“As you wish,” he teased with a wink that rivaled any adorable expression Wesley made on the screen.
By the time the credits were rolling, I was half-a
sleep, and Max was snoring loudly in my arms.
Charlie stretched and let out a groan. “Time for bed,” he said and moved toward me.
Through my sleepy, barely open eyes, I admired his physique and the muscled man he turned into. “I think I’m just gonna sleep right here,” I mumbled and let out a yawn.
Charlie shook his head, reached down, and easily scooped me up into his arms to carry me toward the stairs.
“I have to take care of the dogs, get Max upstairs with me.”
“I’ll handle it,” he said. “I think you’ve had enough stress for one day, what with strangers seeing your delicates and all.”
I glanced up into his eyes. “It’s sweet that you want to take care of me.”
“All you have to say is yes, and it won’t end.”
“You’ve done far too much for me already.”
“Jaime, just shush and let me do what needs to be done. I’m perfectly capable of putting you and your doggies to bed.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but he stopped that short by bending down to kiss my forehead. It was just a light brush of his lips, but it was enough to make mine clamp shut. When his hands tightened against me, I snuggled against his warmth. We reached the guestroom, and he nudged the door open with his foot. He laid me down on the bed and tucked me in.
As he ran his fingers through my hair, “Jaime...” he said quietly and hesitantly.
“Yes?”
“I’m glad you’re back into my life.” A crooked grin lifted his lips as he let his hand fall away. “See ya in the morning.” He backed out the door and pulled it mostly closed behind him.
I sat up in bed and lifted the covers, but then I quickly stopped myself. My heart told me to go after him, to confess the truth I’d held on to for so many years, but another, darker part of me remembered how long it had been since I’d seen Charlie.
Not once in all that time did he try to get in touch with me. Not once did he check in on me, to see how I was doing or what I was up to. How can he call himself a real friend if he abandoned me like that, without a second thought?
I slipped back under the covers and turned to face the window, keeping my back toward the door. I heard the distant sound of the dogs’ claws clicking across the floor, and my eyes fluttered closed. Just before I dozed off, I made a vow to myself: First thing tomorrow, I’m going on a job hunt. I’ve got to get out of here ASAP, before one or both of us does something stupid.
As nice as Charlie’s house was, I knew it was a very temporary situation. I would take his hospitality for the time being because I had no choice, but I couldn’t stick around, or I would create regrets I’d have to live with forever. Like tell the man the truth, only to watch him throw it back in my face. There was obvious and undeniable sexual tension and lust between us, more chemical attraction than we could find in a thousand beakers in a thousand labs, but that didn’t mean the guy really cared for me, and risking or ruining our relationship was not worth finding out that I was wandering down a one-way street. Cut and run, Jaime, I told myself. Just cut and run.
Chapter 15
I was used to waking up to at least four canine eyes staring back at me, but as I squinted against the morning sunrays and rolled over to avoid their ocular assault, I realized I was all alone. I climbed out of the warm, cozy bed, walked out of my room, and headed down the hall, to the master bedroom. The door was slightly ajar, so I peeked inside. My hand flew to my mouth instantly at the sight of Charlie, passed out on his back. Max was curled up in the crook of his arm, sleeping soundly, his little paws twitching every so often, as if he was caught in some sort of adventurous puppy dream. At the foot of the bed were the other three, piled on top of one another in a chorus of snores, Tank’s baritone sounding the loudest.
It was such an inviting scene that I imagined tiptoeing into the room and snuggling up next to all of them but decided instead to turn around and make my way to the kitchen. Coffee was definitely a must that morning, and then I had to dig through my stuff to locate my laptop. I figured I’d call the temp agency first, before I moved my search online. I only hoped I didn’t sound too desperate when I spoke to them. If I could find a new job quickly enough, I would only be trapped in Charlie’s mansion for a week or two, until I could put down money on a new apartment, a place that would allow my four dogs.
The coffee was brewing when I heard my cell go off. I darted my eyes around the kitchen and spotted my purse sitting on the counter, right where I’d left it the day before. I dug through it to find and answer the phone, before the silly ringtone woke up the sleeping males upstairs.
“Hello?” I said quietly.
“Hey, you! I swung by your place last night,” Tammy said, sounding concerned. “There’s an eviction notice on your door. Where the hell are you? And please don’t say sleeping in your car on the side of the road somewhere!”
“What? No, I’m fine,” I said, shaking my head. “What were you doing at my place?”
“Just worried about you, that’s all,” she said.
“Why?”
“Well, I heard your temp job ended early, and I figured you’d be down. I just wanted to cheer you up.”