Chapter 24
“I want to take you somewhere if you’ll let me, it will only take a couple of hours and if you decide you don’t want to see me after that, or you want to leave the company I will respect your wishes. Even though it’s the last thing I want.” I meant every word; I would probably have to hand over the pack to my brother. I would be in no fit state to rule if she wasn’t beside me, and I realised I didn’t want to do any of it without her. I put my head in her lap, surrendering myself to my need for her, hoping against hope she would see how much I needed her. I felt her fingers in my hair, and I had to suppress an almost sexual groan at the feel of it. I looked up at her, missing the pale blue of her eyes, the curve of her lips. “I’ve missed you so much, this is all I have been able to think about since I first saw you in that meadow.” I felt like a kid at Christmas, I had been desperate for her for so long, to finally be with her, I didn’t know what to do first. I just knew I needed to be as close to her as possible. I nudged her knees apart, I only wanted to be closer to her, but the moment her legs parted I smelled how aroused she was, and my wolf came right back to the surface. I had to fight for control, I barely held it together. Mate, mark, kept repeating in my head. I ran my hands up her thighs, I needed to taste her at least, I wanted her so much. She started giggling and I froze, my fingers against her soft skin. Goddess, there wasn’t any sound in the world I loved more than her laugh.
“I’m sorry,” she breathed between giggles, and I was so hard I could barely stand it. “It’s a stress reaction.” I’m an awful mate, she’s struggling, and I can’t stop thinking about having her on my desk, and the floor, and this chair, and my chair, and any and every other surface of this room. I don’t deserve her, I thought ashamed of myself. I decided right then and there that I was going to do better, be better for her and I needed to start by helping her understand how and why it happened to her. I swallowed hard and forced my hands away from her skin.
“I know you have no reason to believe me but I’m real, all this is real. You and I were made for each other, please let me show you?” I asked, I needed her to trust me just a little, just until I could take her home.
Charlie POV
We drove for a little over an hour. His hand never left mine, I knew he was trying to keep me grounded but it just turned me on, how caring he was. I saw him adjust his pants at every red light, our close proximity made it difficult for him too. He was trying to be respectful, but I couldn’t help smiling every time he shifted uncomfortably. I couldn’t stop images from my dreams from popping into my head, so much so that I had barely said two words to him. We pulled off to a gravel side road, both sides had lots of trees, it was very picturesque, and I found myself staring out of the window. I heard him chuckle and I blushed, before I sat back in my seat.
“Don’t be embarrassed, I like that you like it. It would be bad for me if you hated it.” He gave my hand a little squeeze, and I relaxed a little. I still had a knot in my stomach, I had no idea where we were going, and I was a little afraid to ask. I should have been terrified, I was alone in a strange car in the middle of nowhere with a strange man, but I wasn’t afraid of him hurting me. I was afraid of it not being real, I was afraid I was still dreaming or hallucinating or stuck in a delusion of my own making. We pulled up to what looked like a converted barn, with a modern garage door. He pressed a button and pulled inside. He got out and I followed, not sure what to do, and suddenly feeling very far away from him. He walked to the back of the car, and held his hand out to me, I practically ran to him, desperate for his warmth, and his touch. He led me out of the garage and down a small, pebbled path, it looked kind of familiar but not at the same time. Until we walked around a beautiful giant apple tree and then I saw it. It was the house from my dreams, exactly like my dreams but there were people there. I saw a man that must have been Elaina’s brother over by the rose bushes. He had her hair colour and skin tone. He was talking to a slightly older guy next to him, who was a couple of inches shorter and had salt-and-pepper hair. They were talking with their hands exactly like Elaina. There were also a couple of teenage boys cutting the grass and a third man on a ladder inspecting the roof. This wasn’t a dream, there was no way my brain could concoct this many people I had never met before. As soon as one of the teenage boys saw us, he stopped and turned his head the same way everyone in the office did, his eyes on the ground. Gabe saw this and turned around, so did the man next to him, and they both did the same thing. I was starting to freak out a little when Daniel addressed them all.
“Thank you, I need this area cleared for a couple of hours. I’m sure there are other places that need your attention.” Everyone bowed slightly and walked off. I remembered Elaina saying her family worked at the estate was that this place? I was about to ask when a bunch of people silently walked out of the house and followed the people from the garden. All nodding to Daniel as they left, he put his hand on my back. “Come inside, please? It’s cold, and we need to talk before we go to the meadow.” He softly said, my knees felt weak. We walked in the front door, and he ushered me past the lounge, which looked exactly as it did in my dream, past the stairs, to the back of the house. We walked through a door into an enormous kitchen that appeared to span most of the width of the house. There were French doors leading out onto a porch. The counters, sink, cooker and breakfast bar were on the left, and there was a dining table and chairs on the right. The counters were covered in half-prepared food, vegetables half chopped, pots and pans left on the cooker, some were still steaming, like it had all been abandoned. “Sorry about the mess, the kitchen staff cooks lunch every day for the gardeners and household staff, they usually just leave me a plate in the fridge or the oven.” He cleared his throat nervously and I couldn’t suppress a giggle. He was so adorable, I wanted to kiss him, but he was still my boss, and I was worried it would be inappropriate. I shifted uncomfortably, not sure what I was doing in his house. I shivered involuntarily, the car had been warm, but the walk to the house had been chilly, and it was finally catching up to me. He put an arm around me protectively.
“Let’s get you warmed up, then we can sit down and talk a little. Would you like coffee or tea? I think we have some cocoa somewhere.” He let go of me and started opening cupboards.
“Tea or coffee would be great, maybe tea would be best, something calming. I’m a little wound up already, I don’t think caffeine would be the best thing to add to the mix right now.” I laughed a little humourlessly, nervous and on edge.
“I have camomile or peppermint? Or umm, I think I have some ginger tea? Or something called herbal organic? I have no idea, I rarely drink tea, sorry.”
“Peppermint please?” I responded; he looked so sweet. He pulled out a teakettle and filled it with water. He was struggling to move pots and pans out of the way and looked completely lost. I walked over and took the kettle off him; he moved an empty pot to the side, and I placed it on the burner. He was looking at the stove, without any clue how to turn it on. “How about I take care of the water and you get some cups down?” I asked taking over.
“Yeah, that might be safer, I’m not making a very good impression, am I? I’ve never made myself a meal or even a cup of tea. I have made coffee; I can do that, and I usually just make myself a sandwich if I have nothing else prepared. Oh, I can make grilled cheese? Would you like some grilled cheese?” He had pulled two cups out of a cupboard and put the teabags in them, forgetting to leave the string out, I leaned past him and pulled them out. He scratched the back of his head; I could tell he was feeling uncomfortable and awkward. “I have no idea what I’m doing, clearly. I’m sorry, I’m a bag of nerves. I’m trying not to overwhelm you, but all I can think about is kissing you. Especially when you’re this close.” He whispered the last part, inches away from me. I blushed and averted my eyes, looking at the floor. He lifted my chin with his fingers, gently, closing the small space between us, until he was pressed against me. One hand was still on my face the other wrapped around my waist. He leaned in, and the kettle started whistling, making us both jump, we laughed, and I backed away, needing space to breathe.
“I think we should keep our distance if we are going to talk. And I need to know what’s happening, how any of this can be real? It’s just as difficult for me to be around you. I have memories of us in this house, even though I’ve never been here before. That’s insane, I must be insane, this is insane!” I could feel the panic rising in me again. He held his hands up in front of him so as to not appear threatening.
“No, no, no, please, just calm down, I promise I can explain everything, just please calm down.” He was almost begging. I turned the stove off, the kettle whistling loudly. My hands were shaking as I tried to lift it. He came over and took it off me, I backed away and went to sit at the table. He poured the water and froze. “I have no idea what I’m supposed to do here.” He admitted, rubbing the back of his neck, and looking at me awkwardly.
“You just have to leave it steep for a while, unless you want sugar.” He nodded his head and picked up the cups. He placed one in front of me on the table. He took the seat opposite, neither of us able to look at the other, though we each stole glances as we stared at our tea.
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