The thoughts wrapped around my head, and when I opened the door, I jumped to see Charlie there.
“Charlie?”
“Hi, Quentin,” she said sheepishly. “I was thinking we could talk?”
The last time I’d seen Charlie, she’d been quick to jump to Matt’s defence and called what Gray and I had a dirty little secret.
Gray came down the hall and stood behind me.
“Evening, Gray,” Charlie said, not looking him in the eye.
“Hello, Charlotte.” His words were tight and clipped.
Gray placed his hands on my waist, keeping my body close to his. I’d told him what happened, and he wasn’t pleased about it. That was evident by the tension that filled the doorway of my home.
“Gray was just leaving for work so we can talk,” I told her.
Behind me, Gray tensed, and I placed my hands over his reassuringly until he spoke.
“I’ll see you later.”
He kissed me before releasing me from his grip, and I blushed again at the act of PDA. If you were to assign Gray a love language, it would be physical touch. The moment we were near each other, he’d find a way to get a hand on me.
He moved past us both and walked down the street towardsMurphy’s.
“Come in,” I said, letting Charlie into the house and moving through to the living room.
“So, you two are still...?” Charlie asked, leaving the end of the sentence hanging.
“Yeah.”
She nodded. This felt like a conversation on repeat, and every time it made me anxious. I didn’t want to hear people say it was a bad idea.
Of course, this was a bad idea. Not only did I break the terms of my contract, but I was willingly entering a relationship — was that the right word? — that held no longevity and would leave me as the injured party.
Charlie took in a deep breath and released it slowly.
“I don’t agree with what you did, Quen,” she said. “But I’ve missed you.”
I looked over at her and felt a small sense of relief. “I’ve missed you too. How’s Matt?”
“You know Matthew. Bruised ego, but he’ll live. He’s calmed down a lot from when I first spoke to him.”
“I really am sorry. I never meant to hurt him.”
“It explains why Gray seemed so damn happy and willing during our sessions. Keep him happy, Quen. It makes my job a lot easier.”
“Oh, yeah, because that’s why I’m with him. To make your life easier.”
“Nothing to do with that body.”
“Charlie!”
We laughed together, and I felt some of the sadness that shrouded me, when I left, lifted from my shoulders.
“What?” she asked innocently. “I’m not blind, Quen. That man has the body of a God.”
“He is one.”
