Heart's Desires (2 page)

CHAPTER 2

Korri was sad that Charlie had decided to move out and into her own home so soon, but she understood that everyone needed their own space.  So while they were still under the same roof, Korri thought it would be a good idea for them to go out and celebrate her cousin’s return home.  Charlie had been in Dallas for nearly four months and they had failed to have a proper welcome home celebration.             

              Once Korri talked Charlie into going out and celebrating her return to Dallas, she had to admit that although going out was the last thing on her mind, she was really glad that she relented. The party was called “A Vibe Called Fresh,” and the music was nineties hip hop and old school R&B.  The ladies were having a ball reminiscing and dancing.  Even Tony, Korri’s fiancé, got up and danced with them.

              “This was a really good idea!  Thanks, cousin!”  Charlie smiled happily as she took a sip from her cocktail.

              “I told you it would be.  You really need to listen to me more often.”  Korri smirked, raising her perfectly shaped brows.

              Charlie knew exactly what her cousin was referring to, Jacob Cameron.  Ever since the two of them met, Korri had been almost relentless in trying to set them up.  And although Charlie thought Jake was one of the finest men she had ever had the pleasure of looking at, there was something about him that drew her in, but at the same time scared the living shit out of her.  She definitely wasn’t in the market for the intense feelings Jake invoked in her, so she decided that staying away from him was probably best.

              Charlie actively ignored her cousin’s snide remark.  There was no way she was opening that Pandora’s Box.  No sooner than the thought of Jake crossed her mind, a deep baritone voice interrupted her musings.

              “Hey, Heart.  Are you enjoying yourself?”  Jake’s green eyes bore into her with fire, and even if she wanted to, Charlie just couldn’t seem to look away.  His dirty blonde hair was combed away from his face and his thick beard surrounded his perfect lips that looked so soft and kissable.

              “Hey, Bear… I mean Jake.  I’m having a spectacular time.  What are you doing here?  What I mean is, when did you get here?”  Charlie nervously asked.  Then she hurriedly guzzled the last of her drink because her mouth was suddenly as dry as the desert.

              Jake chuckled.  The nervousness coming from this vixen of a woman boggled his mind. Every man in the damn club was vying for her attention, and he knew he was going to have to fight somebody tonight, but when she talked to him, she seemed shy.  Well, almost shy; at least until her sassiness came back, and when it did, her quick wit and sharp tongue made his dick rock hard.

              “I’ve been here a while,” Jake replied, coolly sipping his beer.  “Need another drink?”  Jake waved down a waiter before she could answer, and ordered her another Jack and Coke.

              Charlie nodded her thanks.  She was glad to get another drink because this big sexy ass man made her completely lose all sense of self.

              Once her drink arrived, she sipped casually, and the conversation flowed seamlessly.  Both Korri’s friends, Brandon and Lauryn had shown up, so Charlie had more of a buffer between Jake and her racing hormones.

              As the night went on, the drinks she consumed helped loosen Charlie’s inhibitions.  She laughed and danced and had a great time.  She even managed to talk and flirt with Jake without falling all over herself.

              Jake sat back, enjoying the music, sipping his drink, and watching Charlie dance.  She moved like a seductress, her long braids swaying to the beat, her petite sexy body moving enticingly to the music, and the smile on her face made him want to do anything to keep it there on a permanent basis.

              Jake felt as though he was in a hypnotic trance watching her move, and then the opportunity to make his move presented itself when she stepped away from the group.  He decided right then and there that this chance to get her alone would not be wasted. 

              Since they’d met, Charlie had been actively running from him.  And he certainly knew that she felt the chemistry between them, otherwise she wouldn’t turn tail and run as soon as their conversations got heated.

              Jake followed Charlie out of the club and onto a back patio. She held her braids up with one hand, and fanned herself with the other.  She turned slightly and smiled sensuously at him.  Her hazel eyes fearlessly assessed his body, roaming over his muscular chest and strong arms.  She turned back around, still not facing him.  He walked slowly toward her, licking his lips at the sight of her voluptuous curves in that tight little black dress. 

              He ran his large hands up her thighs, caressing her with a light touch until he gripped her by the waist, and tugged her body into his.  Even though the sky high black heels she was wearing made her at least five-foot eight, he still had to bend down to blow lightly against her neck. It made her shiver.

              “
Ummmm
!”  Charlie moaned as she felt the air from his mouth hit the sensitive skin of her neck.  Then, suddenly and without warning, she felt the hot touch of his tongue running a heated trail from the back of her neck to her earlobe, and then he eagerly sucked it into his mouth.

              Charlie nearly screamed out in bliss, but she didn’t have time before Jake turned her around, roughly taking her mouth in a ferocious kiss and backing her up against the wall.  They moaned into each other’s mouths as their tongues wrestled for supremacy over their frenzied lip lock.

              He held her hands up over her head as he ground the bulge of his massive rock hard cock into her belly.  “This is what you do to me, Heart. You make me lose my fuckin’ mind.”  He continued to kiss her hungrily.

              Charlie whimpered, rubbing up against his hard steel like an animal in heat.  She was simply unable to stop herself; she felt like she was wrapped in a cloud of lust.

              Finally, a stranger coming out to smoke cleared his throat, and stopped their little tryst before she lost her mind, along with her panties.

              They stood staring at each other for a long moment.  This was the second time this had happened between the two of them.  And if Charlie thought she had to run before, she knew for sure she had to run now. 

So that is exactly what she did.  Before Jake could even get a word out, she made a speedy exit back to the group and then out of the club.

              “Shit!”  Jake mumbled to himself as he ran his hands over his dirty blonde hair and through his beard, frustrated.
She’s going to be the death of me.

CHAPTER 3

A week later, Charlie sat in the large den at Korri and Tony’s downtown condo.  She was truly glad that Korri suggested the celebration because she really did miss Dallas and was glad she had decided to move back home.  Her thoughts drifted back to the day that had changed everything and ultimately brought her back to Dallas.  That was the day she received a call from Korri’s best friend Brandon.  That call turned out to be one of the scariest calls that she had ever had in her life.

“May I speak to Charlie please?”  The somewhat familiar male voice asked at the other end of the line.

“This is she. Who’s calling?”

“Thank, God! I’m so glad this is the right number. This is Brandon. Remember me, I’m Korri’s friend?”  Brandon said in a rush.

“Yes, of course I remember you, Brandon.  It’s been a long time… is everything alright?”  Charlie questioned, her concern growing exponentially.

“It’s Korri.  She’s been in an accident and she’s in the hospital.”

“What!  What kind of accident?  Oh my Lord, please let my baby cousin be ok!”  Charlie cried in distress.

“It’s a long story, but she’s alright now.  I promise to tell you everything before you arrive, but you need to get here ASAP.  Korri needs you here, and we need to be strong for her.  I need your info so I can make arrangements to get you here tonight.”

Charlie was relieved that Korri had such good friends. 

Brandon made all the arrangements, and Charlie was on a flight from Houston that night.  When she arrived at Korri’s hospital room there was a doctor about to enter the room.  She lightly tapped the doctor on the shoulder.  The gray haired man with kind, brown eyes turned in her direction with a questioning look on his face.

“Is this Korrine Taylor’s room?”  Charlie asked the doctor.

The doctor nodded.  “Yes, and you are?”

“I’m Korrine’s cousin, Charlene Heart. How is she, Doc?”  Charlie asked.

The doctor smiled at Charlie. He could tell by looking at her that she was indeed related to his patient.  They had the same features, and nearly identical eyes.

The doctor looked at his chart, noting that the next of kin had Charlie’s name listed.

“She’s awake now, but she’s been through a very traumatic experience.  Although her body is on its way to healing, it may take Ms. Taylor much longer to be back to being herself,” the doctor stated in a serious tone.

“I understand, Doc.  Can I go in?” Charlie asked nervously.

              “Yes, but only for a minute.  Ms. Taylor needs her rest and she’s had a lot of visitors.”

Charlie nodded, relaxing slightly at the doctor’s good news.  She walked in after the doctor and looked around the spacious hospital room for her cousin.  She saw two people standing over Korri, crying.  One, she recognized as Brandon, Korri’s long time best friend.   The other was a woman whom Charlie didn’t recognize, and standing back from both of them was a man that Charlie had definitely never seen before.  He was large, standing at around six-four or six-five, and had thick black hair and brown eyes.  He looked a little disheveled, but he was definitely fine as hell.  Just as she was admiring the big guy, Korri looked up with an excited smile on her face.

              “Charlie?!!  How… when… you’re here… I’m so glad to see you!”

              “Hey, babygirl….how in the hell did you get yourself kidnapped?” Charlie replied with a raised eyebrow.

              A couple of days later, after she was able to get some much needed rest, Korri was eventually able to tell Charlie everything that had taken place.  Korri pleaded for Charlie to stay in Dallas, so she reluctantly agreed.

              Charlie stayed at Korri’s apartment until she was released from the hospital. She decided to stop by the hospital before Korri’s scheduled release time to see if she needed some help packing up her things.

              When she arrived at the hospital, Tony and Korri were just finishing up packing.  She was so glad that her cousin was well and had not been seriously hurt that she couldn’t help but engulf her in a tight embrace.  As Charlie was hugging Korri, she noticed that a man was standing at the door with his humongous arms crossed over his equally humongous chest. 

              He was large, even bigger than Tony. He stood around six foot five with muscle on top of muscle.  He had dirty blonde hair and bright green eyes.  His face was covered with a beard that was a shade darker than the hair on his head. 

              When Charlie finally finished her perusal of the big bear of a man standing in front of her, she noticed that he had a strange look on his handsome face.  But at that moment she didn’t care, because he was one of the most gorgeous men she had ever had the pleasure of seeing.

              That was the first time she laid eyes on Jacob Cameron.

CHAPTER 4

Charlie spent part of the afternoon and the entire evening reminiscing and making arrangements for her upcoming move to her high rise condominium in downtown Dallas.  Although she wouldn’t be able to move in for another couple of weeks, she was able to put down a deposit and sign her lease earlier that day, and she was all too happy to have her own apartment even if she wasn’t officially moved in.  She loved her cousin dearly, and she knew that being close to her was important, but living under the same roof was just too damn close for Charlie’s liking.  Charlie knew deep in her heart that her cousin and her fiancé didn’t mind her being there, however she felt that they needed their privacy, and it was important because they were newly engaged. 

Plus, as much as she hated to admit it, Korri was right; she needed to start dating again, and her mind couldn’t help but wonder back to Jacob Cameron… again.  She hadn’t seen him since their heated exchange at her welcome home party.  She couldn’t stop her heart from racing when she thought about their kiss, but that wasn’t the first time Jake had Charlie ready to publically rip her clothes from her body.

After their initial meeting in the hospital, they both knew the attraction between them was strong, but Charlie had still lived in Houston, and with everything that had been going on with her cousin, she just didn’t want to get involved with anyone.  Her mind drifted to the first time Jake had her hot and bothered.

After the engagement announcement, Jake slid closer to Charlie and whispered, “So since our cousins are engaged, I guess that means we need to get to know each other a little better.”

Charlie arched an eyebrow as she turned to face Jake. “You don’t strike me as the slick type, Jacob, throwing lines at women and what not.  So let’s skip all that and get straight to the point, shall we?”

Jake chuckled as he leaned back to look at Charlie’s beautiful, mocha colored face.  “A woman after my own heart. I like straight to the point, and that wasn’t a line.  It was a statement of fact.”  He leaned in again, so close his breath was caressing the sensitive skin of her earlobe and giving her chills.  “We… as in you and I,” Jake motioned at himself, then Charlie, “…need to get to know each other better.  It’s been six months since we met, and we both know it’s way past time for us.”

“Us… Jacob, puuleeese, yes we met six months ago, but as you know, I don’t live here, so I really don’t think it’s a good idea for us to get too… familiar.”  Charlie gave the excuse with the straightest face she could muster as she shifted in her seat when she noticed the expression on Jake’s handsome face.

“Yes, us, Heart.  This has been a long time coming.  Six months is plenty of time.  Anyway, I know for a fact that you’re moving here.  So the ‘I don’t live here’ excuse is null and void.  Unless you’re just not interested in me. Is that it, Heart, do you not want me?”  Jake huskily questioned, leaning in to touch Charlie’s leg under the table.

Charlie visibly shivered; there was no way in hell she could resist the walking temptation of Jacob Cameron with his masculine prowess and bold words, but she was sure as hell going to do her best to stand firm against his sexy ass, because he easily could lull her into a false sense of security.  He was, after all, a seemingly laid back guy with an easygoing attitude and ready dimpled smile.  It was really easy to forget that he was ex-Special Ops, with a no-nonsense mentality, and when he wanted something or someone, he got it.

“Jake, we are practically family.  We don’t need to get involved. Things could get complicated real quick, and no offense, I don’t need it,” Charlie explained, throwing her long braids over her shoulder as she tried to scoot away from Jake.

“Let’s get something straight right here and now,” Jake growled, looking directly into Charlie’s beautifully nervous face.  “I could give two fucks about complicated.”  Jake shook his head.  “Things are going to be real simple, so you might as well get used to the idea that this thing between us is going to happen.  Now, we can do it your way if you want, and pretend like you won’t be underneath me screaming out my name in ecstasy. I like a good chase, but it will happen, Heart.”  Jake stopped caressing Charlie’s leg and leaned back in his chair.

Charlie was completely turned on.  She hated the thought of letting her guard down, especially with a man like Jake because she could easily fall for this big giant bear of a man, and the last time she fell in love, it ended with disastrous consequences.  So she promised herself that she would do a better job at protecting herself by guarding her heart. And although Jake was right that the attraction between the two of them was undeniable, she just couldn’t take the risk, because a man like him was sure to break her heart.

Charlie took a deep cleansing breath.  “Alright, no need to growl at me you big bear.  I hear you loud and clear.  Now hear me loud and clear… this…” she waved her hands between the two of them, “Will. Not. Happen!” 

Charlie visibly relaxed. Once her decision had been made to keep Jake at a distance, she felt her willpower returning. 

The Cheshire cat grin that graced his handsome face should have given Charlie a clue that she was in way over her head.  He leaned in again, whispering in her ear, “Is that really what you think?”

Her temperature was beyond boiling, and was continuing to heat up with the sexy exchange.  She knew she’d better make an escape before she gave in. “That’s what I know. If you will excuse me.”  Charlie made a hasty exit towards the restroom.

Jake waited a beat before following her.  If she thought he was going to let her just walk away, she was sadly mistaken. Let the chase begin.

Before Charlie could reach the safety of the restroom, she felt a pair of strong hands on her waist pulling her into a dark alcove.  Her heart was thumping loudly in her ears, and the hair on the back of her neck was standing on end.  She knew exactly who it was before he turned her around.  She didn’t want to look into his seductive jade colored eyes, but she had no choice; his large calloused hand caressed the soft skin of her face from her cheek down to her chin.  He used his long finger to lift her face to look directly at him.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Charlie tried to sound firm and in control, but her words came out breathy and needy.

Jake’s smile was wicked as he licked his lips.  His thumb traced a seductive pattern on Charlie’s plump bottom lip.  He didn’t even try to hide the groan when she unconsciously licked her lips and, in the process, his thumb.

Charlie’s bright hazel eyes darkened with need at the sound of Jake’s feral moan.  His masculinity was such a turn on that the black lacey thong she wore was soaked with her arousal.

Jake captured Charlie’s plump lips in a scorching hot kiss, full of lust and desire.  She didn’t hesitate for even a second as she immediately granted him access to her mouth, her tongue dueling his for dominance over their passionate lip lock.

Jake pressed his large body into her petite frame, picking her up and backing her into the wall.  Her legs instinctively wrapped around his waist, bringing her heated core directly in contact with the hard as steel bulge in his black tailored slacks.

He groaned into her mouth at the contact.  His hands groped her firm round breasts, kneading them with an expertise that perfectly suited her. One of his large hands slid around to caress her inner thigh as his finger traced a slow, enticing pattern up to her aching core.  Charlie’s breath hitched in anticipation.  But before he reached the spot she so desperately needed him to touch, he stopped, dropping her feet to the ground, and slowly breaking their kiss.

Charlie looked at him in confusion and lust filled need.  Her chest heaved with the thought of having this huge, fine ass man fill her completely, but he’d stopped!  Before she could get a coherent thought together to ask him what the hell was wrong, he gave her the biggest dimpled smile.

“What I know, Heart, is that you can run fast, hard, and even far, but I will catch you.”  Jake’s husky voice was filled with blatant desire.  But then he just winked, kissed her on her forehead, and lazily sauntered away, as though he hadn’t just had her grinding on him in a dark corner of a restaurant at her cousin’s engagement party.

She was in deep trouble with this one.

***

Charlie had managed to have very limited contact with Jake up until her party, and then she went right back to forgetting what a man like him could possibly do to her heart.  She knew he was dangerous to her sense of self preservation, and when he was around, she could possibly forget every promise to protect her heart.  But that didn’t stop the arousing fantasies from entering her mind, and every single time she thought about her heated exchanges with Jake, she would give B.O.B a good work out. 

But in that moment, she knew that she needed to stop fantasizing about Jake because he was absolutely dangerous to her heart.  She needed to go out and get herself someone safe, and real… not a fantasy.

Jared Cole is a good place to start.  He’s made it clear that he’s interested in me.  Gotta start somewhere. 
Charlie nodded to herself, agreeing with her thoughts as she picked up the phone to text Jared.

Charlie:  Hey Jared would you like to get together this weekend?

Jared:  Sure.  What did you have in mind?

Charlie:  Dinner?

Jared:  Like a date?????

Charlie:  Lol yeah.  Unless you have plans already.

Jared:  No plans. Yeah of course I would love to go to dinner with you.

Charlie:  Great! Call u later with the detail
s


Charlie sighed in relief.  She didn’t realize that she would be so nervous asking a guy out on a date.  It hadn’t been that long. 

Oh hell who am I kidding? I can’t remember the last time I went on a date.

She smiled, feeling excited about the prospect of dating again.  She had taken a long hiatus because it was usually nerve racking, and she felt that it was a waste of her time.  Anyway, she had always thought of herself as a relationship type of girl, at least until she changed forever after she had her heart broken in college.  She just wasn’t willing to be that naïve person anymore. 

Charlie ran fast and furious away from anything that would be considered a serious relationship.  She dated every once in a while because she was only human, and like everyone else, she wanted companionship.  But anytime a guy would hint at the possibility of something more than just casual friendship, she would break off all contact. 

However, Charlie felt that Jared was the type of guy that just wanted something casual.  He seemed as though he would give her some companionship without wanting to get serious.  He had hinted at them going out previously, and although Charlie didn’t say yes right away, she didn’t outright turn him down either. 

Jared and Charlie had met one night at the
Premier Restaurant and Lounge
where she worked as an accountant. She’d been talking to one of her co-workers when he’d smoothly tapped her on the shoulder, and slid his phone number to her.  He was a handsome guy, standing around six feet, and had a honey brown complexion.  His eyes were so dark they looked almost black, but that only added to his boyish good looks.  His hair was cut in a fade that was tapered and lined with his thin goatee. 

Jared was muscular and lean in all the right places, so Charlie didn’t hesitate to take his number.  She wasn’t a stupid woman; a handsome man was a handsome man, and who was she to pass that up?  They’d chatted for a while, getting to know a little about each other before his friends showed up and he had to leave.  Since then, they’d talked on the phone and texted back and forth. They had also met for coffee a couple of times, so dinner was the next logical step.

Charlie felt pretty comfortable with Jared, and although he could stand to loosen up a little, she thought he was a nice enough guy.  They decided they would go out on Friday night to
Cool River
, a great local restaurant that had a wonderful ambiance and served spectacular food.  The more she thought about it, the more she just couldn’t wait for her date.