Page 13 of Sweet Redemption
I wasn’t in the mood to banter with her. “Be right back.”
With care, so not to slip on the patch of ice just outside of the library, I rushed over to the Arlene’s.
Once I asked Arlene to make Charlie’s favorite meal that she normally ordered, which happened to be hamburger and fries, I doubled the order.
Since I wasn’t in the mood to hike back down a half a block to get salt for the ice around the doorway of the library, I asked Arlene if I could buy a container of table salt. It would have to do for the time being. She looked at me like I was some crazy ass, but she didn’t question my request and sold me the salt.
It took no more than ten minutes to get our food, container of salt and a bag of ice with a towel back to the library. I did a quick but heavy sprinkle of salt on the icy patch and then went inside.
The second I walked inside the office, our eyes locked together and the tightness formed in my chest. I liked the way her blond hair was all disheveled, let loose around her shoulders, looking as if she just out of bed after a night of being thoroughly fucked.My bed.
Cage it, Landry.You don’t want her scared away.
Her big blue eyes looked at me with surprise. She’d thought I wasn’t coming back. Hmm. That was odd. There was a small level of panic mixed with heavy dose of need shown bright acrossinher face, which had me pause in the doorway.
The way she licked the corner of her luscious bottom lip when she spied the bagged containers in my hands made me wish she were on her knees. An image of her lips wrapped around my dick made me groan inwardly. But I quickly pounded the lustful thought down with a sledgehammer.
Shit. What the fuck was I doing? I wasn’t here for a piece of ass. Charlie wasn’t that type—even though I wished she would be tempted to try. She was a good woman. Too good for me, that is. I just had to get over this attraction, wait out the car being fixed and then get the fuck out of Dodge.
I broke eye contact, and strode over to her side. “Here’s ice for your ankle.” I laid the bag on her foot and Charlie flinched from contact. “Sorry. Here’s lunch—my treat. It’s the least I can do for you getting hurt.” I placed the sack of food on the desk and stepped back. “I wish I could stay but I got a call from work, which takes precedence over lunch. It’s nice meeting you, Charlie and I hope you feel better,” I lied through my damn teeth. It was better that I stayed away from her.
I spun around and headed toward the door with purpose when Charlie scooted over to the desk and called out my name. I paused in the doorway and waited while the panic slowly grew in my chest.
“You’re going to make me eat by myself?” Charlie’s voice sounded kind of strangled.
As I looked over my shoulder I saw her smile. Warm and genuine, just like her. I liked the way she made me forget who I was. What did Clarissa call me…oh yeah, a fucking bastard.
However, the warmth from Charlie’s invitation spread through me, and I couldn’t ignore it, or her. “Fine. I guess I have a few minutes to eat.”
“Well, if work is more important…” She then mumbled something in a different language. I’m sure whatever Charlie had spouted was sarcastic. She looked away shaking of her head and began taking the Styrofoam containers out of the brown bag.
“What did you say?” I reached her side. “I couldn’t hear your mumbling. You know you have a bad habit of saying things under your breath and in a different language. If I didn’t think it was cute, I’d bend you over my knee and spank your ass for it.”
She gasped, dropping the container on the desk and planted both hands on her waist. “I’ll tell you right now Mr. Landry, I would never let you spank me. And two, it wasn’t meant for your ears.” She tilted her head back to look at me, and in that second I wanted to mold her to me and kiss the shock out of her until she pleaded for more.
“Are you always this combative?” I stared down at her with seriousness, but my insides were jumping with excitement at the idea of kissing this woman senseless—maybe fucking her senseless. An image of Charlie under me popped into my head. Naked and panting my name, while I fucked her to—
No, damn it. Sleeping with Charlie would only add complications. I was stupid to come here in the first place.
“Only around you,” she said, interrupting my thoughts.
I cleared my throat, grabbed a nearby chair and dragged it next to her. “Let’s eat.”
For the next thirty minutes, Charlie asked me all sorts of legal questions about government buildings and rights of people. She then dropped questions about Chicago and Los Angeles. I patiently answered them, between bites of hamburger. Then Charlie told me about her life, especially the time when she was eight and moved in with her grandmother after her parents died, and that drugs were involved in their demise.
Charlie had been lucky to have such a wonderful person like her Nana, who taught her that life was what you make of it. And look at her now. Strong, confident and so beautiful…inside and out. It was a shame she was surrounded by these half-filled shelves. With her talent—especially with languages—I saw more for her.
Then silence ensued. For the first time since I had left Chicago, with Charlie quietly eating the rest of her burger by my side, a soothing balm came over me for dour thoughts of my father, the death of my mother, the cost of my brother’s bond—my heart began to heal. And for the first time, in long while, I relaxed.
There were no words exchanged, but only the meeting of eyes melding into one confirmed need. Something inside me unhinged my tight restraints of my want for Charlie and I reached out and touched her cheek.
“Charlie.” That was all I got out.
In one fluid motion, I met Charlie halfway, our lips connected with such ferocity that I swore I was going to combust. Our kiss was all lips, tongue and teeth, tasting and nipping.
I’ve kissed many women, but I have never been this aroused and simply by her lips.
I had to have more of her, and trailed my hands along the buttons of Charlie’s powered blue shirt. One by one, I undid them until her lacy white bra grazed the back of my hands.
