Page 39 of Shadowing Charlotte
As her gaze fell on the towel around my waist, she laughed again. "Hold on…" she disappeared into the other room, the one I'd never been in, and returned a few minutes later. "I don't think Daddy will miss these." She tossed me a small pile of clothing, the belt buckle colliding painfully with my chest. "What size shoe do you wear, my love?" she called out, retreating once more.
"Eleven." There was a long moment of silence, and she returned with a pair shoes. "Fuck no…" They were hideous. Charlotte cocked her head to the side, grinning as she held them out expectantly. "No, really. I'd rather wear my soaked boots." A huff spilled from her lips, and she rolled her eyes.
"I have a pair of ten and a half!" she called out. "Sneakers!"
"I'll try them." I replied. I'd rather be uncomfortable all afternoon than wear those ugly ass shoes she'd brought me. When I was dressed, feeling slightly suffocated by her father's clothes, she grinned at me.
"You look hot…" she informed me, making me snort.
"I look like a fucking frat boy," I replied scathingly.
"What's wrong with that?" she asked, leaning against the doorframe and crossing her arms over her chest, the corners of her mouth twitching in amusement.
"Nothing, if I was a frat boy."
She rolled her eyes and shook her head, reaching for my hand.
"Come on… Stop whining," she said, lacing her fingers through mine as we walked through the house. Charlotte paused in the living room, rummaging through her purse.
I watched as she pulled her license and cash from her wallet and shoved them in her pocket, before opening her little contact case. "Shouldn't you…" She plucked out one of the contacts and slipped it between her eyelids. "…wash your hands?" I finished. She shrugged at me an unscrewed the other side, popping the second contact in. "Gross, Charlie."
"I'll take them out when we get back. Glasses are more comfortable, but I hate wearing them." I couldn't understand why. Charlotte looked adorable in her glasses.
Chapter thirty-three
Charlotte
Alexander and I held hands as we left the house, locking the door behind us. After so much time apart, it felt surreal to have him beside me again. A piece of my jagged, screwed up heart had been missing, and he filled the space so fucking easily. I leaned against his shoulder as we followed the drive down to the curb.
"I fucking knew it!" My hand dropped Alexander's at the sound of Adam's voice. "I knew you were fucking around behind my back!" Adam looked furious; his brown eyes nearly black as he glared at us. His blonde hair was damp, pushed back off of his face, as though he'd recently showered. I couldn't help but wonder if he had washed off someone else's perfume before coming to my house.
"Adam, please, can we not do this?" I asked, unable to hide my exasperation. "We aren't together anymore. It's been months."
"You think this is over just because you decided to fuck someone else?" he demanded angrily. Lex shifted, positioning himself slightly in front of me, shielding me from Adam's venomous words.
"I suggest you think this through and leave Charlotte alone…" Lex said, the threat evident in his tone. A sickening, amused smile stretched across Adam's face, making my heart rise into the base of my throat.
I tugged on Lex's arm. "Leave it alone. I can just call the police," I whispered, my grip tightening.
"Tell me, Lottie, does Daddy know what you've been up to?" Adam asked in a playful taunt, continuing to grin at me. My face grew warm, anger and embarrassment sprouting inside me. How dare Adam threaten me after what he had done.
"He knows that you fucking hit me. That you ruined my Jeep," I snapped back. How dare he use my father as some kind of threat after what he'd done?!
Adam scoffed and rolled his eyes. "The damages were already paid for, Charlotte. That's water under the bridge." He cocked his head to the side and stared at me like some kind of fucking meal.
"Nothing is 'water under the bridge,' Adam. You fucking hit me. I don't want anything to do with you." I clenched my hands into fists at my side. "Why don't you go fuck one of your other girlfriends? Don't tell me you don't have any."
"None of them matter to me, Charlotte. You do."
Lex snorted in disbelief.
"If you actually cared about Charlie, you wouldn't have struck her, you piece of shit." His words pulled a memory to the forefront of my mind. Lex had struck me, too, but that had been different. Heat coursed through me as I remembered the way he'd spanked me and fucked me in the dirt, a shiver sliding down my spine. "I'm going to tell you this one time, Adam," Lex sneered his name like a disease, "stay the fuck away from Charlie, or you'll regret it."
"Oh, Charlie, is it?" Adam smirked but his brown eyes burned with rage. "We'll see about that…" He turned and sauntered down the driveway shoving his hands into his pockets.
"I'm going to kill that motherfucker someday…" Lex muttered under his breath, sliding his hand around mine and giving it a reassuring squeeze.
"Don't say things like that, Lex," I whispered, lacing my fingers between his. The thought of anyone getting hurt on my account made me feel woozy.
