Page 45 of The White Picket Fence

“Same,” she whispered. “What can we do?”

He hesitated, considering his answer. “What do you want to happen, Charlotte?”

“I’d like to hear you call me Charlie.”

He swallowed thickly. “Charlie.”

She shuddered out a breath. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. What else?”

“I’d like to see you. Date you. Like normal people who don’t have a crazed killer after them.”

He chuckled. “Okay. We should go on more dates.”

“More?”

He scoffed. “Like I haven’t taken you on a few already.”

“I’d hoped they were dates,” she said softly. “I don’t want to hurt you again.”

“You probably will. I’ll probably hurt you. But we’ll talk about it, Charlie. No running away.”

“I promise. Can...can I kiss you?”

“Yes,” he whispered and held his breath.

She rose up on her elbow and brushed her lips over his. He closed his eyes and let himself feel. She was with him again after so long, and while he still didn’t completely understand why she’d left, he wasn’t going to squander this second chance they’d been given.

Her lips were soft, then firmer as she increased the pressure.

His pulse skyrocketed to the moon when she lightly licked his lips, and what had been a chaste kiss exploded into so much more. He slid one hand to the back of her neck, pulling her closer, moaning into her mouth when her fingers tightened in his hair.

Her hips rolled against his leg and he couldn’t resist her, his free hand running up her side, under the shirt she wore. Touching her soft skin. “God, I want you,” he murmured when she finally lifted her head, both of them breathing fast. “I’ve been hard for two days.”

She chuckled, a deep and wicked sound. “And I’ve been wet. Show me, Tino.”

He rolled, reversing their positions so that he looked down at her. “What do you want? I need you to be specific.” She bit at her lip and he tugged it free of her teeth. “Don’t be shy now, Charlie. Tell me what you want.”

“I want you to...” She closed her eyes. “Are you really going to make me say it?”

“Yes,” he said seriously. “I need the words.”

She opened her eyes, and even in the semidarkness, he could see her determination. “I want you to make love to me.”

He exhaled, glad that he was lying down because he was certain his knees would have buckled had he been standing. “I don’t have condoms.”

“Yes, you do.” She rolled sideways to open his nightstand drawer, pulling out a strip of three condoms.

Condoms that had not been there earlier that day.

“Did you bring them?” he asked.

She blinked up at him. “No. Remember, I asked you for Tylenol when we first got here tonight, and you said to check the drawer. The condoms were just...there.”

Gino. His brother had to have put them there. It was the only explanation. “I haven’t been with anyone in a long time, Charlie. At least two years. And never here. Not in this bed.” He usually found women when he was traveling out of town, lonely women who knew he wouldn’t be coming back. He’d never lead them on. Anything else would have been cruel. “Those aren’t mine.”

Her lips curved in satisfaction. “Then I guess we’ll thank the condom fairies tomorrow.”

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