“Should we unpack our stuff?” Charlie felt for his suitcase, which was up against the wall.
“We can do that tomorrow,” I said. “I just want to relax. The past few days have been stressful as hell.”
“Me too, but we need stuff to sleep in.”
A corner of my mouth upturned. “We don’t need clothes.”
Charlie paused. I felt him wavering somewhere between indecision and desperate want. “Are you sure…?”
“Yes. I want to remember what your skin feels like against mine.”
“We don’t have to.” He reached out for me, and I took his arm.
“But wecan. No one’s stopping us, and we’re not getting in our own way anymore,” I said. “We’re married. Let’s enjoy it.”
Charlie stayed silent. He wasn’t blocking me out, so I felt his emotions converge against my own. He had desire, but he was… worried. I didn’t like that.
“What’s holding you back?”
His shoulders hunched. “Everything seems so good right now. I don’t want to ruin it.”
“We won’t. Charlie, we’ve been through so much. Being together is our reward. I want us to haveallthe benefits of married life. Intimacy is a part of that.”
He nodded slowly. “Okay. I’m willing to try.”
I grabbed his hands and led him to the bedroom. Oberi’s snacks were still all over. We moved them into the other room, and Charlie shut the door behind us. The way the lockclickedsent a shiver racing up my spine and all over my body.
Charlie’s hands drifted down my arms, until they settled on my elbows. He leaned down to kiss me. His lips felt soft and tender against mine as we pressed together. Our kiss at the altar had felt tense with everyone watching, but now that we were alone, our walls could come down. I let my fingers run through his hair and over his scruff as he sucked and bit at my bottom lip. Our tongues melded together, and I moaned as I opened my mouth to let him in.
Charlie’s hands grabbed my ass, and he lifted me upward. My legs wrapped around his hips as he carried me to the bed. His kiss went deeper, taking the very life from me as we lay back down on the bed. Charlie’s hands went beneath the bottom of my sweater, and he pulled it off of me before cupping my breasts through the outside of my bra. I kicked off my shoes and yanked my socks off before Charlie’s touch slowed me down, his fingertips trailing my ribs. He unbuttoned my skirt and slid it off before his mouth moved, lips pressing against the side of my neck, trailing down to my collarbone, stomach, and thighs. His fingers slipped underneath my bra to cradle my breast, and his fingers massaged my nipple delicately.
I was already getting lightheaded. I grabbed the edge of his sweater and yanked it over his head, admiring the way my hand splayed against his bare chest before I reached for the button on his pants. By this point, Charlie had unclipped my bra and tossed it aside so he could enjoy kissing my breasts. My back arched as he sucked on my nipple, his hand gripping my side.
He was waiting for me to give him some reassurance that this is what I truly wanted. But I wasn’t lying about this. Every part of me wanted him right now, and I craved the sensations only he could give me. I grabbed his hand and moved it over my panties. His hand slipped underneath the fabric, and he teased me by running a finger over my center. I gave another moan, and Charlie ripped my panties off and tossed them to the floor.
Ancestors, all I wanted to do was be naked if it pleased him. He slipped his finger inside of me, and I whimpered with delight. I fiddled with the button on his pants before I finally got them unzipped, and I yanked them and his boxers down in one movement.
I missed the sight of his dick. He was so hard it nearly looked painful. Elation shot through my arm as I reached out to touch it, enjoying the feel of him in my hand.
“Fuck,” Charlie ground out as I caressed him. His eyes fluttered closed for a moment. My head lolled backward as his finger dipped in and out of me, as his tongue danced along my breasts. I don’t know how I managed, but somehow, I got the rest of Charlie’s clothes off so he was just as exposed as I was.
Our heads hit the pillows as his lips ravaged my own, and I struggled to breathe as I was overcome with lust. His hands ran along my skin, and an overwhelming feeling of relief and happiness pressed down on me from the very heavens above. The emotion blazed in my chest, like someone had lit a fire in my heart and it was roaring out of control. It was so powerful that it made tears sting at my eyes.
“Do you feel that?” Charlie whispered. Goosebumps rose on my arms as he drifted a finger over my apex.
I let out a breathy sigh. “I think our soul is healing.”
It was. The threads of our soul were binding back together. I thought what we’d done was irreparable, but as I was learning, nothing could damage the bond Charlie and I shared so terribly that it couldn’t be reforged. We’d broken each other, but we could fix our relationship again. This was a brand new start for both of us, and I was enjoying every second of it.
But I wanted more. Touching him didn’t satisfy the deep craving inside of me. There was a part of me I’d been too scared to give Charlie before, but I wasn’t afraid anymore. I knew I could trust him, and that with him, I’d be safe always.
Excitement electrocuted my body when I realized the condom was still on the bedside table. While he was kissing me, my hand scrambled to reach for it. It’d been a joke before, but there was nothing funny about it now. Charlie had my soul, and he had my heart. I wanted him to make my body his, too.
Charlie withdrew from the kiss as he heard the foil packet. I gave it to him, and he said, “Do you think you’re ready? The truth this time.”
We’d been here before, but the emotions were so different. There wasn’t any tension or reluctance, only trust. “Areyouready? Because I want us to be husband and wife in every sense of the word. I know I can give myself to you.”
Charlie swallowed nervously. He didn’t say anything out loud, but his thoughts echoed just as loudly as I heard him think,Hell. What if I mess it up and scare her?
