Now fall is coming to my little place on the globe, this is a story to say goodbye to summer and celebrate sun kissed days. A story to give my beloved characters one summer day, near a lake in the forest.
Summer dresses
1.
Bass feels his shirt cling to his chest. Little drops of sweat are moving from the strong lines of his neck to his chest. He lets the screen door fall behind him, the door closing with a strong sound of wood against the wood of the door. His boots sound heavy in the shadow of the hallway.
He finds the house is not as empty as he had hoped. Something that would be useful now he is going to borrow some of his brother's or Staypufts whiskey.
Her hands are at the nape of her neck, the material of two straps going through her fingers as she tries to make a knot behind her neck. The smooth flowing summer dress she is wearing follows her curves and stops generously above her knees, giving him one hell of a view of her well formed slender strong thighs and the lines of those damn thighs that move up and disappear under the fabric of her dress.
Bass' imagination running fucking wild of what it would be the hell like to lift that dress slowly over those thighs towards her ass and run his hands over her hips under her dress while he would pin her against the kitchen top. His cock already feels her ass, her body pinned against his. He tells his cock to shut the hell up.
It is cool and a little bit darker in the kitchen, the sun outside beating down on the house.
Bass watches her as he walks into the kitchen that already seems to damn small with only her in it. She has moved her normally wild long dark blonde hair in a messy knot on top of her head. A couple of locks have struggled to break free and have won. They are brushing her neck and shoulders like his fingers ache to touch her.
First of all, Charlie is a fucking sight for sore eyes on any given day. All curves, strength, blue eyes, dark blonde curls. Lush fucking lips to taunt him with on a daily basis.
And hell, she knows how to use those lips of hers, Bass thinks with a curse and a fast grin and curl of his lips. Using those lips of her for her smart mouth. Or to form them into a firm line when she is pissed. Or smirk that wide smirk of hers like that time his fucking ex girlfriend gave her the men he came to Vegas for. After said ex told him he was not that good of a lay. A memory his ego is trying to shove out of his fucking mind.
Charlie is a sight for sore eyes on any given miserable day in the endless line of miserable days in the history of ever since they spent their days running and hiding. But today, Bass walks into the kitchen of the house deep in the forest they had found and used for the past couple of days.
The house eventually Charlie had convinced them to stay. Because of the lake, because of its location being far away from any kind of other bullshit. He had watched how his brother had tried to reason with her. But one look at Charlie's eyes, before they had moved over her ass, hey a man, not a saint, had told him his brother in arms and once general over their shared Militia was going to lose that argument from his niece.
She stands with her back towards him and her fingers are struggling with two straps that should go behind her neck. Tanned legs and her bare feet on the kitchen floor tiles catch him of guard. Bass watches the arch of her back. Fuck. She is beautiful.
He walks to her with his hands in his pockets, slowly. He knows she has heard him.
Charlie curses again, this time in her head. She is trying to ignore Monroe who has walked his ass with those heavy boots of his into the house. She is also trying to make a knot with the small cotton straps of her dress that should come together in a knot behind her neck.
It is hot. And her tank and jeans and boots had made her miserable. Clinging on to her skin and giving her no room to breathe. Her long hair down and heavy in her neck only adding to being more miserable.
And Aaron, he had decided they should take a break when they had stumbled upon the house near a cool clear lake, deep in the forest. The water cool and the colour of the sky, the trees providing shade from the Texan heat. Aaron had been mentioning all things pre blackout Charlie loves so much to hear about. BBQ's and ice tea and lazy days near the pool. She had decided Aaron was right and had happily went for a couple of rounds of Matheson arguing with her uncle to make sure they stayed here for a couple of days.
She found the summer dress in a closet upstairs. It follows the line of her body and is perfect. If only she could get those damn straps in a knot behind her back to keep the damn thing up.
She feels Monroe's eyes on her. She has felt them before. She refuses to feel anything those eyes dare to break loose from her. So she does what she always does. Focus on the task at hand.
Which today is a summer dress. She loves it. Her uncle doesn't. He has already been a total idiot, telling her what on earth she was wearing when she had stepped outside the house where Miles had been drinking his whiskey in the shadow of the porch.
She blows a lock of hair from her face.
'Let me help you with that,' Bass' voice is filling the coolness of the kitchen.
Outside the summer crickets are buzzing through the forest and around the lake. His voice is so like him but at the same time lacking the total asshole tone it she is used to from him.
She looks at him over her shoulder with a raised eyebrow. Her lips clenched together somehow.
Bass sees her blue eyes locking with his. He sees how she makes a decision, just looking at her.
Charlie needs to be outside, near that lake, to cool down, to have one day without all the shit that is going on. And the dress is not cooperating. And he is here.
She nods at him shortly. The sound of his boots on the kitchen tiles heavy between her thighs, pulsating and taking form as another swirl low in her belly. He is tall. But she never realised somehow how tall until he is standing right behind her.
His fingers brush the sensitive skin of her neck as they make contact with her skin. They are large and strong and rough skinned. She never felt his fingers there, she never had the time to feel them with every second seeming to stretch out into long moments. Somehow they are everything as Charlie cannot look at him but she feels him tall behind her.
She is bare foot and standing in a summer dress, almost between his thighs. Monroe's thighs.
She tilts her head, giving him access when he ties the straps together. Her fingers brushing the locks of hair away that have escaped her knot of hair, brushing them away to give him, Monroe, all the space he needs.
Bass feels her tense up as he moves the straps into a firm yet gentle nod. He is taking his damn time, not because he does not want to be a fucking gentleman but because she is letting him this fucking close. He cannot help himself. Her skin is soft and tanned and her body, fuck, it feels so good there between his damn thighs.
Charlie curses something inside of her head. The son of a bitch is taking his time. She turns around and looks at the steel burning in his eyes. And then she looks to his face changing into that stupid smirk of his that expects a thank you.
'You are welcome Charlotte.' He teases, a hint of steel blue danger in his voice. His fingers done with the knot, but not done torturing her. Large calloused fingers on the sensitive skin of her neck.
Charlie thinks why that stupid face and smirk of his have to be this close to her face. He somehow has his hand now close to her upper arm, and Charlie swears she felt his fingers brush her skin. But then she realises she is the one being delusional and she realises it was her mind making up those images because Monroe is not touching her. Not anymore. Her mind has created that trail of his hand all on its own.
Miles is however just stepping into the kitchen. And he is real.
Finding his niece next to Bass. Finding Bass too close to his niece.
'What the hell Bass.' His eyes shoot threat Charlie knows so well. She has seen him like this with Jason or Drexel and somehow his eyes are even shooting more death at Monroe.
She immediately steps between Bass and her uncle.
'Why are you touching Charlie?' Miles spits out.
Bass takes a little step away from Charlie, his hands moving to places where Miles can see them. His mind trying to form the words he wishes would come out of his damn mouth faster.
'I wasn't...' he starts, his voice filled with agony. '...just helping her with her dress.'
'It looked to me you were getting her out of the damn thing you moron.' Miles eyes burn dark fire at Bass.
'Hey…hey,' Charlie says in a firm I am taking no bullshit voice. 'Miles, don't give me that. He wasn't. He is helping me with my dress.'
Bass is standing behind Charlie, hell, unable to believe what the hell he is hearing when she defends him so strongly and easily. Miles is about to make some sharp snide remark but Charlie does not let him.
'He did nothing but keep me safe. He never ever touched me. And you know that, Miles. You know he would not cross that line. All he ever did was made sure I was all right.'
Charlie stands right in front of Miles. The words are out there before she can stop herself.
But then she realises it is the truth. And it is long overdue. She should have opened her mouth under that bridge when she had just walked Monroe' ass to Willoughby. I would not let him touch me was everything she had said when Miles accused Monroe of doing things to her Monroe hadn't. In fact he had been an asshole, but never not treated her with respect when it came to that. It was the truth.
She would not have let him touch him in those weeks on the road, even if he had tried. But he hadn't. She hated the implications that she would be weak and let Monroe charm her into taking him with her. It was war. She took him with her because the fight was more important than their bullshit. But he had kept her safe. He had.
And one look at his brother tells Bass, Miles knows she is right. It is the fucking truth.
Charlie looks at Miles and then at Monroe. And then, she grabs her glass and is on her way out of the kitchen. She wants to get outside, get in the shade, drink and just soak up some of this day. Get away from fighting and forget the burn in her belly from Monroe's touch before Miles had interrupted whatever was going on.
'What's that kid?' Miles asks her, nodding to the glass in her hand.
'That is ice tea, just made it with Aaron.'
Miles stops her and takes the glass. He can smell the booze practically from where he is standing.
'Ice tea?' He looks at Charlie who is starting to be not so pissed at him. He looks at Bass who is looking pretty fucking pleased with himself and the way Charlie just stepped up for his sorry ass.
'Well, Aaron may have poured something from his flask into it. We maybe both have.'
Now it is Bass who grabs the glass from Miles, holding it high over her head so Charlie cannot reach it as he takes a gulp from it.
She is fucking adorable in trying to take the glass out of his damn hands. He feels a fucking grin the size of Texas at her frown and protest in her eyes.
'No shit...' Bass smiles at the taste of strong ice tea with whiskey '...Go Staypuft.'
Just because they can, Miles takes the glass from Bass again.
'Good stuff kid.' He takes a long gulp.
Charlie is looking pissed and grabs the glass from Miles as she punches him in the ribs. He and Bass are grinning like a couple of school boys. Charlie isn't.
She grabs the glass with a firm grab, then grabs a book from the kitchen counter and marches her hips out of the kitchen.
'So, she's pissed.' Miles says drily.
Bass and Miles are both locking eyes and are laughing like they had not done in forever.
'Can we please have ONE fucking normal day?' Charlie curses through the hallway, sounding completely pissed off at hearing both men laugh and playing their stupid we are taller than you and are complete assholes because of that game.
'She is serious man.' Bass grins at hearing Charlie curse. She rarely does.
Charlie is almost out on the porch but both men can still hear her mumble in disgust, probably for using their height to mess with her moments before.
'Couple of stupid men trees'
They hear the screen door crash shut.
'Well, let's find Staypuft to see if he has got some more in that flask huh?' Bass grins as he pats Miles on the shoulder who shoves his hand away in annoyance and the show of brotherly affection.
Bass watches Charlie near the lake. The afternoon sun is pressing heavy on the forest . The smell of grass and sun is hanging above the lake, the sun beating down into the water and creating sharp light reflected from it.
She is laying on her belly in the grass between the house and the lake. Her feet are dangling in the air, one feet lazily playing with the other while she is touching the paper as she turns the pages of her book and the sun is touching her skin.
He is sitting on the porch in the shades from the house with some whisky he had gotten from Staypuft. He is keeping his distance but his eyes are never not on her. And never not on Miles who is standing on the low wooden jetty of the lake with a bottle in his hands. The bottle going to his lips and then lazily dangling next to his thigh again.
The cool blue of the water from the lake reflects the green of the trees around it, high and tall, covering their spot from sight. He knows his brother, he knows those shoulders and he knows Miles, right now he needs some space.
Connor is asleep against a tree a little further ahead, a little grass haulm between his lips he has been chewing on minutes before. Staypuft and Priscilla are sitting close to the lake, talking and laughing about something. Rachel and the old man in the shades of a couple of trees not far from the house.
He watches Charlie. Just as deep in thought as Miles, there in the grass. He barely recognises her like this. But she is still so much her.
It is fucking messed up how she reminds him of long summer days. Of home.
Of his mom making ice tea, of his sisters giggling about the boys they hoped to see at the pool. Cynthia fighting with Angela about why she had borrowed a bikini top or something like that without asking her and not putting it back. He thinks of the scent of BBQ and their back garden in Jasper. He thinks back to the cool of his mom's kitchen. About her flowers in the garden. Her warm eyes that were always home. He thinks back to his dad standing behind the BBQ, giving him his first beer.
He thinks of the summer spend with Miles when they were kids and growing up in the shelter of home. He thinks back about first cigarettes and endless nights of summer.
He thinks back to that one girl he fucked when he was sixteen and green as grass. His hands had been trembling when he had opened the buttons of her shirt. Three thrusts and he was done. She had not cared, just looked at him like he was everything. He had kissed her, she had kissed him back in the shadow of some trees near their town.
And now he watches his kid, Miles and Charlie, the people who are his family on a summer day near a damn lake. And everything almost feels like it should have been. Them. A summer day. A cool beer. Food. Family. Messing around. It hurts so fucking bad he needs to look away.
But then he looks up, and he is just in time to see that Charlie's eyes are not on the pages of her book anymore. He watches her eyes light up when she slowly gets up from her spot in the grass. All lean and strong muscles. And Bass cannot help but grin as he watches how Charlie is sneaking up on Miles who is standing on the edge of the wooden low jetty that is hovering over the water.
Charlie cannot believe she is getting away with his. Charlie cannot believe Monroe has not been an ass to her, by yelling something to his best buddy to warn him that she is coming for him. She knows where he is sitting. She has felt his eyes. But still, the ass is not warning her uncle. Her uncle is busy with his own thoughts and maybe now looking at her mom too, who has just moved into the water to cool down.
Miles is standing on the jetty, deep in thought and with a bottle in his hand. And close, so close to the edge near the water. Miles looks at her mom who is swimming but looks up to Miles every now and them. Giving her enough opportunity time to sneak up on him. If she plans her next move right, she can take him.
Miles looks at Rachel, her blue eyes more relaxed than he has seen them in a very long time. Hushing some of the worse guilt when it comes to the woman he never could stop to love now she is swimming in the lake. Reminding her of the girl he once met at a BBQ. He is drinking, looking at her and remembering her. Remembering a time when life had been easier. Remembering them.
He drinks, he watches Rachel, soaks her up with the sun, his fingers aching for her and BBQ's and his old guitar. For another, just one more, cold beer at home in Jasper with Bass.
It is hot as hell today and it is probably because all of these things he hears his niece a little bit too late.
Right before she is there to move her foot around Miles' ankle to throw him of balance and move his ass from the jetty into the water, he has heard her, looking over his shoulder. He is surprised but Charlie is fast. Miles has heard his niece walking behind him, but he had not expected this.
Charlie pivots them both and shrieks with a loud laughter that moves over the lake the moment Miles knows what she is doing and fights back.
'Nice try kid.' He says in her ear, grinning now too, his large arm now around her.
They struggle. They fight. Charlie tries to remember every trick in the book Miles taught her. Charlie hears Monroe in the background.
'Get the son of a bitch Charlie.'
Miles' stupid tall body is wrapped around her and her face in a firm line, determined not to lose this.
'Go get him Charlie.' Connor is howling something and Aaron is cheering with him. All for her. She grins a big grin.
Miles has his arm around her neck mid struggle as he shows her who will eventually win this by holding her still against his body. He looks up at the guys who had all gotten up from their places, standing close to their fight now.
Betraying him to cheer for his niece instead of him.
'Seriously?' He says a little out of breath and with a hint of wounded ego and sarcasm at the same time. 'You too Bass?'
'Hey, don't blame me for enjoying watching someone kicking your ass for once.' Bass grins.
Miles is done and prepared to throw his niece in the water. Charlie tries to hold in her laughter but she is failing. She is laughing, another giant shriek that carries all over the water of the lake when Miles finds a ticklish spot, and she is laughing even more. So hard, her stomach hurts.
And then it happens, the jetty moves a bit under their weight and its old age and they both are laughing so hard that neither of them is able to keep their balance or willing to give in. And they both land into the cool water of the lake with cheers from everyone on the land.
When they reach the surface of water gain, Miles has Charlie safely in one arm. The bottle of whiskey in his other hand.
'He saved the girl and the whiskey, sure...' Aaron nods with sarcasm in his words as he watched Miles coming to the surface with Charlie and the bottle of booze.
'Damn straight, the guy know his priorities.' Bass grins at him.
Both men standing together in the grass.
Miles and Charlie look at their family laughing at them. Charlie spits out some water as Miles start to swim them back to shore. But he cannot help himself. He remembers other days, in Jasper. Summer days and kidding around. He locks eyes with Bass for one moment.
Charlie tries to find her balance in the lake as she moves back to land with her uncle.
But right before they make it back to the safety of land, he pivots his body so Charlie lands her ass back into the water again. He has exactly three seconds when she comes up for air before she launches another attack.
It is the moment Bass can only look at her, her hair wet and the fabric of her dress clinging to her skin, following every fucking curve. Miles looks like the brother he once had. The brother his heart is missing with an ache that is almost fucking killing him right there. But then he sees her smile. But then he watches his brother move an arm around Charlie's shoulder. And then, he watches Miles laugh. To her. With her. And then, Miles looks up and finds him, his brother smiling at him.
Bass swallows as he returns Miles' grin. Charlie brings him back to him, right fucking there. So he stands there, near a lake. She catches his eyes and the rest just falls away. He looks at her, across the grass and finds her. Unable to look away from that fucking gorgeous smile of hers, over and over again.
Author's Note Part two will be published very soon, and then this summer day moves into a summer night. The second part of the story with a lot of summer near their house around that forest lake. It is such a joy writing this for them. Having a lot of fun! Thanks for reading! Love from Love
