I tried to wait. My goal was to have three dates. All I wanted was for her to know I cared. That I wanted to make it perfect for her. But I knew enough to know that I could make it that way without flowers and chocolates.
Not wasting any more time, I turned and carried her into the house. The AC felt like a balm to my overheated skin. Keeping her in my arms, I brought her upstairs, doing my best not to stumble thanks to the obstacle growing in my shorts.
“Impressive,” she said with a smile.
Taking my right foot, I gently kicked my door open. “You haven’t seen anything yet.”
She giggled, and reluctantly I set her down. With my hands on her shoulders, I had to ask, “Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m more than sure. I’ve been sure for longer than you know. You’ve always been the one I’ve wanted to be with for my first time.”
“Really? You barely knew me.”
“That’s not exactly true. Your sister adores you and would talk about you incessantly. I felt as though I knew you through her. And then when you’d come home from school, I’d watch you laugh with your friends. Something about your smile made me want things. I suppose I made you the gold standard, and no one has come close to making me think otherwise. So am I sure? Yes.”
“Gold standard? No pressure in that statement.”
Her face turned serious. “It’s just always been you. I think it was you before I knew what that even meant.”
I ran my index finger under the left strap of her bra top. Getting this off wasn’t going to be easy. She must have sensed my thoughts, because, without hesitation, she shifted one of her arms and peeled it over her head, tossing it to the side.
My heart slammed in my rib cage, taking in her naked breasts. “God, you’re beautiful, Charlie.”
She blushed, and then like music to my ears, she accepted my compliment with a simple, “Thank you.”
Her hands went to the bottom of my T-shirt and began to raise it. “My turn.” Thanks to the height difference, I reached back over my shoulder and helped tug it off. Charlie leaned forward and placed a kiss between my pecs, but closer to the left one.
Not being able to wait much longer, I stripped her out of her minuscule shorts, realizing she didn’t have anything on underneath them. “I don’t mean to sound this way, but you’re never allowed to wear these to practice.”
“Is that my mentor talking?”
“No, it’s the man who cares about you. I’m not sure what’s going on between us, and I honestly didn’t want it to be anything because of the issues it could cause. But I’m drawn to you in a way I never expected. I wanted to take it slow with you, Charlie. And sad to say, I can’t tell you the last time I did that—or even wanted to. But then you went allcar washin the backyard. It has to be the hottest thing I’ve ever seen. And whether I have the right to say this or not, I don’t want anyone else to see you like that.”
“Car wash?”
“Don’t play coy with me, young lady. You knew exactly what you were doing.”
Feigning ignorance, she gave a gentle shrug. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”
“Sure you don’t.” I chuckled, scooped her up into my arms, pulled my navy comforter back, and deposited her wet body onto the bed. I reached into my nightstand, pulled out a condom, and tossed it onto the mattress. “Are you on any birth control?”
“Yes, I’m on the pill.”
Not wasting any more time, I shed my clothes, kicked my shorts away, and then my boxers. Charlie sat up with wide eyes. “I’ll go slow, but if you change your mind or want me to stop at any time…”
She shook her head. “No, I don’t want that, and I haven’t changed my mind.”
I slid in next to her, and with Charlie on her side, we took our time exploring each other. Her touch was gentle and unhurried. Meanwhile, I tried not to explode as though this was my first time too. I’ve been with women, of course, but Charlie was different.
Charlie rolled onto her back, grabbed the foil packet, and handed it to me. While on my knees, I slid on the condom before positioning myself between her legs. “I’ll go slow,” I reassured her.
“I trust you.”
In a slow and gentle nudge, I brought us together, and I knew from that moment on that Charlie Nicholson was mine.
Chapter 20
Charlie