Page 17 of Hold Me Instead (Elmwood Falls #1)

Charlie

Another restless night, though this one wasn’t consumed by concern for Daniel’s health or the practice. Instead, this restless night bulldozed in with the storm.

And thoughts of Zachary.

She couldn’t get comfortable, not when every time she closed her eyes she pictured his, gazing at her with such concern, wanting to help in some way. In his protective embrace, she’d been eager to accept it.

His hugs were better than she remembered.

Toothless had been no help as Charlie had paced, gazing at her through sleepy golden eyes from her curled up spot on the bed.

The sleek black cat did offer a snuggle session when she’d finally crawled in beside her.

After one too many position adjustments on Charlie’s part, though, Toothless had abandoned her to sleep in the living room.

Which left Charlie physically alone, wishing further that those powerful arms and woodsy scent were surrounding her again.

***

She went into Saturday morning determined to be normal—which basically meant not giving off vibes she’d been up all night thinking about him.

So when she arrived early, confident from her pep talk on the drive over, she was thrown to see a Dorothy’s Bakery pastry bag and coffee on her desk, a small note propped up against them.

It’s never too early for cookies. Z.

Charlie snatched up the bag, releasing a groan of pleasure when she pulled out the snickerdoodle.

“Still warmmm,” she muttered, sinking her teeth into the cushiony baked good.

Steam billowed from the coffee cup as she removed the lid stopper and took the smallest sip, the smooth nutty coffee mingling with cinnamon on her tongue.

She marched out of her office, cookie and coffee in hand, to search for the thoughtful delivery man.

The cinnamon sugar haze distanced her from her surroundings, and she entered the kitchenette unprepared for Zachary exiting it.

Instead, her hands full of deliciousness bounced off his equally delicious chest, and she yelped, spreading her arms wide to avoid losing crumb or drop.

His hands shot to her waist, skirting her coat.

She thought she was steady, but once she felt the heat of his palms sear through her clothing, who was she to argue about the possibility of needing assistance?

This unexpected breakfast treat was starting her day off on the right foot, after all, and to lose any of it would be a travesty.

Then came the onslaught. His subtle, woodsy scent swept around her, almost a citrusy element to it she hadn’t noticed before.

Compounded with cookie spice and notes of coffee, Charlie found herself frozen.

It was an overstimulation, and she wanted to absorb it all.

Absorb him. Eat him up alongside that cookie like the snack he was meant to be.

She tried to stifle a giggle, and a whimper escaped instead.

The collision, the inhalation of deliciousness, all happened in a moment—a moment of silence—both facing each other, his hands on her, her grip clutching her cookie and drink tightly.

But at the sound she’d let slip, Zachary’s hands flexed at her waist, his eyes zeroed in on her mouth, and Charlie licked her lips.

She licked her damn lips, as though she were inviting him to take a closer inspection.

Her heart pounded, and her brain became a floundering, broken record with the words Coworker , hot .

It had been so long since she’d kissed a man, and his lips were just as tempting as his scent, drawing her closer, except his hands slowly let go.

“Guess it’s a good sign you dove in before getting settled?” He gestured toward her body, and Charlie blinked herself alert—blinking through yumminess was difficult—and looked down.

Her coat was half unzipped, her purse still slung over her shoulder.

She was, much like some of her patients, clearly food motivated.

She shrugged away any embarrassment, taking another bite of her cookie and purposefully talking through the savored chew.

“You’ve discovered my weakness. Not everyone is savvy enough to figure it out. ”

Zachary laughed, the sound shooting tingles to her toes as she struggled to swallow. Good Lord, but those laugh lines, pushing their way through the stubble on his face. She liked the way it had grown in over the week.

“I think I’ve discovered mine too.” He stepped even closer, watching her face carefully, his hand reaching for her wrist and raising it up.

Charlie’s feet stuttered forward, her eyes locked in his trance. Her lips parted as his focus flicked back to her mouth, and she inhaled sharply. Holy shit . This is happening . Now . Zachary . At work .

He guided her hand, still holding one half of the cookie, and took a bite. Her mouth dropped open farther, air escaped in a gust, and her eyes narrowed. He grinned at her reaction, chewing away happily. It was a chewing grin, for God’s sake, and it was sexy ?

“I can’t believe you just did that,” she said.

He shrugged, releasing her from his warm grip, and swiped a knuckle at the corners of his mouth. For fuck’s sake, even that was hot!

“We have a shared weakness,” he said. “Those are way too tempting.”

Charlie sputtered. “You bought it for me!”

“I’m surprised you didn’t inhale it on the five-second walk over here.”

“I was savoring it!”

“Well, that’s just smart.”

“Exactly.”

“Coming to find me while doing so wasn’t.”

She stifled a laugh. “Who manages to buy one snickerdoodle, anyway?”

He looked away, expression sheepish.

“Did you eat my other cookie?” she asked, voice low.

He scratched his head and winced. “Uh…that one was for me.”

His nervous laugh made her shake her head, but she was grinning so wide, her cheeks brushed her glasses. “You owe me another one.”

“I barely took a bite!”

“You ate an entire cookie before this! You know as well as I do, every bite counts.”

“True.” He tilted his head, looking at the floor. “Tonight? We could grab dinner first?”

Her inner teenager executed a series of backflips. Charlie bit her lip and wished she could fan her cheeks, the cookie and coffee limiting her movements. She suddenly had a new understanding for “zoomies.”

Zachary cleared his throat. “I wanted to go over stuff with you. Discuss the books and Dad, fill you in on all that. ”

Business . Of course .

She stepped back toward the hall. “I have plans tonight. Let’s schedule a meeting next week, though.” She made a show of looking at the clock, lifting her coffee. “Thanks for this!”

Charlie hurried back to her— their —office and shrugged out of her coat to reveal standard navy scrubs.

Laundry had taken a backseat lately, so all of her fun workwear was buried in the hamper.

Zachary would be pleased, a thought that made her chuckle.

He didn’t try to hide how ridiculous he found her work attire, which only made her more proud of the pieces.

In fact, holiday sales were happening. Maybe she could find one with a cat dressed like the Grinch.

“What’s so funny?” Zachary came into the office and set down his coffee.

“Oh, nothing.” She stood with her palms on her desk as she scanned her list for the day. Once she reached the end of her notes, the Zachary jitters, as opposed to those caffeine-induced, had calmed—until she walked by him on her way out of the office.

“What are you wearing?” He frowned, scanning her up and down.

“Last resort today, Lee,” she said, feeling his eyes bore into her until she was out of sight.

***

“To shaming assholes!” Amber raised her glass and clanked it against the others, then took a large gulp of her whiskey cider .

Charlie giggled, watching her cousin from across the table. “How’ve you had three of those already? Too sweet, even for me.” She hiccuped and sipped her old fashioned.

Amber sighed with a lazy grin, slumping against the booth in her caramel blazer and snug white top. “I even had a large slice of cake before coming here. To take the edge off.”

Cleo made a gagging sound beside Amber. “Your reliance on sugar is concerning.”

“Hey, you know sugar and sex are my favorite remedies. I was already seeing you lovely ladies, so sugar won out. This time.” Amber wiggled her eyebrows, her simple eyeliner making her honey-brown eyes pop. She added a shake to her perky ponytail.

Magnolia laughed beside Charlie, her fingers tracing the condensation on a glass of whiskey on the rocks.

Her natural, dark brown curls slid just over her shoulders, and a small gold nose stud winked against her light golden brown skin.

“I’m picturing you in bed, post sex, pulling a cupcake from your nightstand drawer, taking a bite like a drag from a cigarette. ”

“That sounds like her dream scenario,” Cleo murmured, grinning.

Amber had her hand over her chest, eyes closed in feigned ecstasy. “Give me a minute,” she whispered.

They all laughed, the relief tangible following Amber’s story of the latest asshole she’d removed from the restaurant where she worked, who’d found it perfectly acceptable to grab her ass while she took his order.

“I wish extra shifts at my shop could replace you having to work there,” Cleo said with remorse. Amber had stories like this on the regular .

“Unfortunately, the tips are insane. At least my managers follow through on dealing with shit. I’ve almost saved enough to rent a workspace, though, and then I’ll be able to take on more custom orders.

” Amber shrugged, appearing nonchalant, even though she’d had to move slowly with her woodworking launch.

“In time. Speaking of your shop, did you tell them the latest?”