“Yep, but it’s never too early to start harassing me about the next one.” Charlie pulls me into his house.
I laugh. “Does this mean everyone is going to be talking about us?”
“They’ve already been talking about us.” He shuts the door, and whatever the older woman was saying is drowned out. “Only difference is now they can talk about it to our faces instead of behind our backs.”
I stroll into the small entryway that opens into a large living room filled with original wooden molding, a stone fireplace with a TV above it, and walnut-colored built-in bookshelves lining one wall. The furniture is a rich, cognac leather that looks buttery soft, like it wants to be sat on. “This isn’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect?” He slides his fingers against mine.
When our hands entwine, it shivers over me. “I don’t know. I guess I expected it to be like a dude place.”
He tugs me toward the kitchen. “What’s a dude place?”
“You know, big black overstuffed furniture, one of those TVs that take up an entire wall, and a PlayStation.”
“I’m thirty-six, not twenty-six,” he says, tone amused.
I glance around the large room. “Is this the original woodwork?”
“It is. I had it restored when I bought the place.” He releases my hand and points to the refrigerator. “Do you want something to drink?”
“I’m good.” I lean against the large butcher-block island. “Do you cook?”
He comes to rest on the counter across from me. “I can make sure you don’t starve.”
I nibble my lower lip as a subtle tension thickens the air in the room.
I want everything all at once.
I want him to lay me down on the island. I want to know everything about him. I want to snuggle up on his couch. I want to eat dinner with him.
I tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. “I’m not sure what comes next.”
He studies me, casually reclined against the counter like he is completely relaxed. “It’s been a stressful couple of weeks for you.”
Unsure where he’s going with this, I furrow my brow. “It’s over and done with.”
“Yet you’re still jumpy.”
I shrug.
“You’re not relaxed.”
Another shrug. I’m all for being honest, but I’m not about to tell him I’ve obsessed about this for weeks, and now that it’s here, I’m at a loss.
He straightens, closing the distance between us, before caging me between his body and the island. “I want you to let me take care of it.”
I’ve coveted being alone with him, and now that I am, nerves dance in my stomach. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
His eyes grow dark. “I’ve let you be in charge since you bulldozed your way into town, and all you managed to do is fuck it up.”
“Hey!” I push at his chest.
Not budging an inch, he’s a brick wall. “Now you’re going to do something different.”
“I’m not going to let you be in charge all the time.” No matter how desperate I am, it’s hard for me to give up the struggle.
“Not all the time. But now until I think you’ve had enough.” He crowds me further, the heat of his body warming my skin. “We’ve fought the battle, and we’re still standing. Negotiations are over. Now you’re going to give me what I want.”
