by Laura Lee
“You’re not such a bad dancer,” Charlee muses. “I would’ve thought you’d be a little awkward with those clown feet.”
I smother a laugh as I pull her closer. “My feet are perfectly proportionate to my height, thank you very much. Besides, you know what they say about big feet, don’t you?”
Her body shakes with laughter. “Touché.” She nuzzles into my chest. “I love this song.”
I rest my chin on the top of her head. “Mmm, it’s a good one.”
Charlee pulls back and tilts her chin up as Ed Sheeran croons about kissing like you wanna be loved. Neither one of us says another word as we dance. We just watch each other as we listen to the lyrics. I love the way she always leans into me as I run my fingertips along the length of her jaw. God, she’s so fucking beautiful. I could stare at her just like this forever.
I rest my forehead against hers. “Charlee...”
“May I cut in?”
Charlee and I both look up in surprise as Riley speaks. When did he get here?
I step back and release my hold on her. “Uh...sure.”
Devyn is waiting on stand-by. “Dance with me, Drew. We need to have a little chat.”
Uh oh. I don’t like that tone in her voice. I take her hand as she rests the other one on my shoulder and starts moving. “What’s going on?”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “You tell me.”
“What do you mean?”
“Drew, you and Charlee just looked like you were about to start making out in the middle of the dance floor.” She nods over my shoulder. “And I’m not the only one who’s noticed.”
I swing her around so I can discreetly see who she’s referring to, although, I’m pretty sure I already know the answer. Yep, Brody is standing on the edge of the dance floor, looking like he wants to murder me right now. Rainey is tugging on his arm, saying something in his ear. Probably reminding him that he can’t raise a child from prison.
I lead Devyn into another circle so I don’t have to see his glare. “Fuck. I didn’t realize we were being so obvious.”
“Please don’t cause a scene at my wedding,” she begs.
“I’ll stay away from her for the rest of the night. I promise. I’m sorry; I honestly didn’t realize.”
“I know it’s hard, Drew. The only way it’s going to get any easier is if you tell him.” She widens her eyes. “But not until after my reception. Rainey will keep Brody away for the night but you can’t egg him on by doing that again.”
I nod. “Got it.”
She smiles radiantly. “Thank you.”
I smile back. “You make a beautiful bride, Dev. And you’re an amazing mother. Mom and Dad would be so proud of you.”
Devyn gives me a sad smile. “I wish they were here. I always miss them but it’s worse when something big like this happens.”
I pull her into a hug. “Yeah, I know what you mean.”
She squeezes me. “I love you, Drew.”
“I love you, too, Dev.”
She steps back and wipes a little tear from her eye. “Okay, enough with the mushy stuff. This is a celebration! And do you know what that calls for?”
“What’s that?”
Devyn grins from ear to ear. “Champagne!”
I laugh. “Well, then let’s get some, Mrs. McIntyre.”
“I love the sound of that,” she sighs.
I swing my arm around her neck. “C’mon, sis, let’s find the alcohol.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
CHARLEE
“So, you and Drew, huh?” Riley asks.
I wince. “We’re being that obvious?”
“Take a look at your brother.” He leads me in a circle until I can see Brody over his shoulder.
“Shit,” I mutter.
He laughs. “You know, if you’re serious about this thing with Drew, Brody will understand. Eventually.”
I sigh. “His current expression says otherwise.”
“That’s because he knows you’re hiding something. I hate to break this to you, Charlee, but you guys aren’t exactly being discreet. Drew looked like he was about two seconds away from ripping your clothes off before I cut in. Which is why I cut in. My wife would not be very happy if our reception turned into a brawl.”
I smile. “You’re a good man, Riley. Being married looks good on you.”
He beams as he looks across the dance floor and spots his bride. “I’m a lucky guy.”
I smooth my hand down his lapel. “You’ve come a long way from the player I met in Boston.”
Riley gets a wistful expression on his face. “Yeah, I suppose I have. She makes me want to be a better man, ya know?”
“It’s sweet. Hashtag relationship goals.”
He laughs. “Did you really just hashtag me?”
“Couldn’t resist,” I say with a shrug. “In all seriousness, I’m happy for you guys. Really happy.”
“Thank you. Can I just say one more thing before we drop the subject?”
“Go ahead.”
“I’ve been around Drew long enough to know that he’s never looked at someone the way he looks at you. Devyn agrees with that and she knows him better than anyone. If you want to be together—in a serious relationship—stop hiding it. If this is just physical, you have to stop. It’s not worth putting a wedge in their friendship.”
“It’s not just physical,” I admit.
Riley smiles. “I didn’t think so.”
“Don’t you think it’s too soon to be so serious though?”
“Not at all.” He shakes his head. “I knew Devyn was the girl I wanted to spend my life with on the first day we met. I can’t explain why; it was a gut feeling. We were watching football together, drinking beers, and all I could think about was that I could happily spend the rest of my days with her. I was too stupid to act on it at the time, and I did a lot of things that I’ll regret for the rest of my life because of that. Don’t be the dumbass that I was.” He jerks his head in Devyn’s direction. “It took me almost ten years to make her mine. That’s ten years that I fucking wasted because I was too scared to admit the truth. If you get nothing else from this conversation, learn from that.”
I hug him as the song ends. “Thanks, Rye. Now, get back to your gorgeous wife.”
He squeezes me back. “You don’t need to tell me twice.”
Riley practically sprints across the dance floor to take Devyn into his arms. I meet Drew’s eyes across the room and nod in silent understanding before I step away. We’re on the same page about this thing between us; that much is obvious. Now, we just need to figure out how to make it happen with the least amount of collateral damage.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
DREW
I push Charlee up against the door and kiss the hell out of her the second she steps foot into my apartment. “God, I’ve been dying to do that all night.”
She pulls my lower lip between her teeth. “I know what you mean.” Charlee runs her hands over my shoulders and down my arms, before hooking her fingers in my belt loops. “I’m so glad you left the tux on.”
“Oh yeah?” I run my lips along the curve of her jaw. “Why’s that?”
She unbuckles my belt and lowers the zipper. “Is it weird that I totally want to fuck you while you’re wearing this thing?”
I suck her soft skin into my mouth just below her collarbone. “Honey, I’ll do whatever you want as long as the end result is my dick inside some part of you.”
Charlee releases a throaty chuckle and pulls on the belt loops until I’m following her into my bedroom. Once there, she pushes my slacks and boxers down just past my ass and drops to her knees.
“Fuuuuck,” I groan as I take in the sight of her.
She shifts on her knees and eyes my dick thoughtfully. “Hmmm.”
I smirk. “Whatcha thinkin’ about down there?”
Charlee stands up again and gently pushes on my chest until I get the hint and climb on the bed. “Unless you want me to stick
with tea bagging, this will work much better with our height difference.”
I laugh as she wraps her fist around my erection but my amusement is quickly choked off as she runs her tongue along the length of my cock. I prop myself up with my elbows and watch as Charlee sucks on the tip, her pouty lips so goddamn warm and wet. Her bourbon eyes are wide open, latched onto mine. Damn, that’s an incredible sight. I wish I could take a picture but that would involve removing my dick from her mouth and I’m not volunteering to do that anytime soon. Since I don’t have a camera handy, I’ll just have to stash it in the good ol’ spank bank.
My beautiful wife uses her hand in conjunction with her mouth as she quickly moves up and down my shaft. My eyes roll back into my head when my dick taps the back of her throat. My jaw drops when she takes me in even further. Praise Jesus, Buddha, or whomever else you want to fucking worship. I don’t really care because I just learned that I married a girl who can deep throat!
Motherfucking deep throat, people.
Don’t get me wrong; blowjobs can be awesome without it—mind-blowing even—but holy shit, it’s an entirely different ballgame when you don’t have to worry about a gag reflex. It’s like winning the World Series, the Super Bowl, and the NBA Finals all rolled into one.
“Fuck, baby,” I pant. “So fucking good.”
She hums in acknowledgment and the vibration makes my goddamn toes curl. I’m trying to let her set the pace but I lose the will when she moans as I wrap her hair around my fist and give a little tug. Charlee’s nails dig into my thighs and her long locks tickle my abs as I thrust in and out of her heavenly mouth. Far too soon, pleasure courses its way through me. The muscles in my legs stiffen and my balls tighten, signaling my impending orgasm.
“Charlee...baby, I’m gonna...fuck, I’m about to come.”
Her lips remain wrapped around me which leaves me no choice but to shoot my load into her mouth. And dear God, she takes it all like a champ. I run my index finger along the indention from her hollowed cheek as she milks every last drop. As if this wasn’t already the best blowjob I’ve ever had, she makes it even better when she swallows.
Every. Last. Drop.
Well, hot damn. Color me impressed. Is there anything this woman can’t do?
I whimper as I pull out. Swear to Christ, hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
I could live there forever, my dick sighs.
I hear ya, buddy. I say. I hear ya.
Charlee licks her lips and winks. “My jaw is going to hurt for a week but it’s totally worth it seeing that look on your face.”
I pull her up my body so I can kiss her. “You are the most remarkable woman I’ve ever met.” I run my tongue down her neck as I work the zipper on the back of her dress. “Now let’s get this thing off so I can return the favor.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
CHARLEE
“This is probably the worst, yet best picture I’ve ever seen. It’s so absurd, it’s awesome.”
Drew chuckles as he takes the cardboard frame from my hand and sets it on the counter. “I think you look sexy as hell in it.”
I give him a wry look. “Drew, my cheeks look like every ounce of blood in my body is behind them and my eyes are half closed. It’s so obvious I was hammered. You and Lady Gaga look really hot though.”
He smiles. “I’m glad I had the sense to stash this in my bag. I actually look at that picture pretty often. There’s a lot of fond memories behind it.”
I return his grin. “There are. Hey, the marriage may be ending soon, but we’ll always have the memories, right?”
“Right.” He swallows hard and looks at me thoughtfully. “What if it wasn’t?”
“What if what wasn’t?” I ask through a mouthful of pasta.
After two rounds, we were both famished so Drew whipped up a quick batch of spaghetti. Normally the thought of using jarred sauce would give me anxiety, but when you’re in a pinch for a carb reload, it works. Considering we’re dining in the buff, I’m sure we’re going to need the energy sooner rather than later.
Drew finishes chewing before replying. “What if the marriage wasn’t voided?”
“I don’t follow.”
“What if we nixed the annulment?” he clarifies. “And give this marriage a real shot. Do you ever think about it?”
I bite my lip. “Um...I haven’t.”
His face falls. “Oh. Okay.”
“You have?”
Drew shrugs. “Sure. I’ve been thinking about it a lot, actually.”
Great, now I feel like an asshole.
“Drew...I want to be with you. There’s no doubt about that in my head. But I don’t know if getting married is the right way to start a relationship. It’s ass backwards, don’t you think?”
He frowns. “I guess some people would see it that way.”
“Okay, then. Speaking of our relationship...what are we going to do about Brody?”
“My sister is right, Charlee. We have to tell him. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t follow me home after the wedding to confront me.”
“I’m pretty sure the only reason he didn’t is because Rainey wouldn’t go for it.”
“Right,” he nods. “But come sunrise, there’s nothing stopping him. I want to get to him before he has the chance to come to me first.”
“Are you going to tell him about the wedding?”
Drew admitted that he told Devyn and his buddies at the station about our drunken wedding. I can’t really be mad at him considering I spilled the beans to Mama P.
He shrugs. “Honestly? I want to get it all out there. But I’ll do whatever you want.”
I smile at the sweet gesture. Drew knows that I’m worried about my mom’s reaction and if Brody knows, my mom will find out soon thereafter. “Can we keep that part from him for now? At least until the annulment goes through. My mom will be less pissed if she finds out after it’s wiped from the records.”
He gulps. “Yeah, sure.”
“I know it’s stupid that I’m a grown ass woman and I’m so worried about my mother’s opinion, but I can’t help it.”
“It’s fine. I was really close to my dad so I get it.”
I give him a sad smile. “How long ago did he pass away?”
“Just about eleven years. It gets easier with time but missing him—or my mom for that matter— never truly goes away. I just wish my dad could see me now. He died when I was twenty-one; I had no intention of ever becoming a firefighter back then. I was a business major in college. He never knew that I followed in his footsteps.”
“Your dad was a firefighter?”
He nods. “Chief. It was a big part of who he was. When he died, I wanted nothing more than to do it myself. Turns out, I love it just as much as he did.”
I set my plate in the kitchen sink. “Wait—so you’re thirty-two?”
He smiles. “Yep. As of last month.”
“When’s your birthday?”
“I’ll take things you should know about your spouse before the wedding, Alex,” he jokes.
I laugh. “Just answer the question, smartass.”
“May 2nd.”
I shove his chest. “Get out!” How did I miss that on our marriage license? I must’ve been too busy freaking out.
He grabs my hand and kisses my knuckles. “What was that for?”
“My birthday is May 3rd. I’m exactly one year and one day younger than you.”
Drew sets his dish next to mine. He puts his arms on either side of me, caging me in against the counter. “We’ll have to do something really special to celebrate next year.”
“Already planning for the future, huh?” I tease. “Isn’t that a little presumptuous?”
“It doesn’t feel that way to me.” He pushes some hair away from my face and searches my eyes. “Do you think it is?”
“Not at all,” I admit.
“What are we doing here, Charlee?”
I can feel his thick length hardening against
my stomach. “Right this second, it feels like we’re gearing up for round three.”
“I’ve never wanted somebody as much as I want you. Physically...mentally...I want to be with you every second of every day. I want to be the person that knows you better than anyone else.”
I gasp when he rubs the barbell against my clit. “Me too. All of it.”
His grin stretches across his face. “Yeah?”
I match his expression. “Yeah. Now, take me back to bed, Big Guy.”
Drew throws me over his shoulder and smacks my ass. “I’d love to, honey.”
CHAPTER FORTY
DREW
Charlee left about an hour ago because I wanted to talk to Brody alone. He’s not usually an early bird, but I decide to text him so my message will be there when he wakes up.
Me: You wanna grab some breakfast later? I need to talk to you about something.
To my surprise, he responds only a minute later.
Brody: No shit, Sherlock. I just parked in front of your building. Be up in a few.
He’s here? The sun is barely up. Shit, I need coffee for this. As I watch the dark roast drip into my cup, a single knock hits my front door.
Here we go.
I step aside as I open the door, gesturing for him to follow me into the kitchen. “You want some coffee?”
“No, asshole,” he grinds out. “I want answers. What the fuck is going on with you and Charlotte?”
“I—”
He points a stern finger at me, interrupting. “And don’t even try to tell me nothing. That shit on the dance floor last night was the opposite of nothing.”
“Dude, sit down.”
Brody widens his stance and folds his arms over his chest. “I’d rather stand.”
“Fine, you stubborn fuck. I’ll sit.” I round the kitchen counter and take a seat at the breakfast bar.
He grips the counter directly across from me and stares expectantly. “Well?”
