by A. K. Evans
“Going to need your hands on the counter, Charley. And brace because I’m going to fuck you from behind,” he paused and then brought his mouth to my ear and whispered, “hard.”
Tingles ran up and down my body. I put my hands on the counter of the island. His hands ran over the cheeks of my ass, squeezed, and then while one hand gripped my hip the other found my core.
“Always wet for me. Can’t fucking wait to feel you with nothing between us” he said, his voice getting hoarse. I loved hearing his voice like that.
He ran his fingers through my center, teasing me. He had me so close so quickly that when he pulled his hand away I wanted to cry.
“No, Wes. Please.”
I was begging and I didn't care.
Before I could get another word out Wes slammed into me.
“Yes,” I cried.
He hadn’t lied when he said he was going to fuck me hard. As Wes pushed forward into me, I used my leverage on the counter and pushed my ass back into him. And he felt incredible.
“Fuck, Charley,” he growled.
He had a bruising grip on my hips and proceeded to pound into me. I was so close.
“Wait, Charley. You come with me this time.”
There was no way. I wasn’t going to be able to hold back.
“Fucking wait, Charley.”
“Wes, please,” I rasped out, barely holding on.
He continued slamming forward and I continued pushing back.
“Come for me, gorgeous.”
I exploded around him as Wes groaned through his satisfaction. My legs got weak, but Wes supported my weight from behind as we came down from the high, catching our breaths.
“Happy Birthday to me,” I said.
Wes gave me another laugh. I smiled and felt my belly warm.
Chapter 15
Charley
Wes and I were in his truck on the way back to my place. Following our kitchen sex session, I told him I wanted to get home since I had an early shift at the diner the next morning. We pulled up outside my place and Wes walked me to the door. I opened the door and saw that Emme left a note on the table by the door.
Hey sweets,
Got a call for a shoot today. A client went into labor and wanted me there to capture the birth. Didn’t want to text and interrupt your birthday festivities, but wanted to leave a note in case you came back and didn’t find me here. Be back soon (hopefully).
xoxo,
Emme
“Everything ok?” Wes asked.
“Yeah. Just a note from Emme letting me know she got a call for an unplanned photo shoot,” I said glancing at the clock on my phone. “You want to come in for a bit?” I asked.
He smiled at me and his eyes warmed. “I’d love to, but I think you’re right. Tomorrow is going to be an early day for me, too. I’ll meet you at Parks Ridge for lessons, though.”
“Ok. Thank you again for a wonderful day, Wes. It really means a lot to me.”
“You’re welcome, gorgeous.”
Wes leaned in and gave me a sweet kiss on the lips. He turned and walked out. I locked the door behind him and went to my bedroom.
As I walked into my room I saw that I still had my art out from earlier in the day. Since it was still a little early and I was feeling inspired I figured I’d take a quick shower and then do a little drawing. I stripped off my clothes and made my way into the bathroom.
I finished in the shower, wrapped a towel around myself, and then took a few minutes to dry my hair. I walked out into my room, came to a halt, and gasped.
Wes was sitting on my bed with my drawings in his hands. He looked up at me and he had a look that I’d never seen from him before.
“You draw these?” he asked.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“You didn’t answer my question.”
Fuck. I didn’t want to answer his question. He held my stare. This went on for several minutes. Finally, I caved.
“Yes. I drew them. Now, what are you doing back here? How did you even get back in?” I asked, panic filling my voice.
“Relax, Charley. I was walking back to my truck and I saw your girl. Tiny little thing that she is and she was trying to carry what seemed like two hundred pounds of camera equipment. I carried her stuff in here for her.”
My eyes got big and I asked, “Emme let you help her?”
He jerked his head back in surprise at the question. Crap.
“Yes,” he answered.
“And then she let you in here?”
“Yes.”
Hmm.
“Charley, you’ve got to give me something here. I’ve been trying to figure you out since I met you. You waitress at a diner and you’re a barista at a coffee shop in a ski lodge. You work all the time and while I’m sure you make enough to live decent, you’re driving around in a relatively new, fully-loaded Jeep Wrangler. It’s a Rubicon, babe. Fully loaded, that’s going to run you well over forty grand.”
He paused, holding some of my work in his hand out to me, “You’ve never mentioned anything to me about this. You do this professionally?”
I stumbled back at his question.
“No,” I answered, my voice just a hair over a whisper.
“Why the fuck not?” he asked, his voice almost angry.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I was going to cry. I was standing in a towel in my bedroom with Wes sitting on my bed holding my work in his hands and I was going to cry.
And then it happened. The tears spilled over my cheeks and I began crying. Wes was up and had his arms wrapped around me in seconds. He held me tight as my body was wracked by sobs. I had held it together for so long and I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. Everything poured out of me.
“Fuck, Charley. You’ve got to talk to me, baby.”
I burrowed my face deeper into his chest and his arms continued to hold me. After what had to be at least a solid ten minutes of uncontrollable sobbing Wes’ hands began to move so that his fingers traced lightly up and down my shoulders and arms. He kept me pressed tightly to him. I finally started to calm down.
I had to give him something. I hadn’t given anybody anything in nearly ten months, but I decided I was going to give Wes something. I took a deep breath.
“It’s my brother’s,” I said.
“Not following you, Charley.”
“The Jeep. It’s his. Actually, correction. It was my brother’s Jeep…until he died nine and a half months ago.”
“Jesus Christ,” Wes said under his breath. “I’m sorry, baby.”
Wes picked me up and carried me to my bed. He set me down and I stayed right where he put me. Catatonic. My mind was racing, but my body wasn't moving.
Wes walked away and I glanced up to him, fearing he was leaving. My breathing increased. He turned back around, sat on the bed, and put his face right in front of mine.
“I’m not going anywhere. Just getting you some clothes, gorgeous.”
I nodded my head.
He got up and walked to my dresser. He came back, pulled a pair of panties up my legs and over my hips, and then placed a shirt over my head. After, he shrugged off his jacket and took off his boots and his shirt. I was hauled up into his arms, the covers of my bed were thrown back and Wes put us both in my bed. He was on his side, facing my front. My face was pressed into his throat. Wes held me. He didn’t ask questions; he didn’t say anything. He just held me.
We stayed like that for a long time. It felt good. I felt safe. Comfortable. Protected.
And, because I felt good I decided to give him something else.
“His name was Taj,” I said quietly.
Wes’ hand at my hip started tracing my skin. I think he knew how much I liked that and how well it worked in comforting me.
He didn’t say anything. He just traced and I continued talking.
“My brother and I were close, Wes. I draw now when I’m feeling overwhelmed about things or when I’m reminiscing about happy times I had with him
. I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a graphic designer, but I always doubted myself. Taj pushed me, told me I was the best he’d ever seen and that I was supremely talented. He wouldn’t let me give up. When I lived in California I did end up with a few paid graphic design gigs, and I started gaining momentum in my career. I swear, anyone who ever heard Taj talk about me would have thought I walked on water. He was so proud of me.”
I paused, remembering the time I told him about my first paid job. One of Nikki’s ex-boyfriends owned a tattoo shop. He needed a graphic designer for his website. He had someone who could write all the code and do all the technical stuff, but he wanted someone who’d kick ass on the design of the site. Nikki offered my services, but it should be noted that I didn’t officially offer services at that time. She just knew I had a passion and could get the job done. When I showed her ex some samples of my work, he hired me on the spot. I didn’t make a ton of money, but I was beyond thrilled to have finally gotten paid for doing something I loved. When I told Taj about it, he lost it. He was so excited for me and insisted we go out that night to celebrate. He had said, “This is just the beginning, Charms.” That was his nickname for me, insisting I was his lucky charm. Of course, until I wasn’t.
“Wes, he was my biggest fan. When he died, part of me died, too. I moved here because everywhere I went in California reminded me of him. It hurt too much. I cried every single day after he died until I moved here. I can’t pursue that dream of designing without him. I didn’t have the confidence then, but I knew he’d be there to pick me up and keep pushing me. Now, if I pursue it and I fail, I’m alone.”
“Gorgeous,” Wes said, softly. “First, you are not alone. You’ve got your girls, two of which came here to Wyoming from California to spend your birthday with you. That’s got to count for something, no? You have friends at your jobs. I don’t know how close you are with them, but from what I can tell at the coffee shop, it’s friendly enough. And, baby, you’ve got me. I’m not going anywhere. Second, from everything you just told me, I’d bet my entire company that Taj would probably be pretty fucking pissed at you right now. If what I saw in that pile of artwork over there is any indication of what you are capable of, Charley, you need to not be making coffee and waiting on fucking tables. You need to be using that talent. Know this, Charley, if you pursue it now, there isn’t a fucking chance in hell that you’ll fail.”
I took in a deep breath and let his words sink in. Then, I spoke, “Wes, if you look at those drawings over there hard enough you’ll see his name hidden in every single one of them. I do that so he’s always with me. I can’t do this without him.”
“For the last week, I’ve been so confused trying to figure out why a girl would move all the way here from her hometown and spend all her time working. You didn’t move because you had a job transfer. You moved here to make coffee and wait tables. I get it now and I understand why you moved, but you don’t give yourself anything else but mindless work, at least not that I’m aware of, until you decided to snowboard with me. I’m not going to force you to do anything, Charley. Take some time before you decide, but really think about it. Do it for Taj if that’s what you need to tell yourself, but baby, you really need to do it for you.”
I didn’t respond. I just snuggled in closer to Wes. His hand tightened on my hip and he pressed a kiss to the top of my head. Exhausted from my most recent turn of events, I let sleep overtake me.
My alarm went off and I was so warm. It came back to me. Last night, I let my guard down. Wes saw my artwork. I told him about Taj. And last, Wes stayed the night with me in my bed. My phone was on the nightstand closer to him. I had to reach across him to get to it. As I did, Wes wrapped his arms around me and kept me on top of his body. He pressed a kiss to my lips.
“Good morning, gorgeous.”
“Morning, Wes.”
He stared at me a little while and had a new look on his face, one I hadn’t seen before.
“You good?” he finally asked.
I looked back at him for a moment and thought about this. I thought I’d be freaked or anxious. I wasn’t. I felt calm and relaxed. And, Wes didn’t give me the look that I’d been given every day of my life for the last three months I was living in Ventura. He didn't look at me like he pitied me.
“I’m good, honey.”
He smiled at me.
“Thank you for staying with me last night. I’m sorry I lost it,” I said.
“No need to thank me, Charley. I wouldn’t have wanted to be anywhere else. In fact, I’m thinking I like waking up next to you,” he said, with a wink of his eye. “Hear me on this, though. Don’t ever apologize for what happened last night. I can’t even begin to imagine how you manage to stay so strong. If something ever happened to Elle, I don’t know what I’d do. You ever need to cry it out, baby, you do it without concern for anyone else. You understand?”
“I understand.”
His arms tightened around me.
“I’ve got to get out of here so I can get back home and get ready for work. I’ll see you this afternoon, though.”
I pushed up off him and got out of the bed. He bent down, grabbed his shirt, and threw it on. Then he put his boots and jacket on. I stood there in my t-shirt and panties watching him. When he finished he stalked toward me. Wes’ arms went under my arms and lifted me off the ground. I wrapped my legs around his waist while his hands made their way to my bottom.
“Think about what I said last night, Charley. You deserve more than what you’re giving yourself.”
I nodded and answered, “I will.”
“Good. Now give me a kiss that’ll last until I see you this afternoon.”
I smiled at him and then I did just that. I kissed him with everything I had.
Chapter 16
Charley
The next week flew by. Apart from Tuesday when I covered for Hannah at the coffee shop, I worked every morning at the diner, followed that up with snowboarding lessons with Wes, then worked my shift at then coffee shop. I did make my way over to Wes’ one night for a little fun, but since I insisted on sleeping at home and he wasn’t thrilled with me leaving his place and driving myself home he spent two more nights at my place.
Over the course of the week, I did take the time to really think about what Wes had said to me. He insisted I wouldn’t be making a mistake if I pursued my dream of becoming a graphic designer. There were only roughly three weeks left in the year. As I considered this decision I realized it would be a great way to start the new year.
New year, new me. That’s how the saying goes, right? Except, in this case it was the same old me.
I was a bit freaked, no question about it. I thought about everything though and realized I didn’t need to be working the way I was and that I could easily take the time I’d need in order to find a position doing something I loved.
One major concern I had was how they’d make out at First Tracks and Brew Stirs without me. I didn’t want to leave them hanging so I knew I needed to let them know immediately about my decision to leave. I planned to talk to Emme, Monroe, and Nikki about it today and then talk to Wes about it tonight. If after talking to them I still felt that this was the best decision for me I’d go in to work tomorrow and give my official notice. That would make my last official day at both jobs two days before Christmas.
I had just woken up and gotten ready for work. I walked out into the kitchen to grab coffee and breakfast, but mostly I was hoping to catch Emme.
“Oh, thank goodness you are here,” I said walking out to find her sitting at the island having breakfast.
“Hey sweets, what’s up?” she asked. “I feel like I haven’t seen you all week.”
“I know, honey. It’s been so crazy busy, but that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about.”
“Sure. What’s going on?”
“Remember the night after my birthday when you had the last-minute shoot for the mom in labor?”
She nodded.
“Well, Wes had just dropped me off and left. I got in the shower. When I got out he was in my room.”
“Oh. Yeah, I didn’t even think about it. I had just gotten back from the shoot and got all of my camera equipment out of the car. Wes saw me and offered to help me carry it all. Actually, he didn’t really offer to help, he sort of just took it all out of my hands.”
“That sounds about right.”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t think about letting him in since he had obviously just left. I assumed it was ok. Wait? Did something happen?”
“Yep. I haven’t really told you this, but you know that ever since Taj died I haven’t been pursuing any graphic design work. I know you think I’ve completely given up on it. Well, part of that is true. I haven’t been pursuing the jobs, but I haven’t stopped drawing. I do it several times a week.”
“Oh, Charley. Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’m sorry, Em. It was just something I kept for myself. I put him in every piece I do,” I paused, taking a deep breath. “Anyway, earlier that day I had pulled out my work and done some before Wes picked me up for my birthday celebration with him. I left my work out because I was running behind on time and I knew he and I were going to be out. When I came back I had planned on working on it more after I took a shower. When I got out, he was there on my bed with all of my art work in his hands.”
Emme was staring at me, completely about to lose it. I continued.
“Long story short, he called me out on it asking why I was waiting tables and serving coffee when I had so much talent. I broke down, Em. Completely, totally lost it. And then I told him that Taj died less than a year ago. He took care of me. He was so gentle through my breakdown. He listened to me through it all and just held me. We discussed my art and I explained how much Taj supported me with it.”
“Oh my. I’m so sorry, Charley. So so sorry.”
“It’s ok, honey. Ever since it happened I feel different. So much lighter, happier. In fact, what I really wanted to ask you about was something that Wes said. He thinks I should be pursuing the graphic design career. Actually, he said that he was pretty certain Taj would be pissed at me for giving up on it. What do you think?”
