Page 29 of Of Course, Cutie

My brain was mush. My mouth refused to work, but I stepped back to let Charlie inside my apartment. She closed the door behind her and tugged off her purple beanie. Next, she unraveled her scarf and slid out of her coat. I should have offered to take them, but my brain was still mush. That, and the skin-tight tank top Charlie wore made all the blood rush to my cock. My brain had no chance now.

She hung her things on the hook by the door and headed for my living room. I was reduced to caveman-like thoughts. Follow pretty girl.

Charlie sat on my couch and curled her legs up under herself. My eyes settled on her breasts and the dark purple bra showing through her white top. She noticed. I forced my legs to move and sank onto the couch, as far from Charlie as possible.

She laughed and said, “Burke, do you want me to leave?”

“No.” My voice sounded low and growly. Great. Now I sounded like a caveman, too.

Charlie scooted closer to me. “I’m officially twenty years old now. Do you have something for me or not?”

I cleared my throat and nodded. “I made you something, cutie.” I stood to retrieve a wrapped package from my kitchen table. When I placed it in her lap, Charlie’s disappointed expression made my heart lurch. She had to understand that I shouldn’t give her what she wanted. I couldn’t.

“Oh, wow. Um, thanks.” She forced a smile and tore open the plain black wrapping paper to reveal the notebook I’d crafted for her. The cover was made of thin sheets of wood, and I’d burned all of her favorite rock band logos onto it.

Now her stunning smile was real. “Holy shit, Burke. This is amazing.” Charlie’s eyes flashed up to meet mine. “Thank you.”

“Of course, cutie. Happy birthday.” I sat back down beside her, aching to pull her into my arms. “I know that’s not what you asked for, but I hope you like it anyway.”

Charlie clutched the notebook to her chest and smiled. “I love it so much.” She set the notebook on my coffee table. “Can I at least give you a hug?”

I stared at her breasts as she leaned closer. I breathed in her sweet scent. “I don’t trust myself to touch you.”

I heard her breath catch. “So you want to kiss me then?”

“Yes.”

“But you won’t because I’m so much younger than you.”

“Yes.”

She rested her hand on my thigh. “Okay, Burke. What if I kiss you?” Her voice turned low and sultry. “What if I slide onto your lap right now and take what I want, what we both want?”

I groaned and ran my hands through my beard. “Then I’ll stop you, Charlie. Because this can’t happen.”

Without warning, sexy little Charlie straddled me. My hands flew to her hips. I told myself I was going to lift her right off my lap and send her home, but my fingers sank into the soft skin right above her jeans. “Charlie,” I growled.

She pressed her forehead into mine, lips hovering so close. I could smell the spearmint from her chapstick—almost taste it. Charlie slid her hands into my hair and brushed her lips lightly against mine. My mouth watered. It begged to take hers, but before I could make a move, she took mine.

Charlie’s kiss was the sweetest fucking thing I’d ever tasted. It was shy at first, and then sure and passionate. My hands slid up her back and tangled themselves in her silky hair. Charlie opened her mouth while we kissed. So did I. Her tongue slid into my mouth. I met it with mine.

Charlie let out a soft moan against my lips and pressed herself into my body. Fuck. I had the damn Washington Monument between my legs now. Charlie deepened the kiss and rocked her hips just a little, drawing a groan from me.

If she kissed me for one more god-damn second, I was going to ruin her right there in my living room. Almost as if she could sense me losing control, Charlie broke the kiss. Then she slid off my lap and stood in front of me, chest heaving. Her lips were swollen and red from my kisses, and her eyes shimmered with arousal. She flashed me that pretty smile and bent to scoop up her new notebook from my coffee table.

I stared unflinchingly at her cleavage and clenched my fists to keep myself from hauling her back onto my lap and having my way with her.

Charlie leaned over me and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek. “Thank you, Burke,” she whispered. Then she floated away to my front door, where she wrapped her gorgeous body back up in her winter clothes. “Night.” She smiled at me one more time before slipping out the door.

“Fuck!” I groaned out loud and covered my face with both hands. That shouldn’t have happened. Charlie was way too young for me. I shouldn’t want her the way I did. Hell, I’d never come close to wanting a woman as much as I wanted my cutie.

Your cutie? Good god, man. Pull it together. She’s not yours.

I stood and wandered back to my bedroom. What the hell was I supposed to do about my impending blue balls? Jerk myself off thinking about a girl half my age? Call up one of the divorced soccer moms that gave me their phone numbers?

No fucking way. I’d suffer. I deserved to suffer for the thoughts I had about sweet little Charlie.

14

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