Charlie's Last Stand (6 page)

Her eyes roamed over his body. Even in lacrosse shorts and a
ratty old t-shirt, he was drool-worthy. But he wasn't hers. Before she could
turn away to shut off the television, she noticed the phone in his hand.

Her heart clenched at the thought of him worrying about her
enough to hold on to the phone. She gave a quick look to the clock on the cable
box. There was still time. She could quietly wake him, let him know that she
was home safe, and go to her own bed, heartsick and ready to move on.

Or she could give it one last chance. She could take Di's
direct approach and see where things ended up.

She kneeled down beside the couch. Her eyes fixed on his
lips. In sleep, they looked so soft, so perfect. She leaned over him but was
careful not to touch his body.

She hovered a mere inch above him. His breath lightly
brushed against her before his eyes suddenly opened. Her blood pounded through
her, her heart raced and she couldn't move.

She watched as his face went from confused to suddenly
determined. His hand reached for the back of her head and dragged her down to
him.

The first touch of lips sent her body into overdrive. Just a
light touch and then he was deepening the kiss. His tongue slid across her lips
before she opened her mouth and he slipped inside. His grip tightened on her
hair while his other hand wrapped around her waist and pulled her on to him.

Every nerve in her body lit up as he rubbed his hands over
her back and down to her ass. He squeezed and brought her harder against him. “Charlie.”

She pushed up on her hands and looked into his face. Sleep
was gone and in its place, desire flared in his eyes. He brushed her hair off
her face but kept his hold on her. “Happy New Year.”

“Happy New Year.” She stayed still, unsure if she should lay
her weight on top of his.

In the end, he made the decision for her by pulling her down
and bringing her lips to his again. He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth
before letting go to focus on her neck.

Little shocks traveled through her body as he nibbled and
then kissed below her ear. “Do you know how long I've dreamed of this?”

She gasped and finally had the strength to pull away from
him. “You've dreamed of me?”

He blinked and a warm smile crossed his face. “Over and over
again.”

He tried to pull her back to him but she straightened and
rose off the couch. “No, you haven't.”

He followed her until he was standing in front of her. “Yes,
I have.” His hands moved to cradle her face. His blue eyes locked on to hers
and she could do nothing but stare at him. “I had it all planned out, Charlie.
You were going to decide you were ready to date again and then I'd be there,
ready to snatch you up.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

“I didn't know how to. I knew Max hurt you and I wanted to be
sure you were ready.”

“For how long, Chris?”

His thumb rubbed across her cheek. “How long would I have
waited?”

“No. How long have you felt this way?”

His heart was beating out of his chest. Waking up to Charlie
only inches from him was like every other dream he'd had for years. But her
taste was sweeter, the reality more amazing than anything he could make up. He wanted
more of it.

The talking could wait. He tried to kiss her again but she
evaded him, stepping out of his reach.

“Chris, how long?

“Forever. Years? What does it matter?”

She panted softly, still out of breath from their kisses. “It
matters to me.” She ran a hand through her tousled curls. “How could you let me
walk out of here with Rob?”

“Let you? You think I let you walk out of here.” He paced a
few steps before returning back to her. “You have no idea.”

“No idea?” Her eyes were no longer clouded by lust.

He’d been the one to suffer, watching her walk away again
and again. “Charlie, I've had practice. Watching you marry that tool was the
hardest thing I've ever had to do.” He reached for her hands, his fingers
intertwining with hers. “No, the hardest thing was watching you try to change
to make him happy.”

She shook her head. “You always seemed too busy to even
realize I was there.”

He swallowed, fighting with himself to tell her everything,
to give her the words she was clearly wanting to hear. He'd be leaving himself
open to her pity too. After all, he'd been the one pining away for her through
a marriage and a divorce. “I was never too busy for you. I told myself that
we'd have plenty of time after I was done with school. I didn't realize you
wouldn't always be there until you weren't.”

“I can't believe this.” Her eyes searched his. Hopefully,
she found whatever answer she was looking for. “But you didn't like my dress
today.”

One step closer and he let go of her long enough to gather her
hair away from her neck. His need for her overwhelmed him. Maybe they had a lot
to talk about but he wasn't going to spend one more minute without kissing and
touching her.

He started on her jaw line. He dropped kisses as he spoke. “I
loved the black dress but I didn't love the idea of you wearing it for anyone
else.”

She stepped out of his embrace. Her voice soft, unsure when
she spoke. “I wore it for you. I went shopping for you. I even bought underwear
for you. And you said I looked like I was going to a funeral.”

His mind had completely blanked at the thought of Charlie
buying underwear but by the way she was looking at him, he knew his next words
were going to determine whether he'd ever get to see them. “I was jealous
and...” he put his hands up, “disappointed. You ruined my plans and I was off
my game.”

“What plans?”

“My New Year's plan to convince you that you were ready to
date.”

“By telling me that I was dressed unprofessional for work?”

“Not one of my finest moments.” He went to touch her again
but she stepped away from him.

“You mean it? You like me like that?”

He couldn't help but laugh at her question. My God, it was
so much more than that. He was tired of talking. They could talk later. This
time, he got a firm grasp on her wrist and reeled her in. Her gaze never left
his until her eyes drifted shut when he was just a breath away from her lips.
“Yes, I like you like that.”

He released her to grab her hips. Perfect. It was all he
could think as she fit against him and his mouth settled on hers. Her tongue
swiped across his lips sending him reeling. He slipped his hand under her shirt
and glided across her soft skin.

On the couch, he had only a small taste of her. Bewildered
by the feel of her on top of him, his mind had raced at the wonder of it all.
Now he savored every bit of her. From the way her body felt against him to the
softness of her lips on his. Everything about her was more than he imagined and
he wanted all of it.

His fingers roamed over her midriff and up to her beautiful
breasts. He took his time and traced the lace of the bra she picked out for
him. So hungry for her, he could barely stop himself from tearing it off her.

Her little moans drove him crazy and so he set about making
her moan a little more. He tasted her lips over and over and then he moved to
her ear, then the spot below that made her actually groan.

He let the fingers of his left hand tangle in her hair while
he explored her body with his right. He squeezed her breast once before gliding
one finger below the lace and over her nipple. She jolted and suddenly she was
out of his arms and standing several feet away.

He took a few deep breaths and tried to calm his body's
response to her. She looked so rumpled. Her shirt raised at the hem so that he
could see a little sliver of skin. Every part of her tempted him. Her bright
pink cheeks. Her kiss-swollen lips. As she reached up to smooth her hair back
into a pony tail, he took in every detail.

When he took a step closer, she stopped him with her hands. “We
can't do this here. I can't do this here.”

His stomach plummeted. He hadn't read the last ten minutes
wrong. She'd been into him. A woman didn't admit to buying underwear for a guy
unless she planned on seducing him and he'd been very ready and willing to be
seduced.

And yet she was calling it quits already. He ran a hand over
his face and pulled his focus off his arousal and on to Charlie. If she wanted
to wait, then he’d wait. As uncomfortable as that would be for him, he’d do
whatever she needed.

****

She had to remind herself that it was Chris in front of her.
The guy with the sexy body and the half-lidded eyes was one of her best friends
and her boss and the guy she'd been dreaming about for far too long.

“Are you going to regret this tomorrow?” She had to know
before they did what she was pretty sure they were about to do.

“Charlie, the only thing I could possibly regret is not
touching or kissing you again.” He took a hold of her hand and pulled her into
him. “This isn't a friends with benefits thing. I want you in every possible
way. I don't want to have to watch you walk off on another date. No more sexy
black dresses at work when I have to struggle with keeping my hands off you.”

His words sent ripples of need over her. He wanted her and
it sounded as if it was almost as much as she wanted him. “No more Doctor High
Heels, no more charity events where I have to watch every woman in the room
flirt with you, no more patients with wandering hands and eyes and wondering
which one will finally win you over.”

He nodded. She felt her confidence flare. The day might not
have gone the way she'd planned. The evening was almost a dismal failure but
the night was going to be exactly what she'd dreamed.

This time when she stepped away from him, she kept his hand
in hers and started for her room. The kids were on the other side of the house
and upstairs. Her brother and sister-in-law were out for the night and she
couldn't find one more obstacle to finally getting to know Chris's body.

As soon as they were through the door, she shut it and spun
around to face him. Kisses weren’t nearly enough. The feel of Will so close
didn’t lessen her urgency for him. She slipped his sweatshirt off and then let
him ditch the grey t-shirt underneath. His skin was warm, the muscles
underneath solid. His hands were making their own travels over her body. It was
driving her crazy. She needed to focus and fully enjoy having Chris finally
within her grasp. With one hand she pushed him down on to her bed and dropped
down to her knees.

He reached for her but she snuck out of his grip. She slid
her hands into his waist band and moved the shorts down his muscular legs.

Her eyes fastened on the black boxer briefs exposed
perfectly to her as he lounged against the comforter. It took extreme will
power to pull her focus back to his face. Chris was there, right in front of
her. Somehow the reality was so much more than she ever dreamt. He was
beautiful and for the first time, she could show him exactly how she felt about
him.

How did she end up in her bedroom, this gorgeous man
sprawled out in front of her, ready for anything she wanted? It was everything
and none of what she'd planned for in the last few weeks. She looked down at
her clothes. It wasn't the black dress that finally hooked him. She had no idea
what was but she was going to wring every bit of enjoyment out of tonight and
leave the angst and analysis for another day.

“Charlie,” his voice was husky, his breaths heavy with need.

She let her hair fall free of the ponytail and pulled her
jeans off. Chris’s response filled her with a power she hadn’t expected. He
wanted her and it only made her desire burn hotter. His eyes were serious as
they roamed over her, stopping once on her breasts and then again at the black
lace she still wore.

Suddenly he was on her. He lifted her and kissed her again
while his hands trailed over her. “Your body is amazing.” He slipped his hands
into her panties and pushed them down. Once they were off, he rolled her over
until her back hit the bed and she looked up into his face. Her legs wrapped
around his waist, intent on pulling him as close to her as possible. She moaned
when he lined them up perfectly.

“Slow down. We have all night.” He nipped her chin and
growled when she rolled her hips.

“Exactly, all night. Why wait when we can do this again?”

He sucked in a breath. “Condoms. Please tell me that was
part of your plan.”

“A girl can't be too prepared.” She leaned over and dragged
her work bag to the bed. There were a few in her makeup bag. An optimistic move
from the morning.

He followed her moves and smiled. “That’s the bag you bring
to the office.”

She nodded as she handed him the little foil packet.

“So not the bag you took on your date?” He rolled back on
top of her but she placed her hands on his chest to push him off. He didn't
budge.

“Do you really think I'd sleep with someone on the first
date? Especially when I’m crazy about you.”

“Nope, I just didn't realize what a sex kitten I have
working for me. Condoms in the work place? That's pretty risqué.” He dipped
down to kiss her shoulder.

She tilted her chin as he kissed his way to her mouth. “I
wanted to be prepared, just in case you suddenly decided you were head over
heels in love and couldn't keep your hands off me.”

She gasped when his fingers trailed over her, hitting each
one of her sensitive spots. He came back to her mouth and kissed her deeply.

“There was nothing sudden about it, Charlie. We might have a
problem though. I don't know if I'll ever be able to keep from touching you
again.”

“I don't think I want you to ever stop.”

A wicked grin stretched across his face. “Good.”

****

The feel of her body kept him up for an hour after she'd
already fallen asleep. He wanted to memorize the little sounds she made in her
sleep, the way she burrowed into him.

Eventually, he settled enough to fall asleep but only a few
short hours later a soft knock on the door woke him. He rolled over,
reluctantly giving up his hold on Charlie to get out of bed. He'd thrown on his
shorts last night when they'd checked on the kids and the door was only
partially closed. He saw Will through the open door.

Chris made sure Charlie was still asleep and then slipped
through the door. “Hey.”

“I don't want to know. Just tell me whose car is parked in
my driveway.”

“Oh, long story. Charlie had to drive herself home in Rob's
car last night.”

Will quirked his head. “Something wrong?”

“Like I said, long story. He was too sick to drive her home.”
He leaned against the wall. “What are you already doing home?”

“Sue was getting antsy to check on the kids.”

The door opened and Charlie stumbled out, only half-awake.
She walked directly into his side and laid her head on his chest. “Everything
okay?”

Will looked from him to her and back again. “Looks like it.
I'll just...check on the kids again.” He walked away without another word.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him back into her room. She
shut the door behind her. “I guess that went okay.”

“Your brother will get used to us. Everyone will.” He let
her push him back onto the bed and smiled when she straddled him.

“Maybe not everyone. I'm not sure how Dr. High Heels is
going to take the news that you are off the market.”

A small glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes kept him from
fully enjoying the feel of her body against his. He had to set her straight. “Charlie,
I've never had any interest in Celeste.”

“But you were talking about merging and she brought you
lunch and ruined the surprise I had for you.” Her bottom lip stuck out and he
wanted nothing more than to suck it into his mouth.

But first, he wouldn't let Charlie think there was any
moment he wasn’t completely heart-sickeningly devoted to her. “It was strictly
business, Charlie, I swear.”

Her eyes widened, “Really?”

He surged up, demonstrating how very serious he was. “Absolutely.”

Now that that was settled, he intended to enjoy another
taste of Charlie.

Her hair hung down around her face as she leaned down to
kiss him. She stopped an inch above him “Are you really going to merge the
practice with hers?”

Whatever conversation they didn't have last night was not
going to wait. He rolled them over until she was on the bottom. Charlie was his
and it was time he made that very clear to her.

“Let's get this out there.” He propped up on his elbow and
pushed some of her hair from her face. “I love you, Charlie.”

Her eyes softened and she opened her mouth to speak but he
laid a finger on her lips.

“I've loved you forever. I've never been interested in
Celeste and I wouldn't even have listened to her offer on merging our practices
if it wasn't for you.” Her lips moved against his finger but he didn't move it.
“I want you to be happy. I know you haven't been yourself the last few weeks
and I wanted to give you an out if you needed it.” A sharp pain had him
snatching his finger back. She had actually bit him.