Charlie…
Holy hell. Charlie nearly ran off the road at least three times on his way home from dinner. That woman would be the death of him. It was hard enough when he got there. She opened the door smelling like coffee and chocolate again, dark and decadent. Her top was wrapped in a cream blouse that – when she turned just right – let him catch glimpses of her light purple, lacy bra strap. The shirt was tucked into black jeans that might have been painted on right along with the purple polish on her bare feet.
He'd made it, somehow, through dinner without making an idiot of himself, but had nearly lost it when he'd asked for wine. He always drank beer, but she'd worked hard on this dinner, and he knew it was the kind of dinner women usually wanted you to drink wine with. He was such a sucker for her pretty face, and he knew Billy and Harry were going to get on him about that later. Probably when they went fishing the next morning.
If that weren't bad enough, when they'd moved to the living room, they'd been nearly sitting on top of each other on the loveseat. He'd thought his leg was going to spontaneously catch fire. She was talking to Sarah when she'd nearly spilled her wine glass directly on the floor, and he'd reached out to grab hold without thinking.
He'd basically been holding her soft, smooth, tiny hand, and all of his nerve endings were shooting signals up his arm to his brain telling him how good that felt. He was finally able to move his hand from hers, except his body betrayed him.
It wouldn't let him move his hand any further away than her thigh. He supposed if anybody asked, he could say it was so he could catch her glass easier if it was falling again, but that would be a lie. He simply couldn't bring himself to stop touching her with his traitorous hand.
He had heat pooling low in his gut, and he was thankful when the women called an end to the evening before he embarrassed himself by getting hard over a few innocent touches. He wasn't a teenager, damn it. He didn't let her turn down his offer to clean up, but hadn't realized how hard it would be for him being basically alone in the house with her.
The kids were being put to bed, and while he cleaned, he let his mind wander; not really a safe thing for him to do at that moment. He imagined her coming down with a smile and half-lidded eyes, holding out her hand and leading him to her bed. He thought about untucking and unbuttoning that blouse one button at a time, revealing the rest of that beautiful purple lace and seeing how well it cupped her breasts. He daydreamed about peeling those jeans from her body to see if her panties were the same purple as her bra.
He groaned and stopped there. He could finish letting his imagination get away from him when he got home and didn't have to face the woman he was having inappropriate fantasies about. Instead he listened to the noises coming from upstairs as he cleaned. At some point, his mind shut off and he was cleaning mindlessly. He was nearly done when she startled him from the bottom of the stairs.
She'd made a comment about his 'talents' and Charlie stopped himself from making a completely immature joke. When she had told him he was always welcome for dinner, she looked back up at him through her eyelashes and it was so much like his fantasy that he had to get himself out of there before he did something stupid. He'd be damned if he wasn't going to take her up on that invitation though. He doubted he could stay away.
He stopped just before he got to the door and turned to thank her again and let her know he was around if she needed anything. He didn't realize how close she was, and took a deep breath when he took in that she was less than two inches from him. That distance disappeared immediately when she threw her arms around his neck in a tight hug.
His arms wrapped around her ribcage automatically, because his body was clearly in control here, not his brain. He was lost in the smell of her hair, the feel of every warm, luscious curve pressed against his body, the sensation of her lips moving against his neck as she mumbled something about driving safe. He was never so thankful for the thick material of denim as he was at that moment.
He was so hard he could hammer nails. No good. Shouldn't have thought of hammering anything just then. He stepped back just in time for her to not notice his midsection twitching. He hoped. He backed all the way out the door, unable to break eye contact until the closing door blocked her from his view. He lost all of his self-control on the way home, his brain pulling his fantasies right back to the front of his mind.
Now that he'd felt all those soft curves, he moved on to imagining what they would look like under the purple lace, whether she would be as luscious and fresh everywhere. He imagined she would taste sweet, that her skin would be smooth and soft. He wanted to put his hands all over her bare skin, find which spots made her shiver and moan.
She had basically had bedroom eyes earlier, and it wasn't too hard for him to imagine those full lips parted just a little, panting while he touched her. He could picture her breasts heaving on heavy breaths as he ran his hands and mouth over her caramel skin. Her nipples would be tight with arousal, and he wanted to touch and taste. Would they be pink and rosy, or a darker, richer color?
He thought about how her lithe body would move against his, whether she would scratch or bite at him, if he could get her to scream her pleasure or say his name as she came apart.
He slammed his head into his steering wheel as he parked in his drive finally. He didn't even know how he didn't die on his way home. He had nearly come untouched driving down the road, thrusting his hips into empty air. He really needed to get a handle on his attraction to Rhea.
She was way out of his league. He was a damaged divorcee that was basically a loner. There was no reason a woman six years younger than him would want an average, small-town man like himself. Especially not a woman that looked like Rhea. She was a native goddess, and she would have her pick of any man she desired.
He really wanted to keep her as a friend, though, and not just because she cooked like a professional chef. He enjoyed her company. She was easy and real. And those girls she was raising were all great. He'd never been around a bunch of kids that well-behaved and polite. She was doing a better job than most families that had two parents.
Charlie finally got himself inside and calmed down enough to go to bed without taking himself in hand and continuing his earlier unrealistic fantasizing. His dreams were not as cooperative, though, and he dreamed all night of being with a caramel-skinned goddess – both dirty and domestic dreams. He was a bit down to wake up in the morning, and tried to hide his bit of depression from Harry and Billy when he met up with them.
Harry and Billy both noticed Charlie's mood, though, and looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. They didn't bring it up right away, keeping silent for the ride out to the boat. When they were out on the lake sitting and sipping beers, lines in the water, Billy eyed his friend.
"So… you ask Rhea out yet?" Charlie jerked so hard turning to look at Billy that he nearly dropped his rod in the water.
"What?! Why would I ask Rhea out?" Charlie flushed bright red and his mustache twitched right along with his eye at Billy's question.
"Well, I'm really glad I asked somewhere she can't overhear you. Cuz the way you said that sounded like she's the last person you'd want to go out with." Billy eyed his friend as his eyes got wide.
"Of course not! I mean, I would – I mean, I can't – I mean, what the hell, Billy!" Clearly Charlie had no idea what was going on in his own head.
"Could you vague that up for me?" Billy chuckled. "You'd have to be blind or stupid not to like her. Last I checked, you aren't either. And after last night, it's pretty clear to anyone with eyeballs that she'd probably jump at the chance." Charlie scoffed.
"Sure, Billy. Lots of girls just dream about the chance to date a small-town police detective who isn't really going anywhere, with a failed marriage under his belt and a kid he only gets to see a couple weeks a year. Especially women who are more gorgeous than any model I've ever seen, with more money than God, who are more together than any other person on the planet, and just happen to have a personality prettier than the package it came in. I'll just go ahead and make her dreams come true, shall I?"
Billy and Harry were both looking at their friend as though they'd never seen him before. They knew that Renee had messed him up when he left, but they hadn't realized quite how much it had damaged him. While he'd never been what anyone might call a ladies' man, he didn't have self-worth issues before her like that.
"Charlie, that woman was basically a puddle of girl goo every time she looked at you last night. Yeah, she's gorgeous, but she chose to move to a small town to make it better. She's not gonna care that you're small-town. As far as the money is concerned, she doesn't seem to care about it much outside of what she can use it for to make La Push great." Harry glared at Charlie a little as he spoke.
"Sure, her house is big, but if you think about it, it's really not. She made sure she had enough room that she can basically house any kid that needs a place to stay, and I doubt she'd turn away adults, either. I'm not gonna argue and say she doesn't have her life together, because the way she takes care of those kids is like some kind of magic, but it's not like she's got a man or a regular job" Charlie's red face was clearly angry at that last statement, so Harry continued before the man could hit him.
"Neither of those are necessarily bad things! I doubt a woman like that needs a man to make her happy, strictly speaking, even though I'm sure she'd be giddy at the chance to have one like you in her life. Those kids are her job.
"That and making La Push better. And she's doing a hell of a job with both. As for you, you're a good man, and I'm pretty sure she sees that. Renee leaving and taking Bella with her are not on you. That was her decision, and you're making the best of it that you can."
Charlie had gone from anger to awe-struck. He didn't realize his friends thought so highly of him. Billy had just been nodding his head along with Harry. They had clearly planned this out. He coughed gruffly to clear the lump from his throat, and his eyes were only watering because of the too-bright light from the sunrise in front of him.
They didn't talk about their feelings unless it was important, and now that they had, Charlie couldn't exactly argue with anything Harry said. He was still sure that Rhea was on a completely different elevation than him, but if his friends had really seen something there – and they wouldn't lie to him about something like that – he'd be damned if he'd pass up the opportunity. Now, it was just about figuring out how to work up the courage to ask.
"Alright. I'm done arguing, but no interfering, you crazy old men. I'll figure this out in my own time, okay?" He eyed both of them, but they just looked at each other, smiled, and shrugged.
"Sure, sure." Billy smirked the rest of the fishing trip, but stayed mostly silent. Harry along with him. If Charlie gave them slightly tighter, longer hugs when they went their separate ways that day, nobody mentioned it.
Rhea…
Rhea spent all day Sunday thinking about her reaction to Charlie, and the dreams she had about him. Every time she thought about them, her face flushed with heat. It was a wanting that she was completely unfamiliar with. She'd read romance novels and dreamed of what she assumed were fictional sensations, but now she was confronted with them, she had to admit they were heady.
She didn't know what to do about Charlie, though. She wanted him around, and she was attracted to him in a way she had never been attracted before, but he couldn't possibly want any more than friendship from her. She was younger than him and most men didn't want to be responsible for one kid that wasn't their own, let alone as many kids as she was going to be responsible for.
Not that she needed help with 'her kids', but she'd always imagined that if she had a partner, they'd be a true partner in everything. She knew she was pretty, but was pretty really enough to make up for the trade-offs. Extra responsibility with tons of kids? Anybody who stayed with her would have to move in with her, so he'd be further from work. Long-term he'd find out about their gifts, and that would be hard for anyone to handle.
She knew a lot of men would find her money attractive, but Charlie didn't seem like that kind of man. From everything she'd seen, and everything she'd heard about him, the man was very intelligent. He could have done anything he wanted with his life, but he chose to protect his home and manage with what little he made doing that. He seemed to enjoy the simple things in life.
Putting her mildly depressing thoughts to the side for a while, Rhea was surprised when Sue and Sarah showed up with their kids at lunch time. Sarah shooed them all off to find Rhea's girls and turned to look at Rhea with a raised eyebrow.
"So, Charlie stayed a while after we left last night, huh?" Rhea pinked up, knowing what they were implying, but she was quick to correct the mistake.
"Yeah, he just wanted to help clean up after dinner. He let me go get the kids ready for bed while he got rid of the mess down here. He was surprisingly efficient."
"Uh-huh. And nothing else happened? Nothing at all?" Sarah sounded like she didn't believe that for a second.
"Nope. I put the kids to bed, he cleaned up, walked him to the door, hugged him goodbye, and off he went." She tried her hardest not to keep blushing when she talked about hugging Charlie. She clearly failed when both Sarah and Sue burst out laughing at her face.
"A hug, huh? You didn't cop a feel at all? If I didn't love Harry so much, I sure as hell would." Sue teased.
"Of course I didn't! I mean, not that I wouldn't – I couldn't – I can't. Argh!" Rhea hadn't ever really had this much trouble expressing herself.
"I'm gonna translate that as you wanted to, but for some reason you think he wouldn't want that?" Sarah queried.
"Charlie is great. And he smells sooo good. He's smart and solid and funny. He seems incredibly loyal to the people he cares about, and he's sexy as hell." Her face was flaming. "I love my kids, though, and I can't ask him to take on that kind of responsibility. Even if I could, I could never move to Forks, so if we got serious, he would have to move here, and that's just another sacrifice for him. And – and I'veneverbeenwithaman." She rushed and mumbled her last statement. Sarah raised her one eyebrow again.
"Try that last one again, a little slower and a little louder. I've got arguments for everything else, but I've got to know everything I'm arguing here, Ree." Rhea smiled as Sarah used her nickname. She took a deep breath and gave up her secret.
"I-I've never been with a man before." She squeezed her eyes shut waiting for her new friends to judge her or to laugh. When there was no reaction, she cracked her eyes open to see both Sarah and Sue in a state of shock, both their mouths and eyes wide open.
"I did not see that coming." Sarah whispered. "Never? Nothing ever? How? Why? Did-nothing happened to you, did it, honey?" Rhea broke into emotional tears at the tenderness in Sarah's tone.
"No! Nothing like that. Sorry I'm crying. It's just – everybody that found out in college – friends, roommates – they all thought I was some freak of nature." Sarah and Sue surrounded her and hugged her between them.
"Of course you're not! I'm glad that nobody hurt you, but if it was your choice, that's just fine. It's not the norm, so I was just wondering why. Are you waiting for marriage? Or just the right guy?" Her voice was soft, and Rhea felt like she could trust them.
"Honestly, I felt kind of like a freak. It's not like I didn't have opportunities. I know that I'm pretty, and guys asked me out. Girls, too, sometimes. I wasn't really waiting on purpose, I just thought maybe I was asexual. I've never felt anything like that for anyone."
"Until Charlie?" Sarah asked gently. Rhea pulled her head back and looked at Sarah in surprise. "I saw how you looked at him, Ree. Like he was a glass of cold water and you'd been in the desert for the last ten years." Rhea nodded.
"Yeah. I'm not sure how to deal with it, honestly. I feel like a hormonal teenager. Adults have typically learned to control the hormones and have things like rational conversations. I feel like my brain keeps shutting off or I'm trying to wade through syrup. Sweet, sticky syrup." Rhea dropped her head into her hands and laughed a little manically.
"Oh, honey. It can be like that for us, too. Perfectly normal, I promise." Sue chimed in.
"And Charlie isn't going to care that you don't have any experience. Actually, in my experience, most men have a possessive streak that makes your innocence an extremely attractive quality to them. As far as the other concerns you have – Charlie loves kids. From what I can see, especially your kids.
"Seems he likes them near as much as his own daughter. He wouldn't be doing the job he does if he didn't want responsibility, or to take care of people. As for living out here instead of Forks, he might've done a long time ago if he had even a drop of Quileute blood in him."
Rhea thought over what Sarah had said. She still had the concern about their gifts, and she had to very seriously consider whether now was the right time to tell them. She trusted them without a doubt, and they had their own secrets, not that they knew yet how true they really were. She eyed them as she thought, and knew that she could trust these women with her life – and the lives of her kids. She took a deep breath.
"I have a bigger secret to tell you. I can't answer all of your questions, because even I don't have all of the answers yet, but I want to tell you. I'm hoping we'll be friends for a long time, and the more people that know, the more likely someone can take care of my kids if anything were to happen to me. Can you let me get through some of it before you ask your questions?" They both just mimed zipping their lips and nodded.
"When I was little, we found out I have a gift. It's something my parents worked really hard with me to get me to hide, and I only use it in front of people who know anymore. All my sisters do, and the fosters will eventually.
"Turns out my family genes were generous with the gifts. I can literally kiss people better. Any injury as far as I can tell. I've never tried on someone who was dying or anything, so I don't know what would happen, but cuts, scrapes, stings – they all just disappear.
"We thought it was just me until Cass started having dreams. She knew our parents were going to die. She knows a lot of things. She told me we had to come here, that we were needed. She said that we would be happy here and we would bring peace to this place." Another deep breath.
"I don't know how to describe Phoebe's talent. She can stop things. The twins nearly ran out into the street a few months ago, and all of a sudden it was like they hit a wall. We played around with it a little, but it doesn't seem she can do it with anyone but us. The twins are a bit much. I looked into it and all the research says that they should be called elementals, but technically an elemental is only supposed to be able to work with one element.
"Irene sometimes makes the house – or the ground under the house – shake when she's upset, and fire. I learned the hard way I can't have any lit candles in the house probably until she's older. Eris has a little too much fun with the bathwater and it gets crazy windy when she's mad or sad. Cass says all the girls I'll end up with will have some kind of gift, and I knew it was important for me to be here for them because who could understand them or help them better than I could?"
She had forgotten to breathe as she rushed through that last part, and she was panting, catching her breath as she finally raised her gaze to meet the eyes of her stunned friends. Neither was moving, and Rhea hoped she hadn't finally freaked them out enough to scare them off. Sarah beamed.
"That is so cool! Can you show us?" Before Rhea could even think to move, Sarah had grabbed a little paring knife from the kitchen and cut her finger. Without hesitation, she held it out to Rhea. Rhea didn't break eye contact as she pulled the finger to her lips and felt the tingle of magic as the cut vanished. Sarah looked at her finger. "So cool!" She said again. Sue was smiling then, too.
"There's some other stuff I can tell you after, but do you have any questions?" She had not anticipated this reaction the first time she told someone about her gift.
"I don't think questions are what I have. I mean, you explained everything pretty well. I just want to be kept in the loop. Like when you learn what gifts the other girls have, or if you need any help with them. Or if you learn anything new about the ones you already know about. This is the most exciting thing that's ever happened here!" Both women were as giddy as little girls.
"Well, that's not entirely true…" Rhea said. They both stared at her, clearly waiting for an explanation. "So – um – all of the legends are true! Spirit sharing, wolves, vampires – not legends, and something big is coming. All of it is going to be happening all over again eventually. I'm not sure exactly when. The kids will be older, but not really grown."
"Really? And that's all you know? Not like who are going to be wolves or anything?" Sarah and Sue both looked a combination of excited and concerned.
"Not precisely, no. I know it's a bloodline thing. Honestly, Harry and Billy probably know more about it than I do. Old Quil, too. Supposedly Billy's grandfather Ephraim was alpha of the last pack of shifters. That means that anybody from the old bloodlines would have the potential to turn. Jacob, Seth, little Quil – basically if you look at the kids and grandkids of the people on the council, you'll have a list of kids that could shift." Sarah started shaking her head.
"I'm for sure going to talk to Billy about this, but for now, I say we just set it to the side. It's not like it's going to happen right away, and we've got other things to worry about now – like Ree's love life!" She stated. "I doubt Charlie would care about anything you've told us, honestly.
"None of it makes you or the girls bad people, and that's all that he'll care about. He comes down for all the old legend bonfires, and he never talks badly about our stories or dismisses our faith in them. He's good with weird."
"Okay. If he expresses interest, I'll see where it goes. If things start to get serious, though, I'm going to have to tell him." Both women nodded with her. "And for now, if you ladies could keep my secret between the three of us – at least until we know more." More nods. Good.
Party Day…
Charlie hadn't had a chance to take Rhea up on her offer for dinner again in the last couple of weeks. His office had been disturbingly busy with a couple cases of missing hikers in the area. They still hadn't found any trace of them, and he was beginning to doubt they ever would. He had, thankfully, gotten the day off that day thanks to the amount of overtime he'd been pulling for two weeks straight.
He'd talked to Rhea on the phone a couple of times, mostly about what Cass might like for her birthday. Rhea said she loved to draw, and from conversations he'd had with her and his friends, he'd deduced she had pretty vivid dreams, so he got her a nice set of colored pencils and a small but thick sketchbook that she could use to draw out some of her dreams – like a dream journal for her artistic little self.
He'd tried to muster up the courage to ask her out after his discussion with Harry and Billy, but he kept using the excuse that he didn't want to do it over the phone. Not that he thought her kid sister's birthday party would be a better time, so he would just have to find a way to spend platonic time with her so he could tell her how he felt face to face – like a man. He sighed.
He had wanted to get there early to see if she needed any help, and it was still about a half an hour until everyone was supposed to show up. From what he could see, it looked like Sarah and Sue had dragged their whole broods over already with the same idea he had. Chuckling, he let himself in the already open door, calling out when he couldn't see anyone in the immediate area.
"Hello? Anyone in there?" He could hear some muffled shouts from upstairs, and also what sounded like Sarah and Billy laughing through a doorway at the back of the dining area. He made his way that direction, walking down a small hallway to a screened in porch area that led out to the back yard. Sarah and Billy were laughing as Sue and Harry were having some kind of competition to blow up balloons.
The back yard was turned into something that resembled a kid's paradise. There was the regular, permanent playground equipment that was still an oddity on the rez, but there was also a massive inflatable bounce house and an inflated obstacle course. A pinata was already hanging from a tree on the other side of the yard.
He could see kiddie pools full of water balloons, and some just full of water. There were sprinklers and slides, and all kinds of cool water toys. The other side of the yard had presents and food already set up for the most part. There was a wide-open space with boxes next to it that looked like games or activities for the kids. And right next to the door of the porch was a small table full of little bags with ages on them – they must be goodie bags for the guests.
Then he saw Rhea coming around the side of the house. She had the twins in front of her, running to join Sarah and Sue's kids that were already playing on the playground, and she was carrying the world's most massive cake. She smiled at him as she got closer, and he idly noted that it seemed to be an unusual cake for a five-year-old. It had a photo with trees silhouetted in front of a large, full moon and little wolf figures arranged around the outsides.
"I think the stories got to her. She's been obsessed with wolves since we got here." Rhea's comment came with a flush of beautiful pink to her cheeks. Charlie just grinned like an idiot.
"She'll fit right in with everyone here, then." He joked. Once his eyes had found her, they didn't seem to be able to look away. She made her way past him to put the cake on a table and he watched her hips sway under the flowing forest green gypsy skirt she was wearing. Despite its loose nature, it still managed to highlight her tantalizing assets and Charlie felt saliva building up in his mouth.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" He asked, desperately trying not to stare at the way her white lace, button-up tank top framed her perfect breasts with the low, square neckline. Or imagine how it might look better with the top couple of buttons undone. He swallowed harshly.
"Oh, I think everything's just about done here. You can drop her present over at the table over there." She pointed. "I'm just going to go get the rest of the girls to come out and play until everyone starts to show up. I had Sarah and Sue make the rounds and invite everyone who had kids so they could all get to know each other."
"Do you need any help getting the kids together? Or I could keep an eye on Irene and Eris for you? Everyone here seems to be outnumbered by the kids, so wherever you need me." Something shot across her face, but he didn't quite catch it before it morphed into amusement.
"You're not wrong. Yeah, come help me get the girls. I'm sure Cass will be excited to see you. Just a heads up – they'll probably all want to show you their rooms. It's a girl thing." She led him into the house, and up the stairs. He was a little surprised when they walked right past the first landing even though he could hear the girls in their rooms there.
"It's just easier to start at the top and work our way back down." He nodded. That was really good sense. He just kept being amazed at how efficient and intelligent Rhea was. They stopped on the next floor, even though he knew there was another story.
"There's one more floor, but everything up there is pretty plain since nobody is staying up there yet. I've only got Diana and Kara on this floor right now. It sounds like they're both in Di's room." Surprisingly, she knocked on the partially open door.
"Come in!" Two small voices shouted. As soon as both adults were visible, Diana got a slightly more wary look on her face, but Kara beamed. "Charlie! Are you here for the party? It's gonna be so fun!" Kara ran up to him and grabbed his hand.
"This is Di's room. We have the same bathroom, and my room is through there, but I sleep in here most of the time because Ree is so nice she gave me a bed that goes under Di's bed so I don't have to be apart from her if I don't wanna. Can I show you my room?"
Charlie sent a soft smile Rhea's way at what she had done for the girls. He'd seen foster situations where kids were traumatized after being separated from their siblings. She was an amazing woman. And she was totally right about the girls all wanting to show off their rooms. Kara dragged him through a bathroom door and into her own bedroom and showed off all the stuff that 'Ree' had let her pick out for her own room, the whole while talking about how cool it all was, and it couldn't be more clear to him that this was their home – their real home.
The ritual continued when they went down a floor, bringing Diana and Kara with them. Cass saw him first, running and jumping at him. He had no problem catching her up in his arms for a big birthday hug, wishing her a happy birthday while she talked about all the stuff they were going to do. She didn't let go of his hand after he let her down, but pulled him all over the second floor, showing off each of her siblings' and her rooms.
Finally, she pulled him into the master bedroom so she could show him where they kept the bedtime books and how they would all curl up in the massive bed in the middle of the room for their story. The room smelled just like Rhea, and Charlie had a hard time controlling himself. He had heard her footsteps stop outside the bedroom door, not coming into this personal space of hers with him. Still, he couldn't help but picture her on that bed. Him too.
Shit. He had to get control of himself. This was a kid's birthday party. He smiled and crouched down to Cass.
"Your house is the coolest I've ever seen. But I saw the back yard, too, and it looks like you've got one heck of a birthday party about to happen out there. You ready to go have some fun?" She squealed and jumped in his arms again.
"Yes! Can I have a piggy-back ride?" She looked up at him with her brown eyes huge and sweet. How could he say no to that?
"Sure can, kiddo. Hop on." He turned in his squat so she could scramble up and grab around his shoulders while he held her little legs in place around his ribs. Standing to leave the room, he saw Rhea in place at the top of the stairs, her hand over her mouth, the crinkles around her eyes showing her amusement, but he could see something in her expression he still couldn't identify. Determined to leave it until later, he bounced Cass on his back all the way down the stairs and outside.
When the kids started to show up with their parents, Charlie was happy to see that Rhea's sisters were integrating the new kids into their group mostly effortlessly. Diana seemed a little tense with every new addition, and got a little closer to Kara each time, but eventually relaxed and had fun. He knew most of the people who lived on the rez since he had spent so much time down there, but he had a handful of those he counted as friends, too.
Joy and Quil Ateara brought their boy, and it looked like they had come with the Camerons and their son. Soon after, Joshua Uley walked in with his boy, Sam. Charlie had to grit his teeth together to rein in his temper. That man was trouble. Sam was looking at the ground in a way that made Charlie wonder what could have happened to a seven-year-old to make them look despondent at a birthday party.
He wasn't standing next to Rhea, but close enough to see and hear when Joshua approached her alone after he had nudged his son off towards the other kids. Charlie watched as Diana reached out for the first time on her own and encouraged Sam to come play. It brought a smile to his face, but that fell off quickly enough, as his attention was still half on Rhea.
"Allison wanted me to give her condolences. She has a double shift today and won't be able to make it." Joshua was leering at Rhea. Charlie's jaw worked furiously as the man raked his eyes up and down her form – blatantly. "I have to run for a while here, too. I know the invitation said he could stay the night, but I'd be happy to swing by later if the party is still going – or if it's not."
Joshua was clearly emphasizing in what he must think was a seductive tone. The man had reached for Rhea's hand, but she had both hands balled into fists at her sides, and they were shaking. Charlie couldn't see her face, so he didn't know if she was scared or angry. Charlie felt a possessiveness rise up in him and he wanted to growl – like an animal – warn this man off – stake some kind of claim; but he couldn't do that.
Rhea's head whipped around at him as Joshua stepped back from her rapidly. Her lips were parted in shock and her eyes were wide and – confused? Oh, no. Charlie hadn't just felt the need to growl at someone like an animal. Apparently he had actually done it. Oops. What was he supposed to do after that?
He forced himself to relax a little, pasted a sheepish expression on his face and shrugged his shoulders a little. Keeping her head turned from the pig of a man still looking around for whatever wild creature had just terrified him, Rhea's face turned into one of extreme amusement and Charlie could tell by the way her shoulders were shaking that she was trying very hard not to laugh.
Rhea…
The party was fantastic. It was technically for Cass, but Rhea had wanted to make sure everyone felt welcome, so she had games and activities for the slightly older kids, too. She had spent her time greeting people that arrived, trying not to turn and stare at Charlie. He really needed to stop wearing clothes that fitted him so well. It made it hard for her to focus on anything else.
It didn't help at all that when he showed up and followed her upstairs, he had never once looked uncomfortable. He let her girls drag him around, and he encouraged their enthusiasm. Seeing him holding Cass and then standing in her bedroom as if he belonged there was a bit much for her. She stayed in the hall for fear that she might do something inappropriate – like tackle him to the bed and molest him.
He offered Cass a piggy-back ride, and it was so adorable, she just had to smile. And she had no idea if it was in any way normal, but that ease he had with the kids was the biggest turn-on she'd had for him. She was going to have to say something to him soon or she might do something to embarrass herself first.
Joshua Uley. That was the first time her half-wandering mind had been brought into full focus. She had seen men like him before, and Sarah and Sue had already warned her. He was an attractive man, but by the way he walked and the expression on his face, she could tell that he believed himself much more attractive than he actually was – and his looks did nothing for her.
When he dropped that low baritone into his voice and undressed her with his eyes, it was all she could do to not throw up on his shoes, or punch him in the face. She wasn't sure if she was more disgusted or angry. When she heard the growl, at first she had wondered if she had done it, but no – it had come from behind her. She whipped her head around in shock and saw – Charlie?
Had he made that noise? It had sounded feral – possessive. Something in the sound had made her react. Her core had tightened and heated. She only barely managed to not whimper. He had looked angry when she turned, but he dropped the anger almost immediately and shrugged at her with a silly, childish expression on his face that made her want to laugh. Thankfully, it gave her the excuse to walk away, and she managed to avoid Joshua until he left her home.
She had arranged everything so that most of the adults were sitting by the food so if the children got hungry, someone could just grab them something to eat. Rhea herself started getting all of the activities started. She had them do all kinds of things from balloon tosses to balancing eggs on spoons, to potato sack races. Some of the adults joined in the fun, and everything was good until just after she had started all the kids in on the pinata.
Harry was in charge of spinning the kids because he could get out of the way faster (he had the longest arms). Rhea planned to go grab herself something to eat before taking the cake in to put the candles in. Charlie was standing over by the food, so she thought she might sit and chat with him while she ate. Unfortunately, before she even got there, she noticed that someone else had slid to stand beside Charlie.
Tiffany Call was staring at Charlie like he was the last piece of meat on the shelf, and she was iron-deprived. Rhea could hear the purr in her tone before she heard the words the woman was saying.
"It's nice to see you, as always, Charlie. I know I feel safer with the law hanging around. Maybe you could come hang around a little more often. I know a few places that would perk – right – up – with you there." Gag. Rhea was glad that the woman was still at an angle to Charlie's body, and he was turned away from her with his arms over his chest.
Tiffany reached out to run a perfectly manicured fingernail up Charlie's tricep just as Rhea reached them. Pretending she had no clue what she was interrupting, Rhea insinuated herself right between them, reaching her hand out to grasp and shake the one that had been touching Charlie.
"Ms. Call, it's so nice to finally meet you. Embry is the sweetest boy. I know Sarah had talked to you about him being able to stay here with us when you work nights. I have plenty of space and beds in all the spare rooms. He can pick whichever one he wants. If it makes you more comfortable, I can give you a tour of the house."
Rhea was ignoring the sour look on Tiffany's face as much as she was trying to ignore Charlie pressed up close behind her. He had chosen not to move when she had shuffled in, so now his side was plastered up against her back, and he had clearly unfolded his arms because she could feel his hand brushing up against hers now as it hung freely next to them.
"Oh, call me Tiff, please. And I appreciate the offer, but I've got to head out here in a minute. I'm sure he'll be fine. The house looks beautiful. You're a real sweetheart for looking out for him for me." Her tone was so fake, it made Rhea a little ill. She didn't bother to say she wasn't doing it for Tiffany, but for Embry.
As Tiffany's eyes started to divert themselves over her shoulder towards Charlie again, Rhea adjusted. She turned half-way to Charlie, being sure to not completely turn her back on Tiffany and put her hand on his shoulder, looking at him with her best puppy eyes.
"Charlie, I was about to head into the kitchen with the cake. I could use a hand, if you've got a second." As he looked at her, Charlie's mouth very slowly curled into a smile, and his eyes looked wicked.
"Sure, sure." He walked in front of her as she carried the massive dish into the house, and Rhea followed, leaving Tiffany Call grumbling under her breath behind them. She would just grab the candles now and ask Charlie to help her light the cake when the kids were done with the pinata. Putting the cake on the island, she snatched the box with the candles off the countertop, but when she turned around, Charlie was right behind her.
He put one hand on the counter on either side of her and stepped into her space until her lower back was pressed against the edge of the counter. He had his head tilted to the side as he studied her face, and she just knew he had to feel her heart racing. She was having trouble remembering how to breathe, but she was pretty sure it wasn't supposed to sound like she was panting.
"Were you jealous?" His tone was flat, not mocking, but Rhea still had to at least try to pretend for a second – get her head on right.
"What?" Was that her voice? That breathy, girly whisper that just came out?
"Just now – were you jealous of Tiffany Call?" He shifted and impossibly he was even closer now than he had been before. So pretending was off the table. Maybe diverting it into an equal ground conversation.
"Isn't that why you growled at Joshua Uley earlier?" He let out another little growl at her question, and her hands shifted to his hips without her permission. She had felt the need to ground herself.
"Hell yes, but I was asking you. Were. You. Jealous?" His voice was low and husky, making her insides melt into liquid that seemed to be leaking, soaking her panties.
"If I was?" She couldn't think. Couldn't focus. Then the world disappeared.
One of those rough hands gripped her hip and the other slid up under her hair to cup the back of her head and pull her in as Charlie's lips slanted over hers. Despite their position, and his tight grip, Charlie's lips were soft on hers, teasing gently – tasting her.
He shifted his mouth just slightly, and the slide made her moan against his mouth. Her hands moved on their own, one up his back, and the other dragging up each muscle across his abdomen and chest as it raised to wrap around his neck. She used both hands to pull her body closer to his, fusing herself to him from knee to chest.
He groaned and released her head to grab her other hip too, lifting her to sit on the counter, putting them eye to eye. Mouth to mouth. He swiped his tongue over her bottom lip and she opened for him. He devoured her. She wrapped her legs around his waist, keeping him pulled to her. Both of her arms were around his neck, one sunk into his hair and the other moving over his back, letting her feel the thrill every time his muscles shifted or clenched with his movements.
He had one hand just below her hip, holding her bottom half even more tightly to him, enjoying the tantalizing feel of the soft swell of her ass. His other hand had slid up to the middle of her back, under her shirt, running rough fingers over silky smooth skin, lost in the feel of her. Then – tiny feet ran across the floor and the bathroom door just around the corner slammed shut.
"Shit." Charlie dropped his forehead to her shoulder, and Rhea tried to catch her breath as she stayed wrapped around him. She could feel that he was affected as he was pressed up against her center, and parts of her really wished there wasn't a party going on outside just then.
Charlie…
"Shit." Charlie dropped his head. He couldn't even bring himself to step back. He apparently had zero willpower or control when it came to her. If that kid hadn't come in to go to the bathroom, he might have turned into an animal and had her right on the counter with everyone out in the yard.
He was throbbing in his jeans, and he was positive she could feel it. Hell it could feel the heat pouring over it from between her legs even through the denim. He took some solace in the fact that she hadn't let him loose yet either, and she had been just as lost in this as he was.
"That was – huh." She had a sexy bedroom voice; low and just a little like she couldn't quite get enough breath to speak. "Is it always like that?" Charlie jerked his head back to look into her guileless eyes. They were wide and innocent. Double shit. Her pupils were dilated, and her lips were swollen from his kisses. He had messed up her hair somehow, too, and left whisker burn on her chin and cheeks. He nearly lost his train of thought at how fucking sexy she looked.
"Ree…" He used her nickname for the first time. "You're not trying to tell me you've never been kissed before, are you?" Her face flushed with embarrassment, and she dropped her eyes to his chest. He ran his knuckles over her hot skin, down under her chin to lift her face back up to his. He didn't want her to be embarrassed. He just needed to know.
"I've kissed a couple of people, but never – I mean, nobody's ever kissed me like that." So he was pretty sure she was telling him that she was basically completely innocent, which completely blew his mind. How in the hell did a woman like her, that reacted the sweet way she did make it to her age without doing anything? More stuff he needed to know, but right then wasn't the best time for that conversation.
"Hey. I'm not going anywhere. Seems like there's some stuff we might need to talk about, but I think you've got a party to finish throwing first. We can talk after, if you want." He'd really like to talk to her later, but he didn't want to push her. He'd already basically attacked her in her own kitchen – even if she'd liked it.
"Yeah. After. Sounds good." She reluctantly unwound her legs and arms from his body, allowing him to step back, though he was just as reluctant to do so. She slid off the counter and wobbled a little before finding her balance again. Grabbing the candles she had pushed aside in her passion, she looked up at him, her eyes darting back to his mouth every few seconds telling him that she wasn't really happy their moment was over, either.
"I'm gonna need a minute in here, and you should take a peek in the bathroom mirror before you head out." He ran his fingers through her hair, straightening the waves back out for her at least. Her eyes darted down at his words, and opened wide, her body shifting automatically towards him again. He chuckled a little and gently turned her around with her shoulders, guiding her in the right direction.
"As much as I appreciate your enthusiasm, honey, it's not gonna give me any help calming down in here. I'll be out in a few."
Rhea…
Holy hell. That had been fire and magic and – and something else. She couldn't wrap her mind around what had happened. Nothing had ever felt so good, and she hadn't wanted it to stop at all. She was pretty sure he knew that she was virtually untouched, but he didn't seem upset, so she'd hold on to the hope that if he stayed to talk later, there would maybe be more kissing.
She had walked straight out the door carrying the cake again, with the candles in her pocket, completely forgetting about the mirror check in the wake of seeing his desire for her. She walked towards the table with the cake in a daze, not seeing Sarah notice her, or more importantly notice how she looked. She didn't notice Sarah nudge Sue into noticing, too, and she certainly didn't notice the two women approaching her until they were right across from her whispering.
"Ree, what happened to you? Are you okay?" She looked up at Sue in confusion. Until she remembered that Charlie had told her she should check herself out in the mirror. Well, crap. Maybe she could play it off.
"I'm fine. Why do you ask?" She tried to casually put the few candles into the giant cake as her friends stared at her with raised eyebrows.
"Uh, Ree honey, you look like somebody just kissed the brains out of you. Your face is flushed, you've got this dazed look in your eyes, your lips are swollen, and… Oh. My. God. You have whisker burn. You were kissing Charlie, weren't you?" Not that either woman had thought for a minute it had been anyone else, but they wanted the details. Rhea's face flushed bright red.
"Yes. It was – fantastic." She sighed and her brain clearly went somewhere else while the women watched her, giggling. They saw Charlie come out of the house over her shoulder and head towards Billy and Harry. The women knew that a party wasn't the place to discuss what was going on between their friends, so they would let it go with what they already knew for the moment. But they were going to call the next day and get all the details even if they had to drag them out of her.
Rhea basically sleepwalked through the rest of the party. She still had fun playing with the kids, but part of her mind was always on what had happened in the kitchen and what they were going to talk about later. She wondered if he would kiss her again. She thought about how she was never going to be able to cook in her own kitchen without thinking about that kiss.
She started to get both more nervous and excited as the evening came to an inevitable close. The Blacks and the Clearwaters were the last families to leave, and of the kids that attended, it looked like only Sam and Embry needed a place to crash for the night. Charlie showed the boys around the third and fourth floors, letting them pick a room for themselves.
Sam chose one on the third floor right next to the stairs, and Embry decided to stay alone on the fourth floor. According to Charlie, he thought it was cool that he got a whole floor to himself for the night. Charlie knelt down and let the kids swarm him for hugs before going over to her.
"I'm gonna go downstairs and start putting some of the stuff away. Come find me when you've got all the munchkins tucked in for the night?" He had splayed his hand in a light touch over the small of her back. She didn't trust herself to speak in anything other than a mousy squeak, so she just nodded.
Once he was out of sight and she could breathe again, she gathered all the kids together in her bed for story time. Sam got to pick, and he picked a kids book that had been written about the Quileute spirit wolves. She smiled and let herself get lost in the tale. She carried all the sleeping kids to their rooms while Diana and Sam, who had stayed awake, made their own way.
Charlie…
Charlie made his way around the back yard, cleaning up any messes he found and tossing away garbage. He deflated the bounce house and the obstacle course, drained the kiddie pools and detached the sprinklers.
Anything that was still wet, he hung or angled to dry. Whatever leftover food hadn't been sent home with others in takeaway containers, he took to the kitchen. He made sure all the tables and chairs were folded and stacked neatly against the house, until there was nothing left to do outside.
He stood in the kitchen, letting himself be distracted for just a moment, running his fingers over the countertop where he had sat Rhea just a few hours earlier. His stomach tightened with arousal, and he pushed that down to distribute leftovers into smaller containers, wrap it up and tuck it into the fridge.
When he closed the fridge door, she was there, standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking at him with wide eyes. Wordlessly, he opened the fridge again and grabbed himself a bottle of beer and an open wine bottle for her. He pulled a glass down and poured her a generous amount before putting the bottle back.
"Come on." He led her to the loveseat. They needed to talk, but he didn't want her to think he wanted distance, either. Handing her the glass, he twisted off his bottle top and took a hefty swig before angling himself on the couch so that his back was against the armrest and his left leg was bent across the cushion in front of him. He nodded at the other cushion, and she mirrored him, her skirt flowing out around her as she sat.
"There isn't really an easy way to ask this. Something you said earlier made it seem like- Have you- Are you-?" When it didn't seem like he would be able to finish his sentence, Rhea did it for him.
"A virgin? Yes. Nobody's ever even – um – touched me before." Her face was as red as a ripe tomato, and he'd never seen anything cuter. His whole body had reacted when she confirmed that she was untouched. Jesus fucking Christ, he wanted to touch her – run his hands and mouth over every inch of her honeyed, soft skin, to have her wrapped around him – sinking into her body until they were both lost. Whoa, boy. He had to calm down. He didn't even know what she wanted.
"Are you waiting for something special? Or – or marriage?" He hoped she didn't notice his nearly audible gulp before discussing marriage. Not that he thought he'd have a problem with that with her eventually (and wasn't that a surprise), but his last one had left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Not on purpose. I just haven't ever felt the desire to – until recently." She had looked up at him through her lashes in that way that she did on the last two words. That combined with his realization that she was confirming, without a doubt, that she desired that with him – he got light-headed with how quickly the blood rushed from his brain and he was surprised he hadn't ripped a hole right through his jeans with as fast as he got hard.
"So you don't have any regrets about what happened earlier?" He just had to be clear. The shock on her face was clear enough.
"No! None at all!" She pulled her plump bottom lip between her teeth, and he had to stop himself from reaching for her. "D-do you?" He finally allowed his lips to pull all the way up into a smile. He set his beer behind him on the table.
"Not even a little bit. Just had to clear the air before I did this…" His left hand wrapped around the one she had holding her wine glass, just like he had at her dinner while the other cupped her face and drew her closer as he leaned in and tasted her again. He had no intention of letting himself get carried away again, so all he allowed himself was sweet, teasing brushes.
He would dip in and move his closed lips against hers, pull back and lick his lips to taste what she'd left behind. Sometimes he would stay close enough that she could feel the brush of his tongue just barely whisper across her lips. Her tongue would flick out to try and meet his, but she would be left with just the essence of him on her skin.
He maneuvered her glass onto the table too before shifting her into his lap so his arm was wrapped behind her shoulders and his other could move freely, running fingertips up and down her arm, her knee and thigh, brushing across her face. He had placed her carefully, so she wasn't pressed directly up against the painfully solid piece of flesh between his legs.
"I'd like to take you out. On a date. Soon." Charlie spoke softly against her mouth, not strong enough to even pull away to ask.
"Okay. I just have to – somebody – with the girls…" Her eyes were half closed, and he was enjoying the view he had of her breasts trying to heave their way right out of her shirt. His heart was racing, and he had a desperate need to know that hers was, too, so he laid a hand over her collarbone to feel the sharp, quick rhythm that was running the marathon right along with him.
"I'm sure Sarah and Sue would be happy to. I could be here at six on Thursday. Take you to dinner and a movie?" Her eyes closed fully, and she buried her face in his neck, but he could feel her nodding. And then she wasn't nodding, but kissing up his neck. He groaned deep in his chest.
"I'm gonna have to get out of here before you take advantage of me, Ree." He joked a little breathlessly.
"Stay." She said. He shifted her back so he could see her face. She was red again. "I mean just to sleep. I – uh – you make me feel safe." Something warm exploded in his chest, and his male pride was purring at that confession.
"Sure. I can stay." She stood up from his lap and took his hand as he joined her. Hand in hand, they walked silently up the stairs together. When they had reached the second floor, he was about to reluctantly pull his hand away and head up to one of the spare beds on the next level, but was shocked again by her tugging on his hand a little.
"Can you – would you stay with me? Hold me tonight?" He didn't know if he had the strength to just hold her – because it was her – but he was damn sure going to try. He followed her to the end of her bed and then mirrored every action she took. She toed her shoes off just under the bed, so he did, too.
Rhea slowly unbuttoned her top starting at the swell of her breasts, and damned if he wasn't right that it looked sexy as hell once the first two were undone. He groaned and whipped his t-shirt off – strictly for something to do with his hands – when he realized that under that sexy as hell shirt, she was wearing the light purple bra again. She hooked her thumbs in the band of her skirt and he had his jeans undone faster than he ever had before.
They both pushed their bottoms down at the same time, but Charlie was sure he looked ridiculous while she just moved with a sensual sway as she dropped her skirt to the floor. He had revealed navy blue boxer briefs and he nearly combusted when he saw a matching light purple pair of lace panties riding low on her hips.
She looked even better than he had imagined, and it took him a minute to realize that her gaze was locked several feet below his eyes. His Deputy was really testing the elastic of his shorts to the point that the waistband was barely grazing his abdomen. He had eight inches of thick, heat-seeking man meat pointing directly at her, drooling, and he was sure that would make her nervous. He didn't want her to regret asking him to stay.
Looking up at her again, he immediately knew that nervous was not what she was feeling. She looked – hungry. That observation was backed up immediately when her tongue darted out to lick across her full lips and her whole body twitched just slightly in his direction. He needed to calm them down just a little here.
"Come here." He hooked an arm around her waist and another behind her head and pulled her into him. He didn't shy away, letting her feel him pressed against her middle, but kept the embrace calm. He had her head pressed to his chest and her hands had run up to rest on his shoulders. He took deep breaths, and felt her breathing with him.
His erection wasn't going anywhere, but he wasn't going to let them do anything else that night. When he let her go, she stepped back a half step, looked down and grabbed his black t-shirt off the end of the bed.
"Can I?" She asked, and he just nodded. She slipped it over her head, and it fell just low enough to cover all the pretty purple. Yeah, that wasn't any better, he thought as his cock throbbed. Her in his shirt might even be hotter than without it. She pulled down the covers and climbed into the bed, and just watched him.
He took a couple more calming breaths before walking up the other side and crawling in himself. He lay on his back, and she arranged herself over him, her head resting on his chest, one leg thrown over his thigh, and one arm bent over his middle, elbow at his navel and fingers tracing patterns just below his pectorals.
He let his fingers run through her hair and her scent wash over him as she dragged him further and further into a beautiful hell. At some point, without realizing it, they both drifted off to sleep.