Page 5 of A Night To Remember

To Charlie’s surprise she felt comfortable with Jake. All her reservations about staying with him slid away as he led her to his room. She shouldn’t have trusted this stranger on such short acquaintance, but she did. Charlie couldn’t explain the feeling, but his very presence put her at ease.

When they arrived at Jake’s room, he opened the door, motioning for her to enter first. Charlie hesitated for only a second. She looked at him and he smiled at her. Her heart skipped a beat. It was the alcohol, she was sure of it.

“Don’t worry, I won’t bite if you don’t want me too,” he teased, as he nudged her further into the room.

“Well, you can’t exactly blame me for being a little nervous. I’ve never shared a hotel room with a stranger before,” she pointed out.

“Well, aren’t I taking as big a risk as you are? How do I know you won’t take advantage of me?”

She shook her head, seeing the playful gleam in his eyes. “Okay, you big idiot. I give. You’re going to have to turn your back while I undress, though.”

He pouted. “Do I have to?”

Charlie laughed wondering what she had been so afraid of in the first place. They seemed like old friends. After chatting for a few more minutes, she yawned. “I’m exhausted.”

“Yes, I’m pretty tired as well. You can take this bed. I’ll take the one on the wall. Is that okay with you?”

“Sure,” she agreed with a shrug.

Jake walked over to his side of the room, turning his back so she could undress and slip into her bed.

“Okay,” Charlie indicated to Jake after she’d gotten under the covers. “It’s safe to turn around now.”

Jake turned and looked at her with those arresting eyes again.

“Goodnight, Charlie.” He reached down to turn off the lamp and got into his bed.

Long after Jake was asleep, Charlie lay in her bed wide-awake.

Chapter Two

Something woke Jake up. He sat up in bed, disoriented, and shook his head to gather his senses. It was still dark outside, the moonlight seeping through the curtains. Looking over at the clock on the nightstand, Jake saw it was only midnight. It took him another moment to remember he had a roommate. He soon realized she was the one who’d caused the disturbance.

Charlie wept softly into her pillow, but it was still loud enough for him to hear. He’d always been a light sleeper. Jake flipped the light switch on and slid out of his bed, unmindful of the fact he was only wearing a pair of boxers. Taking a seat next to her, he gently shook her shoulders, concern for her filling him. “Charlie, are you okay?”

She turned around then, tears clouding her beautiful dark brown eyes. “Did I wake you? I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry. Please go back to bed.”

“And leave you crying your eyes out? I don’t think so. You were upset at the bar and it’s obviously still bothering you. Won’t you tell me what’s wrong?” When she didn’t reply, he sighed. “I won’t go back to bed until you tell me. We can sit here like this all night if you want.”

After what seemed like several minutes, Charlie finally spoke. “It’s my second wedding anniversary.”

Jake pulled away abruptly as if he had been slapped. She was married? What the hell was she doing here then?

“Where’s your husband?” He felt an irrational sense of betrayal. It bothered him more than he cared to admit to know she was some other man’s wife. It didn’t make sense, but jealousy rarely did.

“He…he died a year ago tonight,” Charlie said through held tears.

“I’m sorry.” Shame washed through Jake at the brief moment of relief he felt. Charlie was obviously miserable.

He pulled her into his arms to console her. The warmth of her body against his nearly made him forget he was supposed to be comforting her. Charlie relaxed, seeming to melt as she surrendered to her apparent misery, bursting into loud, body-shaking sobs. Jake was not normally equipped for dealing with emotional women, but with Charlie, he felt protective. He wished he could make things better for her, but what could he do?

Jake tightened his arms around Charlie and began to rock her back and forth in his arms while she bawled. She clung to him tightly, releasing anguish like he’d never heard before.

Charlie cried as if her heart were breaking. Her gut-wrenching cries tore at his heart in sympathy. He stroked her hair and dropped light kisses on her head in an attempt to soothe her. He held her for several moments before her tears subsided into weak sniffles.

Jake suddenly realized she was only wearing a pair of panties. Her soft breasts pressed against his chest, her nipples burning holes into his flesh. He was also painfully aware that her lips were resting unconsciously against his throat. He could feel his body tightening in response to her nearness. If there were time for carnal thoughts to invade, this certainly wasn’t it.

He looked down at her, noticing Charlie was unaware of the effect she had on his body. When her tongue came out to moisten her lips, the tip grazed his throat. Jake shifted uncomfortably when his cock stirred to life. More than anything he wanted to bend down and capture that pink tongue between his teeth and suck it.

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