Page 9 of Her Nightshade

Charlie exceeded my expectations, his desperation to please me obvious as he made sure I came again and again. It was more than I’d ever experienced in such a short amount of time. Jake had always been generous, but he was more focused on his own desires. He wasn’t interested in the fantasies I craved. He preferred to take charge in the bedroom, and on the rare occasions when I did, he didn’t seem to enjoy it much. After he was elected to office, something shifted in him. And clearly, he started seeking his pleasure elsewhere too.

I hadn’t even caught my breath or pulled away from Charlie before he sat up, wrapping his arms around me tightly and kissing me passionately, taking me by surprise. I could see the shift in his expression, like he was lost in thought, right after we came together. A part of me was afraid to know what was going through his mind. He really did seem like the sensitive, hopeless romantic type, and I hoped he hadn’t started feeling too stronglyabout me yet. As fun as this was, I knew I needed to pull away before I let myself like him even more—and I already liked him a lot. Too much, in fact.

We broke the kiss and I rested my hands on his muscular, tattooed arms. He was more built than I’d expected, with a defined six-pack and that sexy V-line leading straight to his very well-endowed cock. The man certainly knew what to do with it, and that mouth of his…

His gentle voice broke me out of thoughts. “Why don’t I fill your glass of wine? Maybe we can put a movie on?”

I hesitated before I finally crawled off of him, searching for my clothes. “Oh, um…”

“You said you’d finish your glass of wine and we’d have a chat, didn’t you?” he asked playfully.

I glanced over at him and couldn’t help but smile. He sat there with wide, hopeful eyes and a smirk on his lips. My eyes drifted down to his semi-hard cock, still on full display, and he didn’t seem to mind lounging around completely nude. I didn’t either, but I didn’t want to get too comfortable.

“I caught you on a technicality, didn’t I?” he teased, his smirk widening as he watched me.

“It could be thrown out in court since we already had sex,” I replied, matching his playful tone with a grin of my own, but then his face fell.

“I need to be honest, Ana,” he began, crossing his legs and looking down at the ground before meeting my eyes again. “I need to see you again. I absolutely need to. We don’t have to have sex, and we don’t need to be in a relationship. I just think you’re so fucking amazing, and I want to be around you in any way I can.”

His expression was so sincere, so heartfelt. He had no reason to tell me any of this unless it was the truth.

I glanced down at my underwear in my hand, my heart torn. If I kept seeing him, I knew I’d fall for him. But if I walked away now, I would always wonder what could have been. Could we even be just friends, or was that impossible at this point?

“Sorry, Ana. That’s…that’s a lot to put on you. Just forget I said that,” he muttered, defeat clear in his voice.

I couldn’t even begin to express how I was feeling, so I simply muttered, “Okay.”

“Okay,” he echoed, standing up and pulling on his boxer briefs. “So then, now what?”

I kept my eyes down, unable to look at him as I pulled my jeans over my hips. I made everything awkward, and it was clear I’d broken his heart. I warned him, though. But did that justify what I’d done?

“What if…” he trailed off, his voice soft as I glanced up to meet his sad eyes.

I stood there, unsure of what to do next. Just as I was about to turn away, to tell him that I needed to leave, he gently caught my hand. He turned it over in his, his thumb brushing softly over my knuckles. The simple touch surprised me, stopping me in place.

He didn’t speak, but the way he touched me was enough. It was intimate, unexpected. I stared at our hands; I should’ve pulled away, kept moving. But instead, I stood there, letting the moment sink in, second-guessing everything. My thoughts raced, but I knew I couldn’t give him more than I was ready for.

I cleared my throat, breaking the silence. “Maybe…maybe we could meet for coffee one day. Or lunch. Just as friends.”

His eyes softened, and a small smile lifted at the corner of his lips. “Yeah,” he said quietly, nodding. “Lunch sounds good.”

The tension eased slightly and I felt like I could breathe again. His hand lingered in mine for a moment longer before he slowly let go.

“As friends,” I repeated, more to myself than him, as if convincing myself that I could handle it.

“Friends,” he echoed, still holding onto that gentle smile that made it hard to walk away.

Twenty minutes later, I was back home. I slipped back into the pajamas I’d worn earlier and sank into my bed, my thoughts racing. Part of me was excited about this new “friendship” with Charlie, but another part was terrified of falling for him. There was something about him that I couldn’t quite shake. I was used to attention, but his felt different. Was it the freedom to finally explore after a twenty-year marriage? Or was it simply him?

I turned off the lights, ready to finally rest, when my phone buzzed with a text. I knew it was Charlie. Sure enough, when I unlocked my phone, I was right.

I can’t stop thinking about you.

I smiled, but it almost felt like too much. I kept brushing it off. Maybe I was just overthinking it. He was sweet, attentive, probably just caught up in the excitement of something new.People always get like this in the beginning, right?After everything I’d been through, didn’t I deserve to enjoy that? I was still in control. If it got to be too much, I could always pull back. Besides, the intensity and excitement would wear off eventually.It’s just a friendship…for now.

You’re sweet, Charlie. Get some rest.

His texting bubbles popped up immediately.

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