“And there’s no one else?”
“None living on Mom’s side. And of course, I don’t know anyone on my father’s side.”
A waitress delivered our drinks and took our food order, and once we were alone again, I decided to change the subject slightly. I hoped Charlotte wouldn’t take my offer the wrong way. I knew she was proud, but I couldn’t stand to watch her struggling like this when I might be able to help.
“So, I know we touched on it briefly earlier this afternoon, but… I’d like to help you move your mom to Tampa. We could find somewhere really nice, and you’d be able to visit her as much as you want. I talked to the director while you were with your mom, just to ask if it was even medically possible, and he seemed to think it is. I could cover whatever insurance won’t pay...”
She was staring at me with raised eyebrows and didn’t seem to know how to respond, but to my relief, she didn’t look offended or like I’d wounded her pride.
“I guess I shouldn’t be surprised to hear you say that,” she said eventually, smiling a little.
“What do you mean?”
“It’s just that you seem to have an innate urge to fix people’s problems.”
“Not everyone’s. Just people I… care about.”
Fuck, I almost said love. Is that what this is?
I knew it was fast, but the word had been poised to roll off my tongue with ridiculous ease. I’d thought the odds of finding love after my divorce would be very slim, but I guess I’d been wrong about that. My feelings for Charlotte were exponentially stronger than anything I’d ever felt for June, even in the early stages of that relationship. June had never made me feel elated just to be in her presence or desperate to keep her safe. And she’d certainly never set me on fire with her touch the way Charlotte could.
I belatedly realized that Charlotte was still talking, and I blinked back to awareness as I tried to catch up.
“You have some sort of millionaire white knight syndrome. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice thing to have, but someone will end up taking advantage of you.”
“But you won’t. I just want to help you… If you’ll let me.”
I could read the hesitation in her expression, but I didn’t share her reluctance. There was no doubt in my mind that she was grateful and worthy of my help, and after everything we’d discussed today, I knew she wasn’t attracted to my money, no matter what her own financial situation was. Charlotte was pensively silent for a long moment, and she didn’t answer until the waitress had returned with our meals and disappeared again.
“Maybe. I’d need to talk to her doctors and see what would be involved with the transport. And find a new place in Tampa, make sure they accept the new insurance, work up a new budget…”
“I’m happy to help with whatever you need.”
“And I appreciate that more than you know. But let’s hold off on that part of the discussion for now. I don’t want to uproot her and then end up not being able to handle things on my own if…”
Her expression was slightly uncomfortable as she trailed off, but I got her point without her having to say it outright. She didn’t want to risk Paula’s stability and security by putting so much trust in a brand new relationship. It showed how responsible she was, and it didn’t offend me at all. I would’ve been thinking the same thing in her position.
“I understand,” I assured her. “Whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you.” She smiled ruefully and nudged me with her shoulder, turning her attention to her meal.
We spent the remainder of dinner and the trip back to my apartment talking and making plans. When it was time for bed that evening, I led her down the hallway, hesitating when we reached the guest room. But to my surprise, Charlotte giggled and skirted around me, tugging my hand toward the master bedroom. Thank God. Although I would’ve respected her wishes if she’d chosen to sleep apart from me, the thought of trying to sleep with a wall separating us was almost painful. As it was, I didn’t even want pajamas separating us.
Charlotte turned to face me as soon as we were in the room, and I recognized the hunger in her dark eyes. It was the same longing that had been building within me all day. I seized her lips with my own and wrapped my arms around her, guiding her backward until she reached the large bed in the center of my room. Before I could lower her to the mattress, however, she spun us around and pushed me onto the bed instead.
“Well, look at you,” I smiled up in surprise.
Her hands rested on my shoulders for just a moment before moving to the hem of her shirt, and she lifted it over her head quickly. Two seconds later, her bra joined it on the floor, and I groaned in appreciation at the sight of her beautiful breasts just a few inches from my face. Charlotte was wearing a sexy, teasing smile that made me want to devour her lips again, but I couldn’t quite reach them since she was still standing.
“Lay back,” she murmured, laying her palm on my chest and pushing gently. I obliged, more than willing to let her call the shots. For now, at least…
She trailed a firm hand over the bulge in my shorts, tracing the outline of my cock beneath the taut fabric. The button and zipper practically flew open at her touch, but it took her a few seconds to release me completely. Charlotte shook her head slowly and gazed down in admiration as she moved her hand up and down my length.
“I wanted to taste you this morning, but I had a feeling you’d say no.”
“You were right,” I panted, my eyes glued to her hand. “I was too desperate to be inside you.”
“And now?” she asked with a sexy smirk.
But she was sinking to her knees before I could answer, and the first touch of her tongue robbed me of my ability to speak. Or even think. She kept the pressure light at first, teasing and promising more. Every sweep of her tongue explored a new part of me, like she was learning every inch and memorizing my responses. Just when I thought I would burst from the sweet torment of it, she dipped her head and swallowed me whole.
Sweet fucking Lord…
Her mouth was perfect. Exquisite. Her tongue massaged the underside of my cock while she sucked hard, her head bobbing with each pull. She took me deeper than I would’ve expected, given her initial hesitation at my size. That reluctance was completely absent now, replaced by a sultry vixen intent on sucking the life right out of me. She was attacking my dick like a sugar addict going after a goddamn lollipop.
“Oh, fuck, Angel. I can’t take much more…”
My tone held a hint of warning, but she merely increased her fervor, looking up at me with eyes dark as pitch. I groaned and touched the back of her head lightly, only to remove my hand a half second later, not trusting my own restraint. To my surprise, she grabbed my hand and put it right back, and that was all the encouragement I needed. I gripped a handful of her black hair and thrust into her mouth, drawing a long moan of pleasure from her that vibrated around my cock.
“Oh, God… Fuck, yes…”
My hips jerked violently as I erupted at the back of her throat, and I released her hair immediately in case she needed relief. But she didn’t. She sucked every last drop from me, prolonging the sweet pleasure until it became torture. Only when I began to shake with the intensity of it did she lift her head and give me a slow, satisfied smile.
“I’ve been craving that all day,” she admitted.
I laughed out loud, and her husky chuckle echoed mine as she crawled up my body until our faces were level with each other. I hadn’t even realized that I’d collapsed completely onto the bed until she was hovering above me with gloriously rosy cheeks. I pulled her downward for a long and very thorough kiss that left us both gasping for breath.
“You’re incredible,” I whispered, gazing up at her like the lovesick fool I was.
“You’re not so bad yourself.”
I kissed her again and rolled her over, reversing our positions. Charlotte’s legs opened naturally, allowing me to settle between them, and I rested my weight on my elbows. I le
aned down to nibble the soft flesh of her neck before whispering two words in her ear.
“My turn.”
* * *
We made love twice more before Charlotte finally tapped out and fell asleep on my chest. My own eyes were growing heavy as well, but I forced them open when I heard my phone buzzing from the nightstand. I reached for it slowly, careful not to disturb my angel. It was a text from Donovan.
Sullivan is gone. Tried to deny everything, but I showed him last night’s security footage from the kitchen and parking lot. He figured out a way to turn off the camera in the office before she got there, but the dumbass didn’t know we had one outside.
I breathed a sigh of relief and awkwardly typed a response with my free hand.
Thanks for letting me know, man. Did he go quietly?
He was pissed off enough to break a few things on his way out, but it could’ve been worse. And at least Charlotte won’t have to worry about working with him anymore. I’ve been talking to my other female employees, and so far, no one has reported bad behavior from him.
That made me feel only slightly better. It was all well and good that Sullivan didn’t work there anymore, but would that be enough to keep him from bothering her? He was pretty pissed off last night, and now… Fuck. My eyes drifted down to her sleeping form, her body curled around mine like they’d been made to fit together. The thought made me smile as I typed another thanks to my brother-in-law and returned my phone to the nightstand.
I briefly considered warning him that he would need to find Charlotte’s replacement soon. She would be working for me full-time come Monday, and I intended to see to it that she didn’t need to work anywhere else. I kept those thoughts to myself, however. As much as I’d have liked to intervene with her workaholic behavior, it wasn’t my place to put in her notice for her.
Despite how tired and sated I was, my mind couldn’t seem to disengage, so I lay awake watching my sleeping angel. She looked so relaxed and untroubled. It had been an emotional day full of first steps and new experiences, and seeing her at peace was very gratifying. Her raven hair was draped like a curtain over my bicep, reflecting the moonlight in various shades of blue. The same moonbeams were making her skin glow, and it appeared paler than when lit by sunlight. She smelled as intoxicating as ever, but the aroma of our lovemaking still lingered as well, making that possessive beast that lurked within me purr in satisfaction.
Once again, I was overwhelmed by how quickly I’d developed such strong feelings for Charlotte. I couldn’t recall any woman ever having such an effect on me, and where once that thought might have sent me running, now it made me smile. All I wanted was her safety and happiness, and I’d do anything to secure it.
And her love…
Yes, I wanted that too, because she already had mine. I could admit that to myself now as I watched her dream to the rhythm of my heartbeat beneath her cheek. Whether she was ready or willing to love me back remained to be seen, but I was prepared to wait as long as it took. We’d gone from acquaintances to friends and friends to lovers in the span of a few days. It was a lot of ground to cover in such a short time, and that would’ve intimidated a lot of people.
But Charlotte wasn’t running. And that gave me hope.
Eighteen
Charlotte
Sundays were always my longest days. I started my cleaning shift at five a.m. and worked straight through until two in the afternoon. My waitress shift started at four and usually lasted until around midnight, so by the time I was able to get off my feet, I was typically ready to weep with exhaustion. But today was a little different.
Since I’d gotten to sleep in a bed the night before, I woke up feeling more rested than usual, and Eli made sure I took food with me for breakfast and lunch. My final shift with the cleaning company went off without a hitch, and when I went back to his apartment to shower between shifts, I was surprised to see he had more food waiting for me. Feeding me seemed to have become Eli’s new mission in life, and his efforts made me feel good. Wanted. Other than Glen, the only person who had ever worried about whether or not I was taking care of myself was my mother. And she hadn’t really been able to show any sort of concern in a long time. I hadn’t realized how much I missed having someone in my life who truly cared.
Eli drove me to Chance Encounters for my evening shift, promising to pick me up after closing and take me to the shelter to deliver the food. Giving me a ride to work had been his way of preventing me from going to the shelter alone, and while part of me wanted to roll my eyes at his overprotective attitude, another part of me relished it. I’d never been the swooning, damsel-in-distress type, but I had to admit it was nice not to feel so alone in the world anymore.
But was I being irrationally sentimental and optimistic? Things were moving so quickly between us. Was it too quickly? It probably would have been for most people, but it felt natural to me. The sensible part of my brain hadn’t completely fallen down on the job, but it was having a lot of trouble shouting down my inner romantic. I wanted so badly to believe that things were finally looking up in my personal life as well as my professional one. Was it stupid of me to hope that such a thing could be possible?
I was having a pretty good night at the restaurant. The customer traffic was steady, and the hours seemed to pass quickly. I was also in a better mood than usual, a sure product of Brent’s absence. I hadn’t realized what a dark shadow the man had cast over everything until that shadow was lifted. Rumors were buzzing amongst the staff regarding the reason behind his dismissal, but to my relief, no one seemed to know what had really happened. I was sure I had Donovan to thank for that, so when I was finally able to take a quick break, I sought him out in the kitchen.
He was cooking tonight, so I stood and watched him work for a moment. It was nothing I hadn’t seen before, but it was still mesmerizing. His hands were confident, moving swiftly from this pan to that cutting board, crafting every dish to perfection like some kind of magician. It was truly a sight to behold.
“I just wanted to thank you for… how you handled everything,” I said as loudly as I dared. The other chefs were within earshot, but they appeared to be occupied with their own tasks. Donovan looked at me with raised eyebrows and shook his head.
“No need. I’m sorry there was even a situation that needed handling. And I wish you’d reported it sooner.”
I gave him an apologetic shrug, not wishing to hash out my reasons for keeping silent. As compassionate and fair-minded as Donovan might be, sometimes men just didn’t understand what it meant to report things like this. More often than not, it was the victim, rather than the assailant, who ended up bearing the brunt of the negative consequences. It was almost never as simple as ‘just tell someone,’ especially in a situation like mine.
“I want you to keep your eyes open for a little while,” he continued. “Just to make sure Sullivan doesn’t get it into his head to show up and give you grief. He made it pretty clear he thinks you’re the reason he was fired.”
“Figures,” I rolled my eyes. Typical. “I’ll be careful. Eli seems determined not to let me go anywhere alone after dark anyway. He’s coming to escort me to the shelter later.”
“I’m glad. I never liked the idea of you going into that neighborhood on your own anyway. Speaking of Eli, though… You’re staying at his place?”
“For the time being,” I hedged cautiously. “My previous living arrangements kind of fell through unexpectedly, and he was nice enough to offer me his guest room.”
“Guest room. That’s nice of him,” Donovan smirked, clearly not buying it. I blushed in embarrassment but didn’t take the bait, refusing to confirm or deny anything.
To my relief, he didn’t press the matter, allowing me to get back to work without any further inquiry. It was strange to think I was dating my boss’s brother-in-law, but I suppose it wasn’t as odd as dating my actual boss. I only hoped that Eli’s estimation of how his other employees would react to the news was on point. I re
ally didn’t want to suffer through weeks or months of dirty looks and whispered speculation.
True to his word, Eli showed up near the end of the night and waited patiently at the bar while I completed my closing shift work. He looked perfectly casual again in shorts and a polo shirt, and I greeted him with a kiss, not caring which of my nosy coworkers might be watching. Let them talk. Eli made me happy. Was it selfish of me to believe I’d earned a little happiness? Things were finally looking up, and the catalyst of that change was Eli Brighton.
He carried the box of food to his car for me, and when we reached the shelter, he went inside with me again. Marie was nowhere to be seen, but the aide at the front desk had my mail waiting. I traded the box of food for the stack of envelopes and thanked the young woman as we left. Eli glanced in my direction a few times on the way back to his apartment while I sorted through the mail to check for important items.
“You could just put in for a change of address. That way you won’t have to worry about going to get your mail all the time, and someone else can take over the food delivery. Changing it is free, and you can do it online,” he said, shrugging as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. I looked at him in surprise.
“Yes, but I’d rather just do it once. I’ll be getting my own place once I’ve got enough money saved up. Hopefully it won’t take too long.”
“There’s no rush,” Eli said quickly. “I want you to stay as long as… well, as long as you want. Maybe you should focus on getting your mom moved to the city before you worry about finding an apartment.”
“That could take weeks, though.”
“So? I like having you there,” he admitted with a smile. I grinned back, relieved that he seemed to want me around just as much as I wanted to be with him. Plus, I really did want to make Mom’s relocation my first priority after starting my new job.
Fortune's Angel (Fates Aligned Book 2) Page 13
