Page 10 of Unearthed Dreams (Sable Point #3)

Chapter Nine

CHARLIE

My nerves were shot.

The moment I’d handed over my manuscript to Kai, I’d broken out in hives and had been applying Calamine lotion ever since.

When I was awake, I thought about him reading the words that had come straight from my soul, the ones I’d poured over for months and months, unsure if anyone else would ever see or read them. And when I was in bed, I’d thought about his lips on my skin and his hands on my body.

I hadn’t had a moment’s peace from the man, except, apparently, for when I was in his presence.

When I’d opened the bookstore this morning, there’d been a small scrap of paper taped to the door.

Bar after you close

- K

That’s all it had said, and I’d been giddy ever since.

Having the attention of a man like Kai felt a little dangerous, exciting, freeing. I hadn’t been allowed to so much as go out on a date in high school, and here I was getting notes from a man ten years older than me who was drop-dead gorgeous.

Any woman would be flattered, but me? Giddy.

This had felt like the beginning of an epic love story, a fairytale romance. Until he’d opened his dumb mouth.

You don’t know me.

I’m not a good man.

I was not na?ve enough to believe he didn’t have a past. He had a wife who he’d known most of his life. He was probably still heartbroken over the loss of her. And then to find out Billy was sick? He’d been through so much in the past few years. Maybe he just needed time to heal.

Until then, I could be his friend. I could keep the secret fantasies of him in my bed, kissing me breathless, to myself.

I’d bask in his attention. I’d revel in the way I felt more like me around him than I ever had around anyone else.

Then I’d go home, put on the mask I wore for everyone in my life who worried about poor, innocent Charlie who couldn’t handle the big bad world and had to be sheltered at all costs.

But what had that version ever gotten me? A temporary job, poor self-confidence, and a nonexistent love life.

It was time I started doing things for myself, not worrying about what my parents or my brothers or my classmates thought of me. And right now, I wanted to sit at Kai Callaghan’s bar and have a beer.

The words tumbled from my mouth before my brain caught up. “You know what? I think I’ll have a beer. ”

Kai raised his brows, his fingers pausing on the glass he’d been polishing. “A beer?”

My spine straightened, channeling confidence I didn’t quite feel. “Yes. I said it as a statement.”

“You did.” His lips twitched, the barest hint of amusement playing at the corners.

The bar’s ambient noise filled the silence between us—the clink of glasses, murmured conversations, the soft whir of the ceiling fan. “Well?”

He set down his cloth, those magnetic hazel eyes studying me. “What kind of beer?”

Heat crept up my neck. I fidgeted with a cardboard coaster, peeling at its edges. “I don’t know. I don’t drink beer.”

A deep, rich sound burst from him—a genuine laugh that made my stomach flip. I grinned in response, proud to have cracked that stoic exterior.

“Surprise me.”

With practiced efficiency, he moved to the taps, his strong forearms flexing as he tilted a frosted glass at the perfect angle. The amber liquid swirled, forming a perfect head of foam before he placed it in front of me.

“Here you go.”

The bitter liquid hit my tongue and my body revolted. Beer sprayed across the polished wood before I could stop it. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. That’s absolutely disgusting.”

His shoulders shook with laughter, the sound warming me more than any alcohol could. My embarrassment faded, replaced by satisfaction at drawing out another genuine reaction from this usually reserved man .

“Wanna stick with Coke?” He reached for a rag to wipe up my mess.

I wrinkled my nose at the offending beer glass. “No. Can you make me something... fruity?”

“Sure thing, pretty girl.” Kai winked and got to work.

That unfamiliar warmth—the one that had started seeping into me every night as thoughts of Kai invaded my brain—pooled between my legs.

Watching him mix the liquors, shake the metal cup, pour the drink, was intoxicating, and yet I hadn’t taken more than a sip of alcohol tonight.

His movements were graceful, almost sensual.

The muscles in his shoulders bunched and rippled as he moved.

His large hands deftly maneuvered bottles and glasses until he placed a short tumbler filled with pink liquid in front of me.

“What is it?” I asked.

Ice clinked against glass as he adjusted his stance behind the bar. “Something fruity.”

I traced the rim of the glass, gathering condensation. “Does it have a name?”

“Nope.”

I eyed him, taking in the way his muscles flexed as he dried another glass, one brow raised in question. The bar’s dim lighting cast shadows across the planes of his face, making him look dangerous and alluring.

His hands stilled on the cloth. “Just take a drink, Charlotte.”

The way my full name rolled off his tongue sent a shiver down my spine. “Oooh, using my full name. He means business.” I grinned, lifting the glass to my lips. The sweet aroma hit my nose before the liquid touched my tongue. “Oh my god, that’s delicious. It tastes like pink lemonade! ”

His lips quirked up at the corners. “Yeah, you like it?”

The liquid slid down my throat—smooth, refreshing, with just enough of an alcoholic edge to warm my chest. I took another long pull, savoring the perfect balance of sweet and tart. My eyes drifted shut as pleasure coursed through me. “Mmm, so good.”

The heavy silence drew my eyes open. Kai had stopped moving entirely, his intense gaze locked on my mouth. Heat bloomed across my cheeks. My tongue darted out to catch a stray drop of pink liquid on my bottom lip. The small movement snapped him out of whatever trance he’d fallen into.

“You cannot sit at my bar moaning like that,” he growled, his voice dropping to a rough whisper that made my insides clench.

Embarrassment and arousal warred within me. “Oh, um—Sorry?”

“Fuck, Charlie.” His voice came out strangled, hoarse. He reached behind the bar, adjusting what I suspected was the same bulge I’d glimpsed straining against his jeans in his apartment last week.

My stomach fluttered with a mix of guilt and something darker, more primal. “Are you okay?”

A harsh laugh burst from his chest, the sound ricocheting off the bottles lining the wall behind him. “Ah, what a question...”

The tension between us thickened, making it hard to breathe. My fingers twisted the napkin under my drink into shreds. “Should I go?”

His eyes squeezed shut, chest expanding with a deep inhale that made his black t-shirt stretch across his broad shoulders .

One Mississippi, two Mississippi...

The seconds ticked by before he released that breath in a controlled stream. “No, don’t go. We haven’t even gotten to why I asked you to come here.”

“Right.” I took another sip from my pink drink. So yummy. “Why did you ask me here?”

“I finished reading your book.”

The warmth from the alcohol vanished, replaced by an icy dread that spread from my chest outward. My heart plummeted to my stomach. “Oh.”

Those magnetic hazel eyes captured mine, searching my face with an intensity that made my skin prickle. The ambient noise of the bar faded until all I could hear was the thundering of my pulse in my ears.

“Well? What did you think?” The words scratched my throat.

He maintained that penetrating stare, the silence stretching between us like a rubber band about to snap.

“Kai!” My voice cracked on his name, desperation and frustration bleeding through.

He shook his head a bit, like he’d zoned out.

One hand raked through the hair at his nape, silver strands catching in the golden bar lights. His forearm flexed with the motion, veins taut beneath skin.

“Sorry. I, uh—” His hand dropped back to the bar top. “I thought it was amazing, Charlie.”

Relief flooded through me, my tense muscles releasing their death grip on my spine. The weight of anticipation that had been crushing my chest lifted.

“Really? You’re not just saying that? ”

Behind him, the wall of bottles sparkled, creating a backdrop that made him look even more imposing. His hazel eyes fixed on mine with an intensity that made my skin prickle.

“No, I’m not. Don’t get me wrong, I have some comments.”

My stomach clenched. The sweet cocktail turned sour on my tongue. “Oh? Like what?”

His lips twitched into a crooked grin, a dimple broke through the stubble on his cheek. “Well, you pissed me off in chapter eight.”

A burst of hysterical laughter escaped my throat, the sound bouncing off the bottles behind him. His answering grin transformed his entire face, softening the hard edges into something warmer, more approachable.

My finger shot across the bar top, nearly knocking over my drink. “That”—the tip of my finger almost grazed his chest—“was on purpose.”

He leaned in, closing the distance between us until I could smell him—something subtle and masculine that made my head swim.

“For someone who’s never been kissed, you wrote their first kiss very well.” His eyes dropped to my mouth.

I forced myself to hold his gaze despite the flutter in my stomach. “Thank you. I’ve read enough to know what to repeat.”

“Or maybe…” His voice dropped lower, rougher; the sound skittered down my spine like a physical touch. “You’ve imagined it enough to know exactly what you want.”

Kai’s tongue darted out, wetting his lips. When he pulled it back, his top teeth sank into his bottom lip .

God, what would it be like to be kissed by this man? I’d almost found out. Would I have another chance? Even after I’d called him an asshole? Would he even want someone as inexperienced as I was?

“I’m sorry I called you an asshole. You’re not.”

“Mmm, thinking about that day, pretty girl? I know I am. I’m always thinking of that day.”

I squeezed my thighs together in effort to ease the dull ache that had bloomed there.

“I-I?—”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to say it. It’s written all over your face.”

My hands came up to my cheeks, and they felt hot to the touch. “It is?”

Kai nodded. “Do you have any fucking idea how beautiful you look when you’re turned on?”

How could he possibly know that just by looking at me?

I didn’t even have to voice the question—he answered it anyway.

“Your cheeks turn the prettiest pink. And your eyes, so big and blue and stunning, they flare and darken as your pupils widen. Those pink, kissable fucking lips part as your chest, those perfect tits, rise and falls faster. Can’t keep my eyes off you.”

Oh my god. No one had ever spoken to me like this before, and I nearly melted into a puddle on the sticky bar floor.

“Do you know what to do when you get home tonight?” His whispered words caressed my ear, his hazel eyes burning into mine with an intensity that made my core clench.

The air between us crackled with electricity, every molecule charged with desire.

His voice was pure sin, deep and rough, dripping with promises of pleasure I’d never known.

I shook my head slowly, unable to break our heated gaze. Of course, I knew what to do—I’d read enough books to understand the mechanics—but I lacked the inspiration to ever go there before. I wanted him to give it to me, and my pulse thundered in my ears as I waited to see what he’d do or say next.

His large hand engulfed mine, calloused fingers sliding between my own.

The gentle stroke of his thumb against my sensitive skin sent shivers down my spine straight to my core.

“You’re gonna take these two fingers...” He demonstrated with a sensual caress that had me squirming on the barstool.

“And slip them into those pretty pink panties I bet you’re wearing. ..”

A desperate whimper escaped my throat as my eyes fluttered shut. His continued stroking of my fingers mimicked what he was describing, each movement sending jolts of electricity through my body. My thighs clenched together, seeking friction.

“Slide them through your center, feel how wet you are...” he rasped.

“Use all that sweet cream to make yourself feel good. Just like this.” He guided my fingers in small circles that had my hips shifting restlessly.

The scent of his cologne—spicy and masculine—filled my lungs with each ragged breath.

“Start with your fingertips. Light touches. Teasing.”

My chest heaved as explicit images flooded my mind.

“Slow circles. Build the pressure gradually,” he growled, demonstrating the motion. “Find that sweet spot. When it feels too intense, when you’re right on that edge...” His fingers tightened on mine. “Don’t stop until you come apart.”

The tension coiled tighter in my core with each word. My clit throbbed in time with my racing pulse. Could his filthy words alone push me over? Because I was dangerously close to finding out.

The loss of his touch snapped my eyes open. Kai had retreated behind the bar, his impressive bulge straining against his zipper as he gripped the edge of the counter. His chest rose and fell rapidly, muscles flexing beneath his tight black shirt. The hunger in his eyes made me throb.

“Time to go, Charlie.”

“But—” The words died in my throat. What could I say? That I wanted his hands on me, teaching me everything he’d just described? That I needed his fingers between my legs, showing me exactly how to touch myself? That I craved his mouth on my skin?

The seam of my jeans pressed against my center, the rough denim both torture and relief.

“Please, Charlie.” His knuckles whitened as he gripped the bar edge. Another bead of sweat rolled down his temple. “I’m hanging on by a thread here.”

“So let go.”

“Fuck.” The word came out strangled. He dragged his gaze back to mine, jaw clenched tight. “I’m not the man for you, pretty girl. Time to head home.”

My core clenched at the gravel in his voice. I rose from the barstool on shaky legs, gathering my purse. The walk to the door felt endless, my panties soaked. At the threshold, I turned back for one last look .

Kai’s heated gaze raked over me like a physical caress, lingering on my hips, my breasts, my parted lips. The naked hunger in his eyes made me throb. I’d be replaying this moment tonight, fingers buried deep as I imagined those strong hands on my body instead of my own.