Never Say Never (The Ladies Who Brunch 1)

She nods and then walks down the hallway just as the food arrives. I arrange the tacos, rice, and beans on two plates and then bring them over to the table along with a bag of chips and a container of salsa. Charlotte comes out from the bathroom in black yoga pants, a white tank top, and her hair removed from her bun, curling slightly at the ends but free and flowing.

Fuck, she’s beautiful.

“That smells good.”

“I hope you don’t mind Mexican. I was craving the tacos from Miguel’s.”

“Oh, yes. I love that place. Apparently, you and I like a lot of the same food,” she says as she takes a seat at my table.

“Looks like we have more in common than we thought.”

As we eat, we catch up on our week, and I apologize for canceling our lunch plans again.

“Did you end up getting some work done?” she asks, dipping a chip into the salsa and then popping it in her mouth.

“We did. Jeffrey and I have a solid start on our pitch, so now it’s about coming up with the details.”

“I love small details in a commercial or story. I feel like they give the viewer or readers breadcrumbs to follow so when they get to the end, every part of the story makes sense.”

I look up at the ceiling in thought. “I like that. Breadcrumbs…” I drift off, making a mental note to keep that idea for later when I see Jeffrey in the morning.

“Oh my God, I’m stuffed.” Charlotte leans back in her chair, rubbing her belly. “That was so good, though. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Ready to watch that movie?”

That question has her smiling. “Yes. And I know just the one.” She goes over to her bag and pulls out The Greatest Showman on Blu-ray.

Smiling from ear to ear, I watch her walk toward me, shaking the movie container in her hand. “How did I know you were going to suggest that?”

She walks toward my television and bends over to put the disc in the player, giving me a perfect view of her ass. “Well, I thought it was only fitting that we watch it together after last weekend.”

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

We settle into the couch and start the movie, singing along to the songs as they play—well, Charlotte sings. I mostly just hum along and enjoy the sound of her voice. The girl could always carry a tune.

At one point, Charlotte lies down across the couch with her head propped up on a pillow on my lap. The movie is playing and we’ve both been enraptured by it, so when she speaks, she startles me.

“Did you ever think we’d be here, Damien?” she asks, twisting so she’s looking up at me, flat on her back now.

“Where?”

“Here. In your apartment, watching a movie together?”

“If someone asked me five years ago if this is where I’d be at this moment, I’d have accused them of being senile.”

She giggles. “Same.”

“But now that I’m here…” I inhale deeply. “It feels like a part of my life was missing. It’s weird, but having you back in my life, in this new way, just feels right.”

“Me too, Damien…” she breathes, but then clears her throat. “Where do you see yourself in five years from now?”

“Hopefully married, a couple of kids…happy.”

“I want that too.”

I think she’s going to say more, but she doesn’t; she turns back to the movie and readjusts herself on her side. And in that moment I feel content again, like maybe I could have those things with Charlotte…

I stroke my hand along her hip, down her thigh, and then back up her side and along her arm until I’m stroking the side of her face with the tips of my fingers.

“Damien…” I watch her skin pebble, her thighs rub together as her body starts reacting to my touch. So I repeat the process, loving how my hands are making her squirm. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” I tease, moving my hand around to her chest, circling my finger around her nipple this time. It’s at that moment that I realize I’ve yet to see her chest. Between the massage I gave her and the handful of times we’ve fooled around so far, I’ve only seen her naked from the waist down.

“That doesn’t feel like nothing.” She turns onto her back again. “We’re supposed to be watching a movie.”

“How many times have you seen this movie, Char?”

“Too many to count,” she moans as I circle her nipple again and then draw a line up to her collarbone and neck that’s exposed from the cut of her tank top.

“Exactly. So stop acting like you’re not enjoying what I’m doing.”

“What are you doing?”

“Feeling you up. Turning you on. Getting ready to give you a few more orgasms tonight since it’s part of our deal.”

She smirks, her lips parting slightly as I keep running my hands all over her body. But then I reach up to her face and pull her bottom lip down with my thumb, remembering what those lips looked like wrapped around my cock.

Charlotte darts her tongue out to lick my thumb and then reaches up to grab my wrist, bringing my thumb further into her mouth, where she sucks on it while keeping her eyes trained on mine.

“Keep doing that, Charlotte, and you’re not going to like what happens next.”

She releases my thumb with a pop. “On the contrary—I believe I’m going to love what happens next.” She takes my hand and shoves it under the neckline of her tank, right toward her bra, sliding my hand under the cup. And when my fingers graze her nipple, she arches up, granting me better access.

Using my thumb and forefinger, I twist her nipple, drawing a moan from her lips. “Fuck, Char.”

“I want you, Damien,” she whispers.

“I’m right here…”

She shakes her head, reaching up to play with my lips this time. “No, I want you. All of you. Right now.”

I freeze in my movements and try to digest what she’s saying to me. Does Charlotte want to sleep together? Like, for real?

“Are you saying…” I start, but she removes my hand from her shirt, moves to sit up and straddles my lap.

“Do you want me?”

“Fuck, of course I do, Charlotte.”