Page 4 of Sing Me Home
Man, was this heaven or hell? She was so beautiful.
Right then, my mom’s voice echoed in my head,Eyes up top!
Too late. Charlie gasped.I’d been caught.
My gaze slid up, locking with hers. We stared at each other for a few seconds, everything shifting between us in a single moment.
She looked at the house like maybe she should go. If I thought that’s what she really wanted—that she couldn’t see me as anything other than her cousin—I’d get out of her way. But if there was ever a time when I needed to take a chance, this was it. I stood my ground, unashamed.
When she looked at me again, her expression was curious, and full of…hope? Did she feel the same about me that I’d always felt about her? I didn’t have the luxury of waiting to find out. Sheneededto hear the words that had been choking me out since I was thirteen.
“I’mnotyour cousin, Charlie,” I breathed. “Not even close.”
Her head tilted to the side and her eyes burned, looking at me the way I’d always wanted her to.
It was all I needed to know.
I grabbed her waist and pulled her against me. My mouth crashed over hers before she knew what was happening. She let out a shocked yelp. I swallowed it and kissed her harder.
I didn’t know how long I had before she’d knee me in the groin, so I had to make this good. A kiss that burned itself into her bones. A kiss so full of love that she’d daydream about it for years to come.
To my utter shock, instead of ending my chances at fatherhood, she let out a soft moan and wove her arms around my neck. Then she relaxed against me, her mouth moving with mine.
YES!
A united cheer erupted from inside the basement and I couldn’t help it, I smiled against her lips. Griffin’s mind was probably blown. But it sounded like the rest of them were celebrating a long-awaited event.
My smile only lasted a second before Charlie tugged at the back of my hair, demanding all my attention. Every part of me obeyed.After all these years, my lips were finally on hers. It was sweet and intoxicating and better than any fantasy I’d ever conjured in my mind. And let me tell you, I’d conjured plenty.
Her fingers dug into my neck, needy and desperate. I tightened one arm around her waist, our bodies locking together. Man, we fit. We fitsogood. Just like I knew we would.
My other hand came up and cupped her beautiful face. My thumb brushed over her cheek and it was as soft as I’d always imagined. Silky and supple. Delicate like a rose petal. She murmured her approval and rewarded me by deepening the kiss even more, her tongue chasing mine.
My feet might’ve been glued to the bottom of that pool but my heart was soaring through the warm, Hawaiian sky—yet somehow still tightly, protectively wound around hers. This is what I’d been waiting for, for so long.
This was the beginning of us.
But then the sliding door opened and an unfamiliar voice interrupted, “Hey, buddy! Get your hands off her!”
Charlie went stiff and started to pull away.
“No,” I whispered, holding her in place. “Stay with me.” I kissed her again. But she clamped her lips closed and shook her head. I had no choice but to let her go. Her idiot husband had killed the moment.
Husband.
My head gave a little shake and I finally remembered.Holy crap. I just kissed a married woman.My face twisted in shock.
Charlie stepped back, horrified. I fixed my expression so she’d know I didn’t regret it. Mostly. Not the kissing part at least. Just the part where she got marriedbeforeI kissed her.
“Charlie.” I reached for her. The wordschoose medied in my throat as herhusband peered down at us like he was ready to take a swing.
Charlie’s eyes grew wider, panic-stricken. She was embarrassed that she’d kissed me back. If that wasn’t enough of a blow to the ego, she topped it off by shoving me. Hard.
My knees gave out and the water covered me. Too addled and devastated to do anything but sink, I let gravity pull me to the bottom of the fiberglass pool.
I lay there staring up at the sunlight, my heart cracking in two. Finally, when my lungs screamed for air, I pushed off the floor. By the time I got to the surface, Charlie was already out of the pool, her husband’s arm around her waist, guiding her into the house.
As I watched them disappear inside, I told myself not to panic. I could play the long game. I was good at waiting. And when she realized she wanted this, I’d be here, arms open, ready to love her the way she deserved. Because shewouldrealize it. That guy could not be her forever.
