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He was on his feet before I could protest. My eyes were glued to him as he strolled toward the bathroom. I appreciated the broad set of his shoulders and back, his narrow waist, and his muscular legs. He was an incredible male specimen and I had it bad for him…
20
JAMIE
I stood on the cabin’s porch, staring at the tumultuous sea below. The storm still raged on. Rain lashed against the wooden planks of the porch, but the wind had calmed significantly.
I studied the way the sea churned and roiled, sending waves crashing against the shoreline. I was like the sea yesterday, a maelstrom of emotions. I’d been tossed and battered by them for so long that I almost forgot what it felt like to be at peace.
Then last night happened… Charlotte happened.
“Jamie, what are you doing out here?”
I turned to her with a smile. “You’re finally awake. Good morning.”
She quirked an eyebrow as she surveyed the bleak surroundings. “Get back inside, you crazy person.”
I chuckled. “I will in a bit. I’m just enjoying the view.”
She glanced ahead at the turbulent sea and the dark sky above it and scoffed. “The view is not that great this morning.”
“Go back inside,” I told her. “I don’t want you to hurt your ankle.”
“And I don’t want you to be blown away by a gust of wind or squashed by a falling tree. Get the hell inside, Jamie.”
“I’m the one who usually gives orders,” I said.
“Sure, but this is my world, remember?” she quipped.
I hummed my amusement, recalling our little tiff on the terrace of that club. “Right.”
I swept my gaze over her appreciatively. I liked being in her world. Her golden hair was tousled, her eyes were still dreamy with sleep, her lips were still red from my kisses, and her skin was still flushed.
She wore only the oversized T-shirt she’d had on last night and her nipples peeked at me, tempting me to strip her naked again so I could take the delectable peaks into my mouth. She was fucking gorgeous, and I wouldn’t mind waking up to the sight of her every morning. I wasn’t even shocked by the direction of my thoughts.
Seeing her like this every day required a long-term relationship, which was foreign to me. However, Charlotte was pretty damn special. She had me thinking about exclusivity, but how was that possible? A long distance relationship… I didn’t like the thought of that.
Charlotte stepped outside as I continued to stare at her. “Are you okay, Jamie?”
“I’m great.” Really great.
“You’re looking at me funny…” Her eyebrows crinkled into adorable lines and I laughed. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Positive. This morning, I…” I blew out a breath. “I feel alive, Charlotte.”
I held her gaze, willing her to understand what I meant. It was a day after my birthday, and I wasn’t wading in a swamp of guilt as I typically did every year. It was because of her and what she said last night, what she helped me realize.
I didn’t take my mother’s life as Dad drilled into me since I was old enough to understand. She gave me mine because she wanted me to be here… and I should live my life to the fullest to show my appreciation.
This morning when I opened my eyes, I lay beside Charlotte for a while, watching her and thinking about her many adventures that I’d heard about. I decided that I’d take a page out of her book. As of that moment, I’d stop living in the box my father guilted me into staying in.
Charlotte held my gaze and then her expression softened into one of understanding. Her sweet smile touched a part of me that no one else had ever reached. “That’s good, Jamie. Really good.”
Of course, she got it. She got me. I reached for her and swept her into my arm, lifting her in the process so that she didn’t put any pressure on her ankle. I kissed her deeply and even with a storm swirling around us, I felt cocooned in warmth.
When I released her mouth to rest my forehead against hers, I said, “Thank you, Charlotte.” I knew she understood what I was thanking her for.
She nodded and whispered, “Come back inside with me.”
