AllFreeNovel
Share Us
o long your mom or someone else might see me going back to my room.”
Jake shrugged. He didn't see why that should matter. “I doubt it, but so what? We're all adults.”
“Your mom wouldn't even let Dylan and Callie share a room.” Charlie threw him a look that would probably stop most people in their tracks. It didn't faze him though. Actually he found it cute and couldn't help but say so.
“You're adorable when you do that.” He reached for her before she could comment and pulled her under him, silencing any retort with a kiss.
At first Charlie held herself stiff with her hands still clutching the sheet and her lips pressed tightly together. After a little coaxing she relaxed under him, and her arms looped around his shoulders.
“Don't go. Stay a little longer.” Jake trailed a hand down her side to her waist. He felt her quick intake of breath. She's going to stay. A sense of pure male satisfaction surged through him.
Charlie shook her head. “Can't. I don't want anyone to know I spent the night here.” Disappointment laced her words.
“My family probably assumes we're sleeping together anyway. It's not like they think I'm a monk.” The words passed his lips and he knew it'd been the wrong thing to say.
Nice going. Next to him Charlie eyed him. Without even asking he imagined Charlie was envisioning every headline and every picture of him ever printed. Time for some damage control, he thought.
“Come on Charlie. I'm twenty-eight. They know I'm not a virgin. The media has made sure of that.”
She didn't get out of bed, but she didn't make any move to continue their earlier activities either. Instead Charlie continued to study his face as if looking for some hidden answer. “I know that.” Her voice was confident but soft.
Once again he found himself cursing the media and the false picture it painted of him. Sure he dated, but the playboy they made him out to be didn't exist. In truth it never had.
“Really don't worry about my mom. She wouldn't say anything to you even if she did see you leaving my room. She'd come to me.”
Charlie narrowed her eyes at him, and he suspected that she was deciding whether or not she believed him. After what seemed like an eternity, she relaxed next to him.
“I still don't want anyone to see me going back to my room.” Leaning over, she kissed him on the cheek. “I'll see you downstairs at breakfast.”
He decided not to force the issue. More than anything he wanted her to be comfortable this weekend. If being seen leaving his room would embarrass her, it was best to avoid it. If possible anyway. Even if she left now there was no guarantee she'd make it back to her room without someone seeing her in the same dress as the night before.
Jake didn't point this fact out to her. Instead he remained silent, content to watch her get dressed. Unlike many of the women he dated, she wasn't stick thin. She looked toned and healthy with curves in all the right places. He could stay here all day and look at her.
“How about we spend some time on the water today then head downtown for dinner?” Jake folded his arms behind his head and leaned against the headboard. He figured a day on his sailboat would give them some privacy from the members of his family who planned to stay in Newport for the week. So far, except for the hours they'd spent in his room, they hadn't gotten much alone time and tomorrow they were headed back to Massachusetts.
Charlie zipped up her dress then checked her reflection in the mirror. “Sounds good.” After running her fingers through her hair she turned toward the bedroom door. “See you in a little while.”
An unexpected twinge of disappointment shot through Jake's chest and he couldn't stop himself from getting out of bed to stop her. “What no goodbye kiss?” He tried to keep his voice teasing as he reached for her.
“Thought I already gave you one,” Charlie answered stepping into his embrace.
Jake didn't argue. Rather he set about giving her a kiss designed to make her regret her decision to leave.
***
“So what do you do when you're not rebuilding towns after a disaster?” Charlie asked as they walked down Deblois Street later that afternoon.
Jake heard the gentle teasing underlying her words and decided to play along. “Mostly chase women in my fast cars. You'd be surprised how fast a woman wearing a pair of Prada heels can run.”
Charlie laughed. It was a rich full laugh and Jake thought it suited her perfectly. A laugh like that couldn't be faked. It was genuine, just like everything else about her. Perhaps that was what drew him to her. There didn't seem to be anything false or contrived about Charlie. What you saw was what you got.
“I wouldn't know. They don't exactly go with my uniform and I doubt they would be comfortable for doing my rounds.” Charlie stopped in front of an art gallery window where several paintings sat on display. Though each depicted a different landscape they all captured life in New England during one of its four distinct seasons.
“Seriously what kinds of things do you work on when you're not out in the field?”
She didn't look at him when she asked the question. Rather she seemed focused on one particular painting in the window which featured a family of four on a picnic. From the city painted in the background there was no mistaking it as a park somewhere in Boston. Although a nice painting, Jake didn't see what made it so interesting to her.
“Administrative business. Fundraising. Follow up on projects. The budget.” Jake turned away from the glass window, more interested in looking at her rather than the art on display. “Do you want to go in and look around? You seem really interested in that painting.”
