That does it. I can’t hold on any longer, and based on the long moan coming out of her, I’d say Charley can’t either. My hand tightens around my cock as my balls tighten up to my body, and a moment later, I explode. Thick ropes shoot out, covering my hand and my stomach, pleasure soaring through every inch of my body as Charley’s cries fill my ears. Fuck, how I wish I really was inside her. Her body against mine. Our sweat mingling as my cock emptied inside of her. Filling her.
For a minute, neither of us says anything as we work on catching our breath. I’m covered in my own cum, and I know I need to get up and get a rag to clean it up before it dries, but I don’t want to. Not yet. Because as soon as I do, I know the moment will be over. Reality will set in, and Charley will probably regret it. I’m not ready for that.
“Don’t hang up,” I say quietly.
“I’m not.” The exhaustion is evident in her voice.
“And don’t regret it.”
“I don’t,” she says, and while she may mean it now, I’m sure she will come morning.
Charley falls asleep first. I can hear her even breathing through the phone, and it reminds me of the night of that party, when I brought her back to the loft above my parents’ garage. I fight sleep for as long as I can, wanting to soak in as much of this moment as I can, but eventually, I lose the fight.
When I wake up a few hours later to my alarm, the line’s been disconnected, but there’s a text waiting for me.
Charley: The next time you find yourself missing me, please don’t call, Graham. We’ve both moved on from that time in our life, and you have Megan now. Even if you’re broken up, we both know you’ll get back together. She’s who you should be with. I want you to be.
I knew it was coming, but it still stings.
I’ve been in love with Charley for as long as I can remember. When she ended things in high school, claiming being with me would destroy her friendship with my sisters, I fought it. Maybe not as hard as I could’ve, but I did. And for a few months, we continued to talk, even after she’d left for college. Then one night, similar to tonight, she told me we needed to stop. Told me it was time for her to move on with her life. Time for us to meet other people.
So, I did.
It always felt like I was biding time, though. Like I was waiting for the moment we could finally be together, the time I would finally tell her I love her, that I’ve always loved her. But that moment never happened, and I think I owe it to myself to finally let myself truly move on. I can’t be the guy who waits around for the girl who has no interest in me. Charley’s made that pretty damn clear over the years, but somehow, I’m finally seeing it now.
I have to let her go.
20
Charley, 24 weeks
“Can you restock the gauze and bandages in the rig before you leave?”
“Yeah, of course.” I smile at Casey, my new co-worker and the one I’ve been shadowing for the past few days.
Tonight marks the end of my first week as an EMT. I’m still on cloud nine that I passed my exams and am actually here, doing this. I’ve loved every second of the last week, and even though the job is way more work and a hell of a lot more time on my feet than my front desk gig at the inn, which I expected, and I’m hurting everywhere, even in places I didn’t even know could be sore, it’s absolutely worth it.
But I can’t lie… I’m thrilled to have the next four days off because your girl isexhausted.Although, I don’t know how much rest I’ll be getting because I promised Georgia I’d go with her to a book convention this weekend. We leave bright and early in the morning, and I’m already kind of regretting agreeing to go. The idea of hauling ass through the airport, then being on my feet and on the go all day for two days straight, sounds likemy personal version of hell. Graham also didn’t seem too thrilled about it when I told him, though I don’t know why.
After I grab the supplies, I climb in the back of the ambulance—or therig, as everybody here calls it—and make sure everything is stocked before going to the lockers and grabbing my stuff. On my way out, I stop by my supervisor, Trent’s, office. The door is open, and as I walk in, he glances up from his computer.
“Charley, hi. Come on in.” Trent gestures toward the chair on the other side of his desk.
“Hey, I was about to head out, but wanted to see if you needed anything before I go?”
He shakes his head. “Nope, you’re good to go. But tell me, how has it been this week? I’ve heard nothing but excellent things about you from the team.”
“Aww, well, that’s nice to hear,” I say. “It’s been great. Everybody has been nice and welcoming, and I’m excited to learn more.”
“Glad to hear it. Enjoy your time off, Charley. I’ll see you next week.”
Starting a brand-new job, especially one as demanding as this one, more than halfway through a pregnancy probably isn’t the most common move, but I couldn’t wait to get started. I was a little nervous about being hired for the job, for that very reason, but luckily, I know the woman in the Human Resources department, and she was able to get things moving along. I’d imagine my teammates were surprised when I showed up for my first shift with a baby bump, but nobody has said anything, other than Casey asking when I was due and if I knew the sex, and telling me she had her third baby last year.
Unlocking my car, I slide into the driver’s seat and start the engine. I blow out a deep breath, exhaustion washing over me. The only thing I have in mind for this evening is a nice bubblebath and my bed. It’s almost eight by the time I park in the driveway, and as soon as I do, Graham rushes out of the shop and waves. He’s not wearing a shirt, and I can see the sweat glistening all over his skin from here, and I can’t even bite back the groan that comes up my throat.
Of fucking course, he’s not wearing a shirt.
Lately, I’ve been going out of my mind. I’m always horny, and nothing seems to help. No matter how many times I get myself off, it never leaves me feeling sated. These pregnancy hormones are no joke, and it’s a cruel and unusual punishment that I’m currently not having consistent sex because it’s all I can think about. It doesn’t help that Graham looks likethat. He’s so damn attractive all the time, and so sweet. Being around him at all is hard, and in turn, it’s putting me on edge around him, which isn’t fair, butgod, I’m so sexually frustrated.
