"Let me take you out on a date,” he said.
"Will, you don't need to do that. I like you so much already.” She pulled him back in for another kiss, and it took everything he had to resist.
"I know I don't have to, but I want to. I kind of like you, Charlie.” He smiled, hoping she wouldn't think this meant he wasn’t interested when that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Charlie saw the way Will looked at her—the tenderness in his eyes, the sincerity behind his smile—and while that all felt wonderful, it also scared her senseless. She was still getting used to the fact she now had a big, drooly dog as a permanent fixture in her life. So much had changed already just by bringing Rugby home.
If she found herself in a committed relationship with a guy so much her opposite too…? Well, would she even recognize herself anymore? She didn’t want to risk losing everything in order to find out. So as hard as it was, she needed to say goodbye to Will before things got any more serious between them.
Of course, she'd never meant to lead him on. Besides, he must have seen that the clash of their personalities would never allow them to actually share their lives with one another in any lasting way.
"Let's talk. Get to know each other better. Want me to order some dinner? There's a great Chinese place not far from here." He pulled her closer and caressed her back.
Sigh.
"We could have it delivered. Feed each other sesame chicken while catching up on The Dog Whisperer.”
He just doesn't get it.
She frowned and tried to look away, but he cupped her cheek and forced her to look him in the eye.
"Hey, what's wrong?" His gaze burned intensely, trapping her in its heat.
It took everything she had to look away.
"Will, I can't," she croaked. "This, with you, it was great, but I'm not in the right place for a relationship—and I don’t think you are, either.”
His muscles tensed, though his face betrayed no emotion.
Charlie felt terrible for letting things get to this point, but she'd stop them now before his feelings escalated any further. She'd make a horrible girlfriend, anyway.
"I should go."
Will said nothing, but she sensed his eyes on her as she walked out of the room.
He didn't attempt to follow as she gathered Rugby from the backyard, then left.
Chapter 7
The days passed much as before. Charlie ordered several seasons of The Dog Whisperer on DVD and made time to work with Rugby for half an hour each day. He made rapid improvement. Heck, she might actually be able to do this. Perhaps adding the Rottweiler to her home hadn't turned out to be a colossal mistake.
In between these training sessions, she worked on her lesson plans for the upcoming school year, read some great books as well as some not-so-great ones, took Rugby for walks around the neighborhood, and avoided the dog park at all costs.
She hated thinking about how much she'd hurt Will with her dismissal. He seemed like a nice enough guy, if a little bit boring. How quickly his attitude toward her had changed. It took—what?—three days to transition from thinly veiled hatred to romantic longing. That scared Charlie to no end, but what scared her even more was the fact that she still found herself thinking about him.
And she wasn't just thinking about the amazing kisses they'd shared. She was thinking about him—how responsible he was with his life, how much he loved his mother, the way his lips quirked in a half-smile whenever he was about to lean in for another kiss. He went from hot to cold and back again in a matter of seconds, and she really liked that. As much as Will liked to play things safe, he constantly kept her guessing. Tolerating his rough exterior was every bit worthwhile if it meant waiting for one of those rare moments of his complete and unbridled joy.
Will had proven to be a man of many shades, and they weren't all gray.
Darn it, she needed to get him out of her head, so her life could go back to being normal—well, normal plus dog, anyway.
Groping through her top dresser drawer, she grabbed the one object she knew would give her strength. Her grandparents smiled at her from the aged photo. Her grandfather's grin stretched from one cheek to the other, while her grandmother’s felt dim by comparison. This was what marriage did to a woman—forced her into a submissive role—and Charlie refused to be anyone's sidekick.
During her teenage years, her grandmother had treated both her and Mandy to stories from her own youth. Shockingly, she'd been a wild child, much like Charlie—well, as much of a wild child as the 1950's allowed anyway. She'd chased her favorite singer across state lines as part of her first date with the man she would eventually marry. She'd gotten a tattoo long before that ever became mainstream, and she'd written and published erotic poetry under a pen name.
Charlie had a hard time reconciling the grandmother she knew with the woman in these stories. Her grandma had all but lived in the kitchen with The Joy of Cooking as her ever-present companion. She’d helped with homework, cleaned the house, and pressed her husband's suit every morning before he left for work. Take away the husband, the grandkids, and the house she looked after, and Grandma would have had nothing.
Falling in love with her grandfather had forced her grandmother to give up everything else in life. Well, Charlie loved her life and didn't want to sacrifice it on the altar of marriage.
So why did the image of Will continue to linger in her mind? It wasn't the body builder she'd shared a weekend with in San Francisco, or the artist she'd spent two glorious weeks with in Tuscany, not even the writer from London, but an actuary from right here in her home town who’d gotten in her heart and stuck.
Maybe because they’d never gotten the chance to actually see where things could go between them. Their love story just hadn’t played out. Perhaps she should have agreed to that date? Crap.
She jammed the photo of her grandparents back under her skivvies and pressed the drawer shut. Before she could change her mind yet again, she dug her iPhone out of her pocket and sent Will the following text:
I can’t stop thinking about you.
Will's phone vibrated across his desk, attracting curious glances from his coworkers. Probably Brad confirming their plans for tomorrow, but then again, he wouldn't text during work hours unless it was important.
He opened the text message and immediately crimsoned. Charlie.
I can’t stop thinking about you.
Well, this caught him off guard. He'd assumed she was done with him. After all, she'd run out the second he'd asked her out on an official date and then hadn't tried to contact him since—that is, until now.
She'd said she didn't want anything serious, even though he already found himself falling head over heels in her direction. During these past few days, his every thought had belonged to Charlie, freeing him from the constant and painful memory of his time with Ashlee.
Charlie hadn't done anything to hurt him. It was his fault he'd assumed she might want more from him. She hadn't led him on even for a second. That was part of the reason he liked her so much.
Only one problem remained. He had no idea how to respond. After a quick Google search for "how to flirt by text," Will had a good enough handle on what he needed to do and took an early lunch to retreat to his car.
I’ve been thinking about you too.
He thought about using cutesy abbreviations, but he'd never been a cutesy kind of guy. Besides, an English teacher would probably appreciate grammatically correct texts. He definitely didn't want to scare her away again with poorly put-together text messages.
A few minutes passed, and he worried Charlie had accidentally sent him a text meant for another man. But then his phone lit up with a new message.
Oh, yeah? Care to elaborate?
Maybe if he played the game by her rules for a while, she'd give him the chance to play by his. He liked her too much to let her get away again, for better or for worse.
Kissing you, holding you…
Her respons
e came quick:
Ask me again.
He shook his head, but for the life of him couldn’t figure out what she wanted. What? he typed, hoping he wouldn’t come across like an idiot.
A few minutes passed before she replied, but at last she responded with: Okay, I’ll ask. Do you still want to take me on a date?
More than anything! Are you free tonight?
Swing by my place at 6. Rugby misses you too, you know. See you then! :-*
The kissy emoticon threw him for a loop. He didn't know whether a response was required, so he sent the standard smiley face to be safe: :-)
Chapter 8
Will pulled up to Charlie's house about ten minutes before six. He turned the engine off and waited at the curb, staring off into the distance and trying not to let his anxiety eat him alive.
Tonight had to go perfectly, if Charlie were to come around and agree to give them a chance at something more. He had to be serious, but not too serious. Romantic, but not too romantic. Open, but not too open. The whole thing made his head hurt, but she was worth it.
The front door swung open, and Charlie stepped out onto the porch, motioning for him to come inside.
"Little early, huh?" The giggle hidden in her throat was apparent.
He blushed.
Change the topic.
He grabbed the mammoth-sized rawhide from the passenger seat and hopped out of the car. Holding the bone up for Charlie to see, he said, "I brought this for Rugby."
"Thanks. He'll love that." She grabbed the bone and gave him a quick peck.
"And I brought this for us." He reached back into the car and brought out a bottle of Pinot Noir.
"Oh, this will go perfectly with dinner." She gave him back the rawhide and clutched the wine bottle instead. "I hope you don't mind, I ordered in. As spontaneous as I like to be, my body is set to a very specific feeding schedule, and this is dinner time."
He grinned and followed her into the house. “Thanks for giving me another chance.” Uh-oh, did that sound too desperate?
She winked, and his discomfort evaporated. "I hope you like Thai food."
"I'm more of a steak and potatoes guy, but I guess I can give it a try."
Rugby jumped on Will the moment they entered the house. He whimpered and walked in tight circles around his legs, then noticed the bone and amped up his whining.
"You want this, boy?" Will smiled and dropped the massive rawhide onto the living room carpet.
"Good, that'll keep him busy," Charlie noted as she unwound the cork from the bottle of Pinot and poured them each a glass.
"To fresh starts,” he said, clinking his glass to hers.
She must have liked his toast, because she set her flute down and assaulted him with a hungry kiss. “Okay, enough of that for now. I'm starved."
Will took a seat and dropped his spoon into the creamy white soup before him. He didn't even want to think about what the strange concoction resembled.
"Tom kha kai," Charlie supplied. "It's coconut soup with mushrooms, chicken, and lime leaves. So good." She placed a spoonful in her mouth and then smacked her lips.
"And, umm, what's this?" He gestured to the blob of rice on his plate drenched in a lumpy orange liquid. He was pretty sure he recognized eggplant, peppers, and shrimp in the mix, but there were also a fair number of ingredients he didn't recognize at all.
"Red curry. Now eat."
He wished he hadn't skipped his lunch, because he was now far too hungry to miss dinner, too. The shrimp looked the least threatening, so he speared a crustacean with his fork and popped it in his mouth.
Almost immediately, tears began to well in his eyes. Spice! Man, this was embarrassing.
Her eyes landed on him and she frowned. "Sorry, sorry! I should have ordered mild." She pushed a glass full of milky orange liquid toward him, and his stomach churned.
"It'll help, I promise." She forced the glass into his hand, her eyes wide.
The creamy beverage instantly cooled his tongue, and it was quite delicious.
"Thai iced tea." Charlie smiled. "Here, you can have mine, too."
Will kept both glasses nearby as he picked away at his dinner. He found, if he took it slowly, the food was good—spicy, but good.
"So, how was your day?" he asked before realizing the question came across as far too domestic. He attempted a recovery with, "What made you decide to reach out to me again?”
She laughed and shook her head. "Just thinking of you, us, how good kissing you felt, and how much I like you for no explainable reason.” She ladled some more soup into her bowl while staring at him.
Well, that answered one question but invited many more.
Dinner couldn't be eaten quickly enough. When they were finally done, Charlie poured them each a second glass of wine and took the dishes to the kitchen.
"I'll be right back," he announced, and while her back was turned, he let Rugby into the backyard. The dog happily obeyed, trotting out with his half-eaten bone.
When he rejoined her in the kitchen, she shot him a puzzled look. "Did you let—?"
He didn't let her finish. Instead, he pushed her into the counter and saddled her with a kiss. His lips still tingled from the spicy food, heightening the pleasure of kissing Charlie.
"I haven't been able to stop thinking about our first kiss right here in this kitchen," he admitted.
"Mmm. Me too," she said between heavy breaths. "I believe we left off... right here." She hopped back onto the counter and wrapped her legs around his hips.
He pulled her messy blond hair from its ponytail, allowing it to fall in soft waves over her shoulders. She looked so beautiful in that moment. He loved the way her full attention was focused on him.
Now this was a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn't afraid to grab hold of it. Maybe she'd want him too, if she gave him enough time. And suddenly he knew exactly how to get that time.
With only the slightest bit of hesitation, he pulled away and placed a chain of kisses across her jaw line.
She sighed. "What are you doing to me, Will?"
Will. He loved the sound of his name on her lips. He wanted to hear it again and again and again. He answered by shifting his attentions to her beautiful mouth, and taking it as his own.
"Just enjoy it. Let me take the lead," he whispered against her cheek. And slowly he felt her give up control and surrender to him.
Charlie woke up and smiled. It only took her a few seconds to realize why she was so gloriously happy this morning. Last night had been... amazing. That was the only word for it.
Kissing Will, snuggling up in bed, sleeping in each other’s arms without actually ever taking things all the way, it had been....
Amazing.
She cuddled against his chest and breathed in his musky scent. Somehow she liked watching him sleep. He looked so at ease, like he didn't have a thing in the world to worry about. His mouth hung open ever so slightly, and his lower lip trembled as he breathed in and out.
Studying his features, she noted how long and full his eyelashes were, and even bit back a surge of jealousy.
She stretched then peppered kisses across his eyelids until he woke up.
And when he did, the smile that spread from cheek to cheek was so sweet, so sincere, Charlie found herself wondering if the dynamic between them had changed yet again.
"Good morning, Char." He pulled her down for a kiss that was soft and delicate rather than hungry. That coupled with the nickname—the nickname from her strange dream—made her worry. Not just because he was clearly getting too comfortable with her, but also because she found herself becoming mesmerized with him as well. She felt her resolve slipping. The more time she spent with Will, the more she began to crave a relationship, to wonder what if?
No. She couldn't.
The past twenty-eight years had been crammed with excitement, adventure, and a strong sense of who she was and what she wanted from life. She refused to let all of that go because of the way some nea
r stranger looked at her, because of the way he made her feel.
Why couldn't today have been a work day?
She needed an excuse to send him away before things became even more shockingly tender. She needed time to herself, to think, to figure out what all this was, and whether it was right for her, for them.
"Oh, crap," Will exclaimed the moment his gaze fell upon her alarm clock. "It's already past noon. I hate to leave so suddenly, but I've got to get going. I have a thing—a barbecue."
He jumped out of bed, but not before giving her a soft and beautiful kiss. "I'll call you tonight." Another kiss. "Promise."
Oh, thank goodness. This was proving to be far easier than she anticipated. She offered him her biggest smile and dove back under the covers, refusing to follow after him and thus extend this whole scene.
Will left the room with a sad look on his face—what, did he expect her to beg him to stay just a little while longer? That was not about to happen, not until she could figure out her feelings for Will once and for all. She owed that to both of them.
Rugby came in from the hall and jumped up to snuggle at the foot of the bed.
When Charlie was quite sure she wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, she grabbed her Kindle from the nightstand drawer and found the least romantic book in her collection. Ahh, nothing like The Shining to get her mind off the wonderful man who'd just left her bed.
Chapter 9
Will ran home for a quick change of clothes and to collect Tuck, who seemed more than a little annoyed about being abandoned for the night.
"I'm sorry, buddy," he said in response to the golden retriever's sorrowful glance, resolving to sneak him a burger or two at the barbecue.
When at last they arrived at Brad's, they were a full hour late. Tuck bounded out of the car and ran straight over to the sandbox where the children dug holes and built towers.
"Everything okay?" Amelia asked, giving Will a kiss on the cheek and casting a worried glance his way.
The Alaska Sunrise Romances: A 9-Book Sweet Romance Collection Page 24
