Twelve
Axel
Icould still feelthe softness of Charlie’s lips on mine long after the kiss broke.I didn’t want to pull away from her, but I also knew that nothing good could come from crossing that line.Charlie wasn’t some single woman whom I could make a move on.She was a pregnant woman on the run from her husband and the assholes he fucked over, who were now trying to kill her and take her baby.
Charlie had rolled over and fallen asleep right away—or at least she was pretending to.I couldn’t quite tell and didn’t want to be a creep by getting too close to check.We both needed space to process what just happened, even though I wasn’t quite sure that either of us had regretted it.Was it wrong?Yes.Did it feel right?Also, yes.There was no denying the chemistry that lingered long after the kiss broke.We both felt it; that was obvious.
I hadn’t been lying when I said I would protect both her and her sweet baby.I would die before I let anything happen to them.But it made it difficult for my heart because deep down, I knew that I couldn’t love them the way I wanted toandkeep them safe.I needed to stay alert and constantly aware of who was coming through town, which meant I couldn’t afford to let myself get distracted.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, trying to list all of the reasons why Icouldn’tallow myself to fall in love with her.No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t think of any because deep down, I knew that loving her was the best way to protect both of them.
The next morning, Charlie was still sleeping when I got up and got ready.The meteorologist had miscalculated when the brunt of the storm would hit, which happened early this morning when a loud thud woke me up.I got up to check it out and found that a tree had collapsed outside under the weight of the snow.The power went out, leaving the room freezing cold.I didn’t want to risk waking Charlie, so I’d added as many warm blankets as I could to our bed without smothering her.
As I was getting dressed, I heard her stirring.I shivered in the t-shirt I had put on, then took it off and put on a long-sleeved thermal shirt underneath.I had hoped it would be warmer this morning, but I was apparently wrong.
Typically, I would have gone into the bathroom to change, but since Charlie was still asleep, I decided to change right there, since it would be quick and I didn’t want to risk waking her if the bathroom door stuck.I had just pulled my head through the shirt when I looked down and found Charlie’s heated gaze on my body as I slowly lowered the fabric down my stomach before shoving a hand through my hair.
“Sorry.I thought you were asleep,” I said softly as I grabbed the t-shirt and hung it up.
“I was.The baby decided to wake me up with a hard kick.Apparently, she didn’t want me to miss the show,” Charlie teased, a flirty smile playing at her lips.
“The show?”I asked, my grin a little too wide as a rush of pride flowed through me.“I would hardly call that a show.”
If she wanted a show, I could definitely give her one and make it well worth it.
“I mean, I’m not complaining.It’s not every day that the hot bartender whoownsthe bar and the apartment upstairs shows off that he’s hiding a full six-pack under those t-shirts he wears.Talk about life not being fair.”She sat up and continued smiling at me.
“Jo told you about the bar, didn’t she?”
“No, it was actually Ashley.But why didn’t you tell me?”
I shrugged as I pulled a hoodie over my head and looked at her.She looked beautiful with her hair messy from sleeping.
“I didn’t think it was important.My only concern was to give you someplace warm and safe to stay,” I replied, shoving my hands into the pocket of the hoodie.“But it seems I’m failing on the warm side.”
“We knew the storm would be bad.It’s not like you could have done anything different.Plus, you provided a mountain worth of blankets, so I think we did just fine.”
