Easy Kisses (The Boudreaux Series Book 4) (8 page)

Not to mention, I spent the majority of last night with Charly.

Which I’m definitely not complaining about.

Speaking of the sexy woman, I haven’t seen her yet this evening. I hope she didn’t change her mind and leave before the party.

I’ve reached the edge of the room, and as I twirl a pretty blonde in my arms, dip her, then set her back on her feet and turn away, I spy Charly standing by the wall.

Suddenly, the music, the other people, everything is gone and all I can see is her. She’s in a curve-hugging black dress that plunges in the front showing off her cleavage. The hem ends just below her knees.

And the red fuck-me heels she’s in make me want to sink to mine.

I cross to her, my hands in my pockets so I don’t do something stupid like pull her in and kiss the fuck out of her in front of all of these people.

“Hello, Fred Astaire.”

I grin. “I don’t care if I’m bad. I like to dance.”

“No one ever said you had to have rhythm to dance,” she agrees and her gaze skims over the room. “Looks like the party is a success.”

“You’re stunning,” I reply, happy that the music is loud enough that no one else can hear. “And I want to strip you out of that dress and fuck you senseless.”

Her eyes flare and she licks her lips, then offers me a smile.

“I think that would be frowned upon right now.”

“Later then,” I reply.

“I’m sorry.” She shakes her head, glances away. “I can’t. I’m leaving in just a bit.”

“When?”

“In a couple of hours. I just came by because I told you I would and I wanted to say goodbye to Heidi and Violet.” She turns her eyes back to me. “And you.”

“Charly—”

“Hey, no hogging him,” a woman named Cheryl says and grabs my arm, pulling me back out onto the dance floor. I want to pull away, but Charly just shakes her head, smiles, and walks away. My eyes follow her as she walks through the room and out the door, and suddenly my stomach just aches.

She’s gone.

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” Todd says, smiling at Cheryl, “but I need to steal him away for a minute.”

I smile at the woman and follow Todd outside where it’s a bit quieter. Women are clustered in small groups, chatting and taking selfies. I wave at them as Todd leads me to a private area, then turns on me.

“You let her walk away.”

I glance around to make sure that no one is listening.

“What would you expect me to do, mate? She has to go home, and I have to go back to London on Monday.”

“You’re being an idiot. I’ve never seen you look at
anyone
the way you look at her. Go after her. Ask her to stay the weekend. Spend some time with her when you don’t have to keep it a secret.”

“It makes no difference if we say goodbye now or in two days, Todd.”

But fucking hell, I hate it.

“Take two days to enjoy yourself. You’re a bloody workaholic and you deserve it. If you don’t, I’ll beat you to a pulp myself.”

“Right.” I blow out a breath and shove my hands in my pockets. The truth is, I’m not ready for her to leave. I would love nothing more than to spend the weekend with her, and Todd’s right, I don’t remember the last time I took two days to myself.

“I can’t bail on this party.”

“Yes, you can. You’ve been dancing with them for over an hour. Say something profound the way you always do, then cut out. Go catch her before she leaves.”

I nod, and hurry inside, take the mic, and signal for the DJ to cut the music.

“Hello, you gorgeous women!”

The applause is deafening, and I motion for everyone to quiet down.

“This has been an amazing two weeks, and I can’t tell you how monumentally proud I am of each and every one of you. Thank you for your hard work, and your dedication. Thank you for your honesty, and for keeping an open mind.

“Most of all, thank you for trusting me and my staff this week. I will never take that trust for granted. Don’t forget to check your email in the coming months for exclusive webinars just for you. Now, you’ve all bloody exhausted me, so I’m going to say good night.”

They applaud again and I’m met with hugs and thanks as I make my way out of the ballroom. It takes me almost fifteen minutes to get to the elevator, and I’m practically running when the doors open and I make it to Charly’s door.

She’s still here. The
do not disturb
sign is on the door. Did she leave that there for me, expecting me to follow her?

Well, too bad. She should know better than to think that a simple piece of paper could keep me away.

I brace my hands on either side of the doorjamb and take a deep breath. I don’t know if I’m hopeful that she doesn’t turn me away, or that she does. Because let’s be honest, this is not a good idea.

But, for this week, anyway, that doesn’t seem to stop me.

So I knock three times and wait, still leaning into the doorjamb. Just when I’m about to knock again, the door swings open and I’m knocked back on my heels.

Holy Mary, mother of God.

She’s taken her dress off, so she’s standing before me in a black bra, black panties, and a mother fucking garter belt with stockings.

Her hair has been brushed out and is wild around her shoulders, and her face scrubbed clean.

“I hope you were expecting me, and not answering the door looking like that for room service.”

A slow, satisfied smile spreads over her beautiful face.

“What do you need, Simon?”

Chapter Six

~Charly~

That shell-shocked look on Simon’s face does wonders for my ego. His lips are moving, but no sound is coming out as he takes me in from head to toe. I knew it was him at the door. He’s the only one who would knock with a
do not disturb
sign.

And maybe I wanted to get this reaction out of him. I
am
a woman, after all.

“What can I do for you?” I ask again and cock my hip to the side, my hand propped on it.

“You can let me in before anyone else sees you like this and I have to kill them.”

I roll my eyes and step back, letting him into the room, then close the door behind him.

“You always seem to catch me when I’m on my way to the shower.” I walk past him and toss him a sassy look over my shoulder. I know what I look like from behind, and the look in his blue eyes is incredible for my ego.

“Lucky me,” he says, swallowing hard. “You’re packing up then?”

“I am.” I toss my dirty jeans, folded nicely, into my suitcase. “And you still haven’t said what you came up here for. I’m sure the others are missing you.”

“I don’t care,” he replies. His voice is rough, pulling my gaze away from the blouse I’m folding. “I want you to stay.”

I knew it.

Of course I knew it.

I sigh and shake my head. “Simon, let’s not do this. It’s hard enough as it is. Just let me go.”

“I’m not ready for you to go.”

“What does it matter if I leave tonight or tomorrow when the others are?”

He lifts a brow and shifts his gaze to the bed. “I think you know the answer to that, Charly. But that’s not what I mean.”

“Awfully presumptuous,” I mutter to myself and turn to face him again. “Okay, what do you mean?”

“Stay the weekend. I’m here until Monday evening. Stay until then so we can enjoy each other without the retreat happening at the same time. I want to be with you without any distractions or restrictions.”

“I have to be in my shop Monday morning,” I reply and bite my lip, trying to think of a way to make it work. I don’t want to go either, but staying will only mean that I’ll become more attached to him, and I don’t want that either.

“Talk to me, Charlotte.”

“Okay, I’m going to be brutally honest.” I square my shoulders and prop my hands on my hips, and Simon’s blue eyes immediately fall to my girls. I’d almost forgotten that I was standing here mostly naked. “I’m up here, Simon.”

“Sorry,” he replies with a self-deprecating smile. “Go on.”

“I’m not looking for something long term with you, Simon.”

“I believe I suggested a weekend, love.” He smiles when I glare at him. “Sorry.”

“I’m not looking for something long term. But I’m not thrilled with the one-weekend stand either. You’ve taught me a lot this week, and even though it pissed me off, one of those things is that I’ve settled for the whole “friends with benefits” thing my whole life, and honestly, I’ve lied to myself.”

“How so?” Now his eyes are glued to mine, listening intently.

“Because I always said that it was on
my
terms, so it was okay. I was content with that until I met the one that I’d be with forever. And I believed that.”

“But you don’t believe it now?”

“I don’t know,” I reply, frustrated now. “The sex with you is great, Simon. I won’t pretend otherwise. But what you’re suggesting is basically that we’ll fuck all weekend and then go our separate ways.”

“That’s not what I suggested,” he says and shakes his head. “You didn’t listen well on the day about communication.”

“How am I wrong?”

“I asked you to stay. You assume that means that all I want is a weekend of sex.”

“I just told you that I don’t want something long term.”

“Bloody Jesus,” he mutters and paces my room, rubbing his mouth with his fingers. “Sex doesn’t have to be a part of the equation.”

“Right.” I snort and cross my arms. “Because we’re so
not
attracted to each other. You’ve undressed me with your eyes at least a dozen times since you’ve been in my room.”

“It’s not a difficult task, darling; you’re practically naked already.”

“Granted.” I nod and sit on the edge of the bed. “So you just want to hang out all weekend?”

“Why not?” he replies and shoves his hands in his pockets. “I’ve enjoyed talking with you and spending time with you. I want more of that.”

“And no sex,” I reply dryly.

“If you prefer it that way,” he says with a shrug. “I want nothing more than to fuck you for days, but if that makes you uncomfortable, we can take it off the table. I’m not an asshole.”

“No,” I agree and watch him for a moment. “You’re not.”

“I’ll pay to have your ticket changed,” he offers.

I bite my lip and consider him. I can call and let the pilot know that I won’t need him for a couple more days, but I don’t feel comfortable yet telling Simon that I have access to a private jet, so I just shake my head and reply, “That’s not necessary.”

“Is that a yes?”

“I have to leave Sunday afternoon so I can be at work on Monday. I’ve left my shop for too long as it is.”

“Did you buy the red heels you were wearing tonight at your shop?”

“Of course.”

He grins, a wide Cheshire cat smile. “Charly?”

“I’ll stay.” And I’ll enjoy every minute of him, then go home and move on.

“Excellent.” His eyes are hot as they travel over my body.

“Sex doesn’t have to be off the table.” I smirk and stand, facing him. “I’m not a teenager. Let’s enjoy the weekend. But don’t play mind games with me, Simon.”

He scowls and takes my hand in his, then raises my fingers to his lips. “It hurts my heart that you’ve had the kind of past experience that makes you need to give me that warning.”

Oh God, this could be a bad idea.

The butterflies are back in my stomach and I feel my cheeks flush with pure lust. The things this man does to my body are
insane.

“There’s no love here,” I reply softly. “But there will be respect and honesty, or I’m out the door.”

“Deal,” he says. “Both ways.”

“Of course.”

He slowly sinks his fingers into my hair at the nape of my neck and leans into me. “Thank you, Charly.”

“Thanks for the invitation. Are we going to keep separate rooms?”

“Hell no,” he says with a grin. “We’ll move you into mine.”

“Why yours?”

“Because it’s bigger, and I’m staying longer than you.”

“Good reasons.” I can’t breathe with him this close to me. He could have suggested that we’d be staying in a yurt and I would have agreed. “Should we move in now?”

“Fuck no, we’re going to take that shower.”

***

“You are a popcorn hog,” I accuse Simon as we leave the movies the next evening. We saw the latest Marvel superhero movie, which I love.

“I am not,” he replies and takes my hand as we walk out to the car. He’s very affectionate and chivalrous, which is new to me. He always holds my hand, opens doors, and a whole host of other manners that I didn’t even know existed outside of my own family.

He’s dangerous for me, because I can’t have him and I feel more for him than I ever did Ryan. Or for anyone, now that I think about it.

“You ate plenty of the popcorn,” he continues.

“No, I just stopped putting my hand in harm’s way. I thought for sure you might take it off.”

“Okay, drama queen,” he says with a laugh. “What now?”

“I have a sweet tooth,” I reply. “Let’s stop somewhere for dessert.”

“My pleasure.”

We find an ice cream place in town that’s open late, so we stop in and each order a sundae, then find a table to enjoy our treats.

“What does cupcake ice cream taste like?” Simon asks me as he spoons up his chocolate.

“Here.” I hold my spoon up to his lips and watch as he takes the bite and nods.

“Good.”

“Yeah.” I clear my throat and shift in my seat. “You have a sexy mouth.”

“Keep talking like that,” he says and takes another bite of his own ice cream. “I dare you.”

“You dare me?” I raise a brow. “What will happen if I do?”

“I’ll take you out to the car and suck your clit until you come all over my mouth,” he replies without looking up from his ice cream, as if he’s talking about the damn weather. “You’re sweeter than this ice cream.”

“God, Simon.” Hello, wet panties.

“I won’t warn you again,” he says and meets my gaze with his.

“Tell me about your parents.” I offer him an angelic smile and lick my spoon, changing the subject.

“Muriel and Charles Danbury,” he replies.