Page 40 of Seeking Happily Ever After

“It’ll never be good-bye, Char. Never.”

She sucked in a breath and ended the call. She didn’t want to admit it, but he’d gotten to her. He’d—

“Who was on the phone?”

Nick stepped into theLumberjackcabin, hoping to surprise Char with lunch, but he wasn’t prepared to find her sitting on the floor. And he definitely wasn’t prepared to see her looking so shaken.

“Who was on the phone?”

He hadn’t caught much of the conversation, but he was pretty sure he’d heard the name Billy. And if he’d heard what he thought he’d heard, he wasn’t happy about it.

Char’s head jerked up and he could see without her even saying anything that he was right.

“Dammit.” Nick fell to his knees on the floor in front of her. “It was Billy?” He pulled her into his arms and muttered under his breath, “Fuck.” A protective surge toward Charlotte washed over him. And why wouldn’t it? They were…friends.Goodfriends. He’d protect any of his friends the same way. Just because it was Charlotte didn’t mean anything.

“It’s fine. It’s—”

“Not fine. I’ll destroy him, Char. I—”

“You won’t and you know it.”

He pulled her tighter to him and stroked her silky hair. “I won’t. You’re right. But I swear, if he touches one hair on your head, I’ll—”

“He won’t.” She pulled back and looked him in the eye. “He’s not going to bother me. He’s just full of hot air and he’s feeling like a wounded little boy, that’s all. He’s harmless.”

Nick wasn’t so sure, but arguing with her about a situation he knew very little about wasn’t going to be productive. Instead, he sat flat on his ass, and spread his legs wide so he could pull her into him and wrap his arms around her. She relaxed into his arms and he could feel some of the tension escape her body as he held her.

He’d meant what he said, even if it had come out a little harsher than he’d intended it to. If that waste of space, excuse of a man tried to hurt Charlotte in any way, he would destroy him without even hesitating. No, he wouldn’t hurt him. He was too smart for that. But Nick had the means to make his life as unpleasant as possible. If he messed with Charlotte, he was messing with Nick. And if that was the case, that loser didn’t know what he was getting himself into. And he certainly wasn’t going to like it.

Nick forced himself to slow his breathing and he kissed the top of Char’s head. And then, because when it came to this woman, he simply couldn’t seem to keep his hands or his lips off her, he moved his kiss lower, to the sensitive skin behind her ear that always made her squirm when he kissed her there.

Sure enough, she wiggled her way back into him, pressing her peach-perfect ass against his growing desire and tipped her head back so it rested on his shoulder, and he could have easier access. But Nick wanted more than kisses on the neck. So much more. This woman made him want things that he had no business wanting. But he couldn’t help it. And anyway, he wasn’t sure he wanted to.

He wrapped an arm around her and spun Char on the wood floor so she was facing him and he could gently lay her back onto the floor where he could kiss her properly. There was still no furniture in the cabin, but that wouldn’t stop him. It might even be extra fun.

The more of Charlotte that he experienced, the more he wanted. She was like a drug. Even though whatever was happening between them was meant to be an arrangement, it was starting to feel like a whole lot more than that, and very quickly. Maybe he should be worried about how close they were getting, but he wasn’t. Not even a little.

Nick lowered his body, so his mouth could close over hers, but moments before his lips found their target, she wiggled underneath him and slipped out from under him.

“I’m working,” she protested with a smile. “I have so much to do here and—I didn’t even ask…is everything okay? You don’t usually pop in unannounced.” She asked the question as she got to her feet and picked up a paintbrush.

She looked over to him as Nick flipped around so he was sitting and could watch her bend to dip the paint in the bucket. If he couldn’t kiss her, a close second would have to be watching her bend over. He wiggled his eyebrows and she laughed.

“I just wanted to see you.” It was the truth. He’d been running a few errands and when he popped into the Hub, Katie’s adventure equipment store, she’d practically stolen Amelia right out of his arms and told him to take aDad break.So he’d done just that. But faced with an hour or two without the baby, the only person he’d wanted to spend that time with was Charlotte. No contest. “And I brought snacks.” He got to his feet and fetched the coffee and bag of muffins he’d picked up at Sweetie Pies before coming. He’d ditched them at the front when he’d seen Char on the floor when he’d come in.

“I like snacks.”

He laughed. “I brought bubbly, too.” He held up the bottle of Prosecco he’d picked up last minute. “We never really toasted to your new job and now that you’re almost done…”

“That sounds awesome.” She winked over her shoulder and turned back to the wall she was painting. “Just let me finish this—” She squealed when Nick wrapped his arms around her and put a cheeky kiss on her neck. “Nick!” Charlotte spun around and swiped his cheek with the paintbrush.

He jumped back and his mouth dropped open. “You did not just do that?”

She wiggled her hips and grinned at him. “Oh, I think I just did.”

Nick curled his lips up in a wicked smile of his own. “It’s on, baby.” He moved quickly, grabbing the extra paintbrush and dipping it in the paint before she would have a chance to realize what was happening.

“Oh no.” Charlotte laughed. “Nick!”

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