Southern Seduction (101 page)

I waited with everyone once graduation was over, and Char launched herself into my arms first thing.

“Hey, sugar," I whispered into her ear, holding her tight against my body. I didn't want to let her go, but I knew she needed to say hi to everyone else too. I slowly released her to set her back on the ground.

She shook her head when she realized her mom was still crying and headed over to her dad next.

"Aren't you happy to see your daddy?" he teased as she gave him a big hug.

He winked at me over her shoulder, already used to how his daughter and I were around each other. At least enough that I didn’t have to worry about him coming after me with his shotgun anymore. Somewhere around the two-year mark, he’d realized I was sticking around and started to cut me some slack.

"Of course I am, Daddy," she sighed.

"I know where I rank on your list, sweetie," he joked.

"Right where you belong," her mom chimed in, bumping him out of the way to wrap her arms around Char. "I'm so proud of you, honey. I can hardly believe it. My little girl graduated from college today."

"Oh, Mama. Stop! No more tears today," Char chided before her brothers and sisters offered with their congratulations too.

“Now you know your mama is gonna cry as much as she wants. There’s no stopping her once the water works start,” her dad reminded.

“Very true,” Char agreed. “But today should be about celebrating the fact that I survived college. No tears allowed.”

“They’re happy tears, sweetie,” her mom murmured as she pulled her back in for another hug. “Very happy ones. I finally get my baby girl to come back home. I know I agreed it was best for you to go away to school, but I’ve just missed you so much. I can hardly wait to have my baby girl living under my roof again.”

An odd look crossed Char’s face at her mom’s words—a flash of concern that made me wonder if she knew about the ring in my pocket. If I had my way, her mom wouldn’t have her home for very long. She’d get to see her a lot more than when Char was up here for school, but I wanted us to start our life together so that I could wake up to her in my bed each and every morning.

I glanced over at her dad and caught him watching me with a knowing look on his face. I didn’t think he was going to be surprised by my plans. His next words gave me hope that he’d be in my corner.

“Now why don’t we help our girl get her stuff packed up into the back of Shane’s truck before we head out to celebrate at supper?” he asked.

“Sounds like a plan to me,” I answered just before I heard someone shrieking Char’s name and turned to find her roommate Kaylie coming towards us, dragging her boyfriend Jackson behind her.

“Hi, everyone!” she said as she stopped to give each person in Char’s family a quick hug before wrapping her arms around Char and bursting into tears. “I can’t believe we aren’t going to be roomies anymore!”

“Hey!” Jackson protested. “What am I? Chopped liver?”

“Yeah, Kaylie. You’re trading me in for the new and improved model. He comes with all sorts of upgrades that I don’t,” Char teased her.

“Damn straight I do,” Jackson muttered under his breath, quiet enough so the kids didn’t hear him, but I couldn’t help myself from busting up laughing.

“I sure as hell hope so, man,” I joked with him. I’d only met Jackson once over the last few months, but he was easy to get along with since he treated Kaylie so well, which made Char happy.

“I didn’t mean it that way,” Char pointed out as she nudged me in the ribs, blushing once she’d caught on to the direction our thoughts had gone.

“Okay, boys. Enough teasing Charlotte. We’ve got lots of things to get done today,” her mom said, urging us to focus. “Kaylie, do you need help packing anything up, too?”

“Nope. Jackson has us covered, but we aren’t going anywhere until tomorrow so we can help y’all for a little bit if you’d like,” she offered.

“No helping for you, sweetie. We can’t risk you getting hurt before you head to the Big Apple. I can hardly believe we’ll be able to say we knew you when once your name is up there in lights,” Char’s mom said.

“Yeah, no helping for you,” Jackson agreed. “You sit there looking pretty and I’ll help Shane load up the truck. It will probably save us loads of time later too so you won’t have to repair any damage you manage to do before we meet back up with my parents again. Are you sure you can’t all stay for the open house at their place?”

“I really wish we could, but I’ve got to be up to work the horses in the morning,” I declined.

“I wish we could, but we’ve got to make sure the kids are all back and ready to go for their last week of school, too,” Char’s mom added. “C’mon. You two can chat while we put the men to work. And you can always talk on Skype whenever you want, just like you did with Shane, so you can stay in touch with each other.”

As we headed back to the dorm, the girls broke into giggles because of the mention of Skype since their calls would be quite a bit different from mine with Charlotte. No doubt about that, because I don’t share my girl with anyone else.

Charlotte

The drive back home was bittersweet. We’d packed everything up so quickly. Four long years’ worth of stuff had been put into boxes to bring back home so very easily. Almost like those years away had never even happened. I’d said my final goodbyes to Kaylie, wrecking our makeup in the process because neither of us could stop crying at the thought of being halfway across the country from each other.

Dinner out with my family had been crazy as usual. Not that I should have expected anything less. It was impossible for it to be any other way when we were all together, everyone trying to talk at once. It had been really nice to be with my family again and to have Shane at my side, but I’d still felt sad as we’d pulled out of the restaurant parking lot to head back home. A chapter in my life was ending and I wasn’t sure in which new direction I wanted to go yet.

The silence between us as I rode back with Shane was awkward—at least to me. He’d turned the radio on low, one soulful Southern song playing after another. My sister Molly had insisted on coming along with us, and she acted as the perfect buffer for me. I wasn’t ready to explain what was going on in my head to Shane yet. I hadn’t been able to figure it out myself yet and wasn’t about to scare him if I didn’t need to. I hoped like hell that once we got back home my nerves would go away. That it would feel like home to me in a way it never had before. The way that Shane felt like home to me.

“Char, we’re here.”

Shane’s whisper woke me up. I didn’t remember when, but I must have fallen asleep at some point on the drive home. Molly was sprawled halfway in my lap, as much as her seatbelt would let her, while I was resting against Shane’s shoulder.

“We’re here already?” I asked as I realized we had pulled into the driveway of my parents’ house. “Shit, I’m sorry you got stuck driving while we slept.”

Shane leaned over and kissed my forehead before answering. “Like I didn’t know that would happen anyway. You always fall asleep in the car unless we’re just driving in town.”

I loved that he knew that about me. That he pretty much knew everything there was to know about me and still loved me so much—little quirks and all. While I stretched, he hopped out of the truck and came around to the passenger’s side to lift Molly out and carry her into the house. My parents’ car was parked in front of us, and they must have beaten us home because it was already empty and the lights were on in the house.

By the time I managed to fully wake up, Shane was already back. I started to slide towards the passenger’s side door, but he climbed back in that way and pushed me across the bench towards the driver’s side. I glanced at the house nervously and saw the front porch light turn on before he grasped my face in his palms.

“Charlotte,” he sighed as his lips crashed down on mine and every single thought flew out of my head.

This wasn’t a gentle kiss at all. It was desperate and rough, our mouths ravaging each other and quickly spiraling out of control. It felt like it had been forever since I was last able to touch him. Before long, I was gasping for air, trying to breathe him into me. To hold on to this moment and him forever.

“Sugar, we can’t do this here,” he whispered against my lips as my hands started to unbutton his shirt. I had forgotten we were in my parents’ driveway. Forgotten that they were probably waiting for me inside the house.

“Shit,” I replied, my head dropping down to his chest. I could feel his heart thumping under my cheek. His arms wrapped around me so he could cradle me in his embrace. I loved being this close to him. How could I ever give this up?

I felt his lips press against the top of my head . “Now that I’ve finally got you back home, I don’t know want to let you go. Even knowing I get to see you tomorrow, it’s taking everything I have inside me not to turn this truck on and steal you away for the night.”

“Is it really stealing me away if I want to go with you?”

Shane squeezed me even tighter at my response. “Tonight it would be. Your parents are excited to have you home. Your dad lets me get away with a lot, but I’m pretty sure he’d be hunting me down if I took off with you tonight.”

“I know you’re right, but I need you so much.”

“Fuck,” he whispered. “You can’t say shit like that right now, Char. I’m dying here. I need you, too. And knowing how much you want me is killing me.”

“I’m sorry,” I whimpered.

“Shhhh, sugar. You never have to apologize for that. It just goes against everything inside me to leave you wanting, but there isn’t a damn thing I can do about it tonight.”

“Who knew my being home would make it even harder for us to be together?”

“Fuck, you’re brilliant! Go on into the house, but do not fall asleep. Say goodnight to your parents, head up to your room, and get ready for bed like you normally would do. But bring your laptop with you.”

“My laptop?” I questioned.

“Oh, yeah. I never thought I would ever want to say these words again, but I think tonight calls for another Skype session. I can’t take you here in my truck with your parents right inside, but I sure as hell won’t leave you in need all night long,” he swore.

My heart raced at his words as my body tingled with desire. “Hurry home,” I urged as he redid the buttons I’d managed to undo before he slid out of the truck and lifted me down. He gave me a quick kiss and nudged me towards the house. I walked swiftly up the steps and waited for him to start the engine before going inside.

My parents must have trusted me to do the right thing more than they should have because it looked like they had already headed to bed. Thank God because talking to them right now was the last thing I wanted to do. I followed Shane’s instructions and waited for him to text me that he’d made it back home safely. I had my Skype up and ready to go.

I waited a couple minutes so he could make it to his room and hit the call button. As soon as he picked up, I hit the video button and popped the call into full screen. Shane’s face filled my view, and my nerves settled.

“Good girl,” he said huskily before he leaned back and I saw that he’d already stripped out of his shirt and was lying on his bed with the top button of his dress pants undone.

“God, Shane. You are so fucking hot.”

“Only for you, sugar. Now show me exactly how fucking hot I make you,” he urged me.

I leaned against my pillows so he could see the pale green babydoll lingerie set I’d thrown on as I licked the tips of my fingers and trailed them down my neck. I could almost imagine his lips caressing me everywhere I touched as goose bumps prickled across my skin. My breasts felt heavy as I grasped one in each hand, squeezing through the fabric.

“Pull them out for me to see,” he demanded, his voice thickened with need.

I pulled the straps off my shoulders and let the nightie drop so my breasts were exposed to his gaze through the screen. My nipples puckered in the air, begging for his touch. I plucked at them, rolling each nipple between two fingers and pinching lightly. It was incredibly arousing to hear Shane’s growl as he watched my play with myself.

“Lower. Show me how much you miss me. How much you need me.”