Page 1 of Cherishing Little Charlee

CHAPTER 1

CHARLEE

Licking my lips, I reached out further to soften the wings of the butterfly on the backdrop I’d been painting. Leaning a bit more to the left on the ladder, despite being told to be careful, I wobbled a bit. Adding in tiny details no one would ever see hardly mattered. Shading on one butterfly. Specks of contrasting color on wings. I was the theater professor, not one of the set crew, but it made me so happy. The spring production was my biggest project every year at the Ranch. This would be the first year it would be held in the theater in the new wing of the University, which had me feeling a bit more stressed than usual. Painting zoned me out and put me into a relaxing space. Balancing precariously, I lost my footing. So much for being careful. Flailing my arms in a flapping fashion, as if my body would take flight, though I knew it wouldn’t, didn’t do anything. Nope, I was still falling toward the wooden stage.

“Charlee!”

Someone shouted as I toppled, ladder, brushes, paint and all in what I hoped looked at least a tiny bit artistic as I fell.

“Oof!” My landing was softer than I’d imagined. Slowly opening my eyes, I found myself drowning in two deep mahogany irises, warm and intense. Pierce Harding happened to be the man I was splayed across. What the hell was he doing in the theater this late?Shit.Paint was splattered in his hair, on his shirt, across his cargo pants. Worse than that, my embarrassing moment had been witnessed by my crush! If that wasn’t mortifying enough, I remembered his warnings.

A huge knot formed in my belly. Pierce had been telling me for weeks to be careful. Not to operate anything dangerous or climb ladders without someone else nearby. Anything with a step, not limited to the stairs in back of the stage, apparently had it out for me. A week ago, I’d tripped over a step stool and smacked my chin against it. No, there was no logic to the way I injured myself. I’d fallen into the stool, sent it flying and then smacked into it. Clumsy feet paired with my lack of paying attention to my surroundings were to blame.

Pierce cupped my cheek. “Are you hurt, sweetheart?”

“I fell onyou! Are you sure you’re not hurt?” Taking stock of my body, I realized how badly my wrist throbbed. It didn’t feel broken but pain flared whenever I wiggled my fingers.

He patted my head as I laid there. “Yes, I’m fine, Charlee. Let me catch my breath. Stay here for a second.”

His husky tone shot straight to my core. We had been spending a lot more time together since he’d volunteered his time to assist with the spring production. Pierce had moved nearby a year or so ago when his boss Colton Reed accepted a full-time position at the Ranch. They designed and built kinky-minded furniture: adult cribs, highchairs, rocking chairs and so on. Pierce beamed whenever he talked about building dungeon essentials like a St. Andrew’s Cross or spanking bench. Crafting them brought him such joy, especially customized pieces.

Pressing my non-injured hand to the stage to get up, I was interrupted by Pierce. He halted the action, pulling me up higher and keeping me against him. His overall demeanor screamed “Daddy”. I tried not to let myself go down that road since we hadn’t delved into our specific wants or needs regarding any type of power-exchange dynamic. But he had made it clear his preferences were to be the Dominant in every equation. I hadn’t opened up as easily. Not given him any indication that I was submissive—at least not verbally. Regardless, Pierce was observant. He could see the signs whenever I let down my guard and showed him.

“I’m crushing on you,” I snapped. Mortification burned my face. “Crushing you. Not on you.”

Smooth move, Charlee. Tell the handsome man pinned underneath you the secret you’ve been keeping for months.

Pierce blinked once, as if gathering his thoughts to reply in a way that didn’t have me moving around. “You’re not hurting me, darling. You need to get evaluated after a fall from that height.”

“It’s a small ladder, Pierce,” I said, grumbling as I rolled off him. He allowed the movement, probably because he didn’t want to cause me pain if I was injured.

“Don’t argue with me, Charlee. One of us needs to fill out an incident report.”

“It was nothing. You should probably get checked out though. Make sure I didn’t crack one of your ribs.”

Warning: dangerous curves ahead.

My friends used to joke but not lightheartedly.I’d been heavier than my friends throughout my life. No matter how healthy my food choices were or how much I worked out, I stayed pretty thick in all the places that mattered. I let the rhetoric live in my head that I wasn’t chosen by attractive men. I’d never be prioritized. I certainly wouldn’t find the relationship of my dreams.

Not in this lifetime.

What the hell was with my self-deprecating statement? I wasn’t a small person in shape or height but Pierce was over six feet tall. He had muscles for days, and I admired his sculpted thighs. Ones I dreamed about being held across. Heat flamed my face even as I glared. It was not the time to start tossing such nonsense at him.

“Care to say that again, sweetheart? Go on and explain what you meant.”

We both stood up, my chest heaving as I tried to calm my racing heart. The truth was he turned me on.Often. It was annoying. Pierce wasn’t interested in me. How could he be? He was attractive in a movie-star heartthrob way. Conventionally attractive. Gorgeous smile, honey-brown eyes, hair the color of a dark whiskey. That he chose to spend time with me outside of work obligations should have sparked a clue. If Pierce didn’t consider me at least a friend he wouldn’t check on me, bring me water and snacks and agree to work in the spring production. Colton may have volunteered him without his approval for reasons unknown to me. But, Pierce didn’t seem to catch my drift. Why did my insecurities spiral through my brain while I stood there inches away from my crush?

“I’m heavier than you.” I gestured up and down the length of my body.

“Excuse me?” He cocked an eyebrow, his hands settling on either side of his hips.

“My body dropping onto yours must have been like a tree falling on you.”

Pierce glanced up at the ceiling of the theater as if gathering his thoughts. That was never a good sign. His jaw clenched and relaxed as he slowly lowered his head and locked his gaze on mine.

“We have had this discussion many times, Charlene Octavia. Since you seem to have forgotten it, I’ll be sure to find a more creative way to get it through your head. No more harsh comments about your weight.”

When he said my first and middle names from his perfect bow-shaped lips in that growly husky tone, I lost my mind. Worse than the way my body reacted, all flustered and sweaty, my heart beamed. A mild crush–my ass. My feelings were bigger. I had a full-blown obsession with him. Wondering often about what it would be like to be in a dynamic with the most attractive man I’d ever met. Not that I’d ever tell him that!

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