Page 95 of The Fixer

“I need to clean up,” he whispered.

Twiddling his strands, she gave him a contented half-smile. “Hurry back.”

He kissed the tip of her nose and rolled out of bed, padding to the bathroom. She watched him walk away without an ounce of remorse. Her imagination hadn’t done his ass justice.

When he returned, he slid beside her and turned her so his chest snuggled against her back. He pulled the covers over their bodies and enveloped her in his strong arms. After laying down a series of gentle kisses and soft nibbles along her shoulder, he picked up one of her hands, interlacing his fingers with hers and tucking it against her shoulder. “Is it okay if I stay?”

God, yes!

That he wanted to made happy bubbles effervesce inside her. She’d never been with a cuddler before—maybe this was the golden retriever in him—nor was she a cuddler herself. Usually, she couldn’t wait to usher a man out the door or escape his bed, and there was always that agonizingly awkward period of politeness right after. But with Charlie? She liked it. In fact, everything about how he handled her made her feel … beautiful. Desirable. And dare she think it, as though shebelongedsomehow, which was nuts. This was a temporary fling, though there was no denying it was one she would cherish.

She giggled. “You want to stay so you can get started on your work early?”

A warm chuckle rumbled through his chest. “No, though I do have a different ulterior motive. Besides enjoying just lying here with you, I can’t wait to wake you up and do what we just did all over again.”

She’d been throbbing after their acrobatics, but his words zinged straight to her core, intensifying the pulses. Hussy that she was, she was ready for an encore herself. Hand between her legs, she squeezed her thighs together to stem the sensation. “Bet you say that to all the girls.” Crap! Why was she trying to ruin the moment?

“Actually, I don’t,” he replied without hesitation, though his voice was thick with fatigue. “So what happened with Sterling?”

Not too fatigued after all. Apparently, they were going to have this discussion now. “I asked him to leave, and he did.”

“He looked nice and cozy in his pj’s. Was he actually sleeping in this bed when we got here?” His entire body stiffened. “Shit. You didn’t … on these sheets …”

She whipped her head toward him. “No! Absolutely not. In fact, I changed the sheets after he left because, well … I don’t know. And it’s not what you’re probably thinking. It kind of gave me the creepy-crawlies to know he was lying in them, uninvited. I hadn’t expected it. I hadn’t expected him at all.”

Charlie’s big body eased once more. “You two have history.”

Her head was still craned toward him. “Do you want to know what that history is?”

One eye opened. “Kinda? But I don’t want you to feel like you have to tell me.”

She turned her head away and settled against him, pulling his arms a little tighter around her middle. “I have nothing to hide. He and I were … intimate a long time ago. It didn’t last long—only a few months. We found out we were better colleagues than lovers, so we removed that from the equation.”

“Doesheknow that?”

“I thought he did. It was out of character for him to show up like he did.”

“How did you handle him? Just throw him out?”

“No,” she sighed. “First, I answered as many questions about you as I felt right answering. It’s none of his business, but still, I thought I owed himsomeexplanation. So I gave him a quick synopsis about last night … minus the part about the kiss in the back seat.”

“Sounds like a smart move on your part.”

“Fortunately, I didn’t have toactuallysend him away—where would he go?—because he booked a flight home, got dressed, and drove off in order to make it in time.”

She stared out the window, her mind drifting from how safe she felt with Charlie’s strong arms banded around her to wondering how soon the sun would come up … if she could make the night last a little longer. How awkward would the morning be? And poor Sterling. Guilt riddled her, but she reminded herself that he was the one who’d shown up unannounced. Why had he made the trip?

“You don’t think he’s jealous, do you?”

Charlie snorted. “Hell yeah, I think he’s jealous.”

“But he doesn’t have any right to be.”

“Whether he has any right or not doesn’t change the fact that he was looking at you like you’re his, and at me like I’m … let’s just say he didn’t like seeing me here with you. Not that I can blame him.”

“Meaning what?”

He lifted his torso and gazed down at her with a look she could only describe as wonder. “Meaning being with you is something a man wants to protect, keep for himself.” Fingers smoothed the side of her face. “Never felt anything quite like you before, Joy Holiday. Feeling you unravel around me was … indescribable. Words aren’t adequate.” His mouth curved in a half-smile, and she was left utterly tongue-tied.

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