48. Auden
We barely make it to the hotel room; half my dress is off, his shirt is open, and I’m undoing his pants as I open the door. Things rip, tear, and are thrown around the room as he lifts me onto the bed and stares down at my naked body.
Storm is louder than I am tonight. His moans blast through the hotel room. We’re sure making whoever is staying on this floor extremely annoyed. I don’t care, though, because I’m almost as loud as he is.
We fall back on the end of the bed and he kicks the pillows off his foot so he can lie on his side and face me; his breath caressing my shoulder.
I turn to face him and bunch up some of the covers to use as a makeshift pillow, scrunching my nose as he stares at me. “Always a pleasure,” I say, sucking in a rush of air.
He smiles, looking at me the way he always has from the moment we met. “How did I get so lucky that you’d walk into my bar and my life and completely turn it around?”
I chuckle teasingly. “I didn’t do much other than let you inside me.”
“You did so much and don’t even realize,” he says, smirking at my comment. “Can I be honest with you?”
I’m in no mood to have a serious conversation right now. I’m having the worst craving of all time and I know there are tiny bottles in the minibar and a complimentary bottle of champagne for everyone in the wedding party.
He moves a lock of hair from my line of vision and smiles softly. “I can see myself falling in love with you and it’s fucking terrifying, but it feels right.”
I don’t know what to say. I’m literally speechless.
I open my mouth to speak but nothing aside from a blast of air comes out.
A few minutes pass and we’re still gazing at each other, my eyes flicker between his. He chuckles, turning on his back to stare at the ceiling.
“What if we don’t work out?”
It hasn’t been something that crossed my mind tonight. However, it is something we have to discuss. Our plan wasn’t set in stone, even when we spoke about it in Campbellton. He may have gotten himself a job here, showing me the security I need, but we haven’t lived in reality yet.
He folds his arms behind his head. “We’ll work out, babe. I know we will. Do you know why? Because before I met you, I wished I’d die young so that I wouldn’t have to grow old and see everyone around me living their life happily, and I wouldn’t regret anything. I knew I’d just keep wasting my days until pretty soon, I’d be gone.” He takes a breath. “Then I met you and I know I want to die when I’m an old man knowing I was able to make you smile every day of your life. You’re stuck with me.”
I can relate in a way to the pain he felt. Destroying my life with alcohol and no one was there to help me until it was too late. I didn’t even know it but I saved him and I’m so happy I did. “Stuck with you, huh?”
“Mhm.” He chuckles. “Every time we argue—because let’s face it, couples argue—I’ll shove my dick in your mouth to shut you up. It’ll work, you’ll see.” He winks, taking my hand. “Every time you’re sad, I’ll make sure to make a fool of myself so you’ll laugh. I am pretty damn funny. See.” He makes a silly face and I burst out laughing, covering my mouth as I do it. “When you’re sad, I’ll throw flowers at you, because, again, flowers make you smile and the thought of getting hit in the head by roses is kinda funny.” I scrunch my nose, removing my hand from my mouth. “When you’re stressed or have a craving, you can use me to take it out on. You can hit me, ride me, or tie me up. You make that decision. Just know that we can survive this.” He brings my hand to his lips and leaves the lightest kiss on it. “It’ll be easy, I promise.”
I crawl on top of him. “Oh, you promise? I take my promises very seriously.”
He slides his fingers up my thighs. “As do I, baby.”
“I’m a little pissed off now,” I tell him, jokingly, of course.
He smirks. “Oh, yeah?”
“Mhm.” I nod. “I’m pissed and I’m stressed and I’m mad. So fucking mad.”
He chuckles, sitting up with me. “Well, that’s not good now, is it?”
“Nuh-uh.” I shake my head, taking his bottom lip between my teeth and pulling it away from him.
He groans, I’m not sure if it’s out of pleasure or pain, but I release his lip, grinning as I do. “That hurt.” He smirks. “You’re gonna pay for that.”
“No, I’m not,” I say, pushing him back on the bed and getting off him.
He grabs hold of me trying to run away from him, causing me to laugh. He laughs with me and loosens his grip. I giggle, tossing a pillow at him and he takes it upon himself to stand up on the bed and walk toward me. I roll off of it and move to the dresser where the TV is anchored to the wall, and he smirks, beckoning me to come to him with his finger. I shake my head, biting my lower lip, so he does it again. Slowly, I move toward the washroom, wanting badly to try that giant bathtub with the jets.
“Baby,” he sings. “Come here.”
I giggle and run to the washroom. “No!”
I hear the thud of his feet when he jumps off the bed and charges after me, his naked body presses into mine as he wraps me in his arms, causing a cackling laugh to leave me. I love this sort of playful silliness.
“Where do you think you’re going? Hmm?” Storm says, a growl rumbling through him as he fondles my breasts.
“I wanted to take a bath, then maybe order some room service.”
“Nope.” He spins me and lifts me onto the vanity. “Me and you are gonna do something memorable tonight.”
I wrap my legs around his waist. “Yeah? Like what?”
“Hmm, good question.” He looks off for a moment, then returns to my eyes. “What’s the craziest thing you’ve ever done?”
“If I could remember, I’d definitely tell you.” I lick my parched lips. “I did a lot of crazy things when I drank. I blacked out most of the time, so I really don’t remember and I’m too scared to ask about it.”
“That’s all right.” He smirks. “Getting this nipple ring has gotta be top of my crazy list.”
I bop it and grin. As weird as a nipple ring is, I’m kind of attracted to it. “What’re your top three?”
“Nipple ring, streaking through the general store—yes, Frank’s general store—and getting Rick so drunk the night before Heath was born that he woke up with a tramp stamp that says Big Daddy and nearly puked on Maddison when Heath was coming out of her.” He laughs, smiling at my giggles, and leans his hands on the vanity on either side of me. “So, let’s do something stupid tonight. Those are my three stupid things. I want my fourth one to be with you.”
“Like what?” I chuckle. “Get me pregnant?”
“Not yet,” he says, looking at my breasts, then back at my lips. As soon as he meets my eyes he smirks. “Let’s get tattoos.”
“I can’t get another tattoo.”
“Why not?”
I tilt my head to the side. “Because who will take their therapist seriously if I have a silly tattoo.”
“Mm, then we’ll get them in places no one but us will see.” He nods. “Don’t think just get dressed.”
I sigh, chuckling. “Storm.”
“Baby,” he sings, retreating to the room.
I chuckle. “Luke!”
“Don’t call me that, Charlotte,” he calls back, enunciating my name.
I laugh, following him into the room. He’s already in his boxers and he’s getting a pair of jeans from his bag. I lean on the wall beside him, naked, with my arms folded and hip popping out. He looks up and smirks, scanning me in this way that’s never made me feel more beautiful.
His jeans aren’t buttoned yet when he makes his way over, running his fingertips along my hip, and waist, then curling it up my shoulder blade and stopping at the back of my neck. “What?” I whisper.
“Get dressed before I bend you over.”
“Mmm…no.”
“Auden,” he says seriously. The look in his eyes tells me how hard it is for him to not touch me right now.
“Mmph, fine,” I groan. “But I’m not getting your name tattooed on me.”
“You should get something small and cute,” he says, trailing his fingers down my body and stopping on my hip bone. “Right here for my eyes only.”
“Like a little moon,” I say, still keeping my gaze on his. “It was a crescent moon the night we met.”
“I’ll get a crescent moon, too,” he tells me and leaves a peck on my lips.
I don’t know if it’s too soon for this, but it feels right. We’re right. It’s written in the stars for us. “Matching tattoos? Have we been dating long enough for that?”
“Insta-love, babe. Google it.”
“Nope. We don’t use the L word unless we mean it, and statistics show that regular couples take between one to three months to say it. I won’t say it unless this is real.”
It is real and I want to say it to him, I just don’t know how.
“Then I hate you, Auden.” He bites his bottom lip, gripping my breast. “Let’s go get matching tattoos to prove how much I hate your sexy ass.”
I’m laughing and covering this ‘sexyass’, going to the little suitcase I packed. I throw on a tiered dress and slide my feet into my wedges. His hands roam my body as we make our way to the elevator, groping and slapping and squeezing. He’s obsessed with me and it’s driving me crazy.
My phone vibrates and Storm glances at it, eyeing me after he does. “It’s Sean.”
SEAN: Ryan knows the security guard on duty so he’s letting us sneak into the pool.
ME: Sweet, we’ll meet you there in say an hour and a bit?
SEAN: Jesus, Char. Tell him to get off you already.
Storm kisses my cheek, reading over my shoulder. “I can fuck with some swimming.”
“I don’t have a swimsuit.”
Storm arches an eyebrow. “And?”
I giggle. “Stop.”
“Come on, baby. Let’s do something stupid tonight.” He sticks his tongue out and pulls me out of the room. We’re doing a lot of stupid things lately, and every single one of them feels so damn right.