My phone lights up with Pop’s name just as we’re heading back to the house.
“Hey, Pop.”
Charlie raises one eyebrow and walks ahead of me to give me a semblance of privacy.
“You guys survived the storm all right?”
“Yep.”
“Good,” Pop says happily. “We’re going to stay in Charleston a few more days, make a vacation of it. Can you check on the house?”
“’Course. I’ll empty out the fridge if the quarter sank too low in the freezer cup.”
“Call us if you needanything.” Pop pauses for a longmoment. “I never liked Anthony,” he whispers so Dad can’t hear him. “IadoreCharles.”
“Oh?” I ask with a barely restrained grin.
“He’s salt of the earth.”
“What’s that mean?”
Pop just laughs easily. “He reminds me of myself. Now, I love you. We’ll be back in time for the lantern festival.”
After he disconnects the call, I tug the phone away from my ear with a frown. Salt of the earth. I don’t think I’ve ever heard Pop use that phrase to describe someone in my entire life. Charlie comes back to join me on the porch, a mug of coffee in each hand and creamer tucked into the crook of his elbow.
“It says gluten-free,” he says with a deep frown. “But it also has natural flavors. Can’t gluten sneak in that way?”
My heart fucking bursts. “Yeah,” I reply gruffly, trying to keep my face as neutral as possible so that Charlie can’t see the heart eyes that dearly want to escape. “But that brand is fine. It’s what I use at home.”
Charlie grins, wide and beautiful. “Oh, good. It’s pumpkin spice. That okay?”
“Perfect.”
Charlie sets the mugs down on the table, and pours some creamer into each mug, returning to the kitchen to put the creamer away, and comes back with a spoon. He carefully stirs both of our coffees but keeps the spoon in his mug as he takes a rather large gulp. I watch his throat move on the swallow, entranced and delighted at the same time.
“Brent was checking in?” Charlie asks before taking another big gulp of coffee.
I hum in agreement, taking my own sip of coffee. It warms my bones, but not the way Charlie’s body warmed me whenhe was caging me in against the bed. I like sleepy and open Charlie. I always like Charlie actually.
“He asked me to go check on the house. They’re going to stay in Charleston for a few extra days and make a vacation of it.”
“Oh, that’s a good idea actually.” Charlie smiles softly, his eyes twinkling in a way that makes the tips of my fingers tingle with the urge to brush them across his sharp cheekbone. “Should we check to see if anyone else needs help after we check their place?”
“You have a heart of gold.”
Charlie chuckles. “Like you weren’t planning to do the same thing.”
“Yes, but I’m from here.”
Charlie just stares at me for a long moment before saying, “Maybe I want to be from here too.”
Well, all right. We finish our coffee and get dressed for the day. It’s nice to watch Charlie get dressed—the way his body moves, the way he’s not inhibited at all in my presence. As if he’s secure in his body and in the fact I find him attractive. I find myself moving similarly, the heat in Charlie’s gaze telling me everything I need to know. I have the type of body that River once dubbedsoft muscle hunk, aka the type of body that can lift a car but cuddle you without feeling like you’re cuddling a statue. Whatever that means. I don’t shy away from Charlie’s gaze, enjoying the way his eyes flit over my pecs, soft stomach, and thighs to catalog my tattoos. His eyes catch on my Ninja Turtles tattoo and get stuck there, a small smirk lifting up one side of his mouth.
“You’re right, it’s fun,” Charlie agrees before crossing the room to kiss me.
I tangle my fingers in his hair, tugging him closer so I cansavor the minty coffee taste of him. I like how Charlie doesn’t really fight me for dominance when we kiss; instead, he lets me lead and happily follows. When I lick into his mouth, his tongue tangles with mine for a second before he lets out an indecent moan. If we don’t stop kissing now, we’ll never leave the house again. But Charlie wants to go slow, and I want to respect that, no matter how much I want to fuck him into oblivion. It doesn’t matter much to me if Charlie wants to go slow for himself or if he’s doing it for me, either way it’s what we’re doing.
I pull away from him panting, our eyes catching as we both return to the world in pieces after another earth-shattering kiss. Charlie’s eyes are magical, where they don’t seem quite real. Dark green, like seaweed tossed up on the shore.
