Page 14 of Unearthed Dreams (Sable Point #3)

Chapter Thirteen

CHARLIE

I couldn’t stop thinking about how different it felt when Trevor touched me.

Two months ago, that casual hand at the small of my back would have sent butterflies racing through my stomach. I would have overthought every microsecond of contact, analyzed the meaning behind it for hours.

But now?

Nothing. Less than nothing. It was like all those years of crushing on him had been erased by one heated conversation with Kai Callaghan.

The festival crowds pressed in around us as Shelby chatted about her summer internship, her familiar voice still sending a jolt of disbelief through me every time she spoke.

They’d actually come. To Sable Point. To see me.

I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for Shelby to reveal some other reason for the visit.

Because people like her—bright, vibrant, actually-goes-to-parties—didn’t drive hours just to see their awkward ex-roommate who’d rather read books than socialize .

But I could barely focus on her story about the law firm’s drama, because I could still feel Kai’s eyes on me from the beer tent.

I’d felt them all day, burning into me while I pretended to read the same paragraph over and over on my Kindle.

Every time I’d sneaked a glance his way, he’d been watching me with that intense focus that made my skin tingle and my thoughts scatter.

Two weeks. Two weeks since he’d told me exactly how to touch myself, since his voice had dropped low and dangerous as he described what I did to him.

Two weeks of avoiding each other, of pretending we didn’t both feel this electric current humming between us whenever we were near.

Two weeks of touching myself exactly how he’d instructed, biting my lip to keep quiet in my childhood bedroom, imagining his hands instead of my own.

I was so tired of pretending.

Trevor’s hand still rested on my back as we walked, and all I could think about was how different it felt from when Kai had caught me on his stairs. How Kai’s touch had sparked something wild and desperate inside me, while Trevor’s just felt... friendly. Normal. Safe.

I didn’t want safe anymore. And maybe—just maybe—I’d been wrong about other things too. Like assuming Shelby would forget about me the moment we graduated. Like believing I didn’t deserve real friendships.

“Anyone want a drink?” Trevor asked, interrupting my thoughts.

“I could use a beer,” Simon said.

“Me too! Charlie?” Shelby asked.

“Oh, um... Sure. ”

Trevor and Simon headed toward the beer tent. Toward Kai.

“Soooo, Trevor,” Shelby sing-songed the moment we were alone, nudging me with her elbow. Her ponytail swung as she gave me an exaggerated wink.

“Yeah, what’s he doing here?” I tried to keep my voice neutral, but my eyes were locked on the beer tent, where Kai’s jaw was visibly clenched as Trevor approached.

“Oh! I ran into him at the grocery store earlier this week. When I mentioned Simon and I were coming up to surprise you at the festival, he asked if he could tag along.” Her grin turned sly.

“I think you moving away made him realize what he was missing. He asked, like, a million questions about you.”

Kai yanked the tap handle with more force than necessary, foam spilling over the edge of the cup he was filling for Trevor.

“Charlie?” Shelby waved her hand in front of my face. “Hello? Trevor? Making his move? Finally showing interest after years of you pining? This is exciting!”

“I’m not...” I swallowed hard, studying my sandals. “I’m not really interested in Trevor anymore.”

“What? But you’ve been crushing on him forever! What changed?”

My eyes involuntarily found Kai again across the festival grounds. Even from this distance, I could see the heat in his gaze, the barely contained frustration as Trevor leaned casually against the counter.

“Don’t look,” I whispered, grabbing Shelby’s arm. “But see the guy running the beer tent? The one with the white hair?”

Shelby immediately whipped her head around to stare directly at him. Of course she did .

“Oh my god, Charlie, he’s gorgeous,” she stage-whispered, not even trying to be subtle. “Wait, is he looking at us?”

I yanked her further away from the tent, my cheeks burning. Shelby may have been my best friend, but I’d never talked like this with her before, and she’d stopped sharing her sexcapades with me years ago when I’d been too much of a ‘prude’—her word, not mine—to handle it.

“Two weeks ago, he...” I took a deep breath. “He told me exactly how to... touch myself. In detail. At his bar. And I... I did what he said when I got home and...” I pressed my burning face into my hands. “Oh god, I can’t believe I’m telling you this.”

“Charlie!” Shelby grabbed my shoulders, her voice dropping to an intense whisper. “Are you telling me you had your first orgasm because a hot older man gave you instructions?”

I peeked through my fingers, nodding miserably.

“Holy shit,” she breathed. “That’s... that’s actually really hot. Like, romance novel hot. What exactly did he say?”

“Shelby!” I hissed, mortified but also desperately wanting to share every detail with someone. Anyone.

“No, seriously Charlie,” Shelby insisted, pulling me further from the crowd. “You can’t just drop that bomb and not give me details. How did this even happen? Does your family know?”

“God, no!” I glanced anxiously toward the EdenTree tent where Tessa was demonstrating their signature cider. “My brothers would lose their minds. Chase already suspects something—he’s been weird about it lately.”

“But how did you meet him?”

“I saw him at a wedding a few months ago, and again at the cidery opening. Then I literally crashed into him on Main Street.” I smiled at the memory.

“I was trying to avoid walking past his bar because—I don’t know, he makes me feel things—I wasn’t watching where I was going, and just.. . bam. Right into his chest.”

“That’s, like, straight out of one of your romance novels!”

“I know! And then he offered to let me work in his bar during closed hours because I was looking for a quiet place to write, and?—”

“Hold up.” Shelby’s eyes went wide. “You showed him your book?”

I nodded. “He read the whole thing in a day.”

“Charlie!” Shelby grabbed my arm. “That’s huge! You’ve never let anyone read it!”

“I know, I just...” I risked another glance at the beer tent. Kai was still glowering as Trevor and Simon chatted, clearly in no hurry to return. “There’s something about him. He makes me feel...”

“Brave?” Shelby supplied with a knowing smile.

“Yeah,” I breathed. “Brave.”

“I love this for you.”

The sincerity in Shelby’s voice made my throat tight. After years of being the awkward roommate, here I was—finally talking about my love life, and she was genuinely excited for me.

“No one ever believed me when I said heat levels in romance novels were realistic,” I muttered. “But the way he looks at me sometimes... it’s exactly like that. Like he could devour me with just his eyes.”

“Oh my god, he’s doing it right now,” Shelby whispered, her gaze fixed over my shoulder.

I didn’t have to turn around to know she was right. I could feel the weight of his stare, hot and heavy against my skin. The same way it had felt all day while I’d pretended to read, hyperaware of his every movement.

“So what are you going to do about it?” Shelby asked.

“What do you mean?”

“Charlie.” She fixed me with a look. “You can’t just let this sexual tension simmer forever. Someone’s going to spontaneously combust.”

“He keeps pulling away,” I admitted. “Says he’s not a good man. That he’s too old for me, and I deserve someone better.”

“And what do you want?”

Trevor and Simon finally made their way back to us with beers in hand. But my gaze drifted to where Kai stood, his knuckles white against the tap handle.

“Him,” I said simply. “I want him.”

The sun had long since set, and my head buzzed pleasantly despite the fact that I’d barely managed to choke down two beers. How did people drink this stuff for fun?

“You sure you won’t come back to the resort?” Trevor asked, leaning in close enough that I could smell the hops on his breath. “We could grab a late dinner, maybe hit the hot tub?”

Two months ago, this invitation would have sent my heart racing. Now I just felt... nothing.

“Can’t,” I said, forcing an apologetic smile. “Promised the family I’d help break down the tent.”

It was a terrible excuse. Everyone in my family knew better than to trust me with manual labor after The Great Harvest Disaster of 2020. But Trevor didn’t know that.

“Come on,” Shelby wheedled, clearly tipsy herself. “Your brothers can handle it. When’s the next time we’ll all be together like this?”

I glanced toward the EdenTree tent where Elliot and Dad were already efficiently dismantling displays, neither sparing me a second look. They hadn’t even bothered asking for my help.

Kai was beginning his own cleanup process. His movements were precise and methodical as he disconnected the tap lines, his forearms flexing with each twist of metal.

“I really can’t,” I said, more firmly this time. “But you guys have fun. Text me tomorrow before you head out?”

Trevor’s face fell slightly, but he recovered with a kind smile. He leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to my cheek. “Maybe I can come up and visit again, without these two?” He hitched his thumb over his shoulder toward where Shelby and Simon were bickering.

“You’re such an idiot,” Shelby was saying. “We definitely parked by the lighthouse.”

“No way,” Simon argued. “The lot by the marina, I’m positive.”

“Sure, that’d be great,” I told Trevor, the lie tasting bitter on my tongue. The worst part was, he probably meant it. But whatever spark I’d imagined between us had fizzled out completely.

I hugged Shelby goodbye, breathing in her familiar coconut shampoo smell.

When Simon held out his fist for a bump, I managed to make it even more awkward than usual by nearly missing entirely.

But their laughter felt fond rather than mocking as they headed off into the night, still arguing about parking lots.

I stood alone in the middle of the darkening park, my slight buzz making everything feel softer around the edges.

Most of the vendors had already packed up, leaving only a few pools of light from scattered lamp posts.

The cidery tent was nearly dismantled—Elliot and Dad worked with their usual efficiency while Tessa and Mom directed from their lawn chairs, both a few ciders deep and looking like they had a good buzz going.

Movement caught my eye—Kai crossing the grass with his final armload of supplies, heading toward his bar. My pulse quickened as I glanced around. Chase was nowhere to be found, as usual, and Jasper and Nat had left an hour ago, off to do in-love, newlywed things, no doubt.

No one was watching.

Before I could talk myself out of it, I followed Kai into the darkness.

The back door of Callaghan’s clicked shut behind him just as I rounded the corner. My heart thundered in my chest as I pushed against the heavy metal handle, easing the door open as quietly as possible.

The hallway was dark, but light spilled from the storage room ahead. I could hear Kai moving around, the sound of festival supplies being set down. My fingers trembled as I pushed the door closed behind me.

“We’re closed,” came his voice, tired and gruff.

I stepped into the storage room doorway. “I know.”

Kai froze, his back to me, shoulders rigid. “Charlie.” My name came out like a warning. “You shouldn’t be here. ”

“Probably not,” I agreed, thankful for the slight buzz of beer that made me braver than usual. “But I’m tired of staying away.”

He turned slowly, his eyes dark in the harsh fluorescent lighting. “Your brother?—”

“I don’t care what Chase said to you.”

His eyes narrowed. “You heard?”

“No. But I know my brother. And I don’t care.”

Kai braced his hands against a stack of empty cases. “You should. He’s right. I’m too old for you. Too damaged. Too?—”

“I don’t care about that either.”

“Charlie.” His voice was strained. “Please.”

I took a step closer. “Tell me you don’t want me.”

“What?”

“Tell me you don’t want me,” I repeated, my voice stronger now. “Tell me you don’t think about me. Tell me you haven’t been watching me all day, that you weren’t jealous when Trevor touched me. Tell me you don’t want this, and I’ll leave.”

His jaw clenched. “Fuck.”

And then he moved. One moment he was across the room, the next he had me pressed against the wall between stacked boxes, one hand tangled in my hair while the other gripped my hip. His forehead pressed against mine, his breathing ragged.

“Tell me to stop,” he whispered.

I grabbed his shirt, pulling him closer. “No.”

“Fuck it,” he growled, and finally, finally kissed me.

His lips were firm, demanding but careful, like he was still holding himself back. I made a frustrated sound, pushing onto my toes, trying to get closer. His hand tightened in my hair, tilting my head just so, and then? —

Oh.

So this was what all those books meant by ‘melting.’ My knees actually went weak as his tongue swept against mine.

Every nerve ending felt alive, electric, burning everywhere we touched.

His hand slid from my hip to my lower back, pulling me flush against him, and I gasped into his mouth at the feel of him, solid and warm and real.

The storage room lights flickered overhead, harsh fluorescent throwing shadows across boxes of liquor and bar supplies.

The wall was hard against my back, and something dug into my shoulder blade.

But I didn’t care. All that mattered was Kai’s mouth on mine, his hands holding me like I might disappear if he let go.

When he finally broke the kiss, we were panting hard. He didn’t go far, just far enough to rest his forehead against mine again. His eyes stayed closed, like he was afraid to look at me.

“Charlie,” he breathed, my name a broken sound. “We shouldn’t?—”

I cut him off with another kiss, shorter this time but just as fierce. “Stop telling me what we shouldn’t do.”

His laugh was rough, almost desperate. “You don’t know what you’re asking for.”

“Then show me.”