Nicholas stared at her shrewdly. “It seems to be your answer to everything. Whenever things don’t go as planned, or when you feel that you aren’t in control your answer is to run away. Charlotte turning away from your problems isn’t going to help anything. You have to learn how to face your demons head on.”
“My demons? I don’t think my demons are the ones that are haunting me. It’s everyone else-”
“Stop running.”
“This isn’t about me running!” she snapped at him. In that moment anger was a living entity slowly crawling up her body and settling at the tip of her tongue. “Why in the hell do you even care so much anyway? You’ve done your due- diligence as my friend, and I am so thankful but you can leave now.”
“Stop running,” he repeated not unstirred by her agitated disposition.
“Nicholas, I am so serious right now, leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere, and neither are you. We don’t have to talk about the letter- that can totally be a closed case if it’s not something you want to talk about, but I’m not leaving you here to wallow in self- pity, and I’m not going to let you wander the streets feeling sorry for yourself.”
“What do you want me to do?” she screamed. “You have all of the answers, right? You know everything about everything so tell me . . . what is it that you want me to do?”
Nicholas tilted his head to the side narrowing his greys at her. “Get over it,” he advised simply.
Charlotte laughed as she swiped at the onslaught of unwanted tears that carelessly made their way down her face. “Just like that?” she laughed indignantly. “Get over it? That’s your answer to my problems?”
“Are you still that much in love with him that you would rather be miserable than to move on from the past? Were you always this type of woman- the one who lets the decisions of men control her emotions?”
Though his tone never changed his words had cut worse than that of a dull blade, rugged and sharp they slit past all of her pretenses, all of her facades, all of the airs that she put on for the sake of her pride. For him to think that she was still in love with Todd was bad enough, but for him to question the validity of the pain she felt having had to leave everything, and everyone she loved behind . . . the idea of being in love with Todd didn’t even cross her mind. It wasn’t Todd that she missed- it was her sisters, her family, and the idea that they hadn’t loved her as much as she had loved them. It was the safety that a person should be able to feel in the presence of their loved ones that she no longer felt. In the home she had grown up in she felt like a stranger- that is what broke her heart- that is what caused her pain.
“You don’t know me at all,” she whispered.
Closing the distance between them Nicholas said,” Answer my question. Do you still love him?” He needed an answer - the idea that she still may have had feelings for the other man brought on an onset of emotions that he wasn’t quite used to feeling. Jealousy had never been something he had to deal with being that he always succeeded in acquiring his conquest, and happened to be the one who decided when relationships ended and other ones began. Yet for the first time he was truly getting a feel of what the crippling emotion felt like. His fingers tingled in anticipation of her response. Desperately needing to hear her reject his words Nicholas pushed the issue unwilling to let up. “Answer my question,” he repeated his voice barely an octave.
Charlotte inhaled deeply. The smell of his cologne filled her nostrils clouding her senses, enveloping her in all that was Nicholas. Closing her eyes she let out a slow breath working to gain control over her thoughts as his closeness worked at shattering her control.
“Dimple,” he whispered gently lifting her chin so that they were face to face. His silver eyes were warm as they gleamed at her. “Do you still love him?”
Charlotte moved then, wrapping her small fingers around his neck she pulled his head down to hers pressing her lips against his with an urgency, a hunger unknown to her. A whispered moan slipped past her lips when he opened up to her allowing her tongue entrance into his mouth. With greedy fingers she tugged at his shirt quickly pulling the material over his head before moving to his belt buckle. Heat engulfed her body spreading from one end to the next as her most sensitive peak swelled from a need she had never felt before. Unbuckling his pants with one hand Nicholas easily lifted Charlotte off the floor pushing her against the wall with a roughness he hadn’t intended. “Tighten your legs around my waist,” he ordered as he stepped out of his jeans his hands already pushing her dress up to rest at her hips. Charlotte did as she was told gasping when she felt his hand cup her heat. Nicholas stopped then. “Are you okay?” he asked breathing heavily his forehead resting against hers.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Tilting his head back he looked her in the eyes. “Liar,” he breathed placing her back on the floor and reaching for his pants.
“What are you doing?” Charlotte asked blinking at him, confusion in her wide eyes.
She looked up at him with such innocence Nicholas couldn’t help but to bend his head and kiss her once more. “We can’t do this,” he murmured against her lips.
“Did I do something wrong?” she frowned feeling slighted.
Grabbing his shirt off the floor he let out a sigh as he pulled it over his head simultaneously patting his pants pockets for his car keys. “No.”
“Are you leaving?” she huffed completely beside herself.
“We were seconds away from having sex. Literally seconds away. I had no intentions on stopping, and that makes me an asshole because your first time should be with someone you’re in love with . . . it should be special. Not against a wall with my pants at my ankles and your panties pushed to the side . . . I just need to clear my head. I’ll be back,” he promised kissing her forehead before leaving her alone in the quietness of her apartment to fixate over her thoughts. My first time? How does he know that I’ve never . . . . Resting her head against the wall she closed her eyes to the pain of rejection. His words radiating in her mind like crystalline on sand. ‘Your first time should be with someone you’re in love with.’ “But I’m in love with you,” she admitted aloud in the emptiness of the room. Like the newly born blossoms on the eve of spring morning awaiting the Sun’s unrequited first kiss Charlotte allowed the realization to settle within her. She was in love with him.
Chapter Twenty One
Charlotte groaned at the loud humming sounding from her phone as the device vibrated against her nightstand. Glancing at the alarm clock she sighed aloud. 5:23 a.m. Seriously? Flipping around in her large bed she pulled her comforter over her head squeezing her eyes shut in hopes of a few more hours of sleep just when her house phone rang until the answering machine picked up. Seriously!
“Charlotte, it’s mom! Merry Christmas! Is Nick there with you? The oddest thing, I found his mother on that social media site you kids get on- rather Adeline found her. I sent her an email-”
“Inbox!” Adeline yelled in the background.
“Oh, that’s right. That’s right. I sent her an inbox,” Babet laughed. “All of these different terms, geez, it’s still a message no matter how you look at it. Anyway, you and that fiancé of yours has some explaining to do . . . his mother knew nothing of your engagement. She was shocked to even hear that her son was dating let alone in the process of planning a wedding. We were chatting all night. She invited us to the Hamptons for the New Year, and I told her that it was a splendid idea. The Hamptons in the winter time- I can only imagine how beautiful it’ll be. Give Nick a kiss for me, and we’ll see you two in four days. Love you Charli!”
“Love you Charli,” Adeline yelled laughter in her voice.
Charlotte jumped out of bed quickly making her way to the living room where Nicholas had been sleeping soundly on her couch. “Wake up!” she screamed poking him with quick fingers. “Wake up!”
“What?” he groaned turning away from her.
“Wake up!” she gushed frantically pull
ing the comforter off of him. “My mom contacted your mom on Facebook!”
Nicholas’ let out a long breath. “What?”
“You heard me. My mom told your mom that we’re engaged, and your mom wants all of us to get together in the Hamptons for New Years,” Charlotte said in a rush. “What are we going to do?”
“Don’t worry so much. I’ll tell my mother the truth, and she’ll cancel with your folks,” he answered covering his face with his arm. “Give me the covers back.”
“Nicholas, I can’t let you do that. They are messaging each other now . . . your mom will tell my mother the truth, and then I’ll look like a liar.”
“You are a liar,” he sighed reaching for the covers.
“Not on purpose . . . I just wanted to save face after being humiliated. I didn’t think that it would go this far,” she moaned. “You can’t tell your mom,” she repeated.
Nicholas sat up rubbing his tired eyes with practiced patience. “So, what now? You want me to lie to my parents, too?”
“We got through Christmas . . . we can get through New Years and then before Valentine’s Day we can just tell our families that we called off the wedding for uncontrollable differences.”
“Dimple . . . after yesterday do you think we should keep-”
“Do you want me to beg because I will, please just this one last time and I promise I will never ask you to lie for me again. Please.”
Charlotte stood in front of him with her emotions on her sleeves, and panic in her eyes. How was he supposed to say no to that? “Okay.”
“Really?” she gasped falling to her knees in front of him.
“We’re already in over our heads . . . why not?”
“Thank you,” she breathed, elated.
“Merry Christmas, Dimple,” he said bending down to kiss her forehead.
“Merry Christmas.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kristi Tailor, born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland earned her Bachelor’s degree in English from Notre Dame of Maryland University. Her greatest joy in life is her young daughter Madison, who like her mother enjoys the art of storytelling. With a love for education and a passion for writing, Kristi spends her time combining the two with the hope of positively touching others with her life’s work.
A Winter's Kiss (A Winter's Tale Book 1) Page 10
