Page 29 of Wilde Sanctuary

“Yes.” She nodded.

“The rose,” Rhett said suddenly, leaving the room.

Charlie followed him into the kitchen where a single rose sat in a vase filled with water. She put the rest of the roses in the vase and arranged them to give her hands something to do, then placed the vase in the middle of the dining table.

“So, still only one bed?” She said with a small smile.

Rhett cleared his throat. “I figured I’d go home. Unless…”

“Unless I wanted you to stay?”

“Something like that.”

She turned and leaned her hip against the kitchen counter, fiddling with the hem of her sweater. “Rhett, I thought I belonged in New York. I’d been trying to fit in there for so long I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. And then I met you, and I started to believe I could have a different life. One that wasn’t about appearances and boardrooms, but about actually connecting with people. One filled with love.”

Rhett took a step towards her, his voice rough when he spoke. “Do you still believe you can have that life?”

“Yes.” She closed the distance between them and rested her hands on his chest, tilting her head back to meet his eyes. “Yes, I want that life. With you.”

Rhett’s smile lit his entire face. “You mean that?”

She laughed, tears in her eyes. “Rhett, I love you. I belong with you.”

He gathered her into his arms and swung her around as they both laughed. She looked up at him, her cheeks hot and her eyes filled with happy tears. He set her down and rested his hands on either side of her face.

“Charlotte Sinclair. Charlie. I adore you. You are an amazing woman. You’re strong, caring, kind, and compassionate. I am so sorry I didn’t listen to you at first. I was afraid of getting hurt, so I pushed you away. I hurt you before you could hurt me, and it all backfired on me, anyway.” He smiled sadly. “I’m sorry for not listening to you. You’ve given me every reason to trust you. I should have listened.”

Her eyes were wet as she smiled up at him.

“I love you, Charlie. More than anything else in the world. And if that means coming with you to New York, then I will.”

She gasped. “But what about the business? What about your family?”

He shrugged. “It’s just a business. I love it here, yes. I’ve lived here almost my whole life. Sure, my family is here. But I can always visit.”

He swiped his thumb over her cheek to catch a tear.

“Oh, Rhett, that means a lot to me,” Charlotte said as she smiled through her tears. “But I’m staying here. I don’t belong in New York anymore. I belong here, in Cape Wilde, with you.”

“Are you sure?” He asked. “It’s very different to New York.”

“I’m sure,” she said, smiling up at Rhett.

He bent down and touched his lips to hers. It was as if they’d never been apart. Heat bloomed between them as she opened to him. She slid her hand underneath his tee shirt and he growled, his hands dropping to grip her backside and lift her against him.

“I need you now, beautiful.”

Chapter Fifteen

Charlie

There was something incredibly satisfying to the ego about having the sexiest man she had ever laid eyes on be desperate to get her naked. They were both panting as he carried her into the bedroom. The dappled sunlight streamed through the gauzy curtains and over the bed. Rhett carried her to the foot of the bed and lowered her to her feet.

His hands were urgent as he undressed her. Each slide of fabric across her skin felt like a caress, and by the time she stood before him in only her underwear, she was flushed with need.

“You too,” she said, and his eyes grew hot.

He stripped in what must have been record time, tossing his clothes into a pile on the floor to stand in front of her in only his boxer briefs. He could put an underwear model to shame with those rigid abdominals and bulging biceps. She wasn’t sure where to look; every part of him was stunning. He called her beautiful, but so was he. He was overwhelming in the small space of the bedroom, and she shivered.

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