Kissing Charlie

by Elsa Winckler

  Glumly, he got into his car. She didn’t want to go away at the moment—he could understand that, but when the hell would he be able to be with her again? There always seemed to be people around them.

  What he needed was a plan. A big part of his job was making new plans. Surely, he could find a way for Charlie and him to be together. And even before he’d finished the thought, he had a plan. Grinning, he sped back to his mom’s place.

  CHAPTER 18

  Lilly popped her head around the corner at four o’clock. “So, what did the doctor say?”

  “He’s taken some blood and will let me know. But I’m really fine. I only went to the doctor to get Lindsay to stop worrying.” She looked on her watch. “I’ve finished for the day, I think?”

  Lilly shook her head. “Nope. You have one more client.”

  Charlie rubbed her temple and sighed. “Oh? Okay, thanks. I’m ready.”

  Lilly disappeared and Charlie inhaled deeply. She was tired, but it was a “good” tired. If she could just get rid of the nausea, she’d be back to normal. Probably still from yesterday’s adrenaline surge.

  There was a knock on her door. She looked up. Logan was closing and locking the door behind him. Her heart skidded to a halt.

  “Logan?”

  He began unbuttoning his shirt. “I’ve had to think of something to get you alone to myself,” he began conversationally. “Then I remembered my back...” Purposefully, he walked toward her. “I think I’m in need of your hands on me.” On his last word, his shirt was open and he was standing right in front of her.

  “But Lindsay...”

  “I’ve spoken to her. Gavin is picking her up,” he said while his hands slid down her sides.

  Oh, how she loved this man. But she swallowed the words and sighed. “Well then.” Spreading her hands out over his torso, she smiled at him. “If that’s what you need...” She bent her head so that her mouth could follow the movements of her hands.

  But with a low moan, Logan gathered her in his arms and walked toward the narrow bed. “I’ve been dreaming about this damn uncomfortable table for two whole weeks,” he said, putting her down on it. With unsteady fingers, he combed her hair back. “I have to see you...”

  The playfulness was gone; in an instant her whole body was aflame, getting ready for him. She lifted her top over her head and with a quick movement, she removed her bra.

  Eyes blazing, he covered her breasts with his hands. “Beautiful. You are so beautiful.”

  But then he noticed the bruise. His jaw tightened. “What the hell?”

  “Probably the side window of the car.”

  With a soft curse he bent down and his lips softly caressed the injury. Her heart splintering into little pieces again, she breathed in his maleness, and her head fell backward. This moment would forever be a part of her; even when he left her, she wanted to remember every detail.

  The sight of the bruise on Charlie’s slim body made Logan see red for a moment. Who the hell would do such a thing? Gathering her close, his lips found hers. The kiss was meant to comfort, but her mouth was hot and eager, and within minutes his blood was roaring through his veins.

  Making love to Charlie was like no experience he’d ever had. All his senses were heightened, each one absorbing as much of the woman with him as possible.

  Spurred on by her soft whimpers, he slowly explored every inch of her body while feasting on her flesh. Satiny skin, soft curves, rose petals—all woman. All Charlie. He stroked and worshiped and caressed her until he was throbbing with need.

  And when she trembled, calling out his name, he slid home. Enveloped by her velvety heat, watching her, he made sure she reached the peak first.

  He tried to keep his eyes on her face, but his body had been without her for way too long and he let go. Spinning away with the sound of her cries ringing in his ears, he took them both to new heights.

  At the precise moment her hoarse moan shot straight to his heart, the pieces of a messy puzzle finally fell into place. And for the first time he could see clearly—the reason he’d been acting like a lunatic was so simple—he loved Charlie.

  For weeks now the chaos inside him had been trying to tell him that.

  Of course, he loved her—he’d fallen for her the moment he’d seen her. His heart had known it way back then, but it had taken his freaking controlling mind a few extra weeks to catch up, damn it.

  “Charlie?” he murmured against her ear.

  “Mmm.”

  “I love you.”

  She stilled, stopped breathing. “You don’t have to say that,” she finally whispered, her arms still around his neck.

  Frantic to make her realize he was serious, he loosened her arms and took her face in his hands. “You don’t understand—I love you. I’m in love with you. What just happened between us? That wasn’t just sex. That was me making love to you.”

  Blue eyes searched his face. “But you said...”

  With a groan, he bent down and kissed her. “I said many stupid things. Please forget about all of it? I now understand why I’ve been so crazy over the last two weeks. I love you. Body, soul, and whatever else there may be.”

  And finally, blue eyes cleared. “You really love me?”

  “I really love you. I can probably give you a few corny lines if that’s what will convince you, but the bottom line is, I love you.”

  A slow smile lit up her beautiful face. “Give me one?”

  But his fingers were tracing her collarbone, his body getting ready to devour her again. “One what?” he murmured as he bent down to kiss her shoulder.

  “Corny line.” She sighed and slid her fingers into his hair.

  His lips followed the curve of her neck. “Really? You want corny lines?” He cupped her breasts; she trembled. “Okay, coming up, corny line number one—although this isn’t really just a line, but true—you’re my first thought in the morning and the last before I fall asleep,” he whispered before his mouth closed around her breast.

  With a soft sigh, she pulled him closer. “I love that.”

  But he didn’t want to talk anymore. He wanted to show her how much he loved her—with his hands, his mouth, his body.

  Charlie’s phone rang as they drove away from her rooms. It was the doctor. She put her phone on silent. She was sure nothing was wrong, and if there was, she’d get whatever medicine she needed tomorrow.

  At the moment, she was walking on air and felt absolutely fine. It was probably a combination of yesterday’s incident, along with heartache, that had caused the nausea. Logan loved her. That was all she could think of right now.

  He had her hand clasped tightly in his as he drove the short distance to her house. They didn’t talk until they turned off into the street where she lived.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  “I’m more than okay.” She nodded happily. “You?”

  “I’m a very happy man.” He parked in front of her house. “I know we have to talk about all sorts of things...”

  She bent forward and kissed him. “We don’t have to figure out everything right now, do we?”

  He pulled her closer. “I’d much rather kiss you than talk...” His lips welcomed her; she leaned in to the kiss.

  She knew it was going to be near impossible to have a relationship given their circumstances, but she refused to think about that right now.

  For the rest of this day, she was simply going to enjoy being with Logan.

  “Mom!” Logan called out the moment he arrived back at his mother’s house.

  “In here!” she called from her studio.

  She was standing behind a canvas on an easel, a paintbrush in her hand. As usual, the whole room was in total chaos. Her eyes lit up when she saw him. “You look very happy.” Quickly she walked up to him and he kissed her cheek.

  “I am. I’ve been with Charlie.”

  “Of course you have.” Her eyes twinkled.

  “I love her,” he said, still stunned by the disco
very.

  She patted his arm. “That, I could’ve told you weeks ago.”

  “How? I only figured it out this afternoon.”

  “You men can be so slow sometimes. You couldn’t see what Brooke and I saw. You never take your eyes off her, you know?”

  “She’s beautiful.”

  “Even if you don’t like the way she dresses?”

  Frowning, he stared at his mother. “Even if I don’t like...” he began slowly. He rubbed his neck. “But I love the way she dresses. I love everything about her. Why did it take me so long to figure it out?”

  His mom’s eyes teared up and she hugged him. “So what are you going to do about it?”

  “What do you mean? We are...” What were they, exactly? Charlie had called it “a fling” but he now understood why he hadn’t liked the word. The word fling implied something temporary and he didn’t want temporary with Charlie. He wanted to be with her until his last breath.

  How he could ever have thought what he felt for her would pass? Of course, he wanted her, but his feelings ran so much deeper. This was a forever kind of love. Forever. And that was what he wanted with Charlie.

  “While you’re figuring that out, come and look what I’m doing.” And grabbing his arm, she dragged him closer to the painting she’d been working on.

  He looked up and promptly lost his breath. It was a painting of Charlie in the off-the-shoulder top she’d worn the night they’d all had dinner together. With a few strokes of her brush, his mother had caught her essence—the gentle smile, those petal-soft shoulders and...

  The lump in his throat was unexpected, he struggled to breathe. What his mother had also captured was the expression in Charlie’s eyes. The same expression he’d seen when she’d told him she loved him, the same expression she’d had when they’d made love.

  “When we all had dinner together, I took a photo of her with my cell phone,” his mom said. “And I knew then I have to paint her. I wanted you to see what I see when I look at the two of you.”

  “She loves me,” he muttered, staring at the portrait.

  “Bless her heart, she does,” his mother teased. “So, I’ll ask again. What are you going to do about it?”

  And then it was all so obvious. So clear. Stunned by the discovery, he stared at his mother. “I’m going to marry her, of course.”

  His mother burst out in tears. Alarmed, he hugged her. “Mom, I thought you’d be happy?” he said, stroking her hair.

  “I am happy. So happy.” She sniffed and patted her pockets. “I have to phone Brooke right away.”

  “Well, I’m taking Charlie out to dinner...”

  “Are you going to propose?”

  But he shook his head adamantly. “Of course not. I can’t propose tonight; I need to put some thought into it, get the timing right. Besides, I don’t have a ring...”

  His mother’s phone rang. She quickly glanced at it. “I have to take this, it’s a client. But please remember, my dear child, you don’t need a plan on a spreadsheet before you can ask Charlie to marry you. And there is your grandmother’s ring, the one she left for you. You never wanted it before...” Turning her back on him, she answered her phone.

  Slowly, he walked to his room. His dad’s mother’s ring. He vaguely recalled his mother talking about the ring, but he couldn’t really remember what it looked like. Getting married was not something he ever thought would be part of his future plans. But that was before he’d met Charlie. Now everything had changed.

  It wasn’t as if he was going to use a spreadsheet... Or maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea. Spreadsheets made things clear, brought order to chaos. His head racing, he took out his laptop.

  Maybe he should return to Seattle before the weekend. He had a friend in the jewelry business; he could send him an email.

  Half an hour later, he sat back in the chair. He’d accomplished what he’d set out to do. He had a plan, a plane ticket, and the promise of a ring. His mother could tease him all she wanted, but it was always a good idea to have a detailed plan.

  This way, there were seldom surprises.

  CHAPTER 19

  “Anything else for you?” Logan asked as the waiter hovered next to their table.

  Charlie shook her head. “Thank you, no. It was lovely.”

  While Logan asked for the bill, Charlie glanced at him. Something was wrong. He’d been strangely quiet all evening. After the waiter had shown them to their table, Logan had moved their chairs closer together, and all through dinner, he’d kept touching her, but he’d barely spoken a word to her all night.

  For some or other reason, she’d hoped he would mention the future, even if it was only to say he wasn’t sure how it would work. But although he’d been very attentive, he hadn’t once referred to the afternoon they’d spent together.

  But she shouldn’t be disappointed. This was Logan, the man who’d told her that, in no uncertain terms, he wasn’t in the market for a wife. What was more, she couldn’t ever marry, she knew that.

  For a few crazy hours, she’d let herself be swept away by the illusion that everything would be okay now that Logan loved her. But this was real life, and as she very well knew, things seldom worked out the way she’d wanted them to.

  While they waited for the bill, he played with her fingers.

  “Everything okay?” she finally asked.

  “Of course. It’s just...my plans have changed somewhat. I’m going back to Seattle tomorrow, but I’ll be back this weekend. And I’d like to take you out to dinner on Friday?”

  “Oh.” Before she could say anything else, the waiter arrived with the bill, and Logan got up to pay him.

  He helped her out of her chair and took her elbow as they walked toward his car. She loved the way he made her feel, but was this goodbye? What if he’d realized he didn’t really love her, that he’d only said it in the heat of the moment, and to be honest—the moment had been seriously heated.

  When he stopped in front of her house, she turned toward him. She had to swallow a few times before she could talk. “If you’ve changed your mind, please tell me? I don’t want to wait until Friday to find out you’ve decided you’ve made a mistake—”

  “What are you talking about?” he called out, pulling her close. “I love you. I’ve never told anyone that before and I mean it. But...I have... There are things I have to do.”

  He looked over her shoulder and grimaced. “And your brother is waiting for you on the porch.” He quickly kissed her before he got out of the car.

  While she waited for him to open her door, she breathed in and out. She wasn’t going to fall apart because the evening hadn’t gone as she’d dreamed. It wasn’t as if she’d imagined him going down on one knee or anything, but a quick kiss and a “see you Friday” was not how she’d thought the evening would end.

  Logan walked up the stairs with her to where a scowling Gavin was waiting. He ignored her brother and pulled her close for another kiss before he dropped his arms.

  Then he lightly tapped Gavin on the shoulder. “You will have to get used to this. I love your sister.” Grinning, he turned around and jogged back to his car.

  Gavin’s mouth was still hanging open as Logan sped away. “What did he mean by that?”

  “Yes, whatever did he mean by that?” Lindsay asked, appearing behind Gavin in the doorway.

  “The two of you weren’t here when I returned from work this afternoon—” Charlie began.

  “Maybe because you were so very late,” Lindsay interrupted her with a smile.

  “Otherwise, I would’ve told you. He says he loves me.” She raised her hands. “And before you ask, that’s all I know. He’s leaving again for Seattle tomorrow. Apparently, he’ll be back on Friday. I also don’t know what that means.”

  Lindsay rushed forward and hugged her. “Of course, he loves you—it’s so obvious, he can’t keep his hands to himself around you. Oh, Charlie, I’m so happy for you! But why the frown?”

  “It’s ju
st...this is all so new and now he’s leaving again. I’m probably being silly. Anyway, enough about me. Have you heard from the police?” she asked, hoping to change the subject.

  So many things had happened that day. She and Logan had made love; he’d told her he loved her, but even so, he was going back to Seattle. Initially, he’d said he was going to be here for the week, so why was he going back earlier?

  Her head was struggling to keep up with her heart, and she needed some time to sort out her feelings.

  Lindsay nodded. “Yes, Gavin and I went to see them this afternoon. They don’t have much to report, though. Witnesses confirmed the incident with the white car in our street, but nobody can describe the driver. They couldn’t find the car anywhere in our little town, so whoever it was has left already. Or he’s lying in wait somewhere.”

  “Well, hopefully by now, most of the people in town know about the white car and will be on the lookout,” Charlie said.

  Gavin closed the front door behind them and locked it. “I also think you two shouldn’t go anywhere on your own until this whole thing has been resolved.”

  “I hate this,” Lindsay said gloomily. “And there is nothing pointing to Mark anywhere although I know it’s him.”

  “We can’t do anything about it tonight, so go get a good night’s sleep. I’ll check all the windows downstairs,” Gavin said. “And Charlie?”

  “Yes?”

  “You love this man?”

  She nodded.

  He placed an arm around her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. “Then I’m happy for you. But if—”

  Charlie placed a hand on his mouth before he could complete his threat. “Relax, Gav, I’ll be okay. I’m going to bed.”

  As she closed her bedroom door, her phone bleeped. A message from Logan. She quickly opened it.

  I miss you

  Sighing, she closed her eyes and pressed the phone against her body for a moment. He loved her. Whether that was going to change, she didn’t know, but for now she was going to enjoy this giddy feeling. She quickly sent him a message, too.