Chapter Text
“Is this smart?” Charlie asked, leaning back from the precipice upon which they both stood, swaying in time.
“I think we left smart six weeks ago,” Kat replied, and the breeziness of her response ought to have been a cause for concern. Was she really so confident about crossing this threshold? How could she be sure when only yesterday she was planning on flying back to the man who, to hear most people tell it, she ought to have married that evening. Her obvious counterpart, whatever his trespasses.
And why me? Charlie wondered, rapid-fire in that split second as he hesitated. What could he possibly offer this impeccably glamorous and utterly winning woman that was novel, exciting, or exceptional in any way?
She likes the song, he reminded himself, grounding himself in minutia. She likes the kids. God, she’s so great with Lou… And she had a good time tonight. And most importantly she’s still here, isn’t she? She’s here, not in Puerto Rico.
In Charlie’s arms, not Bastian’s.
Now that prospect bothered him more than it should. More than it would have last night or even this morning. Charlie’s fingers flexed into the small of Kat’s back as he studied her face, seeking reassurance that she was present. That he wasn’t a substitute for anyone or anything. And as her eyes refused to blink, so luminous and doe-like, Charlie felt the last of his resistance slip away as his smile dipped to meet hers.
The kiss was tentative at first. Delicate. A cautious exploration on both their parts with the softest of brush strokes from left to right. And although he had kissed her just weeks ago, Charlie had trouble recollecting the memory but in bits and fragments. It was dissociating at the time. Dream-like to be up on that stage, kissing that starlet, feeling the heat of the lights and hearing the cheers and jaunts from the roaring crowd.
This was different. Kat was real now. Three dimensional. And this kiss, this room, this song... It was all so very real.
After several seconds his lips stole from hers, parting briefly with the softest of smacks that he could still hear somehow despite the swell of the music. He shivered as Kat fingered the scruff of his neck, polished nails running through his hair, coaxing his head and his mouth back to hers. It had been almost two years since Charlie had been with a woman. Years more since he’d actually felt intimate with anyone.
And Kat… Kat wasn’t just anyone.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured mid-kiss, feeling somewhat foolish as he said it. As if she doesn’t already know.
“Mmmm…” Kat sighed contentedly between their lips just before her tongue traced his. Her mouth had already been soft and sweet. Like a piece of sun dappled fruit. But suddenly it was slick and hot. Open and ripe. And it was a whole other side of her he’d never dared consider. The scrape of her teeth on his upper lip. The skid of her fingertips along his ear, the side of his face. The brush of her breasts against his chest.
Of course she’d be amazing at this, he thought, lost to sensation.
Charlie felt the inescapable pull of arousal tightening between his stomach and spine. It was painful then, how badly he wanted her. He’d never forgive himself if he blew this chance. Yet whatever underlying anxiety or misgivings he might have had, there seemed to be no turning back now.
XOXO
The song ended and another score began but Kat hardly noticed. In fact, she couldn’t hear anything beyond the blood rushing in her ears. She hadn’t kissed any man but Bastian in nearly two years. Hell, just six weeks ago she hadn’t expected to kiss any man but Bastian ever again.
Still, she vividly remembered kissing Charlie the first time. His startled expression after she’d tugged him by the top of his jacket, sealing the deal before he could change his mind. His mouth had been warm and inviting on reflex, a skillful kiss despite the shock. And she had been relieved, considering the stakes and her already wounded pride. But his kiss was different now. His mouth felt hungry now, and Kat was growing tipsy with excitement as Charlie continued to kiss her deeply. Long, languid, satiating kisses. Stealing her breath and her mind as she tried to take them in all at once.
His aftershave and cologne were equal parts clean and spicy, respectively. She could feel the very beginnings of a five o’clock shadow scrape along his chin and cheeks, a stark contrast to the silky waves that curled behind his head and ears, sifting through her fingers as she touched them.
She loved his hair. She hadn’t realized that until just now.
Kat also loved his large hands gripping her waist and back. His warm fingers shooting electricity up and down her spine as they stroked her, beckoning goosebumps in their wake. One of his thumbs grazed her side, drawing daringly close to the curve of her lower breast. Kat hadn’t worn this dress with the intention of soliciting any advances, but now that she had them she couldn’t help feeling a bit smug.
After all, Charlie had been a civil companion these last six weeks. Neither her friend nor husband, of course, but always a gentleman. Always attentive. And he was admiring of her, but somehow Kat felt as though he had never truly desired her before today. And to see someone so utterly unimpressed with sequins and pageantry suddenly unable to take his eyes off her for four hours straight, well… it had stirred something in Kat. Made her feel lovely in a way that was restorative and new. Different from the way other men appreciated her.
Better, somehow.
Definitely better, Kat thought as Charlie’s hand moved to her front, skirting over the strip of fabric that sheathed her breast, then the length of her sternum, then reaching for the back of her neck as she had his. He set one hand behind her head as he drew her tight with the other, pulling at her lower back until she was flush up against him. Kat wasn’t sure if it was his intention or just the heat of the moment, but neither could ignore the obvious hardness digging into her stomach. Warmth pooled between Kat’s legs and her whole body was set aflame.
This is sensory overload, she realized. And if kissing Charlie was any indication of the rest of the evening, it was only the beginning.
The pair broke with a mutual gasp at the charge between them, each party fighting for breath. Kat’s kohl rimmed eyes fluttered open and she saw that Charlie’s were already locked on hers, heavy-lidded and dark with longing. More black than blue. Like two pools of water under a midnight sky. Her fingers trembled a bit as her hands fell from his shoulders and onto his chest, feeling the heat radiating from his shirt and wondering what it would be like to touch his bare skin.
“Can we go to your bedroom now?” Kat asked, her voice high and soft.
A beat passed. A beat in which Charlie stared at her imploringly, weighing something but not spelling it out.
“I thought you’d never ask,” he said finally, giving her a lop-sided smile as if to inject some levity into a tension filled moment.
Nice try, Charlie, she thought. There’s no way you don’t feel it, too.
XOXO
This is insane, Charlie thought, disbelieving even as he opened the door.
He stood behind as Kat walked past and looked around the decidedly unlavish surroundings, her expression gentle as ever in the ambient glow of the hallway. He turned on the nightstand lamp for her as she moved towards his bed, touching the comforter idly before running her hand over the fabric of his pillow. And then she sat. She ought to have looked out of place, he supposed, and she very well might have if it wasn’t so clear she was making herself right at home. It was as if she belonged.
As if she’d always been missing rather.
“It’s nice,” she told him, smiling sweetly before she leaned over and started undoing the straps of her shoes. Charlie watched her, wondering if this was his cue to start undressing himself or whether that was moving too quickly. They were only shoes, after all. He was so eager to touch her again, but he was mindful that perhaps this would be the one and only occasion she’d let him…
Kat set the shoes on the floor before stripping the comforter aside and to the far edge of the mattress. She then raised her bare and, as Charlie observed, stunningly shapely legs up and onto the bed, over his sheets, shifting as she propped herself up with her left forearm. Kat reached behind her head with her right and pulled her hair free from its updo, placing a couple of long pins on his nightstand.
And finally, Kat turned to face him with an expectant stare, still half propped, hair tousled, knees bent, with her arm draped languorously along her curvaceous frame. Last but not least, her hand rested listlessly on the flare of her hip.
“Have I mentioned you look absolutely stunning tonight?” Charlie stepped towards her. No further invitation needed.
“Once or twice…” Kat rose up on the balls of her knees to wrap her arms around his neck. “But I’ve got to admit,” she whispered, “I really like hearing you say it.”
Charlie only kissed her mouth once this time before letting his lips slide down to taste the slope of her neck, which smelled of spun sugar, fresh lavender, and a touch of citrus. God, she smelled incredible, and he could feel her pulse quicken as he told her so in a low voice, kissing her beneath the shell of her ear. He felt his own heart leap into his throat as her fingers expertly undid the knot of his tie, pulling it off post haste.
“How do you get this dress off?” Charlie all but whined as he haplessly tried to return the favor, searching her neck then waist for some semblance of a clasp or zipper.
Kat laughed, whether at his fumbling or his grumbling he wasn't sure, but it was a tinkly and musical sound that was as charming as any other she produced. She kissed him again, drawing his tongue into her mouth as she pulled the rest of him on top of her, legs akimbo. Charlie was so distracted by her forwardness that he hadn’t realized she’d undone anything until he felt the smoothness of her skin and realized the dress was halfway down between them.
Somehow Kat had magically done away with the strategic swatches of fabric that had flanked her chest, sides, arms, and wrists, leaving her upper body completely exposed to his gaze. Charlie’s breath caught as he stared down at, quite frankly, the most beautiful pair of bared breasts he’d ever seen. Or at least, nearly bare…
“What are those for?” Charlie wondered aloud, fingering the flesh-colored wings that covered Kat’s nipples and either side of her chest.
“Pasties,” she said simply, reaching down and peeling them off. “Sticky ones. Can’t be having wardrobe malfunctions around middle-schoolers.”
“I see.” And yet all Charlie could see was firm, golden, unblemished skin. Two perfectly generous globes with two equally perfect quarter-sized nipples, which buttoned and stood to attention at his touch.
“You’re exquisite,” he murmured, running his thumb up and around her right nipple. Kat made a little mewling sound in the back of her throat. “Do you like that?” he asked softly, emboldened by her reaction as he kissed the corner of her mouth, the line of her jaw, the column of her throat. His lips traveled down between the valley of her breasts before they made a hard left and he took one of those sumptuous little nipples into his mouth, rolling the tight bud between tongue and teeth.
XOXO
This is insane, Kat thought. Her hand gripped the back of Charlie’s head as she moaned a second time, louder for good measure. She liked this side of him. And maybe a part of her had known that it was there. Charlie was real and straightforward in a way that the majority of people she dealt with were not.
Still, she hadn’t anticipated he’d be like this…
His lips were moving from the peaks of her breasts to her belly. Kat’s stomach did somersaults as he kissed her abdomen, her muscles twisting and tightening as the tip of his tongue flicked into her belly button, causing her hips to rise momentarily off the mattress. His breath was warm and she loved the contrast of his hot mouth and lean body, cutting the cool and spacious air between them.
And yet he was still fully clothed. And she still only half disrobed, she remembered with a wince. Her dress bunched around her middle as Charlie’s hands slid up the insides of her thighs and parted her legs purposefully. Kat opened her eyes just long enough to see the crown of his head dip below her stomach and she closed them again, biting her lower lip in sweet anticipation.
Any second now he would discover how hopelessly wet she was. And second now and he would—
“Jesus Christ.”
The soft curse shocked her and Kat’s eyes snapped open, staring down at Charlie in round-eyed wonder.
“Jesus Christ, Kat,” he groaned again. His middle and index fingers stroked her soft mound through her soaked panties as he dropped a kiss full of promise right on the dip of skin between her heat and her thigh.
“Charlie,” she wrung out, her voice deeper and breathier than she recognized. “Charlie, can you just—”
His fingers hooked into either side of her panties, pulling them down. Kat scooted up a bit, only too eager to assist. “Dress, too,” she said, shimmying and dragging one leg up and under as the silky fabric slid down finally, releasing her from a puddle of pink couture.
She tossed the garment onto the floor then met his eyes, naked, waiting, and all but shaking with desire. Charlie was staring at her like she was something majestic and otherworldly, a goddess to be worshipped, and yet as though he somehow knew exactly what to do with her.
This look was heady with intent, so different from the easy and unassuming gaze that he regularly laid upon her. It was as though she’d unlocked something in him. And all Kat knew is that she wanted this Charlie as soon as possible. As close as possible. Filling her up over and over until she came apart in his arms.
Kat unconsciously licked her lips and reached for the buttons of his shirt, managing to undo a few of the annoying little discs before Charlie gave her a gentle push back, her head falling onto his pillow as his kiss followed. Kat’s thighs drew high and apart around Charlie’s hips, giving way as his tongue swept her mouth. And then he was back between her legs before she could so much as gasp.
Too quick to comprehend, two of Charlie’s long and dexterous fingers slid knuckle deep inside of her, crooking and splaying experimentally, and Kat was so far gone that she clenched around them straight away. Try thought she might, however, the stimulation was not enough to fill the vicious void that had opened up between the dance and his bedroom.
Kat let out a startled cry when she felt his warm tongue slip between her slick folds, fingers pulling out of her with an audible pop before they skid up and parted her lower lips until Charlie found the very heart of her and just… sucked. Kat’s hands fisted into the sheets as she made another strangled sound and held on for dear life, blissed beyond belief.
Oh…my—
Charlie paused to wantonly kiss the inside of her thigh again, causing her muscles to flex and contract against his mouth before turning his head, laving her straight down the middle, and proceeding to tease and taste and nip and suck every seething inch of her. And it was so good, so very intricate and thorough, that Kat was a winding mess within seconds.
Kat hadn’t known she could be so responsive until right this minute. But respond she did. And it was better than anything she could have ever imagined.
I knew it would be good, her mind raced. I knew he’d take care of me. But this is just… it’s just…
“—God!” she cried out, coming alight as a flash of white hot lightning wrecked her from the inside out. It was so quick. Kat had never ever come so fast. And she had scarcely put together that she had before it happened again, her body rising up off the bed as Charlie braced her thighs with his hands, slowing his machinations just long enough to let her ride the wave but not so much that she didn’t continue to spark, sizzle, and split at the seams.
Completely undone, Kat stared at the ceiling, blinking dazedly as Charlie kissed her sweet center and folds again with a deep inhale, savoring her and catching his own breath, all in the same delicious unending moment. She looked down at him as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, his head coming to a rest momentarily between her splayed thighs.
“Charlie,” she said throatily, injecting as much tenderness as she could despite her obvious lack of vocal control. “Charlie baby, come here.”
XOXO
Charlie had never wanted anything so badly in his entire life as to please Kat. Yet even after he’d done so, he found there so much more to want when it came to her.
She purred at him to return and so he did, elated that he had helped create even an ounce of the desire that she so effortlessly stirred within him, and yet so hard up himself it was bordering on torturous.
How the hell am I still dressed? he wondered, straining uncomfortably against the fabric that bound him from her yet feeling helpless to do anything but submit to the pull of her lithe arms, gripping at his shoulders and back with spent strength, her muscles jellied. Her soft mouth plaintively kissed his face as she rocked up against him, causing him to groan.
She’s insatiable, Charlie thought, feeling her damp warmth through his clothed thigh as her leg stroked his, the heel of her foot skimming down and her toes outright curling into his calf at the sweet friction. Everything about this woman was too sexy to bear, and he suspected that she knew exactly what she was doing just then, seducing a man who was already so far over the edge.
“Thank you,” Kat murmured, lips buzzing against his neck as she nipped at him playfully.
Charlie stirred at her suspirations and ground into her again, soliciting a sequence of gasps as she bucked back, her legs bowing at his waist to hold him tight. “Kat,” he wrought out, “Kat I’ve got to—"
“I want you inside me,” she interrupted, undoing the rest of his buttons as quickly as she could in the scant space between their bodies. Her cheek was flush against his and her voice a melodic drug inside his ear. “And I want you naked already.”
“I want that, too,” Charlie said. After all, it was no secret.
Kat released him obligingly and he got up from the bed, drawing off his shirt and then undershirt. He reached for his belt, tugging at it furiously as he watched her lay back, lush and poised with her hair now wildly disheveled.
“Light on or off?” he asked, fighting for focus as he tried to keep his head in the game. She was watching him as intently as he was watching her.
“On,” she said, moving to the edge of the bed. “After all, you got to see all of me.”
Charlie nearly faltered, choosing to ignore that comment as he stepped out of his pants and took off his socks. Kat wasted no time reaching for his waistband. She rolled his briefs down as hurriedly as he had drawn off her panties.
“Do we…” Charlie paused, trying not to think about the fact that her gaze was utterly transfixed. “Do we need protection or—?”
“No,” she muttered distractedly, her eyes still downcast and her fingertips advancing. “And I trust you, Charlie. Do you trust me?”
Charlie had barely said “yes” when she gripped him tightly, causing him to nearly lose his balance as he stood. He quickly found that he could not maintain dual awareness of her spindly fingers and buttery soft palm encircling him from root to tip while her lips skimmed the hollows of his pelvis and stomach. It was too much. She was on all fours practically, her neck craned as her hot pink mouth kissed his weeping head, inciting all pandemonium and a wrenching writhing yank inside him that caused Charlie to choke out, “K-Kat! Kat, if you start that now this will we be over before it’s begun.”
Charlie could scarcely stand it by the time Kat released him so that he might rejoin her on the bed. And not a moment too soon. Her rose budded breasts skimmed tantalizingly along the solid plane of his chest as his hands sought her hips, gripping either side while Kat ran her fingertips over his back and stomach, curious and exploring, but mindful not to reach down again. Feeling quite mindless himself, Charlie grabbed her buttocks, amazed at how the firm flesh filled his palms.
Kat seemed to like that well enough because she kissed him again, tongue swirling against his, begging wordlessly for everything he had yet to give her. In turn, Charlie sucked her lower lip. Kat squirmed and tugged at his hair. Charlie brushed the heel of his hand against her nipple. Kat bit his shoulder, soothing the mild sting with her tongue. It was maddening, keeping up with her. And the pull of her sweet smile between every kiss, those heady little sighs that she made over and over and probably didn’t even realize… it was all adding fuel to the fire. Charlie felt nearly delirious with want.
Now, he decided, and Charlie tried to push her to lie down even as she clung to him tightly. But then Kat moved to straddle him, wrestling for dominance. His hands landed on her waist as she seated herself imperiously on his stomach. There was something a touch more adorable than sexy about her expression when she succeeded, and Charlie couldn’t resist rising up on his forearms and running a series of kisses down her beautiful neck as Kat keened, dropping her slick center down and around and over him, stoking the tension to its breaking point.
“God, Kat…” he spoke through gritted teeth, head falling back in surrender. “I can’t take it anymore. I really can’t.”
She silenced his protest, grasping him gently and repositioning him at her entrance. Charlie felt utterly boneless everywhere but inside of her as she sank over him slowly, inch by glorious inch, making every second worth its wait.
“Mmmph,” Kat breathed, her eyes lidded and her lips parted as she pressed her palms to his chest. Her nails dug half-mooned impressions into his flesh as she rolled her hips over his, jerkily at first, but soon with a smooth and practiced rhythm that appeared to suit her needs just fine. On Charlie’s end, she was even tighter and slicker than he had accounted for. And the sight of her on top of him, well… it was far sexier than anything his mind’s eye could have constructed.
You know you can hold out longer if you just don’t look, Charlie scolded himself. And yet he couldn’t stop looking. Charlie wasn’t sure he’d ever been so riveted. The locks of honeyed hair framing her face and teasing his chest as she draped over him sensuously. The subtle bounce of her full breasts as she rose and fell, drawing out his pleasure and hers. The corners of her mouth curving upwards, signaling her obvious and ongoing enjoyment.
Mine, he thought.
And even though he knew that was categorically untrue, even though he had half the sense to recognize that he was Lancelot, coveting the King’s bride, right here, right now… Charlie wasn’t so sure he could give her up.
XOXO
There was no doubting it now. Charlie was inexplicably, unexpectedly perfect for her. Their bodies fit together like a lock and key, and every inch of him seemed tailor made to please.
His frame was surprisingly wiry and fit, for one, not a stretch that didn’t support her. And the girth of him was so achingly thick between her thighs, as was his length as she slid skillfully up and down, bracing at the base, angling her hips to adorn his as she chased that telltale tingling in her core.
And God, the smell of him right now…
Kat wasn’t sure if it was more his skin or his sheets but everything was clean. Soap and salt. The room’s air was still cooling against the tiny beads of perspiration that broke out between her breasts and belly, reacting to the heat rising off Charlie’s body as Kat began to feel slippery and fuzzy and at a loss for control. He was stoking something inside of her, another tempest in the making, and Kat had an inkling that this little death would be as fiery as the last…
“Oh!” she gasped suddenly, feeling that weathered spark ignite. “Oh, yes, Charlie!”
The world spun then as Charlie gripped her by the middle, rolling them both so that Kat found herself flat on her back, supple and pliant beneath his weight. He kissed her desperately before he pulled back all at once and pushed deep inside of her. Deeper than she’d been able to take him when she was riding him, despite her efforts to lengthen the strokes. So very deep that it was almost too much and yet she cried out again in utter delight, awash in suspense and the madness of the moment.
This is unbelievable, Kat thought, simply amazed at the way her body shook with pleasure. At the breakneck speed with which she felt herself falling. And how she’d been so fortunate as to find him. Singling him out of a crowd of thousands and claiming him as her own.
Mine.
As if reading her mind, Charlie quickened the pace, driving her up the bed a bit and towards the headboard. Kat’s eyes opened if and when they could between flits of pleasure. She wanted to capture him like this. Every second of his loss of control. Her nails raked his back, feeling shockwaves as her body broke beneath his, hips rising hurriedly to catch what had to have been her fourth climax of the night.
“Kat,” he groaned, his body sprung inside of her, more and more of those long errant strokes that caused her to shudder and clench.
“Just come, Charlie,” she gasped, not bothering to whisper this time. “Just come and finish with me.”
With a strangled cry, Charlie stopped, staggered, and stilled. His body loomed the second before it fell, folding and relaxing on top of hers. But instead of finding the pressure to be crushing, Kat found it pleasant, and she let both herself and him sink into the mattress. She also let out a heavy exhale, her heart still pounding wildly as she held him tight.
Unsolicited, she thought of Bastian then, realizing that it was the first time he’d come to mind since entering Charlie’s bedroom. Probably the longest stretch of time she’d gone without thinking about him since the night she’d married Charlie instead.
Has he slept with anyone else yet? she wondered. Stupid question. Of course he has. He never stopped.
And yet somehow, that train stopped before it left the tracks.
Kat realized that she didn’t want to remember Bastian right now. Her heart lightening, she realized she couldn’t have cared less. Instead, Kat wanted to replay every second of this incredible evening. Every moment in Charlie’s arms.
XOXO
“I’m sorry,” Charlie muttered, his expression somewhat sheepish as he realized he must have been crushing her.
“Don’t be,” Kat told him. Nonetheless, Charlie extracted his body from hers, flopping onto his back beside her with his arm strewn over his head.
Listening to her and his breathing lengthen in the still of the room, Charlie felt the need to say something. “Well,” he said settled on finally, unable to keep from smiling.
“Well…” Kat drawled teasingly, turning over on her side to look at him. She was practically glowing.
“That was—”
“Amazing,” Kat finished. Her hand reached out to stroke the side of his face tenderly. “That was amazing, Charlie.”
“Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it.” Charlie turned into her touch and pressed his lips to her fingers. “I mean, that was pretty acrobatic. I’d say you took me for a spin.”
“Nuh uh,” Kat laughed, trilling at the suggestion. “That was all you, buddy. I was just trying to keep up.”
“Is that so?” His brow rose.
“Mmm-hmm.” Kat drew closer then, setting her head below his shoulder and tucking the front of her body to his side. This was encouraging and so Charlie kissed the top of her head and breathed her in. He ran his hand down the slide of her back and observed that she was all gooseflesh in seconds, still so very responsive to his touch. It was exhilarating to know there’d be more of this. He was sure of it.
“I’m sorry, do you mind cuddling?” Kat asked after a minute, laying her head on his chest regardless. “Don’t want to be presumptuous but it’s generally something I like to do… after, I mean. Just for a little while. I like my space as much as anyone.”
“Are you worried I’m gonna think you’re like some clingy pathetic pop star?”
“Maybe. But you are my husband so it’s not like you can really object, right?”
At the word “husband”, Charlie stiffened, and he felt Kat do so, as well. He was wondering just what to say to that when she pulled away, causing him to curse internally.
“I’m sorry,” she said, and she seemed genuinely contrite. “I didn’t mean to suggest…” She worried her lower lip between her teeth as she scanned his eyes for any sign of recoil. “I didn’t mean anything by that.”
“You didn’t?” he asked, his tone even, not wanting to give anything away himself.
“No.” She shook her head. “It was only a joke. I mean I know our situation’s… unorthodox.”
“That’s one of putting it.” Charlie reached over to brush a lock of hair out of her eyes. “But I think it’s safe to say that we more or less consummated things.”
Kat visibly relaxed, her flushed cheeks rounding with a small smile. “We really did, didn’t we?”
“I’ll say.”
Kat chuckled and settled back into little spoon, her breaths brushing against his chest. Her eyes closed after a minute or two and her face looked utterly peaceful, and it occurred to Charlie then how easily he might fall asleep just like this. How content he felt with her at his side.
“I think I wouldn’t mind though,” he thought aloud, throwing all caution to the wind as he continued to watch her steadily. “Staying your husband, that is.”
Kat looked up at once, her beautiful face frozen. She didn’t say anything and after several long seconds Charlie was beginning to panic.
“Kat, I just… I never expected this. You know that I didn’t. I didn’t invite you to a middle school dance of all places with this in mind.”
“I know.” She frowned slightly, still taciturn.
“But I can’t help feeling like there’s something real here,” Charlie gestured, waving at the space between them. “And if I’m being honest with myself maybe I’ve been feeling it a while now. Because you’re real, Kat. You’re… you’re incredible.”
Her expression softened and he continued, “I mean you’re warm, and smart and fun and generous, and, and down to earth. I love spending time with you, and I love—” Charlie faltered for a moment, fearing he’d entirely said too much. “I love how I feel when I’m with you,” he finished in earnest, doubling down as he reached between them to take her hand.
To his relief, Kat squeezed his fingers back, but she took longer to respond than seemed necessary. “And you think you’re okay with all that comes with it?”
Charlie frowned in askance as to what she meant, and so Kat explained, “I mean… with the red carpet and the talk shows and my jet setting everywhere. And with the Kofi and the social media, the product endorsements and the selfies… ‘cuz all of that, Charlie, beyond these three months or however long you stick around, all of that will still be there. And you can say you love spending time with me now, but asking you to be a zoo mate for life is just, well… that kind of sacrifice requires some forethought.”
Somehow, hearing her sum up her concerns for him had Charlie all the more convinced that she was worth it. “Package deal, right?”
Kat sucked in a breath. “So what are we… are we trying this for real now?”
“I’m game if you’re game.”
And then she outright beamed.
Beaming himself, Charlie was fully intent on kissing her again when they heard a soft snort coming from their right. The two of them laughed as they turned to see Tank shadowing the corner of the doorway, all four-legged, pan-faced and stout.
“You okay, Tanky?” Kat called.
“He might need to go for a walk,” Charlie groaned, rising from the bed and reaching into the dresser for a pair of joggers and a long-sleeved shirt. “This is about the time of evening that he does his business.”
“Oh, well, do you want me to come with you?” Kat rose, too.
“What are you kidding? No,” Charlie scoffed. “It’s freezing outside and besides you’re all…” he hesitated.
“All what?” She wrinkled her nose.
“Sexed up,” he said. “If there’s a paparazzo behind the bushes you’re done for.”
Kat raised a brow. “And are you afraid of people documenting that things have… progressed between us?”
“Oh come on, not at all.” Charlie stopped. “Wait, are you afraid or…?”
“Not at all.” Kat stood, a coy little smile playing on her lips. “Matter of fact if you give me a minute I could grab my phone and we could take a few post coital selfies. Nothing too scandalous. Hashtag ‘afterglow’”.
Charlie stared at her, hands fisting. And in the moment they both knew that Tank would have to wait.