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by C. A. Harms
Natalie came to me and asked me if I would be her traveling buddy. I didn’t hesitate, because after my last conversation with Brock, I felt I needed to see him.
It was uncontrollable, actually, and I’ll admit I had already been trying to figure out a way to get to him. So when she offered, almost as if she too was feeling the dire need to see her own man, just as much as I was eager to see Brock, I took the chance.
After parking, she quickly gathered the diaper bag, and when she unbuckled Luke, she moved toward the hospital faster than I could keep up.
She was determined, and her eagerness made me laugh. Of course, that only caused her to look back over her shoulder, trying to figure out what possibly could be so funny.
“What?” she asked, looking around yet still moving forward with purpose.
“Oh, nothing,” I said, trying to fight against my smile.
She didn’t waste another moment worrying about it as she rushed in through the revolving doors and walked straight to the front desk.
I think the young girl may have grown a little intimidated when she saw Natalie and me approaching. Natalie leaned against the counter, and the girl sat back in her chair to gain some further space.
“Can I help you?” she asked, looking between Natalie and me, over and over.
“My husband is here with his brother in law, who was brought in after a shooting.” Natalie spoke so fast even I had a hard time deciphering her words. But the girl seemed on point and used to this type of behavior.
I had to give her credit; she gathered the needed information from Natalie and began searching for Keith in the hospital database.
“He is on the third floor, room 316.” She pointed toward the hall to her left. “If you take this hall and use the North elevators to three, there will be a desk with an attendant through the double doors just past the waiting area. They’ll help you find the patient’s room.”
Natalie wasted no further time, rushing off toward the elevators; I took the time to thank the girl.
Nat was actually at the elevator holding the door open for me with a look that screamed, “What is taking so long?” I chose to ignore it and stepped inside without teasing her.
If this trip with Natalie had taught me anything, it was that when she was away from Adam, she got testy and impatient.
Luke started to fuss, and it gained my attention as Natalie held him close and swayed from side to side. “We’re going to see Daddy, bud,” Natalie told him as he wiggled and repositioned himself in her arms.
Again when the elevator arrived on the third floor, she moved like lightning.
I would have laughed or teased her in some way had I not seen what she was barreling toward.
We didn’t have to find room 316.
Adam was standing in the center of the waiting area surrounded by people I presumed to be most of his family, and there, only a few feet away, was Brock.
He saw Natalie and seemed surprised, but the moment Natalie pointed in my direction and his hand followed her movement, that early surprise turned to completed shock.
He moved toward me as I stood watching and waiting.
The moment he reached me, he spoke no words, only gripped my face in his hands and took my mouth in an eager kiss.
I placed my hands on his forearms to stabilize myself. “Baby,” he whispered before kissing me once again.
My heart raced.
“You’re here,” he said, resting his forehead to mine.
“Is that okay?” I asked, already knowing by his reaction that it was.
“It is more than okay,” he assured me.
I’d forgotten the moment his lips touched mine that we were not alone. I was self-conscious knowing we had an audience full of his family observing us.
Brock must have sensed my change in behavior as he reached out and took my hand in his. “Come meet everyone,” he said with a smile, dragging me toward them.
He placed his arm over my shoulders and held me close to his side as he introduced me to everyone who was looking at us, with matching smiles.
“Everyone, this is my girlfriend, Charlie.”
Chapter
Twenty-Six
Brock
Surprised didn’t even begin to describe my feelings when I looked up and saw Charlie standing just off the elevator. I never imagined that she would travel all this way to see me.
I was overwhelmed but in a good way.
And to see her mixed in amongst my family, the way they all accepted her, made me feel overjoyed. I could see the earlier nervous behavior she had slowly fade as she sat at the table in my sister’s kitchen and laughed with my mother, Natalie, and Lexi.
She was now part of the female clan in our family, and I loved seeing it.
She fit in, so well.
She belonged.
The sound of their laughter, the smiles on their faces, it was a welcome distraction from the seriousness of the last couple days.
Keith would have to undergo therapy, but he really was lucky.
It was a simple case of being at the wrong place when a crime was going down. Keith was caught in the crossfire, and it truly could have gone a whole different way.
Thank goodness for miracles.
Had we lost Keith, it would have left a gaping hole in our family, and I was unsure of my sister’s ability to recover from that loss. Their life, their love, it was something I’d hoped for one day, but never had I ever shared that.
Now with Charlie in my life, I was allowing myself to believe that one day it could be a possibility. One day far in the future, but not too far.
I was mid-drink and instantly broke out in a fit of coughing when I watched Charlie reach out and take Luke from Natalie as if it was second nature.
All eyes were now on me as I tried to regain my composure.
Charlie arched her eyebrow in question, but by the smirk on her face, she knew exactly what caused me to begin coughing in the first place.
“Um,” I said once I had relieved the ongoing tickle in my throat. “When did this happen?” I said, waving my finger in her direction.
She held Luke close to her, her hand stretched out over his back, the other curled securely under his bottom.
“I have no idea what you are referring to, Brock Nelson.” She taunted me with a happy look on her face. “Lucas and I are great friends,” she said, bouncing him just a little. “Aren’t we, little man?”
I noticed the smile on Natalie’s face and understood she most likely had a hand in this change. The girl had a great way of making it look as if her actions were completely innocent.
***
“I’m staying at the Drury Inn,” I whispered in Charlie’s ear as I stepped up behind her. Wrapping my arms around her from behind, I kissed the side of her neck. “Things got a little crowded here when Mom and Dad showed up, so Adam and I got a room.”
“Okay,” she responded as she tilted her head to the side, giving me better access to her neck.
Never until I met Charlie had I paid much attention to the alluring appeal of a woman’s neck.
But then again, every part of Charlie sent a surge of excitement through me. It was impossible to control. She was beautiful from the top of her head to the tips of her toes.
“I called and got a room in my name,” I told her, and instantly she smiled. “Natalie and Adam can have the other.” I kissed the soft skin behind her ear, and she shivered.
I loved the effect I had on her.
“Plus I’ve missed my girl and could really use some time alone with her.” My girl, she was definitely that. And I had no intentions of ever losing that.
Maybe it was the events that took place with Keith. Maybe it was seeing the love my sister held for him and watching as my family bonded together for support and love. Hell, I had no idea, but I just knew that what I was building with Charlie was something I had never experienced before.
I felt so fulfilled when I was with her.
So settled
.
“I’ve missed you, too,” she confessed as she looked back over her shoulder and paused, her lips only inches from mine. “I didn’t like being without you.”
That confession coming from Charlie meant so much.
She was always so independent. From the beginning, she was set in her own ways, needing no one, because she could handle it all on her own. But to experience her relying on me, fuck, nothing had ever felt more satisfying.
She turned and wrapped her arms around my waist, resting her hands on my lower back. The way she was looking at me, it made my chest ache but in the best kind of way.
“I’ve gotten so used to you being there,” she began again. “And until now, I never realized how much that meant. But it does, Brock; it means more than I could ever express.”
“I’ll always be here for you,” I told her, and I meant it. Charlie was so easy to be with. Yes, we were still getting to know one another. We were still learning what made each other tick or what irritated the other. At times, it could be frustrating, but I wouldn’t have changed it.
“What do you say we get out of here?” I asked her, feeling almost desperate to get her alone.
“That sounds like a perfect idea.” I could sense just by the tone she was using that she was feeling it, too. I leaned in, giving her one last kiss before hollering out for Adam, because Natalie’s rental would also be our ride.
Chapter
Twenty-Seven
Charlotte
You’d think that we’d parted for months instead of a couple days with the way we were ravishing one another. But I couldn’t get close enough; I couldn’t kiss him enough.
Brock seemed as if he was just as hungry for my touch as he pressed me firmly against the wall just inside our hotel room.
I could feel his hardness pressing against my stomach, which only heightened the excitement of the moment. My entire body felt as if it was on fire. Each moan, each whimper, only drove us both toward the next.
“Why does everything feel so extreme with you?” Brock whispered as he nipped at my neck. “Charlie, you are so perfect.”
Chills covered my neck, and I shivered as Brock reached beneath my shirt and cupped my breasts in his hands.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he cooed.
My mind was racing; I wanted more.
I pushed against his body, and he went with ease as I guided him toward the bed. Once he sat down, I continued to move toward him, straddling his lap. His eyes lit up with lust when I lifted my shirt over my head, and my breasts were now eye level.
My intention had been to take control, but that quickly faltered when he leaned in and placed his mouth over my left nipple. The feel of his tongue as he flipped it over the hardened bud mixed with the gentle scrape of his teeth over my sensitive flesh made my lower stomach tense.
I was so unbelievably turned on, I felt the heat throughout my entire body. Almost as if I was feverish.
Brock moved to my other nipple, and I moved my hips, gently applying pressure where I needed it most. He was so hard beneath me, and when he moaned, the humming sensation it sent throughout my breast was an amazing feeling.
I had tried my best to hold back, but each suck, each nip of his teeth, only made it that much harder.
“I need you,” I moaned as he gripped my hips and pushed upward, grinding his erection against me.
“I need you too,” he confessed, pressing against me once again.
Before I could do what I had intended to, Brock took matters into his own hands and flipped me over, quickly covering my body with his.
He was like an unstoppable force. He moved over my body, removing my clothing yet leaving no surface untouched.
I was writhing with such pleasure.
My mind was all over the place.
When Brock reached into his pocket to grab his wallet, I watched him close. It was erotic to see him sheath himself and then move over my body to position himself between my thighs.
The way he looked into my eyes when he situated himself at my slick opening and pushed forward with ease. Oh so slowly and tauntingly, he entered me, just barely, before pulling back.
Brock was good at teasing, and he knew it.
He did it often.
Using the tip of his cock, he glided over me once, twice, before pulling back and entering me once again. Only this time, Brock didn’t hold back.
He began to move within me, causing my back to arch.
“Yes,” I moaned. “So good.”
Good didn’t even begin to describe it, but at that moment, it was all I could think of.
“Unbelievable,” Brock whispered against my lips as he kissed me softly. “It gets better every time.”
We began to move in sync, looking into one another’s eyes. My chest tightened as my emotions tried to take over.
I loved this guy.
Absolutely without a doubt, I was in love with Brock Nelson.
And each moment I spent with him, that love only grew.
He was gentle and sweet but strong and in control when the situation called for it. I found that I loved all his aspects, even the bad, because they made up the man who held my heart.
***
I woke up to the sound of the shower running.
I stretched my arms above my head, arching my back to gain that last little amount. My body felt achy from my night with Brock but an ache I would never complain about.
I slipped from the bed and didn’t make any effort to cover my nakedness as I moved toward the bathroom. I stood in the doorway for just a moment, looking through the see-through curtain to see that handsome man behind it. His sculpted back and shoulders flexed as he moved his hands over his hair, rinsing the soap.
He was so gorgeous.
When I could no longer wait, I moved further into the bathroom and peeked around the edge of the shower curtain. “Do you have room for one more?”
Brock looked back over his shoulder. “Hey, baby,” he smiled. Not just a typical smile, though: I’m talking teeth and dimples.
He turned to face me, feeling completely at ease with his nakedness, and he had no reason not to; the guy was perfection. “There is always room for my girl.” He held out his hand, and I placed mine in his as he helped me inside.
He kept hold of me, moving me closer to him, until our chests were pressed firmly to one another’s.
“Why didn’t you wake me?” I asked as I placed my palms over his biceps. I loved how fit he was. So hard and mouthwatering.
“I was going to after my shower.” He kissed the corner of my mouth, and I closed my eyes, relishing in the sweet, simple gesture. “You just looked too sweet lying there, snoring softly.”
“I don’t snore,” I said, opening my eyes to look up at him.
He arched a brow, questioning my need to deny it.
I so snored, and at times it was soft and barely noticeable, but others not so much. I could compete with my father, and that man could shake the rafters at times.
When I was younger, I remember the times me and my sister would laugh when he would fall asleep in the recliner, his mouth hanging open slightly as he began snoring. The funny thing was each breath he took inward was only louder than the prior one.
And eventually he would reach the point where his body would jerk in surprise at how loud he had gotten, and he would wake himself up. The best part was when he would look around the room as if there was another type of commotion that woke him up other than his uncontrollable snore.
“Okay, so I snore,” I said with a smirk. “But you love it.”
The moment I said the words, I looked up at him and found he too had a look on his face that assured me he felt the change too.
I looked away quickly as I tried to find something to say to lighten the moment. I was so fearful of making something out of nothing.
But his words made my heart flutter.
“I do love it,” Brock said hoarsely.
I looked up once again, and
our eyes locked on one another.
“I love you,” he said more clearly. “I love all your quirky ways, everything about you.”
I started to respond, but Brock stopped me by pressing his lips to mine.
“You and I may not have had the best start. I know that I came across as an arrogant asshole, but that wasn’t entirely true.” He tilted his head to the side and offered that sweet smile of his. “It was mostly a show, but you saw through that. Maybe not at first, but you gave me a chance. And I fell for you so fast.”
“I fell too,” I said because I needed him to know.
“I love you, Charlie.” He leaned in and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” I told him just before he kissed me once again.
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
Brock
“A girl’s day?” I leaned back against the countertop and lifted the apple to my mouth. Taking a big bite, I watched as Charlie put away the dishes and moved around the kitchen.
“Yeah,” she said, stretching to place the plates in the upper cabinet. Her shirt rose as she got up on her tip toes and exposed her tight stomach.
Damn, my girl was sexy.
“Day, but actually I’d consider it more of late afternoon and evening.” She turned to face me. “Megan apparently is driving Radley nuts because she hasn’t had any time away since the baby. So he recruited Lexi to get her away for a while. They invited Natalie, and of course Natalie insisted I come along.”
“What do they have planned?” I asked.
She seemed happy about a night away, which was great. Well, not really, because all I was thinking was this was time she was away from me.
Call me stingy, but I didn’t want to give her up.
“Lexi wanted to do a spa day, hair, nails, the works. But Megan complained.” She busied herself once again unloading the dishwasher.
“Go figure,” I added. “Megan isn’t easy to please.”