21. Charleigh
TWENTY-ONE
CHARLEIGH
After wrapping my mouth around the opening of the large, clear bottle, I tip my head back and down a large swig before passing it to Selene with a sour expression. The liquid burns my tongue, leaving a blazing trail down my throat before splashing warmly into my stomach.
“See?” Julianna beams, taking the bottle from Selene. “I knew we would need this.” She tilts her head back, taking another swig, her long, chestnut hair catching the afternoon sun pouring through the windows to the front of my store. Selene and Julianna sit on one of the display tables, their long legs dangling over the edge, their feet hovering just above the floor.
I’m sitting cross legged on the checkout desk beside the single-wrapped flowers with paper heart tags, and the single serve bags of floral tea in brown bags with my store logo on the front.
Selene is still wincing from her shot when Julianna offers her the bottle of vodka for another swig. She silently shakes her head, shimmying her shoulders in disgust. Julianna then sticks her arm out toward me, but I shake my head, too. One shot is enough. I take a sip of my tea sitting beside me, hoping it will mask the taste of vodka coating my mouth.
Three hours of walking up and down the block carrying thousands of flowers is exhausting, but I feel so relieved knowing a sweet sixteen party won’t be ruined. And I have Asher to thank for that. Still, the thought of needing a better, larger storefront weighs heavily on my mind.
“So…” Julianna leans back and gives me wink. Somehow, she still looks perfect despite us rushing around all day. “Are you going to tell us why your super-hot, billionaire ex went out of his way to save the day after you supposedly fired him yesterday?”
“Oh, my God.” Selene groans, grinning widely. “I’ve been dying to hear all day.” She looks at Julianna before looking at me. She grips the edge of the table and leans forward, eager to hear my juicy gossip.
I hold back my smile, biting on the inside of my cheek. “I did fire him.”
“Ok ay .” Julianna waves her hand. “And…?”
I roll my eyes, no longer able to hide my feelings. It’s not that discussing relationships with my two best friends is embarrassing, but there’s something about my love for Asher that I’ve always kept to myself. Part of it is probably due to the fact our relationship when we were younger was mostly kept secret. Especially from my parents. There’s always been part of me that’s been tied to the idea that speaking about it out loud will make it unreal.
I take another sip of my tea and play with one of the single-wrapped flowers. I rub my thumb over its velvety petal. “After I sent him that text, I’d resigned myself to never seeing him again. Sort of how I felt when he left before. But then he showed up at my door.”
“Showed up?” Selene asks, intrigued .
I look up to them both. They’ve stopped moving their legs, hanging on my every word.
“Yeah.” I blow out a heavy breath. “He was at my door, soaking wet. He was angry I’d fired him via text.”
“Well…” Julianna scoffs. “He doesn’t exactly have a right to be upset when he left you a note breaking up with you.”
“I know.” I nod, trying not to think about that. Julianna has a point, but I can’t hold the note over Asher’s head forever. We were kids, and that night wrecked us both. We won’t be able to move forward if I can’t let go of the past. “But he told me he hasn’t stopped thinking about me since we ran into each other that first night. He said he’d never felt a pain like the one when he’d read my text. He felt hollow, as if I’d ripped his heart out. And that’s saying a lot because he’s been through more pain than anyone I’ve ever known.”
Silence befalls both my best friends. Julianna’s face no longer holds judgement.
“Wow.” Selene sighs, her shoulders falling.
Julianna sits up and tilts her head. “You really love him, don’t you?”
My chin quivers. “It’s been ten years. I used to think love died with loss. I thought love died with pain.”
“There’s no expiration date on love, babe,” Selene says softly.
I look at her as a tear slips from my eye, and I shake my head and sniff. I can’t believe I’m crying, but honestly, I haven’t felt this vulnerable in a long time.
“Selene’s right,” Julianna agrees, wrapping her arm around Selene. Selene rests her head on Julianna’s shoulder and places her hand on her knee. They both look at me with reassuring smiles. “It’s okay to love again,” Julianna says. “I know I said men are scum, and for the most part they are.”
Selene and I both giggle .
Julianna laughs but inhales a heavy breath. “But not all of them are dicks.”
“Right,” Selene agrees with a sharp nod.
“I thought we’d have love figured out by now,” I confess. “Others we know around our age are married and with kids.” The vodka seems to have been my own personal truth serum.
“Everyone goes at their own pace, I think,” Selene says, gazing longingly through the front window of the shop. “I want to focus on my career and what I truly want from it before looking for someone to share my life with. Growing up the way I did makes you hesitant to rely on anyone other than yourself.”
I don’t press her on her meaning. I know Selene doesn’t want to work for me forever. She’s a writer, and words are her life, but the thought of coming to the shop every day and not seeing her bright blue eyes, blonde hair, and thousand-watt smile is depressing. I don’t even want to venture down that road right now.
“As you should.” Julianna places her hand over Selene’s.
“Agreed.” I smile, finishing off the rest of my tea before it gets cold.
“It sounds like you have it figured out, though, Charleigh,” Julianna says, eyeing me across the gap between our respective seats. “I think?”
A shiver makes its way down my neck at the memory of Asher tracing my collarbone this morning. “Maybe. I hope.”
Julianna quirks a brow as the corner of her mouth curls. “Now, the real question is, was I right earlier?”
“Right about what?”
“About you riding his dick.”
“Oh, my God.” I groan, tossing the single flower I’ve been holding back into the bucket with the others. I roll my eyes but square them back on my best friends. My heart races and my cheeks heat. “But the answer is yes. ”
“I knew it, you slut.” Julianna points at me, and the three of us erupt into laughter.
The sun hasn’t quite set all the way. The orange glow pours into my shop, highlighting my flowers in the best possible light. It warms my soul. I check my phone. Still no message from Asher.
“Oh, shit.” Selene pops up from Julianna’s shoulder and quickly checks her phone before bouncing off the table.
“What is it?” I ask, surprised at her sudden change of mood.
“I forgot I promised my grandmother I’d visit her before visiting hours were over at the hospital.” She turns to me, her shoulders dropping. “I’m so sorry. Do you need anything else here?”
“No.” I wave her off, hoping off the checkout desk. I point to the backroom where there are remnants of dissected flowers everywhere. “Of course, you go right ahead. I’ll clean the rest of this up.”
“I’ll go with you, Selene,” Julianna says, grabbing her cardigan from where she tossed it earlier. “I have an appointment with a caterer at my place in an hour, anyway. He’s bringing over a shit ton of samples for my party.”
I give each of my best friend’s a hug and thank them immensely for their help today. Once they’re gone, I send an email over to my client, letting him know all the flowers for his daughter’s sweet sixteenth were saved. I breathe a sigh of relief, thankful to salvage my reputation in this city. I hardly ever dare look at the reviews on Google, but it’s a necessary evil. The last thing I’d want is someone saying I allowed all their flowers to die, ruining their event.
Because as much as humans don’t realize, in moments of celebrations and mourning, the little things mean the most.
I linger in the back room, ready to start my massive clean-up operation, when two arms wrap around my waist. I fall back against a hard wall of muscle and immediately feel him tower over me. His mouth hits my ear and, fuck, my stomach is doing that fluttering thing again.
“Don’t clean up just yet, Little Flower.”
“Asher.” His name falls from my mouth, soft and hushed. All I’ve wanted to do is tell him how grateful I am for what he did with the hotel, but he stops me.
“I know.” His mouth touches the hollow of my ear, and his voice vibrates down the length of my body.
I’m already wet for him again.
I turn around in his arms, pressing my hands to his hard chest. Tilting my chin up, I stare into his eyes. “No. I need to tell you. Thank you doesn’t begin to cover how grateful I am for what you did today. You truly saved me from losing this client.”
He tucks my hair behind my ear. “Seriously, Charleigh. I’m just sorry I wasn’t here sooner to help you. I got stuck in a few meetings, but I tried.” Sadness flickers in his expression, though it’s gone before I’m even certain I’ve seen it.
I laugh and tilt my head back. “Will you just accept my offer of gratitude?”
His face falls, and he studies mine as if he can’t believe I’m standing in front of him.
I think back to my conversation with Selene and Julianna.
Love doesn’t have an expiration date.
Is what I’m feeling for Asher still love, or is it something new? It feels a lot like the love I had for him back then, but there’s an undercurrent of grief and pain in there, too. There are layers to what we once had now. It’s complicated in a new way that’s both exhilarating and terrifying.
“Charleigh.” He sighs, then inhales a nervous breath. “What I did today doesn’t even make up for the pain and heartache I’ve caused you, and I’m not just talking about ten years ago. ”
“Asher.” I rise up on my toes and wrap both hands around his, holding them between us.
“I was an asshole and I’m not afraid to admit it.” He hooks two fingers under my chin.
“You know…” I smile. “I never thought I’d hear you admit to being an asshole out loud.”
“Well.” He slinks his arms around me and down my backside. Slipping his hands under the back of my short leather skirt, he grips onto both of my cheeks and lifts me back onto the prep table. “I’m a changed man, remember?”
After opening my legs, he stands between them. I slip his suit jacket off his broad shoulders and wrap his tie around my hand like I did this morning to pull his face down to mine. “Why don’t you remind me again?”
Asher crashes his mouth against mine and rolls his hips forward. His erection is clear, straining against the zipper of his black slacks. He presses his length to my wetness. I know I’m soaking and ruining what is probably thousands of dollars’ worth of designer pants, but Asher doesn’t seem to care. He parts my lips with his tongue, sliding it against mine. He tastes me and sucks on my bottom lip as if he can’t get enough. I whimper against him, my heart expanding with every kiss and touch.
I move to undo his belt and tug his zipper down. His cock springs free, and I immediately wrap my hands around it and rub my thumb over the tip.
Hissing, Asher tilts his head back and closes his eyes. “Fuck, that feels good,” he says between clenched teeth.
I tug him closer, rubbing the end of his cock along my wet pussy. “Do you feel that? Do you feel how wet I get for you at even the slightest touch?” My thighs are shaking, and my pulse quickens.
“Yes.” He hisses, rolling his head back and looking down at me. He traces his finger down my face before letting it fall to my sweater. I lift my arms as he removes it, then reaches behind and unsnaps my bra. The cool air hits my skin, and my nipples harden. I’m left in nothing except my knee-high boots, with my leather skirt bunched around my waist. “How about we make your fantasy a reality?” He looks at the mess of flowers and stems surrounding me. “This is the prep table you were talking about, correct?”
“It is.” I’m forcing myself to even out my breathing. I lift my left hip and start to roll to the side, bending my leg. I hold my knee against Asher’s sculpted abs, twisted at the waist. Leaning back on the table, I prop myself up with my arm and with my other hand, run my palm against my exposed bare ass. I didn’t wear any panties today, and I can tell Asher’s pleased. “But you had a different view of me.”
His eyes darken, and his hand smooths over my ass.
“No.” He growls. “I want to watch you as my cock fills you. I want to watch you come.” He brings his other hand to my mouth and pushes his thumb to my bottom lip, prying my mouth open. “I want to watch your pretty mouth gasping for air when you orgasm.”
A yelp climbs up my throat, and I jump when he smacks my ass. A jolt of electricity shoots down my leg before his hand moves to my knee, parting my legs for him, once again. I lie flat on my back and press both of my knees to his frame.
My gaze rises to his face, and I see the change in him. He’s looking at me differently. He’s looking at me as if I’m his lifeline. He’s looking at me as though if I weren’t here, he wouldn’t be breathing.
The gold flecks in his eyes intensify, and my mouth falls open as soon as he slips himself inside me. He fills me up, pushing in as far as he can. His body meets mine, and I arch my back off the table, not caring how many flowers are beneath me. We’re surrounded by them, and the scent fills every one of my senses. I breathe it in as I gasp for air. The table rocks and shifts with every thrust, but I welcome it.
It's true, I had a dream about being with Asher in my flower shop, and now I wonder how many dreams we can make a reality. The future is terrifying when it’s let you down in the past.
Asher grips onto my breast, flicking my nipple with his fingers. He keeps his eyes on me as he moves above me – inside me. There’s nothing but the sounds of our heavy breathing, the creaking wooden of the table, and the setting sun pouring through the tiny window.
We don’t speak. There’s no dirty talk, despite earlier, or Asher wanting to fulfill my dream. We’ve transitioned into something else. He’s fierce and commanding, but there’s also vulnerability in his movements. He’s quick yet measured. Hard yet soft. He grips my shoulder, holding me in place. Heat pools in my belly, and my thighs shake, nearing my release. I chase it, not wanting to drag it out. I want to feel every bit of what I’m feeling with Asher. I want to jump off the cliff without hesitation. And I do. My body quakes as my body hums with my orgasm. My mouth falls open as I gasp for air, my eyes pinned on Asher.
And he’s watching me, just as he said he wanted to. Four more thrusts, and he’s falling apart too, and I feel myself tighten around his cock. He stiffens, holding onto me as he vibrates with his orgasm. His cum spills into me, and I inhale a breath at the sensation.
He falls to my chest, pressing his face to my flesh, turning until his ear presses against my beating heart. I bring my hand to the back of his head, threading my fingers through his brown strands. I hold my breath, and I can’t explain it, but tears build behind my eyes. Not from being with Asher now. Not from being heartbroken. Tears threaten to spill realizing we aren’t who we were before. Our feelings for each other may have stemmed from who we were then, but the flower has bloomed into something else.
Then the reality hits when he lifts his hand and traces his invisible line across my collarbone. I hold my breath until my lungs burn.
Because despite how beautiful this feels with Asher now, the ugliness of the past will always remain.