before I could even catch my breath, he’d undressed and joined me on the bed, laying out with his hands propped behind him and his dick— lots of dick— sticking straight up, waiting for me.
“Condom?” he asked, and I nodded, reaching for the drawer in my bedside table. The box had been languishing in the back for a while, but they were still good—and would have to be good enough tonight.
We’d come way too far now.
He took it from my hands and rolled it on then easily pulled me on top of him. I planted my palms on his chest and sank down, closing my eyes as my body adjusted to him, letting out a quiet moan of pure gratification.
My eyes popped open just in time to catch his smirk, and I glared, giving him a reminder of our agreement.
“ No talking. ”
His penchant for snarky remarks aside, actual talking was far from necessary—we both knew exactly what to do. All I needed out of him was his hands worshipping my breasts or fingers teasing my clit. The only thing I wanted to hear from him was his little grunts and moans of pleasure as I rolled my hips and rocked into him, riding with abandon.
It didn’t take long before that familiar tightness started in my core, spurring me to ride him faster, harder.
He loved it.
It was all over his face, in his eyes, and on his tongue before I grabbed the pillow again, covering his face.
He didn’t even fight it—I didn’t press down hard enough to suffocate him, just enough for…insurance.
He seemed to like that too though—I could swear he got harder, and he grabbed me at the hips, forcing me up and down with more vigor than before.
It was… blissful , honestly.
And before I knew it, I was back in an orgasm-induced gaze, out of breath and barely coherent as he surged into me.
Thank goodness for condoms.
It was a secondary line of defense, but still—he was buried deep enough to most certainly plant an unwanted pregnancy.
When his grasp on my hips finally relaxed, I collapsed next to him, trying my best to breathe.
Trying my best to find the words to tell him he had to get the hell out of my house.
I turned over to look at him, my eyes feasting on the beautiful sight he created. His hands were tucked behind his head again, eyes closed, allowing me to take him in guilt free. Just beautiful bronze skin and lean muscle, leaning to a patch of hair that made me stifle a giggle.
So he’s salt and pepper there, too.
My muffled laugh made his eyes pop open, and I didn’t back down when he met my gaze.
Didn’t hesitate when he grabbed me by the back of the neck, pulling me into him.
Greedily indulged his tongue in my mouth for another kiss that made me feel hot between the legs all over again.
He definitely had to go.
No question.
And I would tell him so.
Soon.
Maybe after one more round?