Chapter Twenty-seven

Owen

“You…you should get some rest,” I tell her, forcing myself to break away. I help her pull the t-shirt over her head and then untuck the sheets. She nestles down into the covers and reaches for me.

“Will you stay with me?” she asks, brows pinched together. “I’m not too drunk to know I like having you with me.”

“Of course.” I kiss her forehead and get up to get her water. My cock is still hard and throbbing against my jeans. Charlie is in my bed, wearing my t-shirt, and was all too willing to have sex.

I turned her down.

Hell has frozen over.

Pigs are flying.

I guess there’s a first for everything.

But I meant what I said. I care about Charlie too much to let her be a drunken hook-up. Burying my cock deep inside of her, feeling her pussy contract around it as she comes…fuck, I’m getting even harder just thinking about it.

I want to fuck her.

But I want to love her more.

I awkwardly go down the stairs and grab a water bottle from the kitchen. Charlie is almost asleep when I get back into the room. Setting the water on the nightstand next to the bed, I go into the bathroom, turn on the shower, and strip out of my clothes.

I grab my cock as soon as I step into the shower. All I have to do is think back to a few minutes ago, to the way Charlie felt up against me…the way she tasted, to get myself off. Coming brings me physical relief, but I’m still painfully unsatisfied.

Hot water streams down on me, and I stay in the shower for a few more minutes just to calm myself down. I almost had sex with Charlie, and I stopped it from happening.

Do I hate myself?

Are things going to be fucking awkward in the morning? She’ll leave, I’m sure.

“Fuck,” I mutter and turn off the water. Maybe I should have slept with her. At least I would have had one last time before she left for good. I dry off, brush my teeth, and then go back into the bedroom. I didn’t bring any clothes into the bathroom with me, so I wrap the towel around my waist again, shut off the bathroom light, and wait a beat before opening the door to let my eyes adjust to the dark.

Charlie is still in my bed and has rolled over onto her back. Her blonde hair is strewn about her face, and she has one hand up resting on the pillow above her head. She looks so peaceful and so innocent.

I did the right thing by not sleeping with her, even though it hurts. Letting out a sigh, I cross the room, put on a pair of boxers, and get into bed.

“Owen?” Charlie grumbles, not opening her eyes.

“Yeah, it’s me.”

She wiggles closer, feebly reaching for me. I move in next to her, taking her in my arms. Her head rests on my chest and she hooks one leg over mine.

“Thank you, Owen.”

*

For only the second time in my adult life, I wake up with a woman in my arms who I hadn’t had sex with the night before. And for the second time, the morning is nearly perfect.

“Careful,” I tell Charlie, who sits up fast. “You’re probably going to feel last night.”

Blinking, she looks at me and then down at herself.

“No, not that kind of feel,” I tell her.

“I know,” she grumbles and puts her head in her hands. “I remember everything.” She flops back down onto the pillow and turns to face me. Her cheeks redden. “Thank you, Owen.”

“For what? Taking care of your drunk ass?”

“For refusing to sleep with me.”

“That’s a first, isn’t it?” I smile.

Charlie reaches her hand out and takes mine. “It is.”

I suck in a breath and lace my fingers through Charlie’s. “I meant what I said last night.”

Charlie takes her other hand and runs it through my hair. “I know.” She pulls her lips over her teeth and snuggles a little closer. “And I did too.”

“You want to have sex?”

She laughs. “I do—”

I pull her onto me and put my lips to hers. Charlie laughs and moves so she’s on top of me, head resting on my chest.

“Not right now. I kind of feel like I might puke if I move too fast. Oh, shit!” She sits back up again. “What time is it?”

I look past her at the time on the cable box. “Seven-thirty.”

She lays back down and groans. “I have to be at work in less than an hour.”

“I don’t need that much time.”

“Owen,” she starts and sits up again, running her fingers down my chest. Her touch sends tingles through me, and my dick starts to rise. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“If you’re taking back wanting to have sex, then you need to stop touching me. You have no idea how hard it is to resist you, Char.”

She smirks. “I do know how hard it is.”

“Ohhh, a dick joke. Nice.”

“I learned from the best.” She lies down next to me again and I take her in my arms.

“Then what did you mean?”

“I don’t really know,” she admits. “But I do know you make me happy and being with you feels…feels good.”

“I can make it feel better.”

“Can we just start with this?” She pats my chest.

“Snuggling and keeping it all above the waist?” I raise my eyebrows. “You’re not going to make me wait three years to get into your pants again, are you?”

“Make it four.”  She sits up again and rubs her eyes. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”

“Maybe you’re still a little drunk. Or sexually frustrated. I can help you with that.”

Laughing, she grabs the water bottle from the nightstand and twists off the cap. “Do you work today?”

“I do.”

“All night?”

“No, I’m opening this morning and I’ll be home by five or six.”

“That’s a long day.” She takes a big drink of water.

“It is. But I own the place. Co-own, sorry. Logan gets his panties in a bunch if I leave the coout of it.”

“I’m going to take you out on a date tonight.”

“Where are we going?” I push up on my elbows.

“It’ll be a surprise.”

I bring my hand to my chest in fake shock. “How will I know what to wear?”

She laughs. “I’ll buy you a fancy suit and send it to you in an overly ostentatious gift box.”

“If it doesn’t have a big red bow, I’m going to be disappointed.”

“And then my driver will pick you up at seven.” Still smiling, she leans in and puts her lips to mine. It’s a quick kiss, and she gets up and goes into the bathroom right after that. But hey…I’ll take whatever I can get.

Because this is all I need. My second chance to prove to Charlie that I’m serious this time around. She’s all I’ve ever wanted, and now she’ll know it.