Deception (Infidelity #3)(65)
The expression of protective brother that Patrick had been wearing since he opened the door morphed into a smile as he nodded. “Right answer. That’s exactly what my little cousin needs. She’s had people telling her what to do her entire life.”
Oh, I liked telling her what to do, but not about her life or her friends. My demands were more in the directives that included getting her on her knees or lifting her hands so I could bind them. Though that thought sent my blood rushing south, that wasn’t what I sought tonight.
Tonight I simply wanted to hold her. I’d also like to know more about what Patrick was saying, more about Charli’s life, more about Alexandria Collins. I wanted to know everything. Not because she owed me an explanation or I demanded one, but because I wanted to share everything in her life, present, past and future.
A pang of guilt flitted across my conscience.
If I want to know all about her, then I owe her the same.
“She…” I said, ignoring the inner voice, “…doesn’t talk much about her life before Stanford.”
“It’s not my place to say, but if you ask me, in some ways, Alex started living when she went out west. Unfortunately, what she was doing before—living or merely surviving—is trying to suck her back into its black-hole abyss.”
My neck straightened, the hairs on my arms standing to attention with his warning. I could only assume that he was referring to the calls and even the letter telling her to go back to Savannah.
Patrick was right. It wasn’t his place to tell me. It was up to Charli. But if it was that serious, then we needed to talk.
“Thanks for taking my call,” I said, “and for letting me in. I should take her back to our place and let you get some sleep.”
Patrick moved his head back and forth. “No, man, let her rest. I’ll show you to her room.” His lips quirked to a grin. “And for the record, as I said earlier, if you’d not given me the right answer, I’d be showing you the door out of here.”
My brows rose. You and what army? That was what I wanted to say, but instead, I smiled.
Patrick was obviously protective of my Charli, and I liked that. I knew from experience I couldn’t always be around. I could have Deloris, Isaac, and Clayton nearby. Charli could wear a GPS necklace that allowed me to see her exact location at the touch of an app, but nothing compared to having someone who loved you looking out for you. If this runt was willing to take me on for her, he was all right in my book.
“Glad I met your approval.” This time they were his brows that rose, and I suddenly remembered which way his boat sailed.
“Oh, yes, you do. But since we’re both taken, and you bat for the other team, might as well let Alex have the fun.”
I just laughed as I followed him down a hallway.
Patrick stopped at a door and inclined his head. “Help her.” He flattened his lips to a straight line. “Oh and that thing I mentioned about sleep, about it being underrated? Well, I do have work tomorrow… or today… so keep it down.”
I didn’t take orders well, but there was something in his voice that caused my smile to grow as I nodded.
He turned and walked away as I reached for the knob and turned it. Pushing the door open, I searched the room, and as my eyes adjusted, I saw small slits of light from the night sky that fell from between the blinds. Illuminated by stripes of moonlight and stretched out on a bed smaller than the one we usually shared was my Charli, her body covered with blankets. Her beautiful hair flowed over the pillow, the auburn waves more brown than red in the semidarkness. As I inched closer, I watched as her chest rose and fell in a quiet rhythm. She was sound asleep. Every muscle of my body ached to lean down and kiss her slightly parted lips, to wake her and explore some of the demands that had skirted across my thoughts just moments ago.
Instead, I pulled my phone from my slacks pocket and pounded out a text message.
Me: “PICK ME UP AT THE FRONT OF PATRICK’S BUILDING AT 6. I’M SPENDING THE REST OF THE NIGHT HERE.”
Isaac: “YES, SIR.”
Laying my phone on the bedside stand, I eased out of my clothes, leaving them folded on a nearby chair. With only my boxers remaining, I locked the door. Another door was slightly ajar and I found a bathroom. It’d been a long day. The tall shower looked incredibly inviting. It would feel wonderful to get in and wash it all away, but the pull from the woman in the bed was too strong. She was a magnet that I couldn’t resist.
After I finished in the bathroom, splashing my face with water and quickly using her toothbrush, I returned to the bedroom. Pulling back the blankets, my cheeks rose. Usually, Charli slept in nothing, or maybe she started in a nightgown but by the time we fell asleep, her warm skin was fully at my disposal. Tonight she was wearing soft shorts and a shiny top with delicate straps that draped over her slender shoulders. Even in the dimness, I saw goose bumps materialize as she shivered at the loss of blankets. Still asleep, she pulled her arms and legs closer to her body.
I eased into the bed, spooning behind her. With my chin above her head as I settled against the soft pillow, my nose wrinkled as her hair tickled it. Flowers and perfume filled my lungs as her round ass fit perfectly against my hips. For the first time since I’d left her in Westchester County, I relaxed, each and every muscle in my body releasing tension as I wrapped her in my arms and she melted against me.
With a deep sigh, I covered us with the blankets.