Beyond the Orange Moon (Mathews Family Book 2) (26 page)

“Tuesday?” Lucy asked. “What about tomorrow?”

“Hah.” Lydia rolled her eyes, knowing exactly where the two of them were headed. “I think I can cover you, sweetie.”
 

Charlie opened the door to the café and smiled at Lucy as she walked past him. “Tuesday,” he confirmed to Lydia, a hint of amusement in his voice.
 

Lucy followed him over to the Harley parked along the sidewalk. He swung one leg over the bike, and held out his hand for Lucy to take. “Ready?” he asked with a little smirk.
 

She placed her hand in his, squeezing it a little harder than she needed to. She swung her leg around and settled onto the black leather seat behind him. She put her feet up on the passenger footboards and wasted no time clinging to his lean waist.
 

With the push of a button, the engine jolted into a loud rumble. Charlie slid his aviators over his eyes. “Hold on,” he ordered, at which she happily squeezed him tighter.
 

They pulled out onto the road and instantly Lucy was hit by the wind blowing through her hair and the beautiful sun on her face. She had lived in Arizona her entire life, but she had never experienced it like this. With the red mountains in the distance swirling and blurring with the dazzling blue sky, it was as if she had fallen into a Monet. The feeling brought a grin to her face that she was sure Charlie could feel against his back, because he pulled one hand from the handlebar and gave her arm a gentle caress.
 

At a red light, they stopped and Charlie put one foot down to hold the bike steady. Lucy cuddled closer, being so bold as to run her fingers along the waistband of his jeans. The skin there was tight and she wanted more as she dragged her fingertips lower. She could feel the desire in his chest as it vibrated through his back and tickled her cheek.
 

The light turned green and they were on their way again. As much as she loved the ride, her impatience was growing.
 

Charlie leaned them into the turn that took them into his subdivision. They were going to his house, which sent a chill up her spine. They pulled into the driveway where Charlie killed the engine and lowered the kickstand.
 

“Charlie, we should go somewhere else,” Lucy whispered.
 

“No.” Charlie turned halfway and put a gentle hand on her leg. “Don’t. It’s okay.”

He lifted his chin, a gesture for her to get off the bike. This was the moment that made her understand everything; she knew that he had made the decision long before they started the ride.

She placed her hand on his shoulder and hesitantly lifted herself from the Harley. When her feet met the ground, Charlie was right beside her. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head.
 

“It’s just us here, no one else,” he assured.

Lucy nodded, her face pressed into his chest and the smell of him making her dizzy. She lifted his hands from her hair and pressed her lips to his strong fingers, but quickly pulled away and looked down when she realized what was missing.
 

“Your ring,” she said, a feeling of wonder rushing through her. “You took off your ring.”

His mouth was pressed into a straight line, tightening his jaw. He nodded once and cupped her face in his hands. “I can’t let anything hold me back anymore. I said I want you and I meant it.”
 

She closed her eyes and tried to calm her rampant nerves. Her entire body went weak at his words. “Take me inside,” she demanded, breathless.
 

With a seriousness she could comprehend completely, Charlie pulled her hand and led her to the door. He let her walk in first and leaned against the door, looking at her with hooded eyes as he flipped the lock behind him.
 

That scorching look said so many things that it was hard for Lucy to even register them all at once. However, now was not the time for interpreting expressions. He wanted her. He wanted to move forward with her into the future, whether he knew what it held or not. He had removed his wedding ring; he had taken her back to his own home with the hopes of creating new memories. This wasn’t a man looking for meaningless sex; this was a man looking for a life beyond all that he had lost.
 

This was a man looking to her for that future.
 

In that moment it was all clear. She desperately wanted to let go of that same past. They had both clung to the same painful history for over a year.
 

That was the realization she had needed; it was time to let it all go.

She placed her purse on the floor and toed her shoes off. With her chest rising and falling visibly, she began to unbutton her top slowly. She refused to pull her eyes from Charlie’s as she drew the garment from each shoulder and let it slip away from her arms, revealing her lacy, light pink bra.
 

A rumble escaped from Charlie’s chest. He swallowed and licked his lips, which sent her confidence soaring and encouraged her to go on.
 

She unbuttoned her capris and slid them from her waist, shimmying from side to side until they fell to the floor. She stepped out and pushed them to the side with her toe. Her hands drifted over the lace of her pink thong, the tiny bows at the sides tickling her palms.
 

Charlie’s gaze took her all in, from her eyes to the hair that cascaded over her breasts, and all the way down to her pink toenails.
 

With a small exhale, she unclasped her bra. She pulled the straps from her tan shoulders and let the lacy undergarment fall to the floor. She stood there, exposed, and allowed him to take in every inch of her.

His breath seemed to quicken as his eyes grew darker. He stepped toward her, but she took a step back and shook her head. She turned slowly and tossed him a playful smile over her shoulder, before heading down the hallway to his bedroom.

His eyes crinkled with amusement as a he pursed his lips and followed her. His feet quickened behind her and she knew that he was hot on her trail. She got to the doorway of his room when his hands caught her from behind and snaked around her tiny waist.
 

She let out a giddy yelp and giggled when he lifted her into the air. His hands roamed over her skin as he set her back down and left a trail of kisses from her shoulder to her neck.
 

“I want to touch every inch of your beautiful body,” he whispered into her ear. He settled his palms on her hips, then skimmed along her stomach to cup her breasts with a gentle squeeze.
 

She arched against him, wanting more of his touch, and raised her arms to wrap her fingers around his neck. She pulled at his hair and groaned as he pinched her hardened nipples.
 

From behind her, he took a little taste of her skin and sighed. “Turn around,” he commanded, and she immediately obeyed.
 

As he walked her to the bed, he pulled his shirt from his muscular body and Lucy’s mouth watered. His chest was tan, chiseled, and perfectly lined with ridges of pure muscle.
 

She reached out to him and ran her fingers over the smoothness of his chest. In that moment, she allowed herself the freedom to let go—to touch, lick, taste every part of his beautiful body. It wasn’t even for him, but something she needed to do to satisfy her own personal craving.
 

He sat on the edge of the bed and ran his fingers up the backs of her thighs. With a gentle hand, he pulled her to him so he could bury his face in her stomach, kissing and licking her skin.
 

She pulled his hair as he ran his tongue in the valley between her breasts and inhaled, every movement he made filled with a thoughtful, savoring action. He was so controlled. There were no words for the way he took his time.
 

She spread her legs and straddled his lap, letting her palms move over the muscles of his arms. His hands moved into her hair before he cupped her cheeks and kissed her jaw. She bit the skin between his shoulder and neck and felt her blood smolder with each groan that came from his mouth. She leaned back and slowly guided his head down to run his tongue over her breasts. Her fingers fluttered through his soft hair and her hips began to roll against his hard body.
 

He lifted her from his lap and, for a moment, she was in the air with her legs wrapped around his waist. He held her there, kissing her while his strong hands cupped her bottom. His hips moved against her as he turned and laid her on his bed.
 

He gazed down at her naked body as she moved. His eyes raked over every inch of her and his chest heaved. “It’s hard to breathe when I look at you,” he said.
 

She smiled up at him, a look filled with the invitation to touch, lick, and move forward in any way he chose. Right then, she was his; he could do whatever he wanted with her.
 

He bent down and snaked his tongue into her belly button, causing her to whimper into the air. He pulled her lacy thong down and dragged it from her feet, before separating her trembling legs.
 

He clung to her thighs as he yanked her closer to his face, and then, with no warning, he annihilated her with his mouth. Breathless, she tilted her head and arched her back. She couldn’t even remember her own name as her fingers clawed at the comforter beneath her. As his tongue moved deeper, its strength grew and his hands gripped her hips.

She came with a fierceness that pulsated through her and had her clinging to him for dear life. If there hadn’t been a bed beneath her, she would have collapsed to the floor. Her eyes were closed, but when the pulsing calmed and her breath came back, she opened them and found Charlie smiling at her—a seductive, pleased smile.
 

“Oh. My.
God
,” she groaned, the air coming back to her in merciless pants.
 

With a mischievous grin, he leaned down and pushed the wet, tangled hair from her face. “I’m not done,” he said, and pushed his jeans and boxer briefs off. He leaned over and slid open the drawer of the bedside table.
 

She rose up on her elbows and licked her lips impatiently. Fascinated, she watched as he rolled a condom on.
 

He lowered his body to hers and kissed her neck and then her jaw. As she dragged her nails over his naked back, she was well aware of the look of adoration in her eyes; it was a look that mirrored his own.
 

He slid into her with a heavy sigh, giving her everything he had. She wrapped her legs around his waist as he worshipped her body, ravaging everything he could touch. He pushed deeper as she matched his every move.
 

“Lucy,” he gasped into her ear.
 

He picked up speed, thrusting and rolling his hips until she was gasping into the air and clawing at his back.
 

“Charlie,” she moaned. “Charlie …”

He rolled his hips once, then twice, slamming into her. She tightened her legs around his waist, urging him to go faster—
harder
—until she just couldn’t take it anymore. As she screamed his name, her insides exploded with a climax that was so powerful it was almost painful.
 

When the last of the sensations had flowed through her entire body, he picked up his pace and crashed into her a few more times. His green eyes darkened as he groaned and then buried his face into her neck. Releasing sounds of both pleasure and relief, he shuddered against her sweaty body.
 

His chest rose and fell against her breasts as they lay there together, catching their breath. His wet, golden skin glistened in the sun that crept through the blinds and filled the room. She couldn’t peel her eyes away from the length of his masculine body and the way that it covered hers.
 

“I’ll be right back,” he whispered after a few moments, and kissed her cheek. He slipped out of her, leaving her aching for more, and walked out of the room.

When he returned, he crawled back into bed and pulled her naked body to his chest. He kissed her neck and her back as his hands roamed before finally settling on her breasts.
 

“I’ll never be the same again,” he admitted with a small laugh.
 

“You just ravaged every inch of me,” she said with a giggle. She flipped over so that she could see his smile and look into his eyes.
 

“Come here,” he said, and pulled her mouth to his. He kissed her sweetly, nibbling her lower lip and sliding his tongue into her mouth. “Stay with me.” It wasn’t a command so much as it was a plea. “Dylan has Jack and I texted Jonah to stay away.”

Lucy smiled and ran her hands up his bare chest. “I’m not going anywhere,” she answered, and kissed his mouth. There was nothing to even think about.
 

Charlie sighed against her mouth and squeezed his hands into her sides. He kissed her neck and ran his thumb over her nipple. When she wrapped her leg around his waist, he pulled her closer and blew a small breath of laughter into her neck.
 

Bringing her with him, he rolled onto his back and looked up at her as she straddled his body. His fingers drew small circles on her hips, her stomach, and then up to her breasts.