Page 25 of Of Course, Cutie

Ugh. Boo. You’re right.

When Burke made his way back out to the living room, I stood, determined to take it slow. “I should go. I’ve been in your space all day.”

“Oh.” Burke rubbed his beard, disappointment settling in his eyes. “Yeah, no problem. You have a date tonight?”

I snorted. “No. The only person I hang out with is my gay best friend, and he’s on a date right now.”

“Mattie?” He asked and sank back down on the couch.

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“I’ve heard you talking on the phone with him.” Burke scanned my face with his gorgeous green eyes. “If you’re leaving because you have other stuff to do, then I’ll see you around. But if you’re leaving because you think I want you to go, then don’t.”

My knees quaked, so I sat. “I’ll stay, Burke.”

“Do you want to stay, Charlie?”

I nodded.

“Good.” His eyes settled on the Guns N’ Roses logo on my tank top for the hundredth time, and he patted the couch at his side. “You want to come a little closer, cutie?”

Damn. I could stay and still take it slow, right? I curled up at his side, and he wrapped both arms around me this time. I rested my head against his chest and heard his rapid heartbeat. It matched my own. “What do you like to watch, Charlie?”

I tipped my head to look into his eyes. “Tinkerbell.” I smirked.

Burke laughed. “Smartass. You didn’t have to stay for all seven movies, but it meant a lot to Tess. Thank you.”

“She’s precious. I was happy to spend time with her.” I could take it slow and still flirt a little. “You’re not so bad, either.”

Burke pulled me tighter against his warm, chiseled body. “Likewise, Charlie.”

“I like hanging out with you.” My body told me to throw myself at him, but I took a deep breath instead. “And I like to watch witty comedies. Not that like slapstick in-your-face-trying-too-hard funny. What do you like to watch?”

Burke grinned at me. “Witty comedies. And action shows where they blow up shit.”

I laughed out loud and ran my fingers along his arms, tracing the lines of black ink. I’d have to ask him about all of his tattoos someday. “And you don’t count Jane Austen movies as witty comedies, right?”

“Hell no.”

We watched three episodes of The Good Place because he’d never seen it, and then I left before I did something stupid.

12

Burke

Charlie used spearmint chapstick. That was part of why she smelled so damn good. Tess borrowed it during the Tinkerbell movie marathon. I fucking wanted to borrow it, too. That was the closest I would ever let myself get to tasting Charlie’s pretty mouth.

I’d already touched her too much. She kept pressing that sexy little body into mine, and I caved. I touched her shoulders, her waist, her hair — her hair was what smelled like coconut. And she’d touched me right back. Her soft fingers traced the lines of my tattoos and left my skin screaming like the ink was fresh. Her hands touched my chest and my leg, and was she purposely showing a lot of cleavage in that sexy Guns N’ Roses top?

I shook off my thoughts of Charlie and walked into ’69 to start my Monday afternoon shift. She could stay in the back of my mind and join me in my dirtiest fantasies. Other than that, cute little Charlie Cox had to go.

Fuck.

She was sitting on the bar talking and laughing with Sienna. Evan greeted me at the entrance with a friendly, “Hey, dude! How’s it going?” Did Charlie tell him she’d spent half of her weekend in my apartment? I guessed not.

“Hey, man. Can’t complain. You?” I could complain plenty. I was borderline obsessed with a fucking teenager.

“Doing well!” Evan’s smile was tight and stressed as he glanced across the bar at his fiancé and sister. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

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