Easy Kisses (The Boudreaux Series Book 4) (13 page)

“Aunt Charly, are you still taking me on the gator tour this weekend?”

Crap.
I forgot.

“You don’t like gators,” I reply, teasing him.

“I do too! And you said that you’d take me to celebrate school getting out. You’ve never gone to see ’em! I have to show them to you.” His face is earnest and excited, and there’s no way I’m going to tell him no.

“You know, I’ve never seen them either,” Simon says, surprising me.

“You’d want to go with us?”

“Well, it sounds like something I should see while I’m here,” he says and winks at Sam. “And you promised him.”

“Right on!” Sam exclaims and high fives Simon.

“Sounds like we’re going to see the gators this weekend.”

“Better you than me,” Gabby replies and takes Ailish from me, who reaches her little arms out for me and pouts. I kiss her fingers.

“I’ll see you soon too, love bug.”

“Call me,” Gabby says.

They say goodbye and go inside to their table and I sit back down and finish my meal, feeling Simon’s eyes on me with each bite.

“Go ahead and ask.”

“Ask what?”

“Whatever it is that you’re thinking because it’s really loud.”

“I don’t know if it’s a question as much as an observation.”

“Okay.”

“A few observations, actually.”

I laugh and sit back to sip the rest of my martini, watching him.

“Go ahead.”

“You and your sister look a lot alike.”

“We do, yes. And Savannah looks similar as well. My father’s genes were strong.”

“And your family is closer than I realized.”

“We are incredibly close.” I nod and tilt my head. “What else?”

“Her children adore you.”

“They adore all of us.” I smile and think about my brothers with Ailish. She has them wrapped around her tiny finger. “Let’s be honest, they’re adorable.”

“They are.” His eyes smolder again as they find mine. “And you’re bloody gorgeous with a baby on your hip.”

I cock a brow and ignore the fluttering in my stomach. “Am I?”

He nods once and finishes his drink, then waves the waiter over and gives him his card.

“I need to walk off some of this energy,” he says after he signs the check.

“Let’s walk over to Café du Monde,” I suggest. “I could use some sugar.”

He takes my hand and leads me down the street. “Me too.” He kisses my head, and I know he’s not talking about the same sugar I am.

I grin and hold his hand tightly, enjoying our banter and our conversation.

Enjoying
him.

***

“I’m so damn tired.” I’m in his car later that night, my head leaning back. I roll my head on the headrest so I can look at him. “You’re really here.”

He glances at me and grins. “I’m here.”

“Crazy. Turn left at that light.” It’s dark now. We spent all day in the Quarter, eating, shopping.

Wandering.

We talked endlessly and laughed more than I have in years. I loved showing him my city.

“I’m up here on the right. The yellow house.” I point to my place and smile. I know that I’m not home much, spending most of my time at work, but I love my house.

“This is a beautiful neighborhood,” Simon says as he pulls into my driveway. “Where’s your car?”

“At work,” I reply and yawn. “I’ll get it tomorrow.”

“What time do you go to work?”

“I’ll leave here around nine. That gives me an hour to settle in at the shop before I open.”

He nods and pulls himself out of the rental, circles the car, and opens my door.

“Help.” I hold my hand out to him and he practically pulls me out and onto my feet. “I think I’ll sleep well tonight.”

“Good.” He kisses my nose and follows me up the steps to my front door. I unlock it, but before I can push it open, he turns me around and kisses me chastely, and pulls away.

“If you’re going to kiss a girl, kiss her right.” I grip his shirt in my fist and pull him back to me, kissing him the way I’ve wanted to all day. Our mouths are hungry for each other, devouring lips and tongues. My leg climbs up around his hip, and the next thing I know, I’m boosted up against the door, his hand is up my skirt and on my bare ass, and I’m ready for him fuck me right here, in front of all of Louisiana.

Suddenly, he lowers me to my feet, kisses my forehead, and backs away, panting and swallowing hard.

He pushes his hand through his hair and smiles. “Good night, Charlotte.”

“Good night?” I’m shocked. “You’re not coming in?”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I told you, I’m not just here for sex.”

“Let’s be honest, Simon, we’re both adults and the chemistry is off the charts.”

“I took you out today, and I loved every minute of it. We have chemistry, yes, but it’ll still be here in the morning.”

“You’re seriously going.” It’s not a question.

“While I still can.” He reaches out to touch me, but thinks better of it, and walks down the steps toward his car.

I watch him pull away, then walk into my house. This is not what I expected
at all.
I thought we’d spend the night together and I’d be dead on my feet tomorrow from lack of sleep, but blissfully aware of every sore muscle in my body from the workout Simon would give me.

I’m torn between being offended and grateful.

I walk up to my bedroom and immediately shed my shoes and dress, then pull on yoga pants and a tank and wash my face.

He didn’t stay.

My body is still on fire as I crawl between the sheets and flip through the photos we took today on my phone. Selfies in the Quarter. Both of us smiling happily at the camera. In one, Simon kissed my cheek.

He’s here. He’s not staying tonight, and he’s completely knocked me off my feet.

***

My doorbell is ringing.

I come abruptly awake and wake my phone to look at the time.

Eight-thirty. Damn it, I was supposed to be up an hour ago.

I’ve also missed one call and three texts from Simon.

I pad downstairs, not in any hurry, and open the door, blinking against the sunlight and a fresh-faced Simon, smiling and holding a brown paper bag and a drink carrier full of delicious-smelling coffee.

“Good morning, love,” he says. “I was getting worried when you didn’t answer this morning.”

I yawn again and step back, giving him room to come inside. I close the door behind him and lead him back to the sunroom off the kitchen. The furniture in here is colorful and comfortable, and this is where I like to start every day.

“Are you not speaking to me?”

“Not awake yet.” I scrub my hands over my face, stretch my arms over my head toward the ceiling, then touch my toes.

“I’m beginning to get the message that you’re not a morning person.”

His voice is dry, but his eyes are warm as I stand and they leisurely travel over my body.

“I didn’t fall asleep until about three,” I reply and gratefully accept the coffee he offers me. “And then I slept so hard, I didn’t hear my alarm or your call. I’m sorry.”

“I’m the sorry one for waking you,” he replies and sits on the couch, then takes my hand and pulls me down with him. He pulls me into his arms and hugs me close, nuzzling my temple and kissing me softly there. “Waking up like that isn’t fun.”

“I’ll be okay.” But I don’t move away. It feels too damn good to be in his strong arms. “You must have gotten up early.”

“I usually do, and I’m a bit jetlagged.” He reaches for the bag of food and sets out toasted bagels with cream cheese and fruit. “I hope this is okay.”

“It looks delicious.” My stomach growls and I immediately reach for a handful of grapes. “You didn’t have to go to all of this trouble.”

I take a sip of my coffee. My head whips up to stare at him in wonder.

“You remembered how I take my coffee. And you’re British.”
And we only had breakfast together once in Montana.

“British people don’t remember things?”

“No, they don’t drink coffee.”

“Some do.” He sips his tea and smiles at me. That smile
kills me.
“I remember just about everything about you, Charly. In case you missed it, I’m quite taken with you.”

I haven’t missed it.
But it surprises me, and I want to ask why.

But instead I smile and munch on my bagel.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. I’ll drive you to work since I left you stranded here last night.”

“Thank you again.” I could argue, but why? If he wants to give me a ride to work, who am I to complain? “How is your bagel?”

“Fair. Once you’ve had bagels in New York, you get a bit spoiled.”

“True. And we’re a beignet town.”

“I’ll remember that.”

“You seem to remember everything.”

He simply smiles and sips his tea, and we settle in to enjoy the sunny morning, our food, and each other’s company.

Chapter Ten

~Simon~

“We need confirmation that you can be in LA on the twelfth of next month to appear on Kimmel and Ellen, and then on the fourteenth, we have you scheduled with Hoda and Kathy Lee.”

“That’s fine,” I reply to Todd and mark it out on my calendar. I keep a real paper agenda, mostly because I’m on the phone when I get the information, making it difficult to add to a phone calendar, and I used to forget to mark things down. “I have a deadline of September first for the next book, and my editor already gave me a three month extension, so don’t schedule me anything else in July and August.”

“Nothing?” he asks, surprised.

“I’ll still do the weekly videos and the radio show. We’ll be present on social media. But I can’t travel, Todd. I have to write the book.”

“Understood,” he says. “I also want to roll out the new webinar programs next month.”

“That means extra video time,” I reply with a sigh and scratch my chin. “We’ll have to do that the week after I return to London.”

“That was my thought as well. Have you done any scouting for the retreat later this year?”

“I did yesterday,” I reply. “I’ll email you some information this afternoon. I think I found the perfect hotel, but they’re rather expensive. Let’s see if we can’t get them talked down. I don’t want to have to drive the price of the retreat up for the ladies coming. It’s already expensive for them.”

“I agree,” he says, and I can hear Kelly speaking in the background. “I’ll be right there, darling.”

“I can let you go. I think we’ve covered it all.”

“One last thing,” he says before I can hang up. “How are things going with Charly?”

I sigh and rub my eyes. I’m not ready to get into this with him yet.

“You don’t have to give me all the details, man, but I need to know something.”

“Things are good,” I reply. “We’re taking things slow.”

“Slow? For fucksake, mate, you’re only there for the week. Don’t take it too slow.”

“Thank you for that, relationship expert.”

“Hey, my best friend
is
a relationship expert. I’ve learned a few things over the years. Don’t take it too slow.”

“Have a good evening,” I reply, rather than entertain him further, and hang up the phone.

I actually haven’t seen as much of her as I was hoping since I’ve been here. Yesterday, after our breakfast together and I drove her to work, we went our separate ways. I did the retreat research, and by the time we were both finished last night, we simply spoke on the phone for an hour, then called it a night.

And again this morning, I had to take early calls from London because of the time difference and I wasn’t able to take her breakfast the way I did yesterday.

I miss her.

And Todd is right; I’m only here for a week. I need to make the most of it. Today is Charly’s Friday, as she takes Sunday and Mondays off, and I plan to take advantage of it. No more nights alone, no more only getting an hour here or there. I’m going to spend some true, quality time with her.

I knew I admired her, and was so fucking attracted to her I ached with it, but now that I’ve seen her at work and with her family, I’m just completely taken with her. I need to know more.

I’m quickly realizing that this isn’t just a job for me, or a casual relationship. I want it to be so much more. Where that might lead, I’m not sure, but it’s time I take the kid gloves off and begin actively pursuing this woman.

I set my tray from breakfast outside my door and gather my wallet, sunglasses, and keys and set off for Charly’s shop.

“Hey there, sugar,” she says with a big smile when she sees me walk through her door a short time later.

“Good morning.” Without skipping a beat, and not giving one fuck about the customers in the store, I walk to her and pull her in, kissing her firmly. My hands glide down her back to her ass and I grip her tightly for the brief embrace, and then I pull away. “I missed you yesterday.”

“I see that,” she says and covers her lips with her fingertips. “I might have missed you back.”

I cock a brow and feel my lips twitch.

“Such a sassy girl.”

“Do you sell those?” a young twenty-something asks, interrupting us.

“Do I sell what?” Charly asks.

“Hot men who kiss like that.”

The girls laugh and Charly looks up at me with happy hazel eyes. “No, sorry, this one is already claimed.”

Claimed.

I love the sound of that.

The customer shrugs and turns away. “A girl can try.”

“What can I do for you?” Charly asks me.

“I need your house key.”

She looks up at me in surprise. “What for?”

“Trust me.” I lean in and kiss her cheek, and then her ear. “Just trust me.”

“Okay.” She shrugs and pulls her keys out of her bag, twists her house key off the ring and hands it over. “You’re awfully mysterious today.”

“Not at all.” I kiss her once more and then pull away before I yank her into that stock room and strip her bare. “I’ll see you when you get home this evening.”

“It’s a date.” She winks and then returns to her customers. I walk outside and stand on the sidewalk, watching her for just a moment. She’s truly excellent at her job. It’s no wonder that her business is thriving.