Page 107 of Never Kiss and Tell

“Too much family for one day?”

I nod, tugging my dress down from where it rode up my legs indecently while climbing out of the truck.

“They’ll do that to you,” Charlie says as he unlocks the gate. He leads me down the path to the back doors, before tugging me against him, surprising me with how gently he hugs me. “Go get some sleep.”

“Aren’t you going to ask me about Tom?”

“I heard everything I need to hear. I’ll talk to her — see what’s going on.”

My stomach sinks, but he places a kiss on my forehead, lingering there for a split second.

“Don’t think I won’t be over there to wake you up first thing in the morning.”

I smile at the bite in his voice. I have to admit, though, it makes me a little sad that we won’t be spending a couple hours together tonight. It’s become the most solid thing in my life, having him there.

He releases everything but my hand, which he drops almost reluctantly when I walk to my back door.

“Night, Charlie,” I say over my shoulder.

He smiles. “Night, princess.”

As one can imagine, I did not, in fact, get some sleep when I fell into bed. I’m wearing a large t-shirt and nothing else and the AC is cranked on full blast, but I’m hot. Sweltering from the inside out. The minuscule five minutes I was able to sleep only aided in the problem.

When I jumped awake, burning lust coasted through my veins. I was just about to slip further into a dream — a fucking sex dream, of all things — when a loud clap of thunder sounded overhead.

Rain pours down in sheets outside, making it hard to see the pool. I debate on running outside to cool off, but it won’t fix this issue.

I need Charlie. God, I’m a freaking addict.

I lay in bed, staring angrily at the ceiling while my core pulses with need. Slowly, like someone might be watching me. I slip my fingers down my stomach and below the hem of my shirt.

My own arousal coats my fingers when I tug them back. So much that it leaks down the curve of my ass.

“Screw this,” I grumble, snatching my phone off the nightstand.

Bailey: Are you awake?

Seconds later, my phone buzzes.

Charlie: Yes.

I rip the covers back before I can lose my nerve and hurry to the back door. The rain is cold on my skin and the bottoms of my feet as soon as I step out, but I don’t care. Charlie’s door is already open and as soon as I climb the stairs to the house, he grabs me into his arms and tugs me inside.

I throw my arms around him and sink into a rough, impatient kiss. Instantly, his fingers dive into my hair, fisting the now damp roots. He stumbles forward, roughly pressing me into the wall with a low growl that resounds through his chest where my hands rest.

“Thought kissing brewed feelings,” he taunts, though it lacks its usual sarcastic bite. I almost think it’s a genuine question.

“No,” I shake my head, breathless, but unable to stop kissing him. My blood roars in my ears, like it’s just now coming to life. A week. I couldn’t even last a week without kissing Charlie.

“Good girl.”

Charlie tugs me from the wall and pulls me into the room where he drops me on the bed, looming over me like some kind of angel of death. A flash of lightning reflects off his face, highlighting the sharp line of his jaw and the stony greyness of his eyes — eyes that are currently burning a hole through me.

Holding his gaze, I slip my shirt over my head and toss it.Charlie’s eyes turn caustic as they scan my body and I have to swallow down hard past the lump in my throat.

My heart skips to a stop when he kneels on the bed and brings his lips back to mine without a word. His hand grips the back of my neck and his tongue rolls into my mouth like he’s starved for the taste of me.

“God, I’ve wanted this,” he growls, nipping at my bottom lip before soothing the spot with a lick of his tongue. I jerk beneath him, pressing my breasts into his chest.

---