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Charlie shook her head slightly, her fingers trailing down his chest, the touch almost tentative, as if she were afraid to believe this moment was real. “I want that too.”

He looked into her eyes, searching for something—some sign she wasn’t just saying the words, that she meant it. And there it was. It wasn’t just the way she’d kissed him or held onto him like shewas afraid he might vanish. It was in the way her eyes softened, the vulnerability in their depths. She was all in, even if it scared her.

His hand rested over her sternum as his eyes burned with want, and need. She stepped back as he stepped forward applying just the gentlest of pushes. When her back hit the wall, she swallowed.

The tension between them crackled like static, the air thick with the weight of unsaid words and unspoken promises. Hemlock’s gaze softened, though the fire within it still simmered. He leaned in slightly, the warmth of his body radiating against hers, but he didn’t close the distance completely.

“Staying with me means you’re with me,” his voice was low, but there was an edge to it—a question layered with desire and caution, as though he were offering her a choice she hadn’t yet made.

Charlie’s heart raced; each beat a loud thump in her chest. She could feel her pulse in her throat, in the hollow between her ribs. Why did the sound of her name on his lips make her feel like she was teetering on the edge of something dangerous?

She nodded her head, licking her lips she swallowed again. Why was her mouth and throat suddenly dry? Her breath caught, but she didn’t look away. She couldn’t. “Charlie.” At the sound of her name, she looked up and locked eyes with Hemlock.

“You need to be sure of your answer, because if you say yes, I’m taking you upstairs to my room and keeping you there until we both can’t walk. Something I’ve wanted since you started staying here.”

“Promise me,” she whispered, her voice barely more than a breath.

“Oh, sweetheart, you’ll be screaming my name until the neighbors call the cops.”

“No. Promise me, it’s not just a hit it and quit it kinda thing.”

Hemlock’s lips parted, but he didn’t respond immediately. Instead, his thumb brushed lightly against the pulse in her neck, sending a ripple of heat through her body. He stared at her through hooded eyes. “It was never gonna be that, sweetheart.” When she reached for him, Hemlock ducked down grabbing her around the waist and tossing her over his shoulder, carrying her upstairs to his bedroom.

Charlie squealed and laughed as she was tossed and carried upstairs. She slapped him on the ass a few times and screamed playfully when he bit her on the butt. But when he dropped her to her feet things got serious.

“Take everything off and put that on.”

She looked at the bed and saw his t-shirt she’d been sleeping in for weeks. The one she’d laundered and returned to him before leaving earlier. Doing what he asked, she stripped her clothes off leaving them in a pile at her feet. When she bent over to retrieve the t-shirt she heard Hemlock groan. Glancing over her left shoulder, Charlie watched Hemlock staring at her. The look was one she had wished for weeks. She was a meal he wanted to devour.

Picking up the t-shirt, she held it against her chest as she turned to face him. “Are you sure you want me to put this on?”

“Oh yeah, I want it on you.” That way it would smell like them when she slept next to him all night.

Charlie pulled the shirt over her head and slipped her arms into the sleeves. She smoothed her hands down the fabric as it slid down her body. Being that it was Hemlock’s the hem hit her mid-thigh. “Take that messy bun down,” Hemlock ordered and doing what he said, Charlie tugged the band from her head and let her hair fall around her shoulders.

“Damn woman, your hot as hell.”

“You’re not so bad yourself, mister.” Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Charlie didn’t know what to expect from Hemlock. But she remembered Truck telling her the man moved slow. Maybe she should make the next move.

“Hemlock, I’m only wearing this shirt. Maybe you should take some of your clothes off, too.”

Chuckling, Hemlock took a step closer to Charlie toeing off his boots as he did so. Next, he pulled his t-shirt and undershirt off, tossing them aside. He almost back peddled and picked them up, but he stayed focused on the sexy female in front of him. When he stepped up to her, he looked down into her eyes. Leaning in, Hemlock watched as Charlie’s eyes fluttered shut as she leaned up for a kiss, but he didn’t kiss her. Instead, he leaned around her, gripping the bedspread and pulled it from the bed letting it puddle at the foot.

Still he didn’t kiss her, he simply scooped her up causing Charlie to laugh. It took some grace to kneel on the bed with her in his arms. Moving his knees Hemlock got them into the center of the bed before he laid her down.

Hemlock took his time unbuckling his belt and pulling it from his waist. The swish of leather was the only sound in the room. When Charlie’s eyes went wide, he smiled. “Roll over onto your stomach.”

Charlie rolled over, folding her arms under her head, and sighed. Then waited for the sound of his jeans being taken off. That wasn’t what she heard. What she heard was silence.

Hemlock glided his hands over her thighs making Charlie jump and couldn’t help but chuckle at her. When his hands moved over her supple ass, he took his time kneading his fingers into her flesh. The moans of pleasure pleased him. Leaning forward, he moved the shirt out of his way and kissed the base of her spine. It was at that point he knew he couldn’t drag things out and moved off the bed and stripped out of his jeans before climbing back onto the bed. Settling next to Charlie, Hemlock went right back to exploring her body.

Charlie sighed as Hemlock’s lips kissed all the way down to her butt, then his tongue traced its way all the way back up to her neck. Goosebumps pebbled her skin as cool air met her damp skin.

Reaching behind her, her hand found his hair and began playing with it. She complied with him rolling her over and moaned softly as his mouth found her breast. His tongue pressed against her already hard nipple, sending little shockwaves through her. Arching up into his mouth, she got a nip to the underside of her breast making her jump.

Damn, she loved the feel of him—every part of him. Especially his mouth. Yes, his mouth was her very favorite part at that moment. It only took a little nudge to have him make his waydown her stomach, where his tongue toyed with her piercing. Good Lord, he was driving her crazy.

When Hemlock dipped his head between her thighs, she gripped the sheets. Her eyes rolled back into her head as his teeth raked across her clit. The man was either an angel or a devil, she couldn’t tell which, but a few times she called out to God and even did a little begging.