Page 66 of If My Wishes Came True
I nod and bring his mouth toward mine, and we kiss feverishly as he unbuttons my shorts and they fall to the floor. I step out of them, then Charlie sweeps my lace underwear to the side and hooks a finger in me.
“I love how wet you are for me,” he says, his lips grazing the soft skin below my ear.
When I start moaning, he pulls a condom out of his wallet. A minute later, my panties are off and he’s fucking me against the wall, which is unbelievably hot. If there’s anyone in the hallway, I have no doubt they can hear how much I’m enjoying it. Normally I’d feel self-conscious, but when I’m having sex with Charlie, my focus is only on him, and the expert way he handles my body.
I wasn’t sure I’d be able to come in this position, but he has me lifted with one arm, as though I were light as a feather, and his other hand is between my legs, his fingers rubbing me in all the right places. Before long, he’s giving me my fifth orgasm in less than twenty-four hours.
“You’re amazing,” he tells me afterward, with that smitten look on his face.
“You’re a sex god,” I reply, completely serious, but he laughs anyway. “I’m not kidding, Charlie. You bring out a side of me I never knew was there.”
“I aim to please,” he says, letting me down gently and holding me until my feet are steady on the ground.
I kiss him, then look to the floor for my clothes. He bendsdown to pick up my underwear and shorts, then hands them to me. “Thanks,” I say, smiling. “I’m going to go freshen up…I’ll be right back. Make yourself at home.”
He kisses me and smacks my bare ass as I turn to walk toward my bedroom.
After putting my clothes back on and brushing out my sex hair, I walk down the hallway, to the living room, but stop when I hear Charlie’s voice. He’s on the phone.
“It was one day,” he says with a frustration in his tone I haven’t heard before. “When was the last time I took a day off, much less a vacation?” After a pause, he continues. “Of course I was checking messages.” He sighs heavily. “I told you, Dad. I was with my girlfriend.”
Oh no—his dad.He wasn’t supposed to be back from his trip until the end of the week, and now he’s laying into Charlie, all because he was playing hooky with me. I feel awful. At the same time, I’m fighting a grin because my boyfriend didn’t hesitate to acknowledge me as his girlfriend, even to his curmudgeon of a father.
I’m about to head back toward my room to give Charlie some privacy, but he turns at the same time, and sees me standing in the hallway. I point my thumb over my shoulder, indicating that I’ll leave him to his conversation, but his face softens and he motions for me to come to him.
“She’s an artist,” he tells his dad with a smile that gets bigger as I walk toward him. “She does interior design, but her real passion is painting. We have a lot in common.”
There’s another brief pause, in which Charlie brings his freepalm to his forehead.
“I’m talking about photography,” he says to his father. “Right. No, of course you forgot.”
Charlie reaches for my hand and pulls me in for a hug. But as I’m resting my head against his chest, his heart starts thumping louder and faster. I step back, and his face is crimson, his nostrils flaring.
“No, it’s not like that at all,” he argues. “Dad—don’t start.” Charlie exhales. “I’m not going to talk to you about this right now, I have to go.” Another pause. “Yes, I’ll have the report to you by morning.”
When he hangs up the phone, he takes my hand again and leads me to the couch. He sits in silence for a moment, his jaw clenched, his face still crimson.
“So…your dad’s back from France, I take it?” I say with a wince.
Charlie half-smiles in my direction. “He cut the trip short. Told my mom never to book a hotel without Wi-Fi again.”
“He sounds fun.”
A laugh escapes Charlie, and he puts his arm around me. “Thanks for the comic relief. I could use it right now. I don’t know how much you picked up from my end of the conversation, but he’s pissed I took a day off.”
I frown. “It’s my fault. You were playing hooky with me.”
Charlie shakes his head. “Are you kidding? It’s not your fault…or mine. My dad’s completely unreasonable. But I guess you don’t become a grocery store tycoon by taking personal days.”
“You really don’t want this. To follow in his footsteps,” I say. Idon’t need to ask, because the answer’s written all over his face.
Charlie blows out a breath. “No, I don’t. But admitting that to you is one thing. Moving on from Sutton’s feels a lot more complicated. It doesn’t help that my dad thinks of photography as a meaningless diversion…not an actual career.”
My stomach clenches. Charlie’s dad sounds a heck of a lot like mine. And I can’t help but wonder what this could mean for our budding relationship. If the senior Mr. Sutton doesn’t respect his son’s choice to be an artist, he certainly won’t respect mine. He might even say I’m a bad influence. On the other hand, if Charlie can’t stand up to his dad, and continues to live at his mercy, will he resent me for pursuing my passion?
“We don’t need to figure this out now,” Charlie says, probably picking up on the fact that my wheels are spinning. “Want me to help you with dinner? I’m sorry I have to eat and run, but my dad wants this damn report from me first thing tomorrow.”
“Why don’t you go back to your place and get started on it now,” I suggest, placing a gentle hand on his knee. “I’ll bring you dinner when it’s ready.”
