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I smile and continue to drag my hand through the pool. Movement catches my eye and I find a glowing purple succulent nearby. I stand and walk over to it and run my hand through the light. It doesn’t move like the pool did. Charlie sucks in a breath.
“What do you see?” he asks.
“A purple succulent. It’s glowing.”
“That’s me,” he says.
My brow furrows.
“Open your eyes, Liv.”
When I do, I stare in amazement. Charlie is in front of me, smiling with reassurance. But we’re no longer in the barn. We’re sitting in a field of glowing flowers in all colors and shapes. He holds his hands out and I take them.
“What is this?” I ask.
“It’s hard to explain. But it’s a safe place.”
“Another dream?”
He shrugs. “Sort of, but not really.”
I frown and he laughs. “Think about it Liv. You already know the answer.”
I gaze at the beauty around me and shake my head. He sighs and puts his hand on my forehead. I blink and we’re back in the barn.
“What the hell kind of meditation was that? Did you slip me something?” I ask.
He frowns. “I would never do that.”
I sigh and he stands, helping me to my feet. "Ready for that wine?" he asks.
How is he so unconcerned about this? “Charlie…” He places a finger on my lips, then replaces it with his mouth. His kiss calms me, and I relax into him.
“It’s going to be alright. Just trust your instincts,” he says.
I nod and take the container and the fork he hands me. A part of my brain protests, but Charlie’s presence pushes the doubt away. I follow him to the makeshift couch and set the container on my lap as I take my glass of wine from him. We sip in silence and I hand him the fork so he can have a bite of the pie.
“When we're done with dessert, we can head outside. The old barn really comes to life at sunset.”
“That would be fun.”
He grins and we finish up. He climbs down the ladder first, and I follow him outside. I snap a few shots of the sky in the dimming light. I focus on the barn and get lost in the craft. When I look up, the sun has set and Charlie leans against the barn, his arms crossed as he watches me. I approach and the closer I get, need for his touch grows until it’s a ball of fire, ready to explode. When I reach him, he pulls me into his arms.
His gaze is molten fire, and my body vibrates with the effect, moisture pooling between my legs. He takes the camera from my hands and sets it on the pallets stacked next to us. He brushes my hair behind my ear and rests his forehead against mine. “I don’t know how much longer I can resist you. You’re killing me.”
“My dad won’t fire you. I won’t let him.”
He sighs and shakes his head. “It’s not that simple.”
My tongue flicks out to moisten my lips because, despite his words, I know he’s going to kiss me. He tracks the movement, and his pupils grow.
His mouth crashes to mine and he devours me. He spins and pushes my back against the barn, his hands roaming everywhere as I gasp in pleasure. Desire ignites into an inferno and takes over. I grab the bulge in his jeans and he groans as he moves his lips down my neck, sucking and licking and setting every nerve in my body ablaze.
Without warning, Luke appears behind Charlie, only a few feet away. Pure rage fills his gaze and I gasp in alarm, but Charlie mistakes it for passion and he suckles my collarbone as he grabs my breast. Luke’s jaw ticks and he takes a step forward, but when I don’t stop Charlie, he freezes. The rage drains away and is replaced by pure devastation. Like it’s my own, his despair weighs me down, making it hard to breathe. It circles the air like a potent fog as he stares at me. He squeezes his eyes shut and turns away, only to disappear before he takes the first step.
Charlie tenses and lifts his head, searching my face, then takes a step back, then another.
“I’m sorry. I can’t… I can’t do this,” I whisper as my eyes burn with tears. Luke’s heartbroken gaze refuses to leave my head.
