“Any plans for your birthday next Friday?” Charlotte asked as she dropped her fork on the empty plate.
“God, no. I’m not a big birthday person.” Half of Alex’s face disappeared behind her mug as she took a sip.
Charlotte sipped her latte. “Not even some fancy dinner?”
Alex tossed her hair, wavy from sleeping on it, to one side. She smiled. “This looks plenty fancy to me.”
“Is that what you want?” Charlotte’s chest tightened and her stomach lurched, a confusing combination of panic and exhilaration. “You want me to cook for you?”
Alex seemed to consider the o er as she cleared the plates and rinsed them in the sink before loading the dishwasher.
“I wouldn’t want to put you out. You don’t have to play chef for me just because I’m another year older. It’s not a big deal.”
Alex’s usually steady voice was slightly undulated. The crack in her confidence only accelerated the guilt clawing out of Charlotte’s stomach and inflating like a balloon in her chest.
The longer Charlotte watched Alex, the more her feelings blurred and frayed. She wanted to be there for her birthday.
Wanted to cook for her.
Slipping o the stool, Charlotte circled the island and approached Alex, who was wiping down the counter. Her long tank top barely covered her butt, leaving the very bottom peeking out from the white cotton fabric. It was such an ordinary human moment; it erased any residual hesitation.
Charlotte reached out, her hands trembling as she embarked on new and previously uninhabited territory. A new level of intimacy.
“I’d love to cook for you,” she said softly, turning Alex toward her and pulling her into her arms.
“You don’t have—”
Charlotte interrupted Alex by pressing her lips against hers. After a moment’s hesitation, Alex relaxed into her kiss.
Unable to resist the smooth skin of her bare thighs, Charlotte ran her open palms over her hips and beyond the edge of the fabric.
“I want to, okay?” Charlotte whispered against her lips before her mouth started an increasingly familiar trek down the side of her neck.
With her head tipped back, Alex let out a nearly inaudible moan, sending a ripple of desire pulsating through Charlotte’s body. She loved the way Alex reacted to her touch.
“Okay,” Alex agreed.
Unable to conceal her triumphant smirk, Charlotte gripped Alex’s thighs and engaged every muscle in her body to pick her up o her feet. Despite her obvious shock at Charlotte’s strength, Alex wrapped her legs around her waist.
Lust flashed in Alex’s eyes before she craned her neck down and captured Charlotte in a deep, ravishing kiss. In another decisive motion, Charlotte heaved Alex onto the counter as if she were weightless.
To conceal her trembling biceps and hands after the considerable exertion, Charlotte gripped Alex’s thighs and parted them. It was a rougher touch than she’d intended, but Alex’s gasp didn’t signal any disapproval.
Alex cursed as she arched her back. With her fingers tangled in Charlotte’s hair she pulled her into her. Charlotte was more than happy to oblige.
CHAPTER 26
ALONE IN ALEX’S HOUSE, Charlotte poured over a stack of notes.
She only had so much time before Alex came home and she’d have to destroy the evidence. She had convinced Alex that since it was her birthday, she should get to her place first and get things going, but she’d only agreed to a couple of hours. The pressure was doing nothing to aid her comprehension skills.
Bent over the counter, Charlotte tried to memorize the words on the page. But she couldn’t. It was just too much.
When the motion sensor trained on the front gate buzzed, Charlotte cursed. Alex was back. It hadn’t been enough time and now the opportunity was gone. With another desperate glance at the pages, Charlotte forced herself to take a mental picture. She didn’t have a photographic memory, but it was worth a shot.
The garage side door beeped when it opened, as did every door and window in Alex’s fortress. Charlotte shoved the small stack of papers into a bag and then into the garbage.
“There’s the birthday girl!” Charlotte exclaimed way too loudly.