Dear Lemon, this is my story for you, written for a Very Charloe Christmas, 2015. One of your prompts inspired me to start the story I wanted to tell. You will find that prompt in this first chapter. December hearts is a story to celebrate December, sizzling chemistry and love. You are a beautiful and talented person and I love the passion you put into all of your stories. Thank you for sharing that talent and for being such a good and kind friend. It was an honour to write this story for you. I loved writing this gift and I spend a lot of blissful hours behind my laptop with a lot of coffee ( and yes, I will admit, a lot of chocolate too). I hope you enjoy this story. Wishing you a magical December filled with love. love from Love
December hearts
Chapter one
Charlie Matheson lets out an irritated sigh as she puts a rebellious lock of hair behind her right ear. The scent of pure December snow is embracing her as she feels how the Chicago winter touches the glowing skin of her cheeks. The many lights of the city around her mix with the snowflakes that fall from the late afternoon sky.
She is slowly losing her patience. Not because she does not like the frosty bite of winter and being outside where it is just her and her thoughts. Not because she does not love spending time with her city.
But because she has to find a Christmas gift. For Miles. And Miles is one of those people who is impossible to find a decent gift for. She loves her uncle. She really does. She has loved his warm deep eyes for as long as she can remember. She cannot image her life without his moodiness and his sarcasm. She cannot imagine her life without her uncle who was the only one that could make her giggle after she had a particular bad day in fourth grade and she had ordered her father to call her uncle Miles on his cell phone. He had been at the airport, ready to catch a flight overseas but he still had taken the time to talk to her.
When her boots make their way through the snow on the sidewalk, there is a warmth glowing inside of her when she thinks about all those times they broke all her parent's rules together. Popcorn for breakfast, staying up late watching movies when he would come over to babysit when her parents had a work thing. She has fond memories from her childhood, and Miles is a part of a lot of them.
She loves him. She really does. But her mood is slowly reaching dangerous territory now she has spent two whole hours in various stores and she has not been able to find one single thing that would be a decent gift for Miles. And she doesn't want something decent. She wants something special for Miles.
She could steal a bottle from her dad's comprehensive whiskey collection, wrap it and call it a day. But this is Miles, her uncle Miles, and for him she is willing to make an effort. A real one.
The city skyscrapers surrounding her are endlessly high as they disappear into grey clouds. Countless soft pastel Christmas lights wrapped around streetlamps and trees are illuminating the streets of Chicago. Some giggling girls with their hands full of shopping bags pass her on the sidewalk and when one of them quite rudely bumps one of her shoulders, Charlie gives the girl a true Matheson glare.
She takes another deep frustrated breath while she takes one more look at the many Christmas decorations and all the shopping from all the people around her. She doesn't do shopping. Her mom never knows when to stop pushing her to get her to join her for all her manic Christmas shopping. But that just isn't her. She'd rather poke her own eyes out. Another wave of irritation hits her. But then a small but very bright smile appears around her lips as an idea is born. It's time to call in some reinforcements.
Bass is standing in front of the window of his city apartment. Snow is falling. There is a glass of whiskey in his right hand as his eyes are fixed on something in the distance. He lets the whiskey burn in the back of his throat along with the dull familiar pain that is still pulsating around old invisible wounds inside of him.
His phone is somewhere on the couch behind him. After the phone call from hell from half an hour ago he is in no mood to talk to anyone and he had thrown the damn thing away, unable to listen to her damn voice any longer. Unable to listen to another excuse.
They are not together. They never were. She was a first innocent love. Nothing less, nothing more. But a son was born. And he is everything to him. He is what matters. He needs him in his life just as Emma does. Connor. He knows Emma's parents had wanted another life for her. But he never had expected them to hold a twenty five year old grudge. He is sick and tired of them manipulating every single holiday so he cannot spend time with his kid.
Bass has enough of feeling like he is not welcome and not enough. He has always made an effort to get along with Emma's parents, Connor's grandparents, even when they made it very clear what they thought of him. Not for Emma. But for Connor.
And even now, when time has moved on and Connor is twenty five and building a life for himself, he does not want his kid having to deal with all of his and Emma's bullshit. And he is frustrated out of his damn mind that he cannot make Emma and her folks see that. The inability from Emma and her parents to see what Connor needs, is enraging him. Family is everything to him and he cannot deal with all their crude waste of family.
So after another phone call from hell from Emma and endless bullshit reasons why he was not welcome for the holidays in Jasper this year , deliberately keeping him away from Connor, Bass had poured himself a glass of whiskey and had let it burn with the sting of the past that would never fully be out of his present.
His phone rings again. And again. He feels irritation running through his veins as it reaches his fingertips wrapped around his glass. He hears how the sound of his phone is reaching him from his couch. He lets out a low irritated breath. The screen lights up in his dark living room. He feels more tension in his jaws. He takes another sip of whiskey. He walks over to the couch to grab the damn thing. He is about to turn it off when an unfamiliar number appears on the screen.
'Yeah?' He pinches the bridge of his nose and his voice is hoarse and gruff at the same time as he answers the call.
'Bass... hey, it's Charlie.'
The strong brightness of the voice, her voice, on the other side of the line is yanking him out of his dark and miserable state of mind. Her voice manages to get through the fucking mess of the last half hour and twenty five years. There is a moment of silence on the other side of the line as he tries to remember how to use his fucking voice.
'Charlie Matheson?' She asks.
As he hears the hesitation in her voice, he curses silently at himself for being such a dick to her. 'Charlie, hey.. ..of course..., what can I do for you?'
She ignores her beating heart under her deep blue winter coat. She is waiting for Bass in front of the small restaurant where they had agreed to meet each other. She is used to some moody shit when it comes to her uncle. But not when it comes to Bass. His low gruff moodiness was unexpected.
True, she has not seen him for a while. He is a part of her family, a good friend of her dad's, and Miles' best friend. Their connection and bond runs deeper than that. She knows they are brothers and that has never ever changed through the years.
She remembers Bass' warm smile and the way he always made her feel like she mattered even when things were stressful when she was growing up with the pressure of a very sick younger brother. He somehow always made her feel lighter. He still does. She has not seen him for two years because both of their lives have been busy. But she remembers him.
But things change. People change. When she had heard the low roughness in his voice on the other side of the line, it had taken her a couple of seconds to find her balance again within the conversation. When he realized it had been her she had heard some of the familiar warmth in his voice she remembers from Bass. But she is not completely sure anymore this was such a good idea. She curses at herself. He probably thinks she is some kind of charity case. And she hates that idea. She can take care of herself.
There is a cold wave of winter blowing through the streets of Chicago and she moves deeper into her winter coat. She is rethinking this whole let's ask Bass Monroe for help plan. But then, she sees him as his wide shoulders appear between the endless faces passing her. Black leather jacket, scruff, intense blue eyes that are piercing through the late winter afternoon sky and snow around him. And when he sees her, he smiles at her and all her insecurities about whether this was a good plan melt away. This is the Bass she remembers.
She cannot stop the slow burning smile on her face as her eyes meet his. A smile he answers with a huge inviting grin of his own.
'Charlie..' his voice is slow burning warm, just as his greeting when he closes the remaining distance between them.
Charlie has about five whole seconds to think of something to say before he pulls her into a hug. She is pressed against a wide strong chest and meets his spicy scent for the very first time in years.
'Hey Bass...' She smiles as the sounds of the city around her fade to the background. There is only him, her and her beating heart for a couple of seconds.
She tilts her head because of the height difference to meet his eyes as her eyes move over his face and then move on to dark blonde curls. She can smell a faint wave of whiskey on his breath. His scruff still tickles the lines of her jaw even when his jaw is not connected to hers anymore.
'You look good, kid.' Bass voice is a bit gruff and low. He has to swallow at how much of Charlie Matheson is standing in front of him. Long lush blonde curls, lush lips to match deep blue eyes. Jeans, ankle boots, a white scarf around her neck that does something to the blue in those eyes of hers. She is a fucking sight for sore eyes.
Charlie looks at Bass and realizes he is doing what he always does. He is making her feel comfortable in less than one minute. But there is something else. Like the spicy scent of his skin that pulsates through easy blue eyes and the memories of the Bass she remembers. She pushes back a blush that she can feel swirling inside her stomach as it reaches her cheeks. When he smiles at her, the lines around his eyes crinkle with the grin around his mouth.
'You look like hell, Bass.' She ignores that blush as she uses the familiar banter that is somehow always there when they meet as a protective wall between her and whatever happened just inside of her. Her dimple shows when she smirks at him.
She is prepared to face more from the moodiness she encountered when she called him, but there is a grin appearing on his whole face.
'Hungry?' He asks, as he nods to the restaurant behind her. He feels like a fucking dick for being such an asshole to her on the phone earlier. Least he can do is buy her dinner.
'Always.' Charlie grins. He holds the door open when she walks with him into the cosy but low key restaurant.
He is right behind her when they walk to a small table close to the window. His eyes follow her hands as they remove the scarf around her neck. When she shrugs out of her winter coat he scrapes his throat and tells himself to stop focussing on the way her breasts demand his attention. . He is ignoring the way that black tank she is wearing under her woollen snow white cardigan, perfectly follows the lines of her breasts.
He tells himself to focus on the menu. But then he catches her eyes while they move over the menu she is holding in her hands. Hell, she probably does not even realize it herself, but when her tongue moves over her bottom lip as she is deciding what to order, Bass cannot help but notice.
He shifts in his seat. He is already paying way to much attention to her. That fucking smile of hers is already getting him in a whole lot of trouble He scrapes his throat again and is fucking grateful when the waitress brings over their drinks so he can drink his whiskey instead of drinking her in.
He grabs the glass like a lifeline. It gives his hand and his damn mind something other to do than to think about all kinds of sweaty Charlie under him in his damn bed.
'So...you needed some help?' He pulls his thoughts back to a safer place. His eyes light up with the teasing tone in his voice. He knows Charlie. And she can be a lot of things, a handful and a lot of trouble to start with, but she is not someone who asks for help that easily.
'Yeah, I have to find a Christmas gift for Miles for our Christmas dinner at my parent's place this year.'
'Holy hell...' Bass grunts with amusement.
'My thoughts exactly.' Charlie takes a sip of her whiskey, as her fingers touch the cool glass.
Bass grins. He knows his brother and he knows exactly how Charlie feels right the hell now. He takes another sip of his whiskey. 'I'll guess some good old fashioned stripper fun is not an option?'
She does not look away from him. She does not even blink. 'Well, my dad and mom will host that dinner party, I am sure they will be thrilled at the sight of a stripper on Miles' lap.'
'That...' He points to her with his glass of whiskey in his hand, '..is an excellent point Charlie.'
Charlie snorts softly. She hides the fact that the burn in his eyes with her name rolling of his lips in that slow raspy way is a forceful combination. He does things to her that should not be happening to a woman in public.
There is a ghost of a smile playing with her lips as he lets her name roll of his damn lips that he cannot ignore. Bass' mind is trying to figure out what or who the hell had started this thing between them. Hell, he is not going to complain. If she wants to have some fun, he was not going to say no to that.
They both focus on the food and their drinks after that although their eyes keep on meeting across the table.
They talk about memories they both share after being in each other's lives for so long. They talk about the last time they had seen each other as she had grabbed some dinner with him and Miles. He asks her about her work, she asks the same. They talk about Miles, about their city and things are like they have always been between them. Good, light and familiar. Although every time their eyes meet over their dinner Charlie feels something in her heartbeat that tells her not everything is the same.
When his hand brushes her lower back when they leave the restaurant and Bass walks right behind her, she feels a spike of energy rush through her spine and she knows for sure, that there is something new swirling between them.
They walk through the streets of Chicago together. She is close as his arm brushes her shoulder. He does not know what the hell is going on, but she definitely knows how to play with personal distance. This whole stupid as hell pull to her is insane. The way her smile makes him want to crush her mouth with his too.
She is fast and intelligent and fuck, he does not mind spending some more hours with her. He tells her another story that involves him, Miles and a double date gone horribly wrong. And fuck, it is addictive to see how he can put that gorgeous smile on that stunning face of hers.
She is still laughing when her phone rings. She grabs it out of the pocket of her coat. 'Dad hi...' She looks at Bass, as something lights up in her blue eyes.
Bass is standing close, so close he can hear the voice of Ben Matheson at the other side of the line. Charlie plays with his eyes the whole god damn time she is talking to Ben and he has to swallow at the intensity of the burn of those blue eyes. '...no I am afraid I won't be there for dinner tonight.' Then she grins at him as she keeps on talking to her father on the phone but her eyes never unlock with his. '...there has been a little bit of a delay.'
One hour and five stores later and Charlie sounds kind of pissed off. 'Well, that's it, Miles is officially a nightmare to find a decent gift for.'
'No shit...told you so.' Bass grumbles, grinning at Charlie's face who is rolling her eyes at him.
He nods to the store not far from them.
'We are not going in there.' Charlie says, not impressed with his suggestion.
'And why the hell not, Charlotte?' Some more blue anger from her eyes meets him when he messes with her, using a nickname for her she had hated from the moment she was four and she told him and Miles exactly what she thought of that name.
'There's books in there. Miles does not do books.' She turns so she is right in front of him, he is close enough to feel his warm breath on her face. So if you think Miles would like a gift coming from that store,' she nods behind her, 'you are seriously delusional.'
She is stubborn and too fucking close and he grunts something back to her. Bass has to swallow at how close her fucking mouth is and how her infuriating Matheson stubbornness is making him want to yank her close and kiss her right the hell here.
'All right then...no books.' Bass grunts. He kind of likes it that she is not afraid to be herself around him. Like a whole fucking lot. Her cheeks are red from the cold as her hip brushes his leg for one second.
'So...do we need to talk about strategy?' Bass grunts next to her, as she can see and hear the smile in his voice.
'I think we need more than a good strategy.'
'Well...since you are a Matheson...' there is a smug smirk appearing around his mouth, as he reaches for something inside the pocket of his jacket, 'this might cheer you up.' He hands her a small flask.
She looks from his eyes to his large hand with the flask in it in front of her. Her grin matches his own.
'Thanks...' She discretely takes a small sip, as she lets the whiskey warm her from within. She decides to ignore how Bass' eyes move over her lips as she licks and tastes a small drop of liquid amber from her bottom lip. She also decides to ignore the part of her brain that makes her wonder how he would taste.
She hands him back the flask. Bass really tries to ignore the image of those gorgeous lips and how they were on his flask less than five seconds ago as he takes a sip from his flask. He fucking tries. He fails.
And then, his mind goes into all kinds of fucking stupid mode when he reaches out for that tiny drop of whiskey on her bottom lips as he brushes it away with his thumb.
Charlie does not move. She just watches him with her lips slightly parted and heated challenge in her eyes. His eyes are burning for her when their eyes meet. The warmth of the rougher skin of his thumb gently moves over the sensitive skin of her lip. He is taking his time as everything fades to the background but the steel burning in his eyes together with his touch is what remains.
When she softly but boldly bites his thumb and her lips close around it he loses all self control.
'Fuck this...' It is a low grunt coming from deep within him. He moves her into a small alley behind them and pivots her so her back is against a wall and she is between his thighs.
Charlie lets out a gasp of air when Bass takes control over her and her mouth with his. The moment he pushes her against the wall behind her she truly notices how tall he really is. He knows what he is doing as his experience is making her dizzy. He's fast. And smooth, Charlie thinks with the last functioning part of her rational brain. But not the kind of smooth that would piss her of. He is spicy aftershave and leather and stubble. His left hand is resting against the brick wall she feels pressed against her back, right next to her head.
Then he pulls back. A slow smirk appearing around his mouth and she licks her bottom lip as her eyes go from his eyes to his lips and back to his eyes.
The blue of his eyes turns into a powerful and in control steel blue. It is the slow hungry grin she registers last before his mouth moves over hers again. His mouth is warm and experienced and his tongue slowly explores hers. He takes control as Charlie meets his mouth with hers and shows him what she can do with lush warm female lips.
Bass is taking his time with her. But when her hand demands more when she grabs his jacket and the other finds his lower back fucking close to his ass he is done taking his time. His cock responds dangerously to her. Her being so hungry for his mouth and the way she matches him with her greedy tongue swirling around his, is only turning him on even more.
Charlie hears a low groan coming from the back of Bass' throat and she has to catch her breath within the kiss as she feels his almost primal grunt rush to her knees that start to give out under her. He catches her and keeps her in one place against the wall behind her as she cannot feel her legs anymore. A sensation that has nothing to do with the Chicago winter. It is him and all of him that makes her lose control over what she should do. Which is stop this kiss and stop this insane pull between them without thinking this through, because this is Bass. But her body, her thoughts, her mouth, her hands. They all betray her when she gives in to manly forceful skilled hands.
Bass breaks the kiss as he needs to look at her. He needs to find her eyes again and look at her lush lips. He slowly starts to moves his hand under her coat. He makes a trail from the curve of her hips to her side. He feels fucking sixteen again, as he feels his dick connect with her soft and yet toned thigh.
Charlie sucks in a slow breath as she feels his skilled fingers on the move under her coat. She curses something inside of her head as she feels him hard against her thigh for the very first time in that same breath. Bass keeps his movements slow and yet, they are already making her core respond to him.
Bass is about to move his hand higher, as his fingers ache to touch the line of her right breast as he sees her shiver. When his nose brushes her cheek he feels how cold she is. When he pulls back slowly he sees little snowflakes fall from the Chicago night sky as they land on her eyelashes.
They hear the sound of people and the city around them not far from their hiding place in the shadows of the high building behind them. Nobody notices her standing between his thighs. Nobody notices his hot breath as he is softly panting in her neck from her body connecting with his dick.
'You are freezing.' Bass grunts lowly with warmth in his voice.
'I'm fine.'
'No, you're not.' There is a low gruff determination in his words as he is not taking any of her bullshit. Her stubbornness does even more things to his cock but right now he needs her out of the cold.
When he sees the almost angry look for thinking she cannot deal with a little bit of Chicago cold on her own he has to bite back a smirk. She is one hell of a woman, and fuck, doesn't he want her more for being just her stubborn infuriating self right now.
He can see the surrender in her eyes. He is fucking thankful she agrees to join him so he does not have to drag that damn fine ass of hers out of the cold.
'Come on,' he nods his head to the right. 'I know this great place, it's only a couple of blocks away.'
Author's Note Dear Lemon, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and start of this story. I will publish the second chapter this weekend. I wish you all a wonderful December filled with love and stories! I am looking forward to reading your stories this winter with a lot of coffee, Love from Love