On a Gamble (6 page)

Her grandparents smiled at them, making her feel even more self-conscious.

She didn’t say another word as they made their way out.

How the hell would he get through this evening?

Alex needed to try his hardest to keep his hands off of her. Easy enough while he drove, but he did a lousy job with his eyes. Sweet Jesus, he’d never seen her in anything more than a pair of jeans, a T-shirt, her hair in a ponytail. Not to say she didn’t look beautiful in her farm garb. But tonight, she looked hot as hell, different, in a
very
good way.

Her hair down, past her shoulders, fell in pretty dark waves around her angelic face. Creamy white skin glowed with just a hint of makeup, and that dress she wore clung just enough to make his mouth water. From the fullness of her breasts, to the small curve of her waist, the jacket did nothing to hide those sinful, luscious curves. And holy fuck those boots, tall, black leather elongated enticing legs.

Such thoughts made his jeans tighten. His mind traveled to the sinful kiss they’d shared a couple days ago. He hadn’t been able to think of much else. That kiss consumed his entire being.

Alex tried to keep his mind on the straight and narrow, but her scent permeated the small space of his truck, of sweet vanilla.

As they pulled in to park, he let out the breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. Being in such an enclosed space with her in that sexy dress, those boots, her intoxicating scent made his senses swirl in a million directions. It would be enough to drive a man insane.

He parked, got out, and went to open the door for her.

“Thank you,” she said, and smiled in such a way, that made his insides do strange things.

He inclined his head, and attempted to keep his riotous, dirty thoughts under control. But so far he was doing one lousy job. He was here to have a nice time and not get emotionally involved.

Shit, after that kiss, and now a date, it’s a little late for that isn’t it?

But he didn’t regret the kiss one bit, and wanted a taste of those sweet lips again.

He cleared his throat. “You’re welcome.”

She and Alex walked in amiable silence for a few minutes. Her nerves jumbled all over the place. She rubbed her sweaty palms on her jacket, embarrassed at the reaction in the first place, and hoping he wouldn’t notice.

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Yeah, and everything smells good.”

Smells of all kinds wafted into her nose, everything from hamburgers to hotdogs, and scrumptious desserts like funnel cake and cotton candy. It all sounded good, and her stomach agreed, letting out a fierce growl.

“What would you like?”

“A hamburger and some fries sound great,” she said.

They walked toward the food tent, and while he grabbed the food, she procured two bottles of water, and found seats.

Moments later, he set her meal down in front of her, noting he’d ordered the same thing. “Looks great, thank you.”

“No problem.”

Charlie spread a napkin on her lap, grabbed two ketchup packets, and dove in.

He chuckled softly. Mid-chew, she frowned, wondering what was so funny.

Finally, she swallowed, taking a sip of water. “What’s so funny?”

He shook his head. “Nothing, it’s just refreshing to see a woman actually eat what she ordered.”

Charlie took another French fry, enjoying the salty flavor and crunch of it.

“Well, I like to enjoy life, and that includes food.” And sex she almost said out loud, biting her tongue to keep that from coming out. Although where that silly thought came from she had no idea.

In her mind’s eyes, she went back to that kiss. Large, strong hands, cupping her face, those lips teasing her mouth, jaw, and neck, followed by a dangerously sharp image of Alex naked and in her bed almost made her jump in her seat. Envisioning that marvelous body, a happy trail of hair that led to his—

Good Lord, she’d been in dry dock for so long, and this man brought entirely too much out, something primal, wild, ferocious, and fiery.

Getting carried away much?

To distract and shake loose her wayward thoughts, she grabbed her water, and took a hearty swig. Hell, anything to collect herself.

“Everything okay?”

Charlie nodded. “Yes, I’m fine.”

“So, where did you get such an interesting name?”

She wiped her mouth off with a napkin, setting the bottle down. “After Charlie Chaplin, my dad was a huge fan. We used to watch his movies together all the time.” Her heart ached at the precious memory.

Alex leaned forward, seeming genuinely interested. “Oh, yeah. What’s your favorite one?”

“City Lights. It was so romantic how he helped the blind woman, and she didn’t know it was him until the end. Fantastic movie, I must have seen it a hundred times.” She smiled at the memories of cuddling with her dad, munching on Pringles and watching Charlie Chaplin unfold antics on the screen. Even without sound, the actor’s body language, and facial expressions said so much. She missed that time with her dad, more than she realized.

“I’ve never seen any of his movies.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Well, then you don’t know what you’ve been missing. We’ll have to rectify that soon.”

Nice going. I’m really pushing my luck.

Lowering her eyes, she chewed on her lower lip, and feeling like an idiot, a very forward idiot. She looked up into his face, and almost wished she hadn’t. Damn, the heat she found there could turn a tub of ice cream into a liquid messy puddle.

“I’d love to.” His husky voice sent shivers of need, and awareness through her. As though he wasn’t talking about the movie at all.

Her tummy lurched at his seductive words, and she prayed to God that her face didn’t burn with embarrassment.

They resumed their meal in companionable silence. Finishing dinner, they walked around the grounds.

Charlie noticed the dance floor, cocooned under a large white tent. Lights glittered from the inside, and as dawn gave way to dusk. The atmosphere blanketed the grounds in its soft, warm glow, and crisp, night air scattered across her skin. For the first time, in a long time, she was content.

A romantic Tim McGraw and Faith Hill song filtered through the tent, and into her ears. Other couples snuggled close, arms wrapped around each other, whispering sweet nothings into each other’s ears.

“Would you like to dance?” she asked.

He raised his eyebrows, then held out his hand. “Sure, I’d love to.”

The moment he wrapped his arms around her, she easily fit into his embrace. Neither one said a word, as the sensual lyrics about making love flooded the air, drowning out everything else around them. Her breath caught in her throat, as his hand caressed the small of her back. Then damned near stopped, as he maintained eye contact, took her hand, and gently rested it against his chest, folding his own over hers.

Charlie couldn’t break eye contact if she tried. Emboldened by the romantic night air, the mood, and Alex. She rested her head in the crook of his shoulder, her eyelids drifting shut. She floated on air. His hands, pure heaven against her waist, and his body pressed against hers. Her heart beating so rapidly, she feared he could feel it.

Shyly, she turned to greet his face, not ready for what she found. His dark stare burned into hers, full of longing, desire. Realizing she wanted Alex in a way that went way beyond
I want to kiss you
, and had a deep feeling he felt the same way. Not daring to break the magical moment, she continued to meet his gaze. Shivering in response as he slowly, softly stroked the small of her back, the tips of his fingers warm, and reassuring.

Getting wrapped up in the moment, she put her arms around his neck, and angled her head to greet his mouth.

Then, an obnoxious, grating, but familiar voice sounded in the air.

“Charlie? Charlie, is that you?”

She turned to see her ex, Langdon. Dancing with his
wife
, right next to them.

Oh, shit.

Chapter 6

As her world turned on its axis, she pulled away from Alex. Her eyes connected to Lindsey’s growing belly, causing her stomach to clench in painful knots. Large, and growing with life, it hurt to see her belly, knowing it would never be a reality for her. She’d painfully struggled with fertility issues most of her adult life.

Flashbacks of the day she’d found them in bed together whirled through her mind, and she wished she could turn them off. Escape was all she could think of, to run away quickly, as if from a horrifying crime scene. Wanted to pretend they weren’t standing in front of her.

Was that why the prick moved on?
She hadn’t been worth his time after all. Even though he knew of her infertility issues when they started getting serious, and well before they got married. He’d stuck around anyway, feeding her lies, telling her it didn’t matter, and that he still loved her.

In the end, he’d broken her heart. She’d not only lost a husband, but a best friend. A best friend she’d known since childhood.
Some fucking friend she turned out to be.

“I thought that was you,” Langdon said, “It’s nice to see you.”

“Go to hell, Langdon.” she bit off.

His wife said nothing, just stupidly stood there.

She closed her eyes, but the sting of tears wasn’t far behind. Her flight or fight instincts kicked in as she walked away, not wishing to have a meltdown with an audience.

The moment her back was turned, the tears escaped. Cascading down her cheeks, blurring her vision. Despite this she kept walking, only then realizing Alex followed close behind. Grateful for his presence, she half-smiled, looking up into his curious, empathetic gaze as she swiped the moisture away. She took a few deep, cleansing breaths. “Let’s get out of here, please.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Just away from here.”

Gently, he took her by the hand, and they walked back to his truck. “Who were those people?” he asked.

Mid-stride, she stopped, putting a hand up as if to prevent further questioning. Right now her main goal was to put as much distance between her, and her ex, as possible. “Please, just get me out of here. I don’t want to talk about it about right now.”

He nodded as they made their way to his truck, hopped in, and drove off.

Her stupid ex and his wife had ruined her first real date in years. Go figure her rotten luck. The burn of tears stung behind her eyes, but she willed herself not to cry again.

As if sensing her turmoil, he rested his hand on her knee, and she glanced helplessly in his direction. Oddly enough, he didn’t say a word, just quietly rubbed in a soothing, comforting manner.

About fifteen minutes later, they parked at the top of a hill that overlooked the small, and homey town. Stars twinkled against a midnight black sky, and in the distance, everything looked all lit up.

Gathering herself, she took a deep breath before finding her voice. “I’m sorry about what happened earlier. I didn’t mean to be rude. I just, had to get the hell out of there.”

“I understand, Charlie. Don’t worry about it.”

“Thank you, but I didn’t answer your question. Those two were my ex-husband and his wife, my ex-best friend. I caught them having an affair. In our bed.” Bile gathered in her throat saying it out loud, leaving a painful knot, and an even bigger knot in her chest.

It hurt to remember that fateful day. She’d done so well at pushing it aside, but seeing them tonight brought it to the surface with full force. Unfortunately, it also brought back vivid details she’d just as soon forget.

“Jesus. I’m so sorry, Charlie.”

She shrugged. “It’s not your fault, but I guess I wasn’t good enough for him. I’m not able to have children, so he must have decided hell
. I’m not wasting time on her.
Even though the son of a bitch knew of my condition before we got married. He said he loved me, and that didn’t matter.” Her voice cracked on the last part, as another flow of tears escaped.

Suddenly she realized she’d gotten
very
personal with Alex, telling him information she wouldn’t have normally told someone she’d only known a few short weeks. He was different, and she felt comfortable telling him, even if just how she knew wasn’t yet clear. Unloading pent up feelings felt good, freeing.

As memories of the past came back, a gut-wrenching sob escaped, piercing the quite of the interior. Ashamed, she covered her face. Unleashing everything, her body shook. A pair of strong arms pulled her close, and she nestled into the crook of his shoulder. Relishing in his strength, his earthy, woodsy scent a soothing balm to her frayed senses.

Leave it to her to be in the middle of a meltdown, and to notice how good he smelled. Good grief she felt ridiculous.

She slightly leaned away from his embrace. Her eyes first connected with his chin, before traveling up and connecting with his lips, resting there. Tempted to kiss him, and finish what they’d almost started on the dance floor. Vulnerable, and tempted, was a bad combination indeed.

As if he could read her mind, he backed up further. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, kissed her forehead, and smiled. And my goodness his smile did funny, wonderful things to her insides.

“Let’s get going. I think it’s getting late,” he said.

“Thank you, Alex. Despite everything, I had a great time tonight.”

“You’re welcome, and I did, too.”

And with that, they drove home in silence.

Alex rolled over in bed the next morning, staring at the bedside alarm clock. It read five a.m. Thoughts of last night crept back into his mind. His heart ached with the story she’d told him about her idiot ex, and her friend. He knew how she felt, because his ex-fiancée, Carrie, cheated on him as well. But he wasn’t ready to divulge that bit of information just yet, if ever.

Despite everything, last night with Charlie was nothing short of amazing. And from the vulnerability in her eyes, her body language, she seemed very willing to make out in his truck, on a romantic hilltop. Even in her fragile state, or maybe because of it, he wasn’t sure. But he wouldn’t take advantage of her. Couldn’t do it and still look at himself in the morning, even if it was just a kiss. That’s why he’d come straight home, and went straight to bed. It didn’t ease the raging blood in his veins, or the throbbing of his dick.

Admittedly, when she’d looked up at him with those big, beautiful hazel eyes, he was lost. Realizing if he hadn’t called the date quits when he had, he would have pulled her closer, brushed away those tears, and kissed her. But the timing was off, and it would’ve been for all the wrong reasons. He wanted her, yes, but not that way.

Not to mention his true identity still remained hidden, and with every passing day, it ate away at him. Strong feelings for her, combined with guilt, consumed him. He barely had any information to pass along to his dad. Another extra log on his already complicated fire.

What the hell am I going to do?

Alex had already gone further with Charlie than he should have. Emotionally more than anything else, taking stolen kisses that he had no right to steal. Just thinking of said kisses made his pulse race.

He pushed his daydreams to the side, deciding he’d worry about them later, as he got ready for the day ahead.

“So how was your date, Charlie darling? You got in kind of late last night,” Grandma Pearl asked.

Charlie perched on the counter, the wonderful smells of breakfast wafting throughout the kitchen. Bacon, eggs, and hash browns made famous by one secret ingredient, which her Grandma would never divulge, made her stomach rumble in hunger.

Looking down at her dangling feet, she tried to avoid the question, but realized this would only incriminate her even more.

“By the color flooding your face, I’d say it went very well,” she chided.

Her silence further incriminated her, and her face felt even warmer. Her grandma sure had a way with words. She met her inquiring gaze. “It was interesting. It went well, except we ran into Langdon and his wife.”

Grandma’s face fell. Her hands stilled over the egg she’d just cracked over the bowl. “Oh, sweetheart I’m so sorry. How awful that must have been for you.”

Charlie shrugged. “It’s nothing. It is what it is.” With this she jumped off the counter, grabbing an apple out of the basket on the kitchen table. Not wishing to talk about last night, as far as her ex was concerned, and she
definitely
didn’t want to divulge her almost intimate encounter with Alex.

The tension in the truck had been so thick she could have served it up and eaten it with a spoon. He may have resisted doing anything, but the attraction was mutual. Usually, she shared most everything with Grandma Pearl, but hesitated, because all of them involved Alex. He was special, like an unwrapped present she didn’t want to show to anybody, not yet.

The sound of his truck pulling up outside, jarred her thoughts loose. She set the uneaten apple aside, and didn’t hesitate to run out and greet him.

Grandma’s light, amused chuckle followed her as she made her way out.

The mere sight of him with the sun shining on his back, illuminating those gorgeous, warm eyes, and she could not help but stare. Just looking at him lit her up from the inside out, like lights on a Christmas tree. She smiled, thinking about spending her favorite time of year with Alex. “Good morning.”

He nodded. “Morning, Charlie.”

“I wanted to thank you for last night, and for listening. I didn’t intend on dumping all that on you.”

Alex shook his head, and smiled. “No trouble at all. In fact, it made me want to turn the truck around, and beat his ass.”

She laughed out loud, stuffing her hands in her pockets. “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

All the chores completed for now, she thought it’d be a nice day for a country ride. The crisp air, although slightly cool, felt good against her face. The leaves were falling, blanketing the ground. She loved this time of year, when sweaters, jeans, and a snuggling under a blanket with a cup of hot cocoa, was her idea of heaven.

Charlie grabbed all the necessary pieces needed to saddle up Ginger and Stallion.

“Is there anything I can do to help?” His voice a husky murmur, made her jump. Turning to discover Alex standing right next to her. Hands on his hips, hair ruffling in the light breeze flowing through the barn. He looked so God damned delicious and sure of himself in his own skin.

She cleared her throat before speaking, “You can help me brush the horses. That’s the first step.” With this she handed him a soft brush.

Charlie grasped her own brush, focusing on the task at hand. She took her time with Ginger’s coat, softly talking to the animal, lovingly scratching behind one ear. Smoothing her brush over the brown coat, as the motion soothed jittery nerves. Completely absorbed, she forgot Alex’s presence, until she looked up and their eyes locked from across the horses, his glance, so potent and heavy with desire.

Hypnotizing and mind teasing, as though he could read her thoughts, and thinking the very same thing. The unwavering gaze sent shivers of stark need up and down her spine, tempting her to forget the horse ride, and walk right over to his side. Lean up, and bite that thatch of skin exposed by the V-neck opening of his button down shirt, his very essence brought out raw, animalistic hunger she couldn’t contain.

Biting her lower lip with the heat of her thoughts, she immediately lowered her stare, no longer able to look into those devilish pools. She returned her focus back to Ginger, and let’s be honest, how embarrassing to be caught staring like some lovesick buffoon?

Charlie’s mind drifted to last night. How he’d taken her in his arms, offering comfort when she’d needed it most. Since their first kiss several days ago, and their romantic dance, she longed to put her arms around him. Recalling the sweetness of his lips, his tongue invading her mouth, her senses.

Good Lord and oh my, but he had fantastic lips.

Hardly able to look his way, she directed her question to the horse. “Okay, ready for the next step?” Not waiting for a reply, she turned to grab two of everything else needed.

Charlie saddled up her horse before going to check on Alex’s progress. Hanging back, she watched him, crossing her arms over her breasts. Seeing he hadn’t had one piece on Stallion, he angled his head as though trying to read a foreign language. She smiled, because even in his frustrated state, he looked adorable.

“Do you need a hand?” she asked.

He shrugged, straightening. “That would be great, thank you.”

She picked up a saddle pad, followed by the saddle. He bent to help her reach under his belly, cinching the girth, and making sure it was on just right. Her fingers brushed with his, shooting sparks through her fingers, catapulting to her limbs, settling in her belly, before landing at her core. She felt like a human pinball machine.

“All set?” His voice snapped her mind back. Back to where it needed to be.

“Yes. You?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Alex came around next to her, appearing as though he wanted to help her mount Ginger, and she had to smile. Having visited her grandparent’s farm often as a little girl, she’d learned how to mount and dismount horses, but said nothing as he gave her a hand. “Thank you,” she said.

Amused, she watched from atop her horse, as he tried to mount Stallion. Failing miserably when he landed flat on his ass, she hid a chuckle behind her hand, but it didn’t work. He speared her with a frown, and if looks could kill she’d be dead.

Although she had to admit, he looked delectable sitting on the barnyard floor. A disgruntled look marring his handsome features, long, denim clad legs sprawled out, hands resting on said legs. God help her, the way he looked made her want to jump down and take full advantage of him.