Where did your heart go? (The Heart Trilogy Book 1)

by Audrina Lane

  “It’s time to go, are you ready?” I shouted.

  “Yes Mum, just coming” Charlotte replied. She took one final long look in the mirror. She had put her cut off denims on as the weather was hot and a tight checked shirt with her red mules and red lipstick, knowing how much Mitchell loved her body. She could hardly wait to feel his hands holding her again and of course dancing with him too. In the car she dropped him a quick text.

  “Hi Mitch, can’t wait to see you later, Love Charlie”

  “Hi Charlie, the time is going too slow I’ve been ready since I woke up, Later, Love Mitch” he texted back.

  “I’ll see you later then, what shall I do for tea?” I asked.

  “Anything I don’t really mind, whatever you fancy” Charlie replied, as she jumped out of the car, Julia was waiting by the gate for her.

  “Have a good day” I finished.

  “I will Mum” she said, as she shut the door and then caught up with Julia for a girly chat before class. The smell of her perfume still lingered in the car as I headed home to do a quick spot of cleaning before Charlie’s guest arrived. My mind was still trying to work out who my Mystery man could be and hoping that now I had agreed to a possible meeting that he wouldn’t turn out to be awful. As I turned into my driveway I spotted a Florist van in the driveway and a chap standing on the doorstep with a large bouquet of white carnations.

  “Are you Mrs Stephanie Eden?” the driver asked.

  “Yes, wow what a nice surprise” I replied, as I signed the slip and the driver headed back down the drive. Juggling an armful of flowers and the door key I eventually managed to get inside and headed for the kitchen. I soon located the card and opened it to read the message enclosed.

  “Stephanie,

  Search your heart, search your soul and when you find me there you’ll search no more.

  Your secret admirer x”

  I read it through again and realised that the lines were from the Bryan Adams song ‘Everything I do, I do it for you’. Quickly I searched through my cupboards and eventually found a couple of vases and managed to distribute the large bouquet into them. With some on the kitchen table, in the lounge and even on the hallway table my house still looked full to brimming. They certainly brightened up the place as it had been so long since I had received any flowers. The only worrying thing was that my secret admirer had somehow found out my address so I needed to make sure there was no one lurking around outside.

  Getting ready for work I realised that the last flowers that had arrived that way had been for Mark’s funeral which had passed in a blur for me at the time. I decided that I would take a small posy of the carnations up to his grave on my way to work. I thought about the way Mark smiled and was always full of laughter despite the pressures of his job at the hospital and I wished now that I could make amends for not loving him as much as he had loved me. Finally it seemed my heart was waking up to the possibility of a new love as I made up my mind that this time I would allow my feelings to flow; twenty four years was too long a time to keep my fragile heart wrapped safely in cotton wool.

  As I stood by the headstone I ran my fingers over the cold stone, I wished that Charlotte could at least have known her Dad more before he had been taken from us that night in Hereford. No one had ever been caught for the stabbing and since then I had never been back to the Hospital even though the radio and the wards held such happy memories for me. I turned away and took a quick glance at the winding river below me, serene and peaceful in the sunshine. I looked up into the blue sky hoping that perhaps Mark was looking down and wishing me the best for the future and all its wonderful possibilities.

  Chapter 45

  Charlotte struggled to concentrate through her classes and the hands on her watch refused to tick by fast enough. However the bell soon rang and after promising Julia she would see her in the hall shortly Charlie bolted out of class. She had left all her bags in her locker so she quickly unlocked it and pulled out her make up bag and body spray for a quick touch up. She didn’t notice Craig approaching until he was directly behind her, just slightly too close for comfort.

  “Hi Charlie, you’re looking far too hot today” he said, reaching out and running a hand casually down her arm.

  “Thanks Craig” she replied, trying to shake him off but his hand gripped her as he pushed her against the lockers.

  “I should never have let you go” he murmured, danger lurking behind his deep voice “With your tight top and shorts today teasing all us guys with your sexy body” he sneered, his eyes looking directly down to take in the hint of her breasts beneath the shirt.

  “Just let me go Craig, it’s over I have a new boyfriend” Charlie said, struggling under his tightening grasp. She could already see the indents from his fingers marking her pale skin.

  “Well I don’t see him, where is he this fictional boyfriend of yours” he said, bringing his face so close that she could feel droplets of his spit hit her cheeks.

  “I’m right here” said a familiar deep voice and Charlie spotted Mitchell looming over Craig’s shoulder.

  “I think you need to take you hands off my girlfriend right this minute, otherwise I will not be responsible for my actions”

  The look of shock that passed over Craig’s face as he turned to stare up into Mitchell’s stormy face as his grip on Charlotte’s arms slipped quickly away.

  “Sorry mate” he mumbled, as he sloped away, like the coward that he was. Charlotte was still shaking as Mitchell pulled her tight against his chest, the smell of his leathers and aftershave awakened her senses as the shake of fear turned to desire.

  “Are you ok, baby?” Mitch murmured, as he ran his hands through her hair so that he could look down into her face.

  “Yes, that was good timing” Charlie replied, looking up into his beautiful eyes and licking her lips slightly.

  “You look good enough to eat” he whispered, as his lips reached down and caught hers in an endless kiss that allowed their tongues to explore. When they finally broke apart Charlie was breathing heavily and her white skin was a blush pink from the heat, the marks from Craig’s touch had disappeared completely.

  “So what’s the plan then?” he asked, when he was sure Charlie had recovered from his touch.

  “Dance practice for about an hour or so and then we can head home” Charlie said “Do you want to put your bags in my locker and we’ll head to the hall” she finished, moving aside and grabbing her dance bag out.

  “Sure sounds good to be” Mitch said, as he shrugged out of his jacket and trousers to reveal his normal dancing sweat pants and t-shirt.

  Walking together down the college corridor as the rest of her fellow pupils hurried home for the weekend. Several girls did a double take when they saw Mitchell as being tall and gorgeous he was hard to miss. Charlotte couldn’t stop smiling as she held his hand tightly in hers as they soon reached the hall.

  There were some toilets opposite so Charlie ducked into the ladies to get changed whilst Mitch leaned against the wall opposite and waited for her. He wished she didn’t have to change as the outfit she was wearing was so sexy and he had really wanted to just rip it off her body and push her up against the wall in fact he had struggled not to race into the bathroom after her just seconds ago and offer to help her change.

  Charlie hurried to change as she didn’t want to leave Mitch alone for too long; she had seen the way his eyes had swept down her body and back up when he had rescued her. She could hardly wait until he was in her room later this evening as it might stop the intense throbbing that was sweeping through all her nerve endings. Once in her leotard and leggings she grabbed her bag and was once more in his presence, how on earth was she going to be able to concentrate through all three routines with Mitch there was beyond her but she knew she had too.

  Just before she pushed open the door Mitch caught her arms and pulled her against him.

  “I just want to take you home” he breathed “Now”

  Charlie ju
st nodded as they kissed for a final time before composing themselves and hitting the hall. After warming up the group went through their other two dances to Umbrella and Skyfall. Mitchell noticed that they had added some changes to both routines which showed off even more of Charlotte’s stunning moves. As he had not seen any of the other groups heading to the final he still considered Charlotte’s to be his group’s main competition for the top prize.

  “Come on Mitch, we need you” Charlotte’s voice penetrated his thoughts and he shook himself out and headed onto the floor. They quickly talked him through the routine and then they started to dance. Mitch watched in awe as the haunting melody filled the room as one girl seemed to dance alone telling the tragic story, he almost forgot his cue but as he stood and then caught her and moved her down to the floor it felt so right, he was meant to dance with her.

  After three more attempts they all felt satisfied with their work and called it a day, after all they would be doing another two hours tomorrow afternoon with full dress rehearsal to check everything fitted and worked well with the routines. Mrs Grantley shook Mitch’s hand at the end and was about to say something when they heard a phone ring.

  “Sorry, that’s mine” Mitch apologised as he reached for his phone he had left on a chair at the back of the hall. Charlotte watched as he answered and then a look of shock crossed his face, followed by a huge smile as he hung up.

  “So” Charlotte said.

  “We’ve been chosen” he said, picking her up and spinning her round and round until she felt dizzy.

  “You mean the Dirty Dancing routine” Charlotte finally asked, when he set her down and all the girls who had been about to leave turned round to see what the excitement was.

  “Yes” he said, planting a large kiss on her lips, regardless of the fascinated crowd of girls that were heading towards them.

  Suddenly Julia was almost beside them.

  “Tell us?” she implored

  “We did it, we’ve been chosen to dance in the interval before the judge’s decision” Charlotte said, reaching over to grab Julia’s hand in hers.

  “Fantastic news” Mrs Grantley said, coming over to congratulate them.

  “Any chance we could see the routine tomorrow at practice?” she finished

  “Sure” Mitch grinned “We could do with a couple of practise runs before next weekend” he finished, still holding Charlie’s hand tightly in his.

  “Well the hall will be open from eleven tomorrow morning and main practice starts at noon so see you all then” Mrs Grantley said, as everyone started to gather their bags and head home.

  “See you tomorrow Julia” Charlotte said as they headed back down the corridor to the lockers.

  “Can’t wait” she said, grinning “I am so happy for you both” she finished, before heading home with Lucy and Vicky.

  They were alone at the lockers and before she had chance to turn the key Mitchell had pulled her into his arms again. His hands swept down over her back and to her bum and pulled her even tighter into his body

  “I love watching you dance” he said, softly

  “I love watching you dance too, but I prefer it when we dance together” Charlotte said. Looking up into his eyes as she watched his lips head down and capture hers, softly at first and then with a fierceness that shook her to the core. She was glad of the solidity of the lockers against her back as her legs turned to jelly from the feelings flowing through her body. When they parted she pushed her hair back and unloaded the locker. Once dressed in their leathers they headed for the bike.

  In the car park a few of the girls from the dance group were still there talking and almost didn’t recognise Charlotte as they strolled past them and she jumped up on the bike behind Mitchell. She waved as they sped off down the road and then she enjoyed the short drive home, her arms tightly around Mitchell’s firm body. Reluctantly she climbed off when they reached home and headed into the house. The first thing that was noticeable was the lovely carnations on the hallway table as she called out.

  “Mum, we’re home”

  I appeared from the kitchen and saw the two of them standing together in the hallway.

  “Hi Charlie, Hi Mitchell” I said “Cold drink?”

  “Yes please” they both replied.

  “We’ll go and get out of our leathers first though” Charlie said, as they headed upstairs “And maybe have a quick shower too” she finished.

  “Ok, thought we would have take away for tea so I can order when you are both ready” I said, stopping to have a quick smell of the flowers and smiling to myself.

  Upstairs they entered Charlie’s room and she noticed that there were more carnations in a small vase on her dressing table, Mum must have splurged on her flower purchasing to have enough for her room too she thought. Once they were alone again Charlie simply lay down on her bed and stuck her legs out.

  “Help” she said, smiling up at Mitch as he approached the bed and managed to swiftly pull her leather’s off almost in one move. Charlie sat up and unzipped the jacket and flung it over the end of the bed as Mitchell came into grasp, his jacket already off. She sat up on the bed and unzipped his leathers and worked them down to the floor so that he could step out of them.

  “Do you need a hand with any of your other clothes?” Mitch breathed, as his fingers touched the strap of her leotard. Charlie nodded as just the barest touch of his fingers on her hot skin made it impossible to think, let alone talk, all she could do was feel.

  She stood up as the straps fell down her arms and Mitch bent down to pull the whole thing off at her feet. He ran his hands back up her legs to the waistband of her leggings and then pulled them down too as she stepped out of them and stood before him clad only in her white bra and barely there g-string. Her hands rested on his shoulders and she could feel him shaking slightly as his eyes drank her in. His hands once more ran up across the smooth skin of her legs and hips before wrapping around her to pull her close so that he could reach her lips with his. She trembled in his arms as she kissed him back and time ticked by slowly as they rediscovered each other. However before they went too far she pulled back and said

  “Definitely need a cold shower now” she breathed. Mitch nodded as he spotted her dressing gown and reached over for it.

  “Don’t be too long” he murmured as she headed for the bathroom.

  Under the water Charlie finally started to breath normally and thought about the way she felt when he held her and when he danced with her, it was like they were two halves of the same person. She couldn’t wait for later and also for tomorrow and the chance to fly above his head again. Back in her room she passed a clean towel to Mitch and then he headed out, she watched the muscles of his back and his cute tight ass as he left the room. He was too gorgeous for words and she still couldn’t quite believe how lucky they had been to find each other. She pulled a fresh set of knickers on but no bra and just flung her long sun dress on before drying her hair. She was just applying some lip gloss when he walked back in, the towel slung round his hips so she could stare at his chest and the small line of hair that ran down from below his belly button to beneath the towel.

  “You look so sexy” Charlie breathed, as she walked over to him and grabbed his towel as it fell away from his body. She sneaked a look lower and then felt the blush creeping over her skin as she averted her gaze.

  “It’s all yours” he said, moving to catch her hands in his and placed them on his hips. His finger moved to catch her chin and bring his mouth down to hers again, before they broke apart and he headed to his bag for some jeans and a t-shirt. She noticed that he didn’t put any underwear on at all.

  “You tease” she said, softly “I’ll be thinking of you naked all evening now” she finished.

  “I think of you naked all the time, well except when we are dancing as if I did that I’d forget all the steps as you are too distracting” he said “Now let’s head down, I’m starving and need a drink” he finished, as he took her hand in
his and they headed downstairs to the kitchen.

  I heard them come through the door, giggling together and I headed through from the patio where I had been sitting, enjoying the sun and thinking once again about my mystery man. Earlier that day I had got to work to discover that an amazing proportion of our radio listeners wanted me to meet my secret admirer at Rock on the River and ticket sales to the event had almost doubled in the hours following the announcement. I had told Paul and Ian about my delivery of flowers and both said they had not given out my home address. I dropped Jack a text and he had said exactly the same thing so I still had no idea over who my mystery man was and how he had found my address.

  “Nice flowers Mum” Charlie said, as she handed Mitch a beer from the fridge and then poured herself a glass of Pimm’s that I had mixed in the fridge.

  “Yes they were delivered today” I replied and then quickly changed the subject

  “So what would you like to eat tonight?” I asked

  “Pizza” Charlie replied and Mitch just agreed. I reached for the phone and placed the order.

  “Shall we sit in the garden as it’s nice?” As they both followed me out.

  “So how was practice?” I asked

  “Great Mum, we’re heading in for more practice tomorrow at lunchtime” Charlie said, taking a sip of her drink and then smiling over at me.

  “And we will be dancing in the interval before the judges decision” she finished.

  “Congratulations” I said.