“Huh?”
His smile drew wider. “Yeah.”
I shoved playfully at his chest. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Charles shrugged. “It means forget the cards. Let me try that again.”
With both hands, he pulled my hips against his. When his lips met mine again, they were hungry, our breathing becoming deep and rushed. I pulled us toward my room as we fumbled through the doorway, each step increasing my impatience. Maybe it was those mulled ciders, or just the way he smelled, but I felt my entire body flush with urgency. And as his mouth became more forceful against mine, I knew he felt the same need.
Charles walked me toward the bed, where I crawled backward to the headboard. He sat back on his heels a moment and pulled his shirt over his head. His smooth, chiseled chest heaved with each breath. My eyes wandered down his abs to the drawstring tied at the top of his pajama pants as he leaned over me, parting my legs.
“Your eyes have a little green in them,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine.
It was the strangest thing to say, and yet somehow romantic. Disarming. I rarely felt so seen by another person.
As our tongues met, I untied his drawstring then dragged my hands over his abs, skimming soft skin and the firm ridges of his muscles.
His lips explored my neck, my chest, as I melted into his touch and surrendered to the moment. I let him lift my T-shirt over my head and watched his eyes sweep over my naked form. His gaze was admiring, almost reverent.
“You’re staring,” I said, excited and still a little nervous.
“Can you blame me? You’re gorgeous.”
Again, our mouths met, and I had the oddest sense of familiarity with him. The way our tongues anticipated each other wasn’t like two strangers, but lovers reunited. He hitched my leg up around his hips and pressed himself between my legs, letting me feel his erection. My head sunk deeper into the feathery pillows while my hands learned the ways his muscles flexed in his back. I felt his heart beating against my chest like an echo.
His warm mouth left mine to seek my breasts, palming one in his hand while his tongue teased the other. He took his time to stir my nerves into a frenzy of anticipation, while I clung on to anything I could find. His shoulders. His hair. Hands fumbling for purchase to steady myself, like going over the peak of a rollercoaster. Weightless.
When Charles raised his head from my chest, I tried to coax his lips back to mine. Instead, he slid lower, kissing between my breasts. He slowly grazed his mouth down my stomach, peppering the heated, sensitive skin with gentle kisses until he glanced up at me for confirmation, before hooking two fingers into the waistband of my underwear to pull it free of my legs.
I watched as he spread open my knees to settle between them, kissing a line down each thigh before meeting my center with his tongue. My eyes drifted shut while my hands clutched at the sheets and my hips rolled to meet every movement of his mouth. In those moments, I forgot myself entirely. For the first time in ages, nothing else mattered. Not London orACE. Not my dwindling bank account. Least of all the job I may not even have tomorrow. I was entirely consumed with Charles, with how he lured my body closer to ecstasy.
And when I couldn’t wait any longer, I pushed his pajama pants down to free him from the fabric, too impossibly turned on not to have him inside me. I took his hand, sucking one finger, then placing him between my legs to feel me. Charles groaned against my lips, moving his hand up and down softly and steadily. Then, when I bit his lip, he found my entrance and pushed forward, setting my body on fire.
Chapter 5
I jolted awake with the sunrise. Already I’d slept later than usual, and now I glanced over my shoulder to find a naked man nestled snugly under the covers beside me, sleepy bed hair falling over his forehead. Somehow, he was even more handsome this way. His eyes were closed, lips lightly parted, chest rising and falling with gentle breaths. But I couldn’t linger over the image. No matter how much I wanted to snuggle up under the sheets with him.
Grabbing my T-shirt off the floor, I scrambled out of bed and hunted for my phone. The screen lit up with a dozen texts and missed calls that had come in last night once I finally got cell reception again.
Megan:Don’t worry, I’m on it.
Megan:Glad you’re safe.
Megan:Update. Hawthornes are also delayed en route due to the storm.
Megan:They won’t arrive at the chalet until afternoon, pending road conditions. Family will want lunch waiting.
Megan:You can use the gate code to enter the property. Text me in the morning to let me know you’re alive.
Megan had sent over a code for the gate and a note that the property manager would meet me there. I was so relieved that I sunk to the floor at the foot of the bed and curled into a ball for a quick stress cry before I hauled myself up and into the shower.
Charles didn’t stir while I brushed my teeth and got dressed. I packed up my clothes and texted Megan to say that I’d got her messages and would be on my way as soon as I confirmed the roads were open.
“Hey,” Charles mumbled suddenly, sheets rustling as he sat up against the headboard. “Going somewhere?”
“Heading downstairs to ask if the roads are open yet. Stay as long as you need.”
He scratched at his scalp and rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Suppose I can head on back to my room.”
