So why did you not want me to know?
Luther’ POV
I sat on the kitchen stool by the counter, staring at the pictures Mateo had sent me. Daren, Charlotte’s assigned bodyguard, had seen the same black Cadillac Escalade outside Charlotte’s college main gate just a few minutes before my driver picked her up. That vehicle had followed Loveth’s car instead, whoever was behind the wheel must have thought Charlotte was inside.
Just then, Mateo’s name appeared on my screen. I let out a sigh and answered the call, waiting for him to speak. I was leaning on the counter with my elbow, facing the kitchen. My back was turned to the living room, staircase, and dining area.
“Have you seen them?” he asked. I swallowed, feeling a lump in my throat. I had never imagined that someone else’s safety, aside from Stanle’s or Mateo’s, could make my heart beat this fast. But there I was, nervous on the stool, with my thoughts spinning around Charlotte’s safety.
“That same car was on Charlotte’s street the night of the attack,” I said quietly, wishing Daren had managed to get a look at the driver, even though the windows were dark.
“I do not understand why this man is trying to hurt or possibly kill Charlotte. It feels like someone might have paid him to follow her,” Mateo said. I sat up straighter and started tapping my fingers on the marble counter.
“Yes. And why would he want her dead? He already killed her father. So why go after her too? If we could at least figure out the reason, or find out where he lives, we might be able to stop him.”
“I will have Daren look into that. For now, Charlotte and her friends should watch out for that car,” Mateo replied.
I shook my head, even though he could not see me. “Absolutely not, Mateo. Charlotte cannot know that…”
“I cannot know what?” she interrupted, making me turn around so quickly that I almost lost balance on the stool. I had not heard her come in, I was too focused on the call.
“Uh oh,” Mateo chuckled through the phone. I quickly searched my mind for an excuse. I did not want her to find out that the man was still following her. It would scare her, make her afraid to even go to school. She would always be watching behind her, and I knew that would eventually affect her mental health.
“Luther?” she called again, raising her left eyebrow.
“I will call you back, Mateo.” I ended the call and got off the stool. I still had no good excuse, but telling her the truth was not an option.
“The food is already warm and on the dining table. How about we eat first?” I offered, silently hoping she would drop the topic.
“Luther, what were you telling Mateo about me?” she asked again, placing her hands on her hips. I almost groaned. She was stubborn, and although I loved that part of her, I wished she would not be so strong-willed right now.
“Okay,” I said with a sigh.
“I have a business trip to Utah next week. Remember, I did not go last time because we had that argument?” There was a meeting with the same potential partners I was supposed to meet before. It was the only excuse I could think of.
“So why did you not want me to know?” she asked, not moving her hands from her waist.
“It was supposed to be a surprise, but since you heard me, I will tell you the truth,” I said, still not meeting her eyes. If I did, she would see right through me. So, instead, I walked to the dining table and began serving her.
“I am listening,” she said, following behind. She sniffed the air as I opened the silver serving dishes.
“This smells amazing,” she said, and her reaction made me feel a strange sense of pride.
“I hope the taste pleases you just as much,” I said with a small smile. “Anyway, as I was saying, I will be travelling to Utah, and I wanted you to come with me.”
“Yes!” she shouted with excitement. Then she came behind me and wrapped her arms around my waist. I let out a slow breath, relieved that she had accepted it without asking too many questions.
“Now come sit and eat,” I said as I pulled out a chair for her. I sat down next to her. I had made spaghetti and meatballs, my childhood favourite.
“I still remember when you made this at my mother’s house,” she said. “It was the best spaghetti and meatballs I had ever had… even better than my mother’s.” She said the last part in a lower voice, then took a bite.
“Mmh,” she hummed, closing her eyes while she chewed. “God, this is so good.” Her gaze found mine, and I watched her slowly lick a bit of sauce from her bottom lip. Her eyes moved to my mouth.
“Charlotte,” I said quietly, gripping my fork a little too tightly.
“Yes?” she answered in a low voice, twirling her fork through the pasta.
“Stop that,” I muttered before taking a bite of my own.
“Stop what?” she asked with a look of innocence, continuing to eat as if she had no idea what she was doing to me. My body reacted instantly, and I had to remind myself to stay focused. I needed the energy for the night ahead. I had no plans of letting her sleep early—I wanted to make love to her again and again until morning.
“Well, if you say so,” she said with a small shrug.
After a while, we finished eating and drank some water. I was trying to relax when she started again. I watched her stand and adjust my shirt over her chest. Her nipples were clearly visible through the fabric. She cleared the table, took everything to the kitchen, and washed the dishes. Then she wiped them dry and came back.
“What are you doing?” I asked as she walked toward me slowly. Her steps were purposeful, and her hips moved in a way that made it hard to think. She bit her lower lip and came even closer.
“Shh,” she said softly, bending close to my ear. Her breath tickled my skin and sent shivers down my spine.
“Charlotte,” I said again, my voice lower this time. But she straightened up and motioned for me to follow with her finger. Like I was under a spell, I got up and followed her to one of my velvet leather sofas. She pushed me down onto it, then smiled in a way that made my heart stop for a second.
“What is really bothering you?” she asked, lifting the bottom of my grey shirt until her smooth thighs were exposed.
“Umm…” My voice failed me as she sat on my lap and slowly ran her hands from my shoulders to my chest.
“What happened today?” she asked again, moving her hips slightly on top of me, just enough to drive me crazy.
“Nothing,” I said as I took a deep breath. Then she leaned in, ran her tongue across my lips, and pulled back. I knew she was asking about how I had acted earlier in the bathroom. It was hard not to tell her that Brittany was back. But I could not. Not yet. Not until I knew exactly what Brittany wanted.
“Are you sure, babe?” she asked, grinding her hips forward, pressing against my hardening length.
“Damn,” I groaned, reaching for her tiny waist, but she swatted my hands away.
“Bad boys who lie are not allowed to touch me,” she whispered close to my ear, her voice slow and tempting. Then she rotated her hips again. My length was now fully hard, pulsing beneath her soft curves.
“Nothing happened… God, you are driving me insane.” My voice came out hoarse. I was trying so hard to hold back that my jaw ached from how tightly I was clenching it. Everything about Charlotte was overwhelming. I could barely think.
“Oh really?” she teased, raising an eyebrow at me.
In response, I thrust my hips up, grinding myself against her heat. The friction made my whole body tighten with need.
“Oh, my God,” she moaned, throwing her head back as her manicured nails dug into my shoulders.
“You like that?” I whispered, thrusting again, this time slower, letting her feel how desperate I was for her.
“You are not allowed to turn this around,” she murmured, though I had no idea what she meant. All I could focus on was the look in her eyes, half-closed, clouded with want.
I lifted the hem of her shirt, and my breath caught in my throat. She was bare underneath.
“Baby, no knickers?” I asked, my voice lower now, rougher. I ran my hands along her thighs, toward the heat between her legs, then up the smooth plane of her stomach. This time, she did not stop me. Whatever fire she had tried to start had already begun to take hold of her too.
That was when it hit me, she was trying to seduce the truth out of me. She thought she could make me confess. But what she had not planned for was how much it would affect her as well.
“Luther…” she whispered, arching her back and pressing her chest against me.
“Shh, baby,” I said gently, cupping her breasts over the fabric of her shirt. “Let me make us both feel good.”
Her lips parted slightly, her breath warm against my cheek. The moment was perfect, too perfect, but my mind kept flashing to the things I had tried to push away. The masked man. Brittany. Sophie.
Even as Charlotte melted against me, hungry for every touch, the truth I was hiding still burned in the back of my mind.
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