If The Shoe Fits (12 page)

“Charlie,” he prompted softly.

Turning to him, she looked like a deer caught
in headlights.

“You can do this.”

She blew out a heavy breath. Looking back at
the scientist, she said, “Dexter, I’m sorry—”

“Sorry? Sorry?! Is that all you can say?” He
thumped a fist against his chest. “I worked night and day on
anything you needed. Lately, all I’ve done is sleep, eat, and dream
about your stupid perfume. I thought we had something. A
connection. What a fool I’ve been. You never gave a damn about me,
did you? All you wanted was to save this godforsaken business at
any cost. You used me.”

Alex winced at the anger directed at Charlie.
She stood there, taking it. God, he admired her so much.

“You’re wrong,” she replied quietly once he’d
stopped to draw in a breath. She swiped away a fast falling tear.
“I never meant to hurt you.”

That had Dexter jerking back. He sighed
wearily, whipping off his glasses and rubbing his eyes. The truth
must have sunk in. “How could you? I poured everything into this
place. I got so caught up in your enthusiasm for your dream of
bringing back this store.”

“I never promised you more—”

“Then friends?” he snared. “Just
friends.”

“You wanted something I couldn’t give you.
And yes, you are my friend.”

He snorted.

With the door still firmly shut, Alex crossed
his arms over his chest. “Hey, buddy, give her a chance.”

The man glanced over at him. “Funny, I don’t
think you’d be as charitable if you were in my place.”

Alex nodded in understanding. “Point
taken.”

“You’re a lot nicer than I thought you’d
be.”

Charlie chuckled. “Me, too.”

“Hey,” Alex said, frowning at her.

She looked at him with her eyebrows raised.
“Nice. Sincere. You know, not cheesy.”

He grinned. “Or fake.” He recalled the words
she’d flung at him only a few short weeks ago.

She giggled. Heat stole over him. Her eyes
darkened and her cheeks flushed. The ache inside him grew.

Someone cleared their throat. “Ah, excuse me,
but I’m still here.” Dexter’s voice pulled Alex out of his
thoughts.

Guilt stained Charlie’s skin now. She bit her
lip. Alex longed to kiss it and make it better.

“It’s true.” Resignation echoed in Dexter’s
voice.

“Yes,” Alex answered. “We’re—”

Charlie turned sharply to glare at him.

“Friends. Close friends,” he amended, highly
aware she wanted to keep their marriage a secret for a little bit
longer.

“Engaged, secretly, weeks ago,” she
corrected, briefly waving the diamond-circled ring she wore on her
right hand.

“Damn,” the mad scientist muttered. The color
drained from his face. “And double damn.”

Alex sympathized. “I’d be saying a lot worse
if I were in your shoes.”

“What is it about you and the shoes?” Charlie
asked with a smile in her voice.

Alex chuckled, and then shrugged. “What can I
say?”

Looking at him, she raised an eyebrow. “Shoe
fetish, perhaps?”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Dexter interrupted. “No
fetishes, please. Don’t worry, I get it, all right? You and him.”
He shivered noticeably. “This is getting too much for me. Let me
outta here.”

“Gladly.” Alex moved to open the door.

Charlie’s hand covered his. “Wait.” She
turned to the other man. “You’ll still work for King’s, still
finish the perfume, still be the creative genius you’ve always
been?”

He sighed heavily. “I’ll finish the perfume.
I can’t promise anything else right now.” The hurt echoed in his
voice.

“Understood,” Charlie said softly. “I’m
sorry, Dex.”

“Me too, Charlie, me too.”

Once Dexter exited, Alex waved for Charlie to
precede him. She drew near and then reached over and pressed the
close door button.

He sucked in a sharp breath. They were alone.
“Did you forget something?” His voice came out low and husky.

Stepping into his arms, she quivered. “A
hug?” He pulled her close. When she sank into him, his heart picked
up tempo.

“Are there cameras in here?” he asked as he
nibbled her earlobe.

“Unfortunately,” she murmured. “Just a kiss.
A soft, lingering, deep kiss? A kiss won’t hurt, will it?”

***

Alex took one last admiring look at the
window displays. “The Charmings. What will she think of next?” he
asked as he settled in the back seat of his car.

Edward scratched his head. “Your guess is as
good as mine, sir.”

“We’ll just have to wait and see, my
friend.”

“Or I could try to loosen up Dolly’s tongue
and have her spill it to me.” Edward seemed to like the idea too
much.

Alex chuckled. “I can’t seem to erase that
visual, so I’d rather not have any more. I’ll just wait and see. I
never knew I liked surprises so much.”

“Never did before.”

“Strange, isn’t it? How much a person doesn’t
even know themselves,” he wondered aloud.

“Women!” Edward muttered and then
laughed.

***

Once away from the comfort of the car,
darkness surrounded Charlotte as she, with Edward at her side, made
her way to the lone spotlight at the back door of Alex’s house.
Warm, buttery light poured out of the kitchen windows, like a
welcome sign. Her heart hitched at the sight. “Thanks, Edward, for
picking me up tonight and having a car waiting for me every night
this last week.”

“No problem, Miss, or should I say Mrs.?”

She glanced over at him. In the shadows, she
made out the grin that flashed across his face. “Charlie will do
just fine.”

“Sure thing. Mr. Alex wanted to make sure you
got home safe and sound.”

A spark of tenderness warmed her middle.
“That’s so sweet,” she said more to herself than to him.

“I’ll tell him you said so, ma’am,” the
driver said with a smile in his voice.

“Never been called that before, has he?”

“Nope, not a once that I can recall.”

Her interest piqued. “How long have you known
him, Edward?”

“Years.” The word was short and to the point,
but she sensed the kinship behind it.

“Close, huh?”

“Just like you and Dolly, ma’am.”

She sighed. “That’s nice to know. I’m glad he
had someone all these years.”

Now at the door, he got out his key.

“Coming in?”

He pulled back slightly, as if surprised.

“Join us. Dolly always has something
delicious waiting for me. I could use a dinner mate.”

The grin was back, wider than before. She was
certain it had more to do with Dolly than anything else.

As he opened the door and let her precede
him, she asked, “Edward, what exactly are your intentions with
Dolly anyway?”

He must have heard the laughter in her voice;
he chuckled. “Ma’am?”

She swatted his arm. “Don’t pretend you
didn’t hear me.”

Just then, Charlie sensed, rather than heard,
movement in the kitchen. Going into the big, modern room with all
the latest stainless-steel appliances, she stopped short at the
sight before her.

Edward nearly ran into her.

Standing at the stove, in jeans and with his
sleeves rolled up, Alex stirred whatever was in the medium-sized
pot.

“That’s it, Mr. R., don’t let that burn,”
Dolly directed as she rinsed off a spoon at the sink.

Charlie suppressed a giggle. Behind her,
Edward began to chuckle. In unison, Alex and Dolly turned to the
noise.

Alex shrugged self-consciously.

Moving into the room, Charlie went to Dolly,
kissing her on the cheek. “You are a miracle worker, my friend,”
she said quietly.

“Aw shucks.”

“Hey,” Alex called out, “don’t I get one of
those, too? Isn’t it kiss the cook day or something?”

She giggled. “If it isn’t, we’ll make it so.”
Once she was beside him, she stood on tip toe, placing a tender
kiss on his cheek. “Yummy, apples and cinnamon.”

“That’s the ice-cream flavor, not him,” Dolly
chastised. “Apple pie ice cream, you like?”

“I like,” Edward said.

“Hey, you forgetting something?” she
teased.

The driver looked perplexed.

“A kiss. You know, for the cook.”

He actually blushed, but went over and gave
her a light peck on the cheek.

“More later, Eddie?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He turned to Alex, looking
uncomfortable. “You want one too, sir?”

Charlie laughed and the others joined in.

Hours later, Charlie glanced around at the
three people sitting with her at the kitchen table. In one hand,
they all held the cards they were dealt, while in the other they
held a spoon to dip into the newest ice cream concoction Dolly and
Alex had created. It felt like home.

Dolly splayed out another winning hand.

“Card shark,” Eddie muttered as he tossed
down his cards and went back to the bowl in front of him.

“Always have been,” Dolly said, raking in the
pot, the metal jingling. The pile of coins in front of her kept
growing.

“Always will be,” Charlie pointed out.

She caught Alex’s glance. He winked. Heat
stole over her cheeks.

All evening she’d watched as his smile came
often. Easy banter flowed among them. Thankfully, gone were all
signs of the stuffy businessman and in its place was a very sexy,
very down-to-earth man. Now, this was the husband she never knew
she wanted.

In the back of her mind, she wondered if she
could hold onto this forever.

***

A week later, Alex shuffled the papers on his
desk in his study. He checked his watch once again. “After ten,” he
muttered. “Where could she be?” He didn’t need a psychic to answer
that one. Work.

He leaned back in his chair and rested his
feet on the edge of the desk, ankles crossed. “A work widower.”

He closed his eyes and pictured her. Her
enthusiasm was contagious. Each morning she’d sit across from him
at breakfast and beam. Her eyes sparkled and her smile came even
easier than usual. He especially adored her playfulness.

And, when he popped in to see her at her
work, he respected her air of confidence and quick decision-making
skills. But, most of all, he admired the way she treated the people
who worked for her. Correction, worked with her, as Charlie pointed
out time and time again.

She was more than he’d ever hoped for, more
than he knew he’d needed. Charlie made him want to be a better
friend, a better husband, a better man.

Smiling, he allowed himself to recall their
time together. His thoughts lingered on their wedding night. So
soft, so warm, and so willing. He groaned softly.

“What, may I ask, are you thinking?” Charlie
asked.

Alex opened his eyes, wondering if she was
real or just part of his very vivid imagination.

Rushing into the room, she dropped her purse
and tote bag in a nearby chair. Soon she rounded the desk. “May I?”
she asked, lifting his arms and gingerly seating herself in his
lap, and then wrapping his arms around her.

“I didn’t even get to answer.” He gathered
her close, welcoming her warmth. He inhaled deep. Her perfume
tickled his senses.

“Complaining?” She snuggled into him. Her
lips brushed the side of his neck. He shivered.

“Never,” he moaned.

She giggled.

The sound vibrated through him and he grasped
her closer still.

“You are such a good courter. Is that even a
word?”

“Me? I believe you are the one throwing
yourself at me. Talk about a good courter. And no, it’s not a word.
But who cares?”

Suddenly, she kissed his cheek repeatedly
with quick, hard pecks.

“A little more to the left, please.”

“Your left or mine?”

“Mine.”

She halted a few inches away from his lips.
As she stared into his eyes, his heart tumbled in his chest.

“Charlie,” he whispered.

“Alex,” she said in an equally breathy
voice.

She lowered her lips to his. Gently, she
kissed the corner of his mouth, and then the other side. She
feathered the lightest of kisses over his lips. She increased the
pressure.

Alex brought a hand up to cradle the back of
her head, liking the way the silky strands of her hair caressed his
skin. She parted his lips with her tongue. He groaned. He heard, as
well as felt, her suck in a sharp breath. He moaned this time. She
responded, sending a swift, sharp ache crashing through him.

She teased him, first darting her tongue in
his mouth, then, ever so gently, tangling hers around his in a
wicked, tantalizing dance of promise and desire.

The kiss went on and on. He never wanted it
to end.

She reached out with her hands, soft and
seeking, to unbutton his shirt. Then she delved her fingers between
the parted fabric and blazed a trail of fire over his flesh. He
burned.

Still clinging to her kiss, he ran his free
hand over her back, waist, hips, and then her perfectly round
bottom, down her long thighs, and then back up again. In the back
of his mind, he thanked her for wearing the pencil-thin skirt. It
fit her like a second skin.

A shiver racked her. His body tightened and
hardened in all the right places. Slowly, she pulled away. Her
sweet breath fanned over his mouth. He longed to drag her back for
more of the same. Her eyes, now a liquid caramel, tried to focus on
him.

“Welcome home, wife.” He nearly growled the
last. He didn’t realize how possessive he could be. Her condition
of keeping their marriage a secret fueled his desire for the world
to know.

“Husband.” He heard the smile in her
voice.

She knew. She sensed how difficult it had
been for him to keep his distance from her out in public, to dodge
reporters’ questions, to beg his grandparents from revealing the
truth, and to appear as if they didn’t even live together.