It was all so overwhelming, she wasn’t even sure where she should begin.Derek will know.
Charlie’s thoughts turned to the man in the other room. Butterflies that had lain dormant for years awoke and began fluttering about. Her heart began to race a little faster as she thought maybe that was the perfect place to start.
Determined to start living life on her terms again, Charlie got out of the shower and dried herself off. She glanced at the clean pair of panties and short set neatly folded on the edge of the sink but decided to leave them where they were.
Grabbing the lotion she’d bought during her spa day with Mac, Charlie squeezed a bit out into her palm and began rubbing it into her skin. The tiny room filled with the scent of plums and crushed freesia as she layered the fragrance with the matching body spray.
Not wanting to go to Derek looking like a drowned rat, Charlie quickly blew her hair dry. After fluffing it with her fingers, she wrapped the white towel around her body, securing it between her breasts.
Praying she wasn’t about to make a monumentally embarrassing mistake, Charlie filled her lungs with air and released it out slowly. Before she could change her mind, she opened the bathroom door and stepped into the hallway.
With a quick glance to her right, she could tell there were no lights on in the kitchen or living room area. The door to her left was slightly ajar, and there was a soft glow filtering through the small, open space.
Guessing Derek was already in bed, she took another deep breath and headed for his room. With a slight tremble in her hand, Charlie said another silent prayer and pushed the door open.
Shirtless, Derek was sitting up in bed, his head tilted down as he looked at something on his phone. His sandy blond hair was damp, as though he’d just taken a shower, too.
As she walked into the room, he lifted his head. Their eyes connected and his widened slightly as he took in her full appearance.
Setting his phone down onto the nightstand, he cleared his throat and gave her a sweet smile.
“Everything okay?”
“Not really.”
Charlie stepped a little farther inside before shutting the door behind her.
She could see Derek’s Adam’s apple bob up and down as he swallowed before clearing his throat again.
“Anything I can help with?”
He appeared to be adorably nervous, which made Charlie’s heart smile.Good to know I’m not the only one.
She took a tiny step closer to the bed. “I sure hope so.”
Pushing past her nerves, Charlie tugged at the knot between her breasts. The terrycloth towel fell to the floor, pooling around her bare feet.
As she stood there, completely naked and exposed to him, she prayed he still wanted her as much as she did him.
Looking as though he were about to swallow his own tongue, Derek slowly pushed the covers off his legs and got up from the bed. His erection was impossible to miss as it pushed against the thin material of his black boxer briefs.
Her mouth watered with anticipation, and Charlie found herself yearning for the chance to taste him.
She dreaded giving Caleb blow jobs. Just one more way she was forced to serve him. Sex was a means to an end for him, and he didn’t give two shits whether or not she was satisfied.
Like so many things with Derek, this was different. Charlie found she couldn’t wait to slide his hard length between her lips.
No longer the boy she once knew, he continued walking toward her. She could make out nearly every impressive muscle on the front of his body as he moved.
His chest and abs were so sculpted they almost looked fake. Charlie bit back a gasp when she lowered her gaze to the delicious V running from his hips toward the center...and below. Just knowing where it ended left her inner muscles clenching with desire.
“God, you’re beautiful.”
Hearing his low, sultry voice had Charlie bringing her eyes back up to his. Her breath froze inside her lungs when she saw the expression on his face.
Derek West, the man she’d fantasized about more times than she could count, was looking back at her as if she were the most gorgeous, desirable woman on the face of the earth.
“So are you,” she whispered back as he closed the remaining distance between them.
