About Time (Broken Vows #4)

Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-Four

Charlie Past- Age 36

There are a few stragglers still milling about in the Parker’s living room. There’s also about an hour’s worth of cleaning to do just to remove all the discarded plastic cups and paper plates. Griffin comes out of the kitchen holding several plastic bags and thrusts one of them into Liam’s hand. I hold my hand out for one, and he passes it to me.

Liam looks at the bag like it’s a complex math problem. “What exactly do you want me to do with this?”

Griffin looks at his son like he’s trying to figure out if he can really be this stupid. He gestures around the room. “Take a guess, genius. Your girlfriend just lost her parents. Who do you think is going to take care of this mess? Her? Hattie, who just lost basically her second set of parents?”

Liam shakes the bag, and it opens with a snap. “Jeez, I got it. A simple ‘clean up the trash’ would have worked.”

“I didn’t raise you to be helpless, kid. I shouldn’t have to lead you around here by your nose to show you what should be obvious,” Griffin snaps.

I put my hands on Liam’s shoulders and give him a little push toward the kitchen. “Go start in there and wipe down the counters when you’re done.”

Once he’s gone, I turn to my best friend. “You’re pretty hard on the kid.”

He squeezes my shoulder. “See, that’s the problem, he’s not a kid. He graduated last year, and all he’s done is hang around here and spin his wheels. He only works part-time at the garage. He won’t even entertain going to the community college in Pine Bluff. I thought he was going to get a football scholarship, but he wasn’t talented enough to compensate for his piss-poor grades. He barely graduated.”

“Relax, Griff. It’s a high school relationship. Remember those? They’re intense, but they burn themselves out.”

“Yeah, mine ended with a divorce and me being a single father. I remember it with painful clarity,” he reminds me.

I wince. “Bad example. Most people don’t even marry their high school sweetheart, let alone have them turn into a rancid skank who runs off to be a lot lizard.”

“She isn’t a truck stop hooker. I think she is a sugar baby, though. At least I know that she ran off with some old dude who wanted a young piece of ass on his arm when he jetted off around the world. I guess my experience isn’t normal, but Liam is turning out to be more Melinda’s son than mine, even though he hasn’t seen her since he was two.”

I pop open my own bag and start tossing trash in. “Well, if that’s true, then they really won’t last. Eventually, he’ll get restless and need to explore just like his mother.”

Griffin grunts, which means he’s done with this conversation. “Let’s kick out the people who haven’t gotten the memo that they’ve overstayed their welcome.”

I’ve almost given up hope that Hattie is actually going to show up when there’s a light tap against my door.

When I open the door, I find her starting to turn around. “Leaving already? You haven’t even made it inside yet.”

“I’m not sure I should come inside. I’ve been trying to talk myself out of coming here for the last couple of hours,” Hattie admits.

“What finally convinced you to come?”

“Wren left with Liam and that bossy friend of hers, I think her name is Audrey. Everywhere I turned in the house, it was like I was being followed by the ghost of my sister. I walked into the kitchen, and I could see the memories layered on top of each other. Elisa and I in a food fight when she helped me make brownies for a middle school bake sale, she and I sitting at the table gossiping about boys, the house was filled with her. And then there’s the fact that I can still smell her in there. It’s just too much. I was jealous that Wren got to escape, and I was trapped inside with the ghosts. Then I remembered you gave me a way to shut it all off.”

I open the door wider and step back. There’s no way she’s forgotten the rules. This time, I won’t either. I care about Hattie. Hell, I fucking love her, but I won’t let that shit slip through the cracks this time.

She comes in, and I close the door behind her. I circle around her, taking in the long lines of her body. There have been some changes since I last saw her six years ago. It would be strange for there not to be. She has more of a tan, and her muscles are lean and defined. I trace the one that runs down the side of her arm, and she looks over her shoulder at me.

“I go surfing on my days off,” she answers the question I didn’t speak out loud.

I already knew she’d gone back to Florida when she left here. It took a few months before someone let it slip, but then they didn’t know she probably didn’t want me to have that information.

“Are you sure you want this? I won’t hold it against you if you back out?” She won’t be able to say I didn’t give her every chance to walk away.

I want her desperate for my cock, not with me because she’s just desperate for an escape, but we’ll get there.

Hattie sinks to her knees and looks down at the floor. “I’m sure, Sir.”

Hearing her call me sir once again sends all the blood in my body racing to fill my dick. I’m forced to grip myself through my jeans and squeeze so I don’t come like a horny teenager who’s never seen a naked girl before. Only this would be worse because she’s fully clothed.

As much as I like to play with her like this, I need to taste all of her, starting with the smart mouth I’ve been without for six long years. I know all of this is my fault, but that doesn’t diminish the longing.

I reach my hand out to her, and she takes it without question. I pull her to her feet, fist my hand in her hair, and take her mouth in an aggressive kiss. She always matched me in intensity, and that hasn’t changed.

This kiss will be burned in my head for the rest of my days. I may even suffocate and die, but pulling away from the sweetness of her mouth even to pull in much-needed oxygen is unthinkable. Her lips fit against mine and move as if we’ve worked to choreograph this. My tongue plunges into her mouth, and it’s almost more like a battle than a kiss. There’s a lot of frustration and hurt between the two of us.

Under different circumstances, nothing could have pulled me away from her. The ache I have for her pounds in my chest like a second heartbeat. It’s a familiar pain now, and I think having her here right now almost makes it worse. There’s no doubt the pain is going to be crippling when we inevitably part ways again.

We’re both breathing heavily when we finally break the kiss. I let my lips trail along her jaw until I get to her ear. I have nothing preplanned, but there is an idea that refuses to go away. “I want to bind you to my bed, stretch you out, and use you however I want all night long,” I whisper.

I can feel her tremble in my arms. “Yes, Sir,” she agrees.

It isn’t just that I want her to give me complete power over her body, I really don’t want her to slip out in the middle of the night. If we don’t meet up like this again while she’s here, I want to make sure I get to kiss her goodbye this time.

I bring her into my room and take out the leather cuffs from my nightstand. Normally I’d demand her to undress and watch as each layer unveiled her beautiful body. This time, I want a more hands-on approach, and I undress her myself. She’s still wearing her black dress from earlier, I unzip the back and let it pool around her feet.

“Step out,” I tell her.

When she kicks the dress aside, I let my eyes slide up her body and nearly begin to drool. She stands before me in black lace lingerie and patent leather black heels. It makes her tan stand out and gives a tease at the parts of her that are covered.

Her shoulders roll back, and her chin tips up. There's a confidence in her that she didn't have when we were together. I love every version of her, but this confident one is sexy as fuck. I move behind her and lightly brush my fingers across the tops of her shoulders, sliding her bra straps down her arms along with my fingers.

Brushing her hair over her shoulder, I kiss the center of her neck, then the base, and below her shoulders. I unbuckle her bra and let it fall the rest of the way down her arms to the floor; then I kiss the spot the fastener covered.

Slowly, I work my way down her spine until I get to the top of her panties. They go with the rest of her clothes until she’s gloriously nude.

“On the bed,” I order her and send her off with a slap to her ass.

Hattie climbs onto the bed, but before she gets too far up, I grab her hips and hold her still. Her head is down against the mattress, her weight is balanced between her elbows and her knees.

I stroke my hand down her back. “Don’t move.”

I reach over her, grab my cuffs, and bind her wrists together. It doesn’t really keep her from moving, but it helps to get her into the right headspace. I take a step back and appreciate the view.

“As much as I love you on your hands and knees for me, right now I need you in the middle of the bed.”

When she doesn’t get moving, I swat her ass. “Do as you’re told, Doll. I need to get you on your back so I can lick your sweet pussy. It’s been too long, and I am dying to taste you.”

Hattie works her way to the middle. Admittedly, it would have been easier if I hadn’t bound her wrists first, but less fun.

Finally, she manages to crawl to the middle of the bed and roll over onto her back. I prowl up her body from the foot of the bed. My clothes brush against her skin. When I got home from the reception at the house, I changed into a worn pair of jeans and a T-shirt. I’d love to feel her skin sliding across mine, but I really don’t want to embarrass myself.

Hattie has her bound hands resting on her chest. I grab the chain between the leather cuffs and lift her arms over her head. This is the same bed I had when we were together, so there’s still a ring hidden in the frame to hook her cuffs to.

Once she’s secured, I stroke down her arms from her wrists to her shoulders. Her skin feels like warm satin. My eyes catch on her plump lips, and I can’t stop myself from kissing her. She’s not as pliant and engaged as she usually is. Her body stiffens under mine, and I pull back.

By lifting myself up into a plank position, I’m able to look down at her face. “If you’re not into this, I will take off the restrains. All you have to do is say the word.”

Her tongue swipes across her bottom lip, leaving them glistening and making the urge to kiss the shit out of her worse, but I hold back.

“I want to, but kissing is a bit too?—”

“Intimate?” I supply.

Hattie nods. “I’m trying to remember that this is temporary. It’s too hard to hold back when you kiss me like that.”

I chew my lip. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell her not to hold back, but that’s not fair to her. We have an expiration date, and it would be best if we remember that this time. Instead, I look her in the eyes so I can gauge her sincerity and ask, “Do you want to stop?”

She shakes her head.

“Words, Hattie. I need to hear you say it.”

“No, I don’t want to stop. Just don’t kiss me.”

“At all?” My tone has turned teasing. I trail my index finger down the column of her throat, stopping at the indentation between her neck and collarbone. “What about right here?”

I watch her swallow. “There is okay.”

I follow through with putting my lips in the divot and press a kiss there. Then, I draw a line down her sternum and stop between her breasts. “And here?”

“Yeah, that’s good,” she rasps.

“Good,” I say against her skin and move myself down her body, letting my lips travel the same journey as my finger.

Hattie shivers as I keep going, swirling a finger around her nipple. “And now?”

“Mmhmm,” is all she’s able to say.

As much as I want to keep working my way down her body, I’m enjoying savoring her. That’s one of the benefits of time. I’m far more patient than I was half a decade ago. Being without her for so long has created a strong desire to drag every moment out.

I flick the tip of her nipple with my tongue before circling it. I spend the time worshiping the rest of it, going so far as to gently nip underneath before repeating the sensual torture with the other one. Once I’m satisfied that every inch of her breasts has been kissed, I start tracing another line down her abdomen.

She’s really starting to squirm underneath me.

“Charlie, just not on the lips, okay? Everything else is fair game,” she blurts out in an uncharacteristic break from her submissive role in these scenes.

I decide to ignore the infraction, for now at least, and keep torturing her. My fingers stroke beneath her belly button down until I reach her mound. I tease the soft, bare skin with a light touch. “Even these lips?”

“No, not those,” she says breathlessly.

That’s two times she’s forgotten how this dynamic works. I slap her pussy, and she yanks at her binds, a moan working up from her throat.

“No what?” I remind her.

“No Sir,” she breathes out.

“Tonight this is mine, and I’ll do what I want with you,” I tell her.

She trembles as I move the rest of the way down her body, and drape her legs over both of my shoulders.

This is only supposed to be a tease, but the moment I taste her I can’t stop. I work her clit with my tongue and suck on it as I plunge my fingers into her wet heat. She’s more than ready for me, but I want to make her scream. I curl my fingers against that spot inside that sends her into orbit. She’s whimpering and moaning quietly, but it’s not enough.

I need more from her. I need everything, but what I get is this moment, I have to make every moment I get with her count.

After I’ve forced another orgasm from her, I climb off the bed to strip out of my clothes. I open the drawer on my nightstand and retrieve a condom. I tear open the package with my teeth and work it down my aching dick.

For a second, I think I see a look of disappointment cross her face. We didn’t talk about protection, so I assume she’d want me to use it. I haven’t exactly been celibate the last few years. I don’t know how many men have come since our divorce, but I also don’t have a right to ask her that. I’d love nothing better than to sink into her bare, but I can’t risk getting her pregnant again. Last time, I barely survived losing our baby and then her. I’m pretty sure my liver will never fully heal from the time I spent trying to drink myself numb.

I look down into her eyes, and the urge to uncuff her and make love to her is strong. Too strong. I know it would blur lines she already made clear need to be maintained. My body isn’t all the way on board with where my mind is going, and I’ve already uncuffed her when I decide it would be a bad idea.

Not wanting to scare her away with the sappy nature of my feelings, I climb off the bed. “Come here and lean over the bed,” I order her. This puts us back on safe ground.

Re-establishing boundaries is a good idea and will allow this to continue as long as she’s here. One night will never be enough with her. A lifetime would be too short, but I will have to be grateful for the time I do get with her.

I step back and spank her ass. Hattie yelps and glares at me over her shoulder. I swat her other cheek. “Have you forgotten the rules, Doll?”

I can see the realization sink in. “No Sir,” she says softly and lowers her head down in front of her.

This time when I strike her bottom, I do it low and cover her pussy and part of both her thighs. “Why are you being spanked?”

“Because I gave you attitude, Sir.”

“What are you?” I ask her.

“I am your toy, Sir.”

“That’s right, and I’m going to play with you all night.”

I kick her legs open wider and sink into her in one punishing thrust. All sorts of dirty thoughts come tumbling out of my mouth. I haven’t unleashed this kink with anyone else, so being here with her like this feels like stretching muscles that haven’t been used in a long time.

“Fuck, your pussy feels amazing. How are you still this tight?”

She doesn’t answer but whimpers. My pace is punishing, but I can’t stop myself. I feel like I’ve gone into a rut, or some kind of primal instinct has taken over my brain.

I look down and watch my cock force its way inside her tiny cunt. I wish I didn’t have to wear the rubber and could feel more of her heat directly on my skin.

“You’re soaking my dick. Are you going to come again for me?” I can feel her pussy spasming around my cock.

I lean over her back and continue to drill with hard thrusts into her, but I really want to make her gush, so I reach around and start stroking her clit. I know she’s got to be overstimulated, having come twice already, but I am not about to go easy on her.

Hattie screams, and her muscles tighten even more, to the point it’s almost painful. It’s enough to throw me over the edge. I push in deep and feel my cock jerking inside of her as I fill the condom with my seed.

I pull out of her and go into the bathroom to clean up and get a washcloth. When I come back in the room, Hattie is curled into a ball in the middle of the bed. She whimpers when I open her legs to clean her up. I place a kiss above her pelvic bone.

“Rest while you can, Doll. I’ll play with you later.”

Her eyes flutter closed, and while she sleeps, I indulge myself by pulling her into my arms. I can tell by the way her breathing changes that she’s fallen into a deep sleep. She won’t hear or remember anything that happens while she’s in this state.

I brush her hair away from her face and kiss her softly on the mouth. “I’ve missed you every day for the last six years, and I will love you for the rest of them. Enough that I won’t be selfish and try to make you stay.”