Chapter 15 #2
Sam trudged to her bedroom, willing the caffeine to start kicking in.
She closed the door behind her and went to the closet to find something.
She was still wearing the pair of yoga pants and baggy shirt she typically wore to bed, so she’d have to dig through her wardrobe to find something suitable.
After a bit of deliberation, she opted for a pair of jean shorts, a sports bra, and a sunny yellow tank top. Simple but comfortable. It didn’t hurt that it was also still clean, as she was in desperate need of the next laundry day.
When she emerged from her room, she gave a demonstrative twirl to make sure he approved.
He laughed, his eyes lingering for a moment before he spoke, narrowing on her arms. “Did you burn both arms?”
Sam caught herself before asking what he meant, looking down at the matching bandages on both arms, covering the bruises that had started to form there.
It had only been a few hours when the spots where Paul had grabbed her had started to turn yellow and purple.
She’d bandaged both arms to prevent anyone from seeing the marks, particularly Charlie, and she was glad she had now.
He’d accidentally already seen one, and the lie that had spilled from her lips had been easy. Mostly because it was a lie by omission.
She really did burn herself trying to curl her hair. It just hadn’t been where the bandages were.
She rolled her eyes and laughed. “Yeah, I was clumsy. I accidentally dropped the curling iron and flailed a bit to try and catch it, managing to burn both arms in the process. Sounds like something I’d do, huh?”
He looked hesitant but nodded slowly. “Yeah, just… be careful next time, will ya? Would like to keep you around in one piece.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” she teased, relieved he didn’t push further. “Is it okay if I bring my laptop? I might want to run to the cafe later to get some writing done after we get back.”
“That’s fine. You ready to go?” he asked, extending her iced coffee toward her.
“Yep! Let’s go… wherever the hell we’re going,” she replied.
She checked the door twice as they left, making sure that it, in fact, had locked behind her. Even opting to check it a third time before she was satisfied to walk away, afraid momentarily that the morning fog lingering in her head was messing with her.
As they reached Charlie’s SUV, he stepped ahead of her, theatrically opening the car door and offering her a hand inside. Despite the eye roll she gave him, she couldn’t hide the smile that accompanied it. Sam accepted his hand and eased into the passenger seat.
“Alright, what do we have planned?” she asked, the car thrumming to life as the air conditioning wheezed and forced the familiar scent of Charlie’s cologne into her senses.
A welcome smell that not only mercifully drowned out the effect her morning breath had as it was blown back into her face but sent a familiar longing coursing through her.
“If I told you,” he answered, “that would defeat the purpose of a surprise, wouldn’t it?”
“Okay, give me this at least,” she begged. “Is it nearby?”
“No, it’s about a forty-five minute drive.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Will this be an all-day excursion?”
He shrugged. “Depends. But most likely not. Don’t worry; you’ll get your writing time.”
“And you can’t tell me what it is?”
“Nope,” he replied with finality.
He tucked his arm behind the headrest of her seat as he turned to look over his shoulder to back the car out.
The position caused the muscles in his arms to flex as he began to slowly pull out of the spot.
She couldn’t quite put her finger on exactly why, but something about the position was incredibly sexy.
It could’ve been that it showed off the toned muscles of Charlie’s arms, his time in the gym paying off in spades.
Maybe it was just the way his arm behind her headrest felt intimate, familiar in a way she couldn’t quite put into words.
Or it could’ve even been the straining tendon of Charlie’s neck that flexed at him looking over his shoulder. If Sam listened to the intrusive thought that just blasted into her mind, she’d lean over and lick her tongue along the ridge of it.
That thought caused her to nearly jump out of her seat.
Good Lord, she was no better than a man.
She cleared her throat and looked out the window, as if she were suddenly fascinated by their surroundings. The car turned out of the garage and onto the nearby street, the sound of the stereo coming to life as it connected to Charlie’s phone.
“One tiny hint?” she pleaded.
Charlie chuckled but shook his head once more. “You’re not gonna break me.”
“Fine.” She pouted and took a sip from the coffee Charlie had returned to her. “Do you want me to DJ while you drive?”
“If you want. I figured we could talk on the way there, but you can also play DJ if you’d rather.”
If she could bribe him to tell her where the hell he was taking her, she’d talk the rest of the trip.
“Talking works,” she said.
“Give me a status update on the book, then.”
She laughed. “A status update? You’re not Angel in disguise, are you?”
Charlie made a dramatic show of looking down at himself before scowling. “Last I checked, I’m not a tiny Korean woman.”
“She’d kick your ass for calling her tiny, you know.”
“I have no doubt about that. That’s why I’m not calling her tiny to her face.” He chuckled. “What did she have to say when you told her about the book?”
“She was excited about it, said the premise sounded good and that she can’t wait to read the first couple of chapters,” Sam answered, carefully leaving out the things Angel had said about her and Charlie.
She was already struggling this morning and didn’t need the help.
Charlie smiled. “I told you she’d like it.”
“She’s a romantic at heart, I think,” Sam said.
“Nothing wrong with that for sure,” Charlie confirmed as his hand reached over quickly and flicked something off her knee. “Sorry, there was a bug on there.”
She wanted to ask if it had been a butterfly because it had apparently flown away from her knee and gone into her stomach, Fluttering about rapidly in there like some blushing virgin who had never been touched before.
It was embarrassing how swift it was, and she definitely wasn’t sure what the hell her body was doing. It was a bit alarming, but she’d be lying if she didn’t admit that she’d liked it. A lot.
In fact, she wanted him to put his hand back—to rest it on her leg as he drove. She chewed on the idea for a moment before reaching over and grabbing his hand, dragging it back over the center console and placing it on her thigh. Higher than where it had been moments before on her knee.
He seemed a bit surprised for a fraction of a second, though whether because she’d grabbed his hand so suddenly or because she’d put it on her thigh, she couldn’t tell. Whichever the case, his hand immediately relaxed against her, giving her thigh a gentle squeeze.
It was far more intimate of a touch than the two of them had ever shared, well, besides that kiss, which Sam was definitely trying not to think about right now in fear that her body would further disobey her higher brain function. But it was a struggle.
Goosebumps prickled to the surface where his skin made contact with hers, the warmth of his hand on her cool skin causing it to practically sizzle in the most delightful way.
Charlie, on the other hand, appeared completely calm. In fact, his eyes had gone back to focus on the road, and his thumb started to gently rub back and forth where it rested. As if it were the most natural thing in the world to him.
Dammit, maybe the physical contact part of this was a bad idea…
The little voice in the back of her head didn’t care, though.
She wanted Charlie to touch her. Even if it wasn’t real, she could at least pretend that it was.
It was a dangerous game to play, but she wasn’t going to worry about it now.
Not with Charlie’s hand touching her like his hand was made to fit there on her thigh.
“You okay, babe?” he asked, and though his eyes remained on the road, she could see the almost cocky smile spreading.
So, she simply nodded and reached forward to cover his hand with her own. “I’m great.”
The two had gotten lost in conversation for most of the drive, with Sam hardly noticing the passing miles until she felt suddenly drawn to the window.
It was an endless sea of green oak trees, standing strong and proud as they lined the roads and disappeared into the rural land surrounding them.
A lush green field came into view, drawing her attention away from their conversation, the greenery punctuated with a speckling of bright-red specks hidden within the foliage.
The less buildings there were, the more vegetation sprung out of the ground.
She and Charlie had grown up in a small town about an hour and a half west of Durham, so it wasn’t as if she were unused to so much nature around her.
In fact, seeing so many oak trees like this made her wonder whether Charlie’s parents still had that massive one out in their front yard.
The one with the driveway wrapped around it and the tire swing dangling from one of the thick branches above.
There had been many summers spent swinging on that tire.
Living in the middle of the bustling downtown area of Durham had made her forget what that felt like. It wasn’t nearly as chaotic as downtown Raleigh or—God forbid—New York City, where Angel lived, but it was enough to forget the day-to-day sensations that living more rurally provided.
It was a welcome change in scenery.
The crystal-clear blue sky above them made the almost-completely-risen sun to sparkle across the land—only the faint glow of the horizon keeping its full effects from taking hold. The perfect sort of day for whatever outdoor adventure awaited them.