by Leslie North
She lowered it slowly to her side, heat rushing to her cheeks. “Yes. I…I was going to use it to confront the intruder. I heard a sound…”
Charlie frowned. “I was worried I might wake you. I stopped for some soda on the way back, and the rings holding it together were surprisingly resilient. They kept banging against the counter.”
Stephanie’s shoulders sagged. “Don’t do that. That’s so terrifying.”
“Separate soda cans, or come home when you’re not expecting me?”
“Both.” She laughed, then set the axe on the counter. Charlie watched her, his dark eyes tracing a path over her pajama pants and, now that she thought of it, a spaghetti strap tank that had been washed so many times that it verged on sheer.
She ran a hand through her hair, and Charlie made a sound in the back of his throat that reminded her so much of the conference in Vegas that it was like he’d turned the clock back five years. Oh, he’d been so enthralled with her. The flush from her cheeks spread over the rest of her body. Her first instinct had been to cross her arms over her chest, but now she stuck one hand on her hip and looked him in the eye.
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were checking me out.”
“I am checking you out,” he said immediately. “You’re gorgeous.”
“Oh? Is that why you came back?” Stephanie teased.
Charlie’s expression went serious. “Yes.”
A whoosh of hot desire chased away what was left of the adrenaline in her veins. “You didn’t have to do that. We would have been fine for the weekend.” Stephanie couldn’t stop the tremble in her voice.
“That’s the thing.” Charlie closed the fridge and came around the counter, stepping close and smoothing her hair back from her face. Even that simple touch lit up every one of her nerves in a bright, sparking pleasure. “I wouldn’t have been fine for the weekend. I wanted to be there for my brothers, but…” He shook his head. “I couldn’t risk a relapse.”
“Wait, what? Why would you have been in danger of that?”
“Allen took us to the Bellagio,” he said simply.
Stephanie rolled her eyes. “That man. He said that since it was a guys’ weekend, he’d handle the arrangements himself. I’m sorry, Charlie, I should have pressed him.”
“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that you’re here, in my kitchen, and you didn’t kill me with a throwing axe.”
She laughed, and Charlie pulled her back into his arms. Stephanie slipped her arms up around his neck, and Charlie tipped his face to the side, breathing her in. “I didn’t kill you. And I’m impressed.”
“I have done nothing impressive today,” said Charlie into her neck, his breath hot on her skin. She pressed herself closer. They were supposed to be taking everything slowly, but when his grip tightened on her hips, she couldn’t help herself.
“You were honorable,” she said. “You did the right thing, leaving that hotel. And you did the right thing, coming back to me.”
“Are you sure of that?”
“Yes,” she breathed, and he tipped her face to his and kissed her.
It started off soft and slow, but when Stephanie ran her tongue along his bottom lip, Charlie let out a growl. “I hated it,” he said. “I didn’t like being apart from you for even one day. I shouldn’t be saying that, but it’s the truth.”
“I hated it too,” she admitted, and the words were like a key in a lock. Their tumbling from her lips opened the floodgates.
Charlie kissed her harder, hotter, and Stephanie was back in Vegas herself, kissing a younger version of Charlie with that same fierce intensity. Then she snapped back into the present. She liked this new version of Charlie even more.
She loved this version.
She wanted more.
As the kiss went on, the last of her walls crumbled and blew away on the wind. “Come to bed with me,” he growled, and then she was in his arms.
“Yes,” she said in a low voice. “Yes.”
Whatever restraint they’d had flew to the floor at the foot of his bed along with their clothes, and for the first time in six years, Stephanie stood before a gloriously naked Charlie Preston. She drank him in, noticed him doing the same to her, and then the eye of the storm had passed. They were back in the thick of it. Charlie circled her nipples with the pads of his thumbs until they were so sensitive she cried out. He pulled her against him and reached between them to stroke between her legs, so gently and then harder, deeper, until she writhed on his fingertips.
“Come to bed with me,” he said again, and Stephanie felt it—the way she’d been holding herself back from this one bright line. Six years ago, she’d fallen into bed with Charlie Preston, and it had changed her entire life. Doing it again now was like standing at the edge of a cliff with no way of knowing how far the jump would take her.
But she wanted him.
Nothing else mattered.
“Okay,” she whispered, and when he took her hand and led her to the bed, she didn’t hesitate.
Charlie spread her out on top of the comforter and climbed on after her, and she lost herself to his attentions. He started with kisses on her neck and trailed them down and across her collarbone. He went down farther, circling her belly button. And then he went lower, to where she’d spread her legs for him, and bent to give a long stroke with his tongue.
She shuddered under the heat, under the aching pleasure of it, and it felt like the entire universe existed only between her legs. Charlie licked and sucked and teased until her hips rocked up to him in a needy, jerking rhythm. She heard the drawer open as if from a hundred miles away. Who was making that whimpering noise? Oh. She was.
“I’m back,” Charlie said low into her ear, and then he thrust inside, taking her in a single possessive stroke that knocked the breath from her. Or did it give her the first breath of her new life? She couldn’t tell, and she didn’t care. All she cared about was that the rock of his hips sparked a friction between them that centered on her clit. Three, four, five thrusts, and all that pleasure exploded around him. Stephanie held on tight to Charlie’s shoulders and came hard, harder than she ever had, her muscles tensing and releasing under that demanding joy.
It peaked, and she rode the wave down, down, down until a new orgasm bloomed low in her belly. Charlie pulsed inside of her, pushing himself up on his elbows so she could see his face.
It was so breathtakingly intimate, seeing him like this, dark eyes flashing and focused. She could see herself reflected there, pink and beautiful, and she ran her fingertips down the side of his cheek.
“Oh,” she said, because that was the only word left to her. “Oh…”
“I can’t hold back,” he said, his voice ringing with meaning. Charlie’s muscles bunched beneath her hands, and he drove into her another fraction of an inch. She crossed her ankles behind his back and drew him in, meeting him with every motion of his hips.
His release was long and powerful, and when he was done, Charlie lowered his head to kiss her. He kissed her like they had never kissed before, tentative and exploring, and then he pulled back, searching her face.
“I don’t think we’re done here,” he said, his tone wicked.
“No,” she said as he rolled to the side, sliding one hand down the length of her body. “No, I’m not done. Please…”
9
The last place Charlie ever expected to find himself in the middle of this weekend was the public baseball fields, with everything going slightly wrong.
When he’d woken in the morning, Stephanie wasn’t in his bed. That was probably for the best. If she’d still been there, he’d have had a very hard time getting up. And with her boss and his brothers in Vegas, it was time for him to do something nice for her. Something almost as nice as what they’d done last night.
He’d wanted to give her a day off.
Which was why he was at the baseball fields, watching Jasper hang back while the other kids on the T-ball team practiced fielding gro
unders and running around the bases.
The coach, Mark Jefferson, was a friend of Charlie’s from just after college. He’d posted on his social media profile early that morning that the team was still looking for kids, and the plan had fallen into place in Charlie’s mind.
He’d take Jasper for the day. They’d spend time getting to know each other, and Stephanie could have her first real day off in God knew how long.
But Jasper had only played T-ball a handful of times the previous summer. And now he stood away from the other kids, brand-new glove by his side.
Charlie left his spot by the fence and went to stand by the little boy. “How’s it going?”
“I don’t know how to play this game,” said Jasper anxiously. “All the other kids know how to play.”
“That’s not true. Mark’s daughter needs someone to toss the ball with.” Mark’s girl was busy following the coach around at close range, throwing a baseball into her glove over and over, like a seasoned pro.
Jasper grimaced. “I don’t know…”
“Give it a shot,” he coaxed, then summoned Mark with a wave. Inside of a minute, the two kids were tossing a ball back and forth, and Charlie’s pride surged strong in his chest. He was doing this. He’d introduced Jasper to something new, and now he was…well, if not excelling at it, at least trying it. That was all Charlie could ask for.
The T-ball practice sped by, ending with the kids taking turns hitting the ball off the tee. Jasper went last. Charlie held his breath as he wound up and let the bat fly, whiffing it. Mark was right there to encourage him. “It’s all right, bud. Give it another try.”
Charlie took his phone from his pocket. He needed to get a video of this.
He hit record just in time to catch Jasper absolutely nailing it, the ball soaring into the outfield. Is this what it’s like, being a dad? He was so proud that it was almost like being high, with none of the terrible side effects.
“That’s it, kids!” Mark called, and Charlie looked up to find that the rest of the parents had arrived while he’d been focused on Jasper. The little boy ran to him, tugging off his glove as he came, and Mark was close behind.
“My man,” Mark said. “I’m glad you came by this morning.”
“So are we. At least, I think we are. Is that right, Jasper?”
Jasper beamed up at him from underneath his red baseball cap. “I’m glad. I’m so excited,” he shouted.
Mark’s eyes lit up. “There’s room on the team, you know. This was just our first informal practice. The season starts next week.”
“I want to be on the team,” said Jasper. “Can I? Can I?”
Mark raised his hand and gave Jasper a high five. “You’re in.” He shot Charlie a wink. “Text me later for the paperwork,” he said, then went to chat with the other parents.
He took Jasper for a long lunch at a neighborhood restaurant, ending with molten chocolate cake. Jasper grinned across the table at him, chocolate all over his face. “This is really good. Can we do this again soon? Can we bring mama?”
“Of course,” said Charlie.
“What about the papers?”
“What papers, bud?”
His son looked at him with sparkling eyes. “The coach said there were papers. You were supposed to get the papers, and then I can be on the team.”
“You know what? I’ll text him right now.”
It was the easiest form Charlie had ever filled out in his life. He scrawled his signature at the bottom with his finger and submitted the form while Jasper watched, huddled close on his side of the booth.
“There,” he said. “All done.”
Jasper punched the air. “Yes.”
This was real success.
They took their time after lunch, walking back in the direction of Charlie’s condo and looking at whatever struck their fancy in the store windows. By the time they reached the park half a block from his place, Jasper had a bag with a comic book in it and an oversized lollipop from the candy store that had been attached to the comic-book store. It had felt so good to buy it for Jasper that Charlie had set aside the fact that nobody really needs a lollipop that huge.
Stephanie waited for them on one of the park benches. When she heard them coming she lifted her eyes from her book, and her face lit up as if seeing them was on par with winning the lottery.
For Charlie, seeing her was on par with winning the lottery.
“Hey!” She stood up and gave Jasper a big hug, and the three of them continued down the path that cut through the center of the park. “How was your day?”
“It was really, really good,” said Jasper. “I’m on the team.”
“That’s great,” Stephanie said. “Wait, what? What team?”
“We went to T-ball practice this morning,” said Charlie. “My buddy Mark is the coach for one of the teams. He explained the social media post, and how well Jasper had done. He didn’t mention the rocky start. “I have a video.” He pulled out his phone and showed it to her, chest swelling with pride as if he were watching it for the first time. “So, toward the end, Mark let us know there’s still room on the team. He texted me the paperwork, and I signed Jasper up.”
The smile fled Stephanie’s face in an instant. “You did what?”
“I signed him up for T-ball.” Charlie laughed. “It was the world’s easiest form, and I just put—”
“You can’t do that.” Stephanie turned resolutely back toward the path. “You can run ahead a minute, Jasper.”
Jasper took off ahead of them, feet scraping on the path. He turned back every so often to keep them in sight.
“I thought he’d like it.” Charlie’s chest had gone tight. It felt like a storm cloud had covered the sun. One minute, everything had been fine between him and Stephanie—more than fine. And now… “It was only a sign-up sheet.”
“We don’t live here,” snapped Stephanie. “You’ve just set him up for disappointment. And you didn’t even think to check with me first?”
All of it landed with a one-two-three punch that knocked the wind out of Charlie. Pain bloomed where she’d landed the hits, which seemed to be roughly in the region of his heart.
“I wasn’t trying to get his hopes up. I just thought…” What had he thought? She was right, even though it hurt. Stephanie was in charge of choosing her son’s activities. He hadn’t earned the right to step in like he had…not yet.
But how could he ever earn it, when they lived across the country?
It was only going to get harder when they left. And Stephanie had just confirmed that they were going to.
“My mistake.” He stole a glance at her. Stephanie’s jaw was set, her eyes blazing. “I’m sorry, Steph. I’ll take him off the team. It’s a matter of one text.” He wrote up that text and sent it, and beside him, Stephanie relaxed.
“I…” She looked at Jasper bouncing in place in the middle of the path and called him back. “I shouldn’t have reacted like that.”
“It’s not my place to sign him up for T-ball, though.” Charlie put a hand on the small of her back. “Forgive me.”
She huffed a breath, the rest of the fight going out of her. “This time,” Stephanie warned, but then she laughed. “I’m sorry for snapping. I was thinking of Jasper’s feelings, and that makes the mama bear come out.”
“I get it.”
Charlie didn’t get it, though. On the rest of the walk home, he turned his hurt over and over in his mind. Stephanie was still clinging to single parenthood, but it didn’t have to be that way. She should know that. She’d said herself that she was impressed with him, that he was honorable…and he was. Her and Jasper’s life could be infinitely better if he was allowed to be in it.
Especially for Jasper. Charlie had the money and all the right plans to make sure he was a well-rounded kid.
They tumbled into the apartment, all three of them going to their respective rooms. Charlie was almost at his door when Stephanie’s voice from the living room stopped him.
“Hey. Wait.” She stood in the center of the room, a clean shirt for Jasper in her hand. “We’re okay, right?” The hope in her eyes was enough to bring him to his knees. “I feel guilty about how I acted.”
“It’s nothing.”
Stephanie stepped closer, folding herself into his arms, and Charlie couldn’t quite remember what they’d been arguing about. With her this close, she was the only thing that mattered.
“I know you were trying to do a good thing.”
“Yes,” he said simply. “I was.”
That was the hardest thing about parenting…about most relationships, really. A lot of it came down to knowing when to step back.
Charlie breathed in Stephanie’s scent while the two factions in his mind went to battle. On the one hand, Jasper would have a better life if Charlie could be involved. On the other, maybe he was a bit too much like his mother. She’d tried to control him, and look how that had gone. Rehab. It had ended in rehab. And he didn’t blame her for his issues—by the time everything went to hell in college, it was his own responsibility. He had nobody else to point fingers at.
“I don’t want his entire future to be at the whims of fate,” he said softly.
Stephanie tensed in his arms. “Jasper’s future isn’t up to fate,” she said. “I’ve got a handle on it.”
“I know that. I just wish I could have more of a handle on it, too.”
“Someday, maybe,” Stephanie said. He heard the caution in her voice. “But we agreed to take it slow.”
“And we will,” he promised again. “We will.”
Jasper ran back into the living room, and Stephanie stepped neatly away as if the the hug had never happened. Charlie felt the distance between them acutely, like he could measure it down to the smallest increment just by sight. Affection glowed in his heart. It was the way he’d felt about her when they’d met in Vegas, only…deeper. And better.
Charlie’s heart thudded, getting out of control for a few beats. If they were together—really together—it would be better for Jasper, that was true. But it would also be better for Charlie. It would fulfill his life goal of becoming a dad…and it would fill the empty place in his heart.
